Zen 2 or 3 upgrade path?

Mullins

Mullins

Mullins

Associate
Joined
7 Jul 2004
Posts
434
Location
England
I am looking to either upgrade to a Zen 2 - Ryzen 7 3800XT or Zen 3 - Ryzen 5 5600X based system, but am open to other suggestions. The main usage type for my PC is gaming, with some web browsing, Netflix, and office tasks mixed in there, and I also run a Plex server for sending media around my home.

With my RTX 3080 ordered and on the way at some point hopefully soon I want to remove my impending CPU bottleneck for when my RTX 3080 does arrive and futureproof myself for at least 5 years, for reference I built the core of my PC back in 2013, only upgrading my graphics card, hard drives and adding a bit of extra ram (8gb -> 12gb) since then.

My current build is as follows:

PSU: Corsair HX850W
M/B: Asus Z87-K
RAM: 12GB 1600MHz CL9 DDR3
CPU: Intel Core i5 4670K 3.40GHz @ 4.1GHz
CPU Cooler: Raijintek Themis
GPU: 6GB GTX 1060 (RTX 3080 on order)
Boot Drive: 1TB Samsung 860 Evo
Other Drives: 500GB Samsung 860 Evo | 4TB WD Red Pro | 2TB HGST Cinemastar 5K2000

I am hoping to be able to reuse my PSU, and hopfully even my cooler, will this be possible? My case Lian Li PC-P80B although massive in size does not have the mounting points for an AIO, unless someone knows how to retrofit it in there somehow?

If I go Zen 2 I can afford 8c/16t but if I opt for Zen 3 I can only afford 6c/12t is there much difference in these two options both in terms of current gaming performance and futureproofing? As for the motherboard chipset to go for I'm clueless if i should go for a B550 or X570 based one? What speed ram should I go for?

I want to be able to have the option of upgrading to a NVME boot/game drive to use RTX I/O when it releases next year sometime, so do both the zen 2 and zen 3 options support this?

Thanks in advance for your help and advice folks.
 
Hi

You will need a am4 bracket to reuse your cooler and your psu will be fine.

As for the 3080 There is also the new 6800xt to consider from Amd, but availability is going yo be key.

Same situation with the 5600x if you can wait then do so but get a b550 or X570 motherboard.

The x570 offers more pcie lanes so it won't hinder performance so if you add more m2 drives , etc.

3800xt is overpriced a 3700x is better value but check out reviews before you decide.

Ram speed 3200mhz to 3600mhz is ideal and 32gb would be somewhat future proofing as some games are using more than 16gb .

If your happy with your case then keep it but sometimes new case will make things feel totally new and give the option to downsize..
 
I ordered the Asus RTX 3080 Tuf Non-OC back on launch day so waiting for that to come through eventually (queue position 356 now!), the 6800XT 3rd party reviews dont really make me want to change away from this.

I have now ordered a Asus Tuf Gaming X570-Plus motherboard.

Bit worried I might need a new PSU as I see that the motherboard has 24pin, 8pin and 4pin power connectors, my PSU only has the 24pin and 8pin power connectors, the manual says the extra 4pin is optional but is it really not needed even with the new 5600X and 5800X processors?

*EDIT*
I think there is a Type 3 Sleeved Black EPS/12V CPU Cable I can get for my CMPSU-850HX PSU but im not sure if that is correct, it would seem to plug into one of the blue sockets on the back of my psu which are labeled for the PCIE cables, is this correct does anyone know for sure?
*EDIT*

I am still unsure which CPU to go for but I have decided that I can just about stretch the budget to the new 5800X if needed, is there much meaningful difference between the 5600X and 5800X in gaming? Might the extra 2 cores come in handy for game performance or is it only useful if I am multitasking while I am gaming?

I have been reading up on RAM a lot and it sounds that the sweet spot for Zen 3 is 4000mhz, is the extra cost for this worth it? Or would I be just as well off getting 3600mhz, again from a gaming point of view is there much difference in the end result?

Thank you
 
Last edited:
The massive extra cost between 3600 and 4000 ram makes me think the gains arent going to be worth it.

I would doubt that cable fits anywhere else except a cpu output on your psu. You should be fine wittout the extra 4 pin as long as your not going for any overclocking records soon.
The board only suplies 70 watts via pci-e from when I remember. Also the 5*** series use less power than the 3*** series, not huge ammounts but still less.
 
Thank you both for your help so far, I am set on the 5600X now especially after watching the Hardware Unboxed Review.

dfour said:
I would doubt that cable fits anywhere else except a cpu output on your psu. You should be fine wittout the extra 4 pin as long as your not going for any overclocking records soon.
The board only suplies 70 watts via pci-e from when I remember. Also the 5*** series use less power than the 3*** series, not huge ammounts but still less.
Click to expand...

This is brilliant news, so basically I don't need to worry about the extra 4 pin, the only overclocking I want to do is tweaking the ram speed slightly to try and get it at 1:1 with the Infinity Fabric clock.

I have also seen that with Zen 3, 4 sticks of RAM seems to be optimal over 2 sticks so might try to push to get 4x8gb sticks for 32gb. I don't need to buy RAM from the QVL list for my motherboard do I, any ram should do? I was looking at getting: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/cors...zen-tuned-ddr4-memory-dual-kit-my-4bw-cs.html this kit x2 as there arent any 4 stick kits, will that work fine?

My last question is about a m.2 pcie 4 nvme boot disk, I currently have a 1tb 860 evo as my boot drive, is there any real world gaming benefit to going to nvme at the moment, or might I be better off waiting to get that until some point next year when microsoft updates windows to support RTX I/O for improved game loading / texture streaming, as the PCIE 4 drives are super expensive at the moment and I might get more capacity for the same price next year?

