April 30 Intel , which supports Comet Lake-S multi-core processors. The announcement of chips and logic sets took place, as they say, on paper - the start of sales itself was postponed until the end of the month. It turns out that Comet Lake-S will appear on the shelves of domestic stores at best in the second half of June. But at what cost? If you were planning to take a system of the maximum assembly level, then, I think, it makes sense not to wait for the reduction in prices for chips and motherboards for the LGA1200. But for everyone else there will be a reason to think carefully. I predict that Core i3 and Core i5 chips in initial assemblies are unlikely to appear before July or even August. Therefore, I still see no reason to abandon system units based on the LGA1151-v2 platform. Well, everyone will make the final decision himself, right? Nevertheless, considering this or that assembly now, one cannot but look at the new products - in some cases, Intel configurations will become much better for the same money. However, the 3DNews test lab will cover all the most interesting LGA1200 hardware in a timely manner and in detail.
The purchasing power of the population is falling, and in most regions a regime of self-isolation has been introduced. Not all computer stores are open, but some large network sites still sell online. This issue of "Computer of the Month" is supported by the online store Xcom-shop, which has branches in и . At the same time, the store delivers goods to all corners of the country, cooperating with Russian Post and transport companies.
«” is a partner of the rubric, so in the “Computer of the Month” we focus on products that are sold in this particular store. Any build shown in Computer of the Month is just a guideline. Links in the "Computer of the Month" lead to the corresponding categories of goods in the store. In addition, the tables show the current prices at the time of writing, rounded up to a multiple of 500 rubles. Naturally, during the "life cycle" of the material (one month from the date of publication), the cost of certain goods can either increase or decrease.
For beginners who still can’t decide on their own to “make” a PC for themselves, it turned out for assembling the system unit. It turns out that in» I tell you what to assemble a computer from, and in the manual - how to do it.
Starter Assembly
"Entrance ticket" to the world of modern PC games. The system will allow you to play all AAA projects in Full HD resolution, mainly at high graphics quality settings, but sometimes you will have to set medium ones. Such systems do not have a serious margin of safety (for the next 2-3 years), are replete with compromises, need to be upgraded, but also cost less than other configurations.
| Starter Assembly | |||
| Processor | 9 000 rub. | ||
| 6 500 rub. | |||
| Example: • Gigabyte GA-AB350M-DS3H V2 |
5 000 rub. | ||
| Motherboard | |||
| Example: • MSI H310M PRO-VDH PLUS |
4 500 rub. | ||
| RAM | 7 000 rub. | ||
| 6 500 rub. | |||
| Video card | 13 500 rub. | ||
| Drive | Example: • Kingston SA400S37/240G |
3 000 rub. | |
| CPU cooler | Comes with processor | 0 rubles. | |
| Chassis | 2 000 rub. | ||
| Power supply unit | 3 000 rub. | ||
| Total | AMD - 42 rubles. Intel - 39 rubles. |
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that when compiling the starting, basic and optimal assemblies, savings will come to the fore - savings with minimal (as far as possible) losses in performance and reliability. In many ways, the savings forced me to return the version with the Core i3-9100F processor to the starting assembly. As a result, for the second month in a row, systems with the same level of gaming performance have been offered. On the side of the AM4 platform: better performance in work applications, the possibility of a subsequent upgrade to at least the Ryzen 3000 series and higher functionality, which consists, for example, in the ability to use high-frequency memory and fast NVMe SSDs. On the side of the Intel platform is the money saved, which in such difficult times for us will definitely not be superfluous.
Allow me this time not to analyze in detail the choice of the main components of the starting assembly, because quite recently an article was published on our website “". It analyzes in detail the level of performance offered in this category of components. It is shown what will happen if you save on the processor, video card and RAM. I think you can learn a lot from this material, but in short the conclusion is this: if you want to play AAA titles using medium and high graphics quality settings, you will have to fork out what is indicated in the table above. Or you will have to take second-hand components.
There are quite a few leaks on the net that 4-core processors will be on sale in May - they will be based on the Zen 2 architecture, will receive 16 MB of third-level cache and support for SMT technology. It is logical to expect that the new products will occupy the niche of the current Ryzen chips of the first and second generations, because until now Zen 2 solutions have crossed in price mainly with the older 8-core Zen / Zen + models. All this hints that the old "stones" for the AM4 platform are living out their last days, although we do not have 100% insiders in this regard in the editorial office. In any case, it may very well be that the Ryzen 3 3100 will appear in the launch assembly soon, but, honestly, I'm not sure that it will be better than the same Ryzen 5 1600/2600 in games. On the one hand, the new 4-core Matisse will get a faster microarchitecture and higher clock speeds. On the other hand, we have repeatedly proved that modern games already require full-fledged 6 cores (see the special issue of "Computer of the Month"). In any case, our detailed review of the Ryzen 3 3100 and 3300X will put all the chips in their place.
