Wondering what budget AM5 cpu to go with.

[Aigo]

I'm wondering what budget cpu to pair with my gpu in my new rig. I just need something that's AM5 and cheap basically.

I'm undecided between the 8400f, 8600g, or 7600. The 7600 and 8600g are about the same price for me, the 8400f a decent bit cheaper. People recommend the 7500f but I don't think availability is great for me.

I just ordered an RTX 5050.
(I know, I know).
It's just a terrible time to be building right now, but I have to get it done now, 2026 is looking to be really rough. I'm currently on a 5500U laptop and haven't had a discrete gpu in 8 years (but I'm lucky enough to have an oled Steam Deck, which is what I've been gaming on). I had to go with nVidia because Optix rendering in Blender is just so much faster- if it was just for gaming I would've gone AMD. I'm way behind on games anyway, haven't even played Red Dead II yet. I'm not playing the latest and greatest. It's just something to get by with until the release of the 6060 (16gb hopefully). If the 5060 had been 12gb I would've eaten the extra cost, or even a little more than what it goes for now.

I kind of like the idea of going with an 8600g because I heard Lossless Scaling can use its' iGPU to do all of its' processing while keeping it off the main gpu- I've seen people doing this with second graphics cards in their rig. This should be possible right? Is it the same for optiscaler?

I managed to get 32gb of DDR5 CL36 6000MHz a few weeks ago when it was 190, up from 130, and I guess I should count myself lucky, as that kit is 600+ now. But now nvme storage seems to be threatening to do something similar. Should've started buying parts ages ago I'm noticing that 1tb nvme's tend to be over 1 quid per gb by a significant margin, is this normal? I see a 1tb Crucial for 114 I might jump on, but Micron are worrying me now, with their exclusively enterprise direction (my ram is also crucial...)

Anyway, hope people can suggest the right cpu to go for. I understand there are lots of consideration like full Zen 4 cores, cache, etc.

Happy New Year everyone.

 

[MeatLoaf]

7500X3D would be the budget choice for me although the 7600 is a lot cheaper

 

[JollyJamma]

“I just ordered an RTX 5050. (I know, I know).“

Send it back and get the Intel B580

Intel ARC B580 12GB PCI-Express GDDR6 Limited Edition Graphics Card

Order Intel ARC B580 12GB PCI-Express GDDR6 Limited Edition Graphics Card now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

 

[Aigo]

7500X3D would be the budget choice for me although the 7600 is a lot cheaper

Yeah, I basically need the cheapest AM5 threads I can get so the thing can turn on A Zen 6 x3d can happen eventually, I believe they'll be AM5 as well.
It's the L3 cache I'm worried about. 16MB on the 8600G vs 32MB on the 7600.

“I just ordered an RTX 5050. (I know, I know).“

Send it back and get the Intel B580

Intel ARC B580 12GB PCI-Express GDDR6 Limited Edition Graphics Card

Order Intel ARC B580 12GB PCI-Express GDDR6 Limited Edition Graphics Card now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

Would that I could, but I'm a content creator, it's not just for gaming. The B580 has serious issues in DaVinci Resolve, and just like the AMD equivalent takes twice the time to finish a render in Blender.

My biggest concern here is the L1 and L2 cache being a lot lower on the 8600G than on the 7600.

 

[JollyJamma]

Yeah, I basically need the cheapest AM5 threads I can get so the thing can turn on A Zen 6 x3d can happen eventually, I believe they'll be AM5 as well.
It's the L3 cache I'm worried about. 16MB on the 8600G vs 32MB on the 7600.



Would that I could, but I'm a content creator, it's not just for gaming. The B580 has serious issues in DaVinci Resolve, and just like the AMD equivalent takes twice the time to finish a render in Blender.

My biggest concern here is the L1 and L2 cache being a lot lower on the 8600G than on the 7600.

The Nvidia 5050 is just a terrible terrible product so a literal waste of money.

If you need Nvidia, buy a used RTX 4000 series that isn’t completely useless.

 

[Tetras]

Yeah, I basically need the cheapest AM5 threads I can get so the thing can turn on A Zen 6 x3d can happen eventually, I believe they'll be AM5 as well.
It's the L3 cache I'm worried about. 16MB on the 8600G vs 32MB on the 7600.

