[SOLVED] What would you recoomend? A 2600x / 2700x OR a less expensive i5 9600k?

[goncalocmourato]

I started out looking for an upgrade for my 6600k. It's nice, and all, but being stuck on a Node 202 itx case doesn't exactly do wonders for the noise / temp levels.

So the new Ryzens really caught my eye. I kind of always had a soft spot for AMD (have a ROG Strix RX480) and all the reviews are indeed impressive. I mostly use the computer for gaming - for just a couple of hours a day. Either than that, just for watching movies, basically.

My first idea was a 2600X on a ROG Strix B450. Nice enough, eh? But then the cooler may not be nice enough (I like things as noise-free as possible, as I have the setup next to me).

But then, hell, for a few quid more, why not go full steam ahead and go for the 2700X on a ROG Strix x470? It's "only" ~170€ more, right?

THEN a local dealer lauched a promo on the i5-9600K launch. A decent MSI Z390 Gaming Edge with a FREE MSI Frozr L cooler. This really seems to turn things around... with a little less expensive RAM and the free (decent?) cooler, the i5 is in the same price range than the 2600X setup. Plus, the MSI MB includes AC wi-fi, something that i'd have to buy later for the ROG Strix.

So, please help me make up my mind. Consider a CPU+MB+RAM setup:

Ryzen 5 - around 570 euros (incl. a 25€ wifi adaptor)
Ryzen 7 - around 720 euros (incl. a 25€ wifi adaptor)
i5 - around 630 euros (wifi included)

In terms of temps, sound-proofing, etc. what would you recommend? The i5 or the Ryzen 5? Or perhaps I should just fork up the money for the Ryzen 7? Will the differences be noticeable?
I was kind of leaning towards AMD (great job with the Ryzens) and I like Asus (plus my GPU has Aura), but is this intel deal too good to let go?

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

I have a soft spot for AMD myself and will probably upgrade to whatever turns out to be Ryzen's successor, but then I use my computer for photo editing, so CPU thread count means a lot.

If your computer is all about gaming then stick with Intel. Despite AMD's great effort with Ryzen, Intel still lead the way in gaming performance.

 

[jeremyj_83]

When it comes to temps and power draw the Ryzen is superior to Intel. AMD's TDP is max power draw of the CPU whereas Intel's TDP is power draw at base clocks. The i9-9900k can draw upwards of 200W while using its boost, but the TDP is 95W. With the Intel you will need to spend $30-70 on a cooler as the included one should just be thrown in your recycling bin as it is almost useless. I built a system for someone using the included cooler for a 2600 and it is quiet and it works. If you get the right motherboard you can get included Wifi on the AMD systems as well. The gaming performance of the two at 1080p goes about 5-10% better for the Intel, but once you get to 1440p or higher the difference is nil.

Cheap AMD build that is easy to make better
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600X 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor (€207.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450 GAMING-ITX/AC Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard (€121.89 @ Mindfactory)
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (€126.89 @ Mindfactory)
Total: €456.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-01 16:45 CET+0100

Cheapest i5 build with a decent cooler.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-9600K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor (€327.99 @ Mindfactory)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-L12S 55.4 CFM CPU Cooler (€50.89 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Motherboard: ASRock - H370M-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard (€114.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Memory: ADATA - XPG Z1 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (€109.48 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Total: €603.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-01 16:47 CET+0100

Since both of these motherboards at miniITX go with the Fractal Design Nano S without a side panel. That is the case I used with the 2600 build and during a stress test with the CPU and GPU at max it was very quiet.

 

[Doctor Rob]

Well the Ryzen 5 2600X is not a hole heap faster then your current (unless you need more threads fr multi tasking). the 2700X can be a lot faster overall when you need more then a couple cores.. being you didn't say other then you have the GPU and the intel 660k cpu.. can't really say for sure..

But I have the Ryzen 1800X (would be nice to get the 2700X but can't justify the cost being I already have the 1800X) and its great expecially for running lots of crap.

Though with all that said.. if your biggest issue is your case.. why not just buy a new case and and an motherboard like ASRock z170 Extreme7+

as the differences between the CPU you have and the current Ryzen CPUs is not much at all.. (though if it were me.. I would just keep what you have now and if all you worrie about is temps and noise. You can do what I have done in the past when I had a crap case.. remove everything from the case.. and cut some new cooling holes for new case fans.. so you can add more but quieter fans (temp controlled like pwm fans is what I always use).. last time I modded my $100+ case because the water cooler I added was too big.. it only had a 120mm or something like that on the back but my cooler needed 135mm X2 so my water radiator required that I mod my case a bit.. so now instead of a 120mm hole in the back I have a 135mm (I cut myself) and the second 135mm case fan on the radiator is just sticking above my case and my temps are great being I have a couple 240mm case fans and a few more 120mm case fans as well.. (though I realize you will not be able to add that many fans to a small case.. you could add more cooling easily by just adding more fans / holes to let in (and out) more air without making it louder.

 

[jeremyj_83]

Well the Ryzen 5 2600X is not a hole heap faster then your current (unless you need more threads fr multi tasking). the 2700X can be a lot faster overall when you need more then a couple cores.. being you didn't say other then you have the GPU and the intel 660k cpu.. can't really say for sure..

But I have the Ryzen 1800X (would be nice to get the 2700X but can't justify the cost being I already have the 1800X) and its great expecially for running lots of crap.

Though with all that said.. if your biggest issue is your case.. why not just buy a new case and and an motherboard like ASRock z170 Extreme7+

as the differences between the CPU you have and the current Ryzen CPUs is not much at all.. (though if it were me.. I would just keep what you have now and if all you worrie about is temps and noise. You can do what I have done in the past when I had a crap case.. remove everything from the case.. and cut some new cooling holes for new case fans.. so you can add more but quieter fans (temp controlled like pwm fans is what I always use).. last time I modded my $100+ case because the water cooler I added was too big.. it only had a 120mm or something like that on the back but my cooler needed 135mm X2 so my water radiator required that I mod my case a bit.. so now instead of a 120mm hole in the back I have a 135mm (I cut myself) and the second 135mm case fan on the radiator is just sticking above my case and my temps are great being I have a couple 240mm case fans and a few more 120mm case fans as well.. (though I realize you will not be able to add that many fans to a small case.. you could add more cooling easily by just adding more fans / holes to let in (and out) more air without making it louder.

For that matter the i5-9600K isn't that much faster than what he currently has as well. Any of these CPUs are more than enough to run a RX480 as fast as it will go.