As for the LGA1200 platform, I believe it may not appear at all in the launch assembly. Look, the 4-core Core i3-10100 has received support for Hyper-Threading, and when all cores are loaded, it runs at 4,1 GHz. Compared to the Core i3-9100F, the increase in performance turns out to be very impressive - there is no need to conduct testing here. Only now the recommended price of the Core i3-10100 is 122 US dollars (9 rubles at the time of writing) - expensive, as for me. At the same time, it is not known how much the entry-level motherboards for Comet Lake-S will cost. Already for $ 000 (157 rubles) it will be possible to take a 11-core Core i500-6F, which also supports Hyper-Threading and works when all threads are loaded at 5 GHz.
It's interesting, but most of the comments on the news about reduced to the banal: “May they not cost so much!” Well, we will know the real prices for the 10th generation Core chips soon, but let's compare the situation with, say, the Core i5-8400, which went on sale in October 2017 for $182 apiece in a batch of 1000 units. The dollar exchange rate then was approximately 57 rubles - therefore, on paper, the chip cost 10 rubles, taking into account slight rounding. Already The Core i5-8400 appeared in the optimal assembly at a real price of 16 rubles - this is the average figure taken on Yandex.Market. Then the price of the younger 000-core Intel at that time began to fall slightly, and in the period from December 6 to August 2017, it kept the mark of 2018-12 thousand rubles. Then we faced a shortage of Intel chips, and in the most difficult (for Intel) times, they asked for as much as 13,5 rubles for the Core i5-8400.
In all likelihood, at first, the Core i5-10400F will be unrealistic to buy even for 15 rubles, but, I believe, later this chip will cost exactly that much. It is also important to know how much boards with an LGA000 socket will cost. Still, a 1200-thread processor running at 12 GHz with all six cores loaded will require a motherboard with a high-quality power subsystem. In general, I will closely monitor the situation with prices and tell you everything.
Basic Assembly
With such a PC, you can safely play the next couple of years in all modern games in Full HD resolution at high and maximum graphics quality settings.
| Basic Assembly | |||
| Processor | 11 000 rub. | ||
| 13 000 rub. | |||
| Motherboard | Example: • Gigabyte GA-AB350M-DS3H V2 |
5 000 rub. | |
| Example: • MSI H310M PRO-VDH PLUS |
4 500 rub. | ||
| RAM | 7 000 rub. | ||
| 6 500 rub. | |||
| Video card | 19 000 rub. | ||
| Storage devices | Example: • Kingston SA400S37/240G |
3 000 rub. | |
| HDD of your choice | — | ||
| CPU cooler | 1 500 rub. | ||
| Chassis | 3 000 rub. | ||
| Power supply unit | 4 000 rub. | ||
| Total | AMD - 53 rubles. Intel - 54 rubles. |
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As I said, the older and mid-range Zen, Zen+ and Zen 2 processors overlap in price, and therefore AMD fans are inevitably divided into different groups. In May, for the "red" base build, I recommend the 6-core Ryzen 5 3500X. Installing it instead of the Ryzen 5 3600 saves us about 4 rubles, but at the same time, the lack of SMT technology leads to a drop in performance in various multi-threaded applications by 000-20%. In games, a 25-threader is on average 12% faster, although in some cases the difference in the minimum FPS reaches 5%. Keep in mind that are held with a very fast graphics - GeForce RTX 2080 Ti. If you install a GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER or Radeon RX 5500 XT into the system, then the assemblies will perform equally well.
Among readers, there are supporters of installing a Ryzen 5 2600X or even a Ryzen 7 1700 (both 11 rubles) in a similar system. In resource-intensive multi-threaded programs, the Ryzen 500 5X is generally inferior to them, but there is software in which the Zen 3500 architecture looks preferable - in Adobe products, for example. In games, a stand with a 2-core Matisse turns out to be consistently faster than both the Ryzen 6 5X, and even the Ryzen 2600 7X (2700 rubles).
As you can see, you have to puzzle over the chip for assembly. If you have the opportunity, then even in the basic configuration it is better to take the Ryzen 5 3600 - our review shows that it will definitely be better than all the listed processors. I think you will agree with me after reading the article "". If I didn’t have 15 rubles, then I would take the Ryzen 500 7, but with one condition: overclocking all cores to at least 1700 GHz. In this case, as part of the basic assembly, you will have to buy both a higher-quality board and a more efficient cooler - this is another 3,9-2 thousand on top. And this is interesting, because there is room for creativity and experimentation! Only here the absolute minimum of 3DNews readers is engaged in overclocking, and they hardly need such recommendations. Therefore, for the second month in a row, the Ryzen 3 5X has been used in AMD's base assembly.
