Help me decide between 9850X3D and 270K.
Posted by URealCybertron@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 25 comments
Hey everyone, I could use some CPU advice.
I mainly play strategy and RPG games (HOI4, witcher, civ, baldur's gate). Aside from gaming, I'll use the PC for clinical research (heavy statistical analysis and large datasets)
I'm just interested in longevity and performance, not so much of power consumption/price differences between these two.
I'm thinking on getting one of these microcenter bundles:
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D | Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus |
|---|---|---|
| MOBO | ASUS B850-E TUF Gaming WiFi AM5 | Gigabyte Z890 Eagle WiFi7 1851 |
| RAM | G.Skill Flare X5 Series 32GB DDR5-6000 CL36 | Crucial Pro 32GB DDR5-6400 CL32 |
I have a few concerns:
- I’m slightly worried the 9850X3D clock speeds might feel sluggish in productivity tasks 2-3 years from now. If I decide to swap to a newer AM5 CPU down the line, will finding high-quality DDR5 still be easy, or is the industry going to pivot to DDR6? If so, will that mean switching mobos like the intel case?
- Will the 270k bottleneck newer games in a couple of years compared to the X3D? I’m aware the Intel socket is a dead end so I'd like to use it \~4 years
- As a HOI4 player, which architecture actually handles that late-game engine lag better? Also, does Intel have any advantages in scientific/statistical computing applications (like specific math libraries) that I should factor in?
I have the option to upgrade from an RTX 5070 Ti to an RTX 5080 for a $100 premium. Will that be smart to do?
Thanks
Small-Car5381@reddit
I built today my new Intel ultra 270k + noctua NH-U12A + RTX 5070 Ti and I can’t be happier. It’s a silent beast. Quite and cool in such games as DCS and Arma reforged. Barely can hit 55C in games both CPU and GPU.
I would highly recommend Intel Ultra 270k
Ecstatic_Concern_389@reddit
can noctua NH-U12A hold 270k? I use Valkyrie DL125(260w capacity dual tower dual fan) with my 270k and under stress test the cpu temp easily goes to 95c and start throttling. I have to do -8mv and limit power to 220w to hold it.
FrequentWay@reddit
Theres at least 1 more generation of hardware on AM5 platform between that implementation on DDR6 for AM6. You can awlays upgrade then.
We dont know what future requirements are going to be ? Its like asking what do I need to run GTA6 when GTA6 specs haven't been released. Here's acouple to cherry pick : Crimson Desert, Cyberpunk Phantom Liberty, MSFS
Take a look at the system requirements for Crimson Desert:
Cyberpunk Phantom Liberty:
https://support.cdprojektred.com/en/cyberpunk/pc/sp-technical/issue/1556/cyberpunk-2077-system-requirements
Its all about the GPU rendering power more then the CPU being a highly demanded item.
MSFS 2024
https://www.chillblast.com/blog/microsoft-flight-simulator-2024-pc-specs-requirements
RSI's Star Citizen has an idea on what potential combination mix and performance can be obtained out of a system:
https://robertsspaceindustries.com/en/telemetry?_gl=1%2A1aim7d4%2A_ga%2AMTgxNjIwODY3Mi4xNzc3ODQ3OTMw%2A_ga_V6MWYXRQNP%2AczE3Nzc4NDc5MjkkbzEkZzAkdDE3Nzc4NDc5MjkkajYwJGwwJGgw
The 5080 will be instrumental on games that demand it, but things like Hearts of Iron 4 will not, but stuff like Witcher 3 or 4 will.
URealCybertron@reddit (OP)
Yeah, my most played game is witcher 3, and I'm planning on sinking even more time to W4.
As for the CPU, the difference between chips in multithreaded benchmarks on productivity tasks are bugging me the most. I don't have that strong of a grip how to translate the usual results to my workfield, and I'm worried that the x3d might be considerably slower on larger datasets.
lichtspieler@reddit
"Productivity" recommendations with CPU reviews are sometimes a bit missleading.
Your own workload does have to support AND scale with a high core count CPU or you get NOTHING from a high core count CPU.
Are there benchmarks to a specific tool you use that you could check?
Photoshop for example scores higher in PUGET with a 9800x3D compared to a 9950x.
Excel, Python scrips or basic SQL setups wont just scale magically with a high core count CPU.
With desktop workloads it is rather rare to see a workload that scales well with high core count CPUs AND does not require ECC RAM (Threadripper Platform instead of RYZEN).
greggm2000@reddit
Choose the AMD option. Zen 6, due out in less than a year, is widely expected to have 50% more cores, much higher IPC, higher clocks, a new/better memory controller, a NPU, and perhaps other features as well. Zen 7, which may be on AM5 as well, will presumably see another jump in performance, plus another jump in cores.
x3d cache isn’t going to slow things down, may even speed things up, depending on the nature of the tasks.
FrequentWay@reddit
If you cannot make up your mind and money isn't an issue I would just sink $$$ in to get the best gaming and productivity work done possible.
