I'm contemplating switching out my Ryzen 9 5900X for a Ryzen 7 5700X3D from my brother's old PC. Currently, I'm gaming at 4K/2K on an RTX 5070 Ti and targeting around 60 FPS with DLSS enabled. While I appreciate the solid performance, I occasionally experience frame-time dips during gameplay, especially when moving the camera. My understanding is that the 3D V-Cache in the 5700X3D could help improve those 1% lows and frame pacing in games, but I'm unsure if it would make a significant difference at my current resolution settings. I'm not too worried about the extra cores since I mainly game and don't focus on productivity. Would it be worthwhile to make the CPU swap or is the performance difference negligible at 4K/2K?
5 Answers
At 4K/2K, you probably won't notice a huge change in performance by swapping to the 5700X3D. If you were playing competitive games at lower resolutions, then the 3D cache would give you an edge. But honestly, it's an easy swap, so why not try it out and see for yourself? It only takes about 10 minutes!
I’d check which games are causing those dips at 2K resolution since, at higher resolutions, the GPU usually takes precedence. If your GPU is running fine, I wouldn’t bother swapping CPUs. The performance upgrade isn’t likely to be significant at 4K/2K. I run a 5600 with a 4070 and never face drops, even in new titles, with DLSS on.
I transitioned from a 5950X to the 5700X3D, and let me tell you, it's definitely worth it! Some games see only slight improvements, while others can experience significant boosts. The 5700X3D is one of the best options for gaming on AM4—core count is less important than the performance you gain from the 3D V-Cache.
Honestly, I wouldn't say the upgrade to a 5700X3D is worth it. Unless it's a higher-end chip like the 9800X3D, it seems like more of a side-grade than an upgrade, especially when considering the overall performance at higher resolutions.
Definitely go for the 5700X3D if gaming is your main focus. It's designed to handle those low frame-time situations more smoothly, especially since certain games really benefit from the extra V-Cache. I have one too, and it's made a noticeable difference for me, especially in VR.
But the 3D V-Cache is crucial for gaming! Just saying it’s a downgrade doesn’t really capture how much better these X3D chips can perform under the right circumstances.