I recently upgraded my graphics card from an RTX 3060 to an RTX 5070 and also replaced my case and power supply. My current system has a Ryzen 7 5700X and 32GB of DDR4-3200 CL16 memory. I'm considering upgrading the CPU and moving to AM5 so I can reuse the old CPU, motherboard, RAM, GPU, case, and PSU to build a second PC for my girlfriend.
For the new system, I'm looking at CPUs such as the Ryzen 7 9700X, Ryzen 9 9900X, or one of the newer X3D models. I'd probably pair it with 32GB of DDR5-6000 CL30, a new motherboard, and possibly an all-in-one liquid cooler. I mainly play games, though I occasionally edit video as well.
The estimated gaming improvement over my 5700X seems fairly modest for the non-X3D chips, while a 5800X3D would only be a small upgrade and costs roughly $100 less than some AM5 options. Since I need replacement parts for the second PC anyway, would moving to AM5 be worthwhile, or should I stay on AM4 and choose a cheaper upgrade?
3 Answers
Those performance percentages are broad averages, so the result depends heavily on the games you play and your resolution. At 1440p or 4K, the RTX 5070 will often be the limiting factor and a new CPU may not change much. At 1080p with a high refresh rate, an X3D chip can make a much larger difference.
Before spending $800 or more, check whether your 5700X is actually causing poor frame rates or stuttering in the games you play. If everything already runs well, there is no urgent reason to upgrade. AM4 parts can also be useful as a pool of compatible replacements for both systems.
If you mainly play at 1440p or higher and aren’t seeing CPU bottlenecks, keeping the 5700X is perfectly reasonable. A 5800X3D or 5700X3D makes the most sense for someone who wants a simple drop-in AM4 gaming upgrade, especially at 1080p or with a high-refresh monitor. Otherwise, the cost of the CPU may not justify the relatively small improvement.
In your situation, though, the second-PC plan changes the calculation. Moving your existing AM4 components into that machine and building yourself a new AM5 system can be sensible, as long as you’re comfortable paying the premium for a new platform rather than expecting a huge immediate performance jump.
For a gaming-focused AM5 build, I’d look at a Ryzen 7 9800X3D-class processor with 32GB of DDR5-6000 CL30 and a reasonably priced B650 or B850 motherboard. The X3D models are generally more compelling for gaming than the regular Ryzen 7 or Ryzen 9 chips, especially if you play CPU-limited games or want very high frame rates.
You probably don’t need water cooling for this. A good air cooler is quieter, cheaper, and more reliable for most of these CPUs. An AIO is fine if you like the appearance or want extra cooling capacity, but it shouldn’t be required for the upgrade.
The platform upgrade gives you a future upgrade path, but it doesn’t automatically make the current games feel dramatically faster. You’re paying for new memory, a motherboard, and the possibility of upgrading again later, not just for today’s performance.
The main reason I’m considering it is that I need to build a second PC anyway. I can give that system my current CPU, motherboard, RAM, GPU, case, and PSU, so I would still need to buy replacement parts for my own PC. That makes moving to a newer platform seem more appealing than paying for a small AM4 upgrade.