Decisions decisions...

rich78

rich78

rich78

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Joined
5 Mar 2020
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2
Been nursing a very old DEL machine for years (don't laugh: Q6600 Core 2 quad cps 2.4ghz), but every time I think about upgrading, there's something new just around the corner which will make everything obsolete...

Anyway, looking for something budget end to run VR, probably Valve Index (that's where the budget will go) and obvs something thats not too much of a dead end upgrade wise.

I have a 1TB SSD and RX480 card that I will swap over to the new machine initially.

Was looking at a CPU for around £100 and MB around the same. So about £400 for a cpu, mb, case, psu and some ram. (do-able?) Not really interested in flashing lights...

Been looking at the in's and out's of the old Intel vs AMD war and I am slightly bemused by the love shown for everything Ryzen despite things like i3 9100F being super cheap (£66) and appearing to bechmark as good as anything AMD at nearly 3 times the price. Games just run better on intel? (pound for pound)

Now I see that Zen 3 is just around the corner. Will these offer better gaming performance? Too bad these will/might need a new MB? Right?

Does VR make any better use of 6 cores and 12 threads?

So can I build a Valve index capable machine with the bits I have and £400? Can it be future proof for a few years? Can it be easily upgraded? AMD or Intel?
 
 
Going for a 4/4 core thread CPU in 2020 isn't a great idea. If your looking at Intel then maybe the 9400f.
 
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rich78 said:
I really don't know which way to go! Ryzen seems like better tech but the benchmarks on many games so not?
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That may change though as the next gen consoles will be fitted with ryzen CPUs so more and more developers will be optimising for them.
 
Slightly over budget but you get a better psu than the CV above, and the Mortar has a better VRM. The case is B grade but you get £20 off the price.


My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £441.61 (includes shipping: £11.70)​
​
 
rich78 said:
I really don't know which way to go! Ryzen seems like better tech but the benchmarks on many games so not?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure about your 'Intel benches better' comes from in regards to the i3-9100. It's a horrible gaming cpu, although for the price I suppose it's to be expected. Here's some benchmarks to check out if you want - https://www.techspot.com/review/1983-intel-vs-amd-budget-cpu-battle-2020/

AMD give you more bang/buck nowadays, especially when you consider that Intel's current socket is EOL and AMD still has some life left in the AM4 socket.
 
lee32uk said:
Slightly over budget but you get a better psu than the CV above, and the Mortar has a better VRM. The case is B grade but you get £20 off the price.
Click to expand...
Already Asrock B450 Pro4 has stronger and cooler running VRM than that Gigabyte:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/asrock-b450-pro4-socket-am4-ddr4-atx-motherboard-mb-16b-ak.html
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/asrock-b450m-pro4-socket-am4-ddr4-matx-motherboard-mb-16c-ak.html

Though MSI's VRM is good bit better for upgrade path.
 
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