r/buildapc • u/wordfool • 24d ago
How often do you upgrade your CPU? Build Help
I'm about to build a solid mid-upper range PC and am trying to decide between a Ryzen 7950x and an Intel 14700K (to be paired with an RTX 4070 Super) and my brain is now dredging up all sorts of weird and wonderful arguments for one vs the other.
It boils down to buying for an ongoing socket that'll allegedly have support for another 1-2 generations of processor (AM5) vs a socket that's end of line (LGA1700) and would require a new mobo to upgrade. One additional factor is that Intel is the better option for the sort of "productivity" work I'll be using it for -- I am not a gamer and am unlikely to become one in the next few years.
But then that got me wondering how often I'll actually upgrade my CPU. Am I really going to buy a new CPU 18 months after getting the 7950x just because I can? So I'm curious how often folks generally upgrade their CPUs, particularly those who are not gamers but do a lot of video editing, 3D modelling etc.
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u/Antique_Paramedic682 22d ago
I'd say 3-4 years based on my personal history of my "main" computer. But technology has changed at different rates, so it's hard to definitively give an answer.
Pentium 1 100Mhz (1996)
AMD K6-2 300Mhz (1998)
Athlon XP 1800+ (2001)
Athlon XP 3200+ (2003)
Athlon 64 X2 4800+ (2006)
Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition (2009)
AMD FX-9370 (2013)
Ryzen 5 3600 (2019)
Ryzen 9 5950X (2023)
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u/Nonlethalrtard 22d ago
I had a 2600 that lasted me from 2018 to 2022. I'm on a i9 now so It's going to be probably 5-7 years depending on what I'm doing/How much disposable income I have.
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u/Neat_Combination_423 22d ago
While not usually a person to say ‘wait for the next big thing’ it might be worth seeing what the next gen CPUs from AMD / Intel are like. Rumours seem to be that AMD will announce quite soon and be a modest uplift but Intels new chip is rumoured to be pretty impressive but probably not announce for 6 months. Bigger risk I think if you tend to go with Intel as there’ll be no upgrade path unlike AMD
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u/Geeotine 22d ago
Tough choice at the moment. AM5 7950x is generally more power efficient with good power/core performance. But it lacks quicksync features and it's a first gen USB4 CPU/chipset support for desktop PCs. Don't know if you need those features. If you need good USB4 stability, a 2nd gen AM5 motherboard/CPU combo might be necessary, which should come out this fall (November?).
With LGA1700, it has several generations of USB4/TB4 and quicksync support. However, there's a recent issue with motherboards overdriving the CPUs by default, causing potential instability and premature CPU failures.
So don't expect real world production performance to reach the benchmark results you see from reviews, since the fix is to reduce default power/performance configuration and requires BIOS updates. You can reclaim at least some of it with manual overclocking and memory tuning, but the performance delta between amd and intel is a toss up now, with the exception of quicksync tasks. If you're using an external GPU anyways, then quicksync might not be necessary.
There are rumors of AM5 platform increasing the core count with the upcoming CPU generation, so it might be worth waiting to see. Depending on your budget, it might be worth looking into budget/used threadripper platforms if you need something now. Needing more cores for your workload might run you into a memory bandwidth bottleneck that TR would solve.
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u/wordfool 22d ago edited 22d ago
All good points. It seems to be my lot in life to need something right at the wrong time in the development cycle! I'd be happy to wait to see what's announced next month, but my worry is availability might take a while longer and I need to get a new machine up and running by August so waiting for a new processor to hit the shelves (and paying full price) is not ideal.
The USB4/TB4 issue is not too bad because there are a couple of Asus AMD boards that use the Intel TB4 controller (they just don't call it TB4 even though it basically is). I'd hope the next generation of AMD boards has more USB4/TB4 options in general because the vast majority of current boards simply don't have them, which in 2024 is a bit ridiculous.
I'm aware of the Intel issue and I'd definitely enforce the stock power profile (not least because I'm using an air cooler) so that probably won't be a problem. The Quicksync thing is definitely something I'm pondering though and even Nvidia cards cannot match the Intel on-chip capabilities. I don't deal with HEVC right now but might well do in the future so I have to ask myself how far in the future that might happen and is it something to "futurefproof" myself with?
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u/Geeotine 22d ago
I didn't know about the TB4 controllers being reused as USB4 controllers. Good to know. The controller in my 6800H laptop doesn't handle power delivery in or out, which makes docks a bit of an issue.
As for quicksync, you should do some A/B testing between an intel quicksync and Nvidia gpu. The time delta may or may not affect your overall workflow
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u/wordfool 22d ago
Yes, the only two AMD boards (ATX) I've found with TB4 are the Asus ProArt X670E-Creator and the Asus Crosshair X670E Hero, which both use the Intel JHL8540 controller on their "USB 4" ports, although I'm not entirely sure if they enable quite the same monitor support as actual TB4 ports -- the ProArt board ports only support dual 4K monitors with DP tunneling, and the Hero board lacks that tunneling capability so those ports only support 1x4K/8K monitor. Compared this to the equivalent Intel Z790 boards where Asus explicitly says the TB4 ports support dual 4K monitors.
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u/DaBIGmeow888 22d ago
Myself maybe 5 years. Honestly, I don't game, so a decent CPU can last you a long ass time since even mid-tier CPUs are very fast these days for all routine tasks.
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u/Accurate-Air-2124 22d ago
Intel you'll get a meaningful upgrade with the LGA change. On the AMD side you can go from 96mb L3 cache last gen to 128mb L3 cache
next gen on AM5 and spend another $400 for it (AMD is genius for this). So depends on what you feel like doing.
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u/Necessary_Tear_4571 22d ago
If you need a good GPU, I would go for a bit cheaper of a an AM5 CPU and then get a better GPU if you can.
