I recently bought a used graphics card for my sister's PC and received a Ryzen 7 8700F as a bonus. I currently use a Ryzen 5 3600X with an RX 5700 XT, so the processor doesn't fit my existing AM4 system. I already have a spare RTX 3060 12GB and put together a new AM5 parts list costing roughly $970 for the remaining components. My current PC still handles the games I play at 1440p medium settings, but I'm interested in upgrading and moving to a newer platform for better longevity. Would it make sense to build around the free 8700F, or would I be better off selling the CPU and upgrading my current AM4 system instead?
4 Answers
Selling the 8700F may be the better financial choice. DDR5, a motherboard, and the rest of a new platform add up quickly, while upgrading the existing AM4 machine could provide more gaming performance for less money. Depending on local prices, a Ryzen 7 5700X or a stronger graphics card could be a more noticeable upgrade.
Before spending nearly $1,000, ask what you actually want to improve. A Ryzen 5 3600X and RX 5700 XT can still handle a lot of games, so moving to AM5 may not feel worthwhile unless you have a specific performance problem or want newer platform features.
Don’t upgrade purely for future-proofing if your current system already plays everything you care about. You could keep the 3600X and 5700 XT until a game or workload actually exposes a limitation, then use the money on a much larger upgrade. If you do build the AM5 system, treat the free CPU as a way to reduce the cost—not as a reason to spend $970 immediately.
The 8700F would be a real CPU upgrade, especially for multicore work, and using a processor you got for free makes the platform switch more reasonable. However, I’d avoid spending extra on a liquid cooler. A $30-ish dual-tower air cooler from Thermalright, ID-COOLING, or Montech should be plenty. Also look for a quality power supply below $90 rather than overspending on either component. The 8700F has only eight PCIe 4.0 lanes available for the graphics card, but that shouldn’t meaningfully affect an RTX 3060.
The graphics card itself is not a huge step up from an RX 5700 XT in normal rasterized performance. Its main advantages are better ray tracing support and compatibility with newer graphics features.