Gaming CPU choices

[Lemings_]

I've been looking at various guides, benchmarks, tests, videos about plenty of CPUs over the last few days and I still can't come to a conclusion.

A little context, my current setup is an i5 6600k with a GTX 1070. 24GB of DDR4 Corsair Vengeance CL15 3000Mhz memory. I am looking to upgrade the CPU, which will come with a new motherboard and most likely a new cooler as well (Hyper 212X currently). Best case scenario is an 8 core 16 thread CPU that can last me at least 5 years. (I hope that doesn't make me sound like an idiot, I'm a bit out of touch with the current trends in this area) I've had this build for 3 or so years but went with an older CPU at the time because of money constrains. I am NOT looking to get a different kit of RAM, as that would be way out of budget.

 

It is most likely only used for gaming, with the occasional stream. I don't plan on doing any video editing at all, and the chance of me compiling code on this is very slim.

 

A friend of mine has been recommending the 10700k, and it does seem to be the best choice. Yet everyone is saying how great AMD is doing with their Ryzen CPUs.

The 10700k is already stretching the boundaries of my budget so I'd rather not go over that in price. But I'm willing to pay that if it means it is a considerably better and more likely to last a longer time before having to upgrade.

I've been looking at the 3800x but to me it just seems like a straight up weaker CPU with a lot more hassle (lower per-core performance, AMDs being more reliant on memory when overclocking).

I've also looked at the 10600k which would be a lot better on my wallet, but I'm a bit skeptical about the longevity of the 6 cores and the scale of the upgrade (I guess it's still 12 threads instead of my current 4).

 

All in all, my current choices mostly come down to the 10700k and the 3800x.

I'd like to ask you to give me some strengths and weaknesses to these CPUs, perhaps some recommendations.

I'm also interested about the Ryzen overclocks. I've heard they have better results with better memory, but that's not an option for me right now.

[Helpful Tech Witch]

Just wait 1-2 months more. If you are this on the edge, ryzen should be releasing in a few weeks, and it looks good. 

[Lemings_]

2 minutes ago, TheTechWizardThatNeedsHelp said:

Just wait 1-2 months more. If you are this on the edge, ryzen should be releasing in a few weeks, and it looks good. 

Do we have any core counts, speeds and price available that actually make it a question though? The 3800x is 0.6Ghz per core behind the 10700k in performance and I don't see the point in waiting for basically the same CPU by another brand for most likely a very similar price.

 

[DailyProcrastinator]

Welcome to the forum!

 

5 minutes ago, Lemings_ said:

-Snip-

TLDR.

 

If all you do is game then an i5 10600k is the best CPU you can buy. It clocks crazy high and can match the performance of a 10900k with some work. 

 

If you need multi-core performance get a Ryzen 7 or 9. The 10700k makes no sense because it does not offer better gaming performance over the 10600k, and it falls short of the Ryzen CPU's in the same price range with regards to core-heavy workloads. 

 

I myself am looking at getting a 10600k but I personally am waiting for next gen Ryzen to launch before making my purchase decision.

 

This said the GPU would be the bottleneck. Unless you plan to upgrade that as well in the near future than I would not bother with a CPU upgrade. The 6600k is not bad, have you OC'd your CPU?

 

 

[DailyProcrastinator]

9 minutes ago, TheTechWizardThatNeedsHelp said:

Just wait 1-2 months more. If you are this on the edge, ryzen should be releasing in a few weeks, and it looks good. 

A 1-2 week launch is not yet confirmed, and it is also not happening. AMD announcing a future launch in 1-2 weeks, maybe, but that is very different from actually launching a product for retail sale. 

 

EDIT: Nevermind I cannot read lol

[Helpful Tech Witch]

Just now, Lemings_ said:

Do we have any core counts, speeds and price available that actually make it a question though? The 3800x is 0.6Ghz per core behind the 10700k in performance and I don't see the point in waiting for basically the same CPU by another brand for most likely a very similar price.

 

Not the same cpu. Intel is better for gaming this gen, due to the higher per core. Ryxen has a higher IPC (instructions per clock) and rurmors suggest a 13-17% jump on that, as well as increased clocks. (the 4950x is supposed to be a few hundred mhz faster base) OCing on ryzen is open on all CPUs, and availiable on all b-series mobos.

[Helpful Tech Witch]

Just now, TheDailyProcrastinator said:

A 1-2 week launch is not yet confirmed, and it is also not happening. AMD announcing a future launch in 1-2 weeks, maybe, but that is very different from actually launching a product for retail sale. 

1-2 monts, a few weeks (3-7)

[DailyProcrastinator]

1 minute ago, TheTechWizardThatNeedsHelp said:

1-2 monts, a few weeks (3-7)

My bad lol, dyslexia at it's finest. But yeah we'll see.

