I'm building a gaming system for 1080p through moderate 1440p settings, with Microsoft Flight Simulator being one of the main games. My current parts are a Ryzen 7 2700X, an ASUS ROG Strix B450-E motherboard, 16GB of DDR4 memory, and an XFX 9060 XT 16GB graphics card. I'd like to upgrade the processor to reduce CPU bottlenecks, especially in Flight Simulator, but my budget is just under ₱15,000. I'm staying on AM4 for now because DDR5 and other platform costs are high, and I prioritized buying the graphics card first. Which AM4 processor would be the best value?
4 Answers
The 5800X3D is the best AM4 gaming processor, but it’s too expensive for this budget. A used 5700X3D would be worth checking before settling for a 5600 or 5700X, particularly because Flight Simulator is heavily CPU-dependent. Update the motherboard BIOS before installing any newer Ryzen chip.
If Microsoft Flight Simulator is a major priority, try to stretch for a Ryzen 7 5700X3D. The 5800X3D is technically the fastest AM4 gaming CPU, but it costs around ₱27,000 locally, so it doesn’t fit your ₱15,000 limit. The 5700X3D is generally the more sensible high-end AM4 upgrade if priced reasonably.
The Ryzen 5 5600 is the minimum upgrade I’d consider, while the Ryzen 7 5700X is a good option if you need more cores. Either would be a significant improvement over the 2700X, but make sure your B450 board is running a BIOS version that supports the processor.
For normal gaming, especially with a 9060 XT, the Ryzen 5 5500X3D could be a strong value if you can find it under your budget. It should outperform regular 5600- or 5700-series chips in many games because of the extra 3D cache, while costing much less than the top AM4 X3D parts.

Related Questions
Lenovo Thinkpad Stuck In Update Loop Install FilterDriverU2_Reload