I built this system in 2020 with a Ryzen 5 3600, an ASUS ROG STRIX B550-F Gaming motherboard, a GTX 1650 Super, and 64 GB of DDR4 running at 2133 MT/s. World of Warcraft currently drops to around 30–40 FPS during raids, even after tuning some settings. I want smoother raid performance without spending too much, since I plan to move to AM5 and DDR5 later when memory prices settle down. For an interim AM4 upgrade, would the Ryzen 5 5500X3D be enough, or is the Ryzen 7 5800X3D worth the extra cost? Also, do either of these CPUs actually require a large dual-tower air cooler?
3 Answers
Neither the 5500X3D nor the 5800X3D strictly requires a dual-tower cooler. They have the same 105 W thermal rating, and a decent single-tower cooler should be sufficient if it has good airflow and is installed properly. Dual-tower coolers are popular because they offer lower temperatures and are often inexpensive, not because they are mandatory.
Your memory speed is worth checking before deciding. 2133 MT/s is quite slow for Ryzen and may be costing you some performance, although the X3D cache helps reduce the impact. Also check whether the 64 GB is installed as 2x32 GB or 4x16 GB, since the configuration can affect stability and memory performance.
The CPU upgrade should help WoW, but the GTX 1650 Super is also going to hold you back, especially if your graphics settings or resolution are demanding. A 5500X3D paired with a newer midrange GPU would be the more budget-friendly route. If you want to get the most life out of AM4, a 5800X3D plus the strongest graphics card you can reasonably afford could let you skip AM5 for a while.
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