I'm planning an AM5 upgrade and found two used 32GB DDR5 kits: Corsair Vengeance 5600 MT/s CL36 for AU$500, or Klevv FIT V 6000 MT/s CL28 for AU$560. I'm considering a Ryzen 7 9800X3D because its extra 3D V-Cache should make memory speed less important, but I could instead buy a Ryzen 7 9700X for AU$400. I'm also looking at a Gigabyte B850M AORUS Elite motherboard, which suggests it can help a non-X3D processor deliver gaming performance close to an X3D chip, although I'm unsure how credible that is. My graphics card will be a Radeon 9070 XT, and I'll mainly play modern AAA games at 1440p or 4K, with possible VR gaming later. Which option offers the best overall value: 9700X with 6000 CL28 for about AU$960, 9800X3D with 5600 CL36 for about AU$1070, or 9800X3D with 6000 CL28 for about AU$1130? I'm upgrading from a Ryzen 5 5600X, RTX 3070, and 32GB of DDR4-3600.
4 Answers
Don’t rely on the motherboard’s performance claim. A motherboard cannot make a regular 9700X perform like a 9800X3D; at most, it may offer useful memory tuning or power settings. The 9800X3D will generally be considerably faster in CPU-limited games, even when paired with slower DDR5. On an X3D processor, 5600 CL36 usually gives up only a small amount of gaming performance compared with 6000 CL30 or CL28. I’d also consider 6000 CL30 or CL36 if they’re meaningfully cheaper, since CL28 tends to carry a premium.
For 1440p and especially 4K gaming, the GPU will often be the limiting factor, so the difference between these memory kits may be difficult to notice. If you mostly play CPU-heavy or high-refresh games, the 9800X3D has a clearer advantage. For typical single-player AAA gaming, the 9700X could be perfectly adequate and leave more money available for the graphics card or other components.
I’d choose the 9800X3D with the 6000 CL28 kit. The extra cost is relatively small compared with the total build price, and it gives you the strongest long-term gaming setup. The X3D chip is the more important part of the upgrade, while the faster memory is a nice bonus.
The practical order would be 9800X3D first, then whichever DDR5-6000 kit offers the best price and timings. X3D processors are less sensitive to memory latency because their large cache reduces how often they need to access system RAM directly. I wouldn’t pay a huge premium for CL28, but AU$60 over the slower kit is not outrageous if both kits are compatible and in good condition.
Agreed. Since the difference between the two kits is only AU$60, the tighter-timed kit is still a reasonable choice if the price fits the budget, but it shouldn’t influence the CPU decision.