AMD Zen 3
AMD Zen 3
The '450' in your Asus B450-F likely refers to the 400-series chipset, which is compatible with a 5000 Series CPU. It should work fine for that processor. Regarding upgrading to Zen 3, let me know what you're currently using so I can help you plan the change.
I bought it for a premium, boosted it to 5.1ghz, removed the overclocking, cleaned it up, and then gave up. It still handles games at over 144hz. I think the idea of constantly buying faster CPUs every few years is pointless if Intel doesn’t keep improving, and AMD just catching up—doesn’t that mean my old chip is still decent?
The enhancements are nearly 20% each clock. The timing isn’t crucial anymore. If you’re using Zen or Zen+, upgrading is logical when aiming for higher FPS in games, though it may not justify the jump from Zen2 unless you consistently hit over 200+FPS and already have a powerful RTX 3080 GPU.
To address your query: Yes, the Ryzen 5000 series CPU can fit your B450 motherboard, but you’ll need to update your BIOS. Depending on the manufacturer of your motherboard, the BIOS might not be available until next January. Personally, I own a Ryzen 5 3600 with a Zen 2 chip and it works well for me. I’m unlikely to upgrade soon, but if I want to move to a Ryzen 7, I might look into the Ryzen 7 5800X.
You're correct, the Ryzen 9 3900X should still perform well for several years. That's the key takeaway (I guess I'm embarrassed about buying that GPU on Best Buy's discounted price?).