Which CPU is more future-proof for 1080p gaming?

killerabdb

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Apr 3, 2018
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Guys I want to know which CPU would be more future proof for 1080p gaming @60Hz or 75Hz.
A Ryzen 1600X/2600 or an i5 8400/i5 8500?

The reason I'm asking this is that I have read in many places that while all these CPUs have 6 cores, the extra threads available in the Ryzen chips would be more useful in the future when games start to use more threads, is this true? Also, even if games do start to support more threads, will these Ryzen chips outperform the i5 8400/8500 in the near future for gaming?
 
Solution
8400/8500 should pretty much outperform during the lifetime of these chips, in most games. Its a long time ahead till games start using 6 cores consistently.
Some games will perform better with the extra threads on the AMD chips and other games will perform better with the fast single threaded performance from Intel. Right now the 8400 will get you better performance in games over the 1600. Anyone here that tells you that games of the future will run better on the 1600 is just giving an opinion.

The truth is 6 core CPUs just became mainstream last year and quad core CPUs have been mainstream for a decade. Only now are games starting to use all of the cores on a quad core chip. It takes years to make a AAA game. So it will be a good while till games start to take advantage of the new hardware. Additionally, consoles drive gaming sales and development. Most PC games are ports form consoles. Both PS4 and xbox run on 8 threads. Until consoles are released that have more than 8 threads, then 12 threads will never be a necessity. So by the time a game can use all of those 12 threads, your CPU wont cut it anyway and you will need an upgrade.

I would wait till the end of the week and see the reviews of the 2600 before I did anything. Intel's Core CPUs and AMD's Ryzen CPUs are both excellent chips. Its like picking the difference between a Ferrari and a Lamborghini. Either way you go, you will win.
 

killerabdb

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Apr 3, 2018
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What about the threads?
 
In my opinion 1080p gaming is governed more by your videocard. This is where game performance is concerned. So basically either choice in CPU will run the games well at 1080p assuming you used the same videocard on each system.

Where the extra threads might come in handy is if you want to do more than just play the game. You want to stream? Threads would help. Depending on what you're doing, the Ryzen might be a better choice. I would not buy a Ryzen just because maybe games someday use all those cores and threads. By the time that happens these Ryzens won't be adequate. If you get one, get it because it does what you need now.

For purely gaming and if you want every last frame per second you can get, then I think the i5 8400 would be your choice. You could still stream with it, but without the extra threads the Ryzen gives, which may or may not matter. It's hard to say since you, not I, will be the one using the computer.
 

Karadjgne

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Hyperthreading is a method where 2 threads can be made to share a single core bandwidth. But this is not a true 50/50 thing. If a code string takes up 60% of the bandwidth, the cpu gets to decide if it makes the other simultaneously pushed thread wait its turn, or if it sneaks in a code string that's less than 40% bandwidth. Because of that discrepancy, you'll see hyperthreading only get @1.5x more ability, not 2x as would be assumed.

This is what makes the 8th gen i5's with 6 cores so strong, equalling older i7 performance on games that use more than 4 threads, you get a 6core cpu vrs a 4core cpu x1.5 and the 8400 has higher IPC than a 3rd gen i7.

The Ryzen cpus have IPC that's comparable to at least Haswell to almost Skylake, so are just behind the Intels on performance, but coupled with high speed ram such as 3200 or better, can get @20% better IPC, putting them at at least Skylake and knocking on CoffeeLake back door. Ryzens are also unlocked and hyperthread capable, so for a bit less cash, you get a 6core cpu that's equivalent to the 8400,but also has hyperthreading to bump that to 12 threads, which is great for gaming and streaming or production software. A Ryzen 1700 can WinZip a large file about twice as fast as an i7-8700k.

So each has its strengths and drawbacks, either can perform better, depending on the game, the software, the setup.

Here's what many do not think about, being concerned solely on performance. A standard 1080p monitor is 60Hz. 1Hz = 1fps. The maximum amount of fps that you can get on that monitor is 60, no matter what the counter says it is. So there's exactly no difference if a Ryzen 5 puts out 200fps or an i7-8700k puts out 300fps, you get 60. The only difference lies in minimum fps. If the minimums on the Ryzen drop below 60, you've a good chance of seeing that. The i7, being the stronger cpu, might not drop below 60, so would be the better cpu. But if all minimums are above 60, there's no difference at all to you.

The only time maximum fps are of any concern is on 120-144Hz monitors. And that's only saying if you only get a max of 90fps on a 144Hz monitor, it's time to drop some settings or get a stronger cpu.
 

tbjerry07

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Apr 14, 2018
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Most games can't utilize more than 6 threads, for example Cities Skylines, with all the expansions, its a very CPU heavy game, but it still can't utilize more than 6 threads. I have a 6 core 12 threaded CPU @ 3.6GHz, and it barely ever hits over 40 percent in any game.
Unless you are using Adobe PR or AE, You just don't need the extra threads, developers don't want to mutithread a game to use 12 threads, because they are a HUGE timewaster.
Just go spend more money on a GPU or something
 

Karadjgne

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You can't go by the task manager usage. For all you know that game could be using all 12 threads at 40%. Or it could be using 5 threads at 100%. You'd need to look at individual core usage. Many games commonly use over 6 threads, any of the MMO's, MMORPG's, BF4, BF1, Witcher 3, pubg, Battlefront II all use at least 8 threads. Skyrim is touted as single core heavy, using generally 2 threads. With just 130+ mods and an enb my Skyrim uses 5-6 threads.

So while you might be accurate in the assumption that most games don't, that's including every game everything from MS Hearts or Solitaire to Ashes of the Singularity to World of Warcraft. The vast majority of more popular games are ports from 8 thread console usage, but it's not always a clean port, there's changes in code base, instructions, usage even down to dlc's that aren't a part of the original game content. This could mean lowering thread usage, same thread usage or even greater thread usage, depending on the game and the devs.

It's far easier, faster and more able to carry content to have 2 shorter code strings pushed on 2 simultaneous threads than to push 1 longer, more intensive code string through 1 thread. Which is why consoles are using 8 thread cpus at 1.8GHz instead of 4 thread cpus at 3.6GHz. Gets a lot more work done in a shorter time span for a lot less power and heat.

The dual core cpu is about dead for modern gaming. The quad core cpu is already on its way out. 6 thread cpus are good for now (just as the i5 was 3 yrs ago) but figure 6 threads is going to be the minimum in the near future as gaming code progresses and devs start using what's available now.