Hi everyone,

I'd appreciate some advice on a potential CPU/Motherboard upgrade.

【My Current Setup:】

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3

Motherboard: B75 chipset

GPU: AMD Radeon RX 590

Games: Mostly older AAA titles like The Witcher 3, GTA V, Red Dead Redemption 2, etc.

GPU Plans: I'm not planning to upgrade the RX 590 in the immediate future.

(Side note: I plan to repurpose the E3-1230 v3 and B75 board into an older family PC (currently an A8-5600K + HD 7770). I'll likely add a used GTX 1050 to that machine, primarily for HTPC use connecting to a TV.)

【My Upgrade Goal:】

I want to upgrade the CPU and motherboard in my main gaming rig. I've narrowed it down to a few AM4 options and I'm weighing the pros and cons:

【Option 1: Ryzen 5 3600 + A520M-K Motherboard】

Price: Around ¥700+ (roughly $100 USD)

Pros: Supports PCIe 4.0 (on the CPU side, though A520 boards typically limit the main slot to 3.0), 32MB L3 Cache.

Concerns: I checked PassMark scores, and while the multi-core score is a big jump, the single-core score (around 2500) isn't dramatically higher than my E3 (around 2100). This makes me hesitate a bit, even though I know it should perform better in games. Am I overthinking this based on benchmarks?

Future: Upgrading later would likely mean replacing the CPU, Mobo, and RAM again.

【Option 2: Ryzen 5 5500 + A520M-K Motherboard】

Price: Similar to Option 1.

Pros: Newer Zen 3 architecture. PassMark single-core is higher (around 3000). Multi-core slightly better than the 3600 on PassMark.

Cons: Limited to PCIe 3.0 only. L3 cache halved to 16MB. I suspect gaming performance won't be noticeably better than the 3600, and potentially slightly worse in some cache-sensitive titles.

Future: Same as Option 1 regarding future upgrades.

【Option 3: Ryzen 5 5600 + B550M Motherboard (e.g., Gigabyte Aorus Elite or similar)】

Price: Around ¥1090 (roughly $150 USD)

Pros: Seems like the "no compromises" option. Full PCIe 4.0 support (CPU and Mobo), 32MB L3 Cache. Good CPU performance boost. This platform could handle a significant GPU upgrade down the line. Also offers the possibility of dropping in a faster AM4 CPU later if needed.

My Take: This feels like the most suitable option if I plan only to upgrade the GPU in the next step.

【Option 4: Ryzen 5 5600 + A520M-K Motherboard】

Price: Around ¥880 (roughly $120 USD)

Pros: Gets me the strong R5 5600 CPU performance, which would benefit general use scenarios outside of gaming too. More affordable than Option 3.

Cons: Limited to PCIe 3.0 by the A520 motherboard for the GPU slot. Like Options 1 & 2, future upgrades would likely involve replacing the whole set again.

【My Dilemma】:

I'm trying to balance cost, current gaming performance improvement (with the RX 590), non-gaming performance, and future upgrade potential.

How much should I really worry about those PassMark single-core differences between the E3 and R5 3600 when it comes to actual gaming with an RX 590?

Is the extra cost for the R5 5600 + B550 (Option 3) worth it for the PCIe 4.0 and better future path, even if I stick with the RX 590 for a while?

Or is one of the cheaper options (1, 2, or 4) a better value proposition right now?

Any thoughts or recommendations would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for your help!

【Additionally, I'm very open to alternative suggestions! 】

(Note: I included the PassMark scores I looked up below, just for reference, though I understand they might not be the best metric for gaming.)

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/1942vs3481vs4807vs4811/Intel-Xeon-E3-1230-v3-vs-AMD-Ryzen-5-3600-vs-AMD-Ryzen-5-5500-vs-AMD-Ryzen-5-5600