johnukguy

Gumtree.

The CPU alone is cheaper on Newegg yes but still more expensive, when taking into account a suitable motherboard, than buying the CPU/mobo combination from somewhere like Microcenter/Frys/Staples. You're right about the coolers though, the Spire is better.

What's your budget and have you tried with different components, such as the PSU/sata cable for the SSD and so on?

Microcenter has the combo cheaper, or Frys or Staples, who usually price match if you're not near a Microcenter and you can set the RGB to more or less whatever you want (the white is off though) on the Gigabyte board. If you do get that, flash the BIOS to F23d, the latest revision.

As someone who's worked as a journalist, I tend to take the side of other journalists and analysts over entertainers with faulty methodology, but at least we can agree to disagree, when what is important here is that the 8400, at it's present price at least, is not as good a buy as a Ryzen CPU and mobo combo (1600 or above).

It is for a modest overclock, though, that said, on the X series Ryzen + CPU's it's probably better just to let XFR do it's thing. Where overclocking is more viable is with the non X CPU variants. If you want to go for a 1600, plus a B350 board, then if you are near a Microcenter, you can pick up both for about $200 total.

HU's benchmarks are often off and he's rightly been called out for that by AdoredTV. A Ryzen 1600 and above can indeed beat an 8400, or come close enough that it doesn't matter, when overclocked, when paired with high frequency RAM, which I should have added. Without high frequency RAM though it still does perfectly well.

Under normal, stock operation, you'll likely only notice a difference of a few degrees. Hower, if you overclock your CPU, than you will be able to get better temperatures with a decent air cooler than with the stock cooler. The stock cooler isn't bad by any means but something like a Noctua will give you better temps under load, especially when overclocked.

You don't need one. Most PC parts stores will do that for you for free if you buy anything from them.

I would include a 1600 in that too and it will still perform better for video editing and streaming than the 8400.

An overclocked Ryzen above 1600 will beat an 8400 in many games, or at least hold it's own very well, and give you better performance in just about everything else, especially video editing/rendering and streaming, if you want to do that at some point. If you do want to go for the 2600x and are in the US, you can pick one up, with a motherboard such as the ASRock AB350 Pro4, for about $270 total (not including tax). It is stretching your budget but will likely be worth saving a little more for as Talimon1 said.

What did I say they will do exactly? I didn't say they will do anything. I just made the point that nobody who calls themselves a journalist, can accept gifts, free stuff worth a lot of money, or payment of some sort, sign an NDA and expect to be taken credibly as a journalist. That's simply the way it is, not a matter of opinion. If you disagree, then come up with a single journalistic code of ethics that agrees with you. You won't find a single one. If people are so poorly informed that they don't understand that, then I feel sorry for them. If on the other hand some tech tuber, who doesn't claim to be a journalist, accepts freebies and signs an NDA, it's not a big deal. I still don't give them much credibility of course, because, like I have said multiple times, you cannot expect to be objective when you are dependent on and materially benefit from a corporation that you are then supposed to be objective about. Again, not a matter of opinion. But tech tubers like that aren't a big issue, they're not journalists and wouldn't be able to be journalists. If people want to be gullible when it comes to such a commercial relationship, great, that's their problem and...there's one born every minute. Now, where's that NDA you claimed to exist that you still haven't been able to provide a single example of?

Ten people can tell me that unicorns exist, and I'm sure I can find a hundred people that want to deposit a million dollars into my account in return for a small favour for a Nigerian prince, it doesn't change the facts. But nice try. I bet you've bought a few bridges in your time lol. Plus, listen to what exactly? You saying that most reviews agree and that BS eventually surfaces? That doesn't disprove my point, which is, again, very simple - there is a reason why journalists are not allowed to accept gifts under their professional code of ethics, and are not allowed to be dependent on any outside corporations that they are then supposed to treat objectively. If you don't understand why that is, or why it matters, here's a little test for you, I can give you the name of an officer of the court, if you are in the US or the UK, within a reasonable distance of your home, go and offer them a gift and see how it works out for you.

Hate to burst your bubble but you did bring up Ryan's name initially. You might want to not do that next time if you are discussing objective reviews.

Oh you mean when I ask you for a single example of an NDA that you claim to exist that you can't in fact provide? And when you give as an example of an objective reviewer, someone who was caught providing favourable reviews to companies that paid him. That's when you decide not to talk anymore? How amusing. No surprises at all of course, but it was great fun playing with you.