expired Posted by DealiusCaesar | Staff • Aug 25, 2023
Aug 25, 2023 4:52 PM
Item 1 of 5
Item 1 of 5
expired Posted by DealiusCaesar | Staff • Aug 25, 2023
Aug 25, 2023 4:52 PM
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X CPU + 32GB G.SKILL Flare X5 DDR5 6000 + Starfield Game Bundle
+ Free Shipping$429
$742
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Why? The 7900X has a higher base clocked and better single-core performance, and performance overall in applications that don't fully utilize its proprietary 3D cache architecture. In short, aside from a few games, the 7900X3D is generally going to be a downgrade from the 7900X variant in terms of raw performance. You'd be better off with the 7900X, or splurging on a 7950X or 7950X3D if the price is right.
For me the choice was clear, since I don't game much (though that was a factor) and the fact encoding, productivity and multi-tasting were a priority. After a dozen or so hours of research, and weeks of contemplation, I narrowed it down to the 7900X. It was either going to be that or shell out another $200 for the 7950X3D, for moderately improved gaming performance which I would only use occasionally, and nominally better or in some cases worse performance overall. The difference for me didn't come close to justifying the additional $200 in cost, considering I got the 7900X for $350 w/ tax. Now if I were an avid gamer, or live-streamer, in addition to my current intended usage I might have invested the extra $200 in a 7950X3D instead.
Since I saved a fair amount on the CPU, and tend to multi-task heavily, while torrenting, running a Plex server, having dozens/sometimes hundreds of tabs open in multiple browsers, and occasionally switch between a game or encoding in the background, decided to invest in more RAM. Another consideration was the fact I would inevitably decide to upgrade at some point in time, and rather than having to add another set of two sticks that would have to be identical so not to hinder performance, and probably would still impede performance (at 4 sticks vs 2), or alternatively discarding or selling the 32 gig kit for a new 64 gig kit, decided to bite the bullet and invest in 64 gigs now. For some people, most users, this wouldn't be as practical. Given my heavy usage and considering I'm for example using over 30 gigs at the moment while not even using any of the more memory-intensive software I often run, it was a reasonable if not ideal decision. Ultimately, I went with the G.Skill Trident Z5 NEO RGB Series (AMD Expo) 64GB (2 x 32GB) DDR5 6000 CL30 [amazon.com] kit, given its price point, supporting 6000mhz and EXPO, having a lower latency than some kits with a CL30 rating, and consistent reliability/stability compared to some of the other kits on the market.
Overall, I've been more than content with my purchase. It's currently undervolted to lower temps with PBO enabled hitting up to 5.7GHz under load, albeit still running a little hot for my liking, even after undervolting. After further research it became apparent higher temps are typical with Ryzen 9 chips, on par now with their Intel counterparts. Initially I opted for air cooling, until I got the system up and running ensuring it was stable before upgrading to an AIO water cooling solution later. For now, I'm using the Peerless Assassin 120 SE [amazon.com] air cooler from Thermalright. Not only was it ridiculously inexpensive, at around $30, it generally outperforms its competition that can cost up to $100 more. Next up, I'll be upgrading the GPU, the obvious bottleneck in my system at this point, and probably a new PSU to keep up with the new GPU and 18 hard drives I have, and likely a water cooling setup to get the full capability of my CPU shortly after. At this point, I'll probably end up holding out until Black Friday for the aforementioned upgrades, unless a particularly hard to pass up deal presents itself in the mean time.
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Why? The 7900X has a higher base clocked and better single-core performance, and performance overall in applications that don't fully utilize its proprietary 3D cache architecture. In short, aside from a few games, the 7900X3D is generally going to be a downgrade from the 7900X variant in terms of raw performance. You'd be better off with the 7900X, or splurging on a 7950X or 7950X3D if the price is right.
For me the choice was clear, since I don't game much (though that was a factor) and the fact encoding, productivity and multi-tasting were a priority. After a dozen or so hours of research, and weeks of contemplation, I narrowed it down to the 7900X. It was either going to be that or shell out another $200 for the 7950X3D, for moderately improved gaming performance which I would only use occasionally, and nominally better or in some cases worse performance overall. The difference for me didn't come close to justifying the additional $200 in cost, considering I got the 7900X for $350 w/ tax. Now if I were an avid gamer, or live-streamer, in addition to my current intended usage I might have invested the extra $200 in a 7950X3D instead.
