For Gaming i7-7700 or Ryzen1700?

[Gikaseixas]

OP wait for Coffee Lake or just buy a Ryzen 1600X if you need a system now.

 

[Riek]

If you want to choose between a i7-7700 and R7-1700 then the only correct answer should be go for the R7 1700.


If you however consider alternatives like the 7700K, you should also consider the alternatives on AMD side like 1600 or 1600x.

Keep in mind that you probably won't notice the difference between all these cpu's at present time in your current configuraiton (480). And i7 7700K isn't fast enough to really make the difference between unplayable and playable compared to the alternatives in today's games.

So my advice would be R5-1600 if you think the price difference between 1600 and 1600x is enough to save the money. (otherwise go for the 1600x)


Waiting for cofee lake is also a possibility, however I don't expect a 6core coffee-lake will enter your budget.. (but that is an assumption.. ).

 

[Crumpet]

I echo the sentiments of many above.

If the computer has to last for 5 years and be a gaming machine;

R5 1600 + stock cooler, or wait for Coffee Lake 6 core.

 

[UglyDuckling]

You have zero need to buy a new processor.. 2500K is not a bottleneck at all.. and the CPU's for only gaming are side grades if anything especially vs your CPU overclocked.

 

[R0H1T]

Thank-you for the reply.

I'm located in India and the prices here are as follows:

i7-7700: $366
i7-7700K: $400

Ryzen 1700: $400
Ryzen 1600: $250

How is the Ryzen 1600 for a gaming rig?

Well since you're from here, I suggest the 1700 or the 1600, Intel will not drop in price (here) as you very well know. In fact 6 core CFL will be more expensive than 7700k & there's a very good chance that 7700/k prices won't budge for some time to come. If you can find better deals offline at some place then go for it, but as for online prices or even brick & mortar stores, Intel cpu's aren't going to get much cheaper in the near future.

Also there's GST which will increase prices across the board, looking at the suggested rates atm, so unlike many others I'd suggest you to buy anytime before July & looks for deals (online) or search offline if you're more comfortable there.

 

[Keljian]

Ryzen doesn't "need" 3000mhz+ ram, it just doesn't. If you want to squeeze every ounce out of the frame rate, sure, but day to day you won't notice 5fps

 

[Crumpet]

Ryzen doesn't "need" 3000mhz+ ram, it just doesn't. If you want to squeeze every ounce out of the frame rate, sure, but day to day you won't notice 5fps

Can confirm, 1800x on distinctly average 2666mhz cas 16 ram. Runs everything great at 2560x1080p

 

[Sam25]

OP: I would wait for coffee lake, or for something more affordable, consider the Ryzen 6 cores CPUs. Getting a 1600 or 1600X should save you a lot of money, even in India.

That said, if you want more performance from Intel, you could get a Kaby lake 7700k now, and upgrade later possibly for coffee lake, or wait for coffee lake to come out, and make a decision on that versus AMD offerings at that time.

Lastly, you mention 1080p, but are you playing at high refresh rate? For just 60Hz screen, I think the cheaper AMD Ryzen 5 CPUs should be fine.

Yes, I game at 1080p at 60hHz.


After reading through all the posts it's clear that the general opinion is towards the Ryzen 1700 or the 1600.

Now, after getting a 1700 is it going to be mandatory for me to overclock the processor or am I good to run it at stock and get good performance in SP games? As I have mentioned before I wouldn't like to tread the overclocking path at all. In that case I would just pick up a 7700K and settle with it.

 

[Sam25]

Also, I won't be using emulators to run games. Maybe a little of PCSX2 but rarely.

 

[richaron]

Mate, many here (myself included) would say at least a little overclocking is needed for a Ryzen 1600 or 1700. But you have to be aware of whom you are asking; Of course "enthusiasts" will tell you to overclock.

There is a learning curve to overclocking, but it can also give you "free performance". And you have to consider if a few hours of painful overclocking tests is worth dozens/hundreds of hours of better gaming.

Regarding RAM speeds: I would say higher speeds ~3000/3200 are important for Ryzen, especially if you intend to keep the RAM and upgrade the CPU later. Again you can look into overclocking the RAM, which in this situation is different because the RAM speed is much more important than the latency (i.e. timings). So you could in theory purchase lower rated RAM which could be overclocked to 3000/3200 with slower timings and/or higher voltage.

If you want better help I would suggest you make it clear whether you are willing to go to the effort of overclocking.

 

[Sam25]

If you want better help I would suggest you make it clear whether you are willing to go to the effort of overclocking.