For what usage specifically? I'm not very clear.

If you're planning to offload lossless scaling to the IGPU (I know nothing about this) and you can't do that otherwise, then the 8600G is the obvious choice?

From what I can see in THG's review, the cache makes a way bigger difference in gaming than it does in most other applications, including blender. That said, you'd always buy a 7600 over the 8600G, if the graphics will never be used.

 

[Aigo]

The Nvidia 5050 is just a terrible terrible product so a literal waste of money.

If you need Nvidia, buy a used RTX 4000 series that isn’t completely useless.

I've never gone used to be honest, unless it's a very retro gaming device/accessory. Maybe one day but can't take the risk right now, as I'm basically without an existing PC. But even 40 series is gonna be gimped at 8GB at my budget. I just need this to get me to the 6060 launch.

For what usage specifically? I'm not very clear.

If you're planning to offload lossless scaling to the IGPU (I know nothing about this) and you can't do that otherwise, then the 8600G is the obvious choice?

From what I can see in THG's review, the cache makes a way bigger difference in gaming than it does in most other applications, including blender. That said, you'd always buy a 7600 over the 8600G, if the graphics will never be used.

Yeah, I was leaning towards the 8600G myself, was just wondering if the L3 being halved was gonna have bad implications I didn't know about. I've been out of the building game since about 2014, it's all changed.

Both AMD product pages for the cpus list the maximum RAM speed at only 5200MHz- but that is before XMP is enabled right? Will the 8600G run the sticks at their rated 6000MHz or a little higher with XMP enabled?

 

[jigger]

I've never gone used to be honest, unless it's a very retro gaming device/accessory. Maybe one day but can't take the risk right now, as I'm basically without an existing PC. But even 40 series is gonna be gimped at 8GB at my budget. I just need this to get me to the 6060 launch.

Yeah, I was leaning towards the 9600G myself, was just wondering if the L3 being halved was gonna have bad implications I didn't know about. I've been out of the building game since about 2014, it's all changed.

Both AMD product pages for the cpus list the maximum RAM speed at only 5200MHz- but that is before XMP is enabled right? Will the 8600G run the sticks at their rated 6000MHz or a little higher with XMP enabled?

The 8000 chips run way over DDR 6000, easily. The 5200 speed is the maximum speed with a high density configuration, Ie 4x64gb of DRAM but there are people running 4 sticks at 6400 stably with X3D chips since the latest AGESA.

 

[Aigo]

Great, cheers. Yeah, better memory controllers on B850, I heard.

Is 114 for 1tb of 5,000+ speed NVME ok do people think? I don't see a lot of discounts on the amazons, I'm thinking nvme vendors are in wait and see mode to see if nvme does what ram is doing. New Year's sales don't seem to be a thing anywhere online this year it seems.

 

[AMDPower]

7500X3D would be the budget choice for me although the 7600 is a lot cheaper

this really, also stay away from the 8600G no point if you are getting discrete card, you can do lossless scaling with it but need fast ram. 7600x3d and rtx 5070 is best option or get 8600g and save up more for 5070 at later point or second hand rtx 4070 or 4070ti.

I was going to suggest 7700 but with that GPU I just don't see the point. Honestly my advice is not buy a 8GB card if you want to do any kind of gaming, 8GB cards should be banned for gamming. If possible save up little more and get a 5070, the 5060ti is not a product that's worth it so cant recommend that either. This would make this a much better system and play most games at 1440p just fine for many years. My personal preference is if you want a system that will last few years at the very least go for a card that is 16gb but 12GB is not a bad compromise, rtx 5050 is pants stay away you will be disappointed.

what resolution is your monitor?

 

[Aigo]

7600x3d and rtx 5070 is best option

I've just moved into a new apartment, a build like this would be great (or ideally a 5060ti 16GB, that was the original plan) but unfortunately I have flooring, curtains, living room furniture and a washer dryer machine to think about as well. Saving for a better GPU might not be the best thing in January 2026, look at how the 5090 just jumped from 2K to on its way to 4K overnight. I'm worried the first half of this year is going to be an absolute bloodbath for components. The RAMpocalypse could price me out of having a rig with a dGPU at all very soon.
The 8600g can always go into an sff build for under the telly along with the 5050 after Zen 6/60 series comes out, but right now I have to consider that the 8600G is 180 vs the 220 euro 7700 with no cooler (even a box cooler matters atm, tbh). It's just about getting am5 threads for as cheap as possible so the thing works. I'd even jump down to an 8500G, but that is very gimped with eco cores and even slower PCIe...

