Is it a good time to upgrade my CPU?

[Norgy]

They will probably run less hot than, which card was it, the GTX 480 which was basically a furnace in a computer case?

[viper37]

They will probably run less hot than, which card was it, the GTX 480 which was basically a furnace in a computer case?

Hard to say.  We only have rumors right now.

[Norgy]

The tests of the new AMD 9800-3D (I may have the name wrong) look very promising.
And winter is coming. Time for a new furnace.

[viper37]

The tests of the new AMD 9800-3D (I may have the name wrong) look very promising.
And winter is coming. Time for a new furnace.

9800X3D.

It's 10-20% better than the 7800X3D in 1080p but it can be overclocked for even more performance.
The 7800X3D can't be overclocked though.
Differences in 1440p and 4k tend to be lower though.  Still worth the upgrade from earlier generations or from an Intel platform.

[Darth Wagtaros]

I ordered a 9700.  Damned price hikes.

[Josquius]

With my job situation looking more secure and a recent windfall I'm finally planning to pull the trigger once I can get up the guts to do so.
But looking at £1000. Which is insane. Way more than I remember paying 10 years ago

[Josquius]

OK, final checks before a trigger pull. Will aim to get this ordered and built for next week.
 Any thoughts?

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/4rxJqH

Went up to 9700 processor as a minimal price increase, marginal performance increase, and savings in power usage.
Motherboard...seems OK though all much of a muchness.

The graphics card is one where I remain really unsure.

I've heard reports of Amazon selling dodgy equipment though not sure how reliable that is. Avoiding them where possible is also generally a good idea. Luckily one of the main competitors in computer bits is based not too far away so can go pick things up

[Norgy]

Nvidia's latest generation has apparently had serious issues with performance.

I picked up a new AMD card at an eye-watering price. It is still in the original packaging, in case I need to sell all my valuables and run off to Brazil or Thailand.

[viper37]

OK, final checks before a trigger pull. Will aim to get this ordered and built for next week.
 Any thoughts?

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/4rxJqH

Went up to 9700 processor as a minimal price increase, marginal performance increase, and savings in power usage.
Motherboard...seems OK though all much of a muchness.

The graphics card is one where I remain really unsure.

I've heard reports of Amazon selling dodgy equipment though not sure how reliable that is. Avoiding them where possible is also generally a good idea. Luckily one of the main competitors in computer bits is based not too far away so can go pick things up

With Amazon, you need to double check that you are buying from Amazon and not from a 3rd party seller.
SSD wise, my fave is still the WD Black SN850x.  Try to find some coupons for the Sandisk store, see if you can't get a rebate for this drive over there.  I got mine for a great price last winter.
Otherwise, the Kingston will do.


This GPU is better than the Nvidia 3060:
Arc B580
Intel 2nd generation.  Much improved from the 1st.

Very good for 1440p gaming.

[Norgy]

I read the reviews, and honestly, some people really over-pay for GFX cards. The one I was happiest about, and with a i7 2600K processor was the nVidia 2700. That was back in 2011, but the rig was good for 8 more years.

There is an nVidia 3060 mobile chip in my laptop, and it delivers the goods in 1080p.

The past 5 years I have mainly gone for AMD, as Intel's processor range have been known to run very hot, and nVidia's cards have been either out of stock or my price range.

Get a solid motherboard, and memory sticks that go well with it, that is my main recommendation.

[Grey Fox]

I'd like a B580 but they are unfindable and driver support is still hit or miss.

[viper37]

I'd like a B580 but they are unfindable and driver support is still hit or miss.

Isn't the driver problem mostly for DirectX 9 games though?

[Grey Fox]

I'd like a B580 but they are unfindable and driver support is still hit or miss.

Isn't the driver problem mostly for DirectX 9 games though?

Is it? I did not know that.

[viper37]

I'd like a B580 but they are unfindable and driver support is still hit or miss.

Isn't the driver problem mostly for DirectX 9 games though?

Is it? I did not know that.

For the previous generation, that was the problem.  DX11/12 was good, but DX9 was hit and miss, often very buggy.  Except for very new games that were done dirty, like Starfield, which was mostly promoted by Nvidia and was also buggy on AMD.

[Josquius]

I decided not to get a graphics card yet.
The main reasons I wanted the new computer were around a better processor, and I figure it feels less painful to space it out a little.
Everything has arrived. Tomorrow is D-Day. Always scary.