AMD or Intel?

[LeeW]

I am looking at building a new PC, well upgrading what I have. My intention was to get an Intel 10th Gen i7-10700. But I know some people are saying go Ryzen. I see the Ryzen 7 3700x at around £50 less with the same cores/threads, slightly slower core speed.

What are the compelling reasons to favour Ryzen over intel? Genuine question, I don't keep up to date with CPUs so have no idea what to consider.

 

[clangers23]

I went Ryzen with the first gen 1700X and haven't looked back. I'm running a 3900X on my desktop and a 4800H on an Asus G14. Both are exceptional.

The only caveat is, do you plan to play games a lot? In which case Intel are still ahead. The 10600 and 10700 are actually pretty decent value now Intel have reduced prices finally and despite the whole 14m++++++++ fiasco are very good processors.

Main reason for Ryzen is superior computer power (multi-core) against Intel's single core superiority. Intel CPU's draw a heck of a lot more power too. The other big advantage for Ryzen was AM4, so not being forced to buy a new motherboard when you decide to upgrade although that's coming to an end as AM4 is nearly on it's last generation. Intel usually force a chipset and motherboard upgrade every other CPU cycle at best.

 

[LeeW]

The only caveat is, do you plan to play games a lot? In which case Intel are still ahead.

Not a lot, but I do play some.

Thanks for info, makes sense, I think I will stick with intel. Sometimes its a case of better the devil you know

 

[grmlin]

The next generation of desktop Ryzen is around the corner I think, if your are not in a hurry I would wait for that.

I have a 3600 and it's great.

 

[nickdalzell1]

Unless your a gamer, it really doesn't matter. In my experience, both Intel graphics (especially Intel HD Graphics integrated chipsets) and anything Intel CPU-based is horrible for gaming at or above 60-frames-per-second on max settings.

I've always favored AMD for games. Ever since I built my first gaming rig back when the Athlon was king. It's been Ryzen since. Also get dedicated graphics over integrated graphics.

 

[Cookie18]

The next generation of desktop Ryzen is around the corner I think, if your are not in a hurry I would wait for that.

I have a 3600 and it's great.

This.

Also, AMD tends to have better upgrade paths whereas Intel makes you buy a new motherboard seemingly arbitrarily an AMD board will last a few generations.

But seriously, wait for the next gen if you can.

 

[LiE_]

You should also factor in the price of the motherboard, last time I checked a decent motherboard cost more for Intel. You could get a B550 + 3600 now then towards the end of the year grab the latest 4700X.

 

[nickdalzell1]

My latest gaming setup was pre-built but done online with the specs I wanted. For the games I play, the heaviest being Fallout 4, the PC costed only $499. You can get an Xbox One X for that, but why settle for a console when you can get a more satisfying PC? especially given all the extra slots for RAM, GPU, future CPUs, and PCI-E.

 

[sevoneone]

We built my wife a new combo work from home and entry gaming desktop a couple of weeks ago. We're so lucky to have a MicroCenter locally. I was really impressed what awesome specs we were able to assemble given our budget:

Ryzen 3600 + B450 MB + 16GB DDR 3200 + RX 570 8GB + 512GB PCIe SSD + 650W PSU + Case

Out the door $685 with Tax, and that's having to go overkill on the PSU because the only 500W PSUs they had in stock were garbage, was able to make part of it up by snagging that 8GB 570 for $129 which. Original plan was a 1650 (not super) and I decided to err on the side of saving $20 and getting more VRAM.

First AMD build in over 10 years and I'm really, really impressed with the value for performance.

 

[xraydoc]

I bought a pre-built machine. It was just easier for me. It was mostly for work (but some games of course), so a pre-built machine was much easier to get through my employer for reimbursement. When I bought the machine immediately prior to the initial COVID outbreak, the Intel (9th gen i7) ended up being a bit cheaper than a similar AMD-based machine.

Still extremely happy with my machine. And for what I do on it, I don't think AMD's better multithreading would have given me any speed benefit whatsoever. Maybe some benchmarks would have been better, but no real-world benefit. And more than likely, Intel's better single-thread performance is to my advantage.

I do, however, prefer nVidia for graphics over AMD.

Way back in the day, I built an AMD Athlon machine when they hit 1GHz before Intel did, just so I could have some bragging rights, though.

 

[nickdalzell1]

I haven't even considered building my own system ever since Windows depended on activation to work after 30 days. The savings of building your own PC ($2-300 dollars) is more than made up for by paying $299 for a copy of Windows 10. Sure, I could go Linux for free, but the shortcomings of using Wine or some compatibility layer, dealing with horrid FPS rates, and zero anti-aliasing far outweigh the benefits of FOSS for gaming. Maybe if all I cared for were Skifree or old DOS games, but I didn't buy a real gaming rig to play games over 30 years old.

 

[Cookie18]

I haven't even considered building my own system ever since Windows depended on activation to work after 30 days. The savings of building your own PC ($2-300 dollars) is more than made up for by paying $299 for a copy of Windows 10. Sure, I could go Linux for free, but the shortcomings of using Wine or some compatibility layer, dealing with horrid FPS rates, and zero anti-aliasing far outweigh the benefits of FOSS for gaming. Maybe if all I cared for were Skifree or old DOS games, but I didn't buy a real gaming rig to play games over 30 years old.

Windows doesn't require activation to work anymore. You can use it indefinitely without paying. Also, Windows licenses are dirt cheap nowadays anyway. I paid about $5 for each of my Windows licenses.

