Question Help with upgrade

[sthom89]

currently have an i3 8100 CPU @ 3.60 with rx 570 8b .
which should i upgrade first gpu or cpu? and im looking at an i5
what is peoples opinion should I get the
ntel Core i5-9400 Desktop Processor 6 Cores 2. 90 GHz up to 4. 10 GHz Turbo LGA1151 300 Series 65W Processors BX80684I59400
or should I get a gpu and which gpu? I have a microstar ms-7b24 motherboard compatible with 8th or 9th gen processor.

thx!

 

[mikeymikec]

Is there a purpose that's spurring the need for this upgrade?

 

[Tech Junky]

Since you mentioned a GPU I would assume gamer. I just upgraded my laptop from GTX 1650 to rtx3060 and it's night and day. Things load quicker but everything seems to run cooler as things aren't pegged or elevated as much

 

[DAPUNISHER]

For gaming, I would upgrade the CPU first. You can reduce settings and use FSR etc. with the 570 8GB. But when the CPU is getting hammered, there is little to be done but upgrade it. Also, unless that i5 is dirt cheap i.e. $75 or less, it is time to think about swapping to a newer platform. i5 6/6 is already not enough for CPU intensive games. That list of titles will keep growing, making the i5 a poor investment. Used 8 and 9th gen i7s, unless you manage to score a deal, are overpriced, making them a bad value too. The 8th is 6/12 and 9th gen is 8/8, you can get a 12100f and H610 combo that for that money. If you can do a 12400f even better.

You can reuse everything else, and you don't need to reinstall windows. I have done it a number of times without issue. You will want to buy another windows key, but that is under $15.

 

[Tech Junky]

I would go the 12xxxK route as well if we're talking major bumps in CPU rather than OP.

I rebuilt my server from a 8700K to 12700K and it runs well. The biggest shift in gens is PCI going from v3 to v5 / DDR from 3-4 >> 5 (though DDR4 makes more sense) / M2 slots as high as 5 of them / DMI moved from 3 >> 4 doubling the bandwidth.

Since I run my server headless I don't use a dGPU on it but, kernel optimization vs dealing with Windows is nice. I also upgraded my laptop from a 9750H >> 12700H and it's night and day in the performance of mundane daily stuff to gaming. The system having more power to process apps / games means it runs cooler under loads and the fans run less.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Since you mentioned a GPU I would assume gamer. I just upgraded my laptop from GTX 1650 to rtx3060 and it's night and day. Things load quicker but everything seems to run cooler as things aren't pegged or elevated as much

New laptop, or MXM swap?

 

[Tech Junky]

New laptop, or MXM swap?

New Laptop since BGA is impossible to deal with when swapping primary CPU / GPU.

There's another model that is LGA but, it's also 50% more in price and a generation behind on the CPU.

MXM is intriguing but, not enough to pay more for it at this point.