unsure about processor for my pc build

[Hope12]

im unsure about buying either the i7 9700k or the ryzen 7 3700x. im planning to use an rtx 2070 super in 1440p. the i7 itself is more expensive, but the z390 motherboards are cheaper, so in the end intel is cheaper. im mostly doing gaming, and the only non gaming related task that will use a lot of my cpu will be vm's.

[Slottr]

3700x. The 9700k is fairly redundant nowadays compared to other offerings.

 

If the price of motherboard is putting you off on the 3700x get a B450 Tomahawk MAX

[Hope12]

i am slightly worried about putting the ryzen cpu in the socket, i am fairly new to assembling pc's, the most i've done is changing thermal paste on an intel cpu

[Elisis]

Technically going with the 9700k will net you better gaming performance, although it does depend on the game. Particularly if you OC. It's just up to you whether the performance is worth the extra money.

[Hope12]

the i7 is actually cheaper, and i have a beefy cooler to do some oc

[Stu_Bear]

IPC vs threads debate.  I vote for more threads...144fps with stutters isn't cool.  Rather have 120fps and smooth game play.  B450 boards are more than adequate.

[Elisis]

Just now, Stu_Bear said:

IPC vs threads debate.  I vote for more threads...144fps with stutters isn't cool.  Rather have 120fps and smooth game play.  B450 boards are more than adequate.

You have no reason to believe that a lack of HT will always cause stuttering in games. 9700k is fine.

[Stu_Bear]

7 minutes ago, Elisis said:

You have no reason to believe that a lack of HT will always cause stuttering in games. 9700k is fine.

Don't think it causes stuttering in all games...not at all.  Just on average the frame timings on higher thread counts is more consistent.  I'm sure there are games out there that suffer no stuttering with a 9700k, but I'm positive the average frame timings on a 3700x is better if we are taking all games into account.  I don't have tests and spreadsheets to share, but from other people's comments and the experts' conclusions.  Having switched from a i5-8500 to a 8700k...the doubling of threads had a noticeable effect.

[Hope12]

forgot to add, im buying the 2070s and one of those cpus in april, and im thinking about waiting for ryzen 4xxx and intel 10th gen releases

[Coachdude]

The 3700X is in almost every aspect the superior processor, especially if they're priced similarly. Since you're going to be playing at 1440P your graphics card will almost always be the bottleneck, ( Although this does depend upon the games you're playing, but most Triple-A titles will ensure a gpu bottleneck at this resolution. ) so I would choose the 3700X every time. In 2020, I would not EVER consider purchasing a processor that lacks smt or hyperthreading, especially if I wanted this system to last multiple years into the next console generation. The 9700K is okay in the here and now, but this is a tale as old as time. Processors that lack hyperthreading become obsolete far too quickly. It's happened to every processor thus far that has lacked this feature, ( Quad Core i5s, Six Core i5s, and in a few years time, I don't see the 9700K being any different. ) The new generation of consoles and game designs are upon us, and those boxes will feature 8C/16T Zen 2 based socs albeit at lower clocks, so I would imagine something like a higher clocking 3600 would fair okay given the price, and any 8C/16T processor will fair even better, especially if things are to be run in the background like most pcs. 

 

All in all the 3700X is comparable to a 9900K in terms of overall compute performance, a bit slower in gaming yes, but at 1440P the difference will be negligible. Don't make the mistake of going with a gimped part whose only existence is justified by Intel's product segmentation. If you must have Intel I would wait until 10th gen Comet Lake is released, as the i7 of 10th gen should be what the 9900K is now, functionally, and should have a way more justifiable price point. But if you have to choose now, go with the 3700X. Just a much superior processor overall. The 9700K is a meme processor ( And will be known as the Intel gen without hyperthreading, seeing as how all 10th gen skus are rumored to include it. ), much like the 970 was vs the 390 and 390X, and we all know how that turned out.