My brother currently has a Ryzen 5 5600, GeForce RTX 3060 12GB, 32GB of RAM, and a 650W power supply. He mainly plays games at 1440p and wants to upgrade both the processor and graphics card without replacing the PSU. I can get a brand-new Ryzen 7 5800X3D for 320 CHF—is that a worthwhile price, or are there better AM4 options? Which GPU would pair well with it while staying reasonable for a 650W PSU? Also, would the stock cooler be sufficient, or should he buy an aftermarket air cooler?
4 Answers
Do not rely on the stock cooler for a 5800X3D; it is better to use a decent tower air cooler. A quality single- or dual-tower cooler should be enough, and there is no need for a custom water-cooling loop unless he specifically wants one for appearance or experimentation. Also make sure the motherboard BIOS supports the new processor.
The best GPU depends on the target settings and budget, but the RX 9070 is a strong 1440p pairing for the 5800X3D. A GeForce RTX 5070 is an alternative with similar overall performance, although it may be considerably more expensive in some markets. Check the specific card manufacturer's recommended PSU rating before buying.
The Ryzen 7 5800X3D is still an excellent gaming upgrade for AM4, and 320 CHF is a reasonable price if it is genuinely new. The Ryzen 7 5700X3D is also strong and usually offers nearly the same gaming performance, but it only makes sense if it is cheaper. The 5500X3D can be a good budget alternative where it is available.
For 1440p, a Radeon RX 9070 would be a good match and should be suitable for a quality 650W PSU, assuming the unit is decent and has the required power connectors. A lower-power RX 9060 XT 16GB is another sensible option if he does not need as much performance. A higher-end card may make the PSU situation less comfortable.
The 5700X3D actually costs more than the 5800X3D here, so the 5800X3D seems like the obvious choice.