2500k mobo is dying after eight years. What's the new bang-for-the-buck CPU?

Stiletto

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While I'd honestly like to stay with the 2500k and keep going, the price and availability of LGA1155 mobos seems too restrictive to carry on. This is primarily a gaming machine, so overclocking is expected. I've been out of the loop for a while, so what CPU/CPUs are the new value kings these days?
 
Going through a similar problem. I just bought a ryzen 2600 getting cleared out of Amazon for $125. I've yet to install it though. The 3600 has noticable improvements, but there's a lack of motherboards for it (matx and itx at this point), and it was almost double the price when I purchased so that 15% or whatever didn't make sense for me. Just my 2c.
 
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3600x and upgrade later if you need more cores or a clock boost.
 
The 3600 has noticable improvements, but there's a lack of motherboards for it (matx and itx at this point), and it was almost double the price when I purchased so that 15% or whatever didn't make sense for me. Just my 2c.

Ok the second point there is valid, Zen+ CPUs are on fire sale right now and are really good deals.

But ... Zen2 will work in the same motherboards as Zen+... your first point seems to be misinformed.
 
The amd 2000 series is a even better value. They have some ridiculous pricing on the 2600 and 2700x chips. At less than 10 percent less performance on average give or take vs the amd 3xxx counterpart, and in some cases 50% cheaper or more, I’d look into it if budget were a concern.
 
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if you use you machines that long you are in luck because we are in a golden time for price/performance. as long as you arent a complete intellectual sphincter you cant go wrong with either, but amd is particularly strong in that 200-300 range. i envy the research and buying process you get to do now!
 
Funny in the Intel subforum to see everyone recommending AMD, but I’ll join the chorus. AMD has Intel beat in the sub $400 CPU sector pretty much top to bottom right now.

One could argue that at the $500 9900k there might be a legitimate reason a hardcore gamer might want a Intel 8core 16 thread 5GHZ CPU over anything AMD makes — but that’s about the single Intel CPU to consider right now and for $500 AMD will give you nearly twice the cores and only slightly less IPC.

Ryzen 2000 series chips are exceptional values right now for similar IPC performance as Intel for 50% the cost. The Ryzen 3000 series chips, while pricer are a leg up on Intel right now at the same price point very nearly across the board.
 
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2600 and a b450 that supports Ryzen 3000 series.
Update the Bios so you're ready to pop in a 3600 or 3700x should you feel the need to.

Then keep that combo if you're happy with it or sell the 2600 and put the money towards 3600/3700x
 
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value king? Ryzen 3600 with an inexpensive B450 board.
value emperor? Ryzen 2600/2700(X) on super clearance with a inexpensive B450 board.
 
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Ok the second point there is valid, Zen+ CPUs are on fire sale right now and are really good deals.

But ... Zen2 will work in the same motherboards as Zen+... your first point seems to be misinformed.
But they won't be configured to make use of the Pcie communication on the board that was released this round. So that would negate some of the benefits of the 3x00 series. That and you'd likely have to have an older cpu to upgrade the bios to use the newer cpu so that's a whole other monster to deal with.
 
But they won't be configured to make use of the Pcie communication on the board that was released this round. So that would negate some of the benefits of the 3x00 series. That and you'd likely have to have an older cpu to upgrade the bios to use the newer cpu so that's a whole other monster to deal with.


Not true. There are motherboards that will enable PCIe 4.0 on the processor's x16 slot. They just can't access the additional x4 PCIe lanes, and the southbridge is still PCIe 2.0.
 
Funny in the Intel subforum to see everyone recommending AMD, but I’ll join the chorus. AMD has Intel beat in the sub $400 CPU sector pretty much top to bottom right now.

On could argue that at the $500 9900k there might be a legitimate reason a hardcore gamer might want a Intel 8core 16 thread 5GHZ CPU over anything AMD makes — but that’s about the single Intel CPU to consider right now and for $500 AMD will give you nearly twice the cores and only slightly less IPC.

Ryzen 2000 series chips are exceptional values right now for similar IPC performance as Intel for 50% the cost. The Ryzen 3000 series chips, while pricer are a leg up on Intel right now at the same price point very nearly across the board.

It's actually kind of nice to finally, realistically recommend AMD over Intel right now. It's been quite some time. For real though, the 9900k is literally the only thing worth considering from Intel right now, and that's in a strictly gaming only scenario where you're trying to push every possible frame out at 1080p or below. Anything beyond that and you may as well get a 3900x.

If we're only looking at current gen, the value that a 3600 or 3700x bring to the table is pretty crazy. Like others have said though, a sub $200 2700x is an absolute monster of a value.
 
I will echo 3600 with a 450B.
If you want to stick with Intel or you want the absolute best single thread performance the 9700KF can be had for 349$ At Newegg right now with a $20 coupon.
 
