PC Upgrade Ideas

Thanks for all the input and advice.
My budget is actually going to be quite a bit higher than we initially discussed, likely landing somewhere between $5,000 and $5,500.
A few of my buddies have been running Cyberpunk 2077 on this current setup and they seem generally satisfied, though they do mention it stutters just a tiny bit every now and then.
The master plan right now is to swap out the processor, motherboard, and RAM, while the subsequent phase involves picking up a new monitor and a much beefier graphics card.
If you think the Ryzen 5 5600X isn't much of an upgrade, or if you feel like the Ryzen 7 3700X is overpriced and overkill for what I need, I’d honestly rather just take that extra cash and put it toward something else entirely.
And since things are finally starting to quiet down for a while, giving me some breathing room from constant upgrades, I figured it was a good time to ask about the Ryzen 9.

Grab the Ryzen 5 5600X and you're set for years. If you actually hit a wall later, just pick up a used 5900X or whatever when the timing is right. Either way, your monitor and GPU are going to be the bottleneck with a 5600X, even if they're decent enough. Just snag the Ryzen 5 5600X at a price that makes sense, or hold out for the 5600. Don't sweat the monitor; there aren't any major shortages, and as for the GPU, wait as long as you can—ideally until April. Your graphics card is the heavy hitter in this build anyway.

Yes.
To me, that seems like the only truly rational way to look at the whole situation.
I suspect I shall be forced to exercise a bit more patience and wait for a while longer before making any definitive moves.
I appreciate the counsel, and as Timothy Kim60 so aptly pointed out, we shall touch base once again just before I pull the trigger on this purchase.

An older R9 isn't necessarily going to outperform a modern R7 when it comes to gaming. Even an R7 will likely beat an R5 because newer architectures deliver much higher per-core speeds. Games crave fast individual cores and a decent core count, though let's be honest—no CPU has actually needed to run at 100% utilization across all cores for gaming in years.

Think of it this way: an R5 5600X with its 6 cores and 12 threads is surprisingly close to last generation's 8-core, 16-thread R7 3700X in multi-threaded tasks (where all cores hit 100%, which games don't do). As noted in the Linus Tech Tips review, the R7 3700X probably won't ever outpace the 5600X in gaming; if it does, it'll be a rare exception in the distant future. In 99% of cases, the 5600X is going to be the winner. You have to factor in that entire year where the 5600X stays consistently ahead.

But honestly, discussing CPU speed at this level is pointless unless you're pairing it with a high-end GPU, which nowadays starts at around $2333...
If you're looking for pure value, the Intel Core i5-10400F is currently the best buy at $433. I'd suggest putting any extra cash toward a better graphics card instead. Ultimately, though, it all comes down to your total budget.

Timothy Kim60 said:An older R9 isn't necessarily going to outperform a modern R7 when it comes to gaming, nor is an R7 likely to beat an R5, simply because every single new architecture brings faster per-core speeds—and games absolutely crave that single-core velocity alongside a decent core count (though, let's be honest, we haven't seen a CPU actually pegged at 100% utilization across all cores in a game for years now).

Think of it this way: the Ryzen 5 5600X, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, performs surprisingly close to last generation's 8-core, 16-thread beast, the Ryzen 7 3700X, when you look at multi-threaded workloads—and since games aren't really those types of heavy lifters, the math changes. As noted in that Linus Tech Tips review I watched recently, the Ryzen 7 3700X probably won't ever outpace the 5600X in actual gameplay; if it does, it’ll be some weird outlier in the distant future, whereas in 99% of scenarios, the 5600X is going to be the winner. You have to factor in that entire window of time where the 5600X will consistently reign supreme.

But honestly, obsessing over CPU speeds at this tier is a bit of a fool's errand unless you're pairing it with a high-end GPU, which these days start at around $2333...
If you're looking strictly at pure value, the Intel Core i5-10400F is currently the absolute best bang-for-your-buck at $433, and frankly, I'd suggest dumping whatever money you save into a better graphics card instead. But then again, everything hinges on what your total budget looks like in the end.

Do you think the Ryzen 5 5600X is overkill for this specific GPU?
What would you actually recommend if I wanted a genuine upgrade?

rapidpuma59 said:Do you think the Ryzen 5 5600X is overkill for this GPU?
What would you recommend instead if I want an upgrade?

Look, the Intel Core i5-10400F is definitely solid value and would work just fine with an NVIDIA GTX 1070. But trying to compare the "bang for buck" of a chip like the i5-10400F against the Ryzen 5 5600X is tough—the Ryzen is nearly double the price and significantly more powerful. Personally, I’d go with the Ryzen 5 5600X (or just wait for the 5600) because you end up with a much more futureproof platform that won't leave you hanging later. That NVIDIA GTX 1070 is perfectly capable for 1080p, maybe even 1440p. If you were stuck with a much weaker card, I'd tell you to grab the i5-10400F and put the savings toward a better GPU, but that's not the case here.
Honestly, there isn't really a middle ground worth considering between the i5-10400F and the Ryzen 5 5600X.

wiredotter14 said:Look, the Intel Core i5-10400F is undeniably a solid value proposition and would serve a GTX 1070 quite adequately, but attempting to compare the "bang for buck" ratio of an Intel Core i5-10400F against a Ryzen 5 5600X—which costs nearly twice as much and offers significantly more muscle—is a bit of a stretch. If it were my rig, I’d personally lean toward the Ryzen 5 5600X (or perhaps just wait for the 5600 to drop) because you end up with a remarkably futureproof platform that won't leave you scrambling for an upgrade in two years. That NVIDIA GTX 1070 still holds its own at 1080p, and honestly, even pushes through 1440p reasonably well. Had you mentioned you were stuck with some ancient, bottom-tier GPU, I’d have told you to grab the Intel Core i5-10400F and put the savings toward a better card, but that isn't the case here.
Ultimately, there isn't much of a logical middle ground between the Intel Core i5-10400F and the Ryzen 5 5600X.

