Is a Ryzen 7 7700X and B650E motherboard a worthwhile upgrade from an i7-8700K?
Asked by
MellowOrbit42
I currently have an i7-8700K, an RTX 3080 Founders Edition, and 32GB of DDR4 memory. I need to upgrade the CPU, but my budget for the CPU and motherboard is under $400. I found a Ryzen 7 7700X paired with an ASUS B650E MAX motherboard for $370. Would this be a meaningful upgrade, or would I likely want to replace it again soon? I'm also wondering whether there are better options that would let me reuse my current memory or keep the overall cost down.
Answers
For gaming with an RTX 3080, you probably don’t need to spend that much on the CPU. A Ryzen 5 7500F or 7600/X would deliver very similar gaming performance for less money and still leave room for a future, faster graphics card. You’d still need DDR5 and an AM5 motherboard, though.
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A lower-cost AMD option would be a Ryzen 7 5700X3D with a B550 motherboard. It can be excellent for gaming and lets you avoid DDR5, but it’s on an older AM4 platform with less upgrade potential than AM5. The 5800X3D is also capable, though it usually makes less sense if it costs substantially more than the 5700X3D.
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If keeping DDR4 is important, consider an Intel 12th-, 13th-, or 14th-generation processor with a DDR4-compatible motherboard. Something around a 12600K, 13600K, or 14600K could fit the budget better, although you would still need to replace your Z390 board because it isn’t compatible with those CPUs.
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The 7700X and B650E combination would be a strong improvement over the 8700K, but the $370 price isn’t the whole upgrade cost. AM5 requires DDR5, so your existing DDR4 kit won’t work. Add the price of 32GB of DDR5 before deciding whether it still fits your budget.
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