To improve your performance from the Ryzen 1700X, which is based on the older Zen architecture, you would want to consider newer processors that support DDR5 memory and fall within your budget of up to $500. Here are a couple of excellent options that meet your requirements:
### 1. AMD Ryzen 7 7600
- **Cores/Threads**: 6 cores / 12 threads
- **Base Clock**: 3.8 GHz
- **Boost Clock**: Up to 5.1 GHz
- **TDP**: 65 W
- **Supported Memory**: DDR5 up