The Ryzen vs Coffee Lake choice.

[PeterScott]

It seems like these are the choice CPUs today, and they are VERY competitive on a number of factors, and there are big threads on each, where the Ryzen vs Coffee Lake discussion keep springing up and getting shut down as "off topic".

So why haven't we had a direct Ryzen vs Coffee Lake thread, since this is the major choice today and they are so competitive? I kept looking and waiting for someone to start, and finally I give it a shot.

Have at it. Lets compare, contrast any element of these two chips.

And a Poll just for fun, to see where the forum is leaning.

 

[VirtualLarry]

https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/intel-coffee-lake-builders-thread.2519943/page-26#post-39115291

Good TechDeals YT comparison video between 8700(K) and Ryzen 7 1700 (OC).

 

[Shmee]

I already have a 1700 in a rig, but if I were to build a system now, it would be coffee lake 8700k, assuming it was available at a decent price. Now, when the Ryzen refreshes come out, I may go ahead and upgrade the 1700, though I might just go with a fast 6 core. When I built the Ryzen rig, the 1600 and 1600X were not out yet.

 

[PeterScott]

This is a choice I am making in the near future.

It's a big one for me as it will be my first new PC in nearly a decade.

I have been running Q9400 C2Q from 2008, and it has served me well as my only PC for gaming, media hub, DVR, work... Essentially everything.

I plan to get as many years as possible out of my next build as well, and thing like the MB only being good for the current CPU don't matter at all.

I am likely looking more at the $200 range in CPUs. So i5-8400 (maybe i5-8600K) vs Ryzen 1600.

It will be an mATX build and a must have feature on the MB is S/PDIF to connect to my old DD/DTS receiver.

I will wait for the dust to settle and availability to improve on parts and possibly lower end MBs on the Intel side.

I am currently leaning Intel because:

1: Leaving the option open for doing a Hackintosh - I get the impression this will be easier with Intel.
2: mATX + S/PDIF seems to be present on many Coffee Lake MBs, while only 1 low rated Ryzen MB.
3: Intel seems to work with various kinds of ram more easily.

 

[fleshconsumed]

Given that your current system has lasted you 10 years I'd go with Ryzen. Couple of reasons, 1) you don't seem to care for top performance so Ryzen single thread disadvantage is not a big deal in the decision making, 2) you seem to be heavy multitasker, i.e. "gaming, media hub, DVR, work", in which case more cores is better, 3) you keep your systems for a long time and AMD promised to support AM4 socket for the foreseeable future so if you will need more cores/more ST performance it'll be easier to upgrade AMD platform without changing everything, and 4) let's face it, AMD chips are usually sold at a discount, especially used ones, cheaper upgrades are better.

Considering all of the above I'd go Ryzen, but CL will be just fine too.

 

[Arachnotronic]

Coffee Lake. Not even a question.

 

[sagnikkundu2017]

Coffee Lake. Not even a question.

Not really after seeing the new adoredTV Video

Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk

 

[Rifter]

IF main use is gaming the CL, if into multi tasking and using PC for other/all tasks such as DC, media serving/encoding, rendering etc. I would go Ryzen 8 core.

 

[ozzy702]

Not really after seeing the new adoredTV Video

Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk

Just watched the adoredTV vid... sooooo much emotion and whining. Max OC to max OC reviews do a great job of showing the state of affairs without muddying the waters of mce and I'm looking forward to playing with my 8700k. I'll probably run it at 4.7-4.8 depending upon temps (D-14S) and paired with my 1080ti it should work well for years to come.

 

[sagnikkundu2017]

Just watched the adoredTV vid... sooooo much emotion and whining. Max OC to max OC reviews do a great job of showing the state of affairs without muddying the waters of mce and I'm looking forward to playing with my 8700k. I'll probably run it at 4.7-4.8 depending upon temps (D-14S) and paired with my 1080ti it should work well for years to come.

Yes a bit of emotions, but it does make me think why intel only promises 2.8Ghz on i5 8400 (unlocked cores are fine, thats for sure)

Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk

 

[PeterScott]

Not really after seeing the new adoredTV Video

Are you talking about the "The Great Coffee lake Con Job" video?

That is one of the most biased opinions pieces I have seen so far.

Gamersnexus did a MUCH better job explaining the MCE issues, without all the histrionics.

 

[AMDisTheBEST]

intel motherboard is so expensive.....
I prefer ryzen

 

[sagnikkundu2017]

Are you talking about the "The Great Coffee lake Con Job" video?

That is one of the most biased opinions pieces I have seen so far.

Gamersnexus did a MUCH better job explaining the MCE issues, without all the histrionics.

Yes iwas talking about that video.

Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk

 

[scannall]

Ryzen. Great part now, and the 7nm Zen 2 is an easy and inexpensive upgrade a couple years down the road.

 

[Gikaseixas]

Ryzen due to long socket life, good thermals and solid performance all around

 

[crashtech]

I always want the newest thing, so CFL for me. I bought Ryzen when it first came out, too. I think Pinnacle Ridge will be the Ryzen to get in the near future, current Ryzen CPUs are excellent performers, but not as fun to overclock as the Intel counterparts.

