My current gaming PC has a Ryzen 5 5600X, 16GB of Corsair DDR4-3200 memory, a Radeon 9070 XT, a 750W Corsair power supply, and a Gigabyte B550 motherboard. I play at 1440p and have noticed that the CPU sometimes limits the GPU, especially in games such as Beyond All Reason and Guild Wars 2 during large raids or late-game situations. I also play a mix of games including GTA, Hogwarts Legacy, Brotato, and older titles, but I do not play many high-refresh competitive shooters. I had planned to wait for a future AM6 X3D system, but current memory prices make me hesitant about eventually spending €500 or more on RAM alone. A 5800X3D costs about €330 where I live. Would it be better to buy the 5800X3D and extend the life of my current platform by several years, or keep using the 5600X and save for a larger upgrade with a newer CPU and memory?
2 Answers
Waiting for the next major platform makes sense here. Your 5600X is still capable, and upgrading only when your current games become consistently CPU-limited will give you a clearer reason to spend the money. The 5800X3D is useful for certain CPU-heavy games, but it is not automatically a major upgrade for every type of gaming.
Your situation is similar to mine: a 5600X-class processor paired with a 9070 XT and DDR4 memory. I would not rush into an AM4 X3D upgrade unless you have a particular game that benefits heavily from the extra cache. Otherwise, the money is better saved for a future CPU, motherboard, and memory upgrade. A 5700X3D or 5800X3D would be a reasonable drop-in upgrade later if prices fall or your needs change.
Thanks, that’s what I’ll do. I’ll stick with the 5600X for the next few years and save for a larger upgrade instead.