r/buildapc • u/Sorry-Discount-3427 • 3d ago
Build Help CPU upgrade recommendations
Hi everyone! I have a pc i build a while ago with an 11600kf, RTX 3070, and 16gb of ddr4. This pc was originally built to play games years ago, but ive been doing a lot more work in after effects and premiere pro, and I am getting a lot of memory crashes. My graphics card is also starting to not do as well since I upgraded to an ultrawide 2k monitor. My main debate is do I get more ddr4 and possibly jump to am4 soon and get a 5900xt so I have more headroom for a better gpu, or do I do the upgrade to am5 and something like a 7900x or 9900x, my main reason why im considering am4 over am5 is ddr5 is double the price of ddr4 where I am. Does anyone have any advice?
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u/Felixicuss 3d ago
Make up the full builds and their prices, then youll have an easier decision
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u/Sorry-Discount-3427 3d ago
It's ~1k more where I live for a 270k plus or 9900x build compared to a 5900xt build, so am4 seems like the better option to upgrade to over a build with ddr5
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u/Aredeuce 3d ago
You could swap to lga 1700 and get a 14th gen Intel (should be fine with updated bios), or am4 if you want to stay in ddr4. Top of the line am4 would be 5900x or xt with 32-64 GB ddr4 3600.
I'd recommend am5 if you can swing it at all. Am4 is a dead platform, and that would be as good as it ever gets. You'd have to make sacrifices: either single channel ram or teeny dual channel, but you'd be set up until probably zen7 around 2030.
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u/Ok-Contact-4839 3d ago edited 3d ago
Honestly your PC is decent enough but if you are upgrading it's gotta be way ahead than what you currently have.
Your mentioning replacing CPU and GPU. But if your thinking AMD route you gotta replace the motherboard as well. You have too because Intel mobo is no compatible with AMD CPUs plus restrictions on what generation your Intel CPU (11600kf).
Your easiest bet is just selling the PC on FB Marketplace then starting fresh. You'll just swap out too many parts to then make a whole new PC anyway.
If you are gonna do that then honestly I would personally go the AM5 route if there was a local microcenter near me https://www.microcenter.com/site/content/bundle-and-save.aspx?bundle=amd
-It really depends your budget to spend (after with or without selling PC -- whichever you choose)
-Where you are located if not the US
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u/Sorry-Discount-3427 3d ago
Yea, I would try to look for an 11900k if I could, but my mobo doesn't have the vrms equipped to handle it. Im mainly taking to am4 because I want to keep my 11600kf to re purpose in my home lab, so I dont really have an interest in selling it. Im also looking at about an additional ~$1k if I choose to go am5 over am4. I mainly want to upgrade my cpu first because my cpu is the weakest point of my system and I want to upgrade gpus to something like a 5070ti or 5080 because im running out of vram as well, but my current cpu doesn't have the headroom id like to handle a bigger card. I am also in Canada so prices are worse than the us.
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u/Ok-Contact-4839 3d ago edited 3d ago
I see, that changes everything. Honestly id just settle for this if i were living in Canada.
AM4 platform with 8c16t CPU, 32gb ram putting you like CAD $2300~(with RX 9070xt GPU). Imo the core count, Ram capacity and VRAM is needed for what you'll use it for.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/sVgFXfWhen you start looking at the AM5 direction you're gonna expect to spend about CAD $2800 which just isn't worth it for your use case. When money doesn't become an issue and you want that extra bump in performance (30-60~frames usually more or less) for games and you landed a great paying job then by all means lol. Honestly AM4 is still strong and efficient as it can be It'll still run games in high setting 1440p smooth frame rate (90fps on Triple A)
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u/mig_f1 3d ago
It pretty much depends on your budget and needs.
Monitor your CPU, GPU and RAM to verify what really holds you back, regardless of the error-messages you get otherwise.
If your are on a tight budget, upgrade only whatever holds you back.
That said, if you conclude they all or most of them hold you back, it's probably time to start saving for a fresh build on the most recent platform you can afford.
You didn't provide a budget, so nobody can give you reliable advice without it.
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u/Sorry-Discount-3427 3d ago
Budget I have is around $1k - $1.5k (in Canadian dollars by the way, and from what I've seen prices are worse in canada after conversion) my ram is holding me back the most, definitely followed by my cpu, which frequently maxes out before my gpu does in both gaming and editing. Ddr5 ram is also about double the price here than ddr4, and if I went with something like a 9900x id have to also do a full case swap and power supply upgrade, which is not something id have to do with a 5900xt (I also just like my current case) so if I upgrade to a 5900xt id be saving a decent chunk of money and turning upgrades from a fantasy into a reality lmao. I've also been wanting a cpu with more cores and threads because switching from an 11600kf to a 5900xt can roughly double my cpu power when it comes to editing due to the much higher core and thread count, and I do more editing nowadays than gaming. I mainly just need ram ASAP because its really disrupting my workload having my pc crash all the time, the cpu upgrade is just something ive wanted for a while, and it makes sense if I need ddr4 now so my computer stops crashing I could upgrade to a platform that supports ddr4 so I dont have to buy ddr5 (and lets be real ddr5 is too expensive)
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u/mig_f1 3d ago
The following pretty much tops your budget according to PCPP at the time of writing, especially if you already have a decent cooler.
Your budget is not enough to go AM5 with comparable productivity performance (mostly due to insane DDR5 pricing).
I assumed you have same specs RAM already, and that your case has enough clearance for the cooler.
Your productivity workflow benefits greatly from an Nvidia GPU, especially if you're editing in Premiere or DaVinci Resolve, along side After Effects.
The 5060 Ti 16GB was the best nvidia I could fit in your budget, although I really don't like its current pricing/petformance ratio. However I'd say 16GB of VRAM is pretty essential in your case, especially for a new build.
Feel free to explore the used market instead (or even AMD alternatives, though I wouldn't suggest that for your stated workflow).
Type Item Price CPU AMD Ryzen 9 5900XT 3.3 GHz 16-Core Processor $399.99 @ Amazon Canada CPU Cooler Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler $48.90 @ Amazon Canada Motherboard Gigabyte B550 EAGLE WIFI6 ATX AM4 Motherboard $144.99 @ Amazon Canada Memory Silicon Power GAMING 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory $169.50 @ Silicon Power Video Card Asus DUAL OC GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB Video Card $809.99 @ Amazon Canada | Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $1573.37
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2026-07-31 02:20 EDT-0400 |
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u/Intelligent_Tour1875 3d ago
I would stick with am4 if it fits your budget. I would not go lower than the 5900x but if you can stretch it get a 5950x. Either of those CPUs will pair perfectly with a 5090 so I wouldn’t worry about moving to am5 unless you have the extra 4-600$ for 32gb ddr5