I'm planning to move from my Ryzen 7 5800X3D platform to a Ryzen 7 9800X3D, mainly because I play Escape from Tarkov and Counter-Strike 2, and both have been showing serious stuttering and FPS drops. Tarkov in particular can dip to around 35–40 FPS even after a clean Windows installation, so I suspect the CPU or platform may be holding things back. My current system has an RTX 5070 Ti, Ryzen 7 5800X3D, MSI B450 Gaming Plus, and 32GB of Corsair Vengeance DDR4 memory. I'd like a reasonably priced AM5 motherboard and DDR5 kit that will remain useful for several years. I'm not very familiar with the differences between the available boards and memory, so I'd appreciate recommendations with an explanation of why they make sense. I'm also open to hearing whether upgrading from the 5800X3D is actually worthwhile for these games.
4 Answers
A B850 board with PCIe 5.0 for the graphics slot is a sensible choice. The MSI Pro B850 is one relatively affordable option. For memory, look for a 32GB DDR5-6000 kit around CL30; CL32 is also perfectly reasonable if it saves a meaningful amount, since the 9800X3D is less sensitive to memory timings than many other processors.
For the motherboard, a solid B850 model such as the MSI B850 Tomahawk Max or Gigabyte B850 Aorus Elite should be more than enough. Pair it with 32GB of DDR5-6000 memory in a 2x16GB kit. That gives you the performance you need without paying for unnecessary features.
The upgrade may not be worthwhile for every game, because the 5800X3D is still a strong gaming CPU. However, if Tarkov is regularly stuttering and dropping into the 30s after troubleshooting, moving to the 9800X3D could provide a noticeable improvement in CPU-heavy situations. Selling the old CPU, board, and memory could also reduce the cost of the platform change.
If your case supports a full-size ATX board, an X870 setup could add features such as PCIe 5.0 graphics support, USB4, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. It costs more than a typical B850 board, though, so it’s mainly worth considering if you specifically want those connectivity and expansion options. Your existing AM4 cooler may work on AM5, but check the mounting hardware and make sure you have suitable thermal paste.
Tarkov and CS2 are the main reasons I’m considering it. The stutters and large FPS drops have continued even after reinstalling Windows, so I’m trying to determine whether the CPU platform is the real limitation.