1800X vs 2600X

[hi-there]

hi guys,

this is (almoust) the last piece of the puzzle - the rest (exept from new screen and minor ?-mark regarding sound card) is in place

I will not be gaming nor streaming or doing any other monkey business like encoding etc. - I just want best bang for the buck and I can't figure this one out

everything brand new from different stores

MOBO: Asus X470 F Gaming (140£)

RAM: 2x8 GB G.Skill Flare X CL14 (182£)

GPU: Asus Dual GTX 1060 OC 6 GB (175£)

M.2: Samsung Evo 970 500 GB (96£)

MId tower: NZXT Phantom 410 White with Blue Trim (30£)

AIO: Be Quiet Silent Loop 240 (58£)

extra fan: Be Quiet Dark Rock 3 (30£)

PSU: my old one Corsair HX850

I bought both CPU's; 1800X for 197£ and 2600X (163£) and I'm almost sure that I will keep one of them

I did read tons of reviews and threads but I just can't figure this one out

I will not get better CPU for less money so the choice is between those two (doesn't matter that 2600X comes with pretty good fan as I do have my own)

best all rounder/bang for the buck??? thought and 'why/why not' appreciated

regards,
K.

 

[dontlistentome]

Generally the way I figure out 'bang for the buck' is first by figuring out my needs. You mention what you WON'T be doing(gaming, streaming, etc) but say nothing about what you will be doing.

More cores and threads are worth it IF you will be doing something that uses them. In short, don't spend more if you don't have a need for more.

 

[Barty1884]

^Exactly.

Without knowing what you *will* be doing, it's impossible to say.

We could use some arbitrary math that your 1800X works out to be 12EUR/Thread, and the 2600X is 13.50EUR/Thread (approx), but that doesn't tell us anything.

 

[bigpinkdragon286]

Value is rather an arbitrary metric to measure with unless you want to nail down some specifics there.

Overall, the 2600x will be faster than the 1800x when not overclocking either one. Because of the improved boost algorithm of the Ryzen+ 2600x model, I wouldn't even bother overclocking the 2600x, however if you do, you can overclock the 2600x higher. A 2600x at stock frequencies will still turn in better results than an overclocked 1800x in many situations, due to improved boost algorithm on the new chip and the lower frequency ceiling of the older chip.

The only case for the 1800x being faster is if you know you will utilize the extra 2 cores / 4 threads it provides.

Personally, I would opt for the better performing 2600x regardless of price, but how you choose to divide up the two different prices to determine the value of each is up to you.

 

[hi-there]

You got me there...

I will be doing (just normal stuff ) :

- web browsing (lots of pages open at the same time)

- using midi dj mixer controller

- everything OS and few other programs related (normal programs which runs all the time on most computers)

- TeamViewer and Skype

- very mild gaming ('Royal Envy'-ish type of games and some old ones like 'Dune 2000', 'Desperados', 'Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood' - nothing major/huge/demanding like all the big games, so it doesn't matter which CPU I will choose, as those game can be run by very old ones )

those two extra cores on 1800X sounds GOOD - they do! but on the other hand...- 2600X IS just better regarding memory and XFR2 and Precision Boost 2 is supposedly better on newer editions...

I will not pay mere than 200£ and for that price (197£ for 1800X and 163£ for 2600X) those are the best choices I can find (I DO want 2700X but...- who doesn't want it ?! my choice is between those two...I just can't find better for under 200 and I know that I got a good deal on both of them...)

I want the best option for the next (at least) 4 years for under 200£

 

[bigpinkdragon286]

Precision Boost isn't supposedly better, it's measurably better, by all the online reviews who have touched on it and in my own anecdotal evidence. I wouldn't go first Gen Ryzen at this point unless you have a compelling reason, such as price or availability, and it's not because there is anything wrong with it, it's because the refresh was simply better in all aspects.

