While Intel previously held the crown for the best gaming processors, it has now changed completely when AMD introduced its Ryzen line to the industry.
To begin with, Ryzen has completely supplanted its low-end competitors, and for some time Ryzen has been the obvious choice for low-end machines. But Intel quickly fought back.
These days, later generation i3 and i5 chipsets are equipped just like Ryzen processors. The battle continues and every processor manufacturer is constantly fighting to be ahead. But which option will be the best in 2019?
In this guide, we’ll focus on which budget gaming choices of 2019 are the best between Intel and Ryzen.
Cheapest Intel vs cheapest Ryzen – i3 8100 vs AMD Ryzen 5 2400G
So we have two choices for neck and neck in terms of price at a very low level. The i3 8100 is essentially the cheapest and latest i3 chipset available for board games in 2019. On the other hand, we have the equivalent, the Ryzen 5 2400G.
In terms of price, the i3 8100 is $ 129 on Amazon and the Ryzen 5 2400G is $ 139. So the prices are close, but if you’re on a really tight budget, every extra dollar counts.
However, in terms of performance, what’s the difference between the i3 8100 and the AMD Ryzen 5 2400G? Well, surprisingly, the performance is very, very close. Both have 4 cores clocked at 3.6GHz, both perform very similar benchmark results with a high-performance graphics card, and both have a typical TDP of 65W.
Owning the Ryzen 5 2400G now has a slight edge. If you’re on a very tight budget, the integrated graphics in the Ryzen chip are much better than the Intel UHD Graphics 630 chip in the Intel i3-8100.
You can also boost the Ryzen chip’s clock speed to 3.9GHz, and if you plan on upgrading in the future, you might have a better chance of keeping the motherboard if you get a good B450 motherboard with the Ryzen option.
So, in terms of real-world performance, processors go hand in hand. In terms of price, the i3-8100 is better, but if you don’t get a graphics card, the Ryzen 5 2400G wins.
Winner: Ryzen Integrated Graphics, i3-8100 with Standalone Graphics
Mid-Range CPUS – Intel i5-8400 vs Ryzen 5 2600X
There is a clear winner at this particular price point. First, the i5-8400 sells for $ 201, while the Ryzen 5 2600X sells for $ 175. Motherboard prices are the same no matter what you choose.
I would only recommend this option if you plan on purchasing a separate graphics card, otherwise your CPU will be the bottleneck, so graphics don’t really matter. It should be noted, however, that the Ryzen 5 2600X has no integrated graphics.
In terms of raw performance, benchmarks put both CPUs in the same spot, with some results showing the Intel i5-8400 to be slightly ahead, while other benchmarking software shows the Ryzen 5 2600X to be slightly ahead. However, in terms of real gaming performance, the Ryzen 5 2600X beats the i5-8400 by far.
Another great feature of the Ryzen 5 2600X is that again, once you get this processor, you will have to wait and update multiple generations, unlike the i5-8400, which will require a new motherboard after upgrading to 10th Gen processors.
When it comes to specifications, that makes sense too. Ryzen 5 2600X has 6 cores but 12 threads. Intel i5-8400 has only one thread for each of the 6 cores. Both processors have a maximum turbo frequency, but Ryzen has a frequency of 4.2 GHz, ahead of the 4.0 GHz i5-8400.
The TDP for the Ryzen 5 is 95W, which is quite power hungry, while the i5-8400 is only 65W, but for mid-range products it shouldn’t matter much. It’s important not to skimp on a PSU no matter your budget, so this shouldn’t be a concern.
Winner: Ryzen 5 2600X
Best CPU Under $ 300 – Intel i5-9600k vs AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
If you haven’t noticed the trend yet, I’ll explain it to you. In 2019, Ryzen is winning the war between low and mid-priced. Their processors offer the best gaming performance in all price categories, and the price under $ 300 is a different story.
The I5-9600K is a great processor, but the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X is better. However, the price difference can be troubling. The AMD Ryzen 7 2700X costs $ 285 and the I5-9600K costs $ 260. However, it can be argued that the performance gains are much better than the price increases, giving the Ryzen 7 2700X a higher price / performance ratio.
The Ryzen 7 2700X has a lot more options. You get 8 cores with 16 threads, while the i5-9600K still has 6 cores and 6 threads. Not all games will use all of these cores efficiently, but in 2019 we finally reached the point where more cores really matter.
The i5 clock speed is higher at a maximum clock speed of 4.6GHz, and the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X has a maximum clock speed of 4.3GHz. However, thanks to the improved architecture and the number of cores, the performance is even higher. Both processors use a lot of power: the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X has a TDP of 105W and the Intel i5-9600K has a TDP of 95W.
Winner: Ryzen 7 2700X
Summary
So at every price point under $ 300, Ryzen wins as the best gaming processor in 2019. This may change in the future, but AMD currently retains the title of king of the budget. If you have any questions about the hardware mentioned in this article, please leave a comment below and I will reply as soon as I can.
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