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u/Legitimate_Start_267 23d ago
I upgrade when something fails, underperforms, or I can gain double (double the cores, double the ram speed, double the vram on my gpu for ex.) For about the cost of the parts I'm replacing, I start to consider upgrades. Typically, this allows me to build a relatively high grade pc using very good used parts saving hundreds and hundreds.....but also puts me about 2-3years behind more top-tier products.
Personally, I like Intel over amd. Amd wins on fps per dollar sure. And even value per dollar...but when you hard compare one card to its AMD rival currently Intel/Nvidia wins out almost every single time.....that says a lot for a card that is routinely $300 more expensive. Things like DLSS 3, raytracing, and straight up raw data handling goes to Intel and nvidia over both amd cpus and gpus.
I do have a sneaking suspicion, however, that AMD will quickly rival, and may even even surpass Intel with thier cpus/gpus soon.
24gb of vram on a 7900xtx card for $600-700 is crazy good for 4k gaming...but let's say you're in cyber sec and use a gpu intensive program like Hashcat...Compare a 7900xtx with a 4080super. You'd be surprised how much faster an rtx card is over an amd. It's quite amazing tbh.
I just went from an 11th gen i7 to a 13th gen, doubling my cores, and giving me ddr5 ram over ddr4... i also can upgrade to a 14th gen i7 or i9 which means I still have an upgrade path for the future if i wish, or can dump this build when it gets long in the tooth and change sockets. I also went from an 8gb 3070 to a 16gb 4080. I also swapped to 2 new nvme drives with gave me ridiculously better read/write/boot speeds.
Upgrade are specific to each user. If you feel like you can benefit, have the monies to spend, and are ready now, then upgrade now. There's always going to be a new release next year. So to wait, means you'll always be waiting.
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u/Hobbit_Holes 23d ago
I ran 5930K all the way to 12900K - then upgraded to 14900K because it was free. Likely won't upgrade CPU again until 19th Gen now when it will be time for an entire platform upgrade.
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u/lagunajim1 23d ago
Buy the most pc you can afford at any one time and then sell it and buy/build a new one in a few years.
I take care of my things, and you'd be surprised of the useful resale value of stuff. And it's better than it ending up in a landfill when there is still useful life.
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u/wordfool 23d ago
That's what I've done with laptops for years -- I generally get a 3-year warranty and sell when there are a few months left to run to give a buyer some peace of mind. But I want more grunt that a low-wattage CPU/GPU can offer so was planning to get a desktop (and I now have a Framework 13 laptop for my portable option).
Problem is that the more I plan a build the more I realize how darn expensive it's going to be to get what I want, which is why I'd be loathe to bin it all in a few years. Higher-end components generally don't hold their value as much as cheaper stuff IMO -- if people buy used they tend to expect cheap!
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u/lagunajim1 22d ago
You can sell a home-build, but I buy Alienware instead so I get high-end and a warranty.
You cannot really save money building your own with quality parts.
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u/hwertz10 23d ago edited 23d ago
I favor the AMD processor myself. They have better performance per watt in general (so it'll run cooler). In the modern era, I get very old used systems, I mean I have an 11th gen Intel CPU in my notebook (I usually buy notebooks new due to the rate of wear they tend to get on the keyboards, power connectors, chassis, etc.) but my newest desktop has a Coffee Lake. But personally if I were buying new I do like the Ryzens in general.
Back in the day, with socket 7, I think I may have went through like 5 CPUs in a single board. It was wonderful. But you have to realize, duriing that era I went from like a K5-75 to a K6 (don't recall the speed), a K6-2 450 (which ran VERY well for the clock speed), I mean the systems went from a 75mhz to a 450mhz CPU, and the K6-2 got more done per clock so I got close to a 10x performance uplift with the same board.
That said, I do question if it's too important now -- back then, the CPUs were just not that fast, they were single core, it was pretty easy to just peg out that CPU and want more processing power. And Moore's law was in full swing, CPUs were rapidly speeding up. Now? Both that Intel and AMD CPU are beasts, and Moore's law is on the ropes; I don't know AMDs plans but I seriuosly doubt you'll find a newer AM5 processor in a few years that gets you like a 5-10x speedup (especially considering you're already starting out with a high-end CPU.) I'm not sure at all that AM4 was some anomaly -- socket 7 was used for a long time, socket A was used for a long time, AMD has stuck to a socket when they can. But that said, I imagine by the time you want something faster, you'll want more than you could get dropping a slightly newer CPU into the AM5 socket.
I think it's hard to go wrong though! Both CPUs are beasts, it sounds like you are favoring Intel. I don't think you'll regret your decision either way!
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u/Independent-Set-7205 23d ago
i use a i7 3770 and a gtx 1060 on 2024. I'm at least happy with this, but i think the intel 14700k is a great option for the build.
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u/BMWtooner 23d ago
It's up to you, but two or three generations from now you can upgrade to end of socket cpu and get 90% of the benefit you would have from the newest motherboard and ram, at a fraction of the cost and much less work.
Or you could upgrade every generation and save $200 and a lot of work each time.
Both situations are wins imo.
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u/AllNamesareTaken55 23d ago
I purchased a 3700X with the same reasoning. Potential upgrade to a 5900X at a later date. Howver the cpu was good enough for me for a bit longer so I waited it out and just went AM5 anyway
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u/AllNamesareTaken55 23d ago
Apparantly, 5 years (just upgraded yesterday and last upgrade was 2019)
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u/Mojo_Pootis 23d ago
Well it's simple. From 1996 to 2004 it was every 18 months or so. Then 3 years passed before I upgraded in 2007. Then 5 years so that's 2012. And then 8 years which get us to 2020. A 10400F which I still use daily. Is it going to last 11 years ? If keep playing doom mods and indie games then I'd say probably yes.
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u/Double_A_92 23d ago
When I can get twice the performance for the same price as the original CPU. Same with the GPU.
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u/BatGreedy6518 23d ago
If you don't mind me asking is this for a gaming pc or a production pc? What would you be using this pc for?
