Hey everyone! I'm planning to upgrade my setup and I'm torn between two options. Right now, I have an AM4 motherboard and 16GB of DDR4 RAM. Here are my choices:
1. Stick with my AM4 motherboard and upgrade to a Ryzen 7 5700X3D, plus expand to 32GB of DDR4 RAM.
2. Switch to AM5 and get either a Ryzen 5 7600X or the new Ryzen 5 9600X, along with 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a new motherboard (probably a mid-range one).
I have an RTX 5070 and usually game at 1440p. I'm hoping my upgrade will last a few years, but I don't want to drop double the cash if the performance gain isn't worth it. What do you all think—should I stick with the 5700X3D or make the leap to AM5?
5 Answers
When I upgraded my GPU, I chose option 1 and I’ve loved it! No bottlenecks at 1440p, except in very CPU-heavy games like Marvel titles where I hit around 250fps regardless of settings. But for overall gaming, the 5700X3D pairs nicely with my GPU, so I'd say it’s a good call to skip AM5 for now. If the 5700X3D is too pricey, you might look at the 5800XT instead.
If you're eyeing the 5700X3D, try looking at second-hand listings. I nabbed mine for just $100 and it’s been fantastic!
I'd say if you have the budget and are planning to upgrade both the CPU and RAM, go for AM5. It’s a better long-term investment since you’ll get features like PCIe 5 and better memory speeds, plus options for future CPUs.
True, but honestly, the performance difference between PCIe 4 and PCIe 5 isn't that big. Just something to keep in mind!
Honestly, the 5700X3D and the 7600X/9600X are pretty similar for gaming performance. Given your situation, I'd go for the 5700X3D with 32GB of RAM. It's a solid choice that should serve you well for a few years. Plus, you can wait and see what AMD does with Zen 6 before making a bigger investment.
Right? I was thinking along the same lines—less cash for similar performance sounds like a win, especially with my RTX 5070.
Totally agree! Also, we still don’t know how the AM5 upgrade path will look in the future. I feel like Zen 4 to Zen 5 wasn’t a huge leap, so the gap for Zen 6 will need to be big to be worth it.
In your case, sticking with AM4 might save you money with just a CPU upgrade. Just ensure that everything runs smoothly until you can afford the full AM5 setup later.
That's my plan too! Hoping to score a good deal.