CPU Which one is the better one?

[Dawelio]

Hello everyone,

So I'm in a bit of a rabbit hole at the moment and need your guidance, due to most of you in here have more knowledge than me regarding this scenario. Which I have the feeling is very basic for you, though I'm having some trouble with it...

I've ordered an 5600X, but due to the ongoing pandemic and other factors, stock is low worldwide. When they do come into stock though, I'm having a bit of a second thought on the 5900X instead.

The reasoning for this is futureproofing basically. As life is more and more starting to come into play and feeling like I want to settle down, hence wanting to get something now that will last me a few years atleast.

Now the most I do is occassional gaming, but mostly just webbrowsing, streaming movies on Netflix, HBO etc, some Photoshop etc. Not very demanding tasks. Although I do have the interest of maybe start with streaming later down the line or some hobbyist Youtubing.

With all of this in mind, do you all think that the 5600X will do me just for a few years ahead and hence not needing the 5900X? Considering that in most reviews, the 5600X is on par with it in games and only slightly slower in productivity. Most software I don't use, mostly Photoshop and that is the 5600X in the top charts.

I'm asking since my friend is in the process of maybe ditching his older system, an 7700K and is aiming for the 5900X, due to having more cores and some games to leverage that. Although he games way more than I do and I usually only play FPS games, such as Battlefield and maybe some new Call of Duty, Valorant etc in the future.

Cooling won't be an issue either way, as going with the NZXT Kraken Z73 (360 AIO).

I'm also considering one of AMDs new GPUs, primarly the 6900 XT or the 6800 XT, depending on how it performs in 3rd party reviews.

So in all, what do you guys recommend me. Will the 5600X be more than enough for my needs for a few years or pay double the price and go with the 5900X? I also play at 1440p by the way and might try 4K, but thinking of staying at 1440p, but having the 4K option would be nice - ie the LG 27GN950 monitor.

Thanks for taking your time reading!

Regards,
Dawelio

 

[Phuncz]

Performance-wise you are not trading in performance from going with the 5600X to the 5900X, so you're just doubling the amount of multi-core performance. It also has a slightly higher boost clock. BUT the idea is that it isn't smart to buy a CPU you might use in 2+ years. So if you have no need or use case for over 6 cores, you're better off buying a 5600X now, save the money in the bank for later and buy a 6600X or 7600X later, that might have more cores for the same money.

What I did in my case:
I bought an 1800X at MSRP at launch considering long-term use (5 years) and when the need for another 8-core CPU for server duties arised, I purchased a second hand 2700X for the MSRP of the new 3600X then, upgraded my workstation with that and put the 1800X in the server. So I basically paid 800€ total in 3 years for two 8-core CPUs I intend to use 4 to 5 years each.

 

[Solo]

The worst part of this hobby is getting baited into buying shit you legitimately don't need. Just get the 5600X and be done with it.

 

[Dawelio]

Performance-wise you are not trading in performance from going with the 5600X to the 5900X, so you're just doubling the amount of multi-core performance. It also has a slightly higher boost clock. BUT the idea is that it isn't smart to buy a CPU you might use in 2+ years. So if you have no need or use case for over 6 cores, you're better off buying a 5600X now, save the money in the bank for later and buy a 6600X or 7600X later, that might have more cores for the same money.

What I did in my case:
I bought an 1800X at MSRP at launch considering long-term use (5 years) and when the need for another 8-core CPU for server duties arised, I purchased a second hand 2700X for the MSRP of the new 3600X then, upgraded my workstation with that and put the 1800X in the server. So I basically paid 800€ total in 3 years for two 8-core CPUs I intend to use 4 to 5 years each.

The worst part of this hobby is getting baited into buying shit you legitimately don't need. Just get the 5600X and be done with it.

Thank you both for your replies, much appreciated!

As @Solo pointed out, that is completely true and kinda my achilles heel here. As I'm wondering if games will utilize more of the 5900X horsepower in a few years line or if the 5600X will suffice just fine. It's hard to predict the future, but I'm thinking that we have to have some kind of an idea of what's to come and how much CPU they will use.

Obviously at higher resolutions, such as 1440p which I game on, the CPU isn't that much of an importance, when compared to the GPU. As at that resolution and above (4K) the GPU is much more important since that is the thing that does the heavy lifting.

 

[Thac0]

Diminishing returns will likely bite you here. For a pure gaming rig, you’re better off getting the the 5600x and saving the extra cash. Depending on your setup, you may not even notice a difference in gaming on a 3300x vs a 5600x. (You’ll quickly see the difference in benchmarks, but without them you might not be able to spot which is which in an A/B setup.)