 

[nickdalzell1]

Since when? I remember even earlier copies of Windows 10 (when it launched) working fully for 30 days and then going into limited access mode, no internet, no access to many things games need to run. no access to low-level drivers. Pro would also shut down after 45 minutes of being on. Good luck playing a great multi-player game and being shut down arbitrarily!

 

[Cookie18]

Since when? I remember even earlier copies of Windows 10 (when it launched) working fully for 30 days and then going into limited access mode, no internet, no access to many things games need to run. no access to low-level drivers. Pro would also shut down after 45 minutes of being on. Good luck playing a great multi-player game and being shut down arbitrarily!

I've no idea when it changed but I used my Windows PC without activating it for a year with no issues because I just never bothered to buy a key.

 

[sevoneone]

If you don’t activate Windows 10, you loose the ability to change your desktop picture and other visual settings. A nice "Activate Windows" watermark tatoos the bottom right corner of your display. Everything works otherwise though. As others have mentioned, you can get a license for Windows 10 for less than $30 from system integrators selling excess licenses. You do have to be wary of scams though.

 

[LeeW]

The savings of building your own PC ($2-300 dollars) is more than made up for by paying $299 for a copy of Windows 10.

It's $119 for Windows 10, $199 for Pro from MS directly. But remember, when you buy a licence you can transfer it to another PC, the one you will get with your pre-built will be tied to that machine only.

Plenty of cheap options but there are scams than genuine cheap licences.

 

[StellarVixen]

My heart says Intel, but my brain says AMD.

 

[sevoneone]

But remember, when you buy a licence you can transfer it to another PC, the one you will get with your pre-built will be tied to that machine only.

I forgot this point. It is very valid. I'm actually still using a Windows 7 Pro retail license key (retail can be transferred between PCs) I bought 6 years ago as you can use Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 keys to activate Windows 10. Those $30 keys you can buy are locked to that system as soon as you use the key.

 

[LeeW]

Those $30 keys you can buy are locked to that system as soon as you use the key.

Indeed they are OEM licences, hence so cheap, which is why you often see them being sold with a piece of inexpensive hardware to ensure it complies with the MS licence requirements. I mean it's a fair way to go if that suits you.

 

[LiE_]

I buy £9.99 cd keys from here, never had an issue - https://www.cjs-cdkeys.com/products...D-Key-(Digital-Download).html?setCurrencyId=1

 

[LeeW]

Also, is it really as hard as I am finding it to get a pc case with the window on the right rather than left? I want a compact build to sit on the left of my desk where it would mean the window will be against the wall. Not that it's a big deal but would be nice.

I get the issue, inverted design does not seem popular but I am surely not the only one with this issue.

And every case without windows I like has the bloody button on the left side

 

[LiE_]

Also, is it really as hard as I am finding it to get a pc case with the window on the right rather than left? I want a compact build to sit on the left of my desk where it would mean the window will be against the wall. Not that it's a big deal but would be nice.

I get the issue, inverted design does not seem popular but I am surely not the only one with this issue.

Yea those are a rare thing, pretty much all cases have the motherboard tray built into the chassis.

For a small build, you could look at the NZXT H1 or the Cooler master NR200.

 

[LeeW]

For a small build, you could look at the NZXT H1 or the Cooler master NR200.

I have the NZXT H1 as my backup, the BeQuiet Silent Base range can be switched, not sure I really like the case though. Plus too big anyway, want as compact as I can go.

 

[Erehy Dobon]

What are the compelling reasons to favour Ryzen over intel? Genuine question, I don't keep up to date with CPUs so have no idea what to consider.

If you have to build a PC today, the argument could be made that AMD is currently the better choice since the current Ryzens and latest AMD motherboard chipsets (B550, X570) support PCIe 4.0. SSD I/O speeds on PCIe 4.0 are far superior than their Gen3 predecessors and disk access times is one of the major bottlenecks during regular everyday use.

This is a great example of why basing purchase decisions on one narrow benchmark (like the moronic single-core vs. multi-core Geekbench comparisons) is crushingly stupid. Fast single-core CPU performance matters far less when you are trying to write data to a disk. Some of the savvier PC hardware testers dislike testing SSD performance on empty devices because they know that's not a real-world scenario.

In the end, don't fixate on CPUs. Motherboard chipsets are more impactful in the long run. If one CPU is 10% faster on Geekbench single-core than another, will you see it surfing the 'net, typing out e-mails, running Photoshop, etc.? NO.

If you care about noise, focusing on fans will be more beneficial than CPU Geekbench scores but not fan RPMs. A faster spinning fan isn't necessarily better. A larger, slower fan can often move more air than a smaller, faster fan -- with less noise.

Measurements like airflow -- CFM (cubic feet per minute) or m3/h (cubic meters per hour), air pressure, and noise, dB(A) at maximum speed.

 

[Erehy Dobon]

I have the NZXT H1 as my backup, the BeQuiet Silent Base range can be switched, not sure I really like the case though. Plus too big anyway, want as compact as I can go.

I have an NZXT H1. Smaller cases have a reputation of being noisier due to higher fan activity to combat from a smaller confined space. The H1's 140mm fan for the AIO cooler is definitely a noise factor when the CPU is cranking (e.g., a Handbrake encode).

There is no room to add additional cooling so your graphics card will have to manage on its own. The PSU has its own built-in fan.

The NZXT H1 is about the same size as a Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box or similar eGPU enclosure but it is well designed as a compact PC case.