Question So what's the best gaming CPU these days?

moonbogg · Jan 17, 2024

Looking to probably upgrade my stuff. I've been checked out of the PC world for years now really in terms of upgrading, mostly because of the crappy GPU prices. Anyway, I'm under the impression that the best chip is really the 7800X3D. Is that right? No productivity and no need for tons of cores and threads. I also don't want to have to tweak and mess around with a 16 core CPU trying to make sure half the cores work on the right chip thingy with the right cache or whatever, so the 7950x or whatever it's called is probably out.
This is for VR gaming almost exclusively and you have to brute force your way through garbage optimization, and the 10700K I got now is fine most of the time, but is lacking often enough to upgrade. Thoughts?

Saylick · Jan 17, 2024

How much RAM tweaking do you want to do? If not much, the 7800X3D is a safe bet. If you want to squeeze everything out, 13700K or 13900K with tight RAM timing.

moonbogg · Jan 17, 2024

Those are faster than the new AMD chips?

Markfw · Jan 17, 2024

moonbogg said:
Those are faster than the new AMD chips?

Not according to every benchmark site out there.

CP5670 · Jan 17, 2024

It depends on the game. In VR sims benefit a lot from the AMD cache but bethesda RPGs are limited by single thread performance which is faster on Intel. I did this upgrade and it was noticeable but not a big difference, compared to video card upgrades.

Shmee · Jan 17, 2024

The 7800X3D sounds like a safe bet, as you won't need to worry about too much tweaking or hybrid architectures. It is probably the overall best CPU for gaming currently, and since it is on AM5, there is the added bonus of a potential Zen 5 or even Zen 6 CPU upgrade down the road, 3D cache variant or not. With Intel LGA 1700, I am pretty sure that there won't be any new CPUs coming. Even the latest drop of the 14th generation Raptor Lake refresh doesn't really offer any improvements, IMO.

SarahKerrigan · Jan 17, 2024

Personally, I suggest the Itanium 9560/9760.

moonbogg · Jan 17, 2024

Looks like the 7800X3D gets the nod.

maddie · Jan 17, 2024

moonbogg said:
Looking to probably upgrade my stuff. I've been checked out of the PC world for years now really in terms of upgrading, mostly because of the crappy GPU prices. Anyway, I'm under the impression that the best chip is really the 7800X3D. Is that right? No productivity and no need for tons of cores and threads. I also don't want to have to tweak and mess around with a 16 core CPU trying to make sure half the cores work on the right chip thingy with the right cache or whatever, so the 7950x or whatever it's called is probably out.
This is for VR gaming almost exclusively and you have to brute force your way through garbage optimization, and the 10700K I got now is fine most of the time, but is lacking often enough to upgrade. Thoughts?

Since you've waited so long, it might make sense to wait for Zen 5. Supposedly a much larger than normal upgrade in performance.

moonbogg · Jan 18, 2024

maddie said:
Since you've waited so long, it might make sense to wait for Zen 5. Supposedly a much larger than normal upgrade in performance.

Could the current AMD platform support the new CPUs coming out later?

Saylick · Jan 18, 2024

moonbogg said:
Could the current AMD platform support the new CPUs coming out later?

Yes.

moonbogg · Jan 18, 2024

Right, so it's definitely settled then.

cytg111 · Jan 19, 2024

Isnt Zen5 soonish?

coercitiv · Jan 19, 2024

cytg111 said:
Isnt Zen5 soonish?

It's this year, but whether it comes with the easter bunny or a red-nosed reindeer, we do not know yet.

SPBHM · Jan 19, 2024

I would say 7800x3d
the intel stuff seems a little too much on the edge of what is reasonable in terms of heat/power and it's often slower than the x3d

Hitman928 · Jan 19, 2024

coercitiv said:
It's this year, but whether it comes with the easter bunny or a red-nosed reindeer, we do not know yet.

I believe the current leaks point to April or May for availability, so not long to wait if they are to be believed.

gdansk · Jan 19, 2024

Hitman928 said:
I believe the current leaks point to April or May for availability, so not long to wait if they are to be believed.

But they also say it will be much more expensive. Why wait around! Get in before the Great CPU Price Inflation Crisis that follows the Great GPU Price Inflation Crisis.

(And personally I doubt Zen 5 will even be announced that soon)

Hitman928 · Jan 19, 2024

gdansk said:
But they also say it will be much more expensive. Why wait around! Get in before the Great CPU Price Inflation Crisis that follows the Great GPU Price Inflation Crisis.

(And personally I doubt Zen 5 will even be announced that soon)

Both the 5600x and 7600x released at $299 so a price increase to $349 isn't that crazy of an increase. Obviously over the current 7600x price of ~$230 it's a pretty big jump so we'll have to see if Zen5 is indeed that much better to justify it over cheaper options already available. If the 8600x (or whatever they call it) can end up outperforming a 7800x3d, that might be enough to justify the price increase. Especially since it doesn't look like they will have a lot of competition on the desktop for a while either.

In2Photos · Jan 20, 2024

Even if the 8000 series chips come out in April, the 3D parts are likely months behind, just like the 7000 series. So how much better is a non 3D 8000 compared to the 7800X3D?

moonbogg · Jan 25, 2024

I got the 7800X3D and associated stuffs. First time with AMD since the Athlon 64 days.

bigboxes · Jan 26, 2024

moonbogg said:
I got the 7800X3D and associated stuffs. First time with AMD since the Athlon 64 days.

My last (main rig) AMD build was 2006 (Athlon 64 X2) before my 5950X build in 2021. I was happily with Intel in between.

I did build an AMD box for my late wife in 2012. She didn't require the horsepower. I built her a machine that could chew through internet browsing, e-mail checking and video streaming.

moonbogg · Jan 27, 2024

This CPU is hilariously fast for VR. Quick question: How do I get my 6000mhz ram running at 6000mhz? Haven't had AMD since the Athlon days. so...

Markfw · Jan 27, 2024

moonbogg said:
This CPU is hilariously fast for VR. Quick question: How do I get my 6000mhz ram running at 6000mhz? Haven't had AMD since the Athlon days. so...

That depends on the ram and the bios settings/motherboard. You need to buy ram tha is EXPO rated, and low cas timings. The below is just one example, DDR5 6000 cas 30

https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-32gb/p/N82E16820374457

Just have a motherboard that supports expo and set that in the bios. It will detect the speed.

moonbogg · Jan 27, 2024

Thanks. Will it auto-apply super high voltage that will fry the memory controller or something? That was a concern with the Intel chips last I checked.

Markfw · Jan 27, 2024

moonbogg said:
Thanks. Will it auto-apply super high voltage that will fry the memory controller or something? That was a concern with the Intel chips last I checked.

Most recent motherboards/bios have that issue fixed. I have 8 7950x, all with memory like I posted, and never once have I had an issue with memory. These are all original bios, and date from when Zen 4 came out until a few months ago.

IMO its always been a non-issue except in a small minority of cases (like 0.1%)

Question So what's the best gaming CPU these days?

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