Question i5-9400f or ryzen 2600(x)

[muzackman]

I'm stuck debating a I5-9400f or a ryzen 2600 for my build. Its going to be almost strictly for gaming. My question is, would I need to OC with the 2600 just to keep it the same performance i would get with the 9400f? Secondary question would be, currently where I am, the price difference between the i5 and a 2600x is about 20 bucks more expensive for the ryzen would it be a better choice over the other two? I get it the 2600x would be better than the 2600 but trying to figure out if its worth the extra bit of cash.

Just for extra parts info in case it matters, I'm building a brand new system outside of my 650w PSU and my RX 570 GPU.

 

[TJ Hooker]

What resolution/refresh rate is your monitor?

Performance between all those should be pretty similar. Stock performance of the 2600 would be a little worse than the 9400, overclocked would be about the same or a little better, about on par with a 2600X. If you're just aiming for 60 FPS gaming you're not really going to see a difference.

 

[mdd1963]

I'd aim for the 2600X if possible....higher clocks from the box, and, possibly a little higher OC potential as well...

 

[middcore]

Most benchmarks will probably show the 9400 a little ahead in pure gaming workload. Despite this I would say get the 2600X (do you absolutely need a 2600X instead of a "vanilla" 2600?) for the sake of a better upgrade path. I think to get the most out of the 9400 you're going to need to spend more on a motherboard and that will wipe out any savings for the CPU anyway.