CPU's for gaming vs. CPU's for all other performance

games don't use a ton of threads yet so a fast 4 core cpu is better than a slower 16 core one. the single core performance is more important. however, that is just for running the game itself. if you also want to record and stream the gameplay, then some extra cores to handle those tasks would be useful. same as keeping chat programs active on a separate screen and so on that many gamers like to do.

depending on what and how much you plan to run for everything else, the same 4-6 cores is also ample. some production software and other high end productivity stuff can handle lots and lots of threads but that is outside the normal users range of use. but if like me you tend to have 10 things running at once, then extra threads is a must as is lots of ram.

right now, the best bang for the buck is the AMD Ryzen cpu's. the R5 2600 is about $200 has 12 threads and can be overclocked on a cheap motherboard. they are almost as fast as the intel in single core performance and a much cheaper platform to buy into.

if all you are going to play is minecraft then the Ryzen 5 2400G is even cheaper and has built in graphics that will easily handle minecraft and other normal activities. use the money saved for the fastest ram you can get though as it likes real fast ram for best performance from the built in gpu.

"Ryzen 5 2400G is even cheaper and has built in graphics .."

+1!

at the ~$200 range of cpu, AMD is the way to go. up or down and things change as you change budget.

for instance the i5 -8500 is a good chip at $190. gets that slightly faster single core performance and since it is locked can be mixed with cheaper mobo's from the intel side. but it is 6 threads only vs the 12 you get for similar priced amd Ryzen 5. so again goes back to just how much stuff you want to run at once if those extra 6 threads is worth it to you for slightly slower ipc.

for me AMD is the way to go at that budget range since i would actually use all those threads as i tend to run a bunch of stuff at once.

to save a ton the Ryzen 2400G saves the cost of the discrete gpu with it's decent built in video. it is roughly a nvidia 1030 in performance which is great bang for the buck. if minecraft is the only game you wanna play on it. but it will quickly show it's weakness with newer AAA games if you ever decide to go there.

Very important: If you choose AMD, you should buy a special DDR4 3200 RAM for Ryzen, for example, Flarex. If you choose Intel you have enough with any DDR4 2666 (of course it may be higher but you will not notice the difference). The Ryzen lose a lot if they use 2133 or 2400 speed memories.

^ you won't need to overclock the ryzen1600 for your intended uses - it's fast enough at stock.

Ram - I would buy minimum 2666mhz if you can find it at the right price, however 2400kHz ram is fine imo ,there is a slight performance drop off but people honestly way over exaggerate it.

The ryzen does not have integrated graphics you know?? You will need a discrete gpu if this is the path you're taking

^ you won't need to overclock the ryzen1600 for your intended uses - it's fast enough at stock.

Ram - I would buy minimum 2666mhz if you can find it at the right price, however 2400kHz ram is fine imo ,there is a slight performance drop off but people honestly way over exaggerate it.

The ryzen does not have integrated graphics you know?? You will need a discrete gpu if this is the path you're taking

that's how partpicker works. spot on. pick the cpu and then it'll only show motherboards that work with it and ram and so on.

the only time oyu really need the super fast ram is with the 2400g. notice matt went with 3000 speed ram for that. integrated graphics benefit a lot from the fast ram since the gpu is built onto the same die as the cpu. but a separate gpu has it's own ram which is much faster than DDR4 and does not depend on the speed of the system ram. therefore you can use much slower ram and not see any performance hit. many many benchmarks have been done and rarely does the fast ram gain more than a few fps in games. it does make a difference in high end production programs but unless your rendering video and such for a living you'll also not see the effects of the extra ram speed.

you sound like you've gotten yourself into a paralyzing mode due to over information. looking at partpicker i see these sets that are a good buy right now.
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/qBmxFT,3CdFf7,PBPKHx/

$150 for the 2400 speed or another $10-15 for 3000 speed. more than that and you're overspending by a lot for something that won't benefit you. this is assuming you go with the 1600 cpu. stick with 3000 speed or more if you go for the 2400g.

the "need for speed" is easy to overdue. i like to think of it in terms of cars. if you're looking for a sports car to buy. there are options from $50k up to $5 mil!! if you get the $150k porsche would you enjoy it? would it be fast enough? keep in mind there is still a $2.5 mil Bugati that is insanely fast. would you feel like your losing out if you "only" bought the porshce? of course not. you'd get all you could handle and use with that car despite there still being faster cars on the market. it's easy to dismiss the million buck cars since they are well out of a normal budget.

pc parts are priced closer together. so midrange to high end is not as big of a jump. so a $750 budget can easily go to $1000 or higher without you realizing it is a 25% jump in cost. settle for what your budget can buy you and know you're not gonna be losing out by not having the $2000 system. when your rich then go back and nit pick those specs and just enjoy the porsche you did buy until then

this goes for every part. the $100 motherboard is "good enough" despite there being a super ultra mega $350 version. you won't even know what your missing as you'll never use the extra features they offer.

Something like this is going the 'other' route and using a non-igpu cpu.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($174.79 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus - PRIME B350M-E Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team - T-Force Delta RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($159.99 @ Newegg Business)
Storage: Seagate - FireCuda 1TB 2.5" 5400RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($60.99 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GT 1030 2GB Phoenix Fan OC Video Card ($89.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Rosewill - FBM-X1 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($26.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM (2015) 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $627.73
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-05-06 11:51 EDT-0400