Hello
Can anyone help in deciding between these two builds from TechFast? Looking for a entry level gaming system for my son.
Intel Core i3 9100F, Motherboard: H310M
VS
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G, Motherboard: A320M
Both have AMD Radeon RX 570 4GB, 8GB RAM, SSD and 550w psu
Thank you in advance
He doesn't have much so keeping costs as low as possible. I don't expect to be upgrading anytime soon.
In either cases you will be GPU bound, the RX 570 is just a mid-ranger graphics card and will pair nicely with a 3ghz+ modern quad core processor.
Basically the Core i3 / Ryzen 3 2200G are both good options. The only big difference is the upgrade path. You have a lot more options with AM4 in terms of CPU choices.
At this stage he is set to play Roblox (yes, he is still very young). The only reason I ask between the two is that I googled the processor and the i3 seemed better. The price difference between the two BEFORE discount is $100 more expensive for the i3. This led me to believe the i3 was better, HOWEVER after discount, the two systems are identical in price, hence my question. Ie, is the i3 bad for them to give it such a better disocunt.
@cieza: Prices of computer parts fluctuate all the time depending on supply and demand. At the moment, AMD is in higher demand mainly because system builders like the upgrade path that AMD offers. Intel's current socket is decidedly 'dead-end' meaning that their upcoming CPU's don't work on current boards.
That could be why they are offloading Core i3's, it might be slower moving stock for them. That's just my conjecture only, no basis or anything.
That said, you are correct that the Core i3 is slightly better in terms of performance when it comes to gaming (note: a single digit difference), and it's also slightly less impacted by the use of slower DDR4 memory.
Ryzen processors like faster memory and suffer a performance penalty if you use lower speed RAM with it (from my experience, a variance of up to 10% can be observed). That's part of the reason why it's hard to say which desktop is better, because not only are they two different platforms, their actual performance is going to be impacted by the way they are configured.
@cieza: Since its "only roblox" why don't you ditch the RX 570 from the build, and upgrade the motherboard to B450 variant. The Ryzen 2200G already includes an "integrated GPU" based on Vega 8, which is enough for those e-sports titles.
I could see you wanting more oomph in the future, in which case, you simply switch out the CPU and throw in a dedicated GPU. This will potentially save you money in the future, you don't get the same option with the Intel build.
For potential Used GPU's in the future to consider:
RX 470, RX 570, RX 480/580
GTX 970, GTX 980
GTX 1060, GTX 1660, GTX 1660 Ti, RTX 2060
GTX 980 Ti, GTX 1070, GTX 1070 Ti, GTX 1080
For potential CPU's for in the future:
r5-3600, r7-3700, r9-3900x
r5-4600, r7-4700, r9-4900x
…also in future, you could add another 8GB's of RAM to have more headroom
What are the prices of those 2 builds? Something like this deal (unfortunately expired) has a far better processor.
That price is already past the budget. Only comparing the specs I have provided.
9100F is better. https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/Intel-i3-9100F-vs-AMD-R…
Games, negligible difference.
Whatever the budget, I suggest upgrading the PSU from whatever cheap unit they provide to a name-brand 80+ gold unit.
What system does he currently play on? I just ask because I saw that Roblox is very cross-platform, so an Xbox or a tablet or laptop might also work well.
There are definitely benefits to desktops, but I have always found a desktop habit really ties me to one specific corner of the house which might be away from the rest of the family, and makes me feel a bit disconnected from everything else. You might want him to be able to play in the living room or wherever is nearby, rather than removing himself from everything else.
The system requirements for this game seem to be incredibly low, so whichever system you choose should play it comfortably.
What budget do you have for the PC? Might be able to snag a secondhand PC with better specs.
Have you thought about building a PC rather than getting a pre-built PC?
I'd stick with AMD 2200G personally as there will be an opportunity to upgrade as people switching to newer processors and selling their older model. Even used CPUs e.g. 2nd generation ryzen would be fine.
Those two builds are neither here nor there. the intel build overall is better because it clocks higher thats about it.
If you are looking to save money:
-Build your own build (with a similar spec)
-Get the R3 2200G and forgo the RX570 as the built in vega graphics will handle 1080p gaming just fine. Roblox will be no sweat
If you are looking for more performance
-Buy faster but older second hand components
-Build your own build
If you just want my answer between those two builds go intel
If you want help to get a better build with your money you need to let us know what your budget is and fine details on what the PC is and will be for.
techfast builds are cheap to get started but the motherboards and power supply are uncomfortably low end
Purchse made - as per my last post. Usually I would spend more time on this, however my son has been saving up for quite a while and understandably cannot wait any loger :D. I did want the better graphics card in case tastes change and games (and even appilations) become a little bit more hungrier.
With Roboblox my laptop that I purchased a few years ago (for my graphic design work, so well specced) struggles with Roblox frame rate :P
ah I can totally understand that haha. I remember feeling the same thing like 15 years ago when I was building my first PC
end of the day its a great build for his purpose and that RX570 will be very fast
Thanks for all your help. A bit dissapointing as Tech Fast ended the special on the i3 litterally while the discout was applied to my order. Upon cart refresh the code failed. So am ending up with the AMD, as I can't wait for another special. Although frustrated with Tech Fast for ending a code mid purchase, I'm more annoyed with myself for not clickik purchase faster.
Perhaps you can msg the rep luketechfast
I've mentioned the issue on my order, but yes, will give him a heads up on here as well. Thanks.
Just an update: I called Tech Fast and all sorted - happy with the result.
Id upgrade the mobo on the Ryzen 2200g with a view to upgrade to 3600 later.