Upgrade advice needed

Munkus

Munkus

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I'm looking to upgrade my current system. Here are the specs:

CPU: Intel i7 7700K @ 4.2Ghz, air cooled
Mobo: MSI B150A GAMING PRO (ancient, no M.2 support)
RAM: 16Gb DDR4-2133
Video: nVidia GTX 2080ti
Boot drive: Samsung SSD 850 EVO 500GB (SATA-III)
Power: Corsair 650 Watt
OS: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit 20H2

I'll be keeping the 2080Ti but would like to move to a new mobo, RAM, M.2 boot drive, and AMD or Intel CPU (don't care which).

What's the best bang for the buck these days (besides KAC)?
 
AMD 3600X / 5600X with 16GB of 3600 RAM?

Even though AMD prices have risen and some Intel options are similarly priced.

You saw all the good KAC got from his CPU "upgrade". IMHO 6 core/12 threads is where bang for the buck is ATM.
 
I wouldn’t buy anything Zen 2.

You should try either 10700K w/ Z490 OR 5600X with X570 combo. Throw in some DDR4 3600 ram and make games your bitch.

If you are looking for high performance and longevity then go 10900K with Z590 board OR 5900X with X570 board.
 
KAC said:
I wouldn’t buy anything Zen 2.

You should try either 10700K w/ Z490 OR 5600X with X570 combo. Throw in some DDR4 3600 ram and make games your bitch.

If you are looking for high performance and longevity then go 10900K with Z590 board OR 5900X with X570 board.
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He did say bang for the buck..... :bleh:
 
Check prices acroig. It is no longer a 160 bucks 3600. 3600X and above are even worse. At that price range only 5600X makes sense if you can find one. Otherwise spend 20-30 bucks extra for an Intel 10600K since it is 8-10% faster at 1440P. Check some Cyberpunk, Ass Creed, SOTTR, MS flight sim and Hitman benches. As you move up to 3700X and onwards it makes sense to buy a 10700(K) instead.
 
KAC said:
Check prices acroig. It is no longer a 160 bucks 3600. 3600X and above are even worse. At that price range only 5600X makes sense if you can find one. Otherwise spend 20-30 bucks extra for an Intel 10600K since it is 8-10% faster at 1440P. Check some Cyberpunk, Ass Creed, SOTTR, MS flight sim and Hitman benches. As you move up to 3700X and onwards it makes sense to buy a 10700(K) instead.
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Mobo prices for Intel chipset is always the issue unless Munkus has a Microcenter nearby. And thanks AMD for raising prices!! :bleh:
 
If he is not overclocking he can do what I did. 10700 and B460 motherboard. Gets the job done and has 2 M2 slots, Gigabit LAN and basic goodies. Still a 8-10% better story than 3600(X) and B550 setup.

A B460 starts at 65 bucks :bleh:.
 
There is also the subject of availability, looking at his setup the only thing that is going to give him anything is one of the overpriced cant find 3080/3090's. I would mention AMD as well but wouldnt recommend as I believe the 3000 series are better overall. But good luck getting any of them. Unless your willing to hunt day and night.:p Or pay the price!
 
KAC said:
If he is not overclocking he can do what I did. 10700 and B460 motherboard. Gets the job done and has 2 M2 slots, Gigabit LAN and basic goodies. Still a 8-10% better story than 3600(X) and B550 setup.

A B460 starts at 65 bucks :bleh:.
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OK, fair enough.
 
Wait a month for Rocketlake reviews then decide between 5600x/5800x or 11600k/11700k imo.
 
KAC said:
If he is not overclocking he can do what I did. 10700 and B460 motherboard. Gets the job done and has 2 M2 slots, Gigabit LAN and basic goodies. Still a 8-10% better story than 3600(X) and B550 setup.

A B460 starts at 65 bucks :bleh:.
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Hate to say it but KAC is right on this one. Even Gandalfthewhite is recommending Intel CPU's for new builds because they are actually available and cheaper than AMD CPU's. Intel have gained market share on AMD purely down to availability.

Nascar24 said:
There is also the subject of availability, looking at his setup the only thing that is going to give him anything is one of the overpriced cant find 3080/3090's. I would mention AMD as well but wouldnt recommend as I believe the 3000 series are better overall. But good luck getting any of them. Unless your willing to hunt day and night.:p Or pay the price!
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He said he's keeping his 2080ti so he's not looking to replace his GPU.

demo said:
Wait a month for Rocketlake reviews then decide between 5600x/5800x or 11600k/11700k imo.
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Forget 5600x/5800x as for more cores Intel are now cheaper. In UK 5600x is £350 and intel 10700K 8c/16t is £320. The 5800x is £480 and the 10c/20t 10850K is £410 and the Intel CPU's have lots of stock.
 
LordHawkwind said:
Hate to say it but KAC is right on this one. Even Gandalfthewhite is recommending Intel CPU's for new builds because they are actually available and cheaper than AMD CPU's. Intel have gained market share on AMD purely down to availability.



He said he's keeping his 2080ti so he's not looking to replace his GPU.
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AMD 5000 series CPU's are starting to be in stock regularly, at least at Microcenter for either the 5600X or 5800X.

Yes I know that's what he said, and if that's the case I dont believe upgrading anything is worth all that much. I would leave it as is. Maybe he would gain a little but not sure if it would be worth it. I would go cheap if that would be the case and get a 5600X ($299) it has been in stock at Microcenter for a good 2 weeks straight now.

Edit:
I stand corrected, it looks like the 5600X would give you a pretty decent bump with the the 2080 Ti

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vte9TA9mX_s

https://www.techspot.com/review/2135-amd-ryzen-5600x/
 
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Bang for the buck is subjective. You want something that will last, where you get your bang for the buck over the lifetime of the product, imo.

I'd wait for Rocket Lake to release in March, as the prices on the 10850K will drop further, and grab one of those. 10 core/20 thread will last you a long, long time. 32GB of 3200CL15, and a Z490 motherboard (you could use Z590, but prices went up a ton on that entire platform)

I would look for deals on Z490 boards now and grab from the ASUS STRIX line, or MSI Gaming Edge/Gaming Carbon.

The 5600X is a waste and won't last long term. Buying a 6core in 2021 is a bad idea, imo. There's a reason the 5600X has been relatively easy to find; why would I spent $300 on a 6core processor? Unless you're buying a 5900X or 5950X, the 5000 series are prices horribly.
 
Dont agree on the 5600X being a waste, It performs up there with the best of Intel and is affordable, it all comes down to what you want to spend.
 
Nascar24 said:
Dont agree on the 5600X being a waste, It performs up there with the best of Intel and is affordable, it all comes down to what you want to spend.
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Seconded. Nunz likes top of the line CPUs and mobos (can't blame him) and yes, bang for the buck is subjective, up to a point.

Munkus, what you think so far?
 
One thing I will say is don't get K SKU next time if you're going to get a non-overclocking board. If you don't want to overclock that's fine--there's less need to do it now than ever before since the CPUs are already so heavily tuned. But it doesn't make sense to pay the premium for a K and then run it at stock.
 
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