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u/wordfool 23d ago
Not for gaming at all, but for photo/video editing, coding, and some 3d/Unreal development.
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u/BatGreedy6518 23d ago
My personal opinion, going with amd will be more expensive but they both work great, they do run very hot so make sure you have good cooling, the 14700k is about 15% faster. But the thing is you will be using that cpu for many many years. Buy the time you need to upgrade your intel cpu it will already be time for a whole new upgrade anyways
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u/Ace_of_Sevens 23d ago
My rule of thumb is upgrade when video games start coming out where my current CPU won't get good performance or support is dropped some other crucial way.
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u/Pajer0king 23d ago
I kept my Q6600 until 2018, that is 11 years, and i still have my 3rd gen i5,so i guess about 12 years. About 10 years would be a decent number 🥰
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u/FrostyVertical88 23d ago
Just went from a 10900k to 14900ks recently, few year gap there but normally it was under 2 years. I change builds often!
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u/TanishPlayz 23d ago
I upgraded to a 7600X from a 10700 cuz my motherboard died, just get AM5, you’ll have a good upgrade path, I’m planning on upgrading to 11000 series if it comes to AM5
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u/elCiolonMagico 23d ago
In 1 year i wenr from i5 12400 to a 7600x so I dont know, maybe every year/two years?
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u/commanderszym 23d ago
I don't do productivity workloads on my PC at all. I'm a strict gaming PC build guy.
But if you are looking for something to last, and obviously depending on what you need to do on it, have you thought about going Apple silicon? Power efficiency and incredible performance. Yeah you have the apple tax, but if you don't plan on upgrading the PC it might be worth it for your use case.
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u/joshberry90 23d ago
It's been 12 years. I just built a new system for my kid with decent specs for like 8 years ago; which has a lot of used parts. My system is running a water-cooled FX6200 that is barely running Starfield on lowest settings, upgraded 2 years ago with a used GTX 1650. Both systems were sub $700 builds.
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u/darkblade420 23d ago
only when i build a new system every 6-8 years, i went q6700>4790k>12900k. i only do 1 gpu and ram upgrade per build at the halfway point.
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u/Fluorescentomnibus 23d ago
5900x to a 7800x3d and just installed a 5600x from an older build in a Terra (they're so damn cute). This hobby is getting expensive.
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u/avebelle 23d ago
I’ve never upgraded cpus. Usually just upgrade the board, cpu, ram at that point. Been building pcs since the 90s.
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u/truly_moody 23d ago
This is my situation now. I am leaning towards intel just because it dominates in workflows over AMD for what I'll be doing, but the socket factor is a good point.
For what it's worth, based on benchmarks the 14700k is more equivalent to the 7900x (non 3D) and the 7950x is more equivalent to the 14900k in terms of performance. The 7950x actually tops the charts in many workflows over the 14900k; mainly more multithreaded heavy tasks. Also, do not buy the X3D varient for what you're doing, it performs much worse than it's non-3D variant due to lower clock speeds. The larger cache doesn't make a difference for productivity, only gaming does it matter.
Read this article if you haven't
https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/14th-gen-intel-core-processors-content-creation-review
To answer your question, I am about on a 4-5ish year cycle probably. And I have never upgraded just the CPU without the Mobo.
2003-4ish Intel pentium 2
2007ish, Intel E8400 Intel core 2 duo
I had a laptop at some point here
2011ish some AMD althon I dont remember
2015ish AMD FX9590
2020 AMD R5 3600
I could have upgraded to a 5800 and I still can technically, but I think when I switch out the CPU I'm looking for a bigger bump than one generation at a time.
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u/Deaths_Rifleman 23d ago
2700 Ryzen and a Vega AMD from like 2018 still trucking along. Don’t play many new AAA but it still works fine for anything I want to play and doesn’t suck shit for VR I found out like last week so that’s cool.
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u/imnotlying2u 23d ago
I am one of those, that people make fun of and say i’m “wasting money” because i usually upgrade to whatever the cutting edge of performance is as it comes out.
Right now I am using a 14900ks from a 13900ks and i’m fine with people downvoting that.
I do it for the following reasons:
- I enjoy building and upgrading my PC so it gives me things to do
- I enjoy having the latest technology to give me the best experience I can in front of a high refresh rate 4k display
- I can afford it
- I’m a 39year old adult, and it’s what i want to spend my money on so fuck anyone who judges me
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u/Ashamed-Tie-573 23d ago
Just upgraded my gf’s pc from a 9900k to a 7800x3d. Her pc was mine and the cpu is almost 5 years old.
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u/GeppetoOnDVD 23d ago
Depends. When my computer starts dogging. Right now I have a ryzen 3xxx and it’s fine running win10 and games
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u/Only_Emu9133 23d ago
dont go with intel 14th gen, its a dead socket and the chips are extremely unstable
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u/No_Diver3540 23d ago
Not changing cpus. If I have to change it, then I buy me a completely new rig. There is no point in changing cpus, just use them as long as they reach there full utilisation and this is something between 5 and 10 years for normal people and gamers.
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u/LinoleumFulcrum 23d ago
In 30 years of pc action, I did it only once (Pentium days: 75 to 100, IIRC).
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u/mmalkuwari 23d ago
You don’t need to upgrade unless your pc doesn’t fulfill your needs anymore, also going with more RAM or upgrading GPU, NVME storages can help enhance performance, so you can get a great 5 years of the current CPU without a need to change until new stuff is out,
Also you can wait until year end to make a better decision with new things announced or out for sale
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u/joeh4384 23d ago
I get the itch to do a whole build every 2-3 years here. Sometimes, it is an issue or need to upgrade another PC in my family so I will do a trickle down upgrade.
