Holy inflated prices, batman. This "combo" is not a good deal unless you really want those games.
$450.00 is more than you would normally spend on the cpu ($199 at MC) and the video card ($245 at NE). I'd even wager you can OC a cheaper version of the video card so you could get the cheaper $230.00 priced 480.
If you buy a motherboard for the chip (which you'll need anyway, you get an additional $30.00 off the combo at MC.
It's not a bad deal. Doom and Civilization 6 are easily worth $50 for those interested in those genres. On December 12, there is another $20 off $100 with Newegg Visa Checkout.
https://slickdeals.net/f/9498864-20...sa-checkout?src=SiteSearchV2_SearchBarV2Algo1
After $20 MIR, the combo is $410. i5 6600K by itself is
$240. That makes MSI RX 480 8GB a $170 videocard with 2 free AAA games (or i5 6600K for $180). If you were to purchase the videocard on its own on December 12th, it could cost
$220. A decent budget Asus Z170-E board is
$86. That means the deal is $50 off with 2x AAA games. It is true though that there are cheaper AIB RX 480s like the PowerColor Red Devil for
$220.
You also have to look at what the alternative solution is from Newegg:
NV build
i5 6600K = $240
cheapest GTX1060 6GB =
$240
- $20 off Visa Checkout
= $460 + 0 AAA games offered
AMD build
i5 6600K + RX 480 8GB = $430
- $20 off Visa Checkout
= $410 with 2 AAA games
The AMD route is $50 less and has 2 good games,
despite RX 480 and GTX1060 largely trading blows in modern games. The i5 + RX 480 build is clearly the better choice at these prices. In fact, even at $460, just the inclusion of Doom and Civ 6 would have already made the i5 + RX 480 combo superior to many buyers.
My issue with the combo isn't the price, but more to do with the fact I would probably spend extra for the i7 if wanted to keep the CPU platform for 4-5 years.
So basically you are arguing that radeons are so bad that they have to be bundled with a good CPU and good games for them to be saleable at all?
Here we go....again! Anything AMD does to bring more value to the consumer is once again spun as a negative for AMD or it's shareholders. If you aren't an AMD shareholder, what difference does it make if RX 480 sells for $1 bundled with an i5 6600K? We are consumers here and this bundle offers value, period.
What are we concerned with on this forum? How much $$$ AMD makes, how much Intel benefits or how much good hardware PC gamers can buy at reduced prices and get free games? Why is it that every positive thing that AMD does to deliver more value to PC gaming is turned into "AMD is desperate", "their product is so crap they have to give gamers more value!"
How about you focus on the fundamentals of PC hardware, and objectively assess what's better to buy this holiday season:
Option 1: i5 6600K + RX 480 + 2 AAA games for $410
Option 2: i5 6600K + GTX1060 6GB and 0 AAA games for $460
?
I sure as hell didn't complain when NV & EVGA gave me 3-4 AAA games with my EVGA GTX 470s. (Just Cause 2, Mafia 2, Metro 2033, Cryostasis).
"Add it all up and you could walk away with Doom, Deus Ex, and either Hitman or Civ VI if you decide to build an affordable all-AMD gaming PC from the ground up over the next month. That’s $180 worth of free games, and they’re some of the best games of 2016. Not too shabby."
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3143...icing-free-game-bundles-for-the-holidays.html
Oh, poor AMD shareholders.......(
AMD stock is up 353% since December 12, 2015).
Your suggestions do nothing to address either point. Can you suggest something, or some things that would?
If it was GTX1060 6GB i5 6600K bundle and the same games, I wonder if we'd be reading the same negative spin. AMD and Intel are delivering the
best value bundle for 1080p gaming, outside of Fry's/MicroCenter deals, and he is trying to spin it as a negative for AMD/consumers.
I think it's time, yet again, to remind everyone that Zen is first and foremost targeted at the server/big data market. Not the uber-gaming nerd market.
Maybe this is just AMD finally realizing that they need to send a cohesive, targeted message about what their products are. Or not, maybe it will blow up in their faces. We'll see, I guess.
Even if Zen is consistently 1% slower than i7 7700K / Skylake-X in games, it will be declared a failure by the usual suspects that spent the last 5-10 years telling everyone how "this is AMD's last chance," or how "AMD is going to be bankrupt soon."
The signs cannot be clearer that Zen is a
server/enterprise CPU first, above all else. That's where the growth and the profitability are in the foreseeable future. It's amusing to watch the usuals defend overpriced mid-range cards from the competing brand, and yet turn around and bash/spew negativity towards gaming bundles that offer more value to PC gamers.
The facts are clear: The $50 cheaper i5 6600K and RX 480 + 2 AAA game bundle is currently the better buy for PC gaming for most gamers than an i5 6600K and a GTX1060 6GB are.
The need to go out of their way to spin this bundle is a negative to PC gaming/our hobby is more a reflection of the lack of objectivity of the posters rather than anything else.