Appreciate the advice though lads. Just wondering if the L3 cache being half was going to be a 1% lows disaster or something. This is just a 'struggle through 2026' machine because this 5500u laptop never really cut it. I guess 115ish is fine for a 1TB nvme. I'll jump on that now before nvme goes crazy too.

My monitor is 1440p but I intend to game at 1080p, it's 27".

I'll post frame numbers when it's built, will be interesting to see. I always like experimenting with frankenstein builds anyway

 

[sastusbulbas]

If you are on a budget just get the cheapest 7600 you can find, you only need to look at the GPU scaling articles on YouTube by the likes of Hardware Unboxed to see its fantastic value. £160 currently.


You have memory, you have a GPU.

Do you have a budget for the rest? Are you reusing old parts?

If you do not have a PSU Google MSI MAG A650BN which is great value at £43

Below are some items to give you an idea of what you can get, but sure, you may be able to drop the price on some items for lesser quality substitutes.

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Six Core 5.10GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DW-AM) = £160.99
• 1 x Sapphire Nitro+ B850M WiFi (Socket AM5) DDR5 Micro-ATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-SPR-05690) = £139.99
• 1 x Gigabyte Aorus 7300 1TB SSD M.2 2280 NVME PCI-E Gen4 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-GIG-05731) = £104.99
• 1 x PHANTEKS XT M3 Micro-ATX Case, includes 3x 120mm Fans - Black (SKU: CAS-PHK-05735) = £52.90

Total: £458.87 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

 

[Joxeon]

If your on a tight budget then just go with an older DDR4 platform, either AM4 or LGA1700 DDR4 and use the savings on a better GPU, maybe have a look at 2nd hand parts as well.

Seems a waste blowing your budget on AM5 and ending up with a 5050 which is slower than a 3060ti from 5 years ago.

 

[Aigo]

If you are on a budget just get the cheapest 7600 you can find, you only need to look at the GPU scaling articles on YouTube by the likes of Hardware Unboxed to see its fantastic value. £160 currently.


You have memory, you have a GPU.

Do you have a budget for the rest? Are you reusing old parts?

If you do not have a PSU Google MSI MAG A650BN which is great value at £43

Below are some items to give you an idea of what you can get, but sure, you may be able to drop the price on some items for lesser quality substitutes.

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Six Core 5.10GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DW-AM) = £160.99
• 1 x Sapphire Nitro+ B850M WiFi (Socket AM5) DDR5 Micro-ATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-SPR-05690) = £139.99
• 1 x Gigabyte Aorus 7300 1TB SSD M.2 2280 NVME PCI-E Gen4 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-GIG-05731) = £104.99
• 1 x PHANTEKS XT M3 Micro-ATX Case, includes 3x 120mm Fans - Black (SKU: CAS-PHK-05735) = £52.90

Total: £458.87 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

No, starting fresh, no previous desktop. Indeed already went with an msi mag psu, it's in the air as we speak. I went with 550w though for an 8600G and RTX 5050, wattage calculator left me with plenty to spare. That's a nice looking board but would get stung for customs buying from overclockers I think, and it's pricier on Amazon. I'll be picking up an msi board. Unless we see some great boards at CES. But I wonder how long they would take to actually hit the market/amazon after reveal?

If your on a tight budget then just go with an older DDR4 platform, either AM4 or LGA1700 DDR4 and use the savings on a better GPU, maybe have a look at 2nd hand parts as well.

Seems a waste blowing your budget on AM5 and ending up with a 5050 which is slower than a 3060ti from 5 years ago.

I'm wondering if I should've done this but first thing once the news was coming out I panic bought DDR5, so it's gonna have to be AM5. 8600G on the way. Probably gonna go for an MSI B850M board, not too bad at 140 euro.

