Random Hardware topics

[Kaamos_Llama]

I've decided to get an Intel CPU. Using various benchmark services, there just wasn't an AMD that clearly beat the Intel CPU, and usually they used almost twice as much power and were much more expensive. AMD has become fashionable beyond what they deserve.

Interested to see your sources on that one, are you talking about enterprise models?

 

[neogunhero]

I've never had a driver problem with Nvidia, but whenever there are odd bugs and performance problems that people are talking about on Steam, it's almost always the case that they are using AMD.

I feel this is more of an issue with newer GPU's when they first hit the market. I remember having black screen issues with my RTX 2060 when it was brand new, but driver updates fixed that and haven't had any issues relating to drivers since.

I've decided to get an Intel CPU. Using various benchmark services, there just wasn't an AMD that clearly beat the Intel CPU, and usually they used almost twice as much power and were much more expensive. AMD has become fashionable beyond what they deserve.

Agree with Kaamos on this one. Just from my general knowledge, I always believed Intel to run hotter, use more power and cost more on the MSRP. From the things I've seen, AMD can match and sometimes outperform Intel chips, but specifically in gaming. When it comes to AI or productivity, I'm unsure which is the best.

 

[Colif]

Gaming its not even close

When it comes to AI or productivity, I'm unsure which is the best.

Productivity depends on the applications tested, and how new the tests are to which CPU are included, the 9950x3d changed a few things. If its a graphical application, its likely AMD, but other things tend to go Intel.
I can't find as much on AI

Just from my general knowledge, I always believed Intel to run hotter, use more power and cost more on the MSRP.

Up until recently, before Intel CPU all run up to 6ghz, Intel CPU were cooler than AMD.

My 4690k hit 16c at idle one night... the lowest I seen my AMD CPU is about 19c one night when it was really cold and I had just started PC. Admittedly they have all had more cores than my I5 did.

I know recently AMD CPU have used less power, a by product of not running at 6ghz
I agree with the price thing, It is main reason I looked at them over Intel... that and game performance.

AMD vs Intel in 2025: Gaming, Performance & Pricing Compared

AMD vs Intel in 2025 — which CPU is right for you? We break down gaming benchmarks, performance, pros and cons, and UK pricing to help you decide.

system.plus

one of their reasons to buy Intel is if you need an igpu, all of the 7000 and 9000 series have an igpu.

it also depends on if he talking desktop or laptops. I mostly ignore laptops so I wouldn't know there.

 

[Zed Clampet]

Interested to see your sources on that one, are you talking about enterprise models?

Ryzen 7 - 9800x3d versus Intel core i7-14700f​

I went into this wanting to buy the 9800x3D. I told @Colif as much just recently, but money plays a factor, as does power usage, which is almost double in the AMD CPU, and I was going to have to get a 1000 watt psu instead of an 850.

But when I went to benchmarking sites, there was little performance difference. In fact, the PassMark was better for the Intel CPU, and when I checked various games, they listed a slight advantage for the Intel chip. Overall, including the single core advantage of the AMD, there just wasn't much difference except for the money and power usage.

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/6344vs5834/AMD-Ryzen-7-9800X3D-vs-Intel-Core-i7-14700F (passmark)

Ryzen 7 9800X3D vs i7-14700F [1-Benchmark Showdown]

Comparing Intel Core i7-14700F with AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D: technical specs, games and benchmarks.

technical.city

There were a couple more sites, but it was just the same stuff. I'm sure that the single core performance of the 9800x3D is an advantage in some cases.

I looked at 3 more AMD chips, and almost decided to splurge and get the 9900x3D, and maybe some day I will. The other two chips were decidedly a worse deal than the 14700f.

Lastly I realize that 13th and 14th gen Intel chips have had some serious problems, but Intel claims the lower wattage of the F fixed the problem

 

[Zed Clampet]

I feel this is more of an issue with newer GPU's when they first hit the market. I remember having black screen issues with my RTX 2060 when it was brand new, but driver updates fixed that and haven't had any issues relating to drivers since.

No, this is a persistent problem

Agree with Kaamos on this one. Just from my general knowledge, I always believed Intel to run hotter, use more power and cost more on the MSRP. From the things I've seen, AMD can match and sometimes outperform Intel chips, but specifically in gaming. When it comes to AI or productivity, I'm unsure which is the best.

