5600x or 5800x for gaming?

harmattan · 14 Jun 2021 at 09:37

I'm currently running an overclocked 3600 for the past ~2 years. It's been a great CPU, but I can't help feel it's holding my 3080 back in some games. I'm playing a lot of RTS games nowadays e.g. Total Wars, Civilizations, Stellaris etc. as well as action RPGs (ACs, FarCry, CP2077) that are supposed to be heavily or moderately CPU-intensive. I always play on a 4k 120hz display, but I really don't care about super high refresh, ~60-70 FPS is fine.

The only real multi-tasking I do is RDP-ing in to my office workstation, so it's really games where I'm concerned with threads. I am running an x570 so could move to Zen 3.

I try to keep my CPUs for 3-4 years... Should I go with a 5600x or a 5800x. Or hold out for a Zen refresh?

VaderDSL · 14 Jun 2021 at 09:39

I say get a 5800, will probably last until you have to replace the entire lot when DDR5 is standard.

trisp · 14 Jun 2021 at 10:30

I would say go for 5600x especially if you are gaming at 4k as at most from what i have seen in reviews and benchmarks you may be 1 fps lower, so i would advise to get the 5600x spend time getting the cpu and ram settings/timings correct and turning off stuff you dont need and be happy.
If you make the switch to 1080p gaming then you may start to lose frames compared to the other options but thats game dependant and the 5600x is even better in certain games.

CAT-THE-FIFTH · 14 Jun 2021 at 11:38

I would get the Ryzen 7 5800X. As we are in-between console generations, games will be using upto 6 cores,but as more and more next generation exclusives happen I can see more cores being useful.

humbug · 14 Jun 2021 at 13:50

If you're keeping it for a few years get the 5800X, they are not a bad price now at £380 here, you might find them a little cheaper if you shop around.

Get a half decent tower cooler for it tho. they are tunned for higher frequency than the other Ryzen CPU's and like to run a bit hot. Its not a problem, a lot of us run a 5800X, its just something you should know about.

Edit: Zen 3+ (3D Stacked Zen 3) will be out late this year, more likely early next, they are not going to be hugely better and probably a chunk more expensive, the 5800X is more than capable just as it is.

BUDFORCE · 14 Jun 2021 at 14:21

5800x is the best for gaming.

harmattan · 14 Jun 2021 at 15:42

humbug said:
If you're keeping it for a few years get the 5800X, they are not a bad price now at £380 here, you might find them a little cheaper if you shop around.

Get a half decent tower cooler for it tho. they are tunned for higher frequency than the other Ryzen CPU's and like to run a bit hot. Its not a problem, a lot of us run a 5800X, its just something you should know about.

Edit: Zen 3+ (3D Stacked Zen 3) will be out late this year, more likely early next, they are not going to be hugely better and probably a chunk more expensive, the 5800X is more than capable just as it is.

I've got a Corsair 800D tower they'll pry from my cold dead hands, so should be good on airflow.

So it seems like the consensus is 5800x, especially if I'm going to hold onto it for a few years.

One more question... Do the same heatsink/cooler fasteners that work on Zen 2s e.g. 3600 fit on a 5600? My trusty Alpenfohn Brocken has been chugging along since Zen 1 and I'd like to continue to use it if possible.

humbug · 14 Jun 2021 at 16:14

harmattan said:
I've got a Corsair 800D tower they'll pry from my cold dead hands, so should be good on airflow.

So it seems like the consensus is 5800x, especially if I'm going to hold onto it for a few years.

One more question... Do the same heatsink/cooler fasteners that work on Zen 2s e.g. 3600 fit on a 5600? My trusty Alpenfohn Brocken has been chugging along since Zen 1 and I'd like to continue to use it if possible.

Yes they are all the same AM4

Jack Perkins · 14 Jun 2021 at 16:40

Im looking at doing my first build and getting the 5800x with a B550 or X570 motherboard, but as its my first build i am just wondering how difficult it is to do the bios flash?

harmattan · 14 Jun 2021 at 16:40

humbug said:
Yes they are all the same AM4

Great, god bless AM4. I haven't had a piece of hardware since maybe my Xonar Essence last as long as my AM4 heatsink. Not like my former Intel path when it seemed like I was replacing components (mobo, CPU, heatsink) every other week.

harmattan · 14 Jun 2021 at 16:45

Jack Perkins said:
Im looking at doing my first build and getting the 5800x with a B550 or X570 motherboard, but as its my first build i am just wondering how difficult it is to do the bios flash?