Have 32GB DDR5 CL36 6000MHz dual channel ready to go, power supply on the way, cpu on the way, can reuse my steam deck nvme for a bit, as I have it spare after upgrading to 2TB (if putting a 2230 drive unsecured under a motherboard heatsink is a good idea...) now just waiting for the 5050 to ship, which it doesn't seem to want to do. Then just have to order a mobo and case. I'm thinking the Asus Prime AP201 looks nice, and something I can just stick under the telly in the living room when I can build a Ryzen 6 x3d/rtx 60 series build.

If the 5050 refuses to ship I can just get a refund and begrudgingly spring for a 5060... I jumped on the 5050 because I was worried the hikes would be immediate but prices don't seem to have jumped much yet, maybe 20 quid...

 

[freddie64]

That's a nice looking board but would get stung for customs buying from overclockers I think, and it's pricier on Amazon.

When Do You Have to Pay Import Duty on Orders From the UK to Ireland?​

There is No Import Duty on Orders under €150​

Firstly – the good news is that you can still avoid import duty on packages coming to Ireland from the UK that are valued at under €150.
Note -the €150 limit is per package/order , NOT per item. It does not include any UK VAT charged.


If you plan on ordering 2 or more items with a combined value of more than €150 , you could avoid any worries about import duty by ordering them separately.

Some Examples of Items That Can be Imported to Ireland with NO Import Duty​

Here are some examples of goods sold from the UK (or anywhere else outside the EU) that can be imported duty-free into Ireland, regardless of the country of origin.

• Computers & Computer Parts
• Computer Monitors

https://www.moneyguideireland.com/irish-customs-duty-on-uk-online-purchases.html

 

[bimbleuk]

7500f from Aliexpress as they get discounted + coupon fairly regularly.

 

[Joxeon]

I'm wondering if I should've done this but first thing once the news was coming out I panic bought DDR5, so it's gonna have to be AM5. 8600G on the way. Probably gonna go for an MSI B850M board, not too bad at 140 euro.

When did you buy the ram? Also why are you buying a 8600G if you are getting a GPU?, the 8600G is actually slower than some previous gen CPUs?

Don’t panic buy PC parts especially if you’re on a tight budget, spend a bit of time and do some research so you know what you’re getting rather than just randomly pulling the trigger because some guy on YouTube says the prices will go up.

 

[bimbleuk]

OP has RAM BUT to save on DDR5 RAM costs buy 2 x 8GB SODIMM and use 2 x SODIIM to desktop adapters. From Aliexpress of course

AMD will likely limit RAM to 4800 but Intel can run faster speeds but in most games doesn't have that much of an impact.

 

[tamzzy]

7500f from Aliexpress as they get discounted + coupon fairly regularly.

This is the correct answer

 

[Aigo]

https://www.moneyguideireland.com/irish-customs-duty-on-uk-online-purchases.html

That's good to know thanks, not up on my customs fees between UK/Ireland, I tend to be lazy and just use the EU amazons. I'll look into this board a bit more, looks like a lot of I/O. Wish these boards had usb c video out though- only b850 board I've found that does is a pricier asus mini itx. Would be handy for my graphics tablet monitor. I've been looking at x870 for this purpose too.

7500f from Aliexpress as they get discounted + coupon fairly regularly.

If I had a rig already and was just upgrading I would be more comfortable rolling the dice on an aliexpress CPU. Especially if I decide to return the 5050 if the 5060's don't shoot up in price, then being without any integrated graphics could put my out two weeks- longer if the 5060's then decide to finally shoot up in price It's the worst time to be building fresh, such a gamble right now. RAMpocalypse and trying to floor/furnish a new apartment and get a pc together, just bad timing all round.

When did you buy the ram? Also why are you buying a 8600G if you are getting a GPU?, the 8600G is actually slower than some previous gen CPUs?

Don’t panic buy PC parts especially if you’re on a tight budget, spend a bit of time and do some research so you know what you’re getting rather than just randomly pulling the trigger because some guy on YouTube says the prices will go up.

There was no choice in this instance- the kit I got is 600+ now. Even DDR4 is way up.

The 8600g was just the cheapest I could get, it was the same price as a 7600 really. But I'm happy to be on AM5, at least then I can get to Ryzen 6 at the end of this year/early 27 for x3d.

Really just trying to tough out 2026 madness with this thing We'll see. I'm up for returning some bits especially if 50 series gpus don't go crazy after all.