Which processor will be good to go with my rtx 3080 for VR?

[Matt9]

Hi all. I'm currently upgrading my PC from a GTX 1080, i7-4770.
I'm fairly new to PC gaming and I bought this PC from a friend to play PCVR on. I've been able to play some games really well but some need more oomph, which is why I'm upgrading.

I've recently bought an RTX 3080 so now I'm looking for a new motherboard and processor. I believe in VR that the gpu is the most important but obviously I will need a better cpu as well but as I will also need new ram and psu I can't afford to get one of the latest processors but I would like something that won't hold the 3080 back of course.

Any ideas what I should be looking at, 9th generation i5, i7? 10th or 11th gen? I really don't know much about processors or motherboards and which goes best with which etc so any advice from you guys would be greatly appreciated. Cheers.

 

[Tetras]

For a low-cost upgrade I'd be looking at the Ryzen 5600 non-X. 9th gen i5s are pretty dated nowadays, the 10th gen i5s suffer from low clock speeds and 11th gen CPUs have high power consumption with not much stronger performance in games, the lower-end CPUs prior to 12th gen were made obsolete by the i3-12100/12100F.

 

[Matt9]

Thanks for the reply. I've been thinking about budget and I've probably got around £500 to spend on a processor and motherboard so would that get me a 5600x or maybe slightly better?

 

[Tetras]

Thanks for the reply. I've been thinking about budget and I've probably got around £500 to spend on a processor and motherboard so would that get me a 5600x or maybe slightly better?

Yep, no problem:

AMD Ryzen 5 5600 Six Core 4.4GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail - £139.99
Gigabyte B550 Gaming X V2 (AMD AM4) B550 ATX Motherboard - £115.99
Lexar Hades 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 PC4-28800C18 3600MHz Dual/Quad Channel Kit - £80.00
MSI MPG A1000G UK PSU 1000W 80 Plus Gold certified Fully Modular - £159.94

Grand Total: £503.92 (includes delivery: £7.99)

What connectors do you need for your VR equipment, by the way? That board has no type-C on the rear I/O (front panel only).

 

[Matt9]

Yep, no problem:

AMD Ryzen 5 5600 Six Core 4.4GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail - £139.99
Gigabyte B550 Gaming X V2 (AMD AM4) B550 ATX Motherboard - £115.99
Lexar Hades 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 PC4-28800C18 3600MHz Dual/Quad Channel Kit - £80.00
MSI MPG A1000G UK PSU 1000W 80 Plus Gold certified Fully Modular - £159.94

Grand Total: £503.92 (includes delivery: £7.99)

What connectors do you need for your VR equipment, by the way? That board has no type-C on the rear I/O (front panel only).

Thanks a lot for all that info that's great. I play pcvr wirelessly with a quest 2 using virtual desktop so I probably don't need a type C really but that is the sort of thing I wouldn't have spotted.

I wasn't including the psu in the £500 ish budget so if I was to put another £150 into the pot for the mobo+processor would I be able to get a much better ryzen processor?

 

[Tetras]

I wasn't including the psu in the £500 ish budget so if I was to put another £150 into the pot for the mobo+processor would I be able to get a much better ryzen processor?

Personally, for playing games with a 3080 I don't think I'd bother to change anything, but you could go right up to the best AM4 gaming CPU (5800X3D), though you'd have to pay for the cooler on top because the X3D doesn't include one in the box.

You could try to squeeze in an AM5 build:

AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Six Core 5.10GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail - £248.99
Asrock B650M PG Riptide (Socket AM5) DDR5 Micro-ATX Motherboard - £179.98
TeamGroup Vulcan 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C36 5600MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (FLBD532G5600HC36BDC01) - £119.99

Grand Total: £556.96

Just a thought (I don't know what a good air cooler would be for a 13600K, they don't include one for -K CPUs):

**B Grade** Intel Core i5-13600K (Raptor Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail - £249.99
Gigabyte B760M DS3H DDR4 (LGA 1700) DDR4 Micro-ATX Motherboard - £114.98
Lexar Hades 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 PC4-28800C18 3600MHz Dual/Quad Channel Kit - £80.00
Cryorig R5 Performance CPU Cooler with 140mm - Black / White - £49.99

Grand Total: £502.96

 

[Matt9]

Thanks again for taking the time to go through all that as they are really good options it's much appreciated. I'll have a good think about exactly how much I want to spend etc and hopefully buy it all over the next couple of weeks.
Last question, if I end up going for the ryzen 5600 should I get the 5600x or is the 5600 actually better?

 

[Tetras]

Last question, if I end up going for the ryzen 5600 should I get the 5600x or is the 5600 actually better?

I'd get the 5600, you won't be able to tell the difference. My take is that if you spend too much on an AM4 CPU, then you might as well go AM5 (for the future upgradability).

 

[PapaLazaru]

Thanks again for taking the time to go through all that as they are really good options it's much appreciated. I'll have a good think about exactly how much I want to spend etc and hopefully buy it all over the next couple of weeks.
Last question, if I end up going for the ryzen 5600 should I get the 5600x or is the 5600 actually better?

5600X is a bit faster but minimal gains. I had the budget for the 5600x recently but just went for the 5600 with no regrets. It's a solid chip for the money. I upgraded from an i7 4790k and the difference is phenomenal.

 

[Matt9]

5600X is a bit faster but minimal gains. I had the budget for the 5600x recently but just went for the 5600 with no regrets. It's a solid chip for the money. I upgraded from an i7 4790k and the difference is phenomenal.

Awesome thanks!