Best Mid-High Tier CPU
Posted by Intrepid_Relation249@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 86 comments
I'm building a PC. I need a best CPU for my needs, my budget is around $300-$350.
I need the most-balanced CPU that will do really good at video editing, 3d motion graphics, and music production but also provide a great performance in games.
What should I go for?
I've been thinking about the 14700k. I've heard about the instability issues on these CPUs, but what I've also heard is if I update the BIOS right away I should be totally fine, and I also get 5 year warranty so even if something happens, I'm not really screwed. On the other hand tho, 1700 might be a dead socket, but AMD seems like it's a worse pick if I care about video editing and 3d work performance.
ak5432@reddit
If you’re near a Microcenter and can stretch a bit, the 9900x is $390 and the best of all worlds. If not, look for benchmarks on the 7800x3d vs 9700x vs 7900x and see what matters most to you.
Keep in mind, the max frame rate on any x3d chip will be the best you can get, but it often just doesn’t matter because other CPU’s will max out your monitor and gpu anyway.
Intrepid_Relation249@reddit (OP)
Yeah honestly I think I'm leaning towards the 9900x. I don't know what motherboard to get with it tho, should i go for the X ones or the B ones? And also does that matter a lot if i go for the X670/B650 ones or the X870/B850 ones?
ak5432@reddit
Well if you’re planning to keep the platform for a long time get the best X-level board you can afford. That’s what I did but with X570 and it’s been serving me well. I am not up to date on new mobos, but for AM4, the B-boards tended to miss a fair few features that the X-boards had like debug numbers, lots of fast USB, M.2 slots, USB-C, and most importantly, beefy power delivery. This is going to be another personal choice but the way I did it was look at the big brands and check their segmentation and compare each level of board to see which features were important to me.
On a cursory glance at Microcenter, looks like most X have good I/O but the onboard ethernet is crap Realtek as usual lol.
beirch@reddit
The AM5 B boards are actually much more stocked on features than the AM4 B boards. Which is why most people just recommend B650s for pretty much any AM5 chip.
You can get B650s with 14+4 power phases, three M.2 slots, plenty of USB 3.2 connections etc. They're juiced. Even the midrange $130 boards can be great, like this one from AsRock: https://www.asrock.com/MB/AMD/B650%20Pro%20RS%20WiFi/index.asp
14+2+1, three M.2 slots, 7 USB 3.2, and WiFi for $130 is hard to beat. Only thing it doesn't have is PCIe gen 5 and WiFi 7.
ak5432@reddit
Good info to know, thanks. I’m glad that they stopped skimping on features at lower price points and I can hold out hope that the pervasive GAYMERZ!11!1!1! branding will soon die off too. It was a chore back then to find a feature-packed, reasonable-ish priced board that wasn’t just red and covered with branding…
Intrepid_Relation249@reddit (OP)
when it comes to the X ones and considering my budget my best bet would probably be MSI X670E GAMING PLUS WIFI, you think I'll be fine for a long time with it?
ak5432@reddit
Any of them will last just fine, just make sure there’s enough m.2 slots, sata ports, fans, and I/O for you.
PaganRaccoon@reddit
Amd is the best
QuaintAlex126@reddit
How much video editing and 3D work do you?
A 7800X3D wouldn’t be a bad choice with its current last-gen discount price. It’s worse in productivity but not by much. Don’t let people overreacting on Reddit lead you to believe it can’t do any productivity at all. It’s just a little slower due to the lower clock speeds.
LGA1700 is a dead platform, so I’d stay away from it. Intel’s Core series aren’t looking too either.
Intrepid_Relation249@reddit (OP)
I'd say the video editing plays a big part in my PC usage, I do after effects 3d motion graphics, ae 3d camera editing, and just some long-form video editing on Premiere Pro. I also wanna get into editing music videos as I also make beats and it's just something that I'm interested in. But i also play games. To be specific, I think I'd want something that'll be really good at the work I do, but on the other hand not hold me down on the gaming performance.
QuaintAlex126@reddit
The 7700X would be a pretty good option for you then.
7950X3D/9950X3D if you can afford it and really need the CPU muscle lol.
Intrepid_Relation249@reddit (OP)
My budget is pretty tight, I was thinking of going for the 9950X3D tho, but I'd have to downgrade the card to an RTX 5070, and I'm not sure if that's worth it.
bardockOdogma@reddit
"budget tight" "9950X3D"
Man stop...
greggm2000@reddit
7700/9700X is the smart choice here. Do note that it’s widely expected that we’ll get one more generation (Zen 6) out of the AM5 platform (AM5), and the rumors about Zen 6 (which may be wrong) have it a big jump over the current Zen 5. If you go Intel, you’d be on a dead-end platform.
