Build Advice Two PC upgrades - AMD Ryzen 9000 vs Intel Core Ultra 200

[Aeacus]

Hi folks!



1st, the formalities:

Approximate Purchase Date: Q3 2025. (Before Win10 official support ends in Q4 2025.)

Budget Range: ~€1250 before shipping per 1 PC. Two PCs are to be upgraded, so ~€2500 in total for 2 PCs.

System Usage from Most to Least Important:
1st PC: Web browsing (plethora of tabs open), image editing, gaming (casual/moderate, does include simulation games).
2nd PC: Software coding, web browsing (plethora of tabs open), watching movies, gaming (casual, small indie titles).

Are you buying a monitor: No.

Parts to Upgrade: Both PCs: CPU, MoBo, RAM, CPU cooler (maybe M.2 SSD as well).
1st PC re-used PSU: Seasonic PRIME TX-650 [SSR-650TD] (aka Seasonic PRIME 650 80+ Titanium). Bought Q4 2016.
2nd PC re-used PSU: Seasonic PRIME TX-650 [SSR-650TR] (aka Seasonic PRIME Ultra 650 80+ Titanium). Bought Q4 2020.
Current specs of 1st PC: https://fr.pcpartpicker.com/b/bd9J7P
Current specs of 2nd PC: https://fr.pcpartpicker.com/b/RRvnTW
Other than parts to upgrade, everything else will be reused.

Do you need to buy OS: Yes. 2x Win11 Pro (retail) for both PCs. But this is not considered in above hardware budget. Ideally, would go with Win12 when it is released by that time, skipping the poor Win11 altogether.
Currently, both PCs are running Win7 OEM licenses, that i upgraded for free to Win10 OEM. Since i have OEM licenses, these can not be transferred over to the new builds.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: #1 https://www.galador.eu/category/187-components
alternative: https://arvutitark.ee/en/pc-components/1

Location: Estonia (within EU).

Parts Preferences:
CPU: Intel or AMD with iGPU.
MoBo: MSI. (Either X870E or Z890 chipset.)
RAM: Kingston. (Must be the one listed in MoBo memory QVL.)
CPU cooler: Noctua, Be Quiet!, Arctic, Thermalright. (Must be air cooler.)
M.2 SSD: Samsung.

Overclocking: No.

SLI or Crossfire: No.

Your Monitor Resolution:
1st PC: 1920x1080, 144 Hz.
2nd PC: 1920x1080, 60 Hz.

Additional Comments: Both PCs are intended to use ~10 years, or until OS on them becomes obsolete and we can't use the PCs further (like the current situation is).
Gaming wise, beefiest game would be Hogwarts: Legacy that we both would like to play. For my PC (PC #1), i can throw in Cyberpunk 2077 as well. The rest of the games are less impactful.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Win10 support ends. Now, both of our PCs are working fine and other than that, there's 0 reason to upgrade. But since 1st PC is Skylake architecture and 2nd PC is Haswell architecture, neither of our PCs support Win11 (or Win12).

Possible parts (with current pricing);

If Intel build:
CPU: €343.80 - Ultra 5 245K: https://www.galador.eu/1903-cpus/18...k-5-2ghz-fclga18w-lga1851-24m-cache-boxed-cpu
MoBo: €491 - MSI Z890 Carbon Wi-fi: https://www.galador.eu/1904-motherb...-s-pdif-2xrj45-2xaudio-port-mpgz890carbonwifi
RAM: €275.90 - Kingston Fury Beast RGB black 6400 MT/s, 2x 32GB, 2R: https://www.galador.ee/1610-lauaarv...gb-dimm-288-pin-6400-mhz-pc5-51200-unbuffered
Total: €1110.70 per 1 PC.
CPU cooler is undecided, but up to 170mm tall air cooler fits into either of the PCs.

If AMD build:
CPU: €356.20 - R7 9700X: https://www.galador.eu/1903-cpus/18...sam5-65-watts-gpu-radeon-box-100-100001404wof
MoBo: €520.40 - MSI X870E Carbon Wi-fi: https://www.galador.eu/1904-motherboards/18099011-msi-mpg-x870e-carbon-wifi-atx-am5-amd-x870e
RAM: €268.10 - Kingston Fury Beast RGB black 6400 MT/s, 2x 32GB, 2R: https://www.galador.ee/1610-lauaarv...t-rgb-64-gb-2-x-32-gb-kit-ddr5-6400-dimm-cl32
Total: €1144.70 per 1 PC.
CPU cooler is undecided, but up to 170mm tall air cooler fits into either of the PC's cases.

With formalities over, the core of the matter;​

While purchase date is about half a year away, i'd like to make my decision regarding what parts to get, well in advance. Hence the topic now, rather than later.

