2600X vs 2700X gaming performance paired with GTX 1080

[Kacpers25]

I'm planning to upgrade my current rig, specs:
Ryzen 5 1600
GTX 1060 6GB
MSI B350 Gaming Plus
1x8 HyperX Fury @ 2666mhz

Now I'm planning to upgrade to a 1080, but I'm not sure what CPU to get.

My current mobo won't do for a 2700X I'm sure and I found a Gigabyte B450 Aorus Elite for about £95. I'll also be adding another 8 gigs of ram to make it dual channel. I've looked at the 8700K for the best gaming performance yet the sole price of that CPU will match the cpu and mobo cost for the 2700X with the Gigabyte Aorus. I'm not also sure if the 8600K is a good option.

Tl;Dr
I'm stuck between the 2600X and the 2700X. Not sure if overclocking the non X verions will give me the same clocks I need for games as the X's will boost with XFR. I may be thinking completely wrong. Budget is about £400 for the CPU and mobo.

 

[TJ Hooker]

What resolution/refresh rate is your monitor?

Have you overclocked your current cpu? Also, memory purchased separately isn't guaranteed to work together. It may be a better to sell your current stick and and get a 2x8 GB 3200 MHz kit. I don't think upgrading your CPU will make a significant difference in gaming performance.

 

[Kacpers25]

What resolution/refresh rate is your monitor?

Have you overclocked your current cpu? Also, memory purchased separately isn't guaranteed to work together. It may be a better to sell your current stick and and get a 2x8 GB 3200 MHz kit. I don't think upgrading your CPU will make a significant difference in gaming performance.

I'm on a 1080p 60hz panel right now but I'm also planning to upgrade that to a 1440p 144hz panel.

My current CPU is on 3.8ghz with the stock cooler. You may be right on the memory but I've seem my friend run completely 2 different sticks and it works fine for him.
From what I've seen the 2700X provides a lot higher 0.1% lows and overall average FPS, to the point where the 0.1% lows of the 2700X in some games were the average of a 1600X. However, I'm not certain if I should upgrade to a 2600X (or non x) or to a 2700X, which would cost a lot more, but may provide similar frames to the 8700K.
Thank you.

 

[exroofer]

This does not make sense to me from a value perspective.
A 2700x would run faster, sure. But not very much faster.
For myself, I'm keeping my 1600x until 3xx series Ryzen, at least, if not 4xxx.
If you really want a cpu upgrade, get a 2600 ( because they are silly cheap.
Bios flash your mobo, and drop the 2600 in.

The biggest thing holding you back is that single stick of crappy ram.
Swap that for 2 x 8 gb of 3200 CL 14 or CL 15 quality ram.
You will see more gain from this than swapping the cpu.
That single stick is severely crippling your rig.

Even one more stick of the same ram, so it can at least run in dual channel would help, a LOT.
See if the latest bios for your board lets you get to 2800/2966 ram speed at decent timings.


If you buy a new B450 board, and a 2700x, and saddle with that one stick of poor ram, you will be VERY disappointed in the result.


But this is not enough of a difference to justify the cost.

Seriously. Two sticks of decent matched ram is what you need. And if you were to get 2 sticks of very good ram, it will easily be good for a future upgrade to a 3xxx or 4xxx 8 core Ryzen, making that upgrade cost less.
I did this myself, planning ahead.
That FlareX was frigging expensive last year.
Being able to use it for..... 5 years? 7 years? From first to fourth gen Ryzen, in the same mobo?
All of a sudden it wasn't that expensive over time.

 

[Kacpers25]

This does not make sense to me from a value perspective.
A 2700x would run faster, sure. But not very much faster.
For myself, I'm keeping my 1600x until 3xx series Ryzen, at least, if not 4xxx.
If you really want a cpu upgrade, get a 2600 ( because they are silly cheap.
Bios flash your mobo, and drop the 2600 in.

The biggest thing holding you back is that single stick of crappy ram.
Swap that for 2 x 8 gb of 3200 CL 14 or CL 15 quality ram.
You will see more gain from this than swapping the cpu.
That single stick is severely crippling your rig.

Even one more stick of the same ram, so it can at least run in dual channel would help, a LOT.
See if the latest bios for your board lets you get to 2800/2966 ram speed at decent timings.


If you buy a new B450 board, and a 2700x, and saddle with that one stick of poor ram, you will be VERY disappointed in the result.


But this is not enough of a difference to justify the cost.

Seriously. Two sticks of decent matched ram is what you need. And if you were to get 2 sticks of very good ram, it will easily be good for a future upgrade to a 3xxx or 4xxx 8 core Ryzen, making that upgrade cost less.
I did this myself, planning ahead.
That FlareX was frigging expensive last year.
Being able to use it for..... 5 years? 7 years? From first to fourth gen Ryzen, in the same mobo?
All of a sudden it wasn't that expensive over time.

