Hey all. 3.14 has finally pushed my fps into the single digits, and at least around Orison that's talking lower single digits. And while I could just stay away from that pretty, pretty place, I can tell I'll need a new rig, and sooner than later. I have been comfortably building my own stuff for the past two decades, but I really I haven't been paying much attention to the market for the last three years. My go-to has always been AMD, but do I go with Intel this time? That 5.2, 5.3 GHz max boost does look pretty promising. Only on two cores really from what I gather, but then SC probably isn't optimized enough to make good use more than those anyway. If I don't go with Intel... My current Ryzen 5 1600X sits on a B350 mainboard, so that would need replacing. Not convinced buying a current mid-tier CPU to accommodate the outdated controller is a fab idea, only to be in the same spot another year down the road. On the other hand, while AM4 is on its way out, AM5 probably won't hit the shelves until mid-2022, so that's a bit of a wait just to be ready for PCIe5 and DDR5. GPU-wise, my case houses a very brave 1060, which is yearning for retirement. I am thinking AMD, not really a big nVidia fan... And while those Ampere cards do look flattering on the benchmark charts, I hear sad stories about DDR6X heating up until until your card throttles its way into what could've just as well been a 500-800 USD discount (or, given present company, a really pretty jpeg or two.) Then again, realistically speaking I'd probably end up settling for whatever happens to be presently available at don't-mention-it-to-the-wife money anyways, unless I wait until the Great Crypto Clensing of 2021 truly blossoms in the fall. So, long story short, do I grit my teeth and wait for greener pastures, hoping Q3 live and Q4 will show better mercy than a bored ganker spotting a stroppy prospector at PO? Do I settle for a minor upgrade, knowing I'll very likely replace it again in the not-too-distant future and then likely replace everything anyway? Or do I bite the bullet and fork out some serious money, hoping it'll keep me happy for the next three or four years? Thoughts? Final notes for context: Yes, I know, I am thinking about buying a rig for an alpha game. Can't buy it for much else, it's the only game I play consistently. Yes, the alpha game is running from an SSD, some m.2 Samsung. Yes, I have 32 gig ram, it's not the fastest of rams, but it is my ram and it has been good to me. Unless I find cheap faster ram, obviously, life can be harsh like that sometimes. No, money spent on gaming hardware will neither make my children go hungry nor will it upset the/a wife. Future me may hold a grudge though if I choose poorly. On that note, did I mention I really like the look of those VKB Ultimates, particularly once my T16000s start drifting again or another damn button dies? Thanks for reading through my ramble. Update Thanks for all the input, it's much appreciated. Sorry for not responding sooner, it's been a busy week or two. I ended up postponing the purchase for now, didn't find a good deal within reasonable shipping times and buying a GPU at the moment would be nonsense, anyway. Particularly if I only upgrade to something the current MB supports. I am now a proud owner of a VKB Gladiator NXT and Gunfighter III Ultimate, though, and very happy with both. Thanks for the input on that front, too.