GPUs & CPUs & Enthusiast hardware: Questions, Discussion and fanboy slap-fights - Nvidia & AMD & Intel - Separe but Equal. Intel rides in the back of the bus.

[Aqua Panda]

I wasn't looking to upgrade from my i7 4790 but just started a new job and one of the corpo perks is a 60% discount on certain purchases including PC components. Its a use it or lose it perk so I'm leaving money on the table if I don't utilize it so thinking of building a new PC. I've got an RTX 3050 so would be building around that and dual 1080p and 1200p 60Hz monitors.

I'm leaning towards an AMD processor, can't say why, I think its just media exposure - most of the tech channels I follow focus on emulation and iGPUs and its very AMD focused. Is there a significant difference between say R5 5600/g/x or 5700/g/x. There is a decent price increase from a 5600 up to 5700x and I don't know if its better used towards more RAM or storage. It would be for web browsing, vidya and emulation. I don't do any media editing or anything like that.

X are unlocked processors that can be overclocked (though AMD chips generally don't get to the same levels of Intel) and G processors have built in video. General rule of thumb is that the X processors are better, but not to crazy levels. A few percentage points at most. If you're using a seperate GPU, G processors are generally redundant and you are better off paying the extra 20-30 quid for a X series.

Honestly, unless you really need to do something CPU dependent, the 5600x is probably your sweet spot if you want to go AMD. (Don't go for a 5800x or 5900x+ unless you absolutely know you're going to be working with CPU heavy workloads.) The newest Gen Intel chips are technically slightly better, but holy hell they aren't power efficient. The 5000 Ryzen series is way more power efficient and it does add up in power bills. They are also FAR superior in general productivity compared to team blue.

Note: Be aware, if you go Ryzen, don't be freaked out by higher Temps that swing often. (It's not unusual to see a max of 70c on air cooling, with idle temps sometimes shooting up to 60c.) They can run all the way to 95c before thermal throttling. (It's just the way the Zen architecture works. It's prone to swings in temps with how the cores work.)

Edit: And for full disclosure, I bounce between Intel and AMD for my builds. I currently run a 5600x on my newest personal machine and I'm quite happy with it.

 

[Smaug's Smokey Hole]

X are unlocked processors that can be overclocked (though AMD chips generally don't get to the same levels of Intel) and G processors have built in video. General rule of thumb is that the X processors are better, but not to crazy levels. A few percentage points at most. If you're using a seperate GPU, G processors are generally redundant and you are better off paying the extra 20-30 quid for a X series.

Honestly, unless you really need to do something CPU dependent, the 5600x is probably your sweet spot if you want to go AMD. (Don't go for a 5800x or 5900x+ unless you absolutely know you're going to be working with CPU heavy workloads.) The newest Gen Intel chips are technically slightly better, but holy hell they aren't power efficient. The 5000 Ryzen series is way more power efficient and it does add up in power bills. They are also FAR superior in general productivity compared to team blue.

They're all unlocked, the X series is binned higher and come with a 200mhz stock clock speed bump and higher boost frequency compared to the non-X version. Overclocking a non-X 200mhz can be done by a house cat stepping on the keyboard so that's not an issue, just click the button in Ryzen Master.
I also think the X is required for Precision Boost Override, that might be a loss, maybe.

The G-processors have half the cache of the non-iGPU variants and that will have an impact but it's not the end of the world, it will still be far faster than a 4790. But just like you said, if he's already got a GPU it's a bad choice.

A 5600 of some sort is probably the best option for a home/gaming AMD computer. Just remember to buy a RGB motherboard that costs way more than the CPU.

 

[WULULULULU]

A 5600 of some sort is probably the best option for a home/gaming AMD computer. Just remember to buy a RGB motherboard that costs way more than the CPU.

Thanks for reminding me that RGB inflated the prices of motherboards. Hopefully the B650s will have some non-RGB options.

 

[Stasi]

Just remember to buy a RGB motherboard that costs way more than the CPU.

