Question Upgrade from i7 3770k to AM4...or AM5? At the end: Intel i5 12400F :)

Jan 23, 2023
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Hi all, I am currently quite on a budget but I would like to upgrade my rig.

I only use PC to play videogames, and only maybe a web page open at the same time. Currently on Full HD monitor, but I plan to upgrade monitor to a 1440p or 2K in 2-3 years, together with my Geforce 1070 and PSU.

Currently i have intel i7 3770k on ASrock Z77 Pro3 Motherboard, GTX 1070 and a good PSU.

I do not overclock CPU nor ram, I'm afraid and i tried... Not for me :)

So now I would like to change only MB, CPU, SSD and RAM. Budget 650 euro, better if less :)

Would it make sense to go with Ryzen 5600X and in 2-3 years (or when i feel the need) upgrade to a more powerful CPU like the 5800X3D, or maybe even 5900/5950X?

Many thanks!
 
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Hi all, I am currently quite on a budget but I would like to upgrade my rig.

I only use PC to play videogames. Currently on Full HD monitor, but I plan to upgrade monitor to a 1440p or 2K in 2-3 years, together with my Geforce 1070 and PSU.

Currently i have intel i7 3770k on ASrock Z77 Pro3 Motherboard, GTX 1070 and a good PSU.

So now I would like to change only MB, CPU and RAM.

Would it make sense to go with Ryzen 5600X and in 2-3 years (or when i feel the need) upgrade to a more powerful CPU like the 5800X3D, or maybe even 5900/5950X?

Many thanks!
if you do like to save your budget, R5 5600 isnt far off from 5600X as it is only the downclocked version of it. R5 5500 in the other hand is a good choice IF it's available in your country market, best bang for the buck cpu while also having the capability to run DDR4 above 4000mhz (if you're interested in overclocking ram), since it's based on R5 5600G with GPU lasered off.

For gaming, 5800X3D is the beast of AM4, while 5900/5950X is the best for multi core workload, not gaming focused, because of the architechture, since 5900/5950x consists of 2 5800 "Cores" chip and to talk between them it needs infinity fabric, which introduce latency between cores, so yeah not ideal for FPS gaming which focuses on low latency core to core communication, but still great/ok ish on DX12 titles that doesnt mainly focus on getting the most fps of low latency core to core communication.

If you do have a good budget i would prefer to upgrade to AM5 platform as it prooved that AM4 platform is supported with the latest CPU till the end of support (Zen 3 cpus on A320, B350, X370). a B650/B650E or X670/X670E is enough for the base, R5 7600 is currently the cheapest you could get on amd, but the guranteed socket support (while it would repeat the "need of new chipset" to support future am5 cpu, if you do have the time to wait eventually they will support the latest/last cpu of AM5 socket on its lowest chipset just like AM4 did.

Also a good PSU is the best investment, mostly a good psu is number 1 before anything else.
 
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punkncat

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Ryzen 5xxx is now a "dead end" socket as AM4 is last gen. The issue you could run into is less stock available on the higher end CPU as well as price increases. Typically one would see prices dip when the new products come out, sometimes even a clear out type pricing, and then price starts to go up on NOS. Your option at that time may turn out to be used equipment for the pricing to make sense, as it were.

With that said, the 5600X is and has been a vaunted gaming CPU. It will be more than a match for the 1070 and a really nice upgrade that you can "feel and see" over the now aging 3770K.
 
I would advise against upgrading to AM4 at this time unless you're looking at a fully mature platform for stability reasons.

AM4 is old at this point, and upgrading to an old platform from an even older platform will only require you to upgrade at an increased interval.

This is also made more apparent with modern platforms switching from DDR4 to DDR5, of which AM4 only supports DDR4.

AM5 or Intel's Raptor Lake platform are good values right now, especially with CPU prices and DDR5 prices being at an all time low. Something like a Core i5-13500/13600K, or even a Ryzen 5 7600 will game a lot better than a 5950X and match or even beat the 5800X3D as well.

Motherboard prices are the only issue right now, with them being a bit expensive. But its worth it to get a new platform you'll get 4 years out of easily.
 
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What is your budget, and where might you shop?