I will echo 3600 with a 450B.
If you want to stick with Intel or you want the absolute best single thread performance the 9700KF can be had for 349$ At Newegg right now with a $20 coupon.


great idea. i'd go with the b450 tomahawk or any b450 motherboard with fat vrm heatsinks. those new 570 boards seem to use more power compared to the 450s and 470s and i don't need gen 4 pcie. if you live near a microcenter, the 3600 and b450 board combo is $50 off i think.
 
3600+B450/X470 combo. I to am upgrading from a 2500K and P67 board. Both are still alive and kicking just time to upgrade. The bug finally hit me.
 
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Intel i5-9600KF will be 219.99 at newegg on Tuesday shell shocker.
You want fast ram with these CPUs, so I recommend G-skill DDR4 3600. I just bought 2x8gb for around 70$ at newegg.
z390 motherboard, I have the z370, an Asrock and an EVGA FTW love both boards. I am sure their z390 versions would work as well.

If you use the CPUs AVX AVX2 instruction set, go Intel or the newest 3xxx AMD.. AMD finaly fixed their implementation of AVX in the 3k series.
Intels version always worked good.
 
While I'd honestly like to stay with the 2500k and keep going, the price and availability of LGA1155 mobos seems too restrictive to carry on. This is primarily a gaming machine, so overclocking is expected. I've been out of the loop for a while, so what CPU/CPUs are the new value kings these days?
Listening in, mine has been dying for the last few years. First it was my audio stopped working (front and rear panels) and now my Ethernet has died so I have to use a WiFi card or a USB Ethernet module. I don't know how much longer it will last but it's been at least partially broken for 2 years now. Debating on replacing MB or upgrading. I haven't had this many issues with any other board.
 
Similar boat here, my 4790K finally died, but I decided to got with 2nd hand replacement rather than upgrade.

£100 for a used Asus Hero VII, and £139 for another 4790K (that does 5.1ghz 1.5v!, last one only did 4.9ghz), and so couldn't be happier now actually. Kept my awesome DDR3 ram and now have a machine that no Ryzen PC can touch in games.

Also, I'd been using my brother's 2500K to tide me over during this time, but seeing the difference in gaming that it didn't really make compared to the 4790K, made me realise a full spend all out upgrade would be a waste of money if all I care about is gaming. I'm convinced any Ryzen 3 build would be slower than what I currently have. Only Intel can get me more, and I'd have to spend a hell of alot to get not that much more.

Waiting for Sunny Cove... :cool:
 
Similar boat here, my 4790K finally died, but I decided to got with 2nd hand replacement rather than upgrade.

£100 for a used Asus Hero VII, and £139 for another 4790K (that does 5.1ghz 1.5v!, last one only did 4.9ghz), and so couldn't be happier now actually. Kept my awesome DDR3 ram and now have a machine that no Ryzen PC can touch in games.

Also, I'd been using my brother's 2500K to tide me over during this time, but seeing the difference in gaming that it didn't really make compared to the 4790K, made me realise a full spend all out upgrade would be a waste of money if all I care about is gaming. I'm convinced any Ryzen 3 build would be slower than what I currently have. Only Intel can get me more, and I'd have to spend a hell of alot to get not that much more.

Waiting for Sunny Cove... :cool:


Ryzen 3rd gen should be faster than Intel 4th gen almost entirely across the board.

Max FPS
Min FPS
Average FPS
Workstation duties.

Especially on any upcoming games built for next gen consoles that utilize Ryzen 8 core/16 threads.
 
Ryzen 3rd gen should be faster than Intel 4th gen almost entirely across the board.

Max FPS
Min FPS
Average FPS
Workstation duties.

Especially on any upcoming games built for next gen consoles that utilize Ryzen 8 core/16 threads.
I agree with this as well. In gaming your gonna see the biggest difference in average fps, and 1% and .1% fps difference. Don't kid yourself ryzen 3 would be faster overall plus more cores if needed.

The end of the day your chip is no slouch at 5ghz and if your happy that's all that matters. Enjoy.
 
So many options. But AMD pricing is so good that even used Intel pricing isn't that great anymore. (all the CPUs in my sig I bought used)

Ryzen 2400g/3400g are great choices if you want to stay 4 core.

3600 is hard to beat for the money for hex core.

3700x for 8 core is pretty unstoppable.
 
3600+B450/X470 combo. I to am upgrading from a 2500K and P67 board. Both are still alive and kicking just time to upgrade. The bug finally hit me.

That's tough to beat as an all around computer for the money. I can say that I haven't been disappointed with my 3600 since I bought it.
 
So many options. But AMD pricing is so good that even used Intel pricing isn't that great anymore. (all the CPUs in my sig I bought used)

Ryzen 2400g/3400g are great choices if you want to stay 4 core.

3600 is hard to beat for the money for hex core.

3700x for 8 core is pretty unstoppable.

