Is your CPU feeling more sluggish than a Monday morning?
Here’s when you should think about an upgrade:
Slowpoke alert: If your rig’s dragging its feet with the latest apps and games, it might be time to give your CPU a pep talk… or just upgrade it.
Hot under the collar: Is your CPU hitting 50°C while doing nothing? That’s a cry for help. Overheating can lead to tantrums like system crashes and unwanted shutdown siestas.
But wait! That’s not it. There are other culprits as well that demand the CPU upgrade.
Let’s discuss them:
How do I know if I need to update my CPU?
There are many signs that a CPU flashes. Here are the top ones:
Lagging performance
If you see a slowdown in the multitasking abilities of the processor, especially for the apps that once felt smoother than silk, it might just be the right time to upgrade the processor.
Besides that, when simple tasks like opening a browser, playing a video, or even loading a simple document starts feeling like you’re climbing a mountain—that’s your CPU hinting (loudly) that it’s time for a change.
Software requirements
Software doesn’t sit still—it evolves, and sometimes, it outpaces your hardware.
For instance, as a content creator, you might bump into a version of Photoshop that needs more processing power. A rise in professional stature is worth upgrading the CPU. See the hardware requirements for Adobe software here.
Hardware compatibility
Another reason for upgrading the CPU would be to sync the rig’s performance with new hardware components, including a new-gen GPU.
You wouldn’t want the processor to be the bottleneck while pairing it up with something as powerful as the RTX 3080 or a similar video card.
Emerging technologies
New technologies are surfacing almost regularly — AR, VR, AI, and more.
They aren’t just exciting; they’re power-hungry. Therefore, to match up, you must consider upgrading the processors periodically.
Future-proofing the rig
This is probably the most genuine and straightforward reason to upgrade a processor. Even if your existing processor is adequately powered, getting a new one to cover for the next few years might be a practical move.
In that case, the best way forward is to get a motherboard that can support newer CPU versions. This makes it easy to upgrade the CPU across multiple iterations.
Considerations before upgrading
Upgrading the CPU makes sense. But you shouldn’t go blind and all in. Instead, the focus here should be on adhering to the following factors:
Cost vs. Benefits
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to upgrading your CPU. So do your homework:
- Start by jotting down what you expect from the upgrade—faster rendering, better multitasking, smoother gaming?
- Once done, analyze if the price bump is worth it for that extra boost in efficiency and speed.
If you’re planning a full system upgrade, you might also want to consider how much to spend on a gaming PC in 2024. Read more about budgeting for a gaming PC here.
However, before you invest, be aware of the diminishing returns if you only have basic computing needs to target.
Here is a quick example:
Imagine you are currently using an i5 processor from Intel that costs somewhere around $250. You’re now eyeing a $500 i9 processor.
While the cost bumps by 100%, evaluate if you can get a 100% enhancement in rendering, gaming frame rates, and more.
If your daily computing involves more basic or intermediate tasks, this major upgrade might not be necessary right now. The i9’s power could be overkill, and you might not see a proportional benefit for the extra dollars spent.
Compatibility
Before you plan to upgrade, it is necessary to keep track of the following metrics:
- Motherboard’s socket type
- Motherboard’s chipset compatibility
- BIOS updates, for being able to support newer PCs
Yep, boring stuff but you gotta keep a note of it!
Future-proofing
Choose a CPU that won’t just handle your current needs but will also stay relevant as your computing demands evolve.
Especially if you’re eyeing tasks like 4K video editing or diving into AI/ML modeling—it is necessary to focus on getting a new-gen CPU with a focus on threads and cores.
For instance, a Ryzen 9 from AMD or an Intel Core i9 might then be a good bet.
Both are still relevant at a decent price and can cover you for the next few years if you are interested in trying out all the traits of the Adobe Premiere.
Market Timing
This is one of the best yet highly underrated considerations. The idea is to purchase slightly dated models when the new releases happen, just to grab them at a decent price.
For instance, the launch of 13th-gen Intel processors made the Intel Core i9-11900K cheaper.
You might also want to focus on seasonal sales like Black Friday and similar events to get better deals on high-end CPUs.