I'm considering building my first PC with an RX 9060 XT 16GB graphics card, a Ryzen 5 8400F processor, and 32GB of DDR5 RAM. My main goals are casual gaming (not heavy AAA titles), learning coding, editing, and handling school assignments. Is this a solid build, or are there better alternatives?
4 Answers
Honestly, the 8400F isn’t the best performer. Its only advantage is being cheap. I'd recommend the Ryzen 5 7500F as a better choice—it offers more for your money.
Yeah, the 8400F is missing out on a lot since it has fewer PCIe lanes and lacks integrated graphics. Just a heads up!
Make sure to double-check any compatibility issues with your motherboard. If you're not having specific CPU-related issues in your gaming, there should be no reason to upgrade.
It might be worth looking at a Ryzen 7 7600 instead of the 8400F, depending on prices. It's generally a better CPU if you can snag it for a reasonable cost. If it’s just a bit more expensive and you can get a discount elsewhere, go for it!
Thanks for the suggestion! I'll keep an eye on those pricing options.
As for pairing the RX 9060 XT with a Ryzen 7 3800X, it should work just fine! The 3800X is still a solid CPU. If you're running into any limitations, those might be more about the motherboard rather than the CPU. Just check if you're limited to PCIe Gen 3—it's not a huge drawback, though.
Just to clarify, the 8400F has the integrated GPU disabled since it's an 'F' model. If you're looking at the Ryzen series, consider the 7800X3D, which does have an iGPU and better performance.