Choose between 2600, 2700X or 3500X (available in stores). What would you prefer?
Choose between 2600, 2700X or 3500X (available in stores). What would you prefer?
Right now I own a Ryzen 7 1700 and I’m trying to decide what to upgrade to. The 3600 model isn’t available or feels too expensive at the moment, so the three options from the listing stand out. I have 16GB of 3600MHz RAM and a GTX 1070 graphics card. The 2600 is the most affordable, around $260, while the 3500X would bring my RAM up to 3600MHz, which seems possible based on the motherboard specs (around 3333). The 2700X is another possibility since it’s in the cheaper 3000 series range, and I’m considering saving about $60 to go for it. My monitor runs at 1080p at 144Hz, so I’m focused on maximizing performance from my 1070. I don’t plan to overclock, so I’m leaning toward the 2700X unless it’s worth the investment. The 3500X is just another option since it’s the lowest price in the 3000 series, except for a slightly higher model like the 3100.
It varies based on your needs. Are you mainly using it for gaming or content creation? It could be a balanced mix or lean more toward one area.
From a gaming perspective, the 3500X seems to offer the strongest performance even with limited threads. The 2700X would follow, providing more than a 1700 boost without needing overclocking, which still results in better gains. The 2600 maintains a clock advantage over the 1700. The main challenge lies in managing available cores versus threads—since a single thread is far more valuable than a core—and adapting to generation changes from Zen 2 (3500X) to Zen+ (2600, 2700X).
For gaming purposes only, I agree with what @porina shared. A 3500x model would be ideal, provided you locate one, with a 2700x as a close alternative.
It’s mostly what I expected, but it’s easier to hear someone else’s take too. I just got the 1070 recently with a 1700 and it performs similarly to the RX 480—maybe the frame rate feels smoother, though not significantly higher in FPS. I’m looking for something that can handle the 1070 well.
I started with 3500X because it was significantly cheaper than 3600, and I didn’t really need the additional threads. I was hoping for a second view since some people think 3500X isn’t a good deal, but it looks like the best choice so far.
Monitor the situation and check whether the 3600 reappears in the stock or shows up on the used market. Avoid 3500x because it shares the same concern as other 6c/6t grades—lack of thread count leads to poorer frame rate performance.
Hardware unboxed review or on-site test? The frame rate was significantly lower than the 3600 model, with only minor differences in average FPS.