Hey everyone! I'm looking to upgrade my CPU since I've been using the same one for a while now and I think my performance is bottlenecking during gaming, especially with Skyrim on my LG 5k2k monitor. My current GPU is an NVIDIA 4080, which I upgraded from a 1660 super about a year ago. I'm primarily using my PC for personal tasks, studying tech, coding, and a lot of gaming—no content creation or Adobe stuff. I'm torn between the Ryzen 7 9800X3D and the Ryzen 9 9950X3D. Here are my questions:
1. Which CPU do you think is better suited for my needs?
2. Is the main difference between them just the extra cores?
3. How reliable is PCPartPicker regarding compatibility issues? It claims the CPU doesn't fit with my current motherboard, RAM, and cooler, which I'm not sure about. Here's my build for reference: [PCPartPicker Build](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hsqMYd)
2 Answers
Prices for GPUs skyrocketed during the pandemic because companies realized they could charge more. About the CPUs, the Ryzen 9 does have more cores, but for gaming, most games only utilize up to 8 cores at max, so the 9800X3D isn’t a bad choice. As for PCPartPicker, it's generally pretty accurate, but it might warn you about compatibility for older parts—your motherboard may need a BIOS update for it to support some newer CPUs.
Honestly, I think the Ryzen 7 9800X3D will work fine for you. It’s not a slow processor and should handle gaming tasks well. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D would only be worth it if you also need heavy multi-core productivity tasks, which doesn’t really seem to be your case. Overall, for gaming, the 9800X3D makes more sense!
Thanks for clarifying! I understand the warnings now. Just to note, my 5950X has been running smoothly for a year now, I'm just curious about the 9800X3D.