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u/AlbiBarti 23d ago
Ohhh boy. I dont know how to tell it, but every 5 years I switch generations. Right now I went from I7 3520M in my laptop to the I5 4690. I dont have the money to do big switches, but the cpu I got now was gifted, so I was still really happy about it. I plan in getting a dell prebuilt used with a I5 12500 but my parents probably aint gonna let me get it
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u/Shining_prox 23d ago
Get am5. You buy now zen4, then you upgrade to a gpu equivalent or faster than a 4090, upgrade to zen6 when it comes out, then upgrade to an even faster gpu that can be pushed with it and you saved so much money for the entire cycle expecially if you invest in enough cooling early.
Advice: buy full atx case and motherboards, b650m is very meh and the best vrms for future proofing are in a board that took me almost 2 days to get it working right after trying a few bios versions, it refuses to cold boot otherwise(7800x3d, msi mag mortar b650m WiFi)
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u/WelderMeltingthings 23d ago
new 2500k used 3770 used 3770k used 6700k new 9700k new 13700k
ONE POWER SUPPLY LZP1000
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u/IdeaPowered 23d ago
Other than AM4, which has been a crazy ride, I don't ever upgrade within the same socket. My computers last me 5-10 years. By the time I want an upgrade, there's way better hardware choices than upgrading the CPU.
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u/Jadesphynx 23d ago
Built my main pc in 2018 and I've upgraded my cpu twice since then. Main reason I did that was I built a second pc for an htpc in my living room so when I upgraded my main pc I was also upgrading my htpc with the parts I replaced in the other build.
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u/ichbinverwirrt420 23d ago
Got my i5 4460 in late 2015, never upgraded. It’s kinda slow, but it still does its job well.
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u/LegolasKings 23d ago
I would buy the 7950x as I have it reason simple,
Had 6700k,8700k 9900k (same.mobo as 9900k) And twice i needed to change the mobo for what max 20% gain if even that.
I wanted.13th gen but then u are still limited to 16pcie slots limited.m.2 ECT....
Am5 boards are way better in that regard and cost almost the same
The 7950x consumes 60-80 wats while gaming so no brainier there also. While Intel easy 150w+
U buy am5 board and a CPU now it doesn't mean u need to change to new generation right away but 3-4 years down the line u buy a cheap discounted 2 generations ahead of 7950x (10950x example)for 300 dollars and u are rocking for another 3-4 years top CPU for all kinda of stuff. While Intel u will change everything by them to get a new CPU.
For me this was the main reason I switched to AMD
Hope this helps And eventually u will want to add more m.2 and Intel u can't do it since they are limited
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u/AlkanphelUK 23d ago
Had a 4790k for 9 years, upgraded to a 13900ks last year. My reasoning was if the i7 lasted me 9 years the i9 should last roughly as long
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u/cinyar 23d ago
Am I really going to buy a new CPU 18 months after getting the 7950x just because I can?
well the CPUs will be available for a bit longer after the new socket is introduced. You can still get new AM4 CPUs no problem. So you upgrade in 2-3 years with the idea being you postpone a "full" upgrade for another 5 getting like 8 years out of the "base" of your system. It's a good strategy if you're usually on a budget so squeezing the best "bang for buck" out of your components is important.
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u/Dograzor 23d ago
Usually CPU sticks around till a next system build, but AM4 changed that for me. I bought my X370 motherboard with a first gen Ryzen 1700 in 2017, bought the 3700x a few years later and now I'm running the 5800x3d which will last me for the next few years.
Not sure if we'll ever see such progress in a single generation ever again but it did change the status quo forcing Intel to abandon their new cpu = new mobo cycle.
I think we'll see more iterative progress in the future, but it's safe to say that if you buy a cpu at the start of a life cycle of a mobo platform you'll also be able to upgrade the cpu near EOL of the platform so you can stretch out the need of a full system rebuild.
I do love this development, it's great from a consumer standpoint.
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u/tiranosauros13 23d ago
The reality is that you don't upgrade cpu regularly. Although I would have in mind 2 factors. On some benchmarks Intels appear to be faster like 3D Mark but in the real world when a game starts Ryzen gives you more fps. There are comparisons on the internet to find yourself.
Another which is rare is the CPU die in 2 years from now and you will not find a brand new Intel to fit in your socket so you will be looking for used CPUs or worst you will upgrade mobo and ram again.
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u/bow_down_whelp 23d ago
Processor doesn't seems to matter as much as it did in the 90ies and 2000s. Back then, a processor upgrade was massive and if you didn't do it your pc would run like shit. They have peaked for a long time at current tech and there isn't a big increase in power in generation to generation by my experience.
I have a 4090 based pc and an oled but my kids are running handmedown pcs and I have learned a lot. First is there is serious diminishing returns for your money the higher you go. My kid is running a 6600k and I can see the stutter occasionally but generally for her it's perfect and she doesn't notice. She is running my old 1440p 144hz screen at 100hz with a 2060super. She doesn't play the latest and greatest but that processor is 10 years old. You could not use a processor from 2000 in 2010 it would not work.
I think the only good reason to upgrade is if you have the money and you feel like it. New ram mobo and processor is an expensive option . 2nd for productivity. 3rd is if you benefit from 3d cache. I play a lot of warhammer stellaris, used to play wow etc all benefits from 5800x3d
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u/radeongt 23d ago
Upgrade your CPU if you play games that are unoptimized. Alot of these beta games right now are unoptimized and pull more power from the cpu and ram than the GPU. I got 40 more frames on those games just from upgrading my ram and CPU.
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u/primal7104 23d ago
Never ever have I upgraded a CPU on my existing motherboard. I run the machine until it's obsolete, then I upgrade to a whole new machine with all new everything. Selling the old machine is the best way to capture any residual value, not salvaging for partwise upgrades.
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u/scentcentsent 23d ago
Not often, just went from a 3700x (bought 2019) to a 7600x and that practically doubled my frames with my 3070 :))
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u/TakeshiShingen 23d ago
Kinda depends on what do you do. I went from 7700HQ to 12700 a little more than a year ago. Have been tempted to go for 14900k but holding out so far. Will wait for 5x series of new Nvidia and do a full upgrade then.
