School me on picking a CPU

[eicca]

Now that I’m planning to upgrade to an M1 Mac, I also want to build a dedicated gaming PC. I already have a hard drive and GPU so I just gotta pick a processor and motherboard.

Here’s the thing about processors: I don’t know how much I should or shouldn’t spend. Currently, I game on my Mac Pro in Bootcamp. I play Star Wars Battlefront 2, Squadrons, and Halo MCC. Technically my E5620 CPUs fall waaaaay outside the minimum requirements for all these games, but they all run perfectly on max graphics at 1440p.

So if my ancient 2.4ghz E5620s aren’t a hindrance, do I really need to spring $300 for a Ryzen 7?

Which AMD CPU should I pick if I want to keep cost minimal but also maybe leave the door open for more intense stuff in the future? I’d probably go with a quad core for just a little overhead. No integrated graphics needed.

 

[Erehy Dobon]

Well the CPU you buy isn't going to do "more intense stuff in the future" [sic]. Its performance is going to remain the same.

What you should be more focused on is the motherboard because that will determine what performance improvements you might enjoy in the future with component upgrades. You provide no budget for the motherboard so it is impossible to make a specific recommendation.

That said, you should really be focusing on motherboards based on AMD's B550 or X570 chipsets (the latter is more powerful) because A.) they support the latest Zen 3 CPUs, B.) they will shortly offer Smart Access Memory (a.k.a Resize BAR) for direct 5000-series CPU-to 6000-series GPU memory access, C.) they offer PCIe 4.0 for extremely fast m.2 NVMe drives.

A lot of the best boards are out of stock right now. The same with newer CPUs and GPUs since the scalpers instantly scoop up everything that shows up. The scalpers have made the DIY custom build PC market an incredibly frustrating and dreary place for the moment. My guess is that things will start to get back sometime in late Q1 2021 as supply approaches demand. Right now, trying to buy a quality recent CPU or GPU is futile.

As for the CPU, the major PC hardware review sites (AnandTech, Tom's Hardware, PCMag, TechRadar, a lot of the PC gaming sites) typically run "Best Gaming CPU" lists. Best to read those very carefully.

Before the recent release of AMD's Zen 3 processors, the Ryzen 3600 (6-core, 12-thread, overclockable, 65W TDP) was considered the best overall gaming CPU for value. Availability of this model is very difficult right now, it was the top selling CPU at Amazon. As least for gaming the more powerful CPUs primarily benefit esports extremists (who typically play at 1080p where CPU performance comes more into play since the GPU isn't the bottleneck).

I have the Ryzen 7 3700X (8-core, 16-thread, overclockable) which was the top 65W TDP CPU before Zen 3. For me, acoustics are a big deal, I didn't want a 95W or 105W TDP CPU since those would require more (and louder) cooling. When I purchased mine about five months ago, it was slightly discounted and also came with a free game (Assassin's Creed Valhalla). AMD's 65W CPUs also come included with a Wraith Prism cooler.

Your budget lists nothing about cooling and you indicate no personal preference as to acoustics.

My current micro-ATX build has a 240mm AIO cooler for the CPU and a 120mm AIO cooler for the GPU and a bunch of Noctua fans, a very generous budget for cooling but the machine is almost silent even when the GPU is overclocked (110% power) and maxxed out (99% load). Both the CPU and GPU will max out around 65 degrees Celsius in real-world usage (Handbrake encodes, gaming, etc.). It is the quietest PC I own, including a Windows ultrabook and my Mac mini 2018.

For what it's worth, I currently have two builds. The SFF case (an NZXT H1) has an ASUS ROG Strix B550-I Gaming motherboard (mini-ITX form factor). My micro-ATX mini-tower has an MSI MAG B550-M Mortar motherboard. The NZXT H1 is currently idle since it has no CPU (I will put the 3700X back into it when I get a Ryzen 5000-series CPU).

Anyhow, best of luck.

 

[eicca]

By "more intense stuff in the future" I mean like upcoming Halo games or a new Star Wars game that's more demanding than my current library. I don't want to buy a CPU that matches my current stuff but can't handle anything that I may want to buy later on.

