6 votes

Is this the right time to buy an AM5 desktop?

Posted by crdpa
Tags: ask.advice, hardware, computers, am5

I am planning to go back to a desktop after using laptops for years.

I already have an 1080p IPS monitor. I want just the tower.

There is the new Zen 5 coming out soon.

I was thinking about buying a Ryzen 7600 and maybe buy a GPU in the future if I want to play heavier games. The Ryzen 7600 has integrated graphics for basic things.

My main use now is just some casual gaming (Afterimage, Hollow Knight, Fallout 4), movies, browsing the web and compiling some software (Gentoo Linux).

I use exclusively Linux and I want to keep using AMD.

Should I wait the Zen 5 to come out and see if the 7600 price drops or this probably won't happen?

10 comments

  1. [2]
    teaearlgraycold
    Link
    I would get a used CPU if you’re trying to save as much money as possible. They’re the least likely part to break - no moving parts, high standard of quality. A used 7600X looks to be available...

    I would get a used CPU if you’re trying to save as much money as possible. They’re the least likely part to break - no moving parts, high standard of quality. A used 7600X looks to be available for $140 USD on eBay. I can’t imagine any price drops in the next months will beat that.

    If you’re planning to use the integrated graphics for a while the 8600G would be a better chip.

    4 votes
    1. crdpa
      Link Parent
      I'm in Brazil so it is much less likely to find used last gen PC parts. I'll keep an eye anyway. Thanks!

      I'm in Brazil so it is much less likely to find used last gen PC parts. I'll keep an eye anyway. Thanks!

      1 vote
  2. [3]
    vord
    Link
    The older CPUs do tend to drop off in price as they are superceded, yes. I'd wait and see what the next Zen is looking like. If it's 20% better, it may not be worth saving 20% on the previous...

    The older CPUs do tend to drop off in price as they are superceded, yes.

    I'd wait and see what the next Zen is looking like. If it's 20% better, it may not be worth saving 20% on the previous generation.

    I know AM5 is a bit of a different ballgame, but the second generation of AM4 motherboards was also generally much better than the first.

    2 votes
    1. [2]
      crdpa
      Link Parent
      Thanks. I'm not in a rush so it won't hurt to wait a couple of months. Isn't the b650 the second generation of AM5 motherboards? I've been out of the "build your own PC" for a long time. I think...

      Thanks. I'm not in a rush so it won't hurt to wait a couple of months.

      I know AM5 is a bit of a different ballgame, but the second generation of AM4 motherboards was also generally much better than the first.

      Isn't the b650 the second generation of AM5 motherboards?

      I've been out of the "build your own PC" for a long time. I think my last desktop was an Ivy Bridge Intel.

      1 vote
      1. vord
        Link Parent
        Honestly don't know offhand myself. I'm still rolling with AM4 and doing just fine. Steam Deck for most of my games, an AM4 rig for Fortnite, and a Thinkpad x395 for everything else, though that...

        Honestly don't know offhand myself. I'm still rolling with AM4 and doing just fine.

        Steam Deck for most of my games, an AM4 rig for Fortnite, and a Thinkpad x395 for everything else, though that is finally starting to look long in the tooth.

        1 vote
  3. [5]
    hhh
    Link
    i would also consider a 12700k. same price as 7600x, same st performance but substantially better mt performance. uses more power, but intel motherboards are a bit cheaper than am5 motherboards...

    i would also consider a 12700k. same price as 7600x, same st performance but substantially better mt performance. uses more power, but intel motherboards are a bit cheaper than am5 motherboards nowadays. i got a $80 chinaboard with beefy vrms from aliexpress that's been working great over the past year.

    2 votes
    1. [3]
      crdpa
      Link Parent
      I heard that Intel's current cpus have a problem with rapid degradation and instability, but I didn't read much into it. I'm going to check this one.

      I heard that Intel's current cpus have a problem with rapid degradation and instability, but I didn't read much into it.

      I'm going to check this one.

      1 vote
      1. infpossibilityspace
        Link Parent
        The Intel issue you're referring to is related to the 13th and 14th generation of CPUs (and believed to be only the high-end XX900 SKUs), so the 12700k wouldn't be affected by this. I would still...

        The Intel issue you're referring to is related to the 13th and 14th generation of CPUs (and believed to be only the high-end XX900 SKUs), so the 12700k wouldn't be affected by this.

        I would still recommend an AMD AM5 platform for the upgrade path, whereas Intel 12th gen is a dead platform.

        3 votes
      2. sparkle
        Link Parent
        That's just the 13th and 14th Gen i9 as far as I know - I personally have an i7-13700k and have had no issues of any sort across any use case (gaming, rendering, virtualizing, etc)

        That's just the 13th and 14th Gen i9 as far as I know - I personally have an i7-13700k and have had no issues of any sort across any use case (gaming, rendering, virtualizing, etc)

        1 vote
    2. babypuncher
      Link Parent
      I haven't looked at benchmarks, but don't AMD APU's generally give much better gaming performance with their integrated Radeon GPUs than Intel? AMD also offers an actual upgrade path. Zen 6 will...

      I haven't looked at benchmarks, but don't AMD APU's generally give much better gaming performance with their integrated Radeon GPUs than Intel?

      AMD also offers an actual upgrade path. Zen 6 will likely come out in 2026 and will run on an AM5 motherboard bought today with just a firmware update.