I'm deciding between two processors: the i5-9500 for $69 and the i5-9400 for $59. I'm using a Biostar Tb360 Pro 2.0 motherboard, with an RX 580 8GB or GTX 1060 6GB graphics card, 16 GB RAM, and an SSD. Is the performance difference worth paying the extra $10 for the i5-9500?
5 Answers
Yeah, the 12100F with a cheap motherboard would be a better start. It's more performance for your cash, and old Intel CPUs are getting pricey! But I get it, budget constraints can make it tough.
It's really just a tiny bump in clock speed for the price. You should save that $10 and put it towards either a complete platform upgrade or upgrade your GPU or RAM instead. Definitely go with the cheaper one!
Look into going for a newer setup if possible. The Ryzen 5 5500 is around the same price, and you might find an AM4 board cheap. It'll give you way more bang for your buck in the long run!
Honestly, I wouldn't go for either at that price. They're just too costly for 9th gen CPUs. Do you already have the rest of your system set up?
If you're learning to build but sticking with older parts, the i5-9400 is a solid choice. The performance gap isn't huge enough to justify that extra $10.
Yeah, I've got the Biostar Tb360 Pro 2.0, RX 580, and 16 GB RAM.