Intel i7 7700 with GTX 1060 or AMD Ryzen 5 1600X with GTX 1080?

VelcroFace

Reputable
Jan 17, 2015
20
0
4,510
Trying to choose between two very different gaming machines. Computer #1 is an Alienware Aurora R6 with an Intel i7 7700 processor and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics. Computer #2 is a CyberpowerPC Gamer Master with an AMD Ryzen 5 1600X CPU and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 graphics. Otherwise, the specifications are much the same, and both computers sell for roughly the same price.

The Intel CPU in Computer #1 has 4 cores, while the AMD CPU in Computer #2 has 6 cores. Most games don't take advantage of all those cores, and the Intel chip generally shows higher scores. However, the graphics card in Computer #2 (the AMD machine) has 8GB of memory and 2560 CUDA cores, while the one in Computer #2 (the Intel machine) has just 6GB and half as many CUDA cores. Would the better graphics card offset the generally higher performance shown by the i7 7700 processor over the Ryzen 5 1600X?
 
Solution
If forced to choose, most would opt for Ryzen/GTX1080 doe gaming; perhaps 5-10 less avg fps potential, but, good framerates at both 1440p or 4k , depending on game...
The GTX 1080 would certainly be more desirable for gaming and the R5 1600X would be sufficient for it. But I must ask the golden question, why don't you build your own? You could ensure you have quality parts all around. Prebuilts usually have low quality power supplies and slower RAM, etc. You can usually build at a lesser cost too.

*To answer your question, yes the GTX 1080 would offset the slower processor and be a faster gaming system than the 7700 + 1060. I don't think there would be a single game that would run faster on the 1060 system. Maybe in extremely rare circumstances in which a game is simply optimized for Intel and not AMD and even then it would likely be for a moment or a specific part of a game.
 

VelcroFace

Reputable
Jan 17, 2015
20
0
4,510

Four years ago I built a monster $4,000 rig for video editing, using well-matched, top-of-the-line components, and it was an ordeal. Due to quality-control issues on the ASUS motherboard and Corsair case and power supply, I ended up having to build it four times. While it may have been just a matter of bad luck, this time around I'm hoping to avoid such headaches with a prebuilt system. It's a gift for my son, who has been struggling with gaming on an anemic laptop.

I'm leaning toward the Alienware system because of its compact design, tool-less maintenance, and my belief that the components may be of higher quality than those on the CyberpowerPC system. Both computers are under $1,300. Pricing everything out on PCPartPicker, I would have to spend at least $300 more to build it myself.