I'm planning to move from AM4 to AM5 and would replace my current motherboard, CPU, and memory. My system has a Radeon 9070 XT, Ryzen 7 5800X, 32GB DDR4-3200, an Aorus B450 Elite V2, an 850W power supply, and a 2TB Samsung 990 Pro NVMe drive. I mainly play Warzone and Rust at 1440p. The two bundles I'm considering are a Ryzen 7 7800X3D with 32GB DDR5-6000 and a Gigabyte X870 Gaming WiFi6 motherboard for about $770, or a Ryzen 7 9800X3D with 32GB DDR5-6000 and an MSI B850 Gaming Pro WiFi6E motherboard for about $900. Is the 9800X3D worth the extra cost with my graphics card, or would the 7800X3D be the better value and overall match?
4 Answers
Rust can benefit from additional CPU performance, so the 9800X3D is a reasonable match rather than being overkill. It makes the most sense if you use a high-refresh monitor, chase very high frame rates, or plan to keep the system for several years. For ordinary 1440p gaming, though, the 7800X3D should already deliver an excellent experience.
The 9800X3D is the faster processor, but the difference won’t be huge in every game, especially if you’re GPU-limited at 1440p. The 7800X3D bundle offers much better value and should pair very well with the 9070 XT. I’d choose it unless you specifically want the highest possible CPU performance and don’t mind paying extra.
I’d also compare the motherboards instead of looking only at the CPUs. The X870 bundle appears to offer useful features such as a PCIe 5.0 graphics slot, multiple M.2 slots, and fast USB connectivity, while costing less. Unless the newer CPU performance is your top priority, the 7800X3D bundle may be the more complete and sensible upgrade.
A less expensive X3D chip can already produce very high frame rates with a 9070 XT at 1440p, so either option will be a major step up from the 5800X in CPU-limited games. I’d put the savings toward a larger memory kit, better cooling, or simply keep the money. Make sure the DDR5 kit is around 6000 MT/s with reasonably tight timings.
That’s the main reason I’m considering the 9800X3D. Rust is one of my most-played games, but I’m still unsure whether the extra $130 will be noticeable outside of CPU-heavy situations.