Um, you're a bit confused. No big deal. I'm always confused. However, with 100 percent certainty, I can tell you that AMD has always been known to use more power. It also had a reputation for running hotter, but that was just because it took more to cool them due to the power usage. AMD has always had to brute force both their CPUs and their GPUs to try to keep up with their competition, though they've clearly fallen well behind Nvidia now. And in this one particular case, they cost quite a bit more. See my post before this one for the info on what I was looking at.

 

[Zed Clampet]

It's a rough life being on a board with AMD superfans

God as my witness, if it weren't for AI, which I do more than gaming, I'd have gotten an AMD GPU. And if the price/power had been comparable, I'd have gotten an AMD CPU.

@Colif @Kaamos_Llama my original post sounded terrible, so I deleted the last half. I thought I was being funny (I always think I'm being funny), but when I just now read it, it wasn't at all funny, just obnoxious. Sorry about that. I'm going to stop trying to be funny in that way. I'm terrible at humorous, over-the-top outrage. No one gets it but me. Well, @neogunhero seems to have gotten it, but that's a rarity.

 

[neogunhero]

No, this is a persistent problem

I take that back. I downloaded the latest driver last night and MSI Afterburner shows 0c in GPU temps. Frosty!

Um, you're a bit confused. No big deal. I'm always confused. However, with 100 percent certainty, I can tell you that AMD has always been known to use more power. It also had a reputation for running hotter, but that was just because it took more to cool them due to the power usage. AMD has always had to brute force both their CPUs and their GPUs to try to keep up with their competition, though they've clearly fallen well behind Nvidia now.

Perhaps I was swayed by AMD fanboys. For mid-range/budget gaming, I have found better deals on AMD chips, and besides the fact my mobo is AM4, I've never owned an Intel CPU so truly I can't tell you which is better because I have no experience. However, I've always known them to be slacking in the GPU department. I had an AMD card over 10 years ago and all I could remember is thinking how much better Nvidia’s software was. The RX 9070 XTBseems to be a great deal if it could ever stay at MSRP but even that card is a bit behind its main competition, the RTX 5070 Ti. I think the only reason to buy a new AMD card is if you can find a better deal on that than Nvidia cards, but besides pure performance, you miss out on a lot of features that are exclusive to Nvidia and are actually useful.

 

[Colif]

Ryzen 7 - 9800x3d versus Intel core i7-14700f

if power consumption is a concern, then yes, that CPU has a lower base power usage (almost half) but that is one of the few areas it does beat it

I am less concerned about that as 90% of the time most of my cores will be mostly asleep while I am at idle. Like they are now, only 3 over 500mhz

You can run the 9800x3d in eco mode which reduces its power usage down to either 105 or 65watts.
Its mostly noticeable in non gaming situations if the tests here are to be believed

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Desktop Processor Review

What we have here for review is the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. This is a top of the line Ryzen 9000 series desktop processor from AMD, featuring a 4.7 GHz base and 5.2

www.techporn.ph

as does power usage, which is almost double in the AMD CPU, and I was going to have to get a 1000 watt psu instead of an 850.

something doesn't add up then, as if that were case, you would think the estimated wattage of my next system would be higher than it is:

If anything, I could get away with an 850 but I like that PSU, and who knows what future brings. GPU seem to want more each generation, they are the things more likely to push PSU wattage.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Theres also the fact that TDP is a made up number not related exactly to power consumption. The 14900K has a listed TDP of 125W and will use close to 300 Watts in something like Blender.

 

[Colif]

i removed tdp from my post, I see you saw it before my edit (look in history, I sometimes miss revert).


Both will boost to max speed if given chance, and the f is 200mhz faster at max. which suddenly changes the ball game

I7 9800x3d
Default tdp
120watts

https://www.amd.com/en/products/processors/desktops/ryzen/9000-series/amd-ryzen-7-9800x3d.html

Vs

Intel 14700f
Processor Base Power
65 W
Maximum Turbo Power
219 W

Intel® Core™ i7 processor 14700F (33M Cache, up to 5.40 GHz) - Product Specifications | Intel

Intel® Core™ i7 processor 14700F (33M Cache, up to 5.40 GHz) quick reference with specifications, features, and technologies.

www.intel.com

Who wins exactly?