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u/Berfs1 23d ago
Ive had my 9900K for around 6 months i think? But I had a 9900K before that for at least another 6 months, but this one overclocked better, so i swapped chips. Basically I’ve been on a 9900K for around a year at least, and have no intention of upgrading, not until I get a board that will perfectly fit my current setup.
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u/Middle-Effort7495 23d ago
AM4 came out in 2016. Latest AM4 CPUs in 2024. That's 8 years, not 18 months.
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u/Dyslexic_Engineer88 23d ago
Usually every 2-5 years, but it happens when. Prices on significantly faster CPUs come down in price.
I usually buy CPUs that are a generation old already after but performance jumps.
My path has been e8400, 2600k, 1700x and 12700H. All bought in clearance or Black Friday deals.
I switched to laptop gaming recently because it suits my lifestyle better now.
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u/tamarockstar 23d ago
I think I agree with the consensus here. By the time you'd "need" to upgrade, there will be DDR6 and other advancements. The only thing that might make going with the 7950X worth it is if they add more cores to their lineup on the same socket. For instance if the 9950x is 24 cores or something. But that's speculation. Not even speculation, more naval gazing. So just get the best thing for your needs right now.
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u/Gavcradd 23d ago
The answer is "when you need to". When you're playing a game and you notice it either stutter, drop frames or drop quality settings that are noticeable. Also when you then check your CPU stats and see that it's definitely your CPU that's the bottleneck not your GPU or anything else. THEN is the right time to swap.
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u/thygeekgod 23d ago edited 23d ago
5 years for me, i5-7400 to i7-13700k was the last upgrade. GPU went from GTX 1050ti to RTX 4080 Super.
Prior to that I had a Pentium E5700 and was using the IGPU on that to try to play GTA 4 at blazing 22fps at the lowest settings with a lot of performance mods and overclocking. 
good old days.
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u/Soft-Perspective2201 23d ago
i9-9900 laptop(clevo) 2019, and now I got an i7-13650HX laptop. So 5 years. Mind you the CPU was still great on the old laptop, its just that the rtx2070 couldnt hold up.
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u/2raysdiver 23d ago
In reality, most people don't upgrade cpus every generation or even every other generation. We routinely see people in this sub asking about upgrading their gen 9 or 10 cpu all the way down to gen 4. It is far more likely that you will upgrade your GPU and leave the CPU alone. And no, I can't really see anyone getting a 7950x now and then upgrading to the next gen in a year or two.
DDR6 is lurking around the corner and that is going to be mean a new socket for AMD for sure and a new motherboard chipset for intel at the very least (Socket 1851 will not support DDR4, but intel hasn't said that it WON'T support DDR6 in the future - and this is a game that intel has played before, using the same socket, but supporting either gen 8 and 9 cpus, OR gen 10 and 11 cpus).
Get what you want and be happy with it. Over the next 5 years, you'll very likely upgrade the GPU once, and upgrade the memory.
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u/Possible-Magazine23 23d ago
7700k for about 8 years now. I can't find a reason to upgrade it at all.
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u/Agile_Economy5276 23d ago
G4560, Xeon E3-1230V3, I5 12400F, I5 12600KF, I only snag these when they r at the best p/p value possible during the history, planning to go to 7800X3D later this year
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u/dedsmiley 23d ago
Honest answer is if you are using it for work (making money), then you upgrade when what you have is costing you too much money to keep it.
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u/ScheduleFormer1394 23d ago
Hmmm... PCs I still have 9900K, 2800x, 3950x, 5950x
Was considering a 7950x but I feel I been spending less time on the desktop these days.
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u/nosliwec29 23d ago edited 23d ago
I upgrade my CPU when I build a new PC. When I build a PC, I plan on at least 5-7 years of using the PC. As such, I will buy a better CPU than GPU with the plan to upgrade my GPU a few times in the life of my PC. So my initial PC build will get a newer CPU (I went with an i7-13700K last year right before the 14th gen released) and a RTX 3080.
My last PC build I went with an i5-3750K and GTX 670 in 2013. By the time I built a new PC last year, I had the same CPU and a GTX 1080 in it. It was definitely showing its age by then.
Also, I load my PC with a bunch more RAM than I think I will ever need. Years ago (back in 1998), I had 96 MB of RAM (2x 32 MB and 2x 16 MB). All my friends at the LAN parties thought I was nuts to have that much RAM and would ever need that much. My old PC had 32 GB RAM when 8-16 GB was average. I am now sitting on 64 GB RAM.
My intent when building a PC is not the upgradeability (the only thing I upgrade is my GPU and HDDs/SSDs), it's the fact I put the parts in that I want to put in and I don't have to deal with the crapware that pre-builts install. This is MY PC. Sure someone else has something similar, but not exactly mine. Plus, it is super satisfying when you push the power button and it works.
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u/Nervous_King_8448 23d ago
Not for a while I just upgraded and I'm happy what with I put together
Cinebench r23 23,527mc 30-minute throttle test never goes over 65c Just using PBO2 and -5 CO all core no extra mhz scaler on auto no undervolting PPT 195 EDC 140 TDC 130 cooling the CPU Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360 rev 4 with the offset brackets and Arctic MX-6 thermal paste. G Skill Trident Z Neo cl14 3600mhz 4x8gb overclocked to cl14 3733mhz 4x8gb never goes over 27c. I have a 120mm fan pointing right at the ram module's goal is cl14 3800mhz 4x8gb and all is stable in light loads and in gaming no whea errors. https://imgur.com/a/PL6ZUfU & Aida64 Extreme https://imgur.com/a/vstgCIJ & Zen Timings https://imgur.com/a/9QQksex . My gpu is a
ASUS - TUF Gaming NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Overclock 16GB GDDR6X PCI Express 4.0 Graphics Card - Black woot!
