Consider Ryzen 5 3500X or 1600 AF options.
Consider Ryzen 5 3500X or 1600 AF options.
Are you comparing the 3500x to the 1600 AF? The 3500x did better in the gaming benchmark video you mentioned. You have two Ryzen 5s in your budget (100-120 USD), both used, and you're looking for a temporary upgrade from the R3 1200. A 1080p monitor is fine, and you don’t need a high-end GPU.
I’d pick the 1600 since it has 'AF' in the name which is impressive. Honestly, why upgrade just to upgrade again soon (in about an hour)? The 3600 would offer almost no performance boost over the 3500x. I’d recommend taking the 1600 and wait for the next generation, or save up until you can afford the 3600.
Wow, you're really impressive! How do you manage to stay cool? I’m curious if it takes a lot of time on online forums. I just hope I can be cool too and avoid giving boring answers. And I’d like to laugh at people’s posts so I don’t feel so down about my life. How can I do that?
3500x will perform better in games that ignore SMT, as it uses Zen 2 while the 1600AF relies on Zen+. Considering your GPU and resolution, neither option seems like a smart short-term fix since you already have a usable setup (R3 1200) until you upgrade. Both choices are weak economic decisions. It’s wiser to plan for a 5600x instead of spending on either.
Great choice overall. It’s a shame they’re not releasing more often. Imagining a future '3600 AF' next year would be exciting.