Spending More on a Gaming CPU Like the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Is Pointless, UserBenchmark Says as It Recommends Intel Core i5-13600K and i5-14600K

Tsing

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Reviews for the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D have been rather positive, with our own Brent Justice calling red team's first "Zen 5" desktop processor with 3D V-Cache "the definitive gaming CPU"—but some parties don't seem to be nearly as excited.

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Look,

They are not wrong that right now, most people who play at sane settings are going to be GPU limited, and won't notice a difference between almost any CPU, i5 or Ryzen 5 or higher, manufactured in the last two - three generations.

The competitive eSports kiddies are the exception. They already turn down settings and resolution as far as they can to get every last bit of "edge" in a game...

Technically these are probably the only people who "need" a high end CPU for games.

But these CPU's are great for longevity as well.

The system you build today will not only play today's games, but also the games of the next 2-5 years, maybe even close to 10 if you really like stretching things.

I mean, the difference between a high end "gaming" CPU and an alternative is - what - about $200? Whats $200 for a little peace of mind that the CPU won't hold you back for a good long while?

Interestingly, in April 2022 when the 5800x3d launched, you'd pay about $449 for it. At the same time an Intel Core i9-12900KS would run you $738.

That 5800x3d is looking way better today than the 12900KS, and that assessment only grows if you compare the 5800x3d to a more pedestrian $249 CPU from 2022, like a Core i5-12600.

The truth is, you can spend $200 more, and just keep your motherboard and CPU for years, and drop in a GPU upgrade when you need it. It makes life easier.

The future-proofing argument used to be a losing one in computing 20 years ago, but these days these things are more durable, and it really does work. At least on the CPU side.
 
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