 

[hi-there]

actually those extra two cores are the only 'for' regarding 1800X in my eyes...it's just...well...- extra cores are exacly what they are: extra cores - and it's almoust always (if the differences are so small) a good thing...and here the differences ARE very small (clock-wise anyway)...and that's why it's so tricky for me do decide

price-wise 2600X is a better deal (17% cheaper and I'm not even thinking about free fan-factor), better memory and XFR2 and PB2 works better then 1th gens

two extra cores vs. all the 2600X benefits...

it looks like most would go with 2600X...

 

[bigpinkdragon286]

Actually, if the cores mattered at all, I would go with the 2700x over the 2600x and the 1800x wouldn't even be a consideration. You seem torn because of overall cost, wanting more for less, but in the end, with CPUs, if you actually need those extra cores, the cost is usually not the primary factor as the cores tend to pay for themselves in those situations.

 

[hi-there]

overall price is no issue at all...I just need to decide which one will be the one and which one I will be returning

I'm torn only because of those two extra cores which I most probably never will use (I just answer my own question right there ) but it's GOOD to have them just in case (at stable 3,9-4,0)

 

[bigpinkdragon286]

4 GHz was never a guarantee on the Ryzen Gen 1 CPUs. 3.9 GHz wasn't even a guarantee, and the voltage to get there tends to be high. While you may be able to boost a single core to 4.1 on an 1800x with proper cooling, that's about the only guarantee you've got. Running all cores that high has to be tested for stability. The Ryzen+ CPUs should reach 4 GHz on all cores pretty reliably, and do that pretty much on their own.

 

[hi-there]

I'm leaning (more and more) towards 2600x but stil...1800x is one heck of a CPU for the price (both are for the price I have paid - and even for the full price!)

it's quite 'stupid' timing as new ones are only months away but my computer is way past it's expiration date

 

[ohiou_grad_2006]

2600x will be great. I've currently got a ryzen 1600 and it really does all I want. I did overclock a little though. But the 2600x has a higher clock speed out of the box.

The other thing if you go with the 2600/2600x, you could also step down to a b350 board. The x370/x470 boards are great, but it you're not overclocking, and not running multiple gpus, then I would consider saving the money.

 

[nobspls]

The best bang for the buck by far is the 1600 for $120. See:

https://www.microcenter.com/product/478826/ryzen-5-1600-32ghz-6-core-am4-boxed-processor-with-wraith-spire-cooler

The 10% more that you can get for 2600/2600x means they are only competitive if they are price below $132.

I got my 1600 OC to 4.0Ghz see:
https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/7865794

Which is basically on par with the 1800x and 2600x
https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/AMD-Ryzen-7-1800X-vs-AMD-Ryzen-5-2600/3916vs3955

 

[ohiou_grad_2006]

Only thing, I think the op is from the UK. Don't think they have microcenter there?

 

[hi-there]

The other thing if you go with the 2600/2600x, you could also step down to a b350 board. The x370/x470 boards are great, but it you're not overclocking, and not running multiple gpus, then I would consider saving the money.

140£ for X470 that's to good of a deal for me to go for something else - otherwise I would go for MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon AC no questions ask

Only thing, I think the op is from the UK. Don't think they have microcenter there?

I'm from Scandinavien (I have posted all the prices in £ so most people could relate to them)

 

[ohiou_grad_2006]

Aha. I'm from the USA, so was guessing what the currency was.

 

[hi-there]

£ = British pound, and no matter what it's almoust 1:1 ratio in all cases no matter what it is

100$ = 100£ = 100€ (euro) etc. (in my case 100 £, €, $ = 1000 but still...- it's the same 1:1 ratio)

I just got some good deals (come on! 30 £ for NZXT 410?! - that's a steal) om my gear in my country (even compare to UK and many other countries - which is rather unusual) exept from RAM which I bought on Amazon UK

only cheaper (and almoust as good) thing I can find right now that might be worth considering is MSI 570 OC 8GB (137£ vs 175£ ASUS 1060 DUAL 6GB OC) - the rest is (in my opnion) best value for the money...only (luxury) problem is which CPU to keep

 

[Barty1884]

£ = British pound, and no matter what it's almoust 1:1 ratio in all cases no matter what it is

100$ = 100£ = 100€ (euro) etc. (in my case 100 £, €, $ = 1000 but still...- it's the same 1:1 ratio)

Sorry, what? :lol: Right now £100 = $127 and €112

While product pricing scales to local currency, it's very, very rarely a direct conversion on exchange rate and, AFAIK, never a 1:1.