TDP on AMD is just the total power the CPU can draw at defaults. Its not the amount it uses at idle, the usage varies depending on processes being run. Ryzen only wakes a processor to run a process, and then once its run, rushes to idle again to reduce power usage.

Techpowerup shows it can be as little as 23watts at idle

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Review - The Best Gaming Processor

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D establishes AMD as the leader in gaming performance. This Zen 5-based X3D chip is not only fast, it also comes with full support for overclocking. Besides gaming, application performance is considerably improved over the 7800X3D, but that comes at a price.

www.techpowerup.com

If anything, you would want a 1000watt PSU on the Intel system before you need it on AMD.

I blame all the websites you referenced just looking at stats and not having a column for two intel scores. They all jumped at the low one.

 

[Zed Clampet]

i removed tdp from my post, I see you saw it before my edit (look in history, I sometimes miss revert).


Both will boost to max speed if given chance, and the f is 200mhz faster at max. which suddenly changes the ball game

I7 9800x3d
Default tdp
120watts

https://www.amd.com/en/products/processors/desktops/ryzen/9000-series/amd-ryzen-7-9800x3d.html

Vs

Intel 14700f
Processor Base Power
65 W
Maximum Turbo Power
219 W

Intel® Core™ i7 processor 14700F (33M Cache, up to 5.40 GHz) - Product Specifications | Intel

Intel® Core™ i7 processor 14700F (33M Cache, up to 5.40 GHz) quick reference with specifications, features, and technologies.

www.intel.com

Who wins exactly?

The f wins. For one thing, if you wouldn't ignore it, I listed cost right there at the beginning, as it's my primary concern. I only allotted myself so much for this, which is the amount of the CD that I created 18 months ago and the interest it accrued (which I mentioned here at the time). On Amazon, which gives me a 5 percent discount so I bought everything there, the F was $155 cheaper. Who wins exactly?

But furthermore you are incorrect on which is most power efficient. How did you decide that the 9800x3D doesn't have an increase in power during heavy usage? That's nonsense. Instead of the 120 above, it should be 162, and the 120 is as low as it gets. Given that the computer will rarely be under heavy load, I'd say that the 14700f uses less power over the course of a year, and every single tech spec site says the same thing.

As to why it recommended a 1000 watt PSU to me, I believe that when I wrote this up, that I was incorrectly remembering what it said, and I was actually remembering when I was goofing around and put the 9900x3D in. I put in a bunch of AMD CPUs, so it's not strange that I misremembered, but sorry for the confusion.

I asked CoPilot this question about annual power usage, and it gave me the exact same answer as PassMark and everyone else. it said this:
______
The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D would consume more power overall compared to the Intel Core i7-14700F in a desktop PC that is never turned off.

• Estimated yearly power consumption for the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is 87.6 kWh, whereas the Intel i7-14700F consumes 47.5 kWh.
• This translates to an estimated annual running cost of $21.90 for the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, compared to $11.86 for the Intel i7-14700F.

So, if power efficiency is a priority, the Intel i7-14700F would be the better choice. But if performance is your main concern, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D might be worth the extra power draw. What’s your main priority—efficiency or raw performance
________
Notice that I included that last paragraph? If you had found similar information in favor of Intel, I doubt you would have included it. But I also mentioned, previously, that the single core advantage of the 9800X3D would win out. But even in this paragraph, as all the tech sites confirmed, the 14700f is more efficient, which since the performance of the two is similar, makes it a better buy.

 

[Colif]

Half my PC have been Intel, Its not like I want them to fail. I am just choosing the side that makes the most sense to me now.

Do what you want, I don't really care. If you think a CPU that can boost to 219 beats one that can at most use 154 is better, go for it.

 

[logainofhades]

12700k user here, but if building a new rig today, it would be a 9800x3d. Gaming performance is all I care about. Changes in the weather will impact my power bill more than which CPU I leave run 24/7.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Looks to me like the 14700k and the Ryzen 9700X perform about the same but the 14700F (which probably performs slightly worse being downclocked and having lower power use) costs slightly less (20 bucks) than the Ryzen 9700X. For gaming the 7800X3D and 9800X3D are significantly faster when benchmarked but both cost more. Not that you'd see much difference in a Pepsi challenge, especially if youre running 1440p or up and not using a 5090.

