Hey everyone! I'm in the process of building a PC around my RX 7800XT, and I'm aiming for some serious gaming at 1440p with 240Hz. Right now, I can't decide between the Ryzen 7 9700X, which is a new Zen 5 8-core CPU that excels in multitasking, or the Ryzen 5 7600X3D, a 6-core CPU with 3D V-Cache that's supposed to perform really well in games despite its slower clock speed. The price for both is around $400 CAD.
It seems the general advice is to go with the 3D V-Cache for pure gaming performance, but the 9700X could be better for multitasking and productivity with its extra cores. I've noticed that the 7600X3D isn't far behind the higher-end 7800X3D in gaming performance, and it's a good bit cheaper as well. I'm just not sure how much of a difference those extra cores in the 9700X will make in the long run for future games or when running background applications.
Also, can anyone recommend a good motherboard for either CPU? I'd like something with WiFi 6E and solid VRMs but don't want to overspend. What do you all think? Which one would you choose and why?
5 Answers
I was faced with this choice a couple of weeks ago! Ultimately, I chose the 7600X3D for pure gaming. The benchmark results showed that the 3D cache really boosts performance in most games! I paired it with a B850 Gigabyte Gaming X board with WiFi 6E, and it worked great!
Trying to predict which CPU will age better is tricky. If gaming is your main focus, the 7600X3D is definitely stronger right now. In my years of building, I’ve seen that raw gaming performance often outweighs the advantages of more cores. The benchmarks support this too!
I picked the 9700X and teamed it with a B850 mATX board. It has the features I want, and if you ever want to go cheaper, just get a B650 and update the BIOS later.
Honestly, for gaming, cores aren't everything. The 7600X3D should serve you just fine; it's solid for 1440p gaming. Pair it with a TUF B650 or B850 board for a good setup!
Have you checked if the 7800X3D is available in your area? It ends up being around the same price as the 9700X here!
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