I'm planning an upgrade for 1080p gaming. My current system has an RX 6600 XT, a Ryzen 5 3600X, and 16GB of RAM. I was considering a Ryzen 7 5700X3D or 5800X3D, but both are difficult to find at reasonable prices where I live. The 5700X3D is essentially unavailable new, while the 5800X3D costs around €360–€400.
I'm also considering moving to AM5 for better long-term upgrade options, although the cost of DDR5 memory is making that harder to justify. Would it make more sense to stay on AM4 and buy one of the X3D processors, and if so, which one? Or should I save more money and move to AM5 instead?
3 Answers
If you’re buying entirely new parts, save for AM5 rather than paying a premium for an end-of-life AM4 processor. An AM5 bundle with a Ryzen 5 7600 or similar chip and 32GB of DDR5 can offer strong performance now and leave room for several future CPU upgrades. The AM4 X3D route is still good if you already own the motherboard and can find a 5700X3D cheaply, but the 5800X3D at €360 isn’t a good value.
The 5700X3D is probably the best AM4 choice when it’s available at a sensible price. The 5800X3D is only worth considering if the price difference is small, since gaming performance is fairly close and paying around €360–€400 for one is hard to justify. At that price, putting the money toward an AM5 motherboard, CPU, and DDR5 kit makes more sense because you’ll have a future upgrade path.
The 5700X3D is basically impossible to find new in my area, while the cheapest 5800X3D I’ve found is around €360. That’s why I’m unsure whether staying on AM4 still makes financial sense.
For 1080p, you may not need a major CPU upgrade yet, especially if the games you play are mostly GPU-limited. A Ryzen 5 5600 would already be a noticeable improvement over the 3600X and could be a much better value than an overpriced X3D chip. If you can wait, keeping your current platform until AM5 or memory prices become more appealing is also reasonable.
A 5800X3D can perform roughly like a Ryzen 7 7700X in games, but that comparison only helps if the AM4 chip is priced competitively. At the current price, I’d wait for a discount or put the money toward a newer platform.