Just picking a component at random.
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/ZLF48d/asrock-fatal1ty-x470-gaming-k4-atx-am4-motherboard-x470-gaming-k4
$135, £160 and €180

Not only is it far from 1:1, it's not even a direct conversion based on exchange rate.
If it were, it would've been $135 / £120 / €150

only cheaper (and almoust as good) thing I can find right now that might be worth considering is MSI 570 OC 8GB (137£ vs 175£ ASUS 1060 DUAL 6GB OC) - the rest is (in my opnion) best value for the money...only (luxury) problem is which CPU to keep

What's an 8GB 580 or 590 going for?
Given your limited/non existent gaming etc, this entire system seems like complete overkill - as would adding either of those GPUs.

A 570 seems more than sufficient for your needs.

 

[hi-there]

what I meant by 1:1 ratio was (is) that something that costs 100$ in USA costs 100£ in UK or 100€ in let's say Germany - from what I have noticed (msrp)

exept from this one 20$ mail-in rebate offer this board costs roughly the same in Germany (156€) and 156£ in UK, I can get it for just under 1300 so it's close call ;-)

580 goes (this weekend - on offer) for 215£ and 590 for around 275£

it's not overkill at all...for the price of a budget pc (pre-build) I will get something good - and that's it...- that's how I look at it...quality for a reasonable price...and yes - I could save some 35£ by buying some old b350 and maybe 30£ by choosing SSD instead of M.2 and some 40+£ on RAM but...- you get what you pay for and I will get a lot of quality (incl.speed etc.) and somehing that still will be relevant to my needs in 3-4 years from now - not overkill at all...just 'investment' within my budget

paying full price for each and every component would be (in my case) an overkill but for what I paid it's just common sense where I come from

 

[Barty1884]

While there are some instances of a $100 / £100 / €100 for the same component, like a 960 EVO SSD (for example) is roughly 70 in each currency, but that's hardly an appropriate general statement.

Regardless, I'd suggest sticking to discussing in your local currency.
It doesn't matter how much something goes for elsewhere, or what the equivalent is really. What matters is the cost, available to you.

A 580 for ~€240 should be impossible to justify vs a 6GB 1060 at €175.... Same thing for a 590 at ~€310. Horrible "value" when considered against a 1060. The 590 is just an overclocked 580 anyway, so the 30% markup on it is extremely disproportionate.

it's not overkill at all...for the price of a budget pc (pre-build) I will get something good - and that's it...- that's how I look at it.

Except, it is.

you get what you pay for and I will get a lot of quality (incl.speed etc.) and somehing that still will be relevant to my needs in 3-4 years from now - not overkill at all...just 'investment' within my budget

I will be doing (just normal stuff ) :

- web browsing (lots of pages open at the same time)
- using midi dj mixer controller
- everything OS and few other programs related (normal programs which runs all the time on most computers)
- TeamViewer and Skype
- very mild gaming ('Royal Envy'-ish type of games and some old ones like 'Dune 2000',)

Absolutely, you get what you pay for.
You could buy an i9 etc, and that's what you'd "get", but when your workloads are likely to perform near identical on an i3, or Ryzen3..... it would be overkill.


From the use cases you're describing, a Ryzen3 2200G would probably be more than sufficient.
2200G, B450 motherboard, 2x4GB DDR4 @ 3000MHz.
Decent 500GB SSD and reuse the PSU you have. Roughly €300, and would more than capable for your needs.

