Searching for an energy-saving CPU, a MOBO, and additional RAM upgrades.
Searching for an energy-saving CPU, a MOBO, and additional RAM upgrades.
Hi, I have an i7 9700K and am considering an upgrade. I’m not after a high-power model and found a bundle deal with an R9 9700X. Its default TDP is 170W, which is a bit too much for my needs. I plan to play at 1440p and need a motherboard that supports the Samsung 980 Pro M.2 SSD with speeds up to 7000MB/s. My current setup includes an RTX 3080 and a 800W power supply. I’d like options that match or beat my i7’s 95W TDP while being more energy efficient. Thanks!
The R7 7900X also fits with a 3080 for better energy efficiency. This card tends to consume the most power unless you significantly undervolt and lower the clock speed. You might consider slightly undervolting the CPU, but performance usually doesn’t require full power from your parts. A more efficient power supply will reduce wall draw, and opting for a Platinum or Titanium unit could help if power consumption is critical.
Many tech creators and their promotional images may have misled, but the 13th generation Intel CPUs perform remarkably well when downsized. The top performers available today are worth checking out.
You're on the right track with the Ryzen 9 7900X setup. The links you shared look solid for gaming and performance. Regarding power efficiency, consider checking CPUs with lower TDPs like 65W or 75W if you're planning to upgrade later. For RAM, ensure it matches the CPU's speed requirements. If you're thinking about downvolting, weigh the benefits against potential performance drops. Let me know if you need more details!
Yeah, I think there is basically no competition at the moment. I was also thrown off by a lot of tech-tubers being over dramatic and meme driven about the 13th gen. Then I still got the 13900KF because of how it crushed all the benchmarks and at first I was frustrated by the power draw and the temps out of the box. But after doing some research and adjusting my OC settings I'm really impressed by it specially at near idle situations which is the majority of my daily work time. It keeps at 13w avrage for the whole duration of my daily work and in games I can hover around 50-60c avrage at 5.5ghz on all P-cores and a turbo boost of 5.8 for 2 P-cores. I'm glad I didn't listen to dramatic tech-tubers tbh. My setup is silent with cool temps and minimal power draw while being really snappy for work. You could still get more efficiency and value out of a 13700k or a 13600k too if you want to run them at lower than 90w too.