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Upgrade suggestions, Ryzen 3700X/3800X vs 5600X?

Associate
Joined
3 Feb 2011
Posts
1,208
So my Ryzen 5 1600 (already overclocked, 3.8GHz, can't go any higher) is starting to show its age and I'm looking for an upgrade but I'm on a budget, so CPU is the only thing I can replace, I've looked around and it came down to 3700X/3800X/5600X since these are the best I can get that the budget allows for, my motherboard (Gigabyte B450 I AORUS PRO WIFI) is on latest BIOS, so it's pretty much a drop in replacement.

5600X seems like the best option for gaming, but I also do other things, including streaming, where 3700X/3800X seems to do a bit better.

About 3700X vs 3800X, there's only 20 quid difference between them, so I guess there's no reason to go for 3700X unless thermals is a concern with 3800X having higher TDP?

Other info that might help with the suggestions,

Case: Raijintek Metis Plus, airflow isn't amazing but I have the side panel off which helps
GPU: RX 5600 XT

The RAM is left at default, so it's running at 2133MHz, can't overclock/use XMP at all or I just run into random freezes, so that's something to consider, I know Ryzen CPU likes fast RAM but for now I can only upgrade the CPU.

I play games at 1080p on a 165Hz monitor, though I have the max refresh rate locked to 120Hz.
 
Soldato
Joined
15 Oct 2019
Posts
11,656
Location
Uk
You'll probably find that once you upgrade the CPU the ram will clock properly as the memory controllers on the older ryzen chips was rubbish.

In terms of the CPU to go for a cheap second hand 5 3600 which come up on MM around £130 or less would be the best bang for buck upgrade to get the most out of the GPU.

For streaming though a 3700X/5600X would be better and are both still 65w CPUs although the 5600X is still priced a bit high right now but cuts should be incoming when Intel drop Alderlake.
 
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Soldato
Joined
28 May 2007
Posts
18,196
The 5700G is worth considering. Performance falls pretty evenly between the 3800 and 5800 with the power use of the 3700.
 
Associate
OP
Joined
3 Feb 2011
Posts
1,208
I considered 5700G but if I'm gonna go for that, I might as well go for 5800X and get a bit more performance, it's only £20 more, and the double amount of L3 cache on it is quite significant, but then I'd be going quite a bit over the budget, I set it at £250 and I'd rather not stretch it too much.

I did some more research, and based on my usage, looks like I'll be going for 3700X, just leave it at stock and let PBO/XFR do their jobs.

I'm in no rush to upgrade though, I can hold off for a bit longer and see if I can snag something for cheaper when Intel's Alder Lake CPUs are out later this year.

Edit: turns out I can make the budget bigger and I just stumbled upon a 5800X at a decent price, decided to snag it. :)
 
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