Hey everyone! I've built a PC back in 2020 and haven't really kept up with the latest hardware generations. Currently, I have a Ryzen 5600X and I'm looking for something a bit more powerful. I'm curious if it's worth it to upgrade to a new socket like AM5 or if I should just stick with what I've got. I'll be upgrading my motherboard either way, and I'm mostly looking at the used market for both CPUs and motherboards. I'm aiming to spend around $300 for the motherboard and CPU combined. Any insights or advice would be really appreciated!
5 Answers
If you're able to stretch your budget a bit, I saw a deal for an AMD Ryzen 5 9600X bundled with an MSI Pro B650 motherboard and 32GB of DDR5 RAM. It was going for about $358 on Slickdeals, which isn't too far off your budget! You might want to check that out if you're interested.
Honestly, you might want to consider selling your current 5600X setup and build a new rig. There's not much value left in AM4 upgrades these days, and a fresh build could save you a lot of hassle down the line!
If you're looking for a good upgrade, you might want to check out the 5700X3D. A lot of people mention that DDR5 on AM5 is really beneficial for ray tracing in games. Just a heads up, the 7400F and 7500F are definitely options too, but availability can be tricky depending on where you look. I've seen some listings on AliExpress if you're open to that!
Just out of curiosity, what do you mainly use your PC for? I didn't see you mention gaming, and that could affect what upgrade makes the most sense for you!
Honestly, $300 is pretty tight for upgrades that include the motherboard and RAM. But if you're going for used CPUs or looking at places like AliExpress, you might score a deal on the 7500F or 7600 with a cheap B650 board and some decent DDR5 RAM. Alternatively, you could get a 14600K with a budget DDR4 B660 and just reuse your existing DDR4 RAM, which could also fit your budget!
The 7400F and 7500F are actually available on Newegg too, though they're mostly shipped from Hong Kong.