If you could get a 2600X + Board + Ram + SSD for the same money, sure... absolutely no harm in that purchase.
BUT, for the use cases you're describing.... you're probably spending €300-€400 that you're never really going to "feel" a difference from.

Theoretically it'll last longer - but if/when your needs/use-case changes (say in a year, or two), €300-€400 should go a lot further on an upgrade, on newer hardware.

 

[hi-there]

I'm going with what I got so far, maybe I will take a look at this 570 8 GB - it's a weekend offer and there's 30 days return window so I will thing about it, but other than that I'm sticking with what I got

however you have absolutely right but I'm one of those guys that goes for one thing but good thing (incl.my computer gear)
not the lowest shelf but a solid, in-between quality performance and it's out of sight out of mind problem for at least 3-4 years (if you know what I mean)

but enough on that back to CPU situation (the rest is under full and total control )

 

[bigpinkdragon286]

Actually, while the logic of buying more expensive parts sounds good, it's flawed. In the case of many x470 motherboard choices, buying anything but the highest tiered x470 motherboard is likely to net you the same board as a B450, but with the x470 chip set on it. Meaning, while you expect it to be a better board, it's going to have the same VRM section, so really won't run your CPU even a smidgen better. The ROG STRIX X470-F GAMING motherboards actually comes with a higher end VRM section. Definitely worth a few bucks more there over the B450 being suggested.

 

[hi-there]

most of that idea is flawed...who need a t-shirt that costs 50+£ or 300+£ phone or U name it - but we (most of us) still going for something that make 'sense' to us (individually)

after doing some research (lots of reading) and help from U guys (my old thread) I was sure that I would go with MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon AC - if you ask me: the best B450 board and better choice than many X470 for sure - but then I found my X470 (which was my original 1th. choice but it was way to expensive and still is so that's why I was looking for next best thing) for just 17£ more than MSI so for me that was no brainer (just like all the other components)

I did order (yesterday) RX 570 8GB - I looked at all the specs and results (compering to my 1060 Dual 6GB OC) and it's the only downgrade that I will accept (what I don't get it is why this GPU is so much cheaper than 1060 and why isn't more popular among non-heavy-gamers etc...for the price it's a very good pick...just a tiny notch below 1060 overall...- and even as good and a bit better in some games...)

ps.:
sound quality is very important to me and I have ask this question in my other thread but unfortunately no one read it (not entirely true...- ONE did) so I will try here:

- is there any reason for me NOT TO keep my good old Xonar D2/PM soundcard (specs: https://www.asus.com/us/Sound-Cards/Xonar_D2PM/specific... ) since I will be switching to Asus Strix X470 F-Gaming (audio specs : https://www.asus.com/Microsite/mb/ROG-supremefx-gaming-... ) ?? - or is audio on X470 just as good? - I'm only using 2.1 and headphones (16-80 ohm) - both quality gear (soundwise)

 

[ohiou_grad_2006]

As far as sound card, motherboard sound has improved a lot depending what you're buying. If you already have the card, keep it. Try the on board sound first, then use whatever sounds best to you.

 

[bigpinkdragon286]

Sound cards are useful when you use their analog output and also when they provide a better noise ratio than the on-board audio. This isn't always the case anymore, and in fact some motherboards come with nice headphone amps, so would likely be comparable if not better, depending on the specs of your Xonar.

Sound cards become unnecessary when using HDMI audio, digital audio from the motherboard, or a USB or Bluetooth headset, and these methods are far more common now. Once you utilize any of these other sound options, you're really falling back on the sound card's software suite to differentiate it, and whether it supports more audio encoding options such as DDL or DTS Live.

From your description, you won't be using any sort of encoding or digital output, so your sound card may still be of use to you.

I would try the on-board against the sound card and see if the background noise is more present in one or the other.

Also, if you've been using a particular sound card all of these years, you may prefer the way it's digital-to-analog conversion section colors your audio over how the motherboard's DAC section colors the audio, so listen to things like highs and lows and see if you prefer one over the other.