I'm debating whether to switch from my 5900X to a 9600X or 9700X for my new build. From what I hear, game performance is quite similar between the two, but I'm concerned about how dropping to 6 cores will impact basic multitasking tasks like running Discord, Spotify, some Chrome tabs, and a game. Would the 9600X suffice or should I go for the 9700X instead?
4 Answers
My 7600X runs everything I've thrown at it well, so I wouldn’t recommend downgrading from a 5900X unless you need to. If you do decide to upgrade, either the 9600X or 9700X should be alright for your multitasking needs though.
Unless you're talking about running a LOT of Chrome tabs, 6 cores from a modern CPU handles multitasking quite well. Just keep in mind that switching from a 5900X to a 9600X is more lateral than an actual upgrade with the same or slightly diminished capabilities in more demanding tasks.
I appreciate the clarification! I figured the 9600X would work well enough, but I wanted some peace of mind before the purchase.
Honestly, if you're already on a 5900X, swapping to a lower-tier CPU like the 9600X isn't really an upgrade. You might see some minor performance gains at 1080p, but for your current setup, it’s not worth it. Why not hold off for the next generation or even consider something like the 5700X3D? It's comparable in gaming without requiring a new motherboard.
It wasn't initially intended to be an upgrade, I was going to build a second system but it's turned out to be more powerful than my current one. That's why I needed to check if 6 cores would be enough.
For the multitasking you're describing, going with the 9600X should be just fine. Most gamers do pretty much the same things and a 6-core CPU handles that level of multitasking without issue.
Thank you, just wanted to make sure before I made a purchase.
Thanks for the insight! I’m mainly building a second system, so I just wanted to ensure I'm not sacrificing performance.