 

[moonbogg]

All I care about is gaming and e-peen, so 8700K for me. Ryzen is great and if I had to build on a budg...well actually I'd just grab an 8600K at this point or 8700 non K. Honestly, Ryzen just got REKT by Coffee Lake, so AMD needs to get off their ass and release a higher clocked chip or they will lose all that momentum they worked so hard to achieve. You can't just release one good generation of chips and be like, "Hell yeah, we did it". You need to be able to respond in a timely fashion and as much as I love to hate Intel for a variety of reasons, they have demonstrated their ability to respond to the new desktop threat presented by AMD. Intel responded pretty forcefully, even if their HEDT prices are still high.
Before Intel's response, they were an overpriced and VERY hilarious joke on both mainstream and HEDT platforms. After their response, they once again have the fastest chips on both platforms, by far, and it only took them a few months to make it happen. It's AMD's turn to respond now and they better haul ass, because mindshare evaporates faster than a drop of sweat rolling off Satan's...that's right.

 

[LTC8K6]

Yes a bit of emotions, but it does make me think why intel only promises 2.8Ghz on i5 8400 (unlocked cores are fine, thats for sure)

Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk

Did you think the i5-6400 was a con job with a base lower than that?

 

[raghu78]

Its a good question. The answer depends on whether the user intends to upgrade to faster CPUs in the next couple of years. With Ryzen and AM4 we know the current motherboards are likely to support 12LP Pinnacle Ridge in 2018 and 7LP Zen 2 CPUs in 2019 with just a firmware update. With Intel I think the Z370 might support 8 core CFL (still to be confirmed) but support for Icelake is very unlikely given how Intel keeps changing chipsets and sockets. If the user is not going to upgrade the choice today is Coffeelake though with such poor availability and with AMD's Pinnacle Ridge response due in Q1 2018 it would be wise to wait and see how Pinnacle Ridge turns out. If the user is looking at upgradeability and longevity then AMD Ryzen is the only answer.

 

[IEC]

There is no option in the poll for "get both".

Therefore, I voted "something else". This is not a binary decision and there is not one correct answer. It is heavily dependent on personal needs and/or wants.

 

[kawi6rr]

Ryzen 1600x.

 

[raghu78]

All I care about is gaming and e-peen, so 8700K for me. Ryzen is great and if I had to build on a budg...well actually I'd just grab an 8600K at this point or 8700 non K. Honestly, Ryzen just got REKT by Coffee Lake, so AMD needs to get off their ass and release a higher clocked chip or they will lose all that momentum they worked so hard to achieve. You can't just release one good generation of chips and be like, "Hell yeah, we did it". You need to be able to respond in a timely fashion and as much as I love to hate Intel for a variety of reasons, they have demonstrated their ability to respond to the new desktop threat presented by AMD. Intel responded pretty forcefully, even if their HEDT prices are still high.
Before Intel's response, they were an overpriced and VERY hilarious joke on both mainstream and HEDT platforms. After their response, they once again have the fastest chips on both platforms, by far, and it only took them a few months to make it happen. It's AMD's turn to respond now and they better haul ass, because mindshare evaporates faster than a drop of sweat rolling of Satan's...that's right.

I agree Coffeelake is a great product and puts Intel firmly back in the lead. But AMD's roadmap is quite strong. I think they will have a good response in Pinnacle Ridge. I think that Intel's ST and gaming perf lead will reduce but Intel will still be well ahead. So Intel Coffeelake will have the edge as they will have ST and gaming perf lead with competitive MT. I think the real interesting contest will be Icelake vs Zen 2 in 2019. That could be a very close contest even for ST perf as GF 7LP will be a true high performance node designed for Zen 2's high frequency requirements.

 

[CatMerc]

I got a Ryzen setup just two days ago, and I'm VERY satisified. A great leap over my 6600K. Put in some Stilt timings, and my 1080 Ti is more than well fed at 1440p.

Coffee Lake is simply not available, and honestly, I am more confident about AM4 as a platform over LGA1151not1151kappa.
I plan to replace my 1700 with a Pinnacle Ridge chip as soon as they're out, because I'm a sucker for new toys.

 

[PeterScott]

I agree Coffeelake is a great product and puts Intel firmly back in the lead. But AMD's roadmap is quite strong. I think they will have a good response in Pinnacle Ridge. I think that Intel's ST and gaming perf lead will reduce but Intel will still be well ahead. So Intel Coffeelake will have the edge as they will have ST and gaming perf lead with competitive MT. I think the real interesting contest will be Icelake vs Zen 2 in 2019. That could be a very close contest even for ST perf as GF 7LP will be a true high performance node designed for Zen 2's high frequency requirements.

It will be interesting to see what happens in 2019, but it has no impact on what you buy today.

Today it's probably an easy decision for those who aren't that price sensitive. Just get an 8700K and a good cooler, and you pretty much have the best overall performance.

It's bit tougher when, when you are looking to cut the price down. This is where AMD still has very strong option.

The i5-8400 came in at lower clock speed than I was expecting. I could have been happy with base 3.2 GHz and all core turbo closer to 4.0GHz, on a standard MB. That would have been an easy choice for me.

But much more of dilemma with i5-8600K and expensive 370 MB to OC it, it certainly makes Ryzen 1600 the more economical choice.

 

[crashtech]

I'm presuming that the ability to lock cores at higher than normal turbo bins has been eliminated, can anyone verify? If all-core turbo can be set to the max ST turbo, the locked CPUs become a tremendous value.