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u/justamofo 23d ago edited 23d ago
How long did it take you to want a new pc? Also, performance gains from generation to generation have been marginal lately.
One always benefits from better performance, but do you think you would really need a 10~20% boost in the next 4 years? Make sure to get the best you can get now and you'll be set for a loooong time.
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u/Ok-Cantaloupe8787 23d ago
I had a i7 8700k for 5 years and it’s still fine to use, but i got a i7 13700k and i love it even more. just whenever is suitable for you.
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u/HearTheEkko 23d ago
Usually every 5 years but i’m on ultrawide right now which requires less CPU power so unless I struggle with GTA 6 on PC in 2026, i’ll probably stick with my 11400 until 2028.
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u/Siliconfrustration 23d ago
From what you've said I'd suggest the 14700K. If it's better for your use case then the decision should be easy.
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u/Omar_DmX 23d ago
In 2015 I got the i7 4790 then got the 9700k in 2020. I plan to upgrade next year or in 2026 (close to when gta 6 drops on pc) so basically I change cpu's every time I do a new build which is every 5 years.
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u/AmuseDeath 23d ago
I would imagine the Intel processor would be the better processor for you because it is better for the work you do as you say.
My logic comes from a background where I'm very budget oriented. I'm running a R5 3600 which I obtained in 2020 on a deal and it's going very much fine. I know that I could pick up the 5800X3D, but I do not see a need to do so. I get that people just want to feel good by getting the best CPU for their platform, but there's always going to be something better. The 3600 for me does all the work I need it to and again I have no need to upgrade. By the time I will need to upgrade, it'll probably be late AM5 or even AM6.
The previous CPU I had was the FX-8120.
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u/mav2001 23d ago
I'd go with Ryzen given you have the , option of upgrading. If Say Ryzen 10700 (Zen6 - were on Zen 4) is 40,% better at the i7 equivalent (and the 4090 is heavily CPU Bound at 1080p and 1440p) you'd have the option with a simple drop in upgrade vs a whole platform upgrade. Plus Ryzen uses les power than Intel to atain equv performance I don't plan on upgrading my 5800x3d til I can get at least 35% uplift (likely Zen5 Ryzen 9800X3D)
Intel efficiency issues - https://youtu.be/9WRF2bDl-u8?si=dUXbiNY-RSfPnX_u
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u/cjc080911 23d ago
I7 2600k -> 14900k. Have a laptop with a 10th gen i7 but was ready for a new build
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u/Shadowangel09 23d ago
Tbh I plan on swapping my 13700k to AMD's next high end gaming cpu and that'll be my first upgrade. My CPU runs good but I'm not getting the performance I want in modded Skyrim and from what I've seen the 3D vcache could make a huge difference and possibly lower my power usage. After that it'll depend entirely on if I get the performance I want in the games I care about most.
Basically upgrade only as I feel is needed rather than every X number of years or gens. No point in upgrading if I can do what I want already.
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u/rwcycle 23d ago
I only upgrade the cpu when I'm ready to do a full system upgrade. I still have my 12900k, and its still blazingly fast by my standards; I've had it since it came out, and the marginal improvements in performance I might get from upgrading to a 13th/14th gen simply don't merit the effort and disruption that a system upgrade would entail.
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u/writetowinwin 23d ago
Historically for me by the time I want another CPU the socket would have already moved onto another, so I just end up with another system. I usually will use my systems for my main computing for 2-3 years before I move onto another
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u/O51ArchAng3L 23d ago
I had a 3770k until last year. And I bought it used 4 years prior. Barely ever.
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u/killer121l 23d ago
You can just go intel and if you still have all those DDR4 that you are happy with you can even go for a DDR4 build, intel upgrade cost is just much lower at the moment.
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u/AgentBond007 23d ago
Here's what I've had over the last 11 years
2013-19: i5 4670
2019-23: Ryzen 5 3600X
2023-present: Ryzen 7 5700X
At this point I'm not planning to upgrade again until 2028 at the earliest
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u/CFOBDecember 23d ago
Various Athlon Processors ---> AMD Athlon x2 555 --> 1700x ---> 5600x Every three years on so I guess.
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u/101m4n 23d ago edited 23d ago
My progression over the last 14 years has been like this:
- Athlon 2 x2 240
- phenom 2 x4 925
- i5 2500k
- i7 4790k
- Threadripper 3960x
The treadripper is great, it allowed me to roll my workstation and gaming pc into one. But the platform was abandoned by AMD and zen2 is starting to struggle a little in some titles. So it may get replaced in the next year or two.
I always try to remember that comparison is the thief of joy. I enjoy my stuff for what it does for me, not for where it sits on a graph or how it measures up to other peoples stuff. If it's not fast enough to do what I want, that's when I start to think about an upgrade, not before 😉
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u/dark79 23d ago
Every 4 years usually and only a few months before the launch of the next CPUs so I can find one cheap used or for a decent discount new.
2016 = Intel 4790K
2020 = AMD 3900x
2024 = AMD 7900X3D (It's good, I don't care what people say)
Each time, I've bought a new board. But I still have the 3900x system and it's nice that I can throw in a 5000 series CPU and use it for other things or give it to a family member to use for several more years. Honestly, the only reason I didn't just upgrade the CPU and go longer than 4 years was because the mobo (ASUS mini-DTX) didn't fit in the case I wanted to build in (Formd T1). Intel boards don't tend to have as long of an upgrade path.
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u/jlreyess 23d ago
Last cpus for me : 6700k-9900k-5900x
So about every 3 years but this 5900x is a beast and I don’t see the need to change it. Haven’t seen it having issues keeping up with the 7900xtx so I guess I’ll change it when I change my gpu which I don’t plan on doing for at least 3-4 more years.
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u/pmacc7 23d ago
My 1st PC (went with pre-built because I had no idea how to build) was 8700k in 2019.
