Ryzen 5 7600 or the 5 9600X?

Posted by TwilightMountain@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 12 comments

I'm building my very first PC, and I admittedly know very very little about what I'm doing. My budget is somewhere around the $1,200 range (give or take).

I'm stuck between the Ryzen 5 7600 or the 9600X. From what I've learned so far, the higher the number = the better the component, basically.

Right now the 7600 is on sale on Amazon for $160 (marked down from $299) and the 9600x is on sale for $165 (marked down from $279). Where I'm confused is why is the regular retail price of the 7600 more expensive than the 9600X? Am I just dumb and not noticing a really obvious reason?

What would you choose between the two? I'm just going for a solid gaming setup. Also what motherboard would you recommend, or any other parts at all for that matter?

I'm trying to decide on as many parts as I can before Amazon Prime Day is over on the 11th so I can compare prices between them and NewEgg. Any other website recommendations are welcome. Thanks so much!

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Perfect_Memory9876@reddit

the 7600 was and is a mega CPU on the AM5 platform. it's like the 3600 for the am4. when am5 came out the 7600 was the main CPU so they have a heavy stock on them. the 9600 is just the newer version of that same CPU

TwilightMountain@reddit (OP)

Thank you so much! So the 9600 is basically just a newer 7600? In that case should I get the 9600X because it's newer and $5 cheaper right now?

That's what most are doing. If your in the US, Amazon is having Prime Day deals this week

mig_f1@reddit

Between the 2 I'd go for 9600X (is newer gen), but with your budget I'd go for R7 7700x.

As for motherboard, this is a solid one: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/zd3xgn

Jellismate@reddit

Based on feedback I got off of here this morning, this is the 9600X build im going with. Right at your budget!

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/qJZgcx

nice build but go with the montech century 2 850w for the same price. from what it looks like the PSU you listed may have issues in that case as the plug in are on the side.

Parking_Cress_5105@reddit

9xxx is like 10%faster (3-4% faster in games) so the price should match that.

The 9xxx was much more expensive than 7xxxx for a time, but it seems to be finally coming down and is worth recommending.

If you can get a cheaper non X version, get that, the X is basically never worth the extra price.

RythmRenegade@reddit

If you're choosing between the Ryzen 5 7600 and the Ryzen 5 9600X, I'd recommend the 7600 if you're building a new system. The 7600 offers better per-core performance and power efficiency, especially with newer games and applications. The 9600X is still solid, but it's a bit older and may not be as promising. If you're on a budget and want to future-proof your build, go for the 7600. What do you primarily use your PC for? Gaming or something else?