Question Which Ryzen processor is comparable to latest Intel i7 cpu?

[Nova43]

Which Ryzen CPU is comparable to the latest Intel i7 CPU for the following PC usage needs:

Heavy developer/programming use (Visual studio, etc.), heavy video streaming (Youtube, etc.), Lot of web surfing, Heavy reading of purchased books in various formats (kindle, pdf, epubs, etc.), and heavy uploading and downloading of files since I'm a developer, Moderate use of graphics and ebook creation software like Photoshop, Indesign, GIMP, etc., and lastly Maybe extremely light gaming (I never play 3D games on my PC).

Note: I may or may not build a custom PC.

Thanks!

 

[mdd1963]

The Ryzen 2600/2600X (6 core/12 thread CPUs) are both popular, as is the 2700X if your usage scenario scales well with the addition of two more cores more cores.

The next generation of Ryzen processors (3600X, 3700X, 3800X, 3900X ) is supposed to release in 3 weeks...with the 3950X (16 cores/32 threads) perhaps following in Sept/Oct. (As the latter two are rumored to rival/defeat Intel's i9 models, the new generation might be worth waiting the 3 weeks if possible.

 

[mitch074]

The current 2700X leaves the i7 in the dust - as many cores, twice the amount of threads, it actually plays in the low i9's ballpark. All that on a bog-standard AM4 motherboard ( a B450 motherboard can drive it well).
Or, you can wait until the beginning of July and get a Ryzen 9 3800X - twelve cores and 24 threads, it gives all i9 out a run for their money.

 

[Nova43]

Cool, but my budget for a CPU is about $200-$250. Can you guys suggest a Ryzen CPU that is comparable or better to the latest i7 at this price point and for the PC usage needs listed in the original post? Thanks.

 

[InvalidError]

Uploading/downloading files, reading PDFs and most other formats and other trivial stuff like that can be done well enough on a 10+ years old PC, just about anything Core2Duo and up.

For more CPU-intensive stuff, the closest equivalent you'll get to an i7-8700/9700 in overall performance at $200 would be the Ryzen 3600/3600X.

 

[DMAN999]

A $150 Ryzen 5 2600 on a decent B450 motherboard would do everything listed and a LOT more.
I use mine for playing current games while streaming and I also do some video encoding while streaming but Not while gaming.
My rig performs these tasks very well.
I chose my current build because it gives me very similar performance to an i7-8700 at a much lower price.
See my signature for my specs.

 

[Nova43]

Awesome, I might actually be able to spend about $350 to $400 on a CPU. Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[mitch074]

Awesome, I might actually be able to spend about $350 to $400 on a CPU. Thanks for the suggestions!

The 2700 (non X) is cheaper and is clocked slower than the -X version but can be found in the low 250's - it's still 8 cores 16 threads of goodness in a lower thermal envelope. After that, some nicely clocked RAM (I recommend 3000 MHz, it seems 3200-3400 is the sweet spot) will allow you to do a bunch of stuff at once - got for 16 Gb at least, 32 Gb is VERY comfy.

 

[Nova43]

The 2700 (non X) is cheaper and is clocked slower than the -X version but can be found in the low 250's - it's still 8 cores 16 threads of goodness in a lower thermal envelope. After that, some nicely clocked RAM (I recommend 3000 MHz, it seems 3200-3400 is the sweet spot) will allow you to do a bunch of stuff at once - got for 16 Gb at least, 32 Gb is VERY comfy.

Thanks for this.