So a 1600, with let's say a better cooler and matched pair of 2x8 3200mhz (which is what the board supports, or 4x4 but I'm not sure if that is any better and if it runs stable) sticks will be able to keep up with a 1080 at 144hz? This stick is 2666mhz and I could match the stick completely using the numbers on the box, yet it is a CL16 stick.

I like the sound of not having to spend £400 for a CPU and mobo since I've had this build for only about 9 months. I've been having stutter issues here and there, and have had frame drops in games such as Destiny 2 and League, so definitely not as smooth as I expected. The GPU isn't the problem in these particular games as in Destiny 2, it never reaches over 80% and hovers around 50%.
Thank you.

Edit: I can't seem to find CL14 or 15 ram 2x8 kits @ 3200mhz under £150.
Edit 2: CL15 @ 3000 seems to be around £130-£150, which kit do you recommend?
Edit 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj__cPzjO9E&t=37s
This is the information that makes me think the 1600 will not be enough for a 1080, not to add that in the video he is running a 1600X.

 

[exroofer]

Two sticks yields highest performance compared to 4 sticks.
First gen Ryzen imc ( internal memory controller, a part of the cpu), couldn't clock 4 sticks as high as 2 sticks, even if identical.

Even if you went all in ( 2700x Crosshair 7), on a swap from first gen to second gen, you would STILL need some decent ram. One 8 gb stick stuffed in to above parts would cripple it severely.

So trying ram FIRST, is something you would have to do anyway. Or at least, would want to.
The link from the video. to the Trident Z 3200 shows as $154 USD to me. And is good stuff.

That fps comparison isn't telling you that XFR on the first gen is hitting..... maybe 3.8 ish?
While the 2700x is hitting 4.2 ish.

7nm 3xxx Ryzen is coming, I do not think that first to second gen is enough gain to justify a swap, unless the cost isn't an issue.
First to 3rd gen I think will be.
So even if, let's say your 1600 holds back a 1080 a bit.
It's still going to be substantially better with decent ram in dual channel than it is now, and when/if you go to 3xxx or so, you won't need to buy ram AND other parts at that time, because you will already have it.
It WILL make a difference.

So that's why I keep coming back to doing that first. Because it is the most glaring item that is choking your system out.
How much is another stick of identical ram for you? If pretty darn cheap, go that route. At least it will provide a noticeable difference.
If you can get a 2 x 8 GB kit of something decent, ( sales make this really hard to just say " buy this....")
It will carry forward to any upgrade for a few years, make your experience better right now, and give you time to make a less hasty decision.

I'm fairly confident that the 3xxx series will be 25-30% faster overall than first gen.
With XFR clocks at 4.5 GHZ, or better, with ipc and imc improvements ( again)

https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengeance-3000MHz-Desktop-Memory/dp/B0134EW7G8
This looks like decent value.. I'd wait for Christmas/Boxing day sales. Since that is pretty soon.
Updating bios will make life easier with getting faster ram speed out of it, if you have not done this since you bought it, or at least not very recently.

This is what i would do, if I was you.
So do some more research, get some more opinions, and see what you think is best for you.

* and get a ssd on sale when you can, if you don't have one.
Best improvement in overall system feel money can buy.

 

[xravenxdota]

exroofer summed it up pretty well.I upgraded from an fx to ryzen second gen only cause it was a complete brand new system.The price doesn't justify the performance increase.Rather wait for the 3xxx model as it may be coming end march?or around that time and it's well worth the wait.

 

[Kacpers25]

Two sticks yields highest performance compared to 4 sticks.
First gen Ryzen imc ( internal memory controller, a part of the cpu), couldn't clock 4 sticks as high as 2 sticks, even if identical.

Even if you went all in ( 2700x Crosshair 7), on a swap from first gen to second gen, you would STILL need some decent ram. One 8 gb stick stuffed in to above parts would cripple it severely.

So trying ram FIRST, is something you would have to do anyway. Or at least, would want to.
The link from the video. to the Trident Z 3200 shows as $154 USD to me. And is good stuff.

That fps comparison isn't telling you that XFR on the first gen is hitting..... maybe 3.8 ish?
While the 2700x is hitting 4.2 ish.

7nm 3xxx Ryzen is coming, I do not think that first to second gen is enough gain to justify a swap, unless the cost isn't an issue.
First to 3rd gen I think will be.
So even if, let's say your 1600 holds back a 1080 a bit.
It's still going to be substantially better with decent ram in dual channel than it is now, and when/if you go to 3xxx or so, you won't need to buy ram AND other parts at that time, because you will already have it.
It WILL make a difference.

