Hey everyone! I'm looking to upgrade my PC but I'm torn between sticking with the AM4 socket or jumping to AM5. My plan is to buy a new motherboard and either go with the Ryzen 5 9600X for about $240 or the Ryzen 7 9700X for $360, both with DDR5 RAM and a 9060XT. On the other hand, I'm considering whether it might be smarter to just grab the Ryzen 9 5900XT for $340 and save on the motherboard and RAM costs. Here's my current setup:
- AMD Ryzen 5 3600
- Arctic Freezer 34 eSports
- Sapphire Radeon NITRO+ RX 5700 XT 8G
- MSI B450 Tomahawk MAX
- Adata XPG Spectrix D41 DDR4 2x8GB 3200MHz
- Seasonic CORE GM-650
Just a heads up, I mostly game (especially CS2) and occasionally stream, plus I do some work in DaVinci Resolve. Any advice on which route to take would be super helpful!
3 Answers
You didn't mention why you're upgrading, which is key. Check out benchmarks for gaming! If that’s your focus, consider the Ryzen 5600X3D or 5700X3D instead – those CPUs are solid performers without breaking the bank. I think they offer better value for your needs!
What games or software do you usually run? Also, what’s the monitor setup like for you? Those details really change the advice around upgrades!
I’ve got a Full HD 144Hz monitor but I plan to upgrade to a 310Hz setup with a secondary monitor.
If you stick with AM4 and go for a 5800X, you’ll see decent performance gains, but keep in mind there’s no future upgrade path. Switching to AM5 with the 9600X will provide more significant improvements and allow for future CPU upgrades down the line, including stronger options like the X3D variants if you want them later. Just be ready for the extra costs that come with AM5 for the motherboard and RAM. If you can afford it, I say go for AM5!
I probably won’t upgrade this PC again, so I’m just looking for the best upgrade for the least cost.
I edited my original post to clarify. I thought those CPUs had worse performance?