First, verify that you need a cpu more than a gpu.
Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
This makes the graphics card loaf a bit.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

Most games will rely most on the performance of a single master thread.
Run cpu-Z bench and look at the single thread performance rating.
Your 7770K should get a number like 543:
http://valid.x86.fr/bench/k4gzh7

Assuming that a cpu upgrade is in order, look for an upgrade with good single thread performance.
As little as a I3-12100 can give you a good boost:
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-core-i3-12100-12100f-review/5

Good performance numbers are not yet out for the I3-13100 which stands to have a IPC some 15% better:
https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i3-13100-core-i3-13th-gen/p/N82E16819118432?Item=N82E16819118432
 
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Would it make sense to go with Ryzen 5600X and in 2-3 years (or when i feel the need) upgrade to a more powerful CPU like the 5800X3D, or maybe even 5900/5950X?
If you think you might need more than a 5600X then I would just buy it now. In 2-3 years you may struggle to get a new part and you can't be sure what the prices will be like.

If you are buying now and you want something relatively affordable I would actually look at the 5700X. At least in the UK the price difference with the 5600X is quite modest but the extra 2 cores mean it will cope better as games become more demanding.

What games do you run on your computer and what would you like to run in the near future? What's prompted you to upgrade, are you having performance issues?
 
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DSzymborski

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And what PSU is this? We've seen plenty of cases when people thought they had good PSUs -- typically because they had an 80 Plus label, which is a measure of efficiency rather than quality -- and turned out to have pretty awful ones that were inappropriate for their builds. A safe PSU with proper specs is the most important part of a PC, so it's important to double-check even if it turns out you do have an excellent one.
 
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Jan 23, 2023
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if you do like to save your budget, R5 5600 isnt far off from 5600X as it is only the downclocked version of it. R5 5500 in the other hand is a good choice IF it's available in your country market, best bang for the buck cpu while also having the capability to run DDR4 above 4000mhz (if you're interested in overclocking ram), since it's based on R5 5600G with GPU lasered off.

For gaming, 5800X3D is the beast of AM4, while 5900/5950X is the best for multi core workload, not gaming focused, because of the architechture, since 5900/5950x consists of 2 5800 "Cores" chip and to talk between them it needs infinity fabric, which introduce latency between cores, so yeah not ideal for FPS gaming which focuses on low latency core to core communication, but still great/ok ish on DX12 titles that doesnt mainly focus on getting the most fps of low latency core to core communication.

If you do have a good budget i would prefer to upgrade to AM5 platform as it prooved that AM4 platform is supported with the latest CPU till the end of support (Zen 3 cpus on A320, B350, X370). a B650/B650E or X670/X670E is enough for the base, R5 7600 is currently the cheapest you could get on amd, but the guranteed socket support (while it would repeat the "need of new chipset" to support future am5 cpu, if you do have the time to wait eventually they will support the latest/last cpu of AM5 socket on its lowest chipset just like AM4 did.

Also a good PSU is the best investment, mostly a good psu is number 1 before anything else.
Ok clear, many thanks for the explanation about difference from the 2 types of CPU. So in 2 years time i would have in my backpocket only the upgrade from 5600x to 5800X3D...let's say around 10-15% more FPS in CPU intensive games? (i know, the VGA is more important in games, but according to my 40 years experience with gaming, i can really notice that the CPU is bottlenecking often, more than GPU).

Unofortunately i do not have a good budget, maximum 650 euro, but i would like to save some more if possible now, and invest more in 2-3 years.

R5 7600 is almost 300 euro, compared to the 200 euro of the 5600X. But how would it perform in games? Better? Motherboard for 5600X i would pay it 115 euro.

For AM5 what would be the price of a base motherboard, without wifi and without any fancy feature?
 
Jan 23, 2023
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AM5 or Intel's Raptor Lake platform are good values right now, especially with CPU prices and DDR5 prices being at an all time low. Something like a Core i5-13500/13600K, or even a Ryzen 5 7600 will game a lot better than a 5950X and match or even beat the 5800X3D as well.
Wow, that's cool, so i would definitely should opt for 7600 (maybe X)...what's the difference by the way from 7600 and 7600X ?