Nope, not willing to go to the effort of Overclocking.

 

[Malogeek]

As a 1700 owner, for gaming I'd highly recommend the 1600x to get the best binning and highest base clock. The 6c/12t will be very capable over the years in modern gaming and you have the highest boost clock and OC potential later on.

 

[Gikaseixas]

Nope, not willing to go to the effort of Overclocking.

That's why i recommended the 1600X due to it's higher clocks (see below).

OP wait for Coffee Lake or just buy a Ryzen 1600X if you need a system now.

 

[beginner99]

Nope, not willing to go to the effort of Overclocking.

Then get the 1600x. 1700 has very low base clocks. Only really worth it if you OC. 1600x will be faster in ST performance compared to 1700 due to higher base clock. And of course cheaper.

 

[frozentundra123456]

If you arent willing to overclock at all, then I would go for the 7700k over the 1700. I will take proven better current performance over some projected possible future performance. After all, the 7700k is about 25% faster, and you will enjoy that performance edge until the 1700 catches up and (theoretically) passes the 7700k in some unknown number of years.

Another option however would be the 1600X. It still gives you six cores, should be cheaper than either of the other processors, and has a higher base clock and turbo compared to the 1700. If you look at the chart in post 11, the 1600x is actually faster (slightly) at stock than the 1700 in current games. Or even go with the 1600, which has a cooler and is still as fast as the 1700 in the chart I referenced.

 

[richaron]

If not overclocking and also wanting the option of a CPU upgrade then I agree the 1600X is a good choice for the next few years.

 

[Keljian]

I have a 1700- I have yet to find a game which slows down for me due to CPU speeds when running at stock. Completely indistinguishable from my previous 4ghz broadwell chip in terms of slowdowns. Really think you would be hard pressed to feel the difference unless you are a hardcore gamer.

 

[JimmiG]

If not overclocking and also wanting the option of a CPU upgrade then I agree the 1600X is a good choice for the next few years.

Agreed, 12 threads is more than enough for gaming, and the higher clocks can make a difference.

Regarding RAM, I'd suggest just waiting a few more weeks. There's a new AGESA update coming, and if that improves things to the point that any old 3000 - 3200 RAM works at the rated speed, it will no longer be worth it paying a premium for B-die.

 

[Denithor]

My two cents: either 1600 today or wait until CL 6/12 drops and see how pricing/performance looks. I'd expect this chip to cost at least $400 but probably not too much higher, AMD has effectively deflated the price for more cores.

 

[guskline]

Sam25, I just looked at the specs of your current machine which is decent. However if you have the "itch" to upgrade, keeping most of your other components than the cpu,mb and ram I would suggest going with the 1600x.

I have built 2 Ryzen rigs so far. the 1800X in my sig below which is a High end and costly Ryzen that is water cooled. I'm waiting for the release of the Big Vega to replace my 2 RX480s in CF with a single high end AMD gpu.

I had ordered the 1800x ($499 US-not cheap) and wanted the Asus Crosshair VI Hero mb BUT availability of that mb was so limited, I ended up buying an inexpensive Asus Prime B350 Plus mb just to run the 1800x. I had some Gskill TridentZ DDR4-3200 CL16 ram that just wouldn't run faster so I also ended up buying expensive Gskill FlareX DDR4-3200 ram which does run at 3200 speed.

Once I bought my Asus Crosshair VI hero mb, I had another Ryzen mb (Asus Prime B350 Plus) and DDR4 ram (TridentZ CL16 DDR4-3200-16g) so I had the basis of another Ryzen build. When the 1600x released in the US for $249, I had the answer to upgrading my daughter's old AMD rig.

I used a Fractal Define S case but you have a better one with your Corsair. I had a crucial 240g ssd for OS and you have an excellent Samsung EVO 120g. I bought a 1TB WD blue for data. I bought an EVGA Gold 550W PSU and you have a Seasonic 750W -PLENTY. I used my Corsair H110i GT (overkill for a 1600x but it was available) and you have a stoudt Corsair H80 which is excellent.

I added a 1600x to the asus B350 Plus mb and have an excellent rig. Since my daughter does little gaming I used a Nvidia GTX 1050TI which was the best performing gpu in the price point. I might give her one of the RX480s if I buy a Big Vega. You already have an AMD RX480 so you are set.

The 1600x, without OCing, runs all 6 cores at 3.6 with up to 2 cores OC'd as high as 4 Ghz.