There arent any good reviews of the 14700F unfortunately. But generally I dont think comparison sites are a good way of comparing hardware in the real world, and any LLM is just going to draw from those.

Either way, Intel or AMD mid range and up will all work fine for gaming or whatever, its always a matter of whats best for the money and for the last few years thats been Ryzen more often than Intel. Theres been some exceptions like the XX600K chips which have been priced pretty well and not used crazy amounts of power like their higher end efforts in the last couple gens.

 

[Colif]

In about two weeks I will actually have the money needed to buy my next PC.

https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/GyyNDj

Its felt like forever away for ages but now I just have to wait a short time.

When I build next PC depends when I get parts as ram might take a while, and then when the next unit of my course ends, as I don't want to have any conflicts. PC can wait a week if need be.

Current PC is so quiet I only know its working from the RGB. Weather cooling down means its more often below 50c now

 

[Zed Clampet]

Waiting on my GPU to arrive. Apparently FedEx has a new "Story mode" that takes forever.

One nice thing about using the desktop how I will have it set up is that I'll be able to use more of the lap desk than I can when I use a laptop because I don't have to worry about heat venting onto everything.

 

[Colif]

I wish I hadn't just noticed I can get 9950x3d again.

8 more cores or 2 more tb, that is basically the question I guess. Which would I use more... probably storage long term. The storage option is cheaper as well. Could be easier to keep 9800x3d cooler as well.

Will I go mad when I am actually buying the parts, that is the question. I can't really afford both

 

[neogunhero]

I wish I hadn't just noticed I can get 9950x3d again.

8 more cores or 2 more tb, that is basically the question I guess. Which would I use more... probably storage long term. The storage option is cheaper as well. Could be easier to keep 9800x3d cooler as well.

Will I go mad when I am actually buying the parts, that is the question. I can't really afford both

If you look at it from a "how easy would it be to upgrade" viewpoint, I'd go with the better CPU. You can always add more storage later a lot easier than changing the CPU. Realistically though, you may not feel a massive world of difference between the two processors, but you will immediately know you have more storage and can install more games if you went with the storage.

 

[Colif]

Stop giving me ideas

I am looking more long term, I can replace the CPU with a next gen one where the core count of the CCD is increased to 12 instead of the 8 it currently is. From what I understand they use the same motherboards still. So its likely the Ryzen 7 of that generation will have 12 cores/24 threads and the Ryzen 9's will have 24 cores/48 threads. Unless they put small cores in to mix things up.

Pretty sure I just stick to 9800x3d, the 9950x3d is better is areas I mostly don't use anyway. It was more an attraction to a shiny than an actual need.

This PC the only one I ever swapped CPU on, so I see how it goes. I am starting from a position of strength so might not need to,

Half the 9950x3d is turned off in games, it doesn't make them any better really.

Most of my games don't use lots of space, but I am sure I will find a use for it.

 

[Zed Clampet]

I'm done putting my PC together. I don't know if it works yet. There's no power where I put it together, and now I have to try to move it with my broken back, so it's going to sit there for awhile. Then I have to install Windows and do the other stuff. Honestly, even though I'm mostly done with it, the Thermaltake would have been easier on me.

Now my wife bounced into the room and said she wants me to build her a PC. I asked her why, and she said she wanted to stop using her laptop for work unless she's traveling, and she wants to do video editing. She used the video editing as an excuse before, and I bought her a gaming laptop, and she never did any video editing. None. Now I have to decide whether she's serious this time or whether I should just get her a decent business set-up, I told her they were two different things, and she just repeated she wanted to do video editing, so I guess the safest thing is just to get her a decent one. I'm not sure the GPU has a lot to do with video editing, to be honest. I guess I need to research it.

Edit: I've already decided. I'm just going to get her a good CPU and see how that goes first. I'll get @Colif 's 9950x3D. If she ends up needing a GPU, I'm going to switch computers with her. There's no way she's going to have a better gaming PC than I have.

 

[neogunhero]

I'm done putting my PC together. I don't know if it works yet. There's no power where I put it together, and now I have to try to move it with my broken back, so it's going to sit there for awhile.

Ask your wife to move it for you and plug it in, that's the tax for building her a PC.