I see that they have almost the same performance in games...but 7600 costs less than the 5800X3D! And with plenty of upgrade margin i think.

Yes, the problem i guess would be the motherboard price.
 
Budget maximum 650 euro.

I have an XFX Pro 750W XFX XXX Edition 80+ Silver, bought in 2016. You mean that if the PSU is not working properly i could damage the components i presume, right?

Correct.

The newer AMD 7000 cpu's do perform better over the the 5000 series.

AM4 is a dead end socket but so is LGA1700. Your current budget is pretty slim . The only new platform is the AM5 and the prices are not withing your budget.

The 5600x would be an upgrade when compared to your current cpu. Game smoothness improves as the low FPS rates will be improved as well.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxfwvT7GH4g


Here's an example of an AMD build in your budget at 475 Euros, does not include Windows. I chose Germany as I did not know what country you live.

https://de.pcpartpicker.com/user/GarretL/saved/#view=JzJ7wP
 
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Jan 23, 2023
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What is your budget, and where might you shop?

First, verify that you need a cpu more than a gpu.
Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
This makes the graphics card loaf a bit.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

Most games will rely most on the performance of a single master thread.
Run cpu-Z bench and look at the single thread performance rating.
Your 7770K should get a number like 543:
http://valid.x86.fr/bench/k4gzh7

Assuming that a cpu upgrade is in order, look for an upgrade with good single thread performance.
As little as a I3-12100 can give you a good boost:
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-core-i3-12100-12100f-review/5

Good performance numbers are not yet out for the I3-13100 which stands to have a IPC some 15% better:
https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i3-13100-core-i3-13th-gen/p/N82E16819118432?Item=N82E16819118432
650 euro max. I shop in Italy, on amazon mainly.

I think you read it wrong, I have a 3770K, not 7700K, so i get 382, not 543 :) It's an 11 years old CPU, man

Thanks for the advise. I have a 40 years experience on gaming rigs, and i think can say when the CPU is bottlenecking...moreover if i upgraded my VGA, at the moment, i would need to spend a fortune. I would prefer to do it in 2-3 years time, waiting for a good deal.

Appreciate your point of view and suggestion anyway!
 
Jan 23, 2023
65
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35
If you think you might need more than a 5600X then I would just buy it now. In 2-3 years you may struggle to get a new part and you can't be sure what the prices will be like.

If you are buying now and you want something relatively affordable I would actually look at the 5700X. At least in the UK the price difference with the 5600X is quite modest but the extra 2 cores mean it will cope better as games become more demanding.

What games do you run on your computer and what would you like to run in the near future? What's prompted you to upgrade, are you having performance issues?
To be honest, I play mostly turn based RPGs, now even playing on the expansions of Neverwinter nights, so super old games....so I do not feel the urge to upgrade quickly.
But playing on more modern games as Elden Ring, i feel the CPU would really need a boost. Also VGA, but CPU, dramatically! :)
Re the 5700X I read that having lower core speed in single core threads, it would be useful only if i multitasked heavily, which i do not do. And anyway, the original idea was to upgrade it soon to 5800X3D.

But now I am maturing the idea that is better to go to AM5, maybe with 7600X, if i find a decent priced MB and CPU
 
Jan 23, 2023
65
7
35
And what PSU is this? We've seen plenty of cases when people thought they had good PSUs -- typically because they had an 80 Plus label, which is a measure of efficiency rather than quality -- and turned out to have pretty awful ones that were inappropriate for their builds. A safe PSU with proper specs is the most important part of a PC, so it's important to double-check even if it turns out you do have an excellent one.
This mate: https://pangoly.com/it/prodotto/xfx-proseries-750w-core-edition
For the moment it always worked well, i do not know if the new rig would be more demanding as for Watts..
 
Jan 23, 2023
65
7
35
Correct.

The newer AMD 7000 cpu's do perform better over the the 5000 series.

AM4 is a dead end socket but so is LGA1700. Your current budget is pretty slim . The only new platform is the AM5 and the prices are not withing your budget.

