5800x or 5900x for gaming build

[bakes0310]

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.

 

[bakes0310]

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.

 

[bakes0310]

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

 

[bakes0310]

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.

 

[bakes0310]

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.

 

[bakes0310]

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.

 

[bakes0310]

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.

 

[bakes0310]

Yeah im glad i done a bit of research now i was seriously contemplating getting a 5800x (cause new consoles have 8 cores lol) or even a 5900x (cause it will last longer - no it wont). If i go with the 5600x i can get a pretty well rounded high end gaming system that will actually last a long time for my gaming needs.

 

[bakes0310]

It's really a balancing decision. I suspect in about 3 years we'll look at 6 cores the same way we look at quads now. The new consoles are 8 cores and don't have windows faffing around in the background.

If you're looking at upgrading at that point, you're looking at replacing your mobo and ram too.

It's not the extra cores that give games it's FPS improvements it's the IPC and threads etc. A good example look at the rare 3300x quad core CPU but zen3 architecture, awesome performance and if clocked to 3900x speed it would be the same performance.