I'm considering a CPU upgrade while staying on the AM4 platform because moving to AM5 is not financially realistic for me right now. My current system has a Ryzen 5 3600, 16GB of DDR4, a Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite motherboard, and an RTX 2070 Super.
I'm deciding between a Ryzen 5 5500X3D priced at about $186 with shipping and a coupon, and a locally listed Ryzen 5 5600 for roughly $80. I know the 5500X3D is the stronger gaming processor, but similar chips were previously selling closer to $130–$140, so I'm unsure whether the current price is justified.
I mainly play Path of Exile 2, Street Fighter 6, World of Warcraft, and Guild Wars 2, and I'm interested in games such as Red Dead Redemption 2, Crimson Desert, Monster Hunter Wilds, and Dragon's Dogma 2. I play at 1080p and am generally satisfied with around 60 FPS. Assuming the local Ryzen 5 5600 listing is legitimate, would the 5500X3D's extra $100 be worthwhile, or would the 5600 be the better value?
4 Answers
The 5500X3D is not automatically better for every game just because it has extra cache. Some titles benefit substantially from the cache, while others respond more to additional cores or are limited by the GPU. For your current hardware and performance target, the $80 Ryzen 5 5600 should handle your games well. Make sure the motherboard BIOS supports whichever CPU you choose, and verify that the local processor is genuine and working before buying.
At your target of 1080p and roughly 60 FPS, the Ryzen 5 5600 is the much better value at $80. It will be a noticeable improvement over the Ryzen 5 3600, and your RTX 2070 Super will often be the limiting component in newer, graphically demanding games. The 5500X3D makes more sense if you want higher minimum FPS in CPU-heavy games or plan to keep the system for several more years without another upgrade, but $186 is a fairly steep AM4 price.
That makes sense. I was mainly worried about missing my chance to buy one of the better AM4 gaming CPUs before prices climbed, but I’m not trying to push very high refresh-rate gaming.
If you are certain you will stay on AM4, buying the best affordable CPU now has some value. X3D processors can make a big difference in games such as World of Warcraft, Guild Wars 2, and other CPU-limited titles, especially by improving frame-time consistency. However, the 5500X3D is only a good purchase if you can find it near the lower prices people were paying before. At $186, the premium is difficult to justify for a 60 FPS setup.
It may be worth checking for a used Ryzen 7 5700X or Ryzen 7 5800X locally. Either would give you two additional cores over the 5600 and can be a reasonable middle ground if priced around $100. Don’t overpay for an AM4 X3D chip just because it is considered an endgame upgrade; at inflated prices, putting the money toward a future AM5 platform is usually smarter.
I’ll check the BIOS version and test the local chip if possible. At that price, the 5600 seems like the safer value unless I find a much cheaper X3D option.