This is exactly what I mean. Waving massive gains at 720p low "sometimes more than 20%" as supposed evidence of more than what it is.
How much value did you get out of it in reality over 4 years with the graphics card you have. Let me illustrate what your performance is.
Here's TechPowerUp and their big chart of games when they tested the 7700 and a ton of other cpus from 720p to 4k at ultra settings with a 3080 which is similar to your 7800XT:
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/amd-ryzen-7-7700-non-x/
I suppose for reference we should say such cards are about 1440p grade.
So you saved £50 by buying the cheaper out of two cpus that were similar in performance back then and today.
Your 720p low performance stayed at 720p low even years later. It is a lie to say it's representative of anything else.
A person looking to buy for games today and the near future at respectable settings can save hundreds by not spending on performance that will never be realised.
People should copy the reality of what you did by buying the cheaper out similar performing parts at realistic settings and they can get that information from gaming benchmarks of realistic settings.