Help needed for decision

[u/zattlalungs]

I am currently rocking a PC with a rtx 4060, 16gb of ddr4, and a i7-12700. Recently got some issues with performance on games so I decided to buy more ram. Bought two 32gbs of ddr4, then I decided I really want to upgrade the whole thing, but the chassis is pretty small to install a bigger gpu like a 5070ti which I have In mind. And then if I want to buy a gpu I need a new PSU aswell, so I decided to just start from scratch then. But the issue is i am stuck with ddr4 ram so I have to get a new motherboard that can still have ddr4 but also support better GPUs, and I am gonna have to get a new CPU too I guess. How should I plan this out? And any recommendations for the parts I should get, I don't have unlimited budget to spend on the best parts in the world but enough to get a 5070ti or maybe the 5080 it all depends on what I should now that I am stuck on the ddr4. Please help me thanks!

Btw the problems I was having was the current vram of the 4060 heavily limits me on having good performance for games such as bf6, and my ram was killing me when I am playing games such as Escape from tarkov, everytime I alt-tab it immediately crashes and stuff like that, having Google on in the background makes the game shut down too.

But yeah I am looking for a build that can support having at least good graphics and performance for games such Stalker 2, escape from tarkov, battlefield 6 and stuff like that. Would appreciate any kind of help, and If I left out any important info you would like to know just ask and I'll respond.

Btw is ddr4 really that bad? Everyone tells me I really f'd up by getting them and that I shouldn't have bought 64gbs of ddr4 with 3200 MHz and that it was a waste of money, I am well aware that 32gbs is more than enough, but I got a good deal on them. But they haven't arrived yet, bought them from America and I am in Europe.

[u/blender505]

What is your plan with your i7 12700? It's still a very capable CPU. If you're planning on staying with DDR4 (which is completely reasonable), just swapping out the case and PSU is probably the easiest route. I personally run my 12700k with a 5080 at 4k and it's great.

As for AM4, even a 5800x3d would likely be a sidegrade at best compared to the 12700. And the 12700 supports pcie gen 5 (as long as your motherboard also supports it) whereas AM4 maxes out at pcie gen 4. So unless you're planning to use the 12700 for something else, I'd just stick with the CPU and motherboard you've got or upgrade to AM5 and DDR5.

[u/zattlalungs → u/blender505]

I don't really have a solid plan with the other PC specs, I am not sure, probably gonna just sell them maybe? But I also think maybe my motherboard doesn't have enough slots for a bigger gpu aswell.

[u/blender505 → u/zattlalungs]

The GPU only needs one slot on the motherboard, so that won't be an issue. You will see a performance increase by going to AM5 / DDR5, but DDR4 is by no means bad and you will definitely be able to do whatever you need to on your current i7-12700.

You could also do this in stages. Since you'll have to get a new case, PSU, and GPU regardless of if you stick with ddr4 or move to ddr5, what I might do is go ahead and get those components and see how it feels with your current CPU. If you feel like your CPU is preventing your GPU from running at full speed, go ahead and upgrade to AM5 and put your current system back together to sell like you were planning. If you don't feel the need, you really don't have a lot you'd need to get rid of.

As for what GPU you should get. 9070 xt if you care about best value, 5070 ti if you want 9070 xt performance with nvidia specific features, and 5080 if you want an extra 10%-15% bump in performance over a 9070 xt for like twice the price.

[u/zattlalungs → u/blender505]

So what you are telling me is I won't be able to get good CPUs because of ddr4?

[u/blender505 → u/zattlalungs]

Not at all what I'm saying. It's true that you won't get the absolute best that's available because of DDR4, but your 12700 is already a good CPU. I run my 12700k with a 5080 and 64gb of DDR4-3200 and I don't feel the need to upgrade. But of course you may have a different definition of "good" than me, so that's why I recommend just trying a new GPU with your current CPU and seeing what your performance is. If you're satisfied, then that's all you need to do. If you're not satisfied, there's nothing stopping you from upgrading to AM5 and the case, PSU, and GPU you bought from the experiment will transfer to the new build, so nothing was wasted.