 

[Zed Clampet]

This was such a stupid idea. God, if I could only refund this and get a 4090 laptop, I would do it in a heartbeat. Never again.

 

[Colif]

i wouldn't get her a 9950x3d if you don't want her to have a better PC than you.

Mums PC seems to have died. It won't start, no sign of life holding power in. Turned power board on/off, no change. I checked cables behind PC but I knew they be normal. PSU probably died... not worth replacing it really. I had noticed the PC was noisier a few days ago. I did think it was odd but didn't care enough.

Not sure what PSU it would even use. Its not a standard case size, A4 paper for scale

Probably need one from Dell. I am not going to waste my time looking. PC wants to die, I think I will let it.

I tried not to use it, it annoyed me so really not that upset its dead. I have been wishing it would for a while, but only as it was so bloody slow. I didn't want it to die before I replaced it though.

We can put its hdd in my PC if she wants anything off it. Not sure what is on it?

She asked if she needed a new PC, I said no... just wait until I give you mine. Buying one now would make one of them redundant. This just gives me one more reason to buy my new PC soon.

just get brother to set up apps on her tablet for the time she is without. Only thing I don't think will work is the printer, probably use tablet for most of it.

Wow, one of the shops that had the 9950x3d yesterday is out of stock again. I wonder if its scalpers. Its sure a fast sell out. Guess that makes my decision easier as to which of the two builds I probably pick. Maybe. I decide on day I buy CPU.

Edit: brother got her PC to start so I copied all her pictures and documents off, just in case it doesn't start next time. We could just leave it on now. Need to contact one person and tell her to use another account to contact mum as we don't know what the password is on it.

 

[Colif]

Just ordered my ram, so one step closer. I had to order it early as only one store has it listed on PC Partpicker and they need 10 to 14 days to ship it, so I have to assume it comes from OS
CL28, nice and fast.
Sure, could have had black memory sticks but why?

F5-6000J2836G32GX2-RM5NRW - Overview - G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd.

Ripjaws M5 Neo RGB is a performance DDR5 DRAM memory series designed for AMD AM5 platforms. Featuring matte black or matte white aluminum heatspreaders and customizable RGB lighting, the Ripjaws M5 Neo RGB is the ideal memory kit for a wide variety of PC builds and themes.

www.gskill.com

 

[Zed Clampet]

i wouldn't get her a 9950x3d if you don't want her to have a better PC than you.

Mums PC seems to have died. It won't start, no sign of life holding power in. Turned power board on/off, no change. I checked cables behind PC but I knew they be normal. PSU probably died... not worth replacing it really. I had noticed the PC was noisier a few days ago. I did think it was odd but didn't care enough.

Not sure what PSU it would even use. Its not a standard case size, A4 paper for scale

Probably need one from Dell. I am not going to waste my time looking. PC wants to die, I think I will let it.

I tried not to use it, it annoyed me so really not that upset its dead. I have been wishing it would for a while, but only as it was so bloody slow. I didn't want it to die before I replaced it though.

We can put its hdd in my PC if she wants anything off it. Not sure what is on it?

She asked if she needed a new PC, I said no... just wait until I give you mine. Buying one now would make one of them redundant. This just gives me one more reason to buy my new PC soon.

just get brother to set up apps on her tablet for the time she is without. Only thing I don't think will work is the printer, probably use tablet for most of it.

Wow, one of the shops that had the 9950x3d yesterday is out of stock again. I wonder if its scalpers. Its sure a fast sell out. Guess that makes my decision easier as to which of the two builds I probably pick. Maybe. I decide on day I buy CPU.

Edit: brother got her PC to start so I copied all her pictures and documents off, just in case it doesn't start next time. We could just leave it on now. Need to contact one person and tell her to use another account to contact mum as we don't know what the password is on it.

I said I was going to switch with her if I ended up putting a good GPU in it. Just having a good CPU is not enough to be better than my computer. Also, the CPU isn't going to make that much difference for my usage.

I'm not as frustrated this morning. The problem I'm having isn't the computer itself. That's fine. The problem is with setting up everything the way I want it so that I can use a desktop on my recliner. I keep having to buy new things, mainly cables and USB ports. But I have a longer mini-HDMI to HDMI coming in this morning, and with any luck that's the last of it. I've spent another $300 after finishing putting the PC together