I'm planning to upgrade my GPU to an RX 6800 XT soon, but I'm still using an old Ryzen 5 1500X and I'm considering a CPU upgrade as well. Initially, I wanted to go all out with an AM5 setup, complete with DDR5 RAM and an NVMe drive, but the current DDR5 prices are way too high for my budget.
So now I'm looking at a temporary upgrade and thinking about the Ryzen 5 3600, 5500, or 5600. The 5600 is the most powerful but costs about $130, which is 50% higher than just two months ago. The 5500 and 3600 are cheaper at $85 and $70, respectively. Given that I play at 1080p on a 75Hz monitor, do I really need the 5600? Or should I save some cash and pick one of the cheaper options? If there are other CPUs I should consider, or if I should wait to upgrade, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Also, I have an A320 motherboard (MSI A320M PRO-VH PLUS) that may need a BIOS update to support the 5000 series CPUs; I heard it should work with 3000 series without any updates, but I want to make sure. I'm a bit concerned about potential power cuts in my area causing issues during a BIOS update, so any advice on that would be appreciated!
1 Answer
You definitely don't need the Ryzen 5 5600 for gaming at 1080p with a 75Hz monitor. The RX 6700 XT or even a RX 6600 XT would handle most games just fine at that resolution, so a cheaper option like the 5500 or 3600 could really save you some money without sacrificing performance too much.
True, but the 6800 XT is a solid long-term investment, plus you might consider upgrading your monitor in the future. Prices on other components may go up, so it's worth thinking about how long you want this setup to last.