The 5600x would be an upgrade when compared to your current cpu. Game smoothness improves as the low FPS rates will be improved as well.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxfwvT7GH4g


Here's an example of an AMD build in your budget at 475 Euros, does not include Windows. I chose Germany as I did not know what country you live.

https://de.pcpartpicker.com/user/GarretL/saved/#view=JzJ7wP
Cool, thanks! The budget could be up to 650. I live in Italy.

Do you think i cannot squeeze in a 7600X in there? it's around 80 euro more than the 5600X...not sure about the motherboard model/price. A base, solid one without wifi and wihtout any fancy feature would suit.

If it is wiser and longer term investment, i would be even ready to spend 50 euro more, so up to 700 euro, maybe 750.
 
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At this point it would be better to go am5 as you should have upgrade options for a couple of years or so anyway. You could start with a 7600 now and later go maybe to a 9700x3d or whatever they call them at that point. AM4 is good but dead end now. However I put a system together in 2017-18, and just last year put a 5800x in there and so I’ve still got another good couple of years if I wanted to push things probably.
 
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Wow, that's cool, so i would definitely should opt for 7600 (maybe X)...what's the difference by the way from 7600 and 7600X ?

I see that they have almost the same performance in games...but 7600 costs less than the 5800X3D! And with plenty of upgrade margin i think.

Yes, the problem i guess would be the motherboard price.

Yeah the 7600 is great for gaming, the only difference between the two is the power limit, and that isn't even locked in. the 7600 runs with a 65 TDP limitation, which reduces clocks in comparison to the 7600X at 105W.

However, this only affects workloads that affect all the cores. Since games don't utilize six cores wholeheartedly and max each one out. You really wouldn't notice the 65 TDP limitation. Plus if it does become problematic, you can enable PBO and unlock the power limit for free.

So the only real issue yeah would be motherboard prices, but i don't know prices in Italy so you're on your own there. Honestly find any B650 motherboard that's cheap, and it'll be fine.
 
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What about this AM5 motherboard at 200 euro? It's the cheapest i could find
ASUS PRIME B650M-A

EDIT: Mmm...i found bad reviews here: https://www.newegg.com/asus-prime-b650m-a-ax/p/N82E16813119596

Be careful with motherboard reviews, they are one of the few exceptions when it comes to reliability. As the top comment mentioned, most issues pertaining to motherboards are BIOS related. This is easily fixed by updating the board to the latest BIOS. Motherboards often have over 10 different BIOS revisions over their supported lifespan.

To be more specific, those issues the reviewers mentioned, are specific to basically ALL AM5 motherboards. With how new the platform is, all boards are running really immature BIOS revisions off the factory line.

But, its been several months now, so as long as you update to the latest BIOS for any AM5 motherboard, you'll be good.
 
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Re the 5700X I read that having lower core speed in single core threads, it would be useful only if i multitasked heavily, which i do not do. And anyway, the original idea was to upgrade it soon to 5800X3D.
The 5600X is a tiny bit higher in clock speed per core under a sustained load, but by around 100Mhz. It's a meaningless difference. I play lots of older games that are heavily dependant on single threaded performance, you will never notice 2-3%. I would say you would need at least 15% for it to actually be perceivable in games. It's certainly not something worth trading 2 cores for. You may not multitask but games have progressively made use of more cores. Some games like Cyberpunk will max out 6 core/12 thread CPU's. I'm suggesting the 5700X because it gives you a little extra in the tank even if you don't need it right now.

Buying the 5600X only to upgrade to the 5800X3D 'soon' doesn't seem very efficient, it would be more cost effective to go straight to the 5800X3D, the latter has been heavily discounted recently.

But now I am maturing the idea that is better to go to AM5, maybe with 7600X, if i find a decent priced MB and CPU
If you want to upgrade at a later date then AM5 might be a better option given it will have support for at least the next 3 years.
 
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Jan 23, 2023
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Looks good, memory latency is a bit weak. Normal kits comes with CL 28, 32, 34 or 36. At 5600MHz or greater. But if its all you can afford its no big deal.
Thanks. I don't think i would notice a difference in games due to latency. And anyway i could always upgrade ram later on, once the ddr5 become more affordable i guess
 
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