Hey everyone! My brother recently got a new GPU, the 9060xt 16 GB, which is a massive leap from his old 5600xt 6 GB. I'm really excited he's diving into PC gaming and I'm looking to help him upgrade to the AM5 platform. I'm stuck between two microcenter bundles: the 7700x and the 9600x. I know the 9600x will definitely work with his new GPU, but I've also heard fantastic things about the 7700x. He tends to game while having a few windows open on a second monitor, which caused a lot of issues on his previous setup (mainly playing Dragonwilds). Will the 9600x handle this setup smoothly and be future-proof for about five years? Or should I spend an extra $100 to go for the 7700x? I noticed the 9600x comes with only one RAM stick, which might explain the price difference for the 7700x bundle. By the way, the build includes a 700w gold PSU.
4 Answers
I've got a 7700x paired with a 7800xt, and it's been problem-free. If you're okay with the extra cash, I'd say go for the 7700x since it gives you a bit more future-proofing. It really just depends on how much multitasking he'll be doing.
What kind of windows are we talking about? If they're mainly browser tabs, Discord, and maybe Spotify, the 9600x can totally handle it! Just keep in mind that the 9600x bundles you're looking at only come with one stick of RAM; it's better to have RAM in matched pairs for performance. So make sure he gets 32GB, preferably in two sticks!
Yeah, I'd go for the 7700x. If he's going for 32GB RAM anyway, it’d probably end up being a better setup.
If the 9600x is priced at around 220€, then spending an extra 100€ on the 7700x doesn’t make much sense as the performance difference isn't significant for gaming. To justify that price increase, I typically look for a solid improvement in performance, and here, it's just not there.
Honestly, the choice between the 9600x and 7700x won't really affect his ability to keep multiple windows open while gaming. The 7700x isn't worth the extra $100 unless he's doing heavy multitasking or productivity tasks that benefit from its extra cores. Given the memory situation with the bundles, though, I’d lean towards the 7700x combo for the better RAM deal.
Good point about the RAM! He's planning to use Discord and stream shows a bit, so maybe I do need to get the 7700x since the 9600x doesn't come with dual sticks? What do you think about just getting the 9600x and buying a 32GB RAM kit separately instead?