Selected the wrong option...
Selected the wrong option...
Hello... It's the holiday season and I'm looking to upgrade my PC. I own a B450 Tomahawk (not the latest model) with 2560 MHz RAM, 3400MHz clock speed, and a 750W Corsair PSU. The case is set up with some Sirius loop RGB fans. I'm unsure which upgrade would be best since prices vary a lot in my area. My current specs are around 2080 MHz, 3600x2260 MHz, and the 3700X model is the cheapest at 3480 MHz. I'm considering getting a new R5 3600 or maybe an R7 3700X, or perhaps adding more RAM or an SSD. I mainly play games and use Photoshop and video editing software. While the 3700X is clear in terms of performance, the price seems too high for just two extra cores. What should I choose?
Tomahawk is a solid board choice. Likely superior to some x470 models. Even x570s might be okay if you dislike proprietary fans. It has certain drawbacks, but they’re usually manageable for many users. Some claim a 2700 can reach speeds close to a 3700 with proper cooling and RAM. However, the price may not justify the performance gains. It’s packed with cooling solutions.
For better value, opt for the R5 3600X. Your B450 motherboard is sufficient for it—no need to upgrade to X570 unless you plan future expansion to an RTX 3900X or 3950X with Gen4 PCIe speeds. You can also stick with your 3400MHz RAM unless you aim for the ideal performance of a 3600MHz CL16. While having more RAM isn’t crucial, adding 32GB is plenty for Chrome tabs and software like Adobe Premiere and After Effects, which handle large files well. If you find a good deal on an SSD or M.2 drive (SATA 3 or better, ideally NVMe), it’ll improve speed and efficiency.
The tomahawk works well as a board. I’d retain it and opt for the 3600X. If you don’t already have one, consider spending the remainder on a fresh NVMe SSD, or just keep it.
3600 makes sense and the 3600x is really a waste of money. just note there is roughly a 20% jump between 2600 and 3600 if you are looking for significant performance improvement you would need to go with 3700x or higher. 2 cores is 25% more cores than the 2600/3600. if the program supports multicore processing (most programs such as photoshop and premiere will use the extra cores) you can expect it to render video much faster with the extra cores. personally buying 3600 over r2600 isnt that of a significant upgrade and you will probably be disappointed if you are expecting leaps and bound performance improvements..
Choose the 3600 option. If you want fast results, it might be better to invest more; otherwise, it's just for entertainment. The main cost is time, and you decide what you're willing to trade for it. You can adjust the 3600 to match your expectations, but the cooler won't justify the expense.
4.4GHz only if you boost the voltage beyond suggested limits. R6 3600X are more advanced.
Yes, it's possible. What's mentioned in most GamersNexus videos supports this.