Boruto_uchiha77@reddit
Does that mean in it’s not going to be worth it to get the 9800x3d in a year or longer from now
greggm2000@reddit
By that point, we'd be getting very close to the intro of Zen 6. For those that can wait a year to a year and a half, instead of buying now, it likely makes sense to get Zen 6 X3D instead, especially if the rumors surrounding it rn, end up being true.
Ofc, if you need to build now, then the 9800X3D is a great option, and is worth doing, it'll be a great gaming CPU for many years.
Boruto_uchiha77@reddit
Well I’m getting the 5070 ti and a new motherboard and a new cpu cooler and some more storage and a new psu
greggm2000@reddit
If you're going to get that now, then yeah, the 9800X3D would be a great choice! Or, if you decide to get a cheaper CPU now, like the 9600X, then you'll very likely be able to upgrade that to a Zen 6 X3D CPU when the time comes, if you want.
Note that we will be seeing "Super" variants of Nvidia GPUs with 50% more VRAM in 3-6 months or so.. if you can wait that long, you probably should. If you can't, then the 5070 Ti is a good choice.
Boruto_uchiha77@reddit
Nah I’m just gonna wait for the zen 6 my 5600x will last until then but I’m definitely getting the 5070 ti and the psu next year the rest will have to wait till Christmas 2026 or early 2027
greggm2000@reddit
That's how I feel about the 12700K I've had since 2001.. except I hope to hold out until Zen 7 with AM6 and DDR6, that should be 2027 or 2028.
Nvidia 6000-series should be out late next year. If you're talking early next year, then, depending on pricing, it'll probably make way more sense to get the 5070 Ti Super... 24GB of VRAM, after all!
Boruto_uchiha77@reddit
If the 5070 ti super is coming out at the end of the year I’m just gonna get that by the end of 2026 , the 5000 series just came out this year the 6000 series is not coming out at the end of the year
greggm2000@reddit
Yes it is. Late 2026 would follow the 2-year pattern, 5000-series was late 2024. The end of 2026, I'd expect the 5070 Ti (Super and non-Super) to be out of production, and available at a fairly high price, for the stock that remains.
Joepiej@reddit
Amd said recently the AM5 platform is 2027+
greggm2000@reddit
They said that back at least 6 months ago, but "supported" is not the same thing as saying that's where the new generations of parts will be available on. Just like the AM4 platform, which got parts past Zen 4, but those parts were just slower binned varieties of CPUs that were already out.
The current expectation (which may be wrong!) is that we'll get Zen 6 on AM5. If that turns out not to be true, many people will be unhappy. There's very little chance Zen 7 will be.
brendan87na@reddit
if it's like AM4, it's going to be around forever
Intrepid_Relation249@reddit (OP)
Yeah I think I'm going for a 9900X
MtnMaiden@reddit
Most rendering is done on the CPU. So downgrade the GPU.
aguybrowsingreddit@reddit
Does this depend on the software? My understanding is Davinci Resolve leans heavily on the GPU
Brawndo_or_Water@reddit
For what it's worth, 13700K performs almost the same than the 14700K, and it's a better all-rounder than a 9800X3D if you do video editing and game, especially if you game in 2k or 4K. So if you can find a 13rd gen cheaper than the 14th gen, there's that. Don't forget to update to latest bios if you go that way, it does update the CPU too with latest micro-code. I've a 13900KS still going strong even though I switched my main workstation to 9950x3d.
Intrepid_Relation249@reddit (OP)
where i live, the 13700k is actually more expensive than the 14700k
QuaintAlex126@reddit
I’d stick with the 5070 Ti. With AM5, it’s easy for you to just upgrade your CPU later down the line.
Educational_Let_3260@reddit
It's a dead platform, but you can build a PC on 14th gen Intel and get 3+ good years out of it, no?
I mean, sure, no upgradeability, but it's Intel. In 3 years, it's a new socket anyway.
QuaintAlex126@reddit
In 3+ years, you’d have to upgrade to a completely CPU, motherboard, and likely RAM.