I remind you that there is a possibility that a motherboard not based on the X570 chipset, bought now in a store, simply will not detect a new chip. You can update the BIOS version yourself, armed with a XNUMXst or XNUMXnd generation Ryzen processor, or ask for it at the warranty department of the store where the board was purchased. Make sure your board supports the new Ryzen processors before you buy! This is done simply: in the search, drive in the name of the device; go to the manufacturer's website and open the "support" tab.
Deciding on a processor for an Intel system turns out to be very simple - we take the cheapest 6-core Coffee Lake. At the same time, in games, the assembly with the Core i5-9400F will turn out to be no worse than the system with the Ryzen 5 3600, and very often even better, because the Skylake microarchitecture looks more interesting than Zen / Zen + / Zen 2 in such scenarios.
Looking closely at the LGA1200 platform, you should pay attention to the Core i5-10400F, which will become the cheapest 12-core Intel processor. For 14-15 thousand rubles - this will be an excellent analogue of the Ryzen 5 3600.
Prices for the GeForce GTX 1660, GTX 1660 SUPER, and GeForce GTX 1660 Ti have fluctuated wildly over the past month. In the Xcom-shop, inexpensive versions of the first two adapters cost about the same - 18-20 thousand rubles. Let me remind you that in the case of not very hot chips, which clearly include various modifications of the TU116, there is little point in chasing expensive models. You can see the proof of my words . Comparing the above models, that the GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER outperforms the "simple" GTX 1660 by 13%, but is inferior to the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti by 4%. Well, comparing the prices of accelerators, it turns out to be easy to decide on a suitable model.
An alternative to the GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the 8-gigabyte version of the Radeon RX 5500 XT, which can be taken for 18-20 thousand rubles, and when choosing a video card, it also makes no sense to chase expensive "crafts". AMD accelerator loses to competitor .
Nevertheless, very often the Radeon RX 5500 XT model, comparing its GeForce GTX 1660 (SUPER), is credited with the presence of additional memory as an advantage. I decided to check this moment on the example of the model . Testing showed that at Full HD resolution with graphics quality settings close to the maximum, five out of eleven AAA games consumed more than 6 GB of video memory. In some cases, this led to noticeable framerate drawdowns. As a result, the final choice between the Radeon RX 5500 XT and the GeForce GTX 1660 (SUPER) will depend solely on your ... position in life. Someone wants to get more FPS for the same amount right here and now. It doesn't matter if the GeForce GTX 1660 "deflates" in a couple of years, because the video card can always be replaced. And someone prefers to have at least some margin of safety. And here it is obvious that the Radeon RX 5500 XT in a couple of years will allow you to set higher graphics quality in new games.
Optimal Assembly
A system that, in most cases, is able to run this or that game at high and maximum graphics quality settings in WQHD resolution.
| Optimal Assembly | |||
| Processor | 15 000 rub. | ||
| 13 000 rub. | |||
| Motherboard | examples: • MSI B450M PRO-VDH MAX; • ASRock B450M Pro4-F |
6 000 rub. | |
| Example: • ASRock Z390M PRO4 |
9 000 rub. | ||
| RAM | 7 000 rub. | ||
| Video card | 31 000 rub. | ||
| Storage devices | Example: • ADATA ASX6000PNP-512GT-C |
7 000 rub. | |
| HDD of your choice | — | ||
| CPU cooler | 1 500 rub. | ||
| Chassis | 4 000 rub. | ||
| Power supply unit | 4 500 rub. | ||
| Total | AMD - 76 rubles. Intel - 77 rubles. |
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Yes, according to my idea, the optimal assembly should perform well not only in Full HD resolution, but also in WQHD. So here you can not do without a graphics card of the level of Radeon RX 5700 and higher. Such accelerators now cost a lot - prices for various modifications of Navi adapters range from 28 to 500 rubles. For comparison: for the GeForce RTX 37 SUPER they ask for 500-2060 thousand rubles - while the representative of the Navi generation turns out to be . Unlike the regular GeForce RTX 2060, the SUPER version uses a faster chip, and the additional 2GB of memory will allow you to try out the DXR function in modern games.
