AMD has done it again, and with their Zen 3 5000 series processors scheduled to arrive in retail on November 5, everyone’s attention is glued to their notifications to catch a steal right as it goes live. In fact, we can’t even blame anyone for the excitement behind the next-gen CPUs because the hype train has, for the most part, lived up to its expectations, and all that’s left now is for the processors to land in the hands of consumers and professional tech reviewers.
However, past all this hype and excitement, one question stands. And the thought plaguing us all is, do we really need to get the new Zen 3 processor, or can it wait? So, to answer this question, we’ll be exploring the things you need to consider before going out of your way to buy one on the launch date.
You’ll Need To Upgrade Other Components
One thing that everyone needs to understand is that upgrading to the 5000 series processors will end up causing you to upgrade the rest of your components. And, unless you’re rocking an X470 board, you’ll need to put down some cash for a system upgrade because this might be the last time we see the use of the AM4 socket. So, please reconsider the purchase if you don’t already own a system using a B550 or X570 board.
- Missing Out On Key Features: Of course, while there is support for older boards such as the X470 lineup, and you can opt to use the same board, you’ll be missing out on key features. You won’t be able to utilize the PCIe Gen 4, and with SSD prices going down you’re losing out on a lot of speed and potential performance.
- Justifying The Cost: Since you’ll be upgrading your motherboard and CPU, make sure that you have a good enough budget to meet their prices. You don’t want to be getting an upgrade at the expense of not having a cushion for uncertainties. Upgrades can get pricey, so be sure to justify the cost of purchasing.
Does Your Current System Get The Job Done?
Another thing to consider is how well your current system is performing. If it still works, gets the job done for the tasks you need, and is relatively fast for what you’re doing, then a Zen 3 upgrade might not be the most practical option for now. People nowadays are quick to label their computers obsolete and inefficient. However, technology has improved a lot since then, and even older systems are still useful for most browsing and office work.
However, if you are experiencing significant slowdowns and the older components on your systems start to affect your work, that’s a different story. Upgrading will give you a boost in performance and make things much more manageable.
What Type of Work Will Your System Be Doing?
Of course, your PC should always be tailored according to the work you’ll be doing, and if your job requires the latest and greatest tech, then getting the latest Zen 3 processors will be a big step up. In fact, it might even blow away some previous-gen Threadrippers out of the water. However, if you won’t be doing anything that requires overclocking and a lot of power, then sticking to your current system might be the better choice.
- CPU Intensive: 3D rendering, creative work, video editing, and all forms of data mining and compiling all count as very CPU intensive tasks. And if you already a very strong GPU to pair, snatching a 5000 series processors will do away with any chance of bottlenecking.
- Office Work: If your work lies more on the spectrum of office apps, preparing presentations, market analysis, demographic segmentation, and the like. Your tasks will be fine with current-gen and even older generation processors. These aren’t as demanding, so you don’t’ necessarily need the upgrade.
- Casual Gaming: While a good CPU does affect gameplay, getting the latest Zen 3 processors is overkill for casual gaming purposes. Games are usually GPU dependent, s you’re better off focusing on that PC component instead.
How About The Competition?
Being smart about our purchases means considering what the competition has to offer. However, Intel’s current track record and infamous blog post to combat the Ryzen launch don’t give much hope. Yes, the Rocketlake will provide a reasonable upgrade compared to their previous CPU lineup, but when matched with Ryzen, they are evidently behind the innovation curve. So, for all purposes, we advise that you switch to Ryzen for any upgrade.
There’s A Lot of Demand
Lastly, before you decide that everything checks out and getting Zen 3 is the perfect choice for you, understand that there’s a lot of demand for this product. So, be ready to face intense competition because supplies are probably low, and they’re definitely not going to last. We might even see a repeat of the RTX 30-series cards launch, but we hope that the supply problem isn’t as bad.