For accurate price and availability suggestions, the components must be from the Galador store (or Arvutitark). I'm not going to buy stuff from Amazon, since Galador offers free nationwide shipping with courier delivery and is also a local store (far easier RMA, when needed). We do have a wide selection here, so, i'm certain i can get everything locally.

CPU​

To start off, which CPU to go for. 🤔 Since CPU defines what MoBo and RAM to get.

I prefer Intel. Running few right now. Core Ultra 5 would be more than enough. Ultra 7 would be too much/expensive. No "Core i3" in the Ultra lineup as of yet. Even if there would be one, it would fare poorly to stand up for the next ~10 years. So, on Intel side, i'm looking at Core Ultra 5 245K.

Sadly, the Core Ultra is a big flop. A bit better than 14th gen Intel, but overall, nothing special. Since Ultra is such a let down, i'm now seriously considering going with AMD.
On AMD side, i'm looking at Ryzen 7 9700X, which would be U5 245K counterpart by price.
Initially, i did consider R5 9600X as well (€260.99), which is true counterpart of U5 245K, but given that i have budget for U5 245K, R7 9700X would be better counterpart to consider.

Pros of U5 245K;
* latest Intel gen CPU with LGA1851 socket
* CUDIMM
* More L2 cache (26MB vs 8MB)
* no hyperthreading (better for gaming)
* 15C cooler running on gaming loads, compared to R7 9700X, source: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/intel-core-ultra-5-245k/28.html
* lower power draw on gaming loads, compared to R7 9700X, source: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/intel-core-ultra-5-245k/25.html

Pros of R7 9700X:
* latest AMD gen GPU with AM5 socket
* CUDIMM (MoBo supports it)
* more L3 cache (32MB vs 24MB)
* lower TDP (65W vs 125W)
* hyperthreading (better for applications)
* far lower power draw on application loads, compared to U5 245K, source: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/intel-core-ultra-5-245k/25.html

Of course, Ryzen 10000-series (Zen 6) is expected to launch in Q3 2025 and depending how they fare value wise, would be something to consider. But Zen 6 isn't out and i'm currently considering what is available, vs what may become available.

MoBo​

Both of our current PCs are running MSI MoBos, so, new one would be MSI too. I'm happy with MSI and their features + looks.

MSI MoBo lineup: https://www.msi.com/Motherboards/Products

On Intel side, there are total of 15 choices in Z890 chipset. Some considerable options are: Carbon Wi-Fi and Gaming Plus Wi-Fi. While excluding white PCB/heatsink options since those doesn't fit the aesthetic taste, it leaves 7 options.

On AMD side, there are total of 4 choices in X870E chipset. Dismissing white PCB/heatsink ones, i'm left with only option: MPG X870E Carbon Wi-fi. Godlike is way too expensive and Tomahawk is a bit too barebones.

RAM​

I prefer to have 2DPC (2 DIMMs per channel) due to the lower latency. But sadly, due to the poor configuration between CPU and DDR5, having 2DPC means 4800 MT/s max. Anything faster and i'm stuck with 1DPC.

2R RAM (dual sided) is better than 1R RAM (single sided), so, i'm currently considering 6400 MT/s 2R RAM.
Now, CUDIMM looks promising and offers better performance, but that when RAM is 6400 MT/s or more.
E.g CUDIMM testing: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/intel-core-ultra-5-245k/27.html

If to go with 6400+ MT/s RAM, then i have to get 1R RAM. Still thinking if CUDIMM is worth it or not. 🤔 Not to mention the cost of it.

A nice fact is that MSI X870E MoBos are only X870E MoBos (at least as of now), that support CUDIMM as well.

Capacity wise, current norm is 16GB. 32GB is advised when RAM usage is above average (or when playing AAA titles). When thinking about future use, i'm currently settled with 64GB since i can't easily add RAM, as i was able with DDR3/DDR4. With DDR5, i have to replace the RAM if more capacity is needed. So, it would be smart to get bigger capacity off the bat, rather than replacing RAM at later date.

Oh, Kingston DDR5 RAM height;
34.9mm - Beast
42.23mm - Beast RGB
39.2mm - Renegade
44mm - Renegade RGB

CPU cooler​

This is where i'm the least uncertain of. But that much is known that AIO doesn't happen.

There are several solid air cooler options from Noctua (chromax.black), Be Quiet!, Arctic and even Thermalright, making deciding difficult.
Since our PC cases support up to 170mm tall CPU coolers, selection is wide. I was thinking mid-sized or even big-boy air cooler, but haven't decided on which yet.

