1600AF is no longer avail at that price, but some folks paid $79.99 for the R5 2600X during the last Microcenter sale and made out better
You can still get the 6-core, 12-thread Ryzen 1600 AF for $85 on Amazon. It's never been listed on PCPartPicker, as far as I know. It's the version that comes with the smaller "Stealth" cooler..
Buy AMD Ryzen 5 1600 6-Core, 12-Thread Unlocked 65W Desktop Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler (YD1600BBAFBOX): CPU Processors - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
www.amazon.com
I would not say that it's the "4690k of this gen" though. It's an excellent budget offering, being a notably better value than anything else for around $150 or less, but if someone is willing to pay more, a Ryzen 3600 for around $175 would be the next logical step up, offering nearly 20% more CPU performance per core due to its better IPC and higher stock clocks. Or, for around $310, the Ryzen 3700X moves up to 8-cores with 16-threads, which might potentially handle certain "next-generation" games a bit better a few years down the line, plus another 5% or so more performance per-core compared to the 3600.
For Intel, I would wait until their next generation of processors becomes available, which is rumored to be within the next couple months or so. Intel's current i5s and i7s both lack SMT (Hyperthreading), putting them at a disadvantage in heavily-threaded workloads compared to AMD's current offerings, even if the unlocked K parts are technically capable of a bit more performance at moderately-threaded tasks. Some games are already seeing less-stable performance from the 6-threads of an i5-9600K, so the i7-9700K's 8-threads is the minimum that currently makes much sense on their side, in my opinion, at least if performance in future demanding games is a concern. But, that processor is $370, and requires a fairly decent aftermarket cooler to get the most out of it, driving the total price of the CPU and cooler well above $400. And to get 8 cores with SMT, you would need to move up to a $460+ i9-9900 or a $500+ 9900K. If gaming performance is a concern, that money would probably be better put toward graphics hardware for most.
In any case, Intel's next processors will apparently match AMD's in terms of thread counts, adding SMT across the lineup. So, the "10th gen" i5s should offer the same number of cores and threads as the current Ryzen 5s, and the i7s will match the current Ryzen 7s, while likely still offering a bit more performance per-core. From a performance standpoint, current i7 performance should be available at i5 pricing, and i9 performance should be available at i7 pricing. That should make them a lot more competitive. Of course, Intel's processors will still be built on an older, less efficient manufacturing process, making them hotter and more expensive to properly cool than AMDs 7nm offerings, but many will likely find that a worthwhile tradeoff for a bit more performance.
We can of course expect AMD to respond with price reductions to stay competitive, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the next generation of Ryzens getting more cores at any given price point later in the year, though it might be a while before having more than 8-cores and 16-threads provides much benefit to gaming, at least for anyone not streaming from the same system.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram