Choose between AMD Ryzen 9 3900X or Intel Core i7 10700K for your VR setup.
Choose between AMD Ryzen 9 3900X or Intel Core i7 10700K for your VR setup.
I’m weighing the pros and cons carefully. AMD offers a huge number of cores and threads, while Intel excels in single-core speed. My main use is VRChat and streaming, so I’m used to single-core performance. However, the Ryzen CPU looks like a better fit for streaming, especially now that VRChat is improving its multi-core handling. I currently run a fullbody setup with an Oculus Rift CV1, 3 Rift sensors, and 3 HTC Vive Tracker 2.0 units plus two HTC Vive Lighthouse (1.0). I usually stick to fullbody and play daily.
My system setup includes: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 with an OC profile at 4.2 GHz all-core, 32GB DDR4-2666 RAM, running at 3200 MHz on the ASRock AB350-Pro4 (planned motherboard swap due to VRM strain). I have a Gigabyte RTX 2070 Windforce3 (overclocked to ~2000Mhz) and a Corsair GS800 800W cooler. For storage, I’m using a 1TB NVMe SSD in a Lian Li O11-Dynamic case.
In VRChat, CPU usage averages 60-70% while streaming at 80-90% GPU load. Without streaming, it drops to 30-40% CPU and 40-50% GPU usage, with frame rates around 70-90 FPS in moderately optimized worlds with about 10 players. With streaming, FPS falls to 60-80 depending on load and player count (up to 25+).
Looking at performance trends, the CPU seems to be the limiting factor when combined with streaming demands. Even though I prefer more cores, the current configuration struggles under both workloads. Upgrading for more threads or cores would help, but it would also mean a bigger investment.
What should I choose? Streaming and VRChat both need solid single-core power, but the numbers suggest a CPU bottleneck. If you value raw multi-threaded performance, go with more cores/threads. If you prioritize sustained single-core speed for streaming, stick with what you have. It really depends on how much you want to upgrade versus how critical those numbers are to your experience.
It’s tough to give a clear response without knowing your budget. With Intel’s latest high-performance chips, what options are currently available?
Hold on for the B550 boards to arrive next week. The Asrock Phantom Gaming 4 and ASUS X570 Prime are excellent budget X570 options that can manage 3900X well.