For PC gamers, 2023 looks set to be super exciting and hopefully more affordable too as we see cheaper options being released by big players such as AMD, Intel and Nvidia. As PC hardware goes, 2022 was like no other though.
AMD and Intel processors are expected to be some of 2023’s biggest PC hardware launches
At the top of the chart was a super-rare clash between Intel’s 13th Gen Raptor Lake and AMD’s Zen 4 7000-series processors. These not only competed head-to-head with very different approaches, but also released within weeks of each other, setting up a direct clash with the gloves off.
AMD and Nvidia also went head-to-head within a short time frame with their latest graphics card too – Nvidia with its GeForce RTX 4090 and 4080 and AMD with its Radeon RX 7900 XTX and 7900 XT. However, pricing for the new cards, which started at $800 with the 7900 XT and topped out at $1,600 with the RTX 4090, haven’t been received very well.
Thankfully, 2023 will see the release of cheaper models and also cheaper processors from AMD and Intel and these are just some of the great PC hardware launches you can look forward to in 2023.
Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti – January launch
The RTX 4080 and 4090 are certainly powerful but if the thought of spending upwards of $1,200 on just a graphics card isn’t appealing then there are cheaper options in the pipeline starting with the RTX 4070 Ti.
RTX 4070 Ti cards have already been spotted at retailers
Rumored to retail for between $800 and $1,000, it should be much cheaper than the RTX 4080, but leaked benchmark results show it to offer around 30 percent more performance than an RTX 3080. It’s still not exactly cheap given the RTX 3080 cost $699 at launch and was a seriously powerful bit of kit.
Nvidia will also have the RX 7900 XT to battle with, which retails for $899 and also trounces the RTX 3080. Availability and the actual price of hardware on shelves will be key for the RTX 4070 Ti, but its good to see cheaper options arriving from Nvidia, and it could be one of the first major hardware launches, arriving in early January according to rumors.
Cheaper Nvidia graphics cards – 2023
Below the RTX 4070 Ti are the expected RTX 4060 and RTX 4050 models, which one hopes will finally usher in prices below $600. With the RTX 4070 Ti offering a decent upgrade over the RTX 3080 according to leaked benchmarks, it’s likely an RTX 4060 could match the RTX 3080 in performance or even better it.
Nvidia’s RTX 3060 Ti was a fantastic affordable graphics card and retailed for just $399
It’s likely an RTX 4060 would retail for $500-600 given the pricing we’ve seen for other RTX 4000-series cards, making it far more affordable for PC gamers with tighter budgets and will likely offer much better performance at higher resolutions and in ray -traced titles than most RTX 3000-series cards too.
Cheaper AMD processors – January launch
The Ryzen 5 7600X, Ryzen 7 7700X, Ryzen 9 7900X and 7950X processors have struggled with sales, likely due to their high prices, which were slashed in recent weeks, DDR5 memory-only compatibility and high motherboard pricing. That’s not to say they’re otherwise uncompetitive, which they are, with fantastic performance and efficiency.
Cheaper AMD Ryzen 7000 processors are expected to launch in January 2023
However, PC enthusiasts usually vote with their wallets, so it wasn’t surprising to see sluggish sales compared to Intel’s cheaper alternatives that were also very fast and benefitted from cheaper platform costs. AMD looks set to usher in two important sets of processors in the new year, though, starting with non-X models of the existing quartet.
The Ryzen 9 7900, Ryzen 7 7700 and Ryzen 5 7600 will retail for significantly lower prices compared to the X models according to the latest rumors, but will have lower TDPs, meaning they draw less power and could run cooler, demanding less in the way of processor cooling too. They’ll have the same core makeup but lower frequencies, so it will be interesting to see how they compare to the current line-ups from AMD itself and from Intel. We won’t have long to wait as they’re expected to launch mid January.
AMD Ryzen 7000 3D V-Cache/X3D processors
Something that could turn around AMD’s processor fortunes in 2023 are its 3D V-Cache models. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D has proven extremely popular with gamers thanks to its extra cache and lower internal latency giving it a sizeable performance boost in most games, especially as it was backwards compatible with older mother boards and provided a great upgrade path as a result.
AMD’s Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor
In fact, it’s widely credited with the resulting sluggish sales of Ryzen 7000 processors with owners of older CPUs upgrading to it instead, avoiding high motherboard pricing and a need to switch to expensive DDR5 memory. It’s prowess in games meant it was still a force to be reckoned with even compared to the latest generation processors from both AMD and Intel while others in the Ryzen 5000 range slipped down the performance graphs.
It’s reasonable to assume, then, that a Ryzen 7000 X3D processor could be absolutely fantastic when it comes to gaming and offer a much more attractive upgrade, potentially even eclipsing Intel’s 13th Gen CPUs too.
No launch date has been reported yet and as I predicted earlier this year when I spoke to AMD’s Robert Hallock, the new 3D V-Cache models did not launch with the initial wave of Ryzen 7000 processors. AMD needs to be quick out of the blocks with this one to get people buying into its Socket AM5 platform, but it could be worth waiting for.
Intel’s cheaper CPUs and possible 14th Gen launch
Intel has had a decent launch with its 13th Gen Raptor Lake CPUs and the Core i5-13600K especially has generally had the edge over AMD’s counterparts, with excellent value for money as well as decent overclocking potential.
DDR5 memory is supported by Intel’s latest CPUs but many people are sticking with cheaper DDR4 … [+]
However, with AMD avoiding releasing CPUs at the very low end and instead relying on previous generation models to plug the low to mid-range gap, this has meant Intel often enjoys a good following here with CPUs such as the Core i5 12400F and Core i5 -9400F proving extremely popular.
This time, the Core i5-13500 is in the spotlight, with the latest benchmark leaks pointing to it potentially beating the Core i5-12600K while costing less. This could be a great option for those on a budget, especially as it supports DDR4 memory and cheaper Z690 and B660 motherboards too.
Its 14th Gen Meteor Lake CPUs may also make an entrance later in 2023, bringing with them even more performance and a 7nm manufacturing process, but these may have slipped to 2024.
I’ll be reviewing all the new hardware here on Forbes in the new year so follow me on the site using the blue follow button and also check out my YouTube channel.
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