https://i.imgur.com/nULXy0n.png :D

Yeah astounding value when I read in the article that you can pair this $199 CPU with a $65 motherboard and get such great gaming and general PC performance.

Great CPU, I must think if the 8 core big CPU is really what I need now. Maybe this smaller one and a upgrade in lets say 4 years? But to have the upgrade path open, the Motherboard should support the 8 core properly, so I guess the 65 bucks one will not be ideal. Options options 🙂 "Combined with the performance the ZEN2 cores poop out it all makes this a proper mainstream processor series." Is the pooping a typo? 😀 I like it eitherway 😀:D

Personally, I find this more recommendable than the 8-core Ryzens for the average gamer.

"Whopping $50"...?....;)

Any recommendation of B450 board i can pair this one with?

Undying:

Any recommendation of B450 board i can pair this one with?

Considering the low wattage and limited overclocking, I think really any board ought to be sufficient. Just get whatever suits the features you want, your aesthetic taste, and price point. Avoid any brands you don't like/trust to help narrow your results.

Like Hilbert said, this is the best CPU when it comes to performance/price ratio and makes the 3600x look kind of "expensive"... Although the lack of oc could justify the 3600x. What i find curious is the lack of Zen2 CPUs below the 3600, is AMD going to leave that space occupied only by their APUs??? It seems risky and Intel could profit from it... Great review!

waltc3:

"Whopping $50"...?....;)

Ha, yeah, but it's a 25% increase in price over the 3600, so that's a sizeable increase!

BReal85:

TBH, I don't really understand Hilbert's reward system. He gave every Zen2 CPU a "Great Value" medal, while giving a "Recommended" for a 9700K or 9900K. For me, a "Recommended" award is more powerful than a "Great Value". That's pretty nonsense for me.

Hilbert's recommendations tend to be focused around the all-around performance of the product's performance tier. The 9900K is objectively an all-around better CPU than most, when you ignore price. As for the 9700K, that was reviewed before Zen2. I'm sure if he'd review it today, he might not retain that recommendation. Another thing to consider is all the target markets. Guru3D is primarily focused around gamers, and although the 3600 is hands-down the best option for the average gamer and easily the best value (for new CPUs), it isn't the best choice for anything beyond that. It's not the best choice for each of the following categories: * Budget builds * A PC for work and play * Competitive gamers * VR gamers * Streamers Meanwhile, the 9900K is all of those except the first one.

Kind of seems like the same deal with previous X and non X variants. X variants for relying on XFR and PBR, Non X to save some money and manual clock.

I guess is really difficult to have a standard for testing the new Zen 2 CPUs. BIOS are still evolving day by day. Just as an example in my new combo (Ryzen 3700X + ASRock B450M ITX + DDR4 Micron E @ 3466Mhz Cl16 1.35V) this is my power consumption (total PSU consumption) in Prime 95 Maximum power consumption (which is MUCH more heavier than any real 16 thread process). - ECO Mode (PBO at I think at PPT = 60W~, but can't remember): : 100-110W - Normal mode (or PBO AUTO/DISABLED) (PBO at PPT 88W, default value for 65W TDP like Ryzen 3700X CPU): 130-135W - PBO enabled but limited at 105W TDP Ryzens (PPT 142W): 200-205W~ - PBO enabled (just like that), currently it's not capped and Ryzen Master reports max of 4000~W (bugged) PPT : 210-215W (hitting the 95ºC throttle temp, regularly with a Noctua NH-U12S). (I also changed the other 2 PBO values, but to simplify I just mentioned the PPT). Note: GTX 1080 in idle consumes like 10W, so we can rest 10W from the GPU at least. And probably more watts from the rest of the stuff. Now, after comparing these 4 modes I tried: - Multi Core performance is slightly different in benchmarks (Cinebench 20, Performnace Test 9.0). (let's say 2-4% better in multicore the 142WPPT over the default 88W PPT). ECO mode is not much worse than normal (88W PPT). - Single core performance is about the same....(I guess 60W PPT is enough for boost a core or few cores at max 4.4Ghz stock speed). So I think the best option is ECO mode (or maybe normal mode). Unless you don't really care about power consumption. Because, you can basically consume 100% more energy (with unlimited PPT) but for maximum 4-5% more multicore 16 threads performance on a 3700X. And almost the same single core performance. i can't talk about hitting 4.6Ghz boost (enhancing PBO) because doesn't seem to pass the 4.4Ghz limit in my 3700X, even if I enable AUTO OC Mode with +200Mhz. If you are increasing the PBO limits. I think the main difference between a 3700X and a 3800X is the binning.

While I recommend 8-core processors for a mainstream PC Gaming build,

Ridiculous, your own benchmarks prove you wrong. :S

ladcrooks:

MSI B450M MORTAR not the cheapest nor the dearest, £89.99 - look out for fan headers .... before you buy too cheap. The mortar has good reviews

We need to check that a AB bios is available before recommending motherboards, as far as i know the B450M Mortar is on AB (as indicated by their support page)

Loophole35:

With the next game consoles coming around the corner and those housing 8c/16t zen2 based CPU’s this recommendation is understandable.

I am sure that any prediction has a chance to become true at some point, given enough time. Also, consoles. Different animal. PS. Not all consoles will be housing Zen 2. Just one. Sony will not be housing Zen 2.

Loophole35:

Sony is using Zen2.

Ok. I heard they will use their new in-house chip+navi.

Loophole35:

With the next game consoles coming around the corner and those housing 8c/16t zen2 based CPU’s this recommendation is understandable.

It's not quite that simple. Just look at the current generation of consoles, using AMD gpus. How did that pan out? Nvidia is still on top. Not that many games are better optimised on AMD, really. But yeah, 6/12 should be minimum for someone building now, ideally 8/16.

While I intend to pickup one of these, I'm holding off for a little bit. Waiting to see what happens with UEFI/BIOS support... Not really fond of my MSI B350 Tomahawk at this point due to some minor issues, but it make stick around anyway as there is a beta UEFI/BIOS available for it that adds support for Zen2...

The 3600 is probably the best CPU of this gen. The 3600X is 25% more expensive and like 1-5% more powerful on average. Both clock to the same non-high clocks when forced... Both clock almost the same when given cooling. I don't see any point in the 3600X at all, tbf.

BReal85:

How is a 9900K objectively an all-around better CPU than most, when it's only 4-5% faster in games than the samely priced 3900X but loses in single threaded applications and is massively defeated by 40-50% in multi-threaded applications?

Uh... the 3900X isn't an apples-to-apples comparison, and wasn't brought up until now. You can't just move the goalpost like that. I understand the 3900X is closer to the 9900K in price point, but, price is not a good metric for performance level (which is probably why Hilbert doesn't account for it in his recommendations). Intel has been shamelessly price-gouging us for years and they're too stubborn to admit it or back down. Besides, I said better than most, not all. The 9900K arguably isn't even the best in Intel's own lineup. So, compare the 9900K to something more its size (like the 3700X) and the multithreaded benefits aren't quite as drastic. Also, 4-5% is a higher number than 0%. Overclock both CPUs and the 9900K will widen that gap even further. Such numbers don't lie, therefore, they are objective. Frankly, none of the above CPUs are really worth it for gamers IMO. For pretty much everyone except VR or competitive gamers, I'd hand-down recommend the 3600. In fact, I'm in the process of organizing a new gaming PC for someone with the 3600. Anyone who knows they need more doesn't need my recommendation.

I love Hilbert's work, but this reward system is not correct in my opinion.

I don't disagree, I'm just describing to you how it works.