-PlatinumSun@reddit
Then yah get the 5080, I have little faith in UE5 running well.
MentalStatusCode410@reddit
I would do a 9950X (non x3d) over 9800x3d.
Wander715@reddit
If I was building a new PC right now I would probably go for a 270K tbh. My current rig has a 9800X3D but 270K is way better value unless you're really trying to push high framerates in CPU bottlenecked games.
My current system has a 5080 which I use at 4K 144Hz. I don't think I would even notice a difference in gaming swapping out the 9800X3D for a 270K tbh.
mdnightman94@reddit
\^\^this
the x3d is only worth it if really trying to push frame rates and at 1080p or 1440p. 4k majority of games will be within a few percentage of eachother most of the time.
go with 9700x and could always upgrade to a x3d or the next gen zen6 cpu if needed a few years from now
also if you can get a 5080 for only $100 more than the 5070ti i would
emp3rorpenguin1@reddit
the x3d does really well in simulation heavy games - games that does a lot of calculations - which the OP specifically plays a lot of. The X3D is the better choice here
PutridFlatulence@reddit
I don't know what to do either what I really want is more than 32 GB of RAM like 48 or 64 but micro center and the price of memory probably will not make that likely in my case but I play rust on 4K Maxx settings and I'm not happy with the performance with my 13,600K Wait for Nova leg get the AMD part or get that Intel bundle at micro center for $600 decisions decisions
Smarmy82@reddit
Longevity = AM5
-PlatinumSun@reddit
Hoi4 is not well multithreaded. For only 100 more dollars, is that below MSRP or is the 5070ti above the going price? I mean if you are willing id say go for it but they are both 16GB cards of the same architecture, you wont be seeing more than a 20% uplift at most unless you heart is set on high setting RT. However in the sense that its easier to resell that 5080 as it keeps value slightly better.
Frankly I would get a 9800x3d not the 9850x3d. As for RAM Zen6 is not ussing DDR6. Their might be some 2000 dollar rediculous motherboards with CAMM or another parallel chip ram design if the companies go through the effort of making them as protypes for them have been shown off the last 3 years now.
If productivity is your ultimate goal then you can get a 9950x3d and have 8 cores for gaming and 16 cores for productivity. Regardless you can will be able to upgrade to zen 6 in 2030 when its cheap and be a very very happy camper.
Go with AMD.
roklpolgl@reddit
The difference between a 9800x3D and 9850x3D is anywhere from $20-40.
It’s just a binned 9800x3D but for $20-40 it’s worth it. If you don’t care about the marginal clockspeed performance increase, you can set max clocks on a 9850x3D the same as a 9800x3D and will be notably lower voltage, power, and heat. You don’t have to use the +200 PBO on a 9850x3D and lose efficiency.
URealCybertron@reddit (OP)
5070ti is above MSRP and I found a deal on the 5080!
The price hike to get the 9950 is a bit much for me. I figured updating the cpu as we get newer chips would be a smarter longevity strategy. Thanks !
HEBushido@reddit
I'm very happy with the performance of my 5080.
That_Lad_Chad@reddit
Considering the 5800x3D is still keeping up with even a 5090, only some bottlenecks, you should be good lmao.
Both are solid CPUs but given the history, I would lean more into the 9850x3D.
chsn2000@reddit
What is the price difference? The 9950X3D is the better chip. It's just that the 270K+ is half the price which makes it so competitive.
The RAM sticks in the bundle is absolutely fine. Unless you need more capacity, don't worry about carrying it to Zen 6 or potentially 7. DDR6 is at the very least 2-3 years away. More likely is CUDIMM becoming a thing, but the perfromance benefits won't be major and who knows what pricing will be like until the AI bubble corrects.
CPU bottlenecks will depend entirely on what games you're playing, settings, GPU, and monitor. For strategy games specifically you can see simulation time reductions but that's different to a bottleneck. Either chip is top of the line and will be fine for 4 years.
URealCybertron@reddit (OP)
Thanks!
9950X3D is too expensive but I'll go ahead and buy the 9850
chsn2000@reddit
Oh my bad I missed that. Need coffee...
The 9850X3D is just a 9800X3D with a higher TDP but the 270K+ will destroy it in productivity tasks. It is about 20-25% slower in CPU limited scenarios, but usually unless you're targeting 200+ FPS (eg. for competitive shooters on low settings) its not a difference that will come into play often. I'd lean Intel as despite the platform downsides, unless you're planning to upgrade again in the next few years (and you probably won't need to) the motherboard isn't necessarily something to worry about.
oXiAdi@reddit
Playing 2k-4k, won't be any difference with 270k, 98x3d 99x3d, but in productivity and maybe 1% lows fps, intel is the better option, shame is a dead platform now, but it won't be any bottleneck in the next 3+ years. I enjoy my 285k since release, very strong.
damien24101982@reddit
X3d
Marshal_05@reddit
I would say the i7, it has a 2.15x faster CPU speed, 1600 MHz higher RAM speed and 24 threads more than the Ryzen