[KaitouX]

There is no reason to look into the 3800x, go with the 3900x or 3700x if you decide to go AMD.

13 minutes ago, Lemings_ said:

But I'm willing to pay that if it means it is a considerably better and more likely to last a longer time before having to upgrade.

It isn't considerably better. Nowhere near enough to change the time before having to upgrade.

7 minutes ago, Lemings_ said:

The 3800x is 0.6Ghz per core behind the 10700k in performance

4GHz on Zen 2 is faster than 4GHz on Skylake(and it's variants), higher clock doesn't automatically translate into better performance, if it did FX CPUs would be some of the fastest CPUs out there.

[Lemings_]

Just now, TheDailyProcrastinator said:

Welcome to the forum!

 

TLDR.

 

If all you do is game then an i5 10600k is the best CPU you can buy. It clocks crazy high and can match the performance of a 10900k with some work. 

 

If you need multi-core performance get a Ryzen 7 or 9. The 10700k makes no sense because it does not offer better gaming performance over the 10600k, and it falls short of the Ryzen CPU's in the same price range with regards to core-heavy workloads. 

 

I myself am looking at getting a 10600k but I personally am waiting for next gen Ryzen to launch before making my purchase decision.

 

This said the GPU would be the bottleneck. Unless you plan to upgrade that as well in the near future than I would not bother with a CPU upgrade. The 6600k is not bad, have you OC'd your CPU?

 

 

Thanks! 

 

Yes, my 6600k is currently on 4.4Ghz on all cores.

 

As for the other point, I really don't understand how 2 cores and 4 threads are dismissed in Intel's lineup. While it might not be a huge increase today, surely it would matter in the future? I like the price and performance of the 10600k but I just can't stop thinking about the 6 core 12 thread instead of the 8 core 16 threads.

 

The GPU will probably be upgraded in a year or two, depending on how soon I'll start to see the performance not be enough.

[Lemings_]

1 minute ago, KaitouX said:

4GHz on Zen 2 is faster than 4GHz on Skylake(and it's variants), higher clock doesn't automatically translate into better performance, if it did FX CPUs would be some of the fastest CPUs out there.

Can you elaborate on this please? I'd love to know what else factors into the actual real-world speed besides the clock speed. Something I could also look out for when looking at CPUs.

[KaitouX]

14 minutes ago, Lemings_ said:

The GPU will probably be upgraded in a year or two, depending on how soon I'll start to see the performance not be enough.

I would upgrade the CPU together with the GPU, unless the 6600K starts to really hurt the performance in the games you play. You will probably have more options by the time the you go to buy the GPU, and possibly a new platform using DDR5 on both Intel and AMD.

12 minutes ago, Lemings_ said:

Can you elaborate on this please? I'd love to know what else factors into the actual real-world speed besides the clock speed. Something I could also look out for when looking at CPUs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instructions_per_cycle

On the 4GHz Zen2 vs 4GHz Skylake(in this case the 9900K):

https://www.techspot.com/article/1876-4ghz-ryzen-3rd-gen-vs-core-i9/

Also important to note that the reason why Intel is faster at gaming is not only due to frequency, like shown in the test above.

[DailyProcrastinator]

14 minutes ago, Lemings_ said:

Thanks! 

 

Yes, my 6600k is currently on 4.4Ghz on all cores.

 

As for the other point, I really don't understand how 2 cores and 4 threads are dismissed in Intel's lineup. While it might not be a huge increase today, surely it would matter in the future? I like the price and performance of the 10600k but I just can't stop thinking about the 6 core 12 thread instead of the 8 core 16 threads.

 

The GPU will probably be upgraded in a year or two, depending on how soon I'll start to see the performance not be enough.

Yeah good CPU to OC. At 1080p I guess you would see a bit of an FPS increase but a 10600k will bottleneck a 1070. At 1440p or 4k the gaming load is more GPU bound.

 

In all honesty I keep waiting for more cores and threads to have an affect gaming performance, still waiting 3+ years after first hearing this. For users who only game that is why everyone recommends the 3600/3600x, as there is next to zero improvement by going for the 3700x/3800x.

Bottom line is that frequency still rules supreme. Long term this may actually change, but I personally still see a 6C 12T CPU holding up for many years, again why I personally am considering this for my gaming rig. 

 

[xg32]

15 minutes ago, Lemings_ said:

.

there are so many factors going into the decision right now, but i definitely would NOT do a new comet lake build with ampere so close.

 

any advantages intel may have could be bottlenecked by pci-e 3.0 (it's alot worse than previously expected), it's very likely that zen 3 will be hands down the better choice

 

if it's 5% for a 5700 xt, imagine more powerful gpus. Wait for benchmarks.

[Helpful Tech Witch]

17 minutes ago, TheDailyProcrastinator said:

My bad lol, dyslexia at it's finest. But yeah we'll see.

its fine