Issue with big-boy air coolers (while offering better cooling), is possible conflict with MoBo VRM heatsinks and RAM clearance issue as well. (Did list the RAM height above.)
Noctua has good compatibility chart to check clearances. So, with Noctua, i can check compatibility before purchase.

Ideally, i'd like to get CPU air cooler which fans doesn't have proprietary mount. Like Be Quiet! Dark Rock Elite or Arctic Freezer 50 has it. Since when fan should die, it would be very hard (if not impossible) to replace the fan. Because then, i have to get the same proprietary fan again. And availability for those in 3, 5, 7 etc years, is questionable. I would not risk it, since i may end up replacing entire CPU cooler when replacement fan is EOL and unavailable.

With CPU coolers, i have a wide selection of good ones;
Arctic Freezer 36 Black (ARGB)
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE Black (ARGB)
Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 Evo Black
Thermaltake Astria 600 ARGB
Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 5
Noctua NH-D15S chromax.black
Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black

ARGB is nice to have but not mandatory.

M.2 SSD (optional)​

Having dedicated OS drive off the bat (e.g Samsung 990 Pro 2TB) would make OS installation + personal data transfer easier. Else-ways, i need to clone current OSes to 870 Evo SSDs, format current OS drives (in 1st PC: 970 Evo Plus 2TB, in 2nd PC: 980 1TB), move M.2 drives to new MoBos and install OS there.

But this much is sure, that i won't get DRAM-less SSD. For an OS drive, DRAM-less SSD is a bad idea. So, Samsung 990 Evo Plus is out of question.
That leaves either Samsung 980 Pro or 990 Pro. At least 2TB (both cost ~€180 per drive). 4TB would be better but 990 Pro 4TB is expensive (~€330 per one drive).

Future upgrades, not part of this upgrade (GPU and PSU)​

Now, i know very well that GTX 1660 Ti and GTX 1060 3G aren't that beefy of a GPUs and would be the weak part in the latest systems. Still, at current moment, both are enough for our needs at 1080p. Moreover, i do plan to upgrade GPUs at later date and go with RTX 50-series, to balance the builds out.

Our PSUs are also getting a bit old now. One is 9 years old and another is 5 years old. But since both are Seasonic PRIME units with 12 year warranty and haven't been abused in the years + i'm confident in the Seasonic build quality (after all, i bought the best 650W units money could buy back then), i'm not in a hurry to replace them out yet. I'll probably go with new units when i go with new GPUs.


And that's it. Would like TH forums community help regarding the concerns i have with the components i talked about above.



--
Thanks in advance,
Aeacus

 

[helper800]

In my opinion you would be best served by the following parts:

CPU - 9700X (356.20) or 9800X3D (585.00)
CPU Cooler - Thermalright Assassin Spirit (58.80)
MOBO - Gigabyte X870 Eagle Wifi (255.20)
RAM - G Skill 2x16GB 6000 MT/s CL30 (127.10) alternative G.Skill 2x32 6000 MT/s CL32
M.2 Drive - Wester Digital SN850X 2TB (165.30)

Total: 962.60 or 1,191.4

Spending more than this on a the parts is purely for brand loyalty, which is up to you, but you could use that money better by getting a 9800X3D over a 9700X.

 

[Aeacus]

but you could use that money in getting a 9800X3D over a 9700X and be better off in the long run.

R7 9800X3D is a great CPU but it also costs accordingly. Thus, i didn't actually consider getting it when i was researching and thinking which CPU to go for. Heck, i have never considered getting top-end CPU for us , since we don't utilize our PCs in a such a degree where top-end CPU would be justified (e.g 3D render and the like).

This actually gives me a lot more to think about. 🤔
But thanks for pointing it out to me. 👍

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE Black (ARGB)
Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 Evo Black

Either of these. Not only are they relatively cheap, but also just happen to beat out much more expensive coolers like the Noctua. Thermalrights are quieter bar one or two others, and offer excellent cooling with very low noise levels. Can't go wrong with them. - Although I would be putting a nice neat AOI in

Gaming wise, beefiest game would be Hogwarts: Legacy

That not a slouch of a game. You have a plan there, but I would be looking at maybe RTX4060 or above down the line to get some more longevity.

no hyperthreading (better for gaming)

Not true necessarily. Maybe in some games. For the most part it's not something to consider.

If Intel build:

If playing the long game, I'd defo go with AMD. You're most likely gonna get 1 more CPU on the current socket from Intel. You will get far more options with the AMD base, with 60xx and 70xx coming to AM5 at a min.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Personally, I'd go with Ryzen. Core Ultra is a mess since release and I haven't seen anything yet that leads me to believe anything has changed in that regard despite Intel stating that they've fixed some of the issues via BIOS and driver updates.