Recently, on our website, by the way, it came out . The funny thing is that in this game, when you turn on DXR, you won’t be able to comfortably play with the GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER - you need to use DLSS 2.0. True, it is worth considering that it is in Minecraft (as in Quake II RTX) that all lighting is calculated by ray tracing - the Path Tracing method. And this, as you understand, is a difficult task for the current generation of NVIDIA accelerators. Perhaps some readers naively believe that any new technology should immediately tear, as they say, right off the bat. However, we see that this is not the case in real life.
Cheaper than the Radeon RX 5700 and GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, the Radeon RX 5600 XT (24-500 rubles) and the GeForce RTX 32 (500-2060 rubles) will cost you. Buying them will make the assembly . The presence of only 6 GB of video memory on an NVIDIA card already specifically prevents you from comfortably playing with . I’m sure it’s not just that the GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER was equipped not only with a faster GPU, but with an additional 2 GB of VRAM.
That is why, in fact, in the optimal assembly, the emphasis is still on the Radeon RX 5700.
I decided to leave the Core i5-9400F in the optimal assembly - and yet the configuration has become faster, the system uses a board based on the Z390 chipset, we need it to install high-frequency RAM. that a system with DDR4-3200 memory is ahead of a stand with DDR4-2666 in some processor-dependent games by 10-15%. By itself, DDR4 memory will be relevant for at least another 2 years - therefore, a 16 GB kit can be used in another assembly. Will it be the AM4 platform and Ryzen 4000, LGA1200 or something else - it's not so important at this stage.
Does it make sense to take the Core i5-9500F, which costs 3 rubles more? prove that a system with a Core i5-9500F is faster than a stand with a Core i5-9400F in games by 10-20% - this is achieved thanks to a 300-MHz increase in frequency.
A similar situation will be observed between the Core i5-10600 and Core i5-10400F - the frequency of the older model is 400 MHz higher and is 4,4 GHz when all six cores are loaded. Personally, I consider such a difference to be significant among processors that do not have a free multiplier.
And with the release of the LGA1200 platform, it seems that you can finally say goodbye to the Core i7-8700(K) chips. Both processors - with and without an unlocked multiplier - run at 4,3 GHz when all six cores are loaded. In Xcom, a non-overclockable Core i7-8700 costs 27 rubles. However, the frequency of the Core i500-5 under the same conditions is 10600 MHz higher, and the price is 100 rubles (or so) less. This is evolution, spurred on by the competition we deserve.
When buying a build based on an outdated platform (we will not study the motivational part of this action), you should be aware that without serious financial investments you will not improve it in any way in the near future. Unfortunately, past-generation Intel chips don't drop as much in price as AMD processors. You will have to change both the board (platform) and the processor, since 8-core Coffee Lake, even at flea markets, will cost indecently a couple of years later. And don't say I didn't warn you.
It’s easy to decide on the processor for AMD assembly - we take the Ryzen 5 3600. I don’t see the point in taking the version with the letter X in the name: when all six cores are loaded, the older model runs at a frequency of 4,1-4,35 GHz, and the second one, without a letter X, - at a frequency of 4,0-4,2 GHz. At the same time, the younger model costs 1 rubles less.
advanced assembly
Configurations that in most cases can run a particular game at maximum graphics quality settings in WQHD resolution and at high graphics quality in Ultra HD (or you will need to manually select parameters such as anti-aliasing, shadows and textures).
| advanced assembly | |||
| Processor | 26 500 rub. | ||
| 28 000 rub. | |||
| Motherboard | examples: • Gigabyte B450 AORUS ELITE • ASUS TUF B450M-PRO GAMING |
9 000 rub. | |
| examples: • Gigabyte Z390 M GAMING; •MSI MAG Z390M MORTAR |
11 500 rub. | ||
| RAM | 7 000 rub. | ||
| Video card | 43 500 rub. | ||
| Storage devices | HDD of your choice | — | |
| Example: • ADATA XPG Gammix S11 Pro |
8 000 rub. | ||
| CPU cooler | 2 000 rub. | ||
| Chassis | 5 000 rub. | ||
| Power supply unit | 6 500 rub. | ||
| Total | AMD - 107 rubles. Intel - 111 rubles. |
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Wishing to acquire game a system unit for 100+ thousand rubles, in my opinion, it is already worth waiting for the Comet Lake-S chips to go on sale. I remind you that in Russia this will happen in June. If we assume that the cost of Intel's new products at the start of sales will be close to the recommended prices, then the Core i7-10700F model will definitely fit in the optimal assembly - this is the youngest 8-core in the Core 10th Gen series that supports Hyper-Threading. When all cores are loaded, it runs at 4,6 GHz. In fact, we are dealing with an analogue of the Core i9-9900F model. The letter F in the name of the device indicates that the processor does not have or is blocked by integrated Intel HD graphics.