I thought picking a CPU would be confusing and hard (seems like a 5600x is a solid choice though) but I'm looking at mobos now and I'm so fucking lost

 

[Smaug's Smokey Hole]

I thought picking a CPU would be confusing and hard (seems like a 5600x is a solid choice though) but I'm looking at mobos now and I'm so fucking lost

They're all pretty good so don't let that bother you, choose the amount of I/O you need and that's it. Something that could be potentially important in the long run is single vs dual NVMe connectors, if you buy a 1TB today and 3-4 years from now you want or need something larger/faster then two slots would be perfect, it will be easy to clone the boot drive to the larger one and still keep the old one in the system. NVMe does not have the luxury of SATA with its abundance of ports.

 

[Stasi]

Ok I found some stuff and punched it into PC part picker, I don't need a top of the line system so tried to go for the most reasonably priced options. If anyone wants to scream at me about someone of these being junk before I commit to a purchase I welcome the feedback. The mobo is almost as expensive as the CPU, ouch.

Spoiler: Parts

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor (£182.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550 AORUS ELITE AX V2 ATX AM4 Motherboard (£147.72 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: Kingston FURY Beast 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (£56.99 @ AWD-IT)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN570 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (£71.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case: NZXT H510 ATX Mid Tower Case (£59.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £519.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-07-24 19:45 BST+0100

 

[Stasi]

The G-processors have half the cache of the non-iGPU variants and that will have an impact but it's not the end of the world, it will still be far faster than a 4790. But just like you said, if he's already got a GPU it's a bad choice.

Is there such a significant difference between a 5600x over a 5600g? From what I can tell gaming performance difference is not huge and I don't really care about other task as it's mainly for gaming.

I ask because a 5600g is £130 right now compared to £185 for a 5600x, that's a decent chunk of change that can pay for my RAM.

 

[Akashic Retard]

Ok I found some stuff and punched it into PC part picker, I don't need a top of the line system so tried to go for the most reasonably priced options. If anyone wants to scream at me about someone of these being junk before I commit to a purchase I welcome the feedback. The mobo is almost as expensive as the CPU, ouch.

Spoiler: Parts

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor (£182.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550 AORUS ELITE AX V2 ATX AM4 Motherboard (£147.72 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: Kingston FURY Beast 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (£56.99 @ AWD-IT)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN570 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (£71.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case: NZXT H510 ATX Mid Tower Case (£59.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £519.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-07-24 19:45 BST+0100

I don't know what I'm talking about but every western digital drive I've ever had took a shit on me. I won't touch the brand anymore.

 

[Smaug's Smokey Hole]

Is there such a significant difference between a 5600x over a 5600g? From what I can tell gaming performance difference is not huge and I don't really care about other task as it's mainly for gaming.

I ask because a 5600g is £130 right now compared to £185 for a 5600x, that's a decent chunk of change that can pay for my RAM.

Well... I mean the 5600G will still be a big step up from what you have now so no matter what you buy it will be a good upgrade. You will lose 40fps in Rainbow Six Siege though but if you can live with playing at 460fps it should be fine. If you can look at benchmarks and think it's worth it then go for it, there's always the option of buying another CPU for cheap when they start to get phased out in a year or so.

 

[Kosher Dill]

I don't know what I'm talking about but every western digital drive I've ever had took a shit on me. I won't touch the brand anymore.

I buy WDs for spinning discs for my NAS because all HDD manufacturers seem to be equally trash now. But for an SSD/NVMe, I say just buy the Samsung unless you're really in a budget crunch.

 

[TheRedChair]

I buy WDs for spinning discs for my NAS because all HDD manufacturers seem to be equally trash now. But for an SSD/NVMe, I say just buy the Samsung unless you're really in a budget crunch.

Agree with the HDD. Very cheap for large amounts of storage. With NVME I go with WD Black SN850. Great reviews . I have one as well Standard SSD's Do your research I use Samsung 860 EVO and they are rock solid The 870 series has issues. So I'm going to look around again.

Also Video cards are still going down in price. NGREEDIA less so than AMD.

 

[Brain Problems]

Agree with the HDD. Very cheap for large amounts of storage. With NVME I go with WD Black SN850. Great reviews . I have one as well Standard SSD's Do your research I use Samsung 860 EVO and they are rock solid The 870 series has issues. So I'm going to look around again.

Also Video cards are still going down in price. NGREEDIA less so than AMD.

