I'm planning a CPU upgrade and could use some advice. I built this PC in 2019 and have gradually upgraded it, but the Ryzen 5 2600X, motherboard, and power supply are still original.
Current system:
- Ryzen 5 2600X
- Radeon RX 6600
- 32GB DDR4-3200 (4x8GB)
- Gigabyte B450M DS3H with an updated BIOS
- Gigabyte PW400 400W 80 Plus power supply
I originally considered the Ryzen 7 5700, but reviews seem mixed, and I'm not sure how the X3D models compare. I mainly use the computer for gaming and CAD. My maximum budget is about 400 CAD, or roughly 300 USD. Which AM4 processor would be the best upgrade for this system, and should I be concerned about the power supply?
3 Answers
The 5700X is a good upgrade from the 2600X and should work well with the B450M DS3H after the BIOS update. Your 400W power supply is probably sufficient for the current RX 6600 and a 5700X, but it leaves little headroom for a future graphics-card upgrade. If you plan to install a much stronger GPU later, I’d replace the PSU with a quality 550W–650W model first. Also make sure the motherboard BIOS supports whichever processor you choose.
For a straightforward upgrade, the Ryzen 5 5600 or 5600X makes the most sense. It has more cache and PCIe 4.0 support compared with the non-X 5700. The 5700X is worth considering if the price difference is small or you regularly do heavily threaded CAD tasks, but it won’t necessarily improve gaming as much as an X3D model.
I’d skip the non-X Ryzen 7 5700. It uses the lower-cache APU-based design and only supports PCIe 3.0, so the Ryzen 5 5600 is generally the better gaming chip despite having fewer cores. The Ryzen 7 5700X is also a solid option if your CAD work benefits from the extra cores. If you can find a reasonably priced 5500X3D from a reputable seller, it could be especially appealing for gaming, but check the seller and warranty carefully.
The current prices I’m seeing are around 230 CAD for the 5600X and 290 CAD for the 5700X. Is the extra 60 CAD worthwhile?