CPU and Motherboard Upgrade Paths

[aboutpedro]

Budget (including currency): ~600 USD / 4k BRL

Country: Brazil

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Latest-gen AAA, every indie available. Want to futureproof and be able to run most games until the end of current console generation. I also work from this computer, so having a quiet system is kind of a big deal.

Current setup:

Intel Core i5-8400

ASUS TUF B360M-PLUS GAMING/BR

GIGABYTE RTX 3070 Gaming OC (GV-N3070GAMING OC-8GD)

16GB DDR4 Crucial Ballistics @ 2666Mhz

2-monitor setup: 1 1080p@144Hz; 1 1080p@60Hz

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I'm thinking about changing my motherboard and my CPU. Right now I'm between the Ryzen 5 5600x and the Ryzen 7 5800x, both fitting within my budget and local availability. Which one would be the best choice, considering the usage I described above? I have an OK air cooler, but having the 105W TDP with the 5800X worries me a bit. Are the 2 extra cores worth it?

And, of course, with the CPU change there's a mobo change incoming. Is the B550m Steel Legend a good pick? Are there any other ATX boards to consider?

 

Thanks in advance, guys!

[MadAnt250]

3 minutes ago, aboutpedro said:

And, of course, with the CPU change there's a mobo change incoming.

Upgrade the RAM too, Ryzen performs better with faster RAM.

[aboutpedro]

6 minutes ago, MadAnt250 said:

Upgrade the RAM too, Ryzen performs better with faster RAM.

Forgot to mention that! Getting 2x8 @3600MHz, thanks for reminding me of it.

[mahyar]

there is no need for a platform swap i'd suggest you to get either a 8700 or 9700

[aboutpedro]

1 hour ago, mahyar said:

there is no need for a platform swap i'd suggest you to get either a 8700 or 9700

Thought about it, but besides the higher TDP, a 9700 goes for the same price as the 5600x in Brazil. The memory speed limitation of my current mobo is pretty lame too - it only supports speeds up to 2666MHz, and that's starting to show its age. Thanks for the input, though!