This upgrade boosts performance significantly.
This upgrade boosts performance significantly.
You’re using an i5-2500k at 4.5 GHz with your Asus Strix GTX 970. After some consideration, the build seemed suitable for your needs. When you began editing 4K 60 videos and downloaded Half Life Alyx, your experience changed. Checking Task Manager confirms the CPU is the bottleneck. You’re thinking about upgrading to a 5600X but your dad prefers saving money. I found a 3600X at around $200 on Best Buy. At that price point, both you and your dad could be satisfied, but I want to verify if it’s worth the investment for your CPU performance. Some might say go with the 3600X right away, but comparing it to your current setup in most games shows only minor differences—so I’m curious whether this upgrade is a solid choice.
It's a solid choice for value, especially considering the price. On Intel, you could find comparable performance with fewer cores, though if timing isn't critical, a 5600G might appear later at a slightly cheaper cost.
Right now we're looking at a 2600k model, and eventually we'll upgrade to a Ryzen. Prices will naturally adjust based on what you want, not just hype. Scalpers will see prices rise as demand increases.
I believe the 3600 model should cost less than $200 otherwise you’ll just wait for the 5600x to arrive. If you’ve been using a 2500k version, it’s likely you’ll need this updated version for some time. In that scenario, the 5600x remains the better option.
For titles such as Half Life Alyx, a 3600Hz and GTX 970 combo should work well at 90Hz and near full resolution. On Quest 2, performance will depend more on your GPU settings and game optimization rather than just the specs.
He ran smoothly at 90fps on the 1080Ti using 3600 or 5600p settings, but it slowed down when using higher resolutions.