Thank you
 
Very little real world benefit from m.2 it seems. I prefere the neat build it gives over having to route sata cables :)
 
Well today I spent ages working out which memory to go for and in the end I settled on G.Skill Trident Z Neo F4-3600C16D-32GTZNC 16-19-19-39 2x16GB, if my research was accurate they should be SK Hynix C-Die dual rank sticks and the motherboard I went for prefers 2 dual ranked sticks over 4 single rank, for dual rank dual channel operation (if I understood it all correctly). I spent a while trying to convince myself that the Samsung B-Die version with 16-16-16-36 timings would be better but in the end I couldn't rationalise the cost difference of £75 for almost no tangible performance benefit outside of benchmarks and CPU bound 1080p gaming performance. I am hoping to be able to mildly overclock my fabric clock and ram keeping them 1:1 when they release the BIOS updates in the new year.

I'm now wanting to use the last of my budget to get a new case, and perhaps an AIO, but only if I need one. I currently use a Raijintek Themis cooler to cool a mildly overclocked i5 4670k @ 4.1GHz which has a stock TDP of 84W. The 5600X only has a 65W TDP so I'm assuming if the cooler physically fits on the motherboard and has enough clearance for my RAM I should be fine, but if someone can confirm I'd be it would put my mind at rest.

As for cases I am open to recomendations but it needs to fit an Asus RTX 3080 Tuf Non-OC, Asus Tuf Gaming X570-Plus ATX motherboard, and my air cooler (unless I do need an AIO), 2x3.5" HD's and 2x2.5" SSD's.

My remaining budget for the case and possible AIO would be around the £200-£230.

Thank you
 
The thermis has got am4 fittings available for it (see below)

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £219.78 (includes shipping: £20.82)
​

I would recommend the upgrade to the brocken 3 especially as its on offer atm. It is canted back to give good ram clearance.AIO not necessary for a 5600x.
2 great airflow cases for you to look at.
 
Thanks again dfour, is the Fractal Design Meshify C Midi Tower Case - White Tempered Glass the same as the blackout one you linked but just different in colour as that had already caught my eye when looking through. The Brocken 3 cooler looks a lot bigger than my themis (for which I have a AM4 bracket already on the way), so I might get that anyway as it should be better at cooling and its a little quieter too, and then could sell on my old kit as a complete bundle.

Think I'm all set now so thanks again for your help guys.

Fingers crossed it's not too long before the cpu and gpu arrive :)
 
Well the motherboard has arrived and I've been trying to work out if the raijintek themis cooler I have will work with it. It seems to need the cooler aligned in such a way that the fan will be above or below the socket instead of to the left or right like it is on my current setup. With it having to be in that odd orientation it doesnt seem like it will fit properly as its far too wide.

So I will need to get a new cooler.

Also to throw a spanner into the works the preinstalled am4 backplate on the motherboard seems glued on, so any recomendations for a cooler that uses the standard am4 backplate?

Thank you
 
Okay, feeling a little silly, it was not glued on merely screwed on from the front (oops). So I guess that means I have a choice of coolers to use, which one would you say is the better performing one out of the Mugen 5 and Brocken 3?

Thank you
 
Mullins said:
Okay, feeling a little silly, it was not glued on merely screwed on from the front (oops). So I guess that means I have a choice of coolers to use, which one would you say is the better performing one out of the Mugen 5 and Brocken 3?

Thank you
Click to expand...

They are both excellent coolers and nothing between them in terms of performance, the brochen is 10mm taller and 5db quieter under load due to the larger fan. The sythe is still very quiet also.
 
Have gone for the Brocken 3, should have 7mm clearance between the top of the cooler and the sidepanel of the case. Fingers crossed no more issues with the build pop up.

Thank you
 
Mullins said:
Bit worried I might need a new PSU as I see that the motherboard has 24pin, 8pin and 4pin power connectors, my PSU only has the 24pin and 8pin power connectors, the manual says the extra 4pin is optional but is it really not needed even with the new 5600X and 5800X processors?

*EDIT*
I think there is a Type 3 Sleeved Black EPS/12V CPU Cable I can get for my CMPSU-850HX PSU but im not sure if that is correct, it would seem to plug into one of the blue sockets on the back of my psu which are labeled for the PCIE cables, is this correct does anyone know for sure?
*EDIT*
Click to expand...

Just in case you are still wondering, you don't need the extra 4 pin plugged in. So just the 24 pin and 8 pin will work fine.
 
mickyflinn said:
Good choice .

You don't need the Am4 mounting kit it's already compatable.
Click to expand...

Do you mean I dont need the separate mounting kit but need to use the mounting kit that comes with the cooler, or that I can use the motherboards built in backplate and mounting hardware with the cooler?

lee32uk said:
Just in case you are still wondering, you don't need the extra 4 pin plugged in. So just the 24 pin and 8 pin will work fine.
Click to expand...

Awesome to hear for certain about that, was tentatively keeping money aside for a new psu just incase.

As part of this upgrade & build I've also gone and ordered a 32" Odyssey G7 1440p over this weekend too, so I'm mega hyped for it to all come together and to be able to use it all soon :)

Once again thank you everyone for your help and advice.
 
Mullins said:
Do you mean I dont need the separate mounting kit but need to use the mounting kit that comes with the cooler, or that I can use the motherboards built in backplate and mounting hardware with the cooler.:)
Click to expand...

Everything comes with the cooler you don't need the extra mounting kit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom