I'm building my first gaming PC and have a few questions about CPUs. I'm primarily playing a limited range of games—like Satisfactory, OSRS, Fortnite, and various FromSoftware titles. I usually just game on my bed and don't have a second monitor, so multitasking will be minimal, mainly just some open tabs or a stream for my friends and girlfriend. I'm eyeing a few different CPUs: the Ryzen 5 7600 (which is under budget), the Ryzen 7 9700X (over budget but I want some future-proofing), and the Ryzen 5 9600X (fits my budget). I've been researching for months, and I'm feeling burnt out. Can a 6-core CPU handle my gaming needs effectively, or should I consider more cores?
4 Answers
The difference in gaming performance between the Ryzen 7600 and the 9700X is just about 5%. Honestly, if you think you'll need an upgrade in 3-4 years, it might not be worth the extra cost now.
What’s your country and how much are you looking to spend? What resolution do you usually play at?
I'm in New Zealand. My overall build budget is flexible. The 7700X is priced around $630 NZD, but I'm trying to ideally stick around the $450 mark for the 5 9600. I play at 1080p, aiming for 120fps in Fortnite and 60fps for most other games. I prioritize smooth performance over graphics, plus I really want to future-proof my build.
I’m using a Ryzen 5 7600, and honestly, unless you're going for an X3D model, it’s hard to justify getting more than this for gaming. Many new titles benefit from extra threads, but the 7600 runs everything I’ve played just fine!
Thanks! That really helps. I’ve been seeing a lot about threads versus cores, but I'm a bit lost on the thread stuff.
If you can swing it, go for the 7700X! It gives you 8 cores and is usually cheaper than the 9700X, with less than a 5% performance difference in most games.
Thanks a lot! I feel like I’ve been overthinking this whole decision.