My current system has a Ryzen 5 2600, 16 GB of DDR4-2400 memory, an RTX 3070, and a 650W power supply. I play at 3440×1440, so the GPU is usually the limiting component, but I still run into CPU limitations in some esports games at low settings and in newer titles such as Doom: The Dark Ages, even with DLSS enabled. I also like keeping Discord, YouTube, and several browser tabs open while gaming. I can find a used Ryzen 5 5500 or Ryzen 7 3700X for around $100 CAD, and I'm considering upgrading to 32 GB of DDR4-3600 as well. Would the CPU upgrade be worthwhile, or would faster and larger memory make more sense?
4 Answers
I’d try to stretch the budget to at least a Ryzen 5 5600, or ideally a 5700X if you can find one at a reasonable price. The 5500 is only a modest step up from your 2600 and has less cache, so it may not solve the CPU-limited situations as well as you want. A 5600 or 5700X paired with 32 GB of DDR4-3600 would be a much more noticeable and balanced upgrade.
The memory upgrade is worthwhile on its own. Moving from 16 GB at 2400 MT/s to 32 GB at 3600 MT/s should improve minimum frame rates and make multitasking much smoother, especially with browser tabs and other apps open. Before buying a new kit, you could also see whether your existing memory can run faster with a mild overclock, as that might provide a free improvement.
If gaming is the priority and you can find one at a good price, a Ryzen 5 5500X3D would be a much more substantial upgrade than a regular 5500. Otherwise, a Ryzen 5 5600 is probably the best value target. I’d prioritize the CPU and 32 GB of faster memory together rather than spending $100 CAD on a 5500 and needing to upgrade again soon.
Between the 5500 and 3700X, gaming performance is fairly close. The 3700X has more cores and PCIe 4.0 support, while the 5500 uses the newer Zen 3 architecture but has reduced cache. I’d simply buy whichever is cheaper, though neither is a particularly large gaming upgrade compared with a 5600 or better.
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