Do you mean your looking to get a 5800x with a B450 or X470? Because with those you'll need to do a BIOS update for Zen 3 compatibility (which will knock out compatibility for some of the older-gen CPUs). With a B550 or X570, you should be good to go with Zen 3 out of the box and would only need to do a BIOS flash if it's old or for other feature/bugs/stability.

In any case, it's pretty easy to do BIOS updates nowadays via software (normally part of the manufacturer's software package). I still do via command prompt and bootable USB, but I'm just old fashioned.

MissChief · 14 Jun 2021 at 16:48

In all honesty unless a board has been sitting on a shelf for more than a year I’d expect most boards you buy now to have a 5000 series capable BIOS installed.

humbug · 14 Jun 2021 at 16:48

Jack Perkins said:
Im looking at doing my first build and getting the 5800x with a B550 or X570 motherboard, but as its my first build i am just wondering how difficult it is to do the bios flash?

Its easy but if you're getting a B550 or X570 you don't strictly have to do it, the 5800X will work with those boards out of the box.

If you want to do it check back here or make a new thread, i or someone will help you understand it.

If this is the first time building a PC what i would say is make sure you have the CPU the right way round before dropping it in the socket, the pins under the CPU only fit one way, there is an arrow on the top side of the CPU PCB and on the socket, the one on the socket might be difficult to see, align the arrows up, the CPU should fall properly into the socket under its own weight, don't force it in you will bend the pins and that's not good news. Again, its easy if you do it right. If you're not sure, ask

Edit: lift up the arm on the side of the socket first, once the CPU is in place clamp it down with the arm.

harmattan · 14 Jun 2021 at 17:07

MissChief said:
In all honesty unless a board has been sitting on a shelf for more than a year I’d expect most boards you buy now to have a 5000 series capable BIOS installed.

Even for prior-gen mobos e.g. b450? I had thought manufacturers stopped making those not too long after the 5-series board were released. In any case, most board partners still state they require a BIOS update for Zen3... And I'm not sure they would want to make them Zen 3-compatible out of the box since it knocks out compatibility for older Gens e.g. Zen 1.

Game · 15 Jun 2021 at 11:16

the games you listed can be run on most things they ran fine on my old i5-6600

so what ever you fancy either way it will last you a good 4-5 years

mickyflinn · 15 Jun 2021 at 11:23

Jack Perkins said:
Im looking at doing my first build and getting the 5800x with a B550 or X570 motherboard, but as its my first build i am just wondering how difficult it is to do the bios flash?

Very easy there are loads of guides and videos online , heres a msi motherboard bios flash using the flashback features.

greatash · 15 Jun 2021 at 12:27

I went for 5800x, I like having extra headroom.

Jack Perkins · 15 Jun 2021 at 14:05

humbug said:
Its easy but if you're getting a B550 or X570 you don't strictly have to do it, the 5800X will work with those boards out of the box.

If you want to do it check back here or make a new thread, i or someone will help you understand it.

If this is the first time building a PC what i would say is make sure you have the CPU the right way round before dropping it in the socket, the pins under the CPU only fit one way, there is an arrow on the top side of the CPU PCB and on the socket, the one on the socket might be difficult to see, align the arrows up, the CPU should fall properly into the socket under its own weight, don't force it in you will bend the pins and that's not good news. Again, its easy if you do it right. If you're not sure, ask

Edit: lift up the arm on the side of the socket first, once the CPU is in place clamp it down with the arm.

Thank you for your help man! Really appreciate it! I will pop back if I need help!

Jack Perkins · 15 Jun 2021 at 14:14

mickyflinn said:
Very easy there are loads of guides and videos online , heres a msi motherboard bios flash using the flashback features.

Thank you! I will have to give it a watch so i know what to do

Jack Perkins · 15 Jun 2021 at 14:15

harmattan said:
Do you mean your looking to get a 5800x with a B450 or X470? Because with those you'll need to do a BIOS update for Zen 3 compatibility (which will knock out compatibility for some of the older-gen CPUs). With a B550 or X570, you should be good to go with Zen 3 out of the box and would only need to do a BIOS flash if it's old or for other feature/bugs/stability.

In any case, it's pretty easy to do BIOS updates nowadays via software (normally part of the manufacturer's software package). I still do via command prompt and bootable USB, but I'm just old fashioned.

Thank you! I will give it a go putting it together then and see how it goes!