I'm running an AM4 build on an X570 motherboard with a Ryzen 3900X, 32GB of RAM, and I recently upgraded my GPU to a 5070 from a GTX 1080. It feels like my processor is bottlenecking my gaming performance, so I'm looking to upgrade to a newer Zen 3 CPU. I'm considering the 5800XT and 5900XT, both still available new at $209 and $349 respectively. I want to stick with AM4 for a couple more years until RAM prices stabilize. My main uses are gaming and tasks like music conversion and Blu Ray ripping. Is the extra $140 for the 5900XT worth it, or should I just save some cash with the 5800XT, even if it means dropping down to 8 cores? I'd appreciate any suggestions!
5 Answers
Are you doing CPU or GPU encoding? If you're primarily using CPU encoding, you might not need the extra power of the 5900XT, just something to consider.
I made the jump from a 3900X to a 5800X and definitely noticed a boost in performance, especially in games. I was tempted to grab an X3D, but the price was too high. I picked up the 5800X for around $125 and it's worked out really well, even with streaming.
Aren't you happy with your 3900X? It’s a solid CPU! I think a lot of people consider upgrades just for the sake of it, but it may not be necessary for your setup right now.
Does the 3900X really bottleneck even at 1080p? I feel like the performance hit is pretty minimal—an upgrade might not be needed just yet!
Honestly, I think the 5800XT is a great choice for you. The increased speed should compensate for losing those cores. The gaming performance differences between the two won't be huge, so you might find the 5800XT more than sufficient for your needs.
That’s what I’m leaning towards! I could always save the 5900XT for a future upgrade when I really need the power, especially when AM6 comes out.
I mainly do CPU encoding for now, but I might switch to GPU since my new GPU can handle it.