But given how well my old E6520s are doing, should I even be concerned?

I haven't listed a budget because I know from sales experience it can be a prohibitive variable, and I don't have any knowledge on price-for-performance in the current PC market. Obviously I don't want to spend thousands on something way overkill, or shortchange myself on crap. Currently my only metric is Battlefront 2 on max graphics at 1440p and 60fps.

I'm looking for a middle of the road, maybe low-middle. This PC will spend most of its life in standby—I really only game on weekends with friends. Acoustics don't matter. I play with headphones.

I don't think I need a "best" motherboard either. I'm using a SATA SSD, planning for 16GB RAM, and really only need ethernet/WiFi and possibly an audio output (though I mostly use a USB mixer board).

I see the Ryzen 5 3400 for $150, and everything else is only like $30 cheaper. It's probably safe to assume the Ryzen 5 quad cores will butcher even my dual E5620s for gaming. Who knows if my games are even taking advantage of the dual processor setup.

 

[Erehy Dobon]

Based on the model number one might assume that the Ryzen 5 3400G is a Zen 2 CPU but in fact it comes from the previous generation. It's really an update of the 2400G thus two generations behind.

That explains A.) why it's so inexpensive and B.) why it's currently available.

Note that PCMag describes it as suitable for a very entry level gaming PC (their emphasis not mine).

AMD Ryzen 5 3400G Review

AMD's Ryzen 5 3400G is an inexpensive AM4-socket CPU with a potent integrated graphics processor, making it an excellent choice for a multipurpose entry-level PC build.

www.pcmag.com

I still recommend that you seek a B550-based motherboard. All of the motherboard manufacturers have different product tiers, you don't have to get the enthusiast or ultra-gaming class board.

Many (most?) games don't take advantage of multiple CPU threads. They are much more reliant on single-threaded CPU performance. However, the less expensive CPUs also have lower clock frequencies. That's why the esports extremists go for the big CPU iron: they have the highest clock frequencies and best single-thread performance.

That said, since your current CPU is largely sufficient with your current game library, you might consider the 3400G anyhow and a bargain B550 board. They should be quite sufficient if you add some newer games that require more horsepower. That said, as a 1440p gamer most of your performance bottlenecks will be GPU bound.

Again, you are highly advised to read multiple PC reviews from reputable media sources before you decide. A good consensus from multiple written reviewers is worth way more than some random vlogger.

 

[eicca]

Really?? Just single threads? It's a miracle this Mac runs anything! It has a worse single-core score than my 2011 MacBook Pro! But it ran CoD Warzone totally fine until I got sick of that game.

I also just discovered the magic of PC Parts Picker.

If I use my existing GPU, SSD and peripherals, it looks like I can build a Ryzen 3 3200G system that's more powerful than my current setup for less than $500. That's not bad at all.

 

[Erehy Dobon]

Apparently you have never ever looked at a resource meter (macOS's Activity Monitor, iStat Menu, XRG, Windows's Task Manager, MSI Afterburner, etc.) while you have played a game.

It's not just about CPU frequency. There are things like memory frequency, memory bandwidth, etc.

The MacRumors Q&A forum is a poor place to teach the fundamentals of computer graphics and modern game software architecture.

Anyhow enjoy your build.

 

[eicca]

You're right, generally I'm busy actually playing said game.

But either way, the $500 build gets me ~3000mhz RAM clock over my current ~1066mhz so I can't see it being a downgrade in any sense of the imagination. If that weren't the case, I'd consider just upgrading the Mac Pro to the 3.3ghz X5680 CPUs and 16G of RAM. But that would cost close to $300. $200 more and I've got a whole new system.

 

[Erehy Dobon]

Amazon.com -- like Apple -- has also extended their return period for the holiday season. If I recall correctly, items bought today from Amazon have a return deadline of January 31, 2021. Make sure you verify that yourself, I could be wrong.

If for some reason you don't like the new CPU or motherboard, you should be able to return it all.