New PC: CPU

[UK.evin]

HI,

 

I've been trying to keep up with the latest news on the whole Intel and Meltdown CPU exploit thing and from what I've read so far, Intel hasn't set out a rough release date for the physically patched chips. I am hoping to build a new PC this year (around Q1-Q2) and I'm having a difficult time with deciding which CPU brand I should go for. I've had a look at both Intel and AMD chips, specifically the i7 8700K and the Ryzen 1800X. From the many benchmarks and reviews I've seen, the Intel i7 8700K has significantly better gaming performance than the Ryzen 7 1800X due to its faster core clock speeds. With that said, I have concerns regarding Meltdown and its possible effects on performance and further potential threats.

 

I've broken down the pros and cons of both CPUs:

 

Ryzen 7 1800X:

 

- Lower core clock speeds

- Less performance for gaming

- Unfamiliar brand

- Cheaper

- More core/thread count

- Less vulnerable to exploits due to hardware architecture

 

Intel i7 8700K

 

- More expensive

- Possible slower due to Meltdown patch

- Possibly open to future exploits

- Less cores/thread count

- Better performance for gaming

- Faster core clock speeds

- Good overclock potential

- Familiar brand

 

Could someone please clarify the situation with Meltdown and also provide me with any useful information that may help me with deciding on a CPU? This honestly has been one of the toughest decisions I've had to make in my PC building history. I don't wanna make a choice that I might regret later so any help would be greatly appreciated.

[stealth80]

8700k if you're primarily gaming. Don't worry so much about "Meltdown" the issue has been there for years

 

whats your budget? 

[PrimeSonic]

33 minutes ago, UK.evin said:

Could someone please clarify the situation with Meltdown and also provide me with any useful information that may help me with deciding on a CPU?

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2018-does-patching-cpu-security-flaws-impact-gaming-performance

 

The performance difference (in games) after patching is so minor that it's barely worth thinking about.

[Crunchy Dragon]

5 minutes ago, PrimeSonic said:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2018-does-patching-cpu-security-flaws-impact-gaming-performance

 

The performance difference after patching is so minor that it's barely worth thinking about.

For gaming.

 

I/O related tasks will take a bit more of a hit.