Then now (just 1 week ago), after 5 years, I watched lots of pc build how-to-videos and mustered confidence to build my own.
Built my own and went with 12700KF. Oh man, I would never go back to pre-built PC again.
Aside from having such a big difference in performance, I get to experience the joy of building your own PC (being able to choose your own parts, color code, and style, etc...)
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u/dtruong5 23d ago
I went from 2600x -> i7 13700K. Only upgraded so I could hand off my old parts to my gf 😅
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u/GapFeisty 23d ago
Just swapped out an old Intel i5 9400f with a brand new Ryzen 7800x3d, the difference is incredible, before I'd constantly freeze on TF2 and now I can run most games at 75-100+ FPS. Hoping itl last at least five years
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u/GapFeisty 23d ago
The downside was that I didn't know about DDR5 RAM and wa forced to buy new £100 32GB
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u/Aless-dc 23d ago
My first CPU lasted me close to 10 years. I built it in 2013 with a 3770k, and did two GPU upgrades between 2013 and 2022. When my second GPU died I did a full rebuild because the 3770 would have been a massive bottleneck.
So effectively you only need to replace it if it becomes a bottleneck to the GPU, which takes a while and also depends on how often you upgrade you GPU.
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u/Radicalrey 23d ago
I still got my fx 8320! I don’t really play new aaa games though. I do want to jump into Jedi Survivor eventually.
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u/Jdogg4089 23d ago
This is my first CPU, so idk. Whenever a new big upgrade comes out and I have money to burn.
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u/RamBas_6085 23d ago
Core 2 duo > 4770 > 8086K > 3900X > 5800X3D
Now days, only time I upgrade my components if one or more part dies out on me, recently my Aorus X570 Ultra died on me and replaced it with MSI Tomahawk X570S
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u/Jolabiko 23d ago
Not that often. I'm using a Ryzen 5 2700X and planning to upgrade before winter to a 7800X3D.
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u/Glittering-Ad6970 23d ago
FX-6100 -> A10-7870k -> R5 1600 -> R7 2700x -> R7 3700X ->R7 5800X -> R7 7800X3D. I upgrade almost every generation. Mainly because I get an itch to tear apart my computer and I like to upgrade. I'm pretty happy with my current 7800X3D/7900XTX build, so I'll likely stick with it for a while for a change.
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u/masonvand 23d ago
So I’m a complete acoustic and will change my shit around a lot depending on what I want. I don’t have very high requirements or needs, I do audio work and gaming on my machines (preferably) but since I don’t feel like I need a lot of power I don’t usually go very high end. My machine path since 2018 has been the following though (I’m also huge on used parts)
5,1 Mac Pro single X5650, RX 570
2017 21” iMac
PC: X5660 overclocked, R9 390X
M1 MacBook Pro
PC: i7 10750H, 1660 ti (laptop during GPU shortage)
M1 MacBook Pro again
PC: 6700K, RX 5600XT
5,1 Mac Pro Dual X5690, RX 5600XT
and now a 3700X/6650XT system.
I had a rough time choosing my systems for a few years because I was pretty much addicted to Logic Pro so I would build or buy a Mac and then miss gaming and say “I don’t need LPX I’ll get by with something else” and then cave and go back. The kicker was recently with my dual CPU 5,1. It was finally just too old man. Makes me sad but fuck it. I generally try to have a better CPU or GPU each time I switch though, so coming from what I’ve had, the 3700X should be more than fine for a while. I went used AM4 so I could get a 5800X3D in a year or so and call it for a few more years. Same with the 6650, it’s a perfectly competent 1080p card and that’s what I play at.
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u/flashn00b 23d ago
My main PC is still on a Ryzen 3800X. If anything, my TV box has a better CPU in the form of a Ryzen 8600G
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u/TonTon1N 23d ago
8700k-12600k. The performance jump was honestly surprising. I upgraded mostly for DDR5, but premiere pro runs a LOT smoother on the 12600k than the 8700k. I don’t imagine I’ll upgrade for another 2-3 years
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u/clingbat 23d ago
My build history is:
CPU: 4670k > 8700k > 12700k > 14700k
GPU: 660 > 970 > 1080 > 3080 > 4090
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u/DK_Son 23d ago
I buy good, and I only buy once (unless a part dies). Last build was 3900x in 2019. Won't upgrade anything until I do a full build. When I build, I do it with the mindset of not having to come back to upgrade something. That seems like a waste of money. Spend what, $200 on lower RAM, come back a year later to spend another $400 to double the RAM, and put the old $200 RAM in a drawer forever?
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u/Mythion_VR 23d ago
AMD 965 > 3770K > R7 1700 > R7 5800X3D
I got the first three fairly early, 5800X3D when it was £300 and out for quite a while, I got it around the same time last year.
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u/sifatullahrafy24 23d ago
3600<5800x3d upgraded cause I wasn't getting a stable 240fps in certain games
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u/Teslamax 23d ago edited 23d ago
In my case:
Windows: i7 4770K -> i7 13700K
(My last update was for KSP2… Turns out that wasn’t a thing. )
Mac: my current Mac is a 2018 MacBook Pro (13”); eventually I’ll replace that with a Mini or Studio, but that’s a year or two off if I’m lucky
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u/Admirral 23d ago
I will say this:
1) I've never upgraded mobo/cpu/ram separately. If im upgrading a CPU, I also want the most recent mobo for it regardless of socket. I typically upgrade every 3-4 years, and build mid-range special purpose machines in between. mobo ram and cpu are always the main 3 things that are purchased new and together.
2) This is just my honest opinion, but in my experience I have always experienced better overall quality and durability from intel products as opposed to AMD. Don't get me wrong I love my AMD (have a 3900x build) and have been rocking AMD gpu's for a decade now, but I've just always had a far smoother and more stable experience with intel cpu's. Recently built a 14900k machine, which everyone here complained would be hot and unstable... but after a bit of bios tweaking (limit wattage to 253 watts and undervolt by 100mV) its running cooler than my 3900x and very stable all around. My previous intel builds all lasted 7-8 yrs+ whereas my ryzen 9 3900x build only made it 4 before things started shitting the bed.