Why do all then when you can just slot in the latest AM5 chip at the time? AMD CPUs have aged incredibly well, with even the older 5700X3D and 5800X3D performing extremely well today. They’re about on par with a 7600X/9600X. That stigma will likely hold true with the 7800X3D and 9800X3D and whatever -X3D CPU that will come after them.
Educational_Let_3260@reddit
But at this point in time, it's kinda the same story for both sides. Don't see much happening with AM5 post-2027, so it's an entire upgrade anyway. Generally, yes, much better for the upgradeability with AMD, but I find this is just a very specific point in time where it's not that much of a difference between the two.
QuaintAlex126@reddit
A new AMD CPU would not cost you as much as an entirely new CPU, motherboard, and RAM. That’s why it’d be better in the long run for AM5. You can upgrade to a “new” CPU when its last generation is on discount and still get similar performance to current gen.
AMD has quite the good track record of supporting their last-gen products too. Early AM4 adopters have reaped the rewards by only needing to upgrade to a 5700X3D/5800X3D to get similar performance to entry/mid-level AM5 CPUs.
Instruction-Fuzzy@reddit
What's your budget?
PhotoProxima@reddit
"I'd say my biggest weakness is not reading posts that I'm commenting on. "
Gizzy619@reddit
Intel 265K is really good at its price point for productivity tasks and is solid at gaming. Can use the money saved towards other component upgrades if your primary use is productivity tasks.
gog_peep@reddit
This, not sure why it wasn't mentioned already as 1) a step up from 14700k and 2) being on intels newest socket so there's still an upgrade path. The Ultra processors just don't get as coverage
glizzygobbler247@reddit
"Mid-high tier"
Intrepid_Relation249@reddit (OP)
😭 cba don't know what it's called
beirch@reddit
Upper midrange.
balfan123@reddit
Ultra 7 265k seems like an obvious choice here
FrequentWay@reddit
Another idea is a 9700x - $310, 8 core cpu, a good balance on gaming and productivity.
Intrepid_Relation249@reddit (OP)
I think I'm leaning towards the 9900X, you think it's a good choice?
FrequentWay@reddit
Do you have the extra cash for a 9950x ?
Intrepid_Relation249@reddit (OP)
nah not really, where I live the difference between these is like $200.
FrequentWay@reddit
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/amd-drops-ryzen-9000-cpus-to-record-lows-ryzen-9-9950x-gets-usd215-off-ryzen-5-9600x-drops-to-usd165
9950x for $430.
Intrepid_Relation249@reddit (OP)
I don't live in the US
FrequentWay@reddit
My brother chose the 9900x, it helps on multiple threads but gaming performance acts like a 9600x.
nepnep1111@reddit
265K is basically the no brainer option here. Similar gaming perf to a 9700X as long as you aren't below ddr5-6400, and the alchemist igpu qsv will be a huge boost in premiere.
Farm_Happy_FL@reddit
I’ll give you a very unpopular answer, especially being surrounded by lots of AMD and PC folks. You can pick up a Mac Mini with M4 Pro (and possibly even the studio) at about the same price, and it run circles around all of the combinations being thrown out there, especially for music and video editing. This is my comparison to 14900kf + 5080 (which guzzles electricity like your grand grandmother’s 1972 Lincoln Continental and you’ll need second a/c unit to cool the room). The 7800x3d with a 5700 is laughable in comparison. There’s also a lot reason the big players want Logic and Final Cut.
Withinmyrange@reddit
9700x probably fits the bill of a mid-high tier cpu? It’s kinda arbitrary.
I’d consider the am5 x3d’s all high tier
omega44xt@reddit
Depends on prices in your market, honestly speaking.
R9 7900 is a good value in AM5 if 7950X is too expensive. If you are fine with a dead platform, Ultra 7 265K has received some nice price cuts in many regions (but beware of the cooling requirement).
illicITparameters@reddit
7700X/9700X would be your best bet.
Intrepid_Relation249@reddit (OP)
in my budget I think I could even squeeze in the 9900X? Is it the best out of all of them?
illicITparameters@reddit
Only worth it if your apps are multi-threaded. The 9900X only boosts 100mhz more than a 9700X; 5.6ghz vs 5.5ghz
Intrepid_Relation249@reddit (OP)
i just checked and yeah, seems like they are.
GuyNamedStevo@reddit
Just do the video editing and 3D modeling on your 5070 Ti and get a 7800X3D
Intrepid_Relation249@reddit (OP)
Doesn't CPU play a big role in video editing tho? I've heard it's the most crucial component, and ngl if I think I care a little bit more about the video editing performance than games.
