New build - Deciding on a CPU

Christer15

Prominent
Aug 8, 2017
2
0
510
I am a first time builder looking for suggestions on a solid CPU to start with.
I'm not a gamer so I don't need anything too beefy but I do have a job that requires simple video/photo editing, graphic design, and functioning with a lot of programs open at once. So far on my list is:
Ryzen 3 - 1300X
FX-8320
FX-6350
Any thoughts or suggestions on which one to go with?
Any MOBO suggestions to pair with?
 

Ditt44

Honorable
Mar 30, 2012
272
0
10,960
The FX-6350 was an excellent CPU for me for four years and honestly, was still adequate for the workloads I typically do. However, it is not a wise investment at this point as the Ryzen CPUs are going to offer you more in every meaningful way.

If your budget has you around a 1300x, then that looks to be a very capable option. If you can spend more, the 1600 would be an excellent new foundation CPU for several years. The extra cores and thread counts will give you longer life-span and allow better processing power, period.

It sounds like you're budget restrained, and a B350 motherboard will offer you enough features to support any CPU choice in the Ryzen line. The MSI Tomahawk is very popular in tech reviews and the ASRock Pro4 has some solid reviews as well. I always recommend research and reading as many tech site and vendor site (newegg) reviews as you can.

If you are going to be pushing media files, I think the 1600 with 3200 speed RAM and a $100-125 B350 motherboard will be a solid build. If you provide a budget figure, others can better answer your question.
 

spdragoo

Expert
Ambassador
Definitely go for a Ryzen. Nothing wrong with FX builds (mine is based on an FX-8320), but the platform is getting old & you'd have to do a complete platform replacement down the road anyway.

What you may want to also consider, depending on your budget, is pairing a B350 motherboard with a Ryzen 5 1400 or 1500X. Basically, you get the same stock speeds & the same overclocking ability, but you get a 4C/8T CPU that can help with editing & multi-threaded processing.
 

Christer15

Prominent
Aug 8, 2017
2
0
510


Thanks. It sounds like from your suggestion and other reviews that the Ryzen jump is big enough jump to warrant the higher cost. I was thinking of a Ryzen 5 but was concerned that the added cores wouldn't be needed for what I am doing.
Thanks for the feedback.