I keep seeing people say HOLD THE LINE until fall. I know that one of the local electronics guys around me is doing an AMD "event" with a bunch of stuff marked down but nothing is screaming at me to pull the trigger now versus closer to Christmas when the black friday/cyber monday shenanigans start to take effect.

That said, they've got a 5600X for $240CAD...

 

[Judge Dredd]

I thought picking a CPU would be confusing and hard (seems like a 5600x is a solid choice though) but I'm looking at mobos now and I'm so fucking lost

So was I.

As long as it's b550 and has bios flashback, you should be fine. ...I think? At a certain point, I just went with my gut because I was being led around in circles. Not kiwi's fault, but by random people I know.

 

[Smaug's Smokey Hole]

So was I.

As long as it's b550 and has bios flashback, you should be fine. ...I think? At a certain point, I just went with my gut because I was being led around in circles. Not kiwi's fault, but by random people I know.

For normal use I think almost everything is perfectly fine, what might be spotty(from complaints I've heard) is the WiFi functionality on some boards. There used to be relatively common problem with the onboard audio receiving some interference from other components on the boards but that was years ago.

If you are buying a $600 CPU, a $2000 GPU and $400 turbo RAM then a $100 motherboard would be a strange choice even if it probably works decently enough.

 

[Racist Trash]

So after a decade I am about to move on from my I3-2120 build to an I5-12400f + secondhand 4 month old 3060, and what does DPD do with the CPU delivery? They put the fucking thing on the doorstep (App specifically stated this delivery had to be handed off and could not be left) without fucking knocking and only putting the delivery notification on the app FOUR HOURS after it's actual delivery, GUESS WHAT WASN'T THERE WHEN I GOT NOTIFIED?

 

[Stasi]

So after a decade I am about to move on from my I3-2120 build to an I5-12400f + secondhand 4 month old 3060, and what does DPD do with the CPU delivery? They put the fucking thing on the doorstep (App specifically stated this delivery had to be handed off and could not be left) without fucking knocking and only putting the delivery notification on the app FOUR HOURS after it's actual delivery, GUESS WHAT WASN'T THERE WHEN I GOT NOTIFIED?

First piece of my build arrived which happened to be the SSD. Ordered a 1TB NVME...a 500GB module arrives. Not as bad as a CPU getting stolen but I'm still salty. Thanks for nothing Amazon seller.

 

[Racist Trash]

First piece of my build arrived which happened to be the SSD. Ordered a 1TB NVME...a 500GB module arrives. Not as bad as a CPU getting stolen but I'm still salty. Thanks for nothing Amazon seller.

Yeah well it gets even better, today had some stuff dropped of by this special fucking person again and he interrogates someone I live with (who specifically tried to intercept incase they tried to be lazy again) WHO HAS THE FUCKING GALL TO SAY HE KNOCKED LOUDLY AND DID SO SEVERAL FUCKING TIMES, and then follows it up with a sob story about having to pay the amount himself. Fuck you DPD you utter assholes you seriously tell your fucking drivers all the details and then charge them so they can hold a grudge against the fucking customer who had shit stolen?
At least he learned his lesson this time and had his GPS tracking on and pinged the app as soon as it was delivered.
Edit:Yeah contact Amazon, had a phone go missing years ago they are generally pretty quick when it comes to this shit.

 

[Smaug's Smokey Hole]

Edit:Yeah contact Amazon, had a phone go missing years ago they are generally pretty quick when it comes to this shit.

And if it's within a 30 day window, just contact them or press the "return" thing on your order page, chose "replace" or whatever it is, they will send out a new one and you then have 14(?) days to return the wrong/broken item. Maybe that doesn't work with third party sellers.

 

[Brain Problems]

Are porch pirates a big deal in some places? The closest we've come is some bored teens at a nearby high school tried to walk off with a package my wife ordered that happened to be a very expensive hair curling thing or whatever but luckily our neighbours saw them and said 'The fuck you doing?' so they just dropped it and left. If you were in a big city or somewhere with lots of Diversity™ I'd just hold at depot to avoid any heart aches but generally it's good to cut down on any temptation.

 

[Stasi]

Greetings gamers, my corporate discount went through so my £450 PC actually cost me £200. Sometimes being a wagie is actually alright

I don't even care that they fucked up my SSD order anymore. I will probably be back to ask for help when I inevitably fuck up the building process