Discussion Going from Ryzen to Comet Lake for computer builds

[mikeymikec]

The only reason I changed platforms this time is because supplies of Ryzen-G processors have dried up in the UK for months, and throwing in a basic graphics card skews the value proposition of AMD sufficiently.

So I had been using Ryzen-G with ASUS B450M boards and my first Comet Lake build pairs an i3-10100 with the ASUS B460M Gaming board. Two really odd things though: With the Ryzen board I had been used to getting the BIOS update via ethernet, but the Comet Lake board can't do that. Also, for DDR4-2666 standard Crucial RAM I have to manually specify the DRAM freq despite the fact that the BIOS detects the memory type correctly then runs it at 2133MHz.

One nice thing though is that the stock HSF with the i3 is far quieter than the stock HSF for the 3400G, and it's easier to install. I've yet to make the i3 really stretch its legs though; the 3400G HSF rev'd up very noticeably to the point that I recommended another HSF if customers wanted a quiet computer.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I've started buying some (limited qty.) of 10th-Gen Intel CPUs for builds too. (*I bought several HP Slim Celeron G5900 desktop PC, and have been upgrading them to G6400 Pentium Gold CPUs, too.)

Also have an i5-10400 and 10400F.

I'm a fan of the ASRock H470M-ITX/ac board, 2.5GbE and AC wifi, if one doesn't need dual GPU slots. For around $120 USD @ Newegg.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Yup. The AMD APUs seem to be going primarily to OEM and S.I.'s. Those available on the open market are drastically marked up. I can't blame sellers for the price hike though. Given you pay over $100 U.S. for a 1030, and a 3400G is on par with it.

The 10100 is a great choice for a budget box, aside from iGPU gaming. A 3400g curb stomps it in that area. https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/intel-core-i3-10100

 

[VirtualLarry]

I just picked up a pair of AMD 3400G APUs @ Newegg for $169.99 ea. First time in a while that they've had them in-stock at almost MSRP, or maybe I just never catch them at the right time before. They have (had?) the 5600X in-stock @ $299 too tonight, limit 1 per customer.

I know that I'll be able to build a couple of rigs out of those. Got some Asus TUF Gaming micro-ATX boards, the "Pro S" or whatever, the B450 version of the B550 boards, that still retained the BIOS flashback and 2.5GbE-T LAN. They are currently available @ Newegg for $129.99. A little pricey for a B450, but considering the 2.5GbE-T LAN card would cost $20 by itself, and it doesn't take up a slot, and I think that it has AC wifi too, not entirely sure without looking at a pic, that gets you back into $80 territory for a decent B450 board (beefy VRM sinks), when you effectively minus the cost of the 2.5GbE-T ethernet and AC wifi NIC.