So I have been mulling a replacement for my 5820k in my NCase sig and I dunno about pricing wise vs a 9700k:

For $30-$50 more it seems like I get a consistently better performance

3700x for $330
Mobo for $170. If I go to a 450 mobo maybe I get this down to $125 for a mini itx board
Memory for $95 (corsair LPX 3600 MHz)
~ $550-$590

9700k for $360
mobo for $125
Memory for $95 (corsair LPX 3600 MHz)
~ $580
 
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Going through a similar problem. I just bought a ryzen 2600 getting cleared out of Amazon for $125. I've yet to install it though. The 3600 has noticable improvements, but there's a lack of motherboards for it (matx and itx at this point), and it was almost double the price when I purchased so that 15% or whatever didn't make sense for me. Just my 2c.

There are a ton of motherboards for the Ryzen 5 3600. Any AM4 motherboard will probably do with that CPU so long as the BIOS update exists for it. That includes X370, B350, X470, B450 and X570 chipsets. As for Ryzen 2600X's, skip them if your a gamer unless you care about maximum cost savings and get the CPU super cheap. The performance increase going to the 3000 series in games is substantial.

On the Intel side, look at the Core i5 9600K or the 9700K. For AMD, the 3600 and 3700X are your best value picks.
 
How does your new AMD system feel? I see posts all over showing latency way up near the 80s, how does that translate to day to day stuff, is it snappy? I understand there is plenty of cpu power, but Im interested in the other aspects too.
 
How does your new AMD system feel? I see posts all over showing latency way up near the 80s, how does that translate to day to day stuff, is it snappy? I understand there is plenty of cpu power, but Im interested in the other aspects too.

Intel systems are slightly snappier and a little smoother even with fewer cores. But you would have to have them literally side by side to notice the difference. Even then you would have to be really sensitive to things like input lag, microstutter, etc. I never even thought about it or noticed this until I was doing the 3900X review and had an AMD and Intel test rig side by side using pretty much the same hardware aside from the motherboard, CPU and SSD. When I'd work on an Intel system and move to my personal Threadripper system, I never noticed. So when I mean side by side, that means a lot of switching back and fourth doing the same tasks on both systems for comparison.
 
Excellent, thank you. That's the kind of honesty I was looking for. The kids start back to school soon, and once I get those expenses along with day care dealt with, I am going to try out a new AMD setup. It should be an upgrade over this thing.
 
It's a crap shoot for me. Sometimes I see a deal on CL and a build happens. I missed one where a dude in Oakland used the 4-core only Mobo on a 7900x, ended up firesaling his build for $200 bc "his CPU was bad". I've been watching the guy that bought it part the build out bc he wanted the 1080ti

Another guy upgraded and sold off a 7900x to go bigger. Missed that one.

I snatched up a cheap b450 setup.

So sometimes you have to let it come to you randomly.

Screenshot_20190816-182409.png
Screenshot_20190815-001608.png
 
So I have been mulling a replacement for my 5820k in my NCase sig and I dunno about pricing wise vs a 9700k:

For $30-$50 more it seems like I get a consistently better performance

3700x for $330
Mobo for $170. If I go to a 450 mobo maybe I get this down to $125 for a mini itx board
Memory for $95 (corsair LPX 3600 MHz)
~ $550-$590

9700k for $360
mobo for $125
Memory for $95 (corsair LPX 3600 MHz)
~ $580

If you live near a MC the 9700k is usually priced at $300. It's probably the best deal out there if you're mainly gaming.
 
AMD 3600/3700 on low budgets, 9700 if you're gaming or still on Intel's side.
 
Probably want to head over to the AMD section if you want value kings. I don't think Intel can really touch the 3600 and 3700x in terms of performance per dollar.
as long as OP does not need the best single threaded performance possible Id second this.
 
Similar boat here, my 4790K finally died, but I decided to got with 2nd hand replacement rather than upgrade.

£100 for a used Asus Hero VII, and £139 for another 4790K (that does 5.1ghz 1.5v!, last one only did 4.9ghz), and so couldn't be happier now actually. Kept my awesome DDR3 ram and now have a machine that no Ryzen PC can touch in games.

Also, I'd been using my brother's 2500K to tide me over during this time, but seeing the difference in gaming that it didn't really make compared to the 4790K, made me realise a full spend all out upgrade would be a waste of money if all I care about is gaming. I'm convinced any Ryzen 3 build would be slower than what I currently have. Only Intel can get me more, and I'd have to spend a hell of alot to get not that much more.

Waiting for Sunny Cove... :cool:
If you arent seeing any meaningful difference in gaming between a 4 thread and 8+ thread cpu these days, you arent playing anything that would tax *any* modern cpu. Get yourself a locked i3 and be done with it.
 
If you arent seeing any meaningful difference in gaming between a 4 thread and 8+ thread cpu these days, you arent playing anything that would tax *any* modern cpu. Get yourself a locked i3 and be done with it.

I should spend more money to buy a shitty chip and not overclock? :confused:

Makes sense to someone...

People only need 8+ threads for gaming because they don't know how to optimise their OS and processes, and don't think twice about having every single platform load and sit in memory the whole time. And then complain about stuttering (lol).

I could probably take the average PC from most people, msconfig all their startup shit away, and tell them I've just upgraded their CPU to one with hyper-threading. Most would be happy as houses...
 
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