My current system has a Ryzen 5 3600X, an ASRock B450 Steel Legend, 32GB of DDR4, an RTX 5060 Ti 8GB, an 850W power supply, and a 240mm AIO. I mainly play Cities: Skylines 2, and simulation speed becomes painfully slow in large, late-game cities.
I'm considering the recently re-released Ryzen 7 5800X3D 10th Anniversary Edition (100-100000651POF). Has anyone used this processor specifically with the B450 Steel Legend? The board has a six-phase VRM, and my AIO doesn't provide much airflow over the VRM heatsinks, so I'm wondering whether throttling or excessive VRM temperatures are a concern.
I'd also like to know the minimum BIOS version required before swapping CPUs. I'll probably install the latest BIOS regardless, but I'd like to know the minimum supported version. Since the Anniversary Edition is expected to use the same silicon and CPUID as the original 5800X3D, should any BIOS that lists the standard 5800X3D also support it?
Finally, is the 5800X3D worth paying extra for over a 5700X3D if I can find one, and is sticking with AM4 reasonable given current DDR5 prices? A 32GB DDR5 kit would cost me more than €430, so moving to AM5 would be a much larger platform upgrade.
4 Answers
The concerns about some ASRock boards mainly involve newer AM5 processors. That doesn’t appear to translate directly to an older B450 board running a 5800X3D. Still, verify the official CPU support list, flash the BIOS carefully, and monitor the VRM temperature under sustained loads. If it runs warm, improving case airflow or redirecting the rear fan toward the VRM area can help.
The 5800X3D should be a solid upgrade for this system and its power requirements aren’t dramatically higher than the 3600X. The B450 Steel Legend should be able to run it, but check ASRock’s CPU support list for the exact minimum BIOS version and update the BIOS before removing the old processor. The Anniversary Edition should be treated like the regular 5800X3D if it has the same CPUID and board support entry.
A 5700X3D can be a better value, but only if it’s meaningfully cheaper. If the prices are close, the 5800X3D is the faster option. Staying on AM4 also makes sense when you already have the board and memory, especially with DDR5 kits costing so much. Keep an eye on VRM and CPU temperatures after the upgrade; adding airflow near the VRM would be an easy precaution.
I found a good deal on the 5800X3D, so I’m going to pick it up. I’ll update the BIOS first and monitor temperatures after installing it.
Users have run the 5800X3D successfully on the B450 Steel Legend and its micro-ATX variant. One reported no problems even with a relatively modest air cooler. The latest BIOS may also be useful for features such as curve optimizer support, which can help reduce temperatures and improve efficiency. After the first boot, the system may ask you to reset the fTPM; make sure drive encryption such as BitLocker is disabled or properly backed up before doing that.
The 5800X3D is a noticeable upgrade in simulation-heavy games, including titles such as Stellaris, Anno, and Cities: Skylines. However, Cities: Skylines 2 can also benefit from additional cores, so it’s worth checking benchmarks before assuming the X3D chip is always the best choice. A Ryzen 9 5900X or 5950X could be worth considering if late-game simulation scales better with core count in the tests you find.
The reports I’ve seen are mostly about AM5, particularly newer Ryzen 9000-series chips, with some 7800X3D cases. I haven’t seen the same pattern with the B450 and 5800X3D combination.