I'm building a PC primarily for gaming and 3D modeling using software like Blender, Substance Painter, and ZBrush. A friend suggested the Ryzen 9 9950X, which I can afford, but I'm curious if there are any cheaper alternatives that would still perform well for both tasks. Thanks for any suggestions!
4 Answers
What's your budget looking like? The 9900X3D is a bit cheaper than the 9950X but still handles both games and productivity pretty well with its 12 cores. It might be a solid middle-ground for you.
Honestly, I wouldn't recommend the 9900X3D at all. It’s basically just a downgraded version of the 9700X3D. For gaming, the 9800X3D or 9950X would be much better choices.
I'd say go for the fastest CPU you can afford. Even consider 7000 series if you can save enough. More cores help speed things up, but if you're not too worried about that, a 9700X could work fine too!
Have you thought about the 7800X3D? It could be a great fit for your needs!
If you're focusing on gaming, the X3D CPUs are top-notch, but for 3D modeling, you might want something like the 9900X3D or even the 9950X3D. However, at higher resolutions, a standard CPU might do just fine for gaming - especially for your other software needs. Check out this Blender benchmark to compare performance versus cost!
Also consider going with Intel! The Ultra 7 and Ultra 9 CPUs deliver good gaming and productivity performance for less than the Ryzen 9 options right now.