I mainly use my PC for gaming at 1440p. My current system has a Ryzen 5 5600, Radeon RX 6800 XT, and 16GB of DDR4. I originally planned to upgrade to a Ryzen 7 5800X3D for about $370, a Radeon RX 9070 XT for $810, and 32GB of DDR4 for around $260 since my current memory consists of four 4GB sticks. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D costs about $320 where I live, but moving to AM5 would make the upgrade roughly $300 more expensive because 32GB of DDR5 costs around $460 here. Comparisons suggest the 7800X3D is usually 10–15% faster than the 5800X3D, with the gap reaching 20–30% in CPU-heavy games. I would like to keep the upgraded platform for four or five years. I play a wide range of games, including demanding titles such as Spider-Man 2, STALKER 2, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and DayZ. I do not play competitive shooters often, but I have a 144Hz monitor and appreciate high frame rates. Is paying the extra $300 for AM5 and the 7800X3D worthwhile, or would it be smarter to stay on AM4 and upgrade again later?
4 Answers
You may not need to upgrade the CPU and memory immediately. At 1440p, the Ryzen 5 5600 can still handle most games, and 16GB is generally usable unless you play particularly memory-heavy titles or run large mod lists. Upgrading the GPU first could provide the biggest improvement, then you could move to AM5 later if you find a good bundle or discounted DDR5.
If you can comfortably afford the motherboard and DDR5, the 7800X3D is the better long-term choice. It gives you more headroom in CPU-heavy games and should pair well with a faster graphics card for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming. That said, the 5800X3D is still a very capable gaming CPU, so the extra $300 is buying longevity and performance headroom rather than fixing an immediate problem.
Since you plan to keep the platform for four or five years, moving to AM5 makes more sense than investing heavily in a dead-end AM4 upgrade. AM5 is expected to receive support for several more years, so you would at least retain a future CPU upgrade path. The difference will matter most in CPU-heavy games and situations where you are aiming well above 60 FPS.
Your game list changes the answer somewhat. Games such as STALKER 2, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and heavily populated or simulation-style games can benefit from a stronger CPU, especially when trying to use a 144Hz display. I would choose the 7800X3D if the additional $300 will not force you to compromise on the graphics card, but I would keep the 5600 for now if the CPU is not currently holding back your frame rates.
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