It is already clear how the appearance of the Core i7-10700F will change the advanced assembly of Intel - for this, just open the article "» and compare Ryzen 7 3700X with Core i9. We see that in multi-threaded applications, the 8-core Intel is faster in 7 cases out of 12 - sometimes the difference between the CPUs is noticeable, sometimes it can be called symbolic. In games, using the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti graphics as the benchmark for a processor-dependent video card, the Core i9-9900K is consistently faster than the Ryzen 7 3700X, with an advantage of up to 14%.
Interestingly, the same review clearly shows that the Core i9-9900K and Core i7-9700K demonstrate very similar results in games - I have repeatedly noted that six cores are enough for modern AAA projects (so far). It turns out that in 2020 the Core i7-9700F and Core i7-10700F will also demonstrate similar performance in games. This fact, by the way, can be an incentive for those who do not intend to wait for Comet Lake-S on sale, but want to build a gaming PC right now.
Obviously, if we are talking about games, you can save money on the processor as part of an advanced assembly: for the AM4 platform, take the Ryzen 5 3600, and for the LGA1200, the Core i5-10600. The eight-cores in the advanced assembly - I emphasize this again - are taken, among other things, to perform resource-intensive tasks. Subsequently, the same Ryzen 7 3700X will be noticeably ahead of the Ryzen 5 3600 in most games, the era of 8-cores is not far off.
If the previous configuration recommended the Radeon RX 5700, then in the advanced assembly it is most logical to use the GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER - . And 10% faster than the Radeon RX 5700 XT.
GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is recommended, among other things, because of the support for hardware ray tracing. The designated accelerator is able to provide a comfortable FPS in Full HD and WQHD resolutions when the maximum DXR quality is turned on. If you do not have enough frame rate, then you can activate DLSS intelligent anti-aliasing - the second version of this technology, according to personal feelings, works much better.
In the Xcom-shop, the cost of the GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER varies from 43 to 000 rubles. The difference in performance between the advanced and the maximum assembly turns out to be very significant − . Therefore, some readers have a question: why not return an intermediate assembly with GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER graphics to Computer of the Month? Personally, I do not see the point in this, since the GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER turns out to be worse , but it costs at least 17 rubles less. Yes, when it comes to expensive hardware, a small increase in FPS comes with a big investment.
By the way, there is a review on our website equipped with a two-section unattended LSS. Testing showed that even during overclocking, the GPU temperature did not rise above 49 degrees Celsius. The INNO3D thing, of course, turned out to be outlandish, but suddenly someone will be interested.
Maximum Assembly
The system is relevant for modern games in Ultra HD resolution using the maximum graphics quality settings. We also recommend these systems for people who create content at a professional level.
| Extreme Build | |||
| Processor | 31 000 rub. | ||
| 42 000 rub. | |||
| Motherboard | Example: • ASUS ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING |
23 500 rub. | |
| Example: • GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS PRO WIFI |
17 500 rub. | ||
| RAM | 17 000 rub. | ||
| Video card | 96 000 rub. | ||
| Storage devices | HDD of your choice | — | |
| Example: • Samsung MZ-V7S1T0BW |
18 500 rub. | ||
| CPU cooler | 14 000 rub. | ||
| Chassis | 14 500 rub. | ||
| Power supply unit | 12 000 rub. | ||
| Total | AMD - 226 rubles. Intel - 231 rubles. |
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Intel's Ultimate Build is the first Computer of the Month category to feature the LGA1200 platform. Because if you have a quarter of a million rubles to buy a system unit, then what's the point of taking an officially outdated platform? Unless Intel once again delays the release of its products, the Core i9-10900K(F) will appear here in the June issue. Well, why pull something?
How the 10-core will prove itself in games, I can perfectly imagine - you should not wait for revelations at least until the release of the new NVIDIA flagship, which, according to rumors, will take place this year. Three things are most interesting to know: how much worse/better the Core i9-10900K will be than the Ryzen 9 3900X in workloads; how the Core i9-10900K will overclock (whether reducing the thickness of the crystal will help in this matter) and how to effectively cool it; Will the power converter of the Z490 motherboard cope with a very high load, because in the same LinX using AVX instructions, the processor's power consumption will certainly seriously go beyond 125 W - the Core i9-9900K consumes under 300 W during overclocking in such conditions. I am sure that the answers to all these questions will be in our detailed review.
In general, we will have something to discuss in the June issue. See you soon!
Useful materials
Below is a list of useful articles that will help you in choosing certain components, as well as when assembling a PC yourself:
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Source: 3dnews.ru