[SOLVED] Should I upgrade to i3 9100F from i5 6400?

Solution
no requires an older motherboard and you wind up with the same # or real cores
Both of you seem to be reading this backwards. They have the i5-6400 now, and are considering moving to the i3-9100F.

In any case, no, that wouldn't be a worthwhile upgrade, since you would need a new motherboard, and would still have the same number of cores and threads, which is starting to get less than ideal for things like modern games.
no requires an older motherboard and you wind up with the same # or real cores
Both of you seem to be reading this backwards. They have the i5-6400 now, and are considering moving to the i3-9100F.

In any case, no, that wouldn't be a worthwhile upgrade, since you would need a new motherboard, and would still have the same number of cores and threads, which is starting to get less than ideal for things like modern games.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Confectrix
Solution
Mar 25, 2020
17
2
15
Both of you seem to be reading this backwards. They have the i5-6400 now, and are considering moving to the i3-9100F.

In any case, no, that wouldn't be a worthwhile upgrade, since you would need a new motherboard, and would still have the same number of cores and threads, which is starting to get less than ideal for things like modern games.
Yeah they probably read it backwards. But I plan to change my motherboard anyways. For faster RAM support. My motherboard only supports 2133mhz but my rams are 2666mhz.
 
BTW I can sell i5 6400 for a higher price than i3 9100F, which means it's actually profitable.
If money is an issue, I would recommend getting the Ryzen 5 1600 AF (slightly slower 2600) for $85. It's around 2-5% slower than the $120 Ryzen 5 2600 and $35 cheaper. The 1600 AF is only around 10-12% slower than the i3-9100F in some games, but has 2 more cores and 8 more threads for a total of 12 CPU threads. The prices I'm seeing for the 9400F right now are around $150-160, which is already far too much for a 4c4t CPU. If you are going to spend $160 on a 4c4t CPU, you might as well spend the $15 more for the Ryzen 5 3600. Edit - I had previously looked up the 9400F because I was looking at the wrong CPU. The 9100F is $80.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Confectrix
Mar 25, 2020
17
2
15
I'm still not sure. There is still a big price difference between i3 and others you have been talking about. (Especially in my country) But I'm not going to buy i3, too. So I'm gonna wait the next gen as @mkaafy said.

If money is an issue, I would recommend getting the Ryzen 5 1600 AF (slightly slower 2600) for $85. It's around 2-5% slower than the $120 Ryzen 5 2600 and $35 cheaper. The 1600 AF is only around 10-12% slower than the i3-9100F in some games, but has 2 more cores and 8 more threads for a total of 12 CPU threads. The prices I'm seeing for the 9400F right now are around $150-160, which is already far too much for a 4c4t CPU. If you are going to spend $160 on a 4c4t CPU, you might as well spend the $15 more for the Ryzen 5 3600. Edit - I had previously looked up the 9400F because I was looking at the wrong CPU. The 9100F is $80.

I can sell İ5 6400 for 123 dollars in my country and buy İ3 9100F for 80 dollars. But R5 2600 is 140 dollars. There is an 60 dollars difference. 1600 AF is not available in my country.
 
Last edited:
Intel is only better for gaming if you go and pay $350+ for a CPU.

Under around $200, Ryzen offers better performance, all-round including games since most intel CPUs at this price are not overclockable, offer very few threads, and not that impressive clocks.

A sub $200 Ryzen 5 3600x, for example, performs similar to an I7 8700k in games but beats the I7 in everything else, like price, rendering performance, power consumption, heat output, more since the 3600x is newer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Confectrix
Mar 25, 2020
17
2
15
Intel is only better for gaming if you go and pay $350+ for a CPU.

Under around $200, Ryzen offers better performance, all-round including games since most intel CPUs at this price are not overclockable, offer very few threads, and not that impressive clocks.

A sub $200 Ryzen 5 3600x, for example, performs similar to an I7 8700k in games but beats the I7 in everything else, like price, rendering performance, power consumption, heat output, more.


Thanks guys. I changed my mind. I'm going with the Ryzen. I'm gonna buy R5 2600. I've chosen Gigabyte's B450M S2H for that. What do you think about this motherboard?
 
