Looking for guidance on choosing a motherboard and CPU?
Looking for guidance on choosing a motherboard and CPU?
Hello everyone, I'm evaluating an upgrade for my CPU+Mobo, mainly for gaming and streaming. I'm weighing 5600X or 5800X with one of these boards: Gigabyte Aorus B550 Elite or Asus TUF Gaming B550M-Plus MSI MAG TOMAHAWK B550. I'm saving about $80-82 if I choose the 5600X, though the Pro AC is pricier. My current rig uses an i5-9600K, RTX 3070, CL18 3600Mhz, 8GB RAM, and a Cougar GXF heatsink with a 750PSU. I typically run my CPU at 4.6 cores per core, keeping temps around 55-65°C during games. I want to push the AMD chip's core clocks to full speed, similar to what I did on the 9600K. My questions are: do I need a more powerful PSU for AMD? Should I upgrade my cooler immediately if I plan to overclock aggressively? Which option would suit me best from what I've listed? I'm new to AMD—any tips for the transition? Thanks in advance!
For gaming or streaming, letting an AMD processor adapt its clock speeds is ideal. The single core often reaches higher speeds than all-core rates, and using PBO (power limits, auto-boost, undervolt) usually enhances performance. For instance, my 5900X typically hits around 4.5-4.6Ghz all at once, but can spike to over 5Ghz under lighter tasks or games. I also saw my 5900X achieve an all-core overclock of 4.6Ghz at 1.25V—this boost didn’t noticeably improve Cinebench scores and actually hurt game performance. When comparing 5600X and 5800X, the 5800X seems better for streaming, as extra cores provide more breathing room.
I agree with this point. The gap between the 5800X and 9900K isn't huge, and it could prevent needing to replace your motherboard or reinstall Windows.
You appreciate the helpful answers from both of you. I'm dealing with a tricky situation regarding my budget Z370—it won't support a 9900K, and I'd need a new Z370/390 which are quite costly. The most affordable 9900K I can find is about $100 more than the 5800X, which explains my decision to go upgrading now. In the meantime, if I choose the CPU+Mobo combination, I won't be able to install better cooling for at least a month. Thanks again!