I'm considering upgrading my CPU and have found a used 9700X for $350 and a new 9800X3D for $740. I mainly game at 1080p on a 240Hz monitor. Is it worth spending more than double for the 9800X3D, or would the 9700X suffice? Also, is buying used processors a bad idea? Do they generally hold up, and are they still covered by AMD's warranty if purchased used?
7 Answers
Where are you finding those prices? I picked up my 9800X3D for just $450!
Nope, I wouldn’t spend that much. Just go for the 9700X instead.
At the high end, it’s not always about saving money; it’s about the performance you're getting. But in your case, the price tag might not justify the performance boost you’d see.
Honestly, I don’t think the 9800X3D is worth the price at all. What's your current GPU, by the way?
I have a 7800XT right now.
With that GPU, you might not even see a huge gain from upgrading to the 9800X3D.
That's a good question. First, are those prices in USD or CAD? If it's in CAD, the used 9700X isn’t a terrible deal if you're sure it’s working fine. For USD, though, both prices feel a bit steep. The 9800X3D really isn’t worth it unless you have a super high-end GPU like the 5080 or 5090. You might want to consider the 7600X too, as it offers similar performance for gaming on a budget.
You’d probably only notice a 25% performance difference between the two, so I’d say stick with the 9700X.
The 9800X3D might be worthwhile for pros who need serious power for work, but over $700 is just crazy for most gamers.
In Canada! How did you manage to get it that cheap?