I'm in the process of building a budget gaming PC and need some advice on which CPU to go for. Ideally, I want to spend under $260 and preferably around $200. The system will be mostly for gaming, paired with a GTX 1080 Ti for now, and later I'll upgrade to something like a 4070-S. I'm planning to play games like Cyberpunk 2077, Blade and Sorcery VR, Helldivers, and BeamNG Drive. Eventually, I want to play more demanding titles like The Last of Us. I've been considering the Intel i5-14600KF for $198, but I've also heard some buzz about AMD CPUs. I've seen the Ryzen 5 9600X is in a similar price range. Could someone clarify the differences and which might be better for gaming? My total build cost is around $700, and I want to keep it that way. Thanks!
1 Answer
If you're sticking to your budget, I'd say go for the Ryzen 5 7600 or the 7600X if that fits. Both will give you excellent performance for gaming. The 9600X is solid too, but the 7600's newer architecture might give you a bit more in terms of future-proofing and raw power. Just make sure to check the prices because they can fluctuate!
The 9600X is about the same price on Amazon right now. Can you explain a bit more why you prefer the 7600?