This perspective aligns much more closely with my own internal monologue regarding this build.
It isn't that I'm opposed to spending $433 less, per se, but I find myself increasingly drawn to the Ryzen 5 5600X.
My plan is to sit tight until the 5600 finally makes its appearance on the market—assuming it actually does—and then I'll make my final call on which one to pull the trigger on.
Thanks for the input, everyone. Truly appreciated.

I'm wondering why the Intel Core i5-10600KF isn't getting any attention, especially since it's meant for gaming and the price is $600... it just seems like a missed opportunity.

Alexander Moore67 said:I don't get why the Intel Core i5-10600KF matters if it's just for gaming and the price is $600... not really enticing.....

Fair point. Honestly, it is interesting at that price point. It used to be more expensive, and back then, the Ryzen 5 3600 at about $500 with a cooler was the way to go, so I just overlooked it.

Greetings to everyone here.
It seems we have finally reached a consensus that we are definitely pulling the trigger on the Ryzen 5 5600X.
So far, I’ve only seen those rather underwhelming, understated teasers for the Ryzen 5 5600.

However, this particular deal caught my eye:

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Bundle,
MSI B550 Tomahawk,
Patriot Viper RGB Bundle with 16GB DDR4 3600MHz

This bundle is currently sitting at Best Buy for $434.99.

We have the funds set aside for this, so I find myself wondering what your thoughts are regarding these specific components and whether that price point actually holds water?

rapidpuma59 said:Hey, everyone.
We eventually decided we're definitely going with the Ryzen 5 5600X.
All I've seen are some shy little teasers for the Ryzen 5 5600.

This caught my eye:

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Bundle,
MSI B550 Tomahawk,
Patriot Viper RGB Bundle (16GB DDR4 3600MHz)

The bundle is at Micro Center for $4348.99.

Budget isn't an issue, so I'm wondering what you guys think about these parts and the price?

Actually, it's pretty solid. You save about $100 compared to buying everything separately. The MSI B550 Tomahawk and that 3600MHz RAM would probably be total overkill for this build anyway, but hey, it's a nice bonus...

That said, $400 for a B550 board (even if the MSI B550 Tomahawk is top-tier) and $900 for the 5600X feels a bit steep, but the bundle makes it easier to swallow.

If it fits your budget, I'd pull the trigger.

Honestly, it isn't as if I'm in some desperate rush to drop cash right this second.
I can certainly afford to sit tight for a little while longer.

I happened to spot the most budget-friendly processor available for $840, and frankly, it’s starting to look like a decent enough option.

The grand plan—if you can call it that—is to circle back in the fall or perhaps even early next year to pick up a GPU like an RTX 3070 along with a high-refresh 144Hz monitor capable of handling 4K resolution.
Because of that, we aren't exactly looking to skimp on the motherboard or the RAM; we need things to hold up later.

So, if anyone has any solid recommendations heading in that direction, I'm all ears.

Saving money is $117 and, like wiredotter14 says, it might be a bit overkill, but still worth grabbing.
Help us out—where can we find the Ryzen 5 5600X for $833?

It’s gone. Completely vanished into thin air.
I was staring at the screen just yesterday afternoon, and I swear on my life, it was sitting right there, ready to be snatched up.
I haven't the slightest clue what kind of operation that retailer is running over there, but apparently, they've already hiked the price up to $2,900, which is just absolutely preposterous.

https://www.newegg.com/amd-cpu-desktop-processors/c/AMD

man, just grab that AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Bundle, you don't want to miss out on that deal.

Maybe pick up an extra cooler if you've got some breathing room in the budget, but honestly, it's not a dealbreaker.

https://www.amazon.com/arctic-cooling-fr...67423/product/

Alright.

Thanks so much!

Now, I find myself wondering—would anyone be so kind as to offer a recommendation for a decent monitor that wouldn't break the bank, or would it be more prudent to simply exercise some discipline and wait until I've managed to scrape together enough cash once again?

If you don't have the cash right now, just wait. There’s zero point in overthinking things this far in advance.
IMO, if you're planning on picking up something like an RTX 3070 down the road, then 1440p at 144Hz is the sweet spot, and you'll probably need about $833 for that. But by then, some new model will likely hit the market that offers way better value than what's out there today. 1440p/144Hz is slowly becoming the standard.

Oh, absolutely.
Perhaps that really is the most sensible way to play it.

This build from Micro Center looks pretty solid to me.
They’re offering free shipping and a full 36-month warranty, which is quite something.
And since I’m not exactly the type of person who swaps out hardware every other weekend, opting for the Ryzen 5 5600 seems like a perfectly justifiable move.

I appreciate all the advice provided here.

Once we get everything assembled and fired up, I'll be sure to check back in and let you know how it performs.

It’s officially ordered.
My only lingering concern, though, is that I can't find any mention of whether a CPU cooler is actually included with that processor or if I'm going to be left stranded without one.

rapidpuma59 said:Ordered.
Just can't tell if it comes with a cooler for the CPU.

Intel Core i5-12600K

It does. It's the boxed version, not tray.