I've been using an AMD Ryzen 3 2200G and it's been bottlenecking my RTX 3060 for way too long, so I just ordered a Ryzen 5 5500 for £72.50. Lately, though, I've come across a ton of comments saying the 5500 is awful, and that I should steer clear of it entirely. Is it really that bad? Given my setup with an A320M-S2H motherboard and 16GB of RAM, are there better CPU options in the £60-90 range that pair well with my graphics card? For context, I game at 60Hz, mainly playing titles like GTA 5 and NFS, but I also use this setup for 3D rendering, and I'm tired of my games stuttering and freezing.
5 Answers
The 5500 has half the L3 cache of the 5600, which might hurt gaming performance a bit, but for day-to-day tasks, it’s fine. It won't bottleneck your 3060. The 5600 is definitely the way to go if you game a lot, but at £72.50, the 5500 is a good deal overall, especially if you're not a hardcore gamer.
It's okay for budget gaming. Just make sure your setup is optimized. The 5500 is serviceable at 60 FPS, and for everyday tasks, it performs decently. It’s not the flashiest option, but definitely enough for basic gaming and rendering needs.
If the 5500 is all you can afford, you'll be fine. Plus, it should boost your game performance significantly. However, keep an eye out for a used 5600; you might find a good bargain and get something that’s even better!
The Ryzen 5 5600 is indeed a noticeable upgrade, but it’s about £95 at the moment. The 5500 isn't terrible; it's just that it doesn't deliver the full performance of the 5000 series. It actually sits somewhere between the 3000 and 5000 series. You wouldn’t be disappointed with the 5500 considering what you’re upgrading from, though!
Well, from what I've heard, it performs similarly to the 3600 in games, so that’s something to consider.
Honestly, for £72.50, you got a fair deal. The 5500 is better than the 2200G and will definitely help you utilize your RTX 3060 much more effectively. It'll handle 60 FPS in most newer games without issues. Just make sure to update your BIOS on the A320 board to ensure compatibility!
Thanks for clarifying! I’m coming from the 2200G, so will I notice a big performance leap with the 5500?