Best AM4 CPU Upgrade Under $175 for a Ryzen 5 5600G?
Asked by
MellowCedar42
I currently have a Ryzen 5 5600G paired with an RTX 3060 12GB. In nearly every game I play, CPU usage reaches 100%, and Fortnite at 1080p on optimized settings still does not run as smoothly as I would like. I'm considering a Ryzen 5 5600X or another reasonably priced AM4 upgrade, but my budget is under $175. Moving to AM5 is not practical right now. What CPU would offer the best performance improvement for the money?
Answers
Since you’re playing at 1080p, an AM4 X3D processor would be a much better upgrade than another standard six-core chip. A Ryzen 5 5500X3D or 5600X3D, if you can find one within budget, should improve gaming performance and leave more headroom for a future GPU upgrade.
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Look for an AM4 X3D model or possibly a Ryzen 7 5800XT, depending on current pricing. I wouldn’t spend the money on another conventional six-core processor unless it’s extremely cheap, because the real-world gaming improvement over your 5600G may not be large enough to justify the upgrade.
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If you’re in the US and have a Micro Center nearby, check whether they still stock the Ryzen 5 5600X3D. It can pair well with a stronger graphics card later and is generally a more worthwhile upgrade than moving from the 5600G to a regular 5600X.
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MellowCedar42: Yeah, I’m playing at 1080p, so that sounds like the direction I should look into.