  • Like
Reactions: mkaafy
1600 AF is not available in my country.
It's not available in all regions, but where it can be bought, it's not specifically referred to as "1600 AF", but just as "1600", like the original. The AF is just the last couple characters of the model number, but those generally are not listed when ordering online. Instead, it's easiest to differentiate the two versions of the CPU by looking at the bundled cooler. The original 1600 came with the larger Wraith "Spire" cooler, while the slightly faster 1600 AF comes bundled with the smaller Wraith "Stealth" cooler.

I don't know about Ryzen. People say it's more for rendering and multitasking than gaming. I hear Intel is better for gaming.
When comparing any 4-core, 4-thread Intel CPU to a 6-core, 12-thread AMD Ryzen CPU, the Ryzen will tend to be the better performer in most modern games, and will undoubtedly pull further ahead in future titles. 4-threads might still be okay for many older titles and some of the newer "e-sports" titles, but I would definitely want more threads than that if buying a processor for gaming in 2020.

The next generation of Intel processors launching in a matter of months should more closely match AMD on thread counts, so they may be more competitive at launch, though I suspect AMD will adjust prices of their more recent models to compensate.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Confectrix
Mar 25, 2020
17
2
15
It's not available in all regions, but where it can be bought, it's not specifically referred to as "1600 AF", but just as "1600", like the original. The AF is just the last couple characters of the model number, but those generally are not listed when ordering online. Instead, it's easiest to differentiate the two versions of the CPU by looking at the bundled cooler. The original 1600 came with the larger Wraith "Spire" cooler, while the slightly faster 1600 AF comes bundled with the smaller Wraith "Stealth" cooler.


When comparing any 4-core, 4-thread Intel CPU to a 6-core, 12-thread AMD Ryzen CPU, the Ryzen will tend to be the better performer in most modern games, and will undoubtedly pull further ahead in future titles. 4-threads might still be okay for many older titles and some of the newer "e-sports" titles, but I would definitely want more threads than that if buying a processor for gaming in 2020.

The next generation of Intel processors launching in a matter of months should more closely match AMD on thread counts, so they may be more competitive at launch, though I suspect AMD will adjust prices of their more recent models to compensate.
Now I will definitely buy a Ryzen. But I didn't get what did you say at the end. You mean AMD will make prices higher or lower? BTW I will wait for 10th gen anyways because of coronavirus. I will upgrade my computer in summer.
 

Karadjgne

Titan
Ambassador
The 6400 was a 3-legged dog, handily beaten in everything by the i3-6100 except apps using 4 threads at @ 80% or higher usage. So it'd be really hard to go backwards, any upgrade at all would be an improvement. That said, most budget Intel seriously aren't enough of an improvement to be worth the cash output.

Go Ryzen.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Confectrix
Mar 25, 2020
17
2
15
It's not available in all regions, but where it can be bought, it's not specifically referred to as "1600 AF", but just as "1600", like the original. The AF is just the last couple characters of the model number, but those generally are not listed when ordering online. Instead, it's easiest to differentiate the two versions of the CPU by looking at the bundled cooler. The original 1600 came with the larger Wraith "Spire" cooler, while the slightly faster 1600 AF comes bundled with the smaller Wraith "Stealth" cooler.


When comparing any 4-core, 4-thread Intel CPU to a 6-core, 12-thread AMD Ryzen CPU, the Ryzen will tend to be the better performer in most modern games, and will undoubtedly pull further ahead in future titles. 4-threads might still be okay for many older titles and some of the newer "e-sports" titles, but I would definitely want more threads than that if buying a processor for gaming in 2020.

The next generation of Intel processors launching in a matter of months should more closely match AMD on thread counts, so they may be more competitive at launch, though I suspect AMD will adjust prices of their more recent models to compensate.

I think I found a 1600 AF. It's 12nm, right?
 
Mar 25, 2020
17
2
15
If intel releases very well priced intel cpus soon, amd may lower prices further to stay competitively priced.
The 6400 was a 3-legged dog, handily beaten in everything by the i3-6100 except apps using 4 threads at @ 80% or higher usage. So it'd be really hard to go backwards, any upgrade at all would be an improvement. That said, most budget Intel seriously aren't enough of an improvement to be worth the cash output.

Go Ryzen.

Thanks for the knowledge guys.