TRUST me. I run my 1800x OC'd on all 8 cores at 4 Ghz and that 1600x at stock is as smooth with PLENTY of cores.

I WILL NOT bad mouth the 7700k. It is an excellent cpu that will serve you well. However, for the $$$$, I would opt for a 1600x, and decent B350chipset AMD mb, especially since you do not want to OC. If you go that route be sure to CAREFULLY pick DDR4 ram that runs at higher speeds.

 

[flash-gordon]

I WILL NOT bad mouth the 7700k. It is an excellent cpu that will serve you well. However, for the $$$$, I would opt for a 1600x, and decent B350chipset AMD mb, especially since you do not want to OC. If you go that route be sure to CAREFULLY pick DDR4 ram that runs at higher speeds.

I really agree with gusk on every line except the bold part.

Get some 2800-3000 CL15 DDR4 TridentZ or LPX and be happy, I bet you can find it for much less than 3200+ DDR4.

You're not overclocking, not squeezing the system, not need to care much about that.

 

[sm625]

If you plan on upgrading it 5 years from now your best bet is the Ryzen. It is far more likely to have some sort of upgrade path. With a i7-7700k you are not likely to see more than 5% gain from any upgrade path, besides overclocking. Whatever you do, dont buy the non-K cpu. The K version is the same perf/$ and opens the door to overclocking in the future if you wish to do so, and it will probably sell for more money 5 years from now.

 

[scannall]

To echo what others have said. For your use case, a 1600x would probably be ideal. It would give you some room in your budget for a better video card. And be more future proof than a 7700k.

 

[Headfoot]

WAIT FOR COFFEE LAKE. 3 months is absolutely nothing compared with how long a modern CPU lasts you. Just wait.

 

[Sam25]

Sam25, I just looked at the specs of your current machine which is decent. However if you have the "itch" to upgrade, keeping most of your other components than the cpu,mb and ram I would suggest going with the 1600x.

I have built 2 Ryzen rigs so far. the 1800X in my sig below which is a High end and costly Ryzen that is water cooled. I'm waiting for the release of the Big Vega to replace my 2 RX480s in CF with a single high end AMD gpu.

I had ordered the 1800x ($499 US-not cheap) and wanted the Asus Crosshair VI Hero mb BUT availability of that mb was so limited, I ended up buying an inexpensive Asus Prime B350 Plus mb just to run the 1800x. I had some Gskill TridentZ DDR4-3200 CL16 ram that just wouldn't run faster so I also ended up buying expensive Gskill FlareX DDR4-3200 ram which does run at 3200 speed.

Once I bought my Asus Crosshair VI hero mb, I had another Ryzen mb (Asus Prime B350 Plus) and DDR4 ram (TridentZ CL16 DDR4-3200-16g) so I had the basis of another Ryzen build. When the 1600x released in the US for $249, I had the answer to upgrading my daughter's old AMD rig.

I used a Fractal Define S case but you have a better one with your Corsair. I had a crucial 240g ssd for OS and you have an excellent Samsung EVO 120g. I bought a 1TB WD blue for data. I bought an EVGA Gold 550W PSU and you have a Seasonic 750W -PLENTY. I used my Corsair H110i GT (overkill for a 1600x but it was available) and you have a stoudt Corsair H80 which is excellent.

I added a 1600x to the asus B350 Plus mb and have an excellent rig. Since my daughter does little gaming I used a Nvidia GTX 1050TI which was the best performing gpu in the price point. I might give her one of the RX480s if I buy a Big Vega. You already have an AMD RX480 so you are set.

The 1600x, without OCing, runs all 6 cores at 3.6 with up to 2 cores OC'd as high as 4 Ghz.

TRUST me. I run my 1800x OC'd on all 8 cores at 4 Ghz and that 1600x at stock is as smooth with PLENTY of cores.

I WILL NOT bad mouth the 7700k. It is an excellent cpu that will serve you well. However, for the $$$$, I would opt for a 1600x, and decent B350chipset AMD mb, especially since you do not want to OC. If you go that route be sure to CAREFULLY pick DDR4 ram that runs at higher speeds.

Thank-you so very much taking time and writing a detailed and thorough reply. I really appreciate it, very much!

I think it's pretty much settled then. If I do end up buying a new CPU next week I'll get the Ryzen 1600X. Lots of good words for it and also since I won't be tinkering with overclocking it seems to be the best option for me.

Thank-you to every single one who contributed to the this thread with their thoughts, really appreciate all the input. It has lead me to make my decision and hoping it's a good one at that. Guskline's reply pretty much sealed the deal for me!