So that's why I keep coming back to doing that first. Because it is the most glaring item that is choking your system out.
How much is another stick of identical ram for you? If pretty darn cheap, go that route. At least it will provide a noticeable difference.
If you can get a 2 x 8 GB kit of something decent, ( sales make this really hard to just say " buy this....")
It will carry forward to any upgrade for a few years, make your experience better right now, and give you time to make a less hasty decision.

I'm fairly confident that the 3xxx series will be 25-30% faster overall than first gen.
With XFR clocks at 4.5 GHZ, or better, with ipc and imc improvements ( again)

https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengeance-3000MHz-Desktop-Memory/dp/B0134EW7G8
This looks like decent value.. I'd wait for Christmas/Boxing day sales. Since that is pretty soon.
Updating bios will make life easier with getting faster ram speed out of it, if you have not done this since you bought it, or at least not very recently.

This is what i would do, if I was you.
So do some more research, get some more opinions, and see what you think is best for you.

* and get a ssd on sale when you can, if you don't have one.
Best improvement in overall system feel money can buy.

I'll have to do that then, waiting is definitely the smartest choice money wise.
I've found these as the best options (Not sure if B-Die is too important but I know the TridentZ has it):

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/ZskwrH/gskill-memory-f43000c15d16gtzb
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/MYH48d/corsair-memory-cmk16gx4m2b3000c15

Do I also go for a beefy cooler to increase my clocks to 4.0? I doubt it will make a difference though. But I'm certain an aftermarket cooler will be worth it down the line.

Now what worries me is my mobo, it's a B350 which doesn't have the greatest VRM from what I've heard, and I don't think it will support an R7 3xxx.

In terms of an SSD I do have one but its a cheap Apdata, I've found a really cheap 500GB Samsung 970 EVO and I'm thinking if it's worth it to upgrade to that:

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/500gb-samsung-970-evo-m2-2280-pcie-30-x4-nvme-ssd-phoenix-mlc-v-nand-3400mb-s-read-2300mb-s-write-37?gclid=Cj0KCQiA_4jgBRDhARIsADezXch8f7csQrVPmXRUZYWtgz85i868zJizs3_fss3EVBjR-NinDerXTi4aAn4-EALw_wcB

Also thanks for the help.

 

[TJ Hooker]

X- series chipset motherboards don't necessarily have any better VRMs that B series except for the high end ones. It all comes down to the individual motherboard.

What makes you think B series won't support 3rd gen ryzen 7? I wouldn't expect power draw to increase significantly except maybe for models with more than 8 cores if they end up increasing core counts. 2nd gen ryzen 7 actually consumes a little less power than first gen.

What exact SSD do you currently have? I doubt it's worth it to upgrade to a 970. It won't impact gaming performance, all it'd do is maybe reduce load times a bit.

 

[Kacpers25]

X- series chipset motherboards don't necessarily have any better VRMs that B series except for the high end ones. It all comes down to the individual motherboard.

What makes you think B series won't support 3rd gen ryzen 7? I wouldn't expect power draw to increase significantly except maybe for models with more than 8 cores if they end up increasing core counts. 2nd gen ryzen 7 actually consumes a little less power than first gen.

What exact SSD do you currently have? I doubt it's worth it to upgrade to a 970. It won't impact gaming performance, all it'd do is maybe reduce load times a bit.

Apdata Sp580, literally the cheapest SSD at the time, its only 120GB so I don't space for games that I'd like to load quickly either.

This 970 is 500 gigs for only £100, last time I checked (a few months ago around April May) a regular 500GB 860 Evo was around £110. Not sure if it's worth paying extra for nvme though as I can get a 500GB evo for 80 quid. Reason I want more SSD storage is for games that can take too much to load, such as the majority of singleplayer/openworld games.

In terms of the mobo, I'm not saying a B350 or B450 can't run an R7, it's just this particular mobo I have might not be able to in terms of VRM.

 

[TJ Hooker]

Idk, I think that mobo could handle a ryzen 7 just fine. The Aorus Elite B450 you were looking at buying doesn't really have significantly better VRMs than your current mobo. Both are 4 phase designs with one high side FET and two low side FETs. The only difference is that the two Aorus has two chokes per phase, which probably fools some people into thinking it has 8 phases.

 

[Kacpers25]

Idk, I think that mobo could handle a ryzen 7 just fine. The Aorus Elite B450 you were looking at buying doesn't really have significantly better VRMs than your current mobo. Both are 4 phase designs with one high side FET and two low side FETs. The only difference is that the two Aorus has two chokes per phase, which probably fools some people into thinking it has 8 phases.

You're probably right, well, when Zen2 chips come out I'll get to find out, but for the 1600 this mobo is doing more than enough.