4 ms·

I'm looking to snag the Microcenter Ryzen 7700X bundle the next time I'm in Chicago. Intel dominates stuff like Cinebench but that's not what I use my computer

I'm looking to snag the Microcenter Ryzen 7700X bundle the next time I'm in Chicago. Intel dominates stuff like Cinebench but that's not what I use my computer for. The Ryzens are very competitive in gaming at a fraction of the power draw and any of them are leagues ahead of my current i9-9900K in both single and multithreaded performance so I'd get a great uplift without heating up my office. I find it amusing that my absolute best intel desktop chip you could buy in 2019 would now be considered a low power chip with it's 95W TDP.

jchw 3y ago
MicroCenter also has a deal on and off (mainly keeps switching motherboards) for an Intel 12900k bundle with motherboard and 32 GB of DDR5 RAM for $400. It may not be the absolute best for raw gaming, but damn, that is a pretty good deal. I don't know how good of a value the 7700X bundle is, but my problem is I always want more cores because I am usually compiling code. I loved the 5950X, a very fast and power efficient CPU, so my likely upgrade path is probably the 7950X or TR or whatever CPU takes the "productivity" crown next. And hopefully, by the time I'm in the market again, MicroCenter will have another unreasonably good deal available.
- smolder 3y ago
  Personally I'd much rather use a 7700x to not have to deal with asymmetrical cores. They perform close enough otherwise, I think with the 12900k having a minor edge in some tasks, including acting as a space heater. Also, 7700x buyers can expect CPU upgrades for a generation or two on the same motherboard. Intel's 14000 series (13000 part 2) is the end of the line CPU upgrade for the 12000 buyers.
  - duffyjp 3y ago
    Yeah, I learned that lesson the hard way buying a 9th gen Intel chip and having literally zero upgrade path on the same board. My plan is to get the 7700X bundle, which for $400 with board and 32GB DDR5 is a steal, then when AM5 is replaced get a new CPU from the final generation.
    - smolder 3y ago
      Funny aside, we seem to have followed a similar upgrade path. Going back 1 further, mine was: Intel 2500k -> Intel 9700k -> AMD 7700x, with intent to get an AMD 8800X3D or something later, as it becomes available.
      - duffyjp 3y ago
        I have an Optiplex with an i7-2600 and 1050 Ti in the basement. We use it to Parsec games onto my wife's laptop when she (rarely) gets the itch to join in with our boys playing games. Was the 9700K -> 7700X upgrade a nice jump? I've been running MSI afterburner and keeping an eye on GPU usage and am often only using ~80% while well under my monitor's FPS limit. It doesn't show any CPU cores pegged but I assume that's my bottleneck.
culopatin 3y ago
Also hurts that Intel changes socket every 5 min. I sold everything before a move and I’m looking to get a pc again. I’m looking at the used market to see if I can get a good deal and I’m surprised that the same motherboard generation I sold (Ryzen 3600) supports a 5800 that runs pretty decently today. I guess it was a good buy back in 2018. I think if I buy new I’ll go ddr5, otherwise I’ll stick with whatever is around. But people in the bay are trying to pay rent with their PCs and want way too much for the age of components they have. Back on the east coast the same pcs go for 200 less at least. Makes negotiation a bit difficult.
- suprjami 3y ago
  Isn't domestic postage in the USA incredibly cheap? Would it be realistic to buy components from the east coast and ship them west? This is normal in Australia, but that's due to the size of the country and the sparse population in some areas. Our prices are a rip-off equally everywhere: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_Tax https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_Tax
Arrath 3y ago
I, too, am currently rocking a 9XXX series chip, and currently debating whether I should spring for a 7800x3d or wait a bit and see what the next gen of Ryzen's will offer.
leetcrew 3y ago
funny thing is the 9900k was criticized pretty harshly at the time for its power consumption. expectations around power consumption have really changed over the last few years.

jchw 3y ago

MicroCenter also has a deal on and off (mainly keeps switching motherboards) for an Intel 12900k bundle with motherboard and 32 GB of DDR5 RAM for $400. It may not be the absolute best for raw gaming, but damn, that is a pretty good deal. I don't know how good of a value the 7700X bundle is, but my problem is I always want more cores because I am usually compiling code. I loved the 5950X, a very fast and power efficient CPU, so my likely upgrade path is probably the 7950X or TR or whatever CPU takes the "productivity" crown next. And hopefully, by the time I'm in the market again, MicroCenter will have another unreasonably good deal available.

smolder 3y ago
Personally I'd much rather use a 7700x to not have to deal with asymmetrical cores. They perform close enough otherwise, I think with the 12900k having a minor edge in some tasks, including acting as a space heater. Also, 7700x buyers can expect CPU upgrades for a generation or two on the same motherboard. Intel's 14000 series (13000 part 2) is the end of the line CPU upgrade for the 12000 buyers.
- duffyjp 3y ago
  Yeah, I learned that lesson the hard way buying a 9th gen Intel chip and having literally zero upgrade path on the same board. My plan is to get the 7700X bundle, which for $400 with board and 32GB DDR5 is a steal, then when AM5 is replaced get a new CPU from the final generation.
  - smolder 3y ago
    Funny aside, we seem to have followed a similar upgrade path. Going back 1 further, mine was: Intel 2500k -> Intel 9700k -> AMD 7700x, with intent to get an AMD 8800X3D or something later, as it becomes available.
    - duffyjp 3y ago
      I have an Optiplex with an i7-2600 and 1050 Ti in the basement. We use it to Parsec games onto my wife's laptop when she (rarely) gets the itch to join in with our boys playing games. Was the 9700K -> 7700X upgrade a nice jump? I've been running MSI afterburner and keeping an eye on GPU usage and am often only using ~80% while well under my monitor's FPS limit. It doesn't show any CPU cores pegged but I assume that's my bottleneck.

culopatin 3y ago

Also hurts that Intel changes socket every 5 min. I sold everything before a move and I’m looking to get a pc again. I’m looking at the used market to see if I can get a good deal and I’m surprised that the same motherboard generation I sold (Ryzen 3600) supports a 5800 that runs pretty decently today. I guess it was a good buy back in 2018. I think if I buy new I’ll go ddr5, otherwise I’ll stick with whatever is around. But people in the bay are trying to pay rent with their PCs and want way too much for the age of components they have. Back on the east coast the same pcs go for 200 less at least. Makes negotiation a bit difficult.

suprjami 3y ago
Isn't domestic postage in the USA incredibly cheap? Would it be realistic to buy components from the east coast and ship them west? This is normal in Australia, but that's due to the size of the country and the sparse population in some areas. Our prices are a rip-off equally everywhere: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_Tax https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_Tax

Arrath 3y ago

I, too, am currently rocking a 9XXX series chip, and currently debating whether I should spring for a 7800x3d or wait a bit and see what the next gen of Ryzen's will offer.

leetcrew 3y ago

funny thing is the 9900k was criticized pretty harshly at the time for its power consumption. expectations around power consumption have really changed over the last few years.