For pure gaming rigs, it’s easy to over purchase. Buying a 3070 when you’ve only got a 1080p@30hz monitor for example. Overbuying to “future proof” almost never comes out ahead compared to saving. Same thing with waiting for the perfect time to buy. On paper, it’s usually better to buy now.

But we’re all human and humans are complicated. Will the worry about buying the “lower end” component take away from the joy of your new build? Are you flush with cash now, but worried you won’t be able to save for later? Are you spending someone else’s money? Will you be sad if you don’t have the best rig in your friend group?

Peace of mind is a powerful reason to purchase in my book. If you have the money to burn (please be responsible), there are worse ways to spend that money. I personally believe that the extra CPU will go wasted. That said, if the opportunity cost of spending the extra cash is low and the upgrade brings you more joy & peace of mind, it’s hard to say it’s a bad purchase. Just an inefficient one.

 

[Dawelio]

Diminishing returns will likely bite you here. For a pure gaming rig, you’re better off getting the the 5600x and saving the extra cash. Depending on your setup, you may not even notice a difference in gaming on a 3300x vs a 5600x. (You’ll quickly see the difference in benchmarks, but without them you might not be able to spot which is which in an A/B setup.)

For pure gaming rigs, it’s easy to over purchase. Buying a 3070 when you’ve only got a 1080p@30hz monitor for example. Overbuying to “future proof” almost never comes out ahead compared to saving. Same thing with waiting for the perfect time to buy. On paper, it’s usually better to buy now.

But we’re all human and humans are complicated. Will the worry about buying the “lower end” component take away from the joy of your new build? Are you flush with cash now, but worried you won’t be able to save for later? Are you spending someone else’s money? Will you be sad if you don’t have the best rig in your friend group?

Peace of mind is a powerful reason to purchase in my book. If you have the money to burn (please be responsible), there are worse ways to spend that money. I personally believe that the extra CPU will go wasted. That said, if the opportunity cost of spending the extra cash is low and the upgrade brings you more joy & peace of mind, it’s hard to say it’s a bad purchase. Just an inefficient one.

I must say that this post of yours is a very good and deep one. It's not often someone actually mentions the outside aspect of our hobby, the mindset, feelings we all have regarding things and other aspects that come into play.

Very nice post indeed and I highly appreciate you took the time and thought out of your day to write it down, since I believe many others may have a second thought on things when reading it

Well done dude!

 

[Bubba]

ryzen 5 5600 will be sold in 2021. It will be cheaper than ryzen 5 5600X with almost the same performance.
I don't want to rain on amd's parade, but most modern cpu's will do 60+ fps in all or almost all current games.

If you want a "big upgrade", consider a VR headset. I am planning to buy the Reverb G2. 2k resolution per eye. 90 Hz.
USD 600 + tax for the HP Reverb G2. This is 3D virtual reality with good headphones. not just more frames per second.
youtube.com/watch?v=vWhOA-PJAek
Before you ask, the reverb G2 has half-resolution mode.
If your gpu can not do 4k 90fps, then select 2k 90 Hz (1k per eye).

 

[thelaughingman]

I took this from my dad - always buy the best of everything that you can afford. In terms of SFF that translated to me getting a 3900X last year and this year I might get the 5950X to fully max out on AM4 (my disposable income increased by a fair bit). Sure I may not use up the 12C 24/7, let alone 16C, but the peace of mind that @Thac0 mentioned is real. I want to know that if I ever need something to get done it will get done quickly.

If I was making money with my PC then it will be an entirely different mindset, purely number - min-maxing ROI, IRR, etc. to no end. But since this is for personal use / hobby, it all comes down to how you personally approach it.

 

[Thac0]

Some other thoughts to try and persuade you to stick with the 5600x. ^-^ What peripherals do you have? Are there any that could use updating? What kinds of games do you play? There's a few ways the price difference between the two CPUs could go a long way into transforming your gaming experience in a way that a more powerful CPU wouldn't. Don't know which of these might fit you, but I personally know several people who have a hard time justifying putting money into some of these when it really would be the best upgrade to their setup. Not comprehensive and in no particular order:

-6 year sub to Backblaze (or other backup service of your choice)
-HOTAS (or HOSAS if you're into space sims)
-Driving wheel & pedals
-Mid range VR
-Reactive lighting (Chroma+Hue or similar)
-High end keyboard/mouse/controllers
-Custom printed mouse mat with commissioned art
-6 year sub to Backblaze (yep, it's in here twice)
-1/2 the price of a gaming chair
-Good headphones/headset
-USB DAC
-Release day game budget (if you're the kind of person who usually waits until a game's on sale before buying)
-Uninterruptible power supply for the PC & internet

 

[GuilleAcoustic]

If all you do is gaming, I think the 5600X will be more than enough, especially if you overclock it (there are a few videos about that).