Upgrade from Ryzen 7 3700X to Ryzen 7 5700X or Ryzen 7 5800XT?
Upgrade from Ryzen 7 3700X to Ryzen 7 5700X or Ryzen 7 5800XT?
Hi all,
I'm currently using a Ryzen 7 3700X with an RTX 3070 Ti. Because of the high prices, I'm planning to stick with AM4 and will be upgrading the CPU since it's seven years old now. AM5 seems out of reach at the moment? Which CPU would be better? I've heard the Ryzen 7 5800XT gets quite hot, but how much does it actually reach?
Ryzen 7 5700X - £167
Ryzen 7 5800XT - £188
My current setup is loading…
uk.pcpartpicker.com
I think it's a good choice for the slight price variation, opting for the 5800XT.
Your cooling performance should be fine.
Best of luck!
There are platforms where you can evaluate CPUs. For instance:
https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/AM...vsm1823386
https://versus.com/en/amd-ryzen-7-5700x-...n-7-5800xt
The overall variation isn't significant.
The 5700X has a 65W TDP and 88W PPT, while the 5800XT features 105W TDP and 142W PPT. Under heavy load, cores may reach +95°C and enter thermal throttling. My 3800 X matches 105W TDP, 142W PPT and performs well with an NH-D14. The 7950X offers 170W TDP and 230W PPT, also running smoothly on an NH-D15 (not the MK2). Neither of my Ryzens has PBO. Choose the CPU that suits you best. For just £21 more, I’d pick the 5800XT. After all, upgrading is important and losing a bit of performance isn’t worth it. My only concern is whether the 20% multi-thread boost between the 3700X and the 5800XT is noticeable—it’s not a huge difference and could be a waste.
The 5800XT features more binned cores, making the main variation noticeable during undervolting with PBO2 / Core Optimizer. This adjustment allows it to operate at lower voltage offsets across many cores, though setting it up can be a bit challenging. Undervolting in this way helps maintain cooler temperatures, achieves higher clock speeds for longer, and stabilizes at elevated sustained core frequencies during intensive rendering tasks—even when running cooler and at reduced voltage.
For gaming on an AM4 or X3d processor, the 5800X3d remains a strong contender.
In gaming workloads, it stays competitive with modern chips, while the 5700X3d matches it closely. These options are likely priced higher than the 5700X and 5800XT you're considering, but they offer nearly identical performance without the significant cost increase of transitioning to AM5 and DDR5 memory.
When comparing the 5700x and 5800xt, undervolting the 5800xt makes sense because they’re likely similar at that stage. Choosing the 5700x could save some money since it’s probably comparable in price. For an am4 build, upgrading to a newer CPU and replacing the old one can offset the cost.