Checking the range from 5950x to 9950x. Worth it?
Checking the range from 5950x to 9950x. Worth it?
Hello, I’ve noticed a price reduction on Amazon and am thinking about moving from my 5950x to an upgraded model. I understand the 5950x still works fine and should serve me well for some time, but I’m curious if now is the right moment to switch to AM5. My current setup handles everything smoothly without noticeable slowdowns, which gives me confidence in my computer’s performance. I mainly use it for software development, scientific computing, and virtualization (Docker). My GPU, a 2080 Super, feels outdated, but I’m not sure if upgrading now is justified given the current market prices. Also, I don’t see much value in purchasing a new GPU if I can still leverage PCIe® 5.0. If I decide to delay this upgrade, how long should I wait? The next AMD lineup or AM6 might be on the horizon, possibly around 2027. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Edit: I should have mentioned that upgrading now could also let me swap my 3800x in my home server (running Proxmox) for a 5950x.
If this applies, avoid upgrading. It’s not accurate since you already have a Ryzen 9 5950X. The real reason to consider an upgrade is when your system can’t keep up with your requirements. If you started with a Core i3 2120 and shared the same thoughts, my recommendation would remain consistent. To address the concern, new graphics cards gain little advantage from PCIe Gen 5 unless VRAM is limited. However, this offers only a small win. It merely reduces the frustration of running out of VRAM slightly. Performance remains severely impacted either way. You’ll notice minimal improvement between PCIe Gen 5 and even PCIe Gen 3 when using an RTX 5090. The only cases where it matters are cards like the RTX 5060, which constantly run low on VRAM and rely on system memory to make up for it. The best path is choosing a card with at least 16GB of VRAM, rather than chasing PCIe Gen 5 technology.