GuyNamedStevo@reddit
Might as well get a 9900X/9950X. These cpus are so god damn fast in gaming an productivity, the 3D-cache might as well just for bragging rights.
Intrepid_Relation249@reddit (OP)
out of my budget tho (I'd have to downgrade the GPU). Maybe I could squeeze in the 9900X tho, but isn't the 14700k just better than 9900X? I'm just curious why no one recommends the 14700K.
GuyNamedStevo@reddit
That's double the power consumption for 10% more performance or something. For an editing rig that is supposed to render 10+ hours a day, that's a lot of coins to cough up just for electricity.
Intrepid_Relation249@reddit (OP)
Yeah I think I'm leaning towards the 9900X. Do you know what motherboard should I get for it? Does it matter much if I get the B or X ones or is it 650/670 or 850/870?
GuyNamedStevo@reddit
Some people said they have better experiences in terms of ram compatibility with the 800 series chipsets. Not sure what's true about that. Generally speaking, with a motherboard, you should look for features you need and choose a manufacturer you trust.
dabocx@reddit
How many hours of editing do you actually do? The difference isn’t going to be mind blowing and won’t add up unless it’s your full time job.
People vastly overestimate how much the performance will lead to savings
Intrepid_Relation249@reddit (OP)
I'd say like 4 hours at least pretty much everyday.
PLZ_DO_NOT_REDEEM@reddit
Try Intel
In your budget they have some solid CPU that are very workstation friendly and you can game on there just as well.
yamidevil@reddit
Maybe you should ask on a sub that does video editing or 3D motion for CPU recommendations? Mostly here are gamers after all
Intrepid_Relation249@reddit (OP)
I'm sure there are some people here that know a lot about that stuff, but yeah maybe you're right I might try that.
yamidevil@reddit
Ask there as well since ita a Big purchase. I'm personally getting a i5-14600kf for mostly gaming and some production (game dev), but i5 weren't as affected as higher end CPUs. What do you think about 12th gen's 12900k?
Intrepid_Relation249@reddit (OP)
Honestly I think I'd just rather get the 14700k, I don't really care about the instability issues, I personally think if I update the bios and make all the right changes right away when i get the PC I should be fine (especially cause I have the 5 year warranty). The performance is somewhat similar in games, but 14700k generally outperforms the 12900k in video editing and productivity stuff + the 12900k is a 4 year old chip.
yamidevil@reddit
You have a warranty which is great, invest in a good cooler then and monitor it's performance over time.
Check Intel's sub, i think people there discuss the issues in a megathread
Content-Fee-8856@reddit
USD or CAD?
Intrepid_Relation249@reddit (OP)
USD
Content-Fee-8856@reddit
9700x can be pushed pretty far, and it's no slouch in games especially with 6400mhz cl32 ram
Should You Buy a Ryzen 7 9700X or 7800X3D?
FrequentWay@reddit
I would go with a core ultra 2 but that too is going to be on a dead platform.
However if one is willing to wait Intel is coming out with a 52 core cpu soon in 2026.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Nova-Lake-Core-Ultra-400-tipped-to-offer-10-higher-single-thread-and-60-gains-in-multi-thread-will-be-the-first-desktop-part-to-feature-new-low-power-island-cores.1049692.0.html
Intrepid_Relation249@reddit (OP)
Yeah I've heard about it but I really cannot wait.
TheTorrentPirate@reddit
I’ve had a 14900k and switched to amd ryzen 7 98003xd and o don’t regret it. I was affected by the faulty batch twice.
Intrepid_Relation249@reddit (OP)
Are just gaming on it or you also do video editing or some other work?
joeri9@reddit
7800x3d
Intrepid_Relation249@reddit (OP)
I've heard it's really good in games, but I'm pretty sure the i7 outperforms it by a big chunk in video editing/productivity stuff. To be specific, I use After Effects and Premiere Pro.
dabocx@reddit
Your graphics card does a lot of the work on adobe products
joeri9@reddit
In that cause your best bet is to watch a comparison in your most used program and buy the best performing one in your price class
DocMechanix@reddit
Check the applications you'll use and if they support multiple cores. I'm out of my wheelhouse here but iirc premier for example is single core
Intrepid_Relation249@reddit (OP)
I use After Effects and Premiere Pro (mostly AE). I'm pretty sure most work in AE is single-core, don't know about Premiere tho. I'll check