What desktop CPU should you purchase in June 2021?
What desktop CPU should you purchase in June 2021?
Hello, welcome to the forum. I hope you're doing well. I'm new here and wanted to be as clear as possible about my needs. My current system is outdated—from 2016—and it's starting to fail. I need something that can handle gaming and work tasks for at least five more years. Since then, I've been using the same setup, but I'm running out of time to figure everything out. I'm looking for a reliable option within a budget of 200 to 300 euros.
I have a few processors available locally or online in that price range: Intel i5 10600K, i5 11600K, i7 10700K, and several AMD options like Ryzen 5 3600X, Ryzen 7 series, and Ryzen 5 5600X. I'm also considering older Intel models and want to keep things simple.
My work involves home office tasks and testing virtual machines, so I need good multitasking performance. Gaming is important too—games like CS:GO, Rainbow Six Siege, and strategy titles are a big part of my routine. I'd appreciate recommendations that fit this balance without requiring a lot of technical knowledge.
I'm not ready to invest in a GPU just yet; I'll keep my old machine and upgrade once prices become more reasonable. Thanks in advance for your help!
I choose the Ryzen 7 5700G because of its 8 or 16 cores and lower power consumption compared to the 5800X2E. The 65 watts is still manageable over time, especially when considering long-term electricity expenses. Using an A550 board from Taichi by Asrock fits this setup.
Thanks for the updates. Yes, I have extra funds for other components as well—so the 200-300€ covers just the CPU. Anghammarad, thanks for the tip. I’m still unsure if my current build will hold up long enough for the Ryzen 7 5700G to be affordable. My PSU fan failed a month ago and I replaced it, but I’m worried about the lifespan of the remaining parts. Empire24453 shared their specs: mainboard Gigabyte Z170-Gaming K3, CPU Intel i5-6600k (not great), CPU fan Scythe Ninja 4, GPU MSI GTX 1060 Gaming X 6G, RAM HyperX Fury DDR4-2133 1x16GB, storage includes a 1TB WD WDC WD10EZEX-22MFCA0 drive and a 500GB NVMe SSD. PSU is Corsair VS650 650W, case is a budget option, and I plan to fit a 7th Gen i7 if possible.
Yes, you'll need a new board since the CPU isn't compatible with your current setup. Options include AMD or Intel. Intel's prices have dropped significantly, but AMD offers more flexibility for future upgrades, allowing you to maintain the same board for several generations.
Discovered that Scythe confirmed their older CPU fans are also suitable for the 1151 socket, like the 1200 Intel socket: https://www.scythe-eu.com/en. Since no cooler is required, this increases my Intel budget by roughly 50-70€ (exclusive of other costs). This makes the recent i7-11700k a viable choice. However, as noted by @Empire24453, the present Intel socket and chipsets won’t allow the same flexibility for future upgrades. The next Gen Intel CPU is likely to lack support for the board I’m planning to purchase now (unless it uses a new socket, in which case the chipset won’t match). This brings up the decision: should I opt for the more powerful but less upgrade-friendly CPU, or the less powerful one with better upgrade potential?