5800x or 5900x for gaming build

bakes0310 · 16 Dec 2020 at 09:48

I want a gaming build to go with my current super wide monitor (3440x1440@60hz) but with my budget my options would look like this:

A) 5800x with a sapphire nitro 6800xt 2tb nvme.

B) 5900x with a 6800xt reference 2tb nvme

C) 5950x with a 6800 reference 1tb nvme

D) 5600x with a 6900xt reference with a 1tb

High setting on games and longevity is crucial. Option a looks like the winner to me, but I would like to hear your thoughts.

Deluxe1 · 16 Dec 2020 at 10:06

If you are planning to hold onto this rig for some time then I would go with B.

faceman123 · 16 Dec 2020 at 10:11

C - 16 cores GPU can always be changed

rare · 16 Dec 2020 at 10:21

This is tricky because truthfully the difference between a 5600x and above in pure gaming scenarios is often minimal, but the difference in cost is quite substantial. But the 5900x is technically the strongest gaming CPU.

A 5600x with a 6900xt will be quicker in games than a 5900x with a 6800xt.

oaskd · 16 Dec 2020 at 10:32

The 5800X is a bit of a dog - it runs very hot.

You're best off with either the 5600x or the 5900x (if you can find them).

bakes0310 · 16 Dec 2020 at 10:40

oaskd said:
The 5800X is a bit of a dog - it runs very hot.

You're best off with either the 5600x or the 5900x (if you can find them).

Hardware Unboxed recommends a 5600x for a pure gaming build anything more is a waste. But i honestly dont know if that cpu would last (crystal ball time) as long as the other cpus if all i do is gaming (no streaming/ notabs in background), i would like it to last easily 5 years with maybe a gpu upgrade in about 3-4 years time.

alec · 16 Dec 2020 at 10:57

Highest FPS with D, best balance with A.
12+ cores give you nothing in games

bakes0310 · 16 Dec 2020 at 10:57

Watching the above videos im actually leaning towards a 5600x now haha. The extra money will get a better gpu and bigger storage.

TrojanWhore · 16 Dec 2020 at 11:02

For longevity it has to be B or C for me, but with the current difference in price between the 5900/5950 isn't worth it.
B with a GPU upgrade in 2-3 years would give better gaming experience now and I'm sure 12 cores will be enough for 5-7 years

Edit: 5600x with MOAR GPU would obviously be fastest now but I'd worry about 6c being enough in 3+ years

bakes0310 · 16 Dec 2020 at 11:09

TrojanWhore said:
For longevity it has to be B or C for me, but with the current difference in price between the 5900/5950 isn't worth it.
B with a GPU upgrade in 2-3 years would give better gaming experience now and I'm sure 12 cores will be enough for 5-7 years

Edit: 5600x with MOAR GPU would obviously be fastest now but I'd worry about 6c being enough in 3+ years

Games dont require a certain number of cores never have and never will, they require a certain level of cpu performance. - HU quote on the 5600x review "final thoughts segment.

Naff8000 · 16 Dec 2020 at 11:35

I went for a 5900x over a 5600x, HU already benchmarked I think 2 recent games where the extra cores resulted in a significant uplift. All these benches are at 1080p though...

bakes0310 · 16 Dec 2020 at 11:37

Naff8000 said:
I went for a 5900x over a 5600x, HU already benchmarked I think 2 recent games where the extra cores resulted in a significant uplift. All these benches are at 1080p though...

Is the 5900x a good increase in fps over the 5600x at 3440x1440 & 4k though? There is a chance in a couple years i may change to 4k as i move my pc down into the living room onto the tv.

Alan1969 · 16 Dec 2020 at 11:50

none of the options above. reason = you cant get a ryzen 5000 or a rx 6000 - unless like me you buy from individual sellers (now got two rx6800 this way, for my son and daughter whu both have 4k monitors and vega56's - the vega 56 is a good card for 1080 or 1440 but not 4k).

Alan1969 · 16 Dec 2020 at 11:50

for longevity I would go for option B.

Naff8000 · 16 Dec 2020 at 11:55

bakes0310 said:
Is the 5900x a good increase in fps over the 5600x at 3440x1440 & 4k though? There is a chance in a couple years i may change to 4k as i move my pc down into the living room onto the tv.

You should probably just go for 5600x and get the 6900xt at those res's, I can't speak for the future though. I don't know who can give you a concrete answer, I got tired of scratching my head over this and got a 5900x just so I wouldn't have to think about it. I do game at 1440p though.

kevman · 16 Dec 2020 at 12:02

I am building (just purchased) a similar long term system and have plumped for the 5900x and a 3090. The 5800x seems to run hot and be slightly lower binned than the 5900x so I felt the price increase was worth the extra money plus you get the the extra cores. 5600x is optimal now but may not be in the medium term future. Buy once - cry once.

bakes0310 · 16 Dec 2020 at 13:40

Naff8000 said:
I went for a 5900x over a 5600x, HU already benchmarked I think 2 recent games where the extra cores resulted in a significant uplift. All these benches are at 1080p though...

Going by what I quoted about cores making no difference it sounds a bit of a contradiction on what HU said. But thinking about it, that's cause of the higher CPU frequency over the 5600x rather than the core difference. Would be interesting to see the 5600x over locked to a 5900x doped.

thebandit · 16 Dec 2020 at 13:53

I've been doing a similar evaluation and decided to get the 5600x once they are in stock (and at sensible prices). My reasoning is that its perfectly good enough right now, it'll max out the GPU (at higher res) and probably will for a good time yet, for gaming its already high end. Then, in a few years when zen 4 or whatever else is out, there will be plenty of 2nd hand 5900 and 5950x out there to boost core counts and get more life out of your mem and mb if needed.

bakes0310 · 16 Dec 2020 at 14:06

thebandit said:
I've been doing a similar evaluation and decided to get the 5600x once they are in stock (and at sensible prices). My reasoning is that its perfectly good enough right now, it'll max out the GPU (at higher res) and probably will for a good time yet, for gaming its already high end. Then, in a few years when zen 4 or whatever else is out, there will be plenty of 2nd hand 5900 and 5950x out there to boost core counts and get more life out of your mem and mb if needed.

From my understanding it would be a waste to upgrade your 5600x to any other zen 3 cpu as its the same cpu just with higher cores, and as mentioned from HU i quoted it doesnt touch games. If you want better cpu performance in games it will be from zen 4.

rare · 16 Dec 2020 at 14:17

thebandit said:
I've been doing a similar evaluation and decided to get the 5600x once they are in stock (and at sensible prices). My reasoning is that its perfectly good enough right now, it'll max out the GPU (at higher res) and probably will for a good time yet, for gaming its already high end. Then, in a few years when zen 4 or whatever else is out, there will be plenty of 2nd hand 5900 and 5950x out there to boost core counts and get more life out of your mem and mb if needed.

Thats my thinking to, but then in 2/3 years time with Zen 4, I will probably move over to that if the increases are substantial enough. Given AMD have all but doubled Ryzen performance in a few years who knows what we will be looking at in a few years. The 5600x will absolutely suffice until then. For content creation etc the 5900 makes sense. For gaming, the 5600x is where it’s at.