Upgrade now, wait for zen 6, or wait until next gen GPU’s?

Posted by Procrastinate_17@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 17 comments

I currently have a 3080 with a 10700k. Planning on upgrading gpu whenever the 6000 series gpu’s release because for the most part, 3080 is still doing fine for me at 1440p. The 10700k is bottleneck for me in most games I’m currently playing. Since replacing cpu is a lot more tedious than simply swapping out the gpu, I want to get the best possible gaming cpu that will last the longest.

My question is do you think waiting until the next generation AMD zen 6 cpu will be worth it over the currently available 9800x3d? Also will DDR 5 still be the latest RAM around that time or is DDR 6 on the horizon? Basically I want to try and get to most up to date parts while still using my 3080 until the next gen releases. I’d love to get a boost in my frames, especially for the cpu heavy bf6, but don’t want to pull the trigger too early to if new components are expected to release before the 6000 series.

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horizon936@reddit

How are you sure your CPU bottlenecks you? Run your game and see GPU utilization - if it's below 95% without any fps caps, then you're CPU bottlenecked indeed.

As another user pointed out - we can't see the future - the next CPUs might come in 2027 or 2028. They might be a big improvement or a small improvement. They may be in stock or out of stock for half an year. Prices might have settled or they might have not. Same for the GPUs. The current crisis is a predisposition for many delays, so don't expect PC parts at their regular release cadance and definitely don't expect to be able to get them at MSRP or day 1 even when they release.

A year ago I upgraded from an 8600k 2070S PC to a 9800x3d 5080 PC. Shoot up from 1080p 144hz straight up to 4k 165hz. I knew it was time and I acted upon it. I also play a lot of WoW and that 9800x3d was a massive improvement. 4k is the best upgrade of my life, partial to both my 32" monitor and 65" OLED TV that the PC is hooked on. Only you know when you need to buy what.

Any x3d CPU, not even the 9800x3d will be a massive improvement for you in some more CPU-heavy games (like WoW).

In today's market, your 3080 is indeed a 1440p GPU that performs like an overclocked 5060 Ti 16gb, but with less VRAM, worse DLSS 4.5 performance, no MFG and questionable DLSS 5 support (as it's coming this fall and we know nothing about it yet). Your PC performs similarly to a PS5 Pro - it outputs 4k and so can the 5060 Ti 16gb with DLSS, but at lower settings/fps. Your 3080 would struggle because of VRAM, not really because of raw power issues.

You can either get a 5070 for a minor 1440p upgrade, or get a nice 4k monitor and shoot for a 5070 Ti/5080, where your true upgrade lies. A 5070 Ti makes sense at 1440p too (as it might struggle a bit with PT at 4k, even with an overclock and DLSS Performance), but I wouldn't.

VisualizeIt21@reddit

I feel like 9800x3d is near the endgame. Do you really need anymore performance to enjoy gaming than what the 9800x3d will provide?

Holiday_Bug9988@reddit

Honestly if I were you I’d go with like a 14700k and a DDR4 motherboard, that way you can keep your RAM.

JoshLineberry@reddit

I mean the performance difference in ddr4 and ddr5 really isn't huge. Totally not worth it to me unless it's required for the cpu you want imo! You can get very similar performance for hundreds less!

Yes I agree it’s not worth the price difference currently which is why I recommend going this route.

For some reason people think you have to have absolutely latest and greatest top of the line to suck at cod 😂😂.

Financial_Recipe@reddit

The best time is was always now and still is. We don't know how the market will behave in the future. Even lately when ram dropped prices for a few days, people already made stories about a market drop, but since the market has gone back up again.

GPU wise, you can get some great deals or look up prebuilds as they're actually many great deals around.

Townscent@reddit

I dould say wait.... but only because i would squeeze like at least 2 more years out of your current system,

Radiant_Patience4994@reddit

You can always wait but there's no guarantee on any good prices. I'd say buy now or wait 2-3 years for any good prices. 🫪😂

Accomplished_Emu_658@reddit

Wait for zen6? But then zen7 is just around the corner! But then what about zen8?!

I am being a bit sarcastic but being real at same time. Something better always probably around the corner. No one can tell you what will happen. What we can say anything you buy today will still be good for years to come.

Now onto ddr5 we don’t know, but likely will still be expensive. As consumers have proved they willing to pay the expensive prices. Data center demand isn’t going down and consumers are still willing to pay insane prices why would they drop? Look at nvidia gpus they over priced them from pandemic onward. Then they raise the prices after release and cards still fly off shelves in general, even non ai purposed cards like 5090. Even 5090 i see posts all day about people picking up 5090’s for gaming.

Procrastinate_17@reddit (OP)

Haha very true. Yes, new hardware is always upcoming. I guess it just seems like zen 6 is expected to come out later this year or early 2027. I can wait 6 months to get the newest generation.

Which is fair, but sometimes people need to hear it. When 50 series nvidia was announced people were talking about 60 series like it was coming soon. “Should up upgrade my 1660ti to 50 series with 60 series around corner.”

Most of the time you need to think can i wait to see whats coming or am i in need now. I think its reasonable to wait, because we don’t know what zen 6 really has. As long as you are realistic its probably not that much better. They always talk up a huge game and its not really that much better.