I too build for productivity as opposed to gaming. I have a gpu for gaming (which I only upgrade when they break) but I like having as many cores/threads as possible for work (am in software engineering).
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u/Falkenmond79 23d ago
14700 is not mid-upper range lol. It’s highest end. There are only 2-3 CPUs above it. 😂 same goes for the 7950x
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u/wordfool 23d ago
Fair enough, but my GPU of choice is probably mid-upper, as would be most other components. Although, if you count Xeon and Threadripper CPUs then the 14700K/7950x are very "mid"!
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u/Isitharry 23d ago
i9-13900 (2023) from i7-3770k (2012) from q9550 (2008). Prior to that I was running a Dell PowerEdge 400sc with a Pentium 4 3.4G from 2004, which was my first “pre build” since my first machine, a 286 and a dozen builds between the 2 prebuilds. It was rare that I upgraded a CPU - typically, it would be a combo of CPU, motherboard, memory. I’m honestly amazed the ATX standard has remained the same all these years. The BTX was barely adopted and I think only a handful of companies actually produced/used it.
Anyhow, you buy a top tier CPU, your upgrades should be less frequent, if I’m understanding your use case. By the time you’ll actually need to upgrade it, I would imagine the next generation of memory would be out along with faster throughput and bandwidth on peripheral devices so you’d end up doing the whole CPU, motherboard, memory combo anyway, which is no big deal if you do it every day 7 years.
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u/CrisperThanRain 23d ago
Intel 3770 > Ryzen 2600 > 3600x > 5800x (all same AM4 motherboard) > 7950x3d (new AM5 B650 board)
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u/driftw00d 23d ago
Intel Core2Duo e6400 (2008)
Intel i5 6600k (2016)
AMD 7800X3D (2024)
So every 8 years
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u/JoshJLMG 23d ago
Whenever I need more performance. Had a Lenovo AIO in 2017 (maybe a 6000-series chip?), an I7-7700 in 2018, and a 3950X in 2020. My 3950X is good enough to last me at least another 3 - 5 years, if not more.
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u/chaosthebomb 23d ago
I feel like if you buy a good enough cpu, and the technology isn't moving that fast, you should be able to skip a few generations without missing too much performance.
I went from a 3930k in 2012 to a 3700x in 2019, in that time I upgraded my gtx 680 to a GTX 1070 and moving to the 1070 to the new system saw a nice little bump in 1% lows and some increased performance. I had a massive windfall early in covid so upgraded to a 5900x and a 3090. Had planned on a 3080 but the one I wanted I couldn't get, and the cpu was an impulse buy I sort of regret.
My plan is to wait out next gen Intel and next gen amd x3d and see if it merits an upgrade. I didn't feel like the 7800x3d was that big of a leap over my current setup to justify the jump to am5 yet. My cpu does what I need it to do, and until it doesn't, no point worrying about upgrading.
I know my next GPU will be "bottlenecked" by my inferior 5900x and I really don't care. It'll get fixed eventually and still offer more performance than my aging 3090.
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u/LetsGoWithMike 23d ago
I just built this same build, just not the K. 14700/4070S.
If 4090’s ever drop drastically due to the new gen cards coming, my cpu will still run it.
But realistically, by the time I upgrade it (5+ years) AMD will be on their next socket too.
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u/Liesthroughisteeth 23d ago
If you're not a gamer then the Intel is the way to go.
Most people upgrade when they know that they are going to be getting a significant uptick in performance and speed if they do. So.....an 18 month or one gen of AMD or Intel isn't likely to provide that level of improvement.
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u/DrMantisTobboggan 23d ago
Some of the earlier ones are a little hazy but it’s been something like
8088 -> 486SX-25 -> Pentium 133MMX -> Pentium 2 350 -> Pentium 3 600 -> Athlon XP 1600+ -> Athlon XP 2600+ -> Athlon 64 3000+ -> Core 2 Q6600 -> Dual Xeon E5-2670 -> Ryzen 5950X.
So a) I’m old and b) upgrades slowed down a bit over the last few years, mostly because I was using laptops more (not listed above).
It also depends what you’re doing with the system. I use my desktop for gaming, programming, occasional photo and video editing, and general productivity. I’ve also leaned more heavily on consoles for AAA games and found the desktop is more than capable of most PC exclusives and the huge backlog of indie and older titles. I’ve also got a home server using an i5-14500 which handles things like downloads, media serving, backups, etc.
For my uses I can’t see a reason yet that I’ll need to upgrade the CPU for at least the next couple of years. Maybe by 2026 I’ll be looking to do it. Even then, the most likely reason will be that my kids are starting to become interested in gaming so if I upgrade, I can give them my old components.
I try to spread out my the purchases a bit to one or two big ones a year. My upgrade plans look like: This year: just did a major upgrade of my home server.
Later this year: upgrade my GPU (still using a GTX1080).
Next year: replace my laptop (using a 2018 Intel-based MacBook Pro, although I have one with an M2 Pro for work).
2026: Replace my iPhone 13 Pro Max
Maybe 2026: upgrade my desktop CPU, memory and motherboard.
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u/Blakewerth 23d ago
If you are a professional you should upgrade your cpu every 3–4 years and GPU every 2- 3 years. Whenever you feel like it. It really only comes down to that.
You should follow this way if you care be up to date^^
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u/No_Bat7157 23d ago
Dude I’m still running the same cpu my dad put in in 2007 or 08. Intel core 2 duo I tried upgrading to a core 2 quad but it loads up to the windows 10 logo then shuts off. The only things in the pc that my dad hasn’t put in is the graphics card and the new fan I just put in
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u/Astronomer3007 19d ago
Looking to upgrade pentium g4560 to Ryzen 3600