Since I saved a fair amount on the CPU, and tend to multi-task heavily, while torrenting, running a Plex server, having dozens/sometimes hundreds of tabs open in multiple browsers, and occasionally switch between a game or encoding in the background, decided to invest in more RAM. Another consideration was the fact I would inevitably decide to upgrade at some point in time, and rather than having to add another set of two sticks that would have to be identical so not to hinder performance, and probably would still impede performance (at 4 sticks vs 2), or alternatively discarding or selling the 32 gig kit for a new 64 gig kit, decided to bite the bullet and invest in 64 gigs now. For some people, most users, this wouldn't be as practical. Given my heavy usage and considering I'm for example using over 30 gigs at the moment while not even using any of the more memory-intensive software I often run, it was a reasonable if not ideal decision. Ultimately, I went with the G.Skill Trident Z5 NEO RGB Series (AMD Expo) 64GB (2 x 32GB) DDR5 6000 CL30 [amazon.com] kit, given its price point, supporting 6000mhz and EXPO, having a lower latency than some kits with a CL30 rating, and consistent reliability/stability compared to some of the other kits on the market.
Overall, I've been more than content with my purchase. It's currently undervolted to lower temps with PBO enabled hitting up to 5.7GHz under load, albeit still running a little hot for my liking, even after undervolting. After further research it became apparent higher temps are typical with Ryzen 9 chips, on par now with their Intel counterparts. Initially I opted for air cooling, until I got the system up and running ensuring it was stable before upgrading to an AIO water cooling solution later. For now, I'm using the Peerless Assassin 120 SE [amazon.com] air cooler from Thermalright. Not only was it ridiculously inexpensive, at around $30, it generally outperforms its competition that can cost up to $100 more. Next up, I'll be upgrading the GPU, the obvious bottleneck in my system at this point, and probably a new PSU to keep up with the new GPU and 18 hard drives I have, and likely a water cooling setup to get the full capability of my CPU shortly after. At this point, I'll probably end up holding out until Black Friday for the aforementioned upgrades, unless a particularly hard to pass up deal presents itself in the mean time.
Why? The 7900X has a higher base clocked and better single-core performance, and performance overall in applications that don't fully utilize its proprietary 3D cache architecture. In short, aside from a few games, the 7900X3D is generally going to be a downgrade from the 7900X variant in terms of raw performance. You'd be better off with the 7900X, or splurging on a 7950X or 7950X3D if the price is right.
For me the choice was clear, since I don't game much (though that was a factor) and the fact encoding, productivity and multi-tasting were a priority. After a dozen or so hours of research, and weeks of contemplation, I narrowed it down to the 7900X. It was either going to be that or shell out another $200 for the 7950X3D, for moderately improved gaming performance which I would only use occasionally, and nominally better or in some cases worse performance overall. The difference for me didn't come close to justifying the additional $200 in cost, considering I got the 7900X for $350 w/ tax. Now if I were an avid gamer, or live-streamer, in addition to my current intended usage I might have invested the extra $200 in a 7950X3D instead.
Since I saved a fair amount on the CPU, and tend to multi-task heavily, while torrenting, running a Plex server, having dozens/sometimes hundreds of tabs open in multiple browsers, and occasionally switch between a game or encoding in the background, decided to invest in more RAM. Another consideration was the fact I would inevitably decide to upgrade at some point in time, and rather than having to add another set of two sticks that would have to be identical so not to hinder performance, and probably would still impede performance (at 4 sticks vs 2), or alternatively discarding or selling the 32 gig kit for a new 64 gig kit, decided to bite the bullet and invest in 64 gigs now. For some people, most users, this wouldn't be as practical. Given my heavy usage and considering I'm for example using over 30 gigs at the moment while not even using any of the more memory-intensive software I often run, it was a reasonable if not ideal decision. Ultimately, I went with the G.Skill Trident Z5 NEO RGB Series (AMD Expo) 64GB (2 x 32GB) DDR5 6000 CL30 [amazon.com] kit, given its price point, supporting 6000mhz and EXPO, having a lower latency than some kits with a CL30 rating, and consistent reliability/stability compared to some of the other kits on the market.
Overall, I've been more than content with my purchase. It's currently undervolted to lower temps with PBO enabled hitting up to 5.7GHz under load, albeit still running a little hot for my liking, even after undervolting. After further research it became apparent higher temps are typical with Ryzen 9 chips, on par now with their Intel counterparts. Initially I opted for air cooling, until I got the system up and running ensuring it was stable before upgrading to an AIO water cooling solution later. For now, I'm using the Peerless Assassin 120 SE [amazon.com] air cooler from Thermalright. Not only was it ridiculously inexpensive, at around $30, it generally outperforms its competition that can cost up to $100 more. Next up, I'll be upgrading the GPU, the obvious bottleneck in my system at this point, and probably a new PSU to keep up with the new GPU and 18 hard drives I have, and likely a water cooling setup to get the full capability of my CPU shortly after. At this point, I'll probably end up holding out until Black Friday for the aforementioned upgrades, unless a particularly hard to pass up deal presents itself in the mean time.
Edit: Supposedly the free Starfield game code is good from other locations too, like the one above... which I didn't realize.
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