I'm considering upgrading my Ryzen 7 5700X to a Ryzen 7 5800X3D so I can stay on AM4 for several more years instead of moving to AM5. DDR5 pricing is still a concern, and the 5800X3D seems like the best gaming CPU available for my current platform. My system has an Asus ROG B450-F Gaming motherboard, an RTX 4070 Ti, and 32GB of Corsair DDR4-3600 memory. I play at 1440p on a 165Hz display, mostly open-world RPGs and action RPGs such as Elden Ring and The Witcher 3, with Cyberpunk 2077 using ray tracing as the most demanding example. I don't always need maximum settings. Would the upgrade noticeably extend the useful life of this system, or would it be better to keep the 5700X and wait for a future AM5 upgrade?
3 Answers
The 5800X3D is the strongest gaming upgrade you can make on AM4, and the extra cache can noticeably improve frame-time consistency and 1% lows in open-world games. That said, Cyberpunk with ray tracing will usually be limited by the RTX 4070 Ti at 1440p, so the average FPS increase may be modest there. It makes the most sense if you regularly see CPU usage or stuttering with the 5700X and can find the chip at a reasonable price.
The upgrade can be worthwhile for high-refresh gaming, CPU-heavy open-world titles, and smoother lows, but it is not a guaranteed dramatic FPS jump. At 165Hz, check your GPU and CPU frametimes while playing the games you care about. If the GPU is near full utilization, the 5800X3D will not change much; if the CPU is holding back the card or causing hitching, it becomes a much more attractive drop-in upgrade.
A 5700X and 4070 Ti are already a well-balanced combination for 1440p. In many games you will be GPU-limited before the 5700X becomes a serious problem, especially with demanding visuals or ray tracing. Unless the 5800X3D is heavily discounted, keeping the 5700X and saving for a later platform upgrade is probably better value.
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