AMD High-End Gaming PC Build : CPU
While all of the components we are selecting here today are what we would go with, and priced from vendors we trust, it is always a good idea to shop around as deals on these, or other good options, pop up from other reliable vendors all the time. With that said, let’s dive right into the first order of business.
CPU
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X $1899.99
60 FPS
- Excellent Single Threaded Performance (Better Than Ryzen 9)
- Excellent Multithreaded Performance
- 4.5GHz GHz Max Boost
- Indium Solder
- Overclocking Potential
30 FPS
- 3.7GHz Base
- Expensive
CPU Alternate
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X $1299.99
60 FPS
- Excellent Single Threaded Performance (Better Than Ryzen 9)
- Excellent Multithreaded Performance
- 100MHz Higher Base Clock Than 3970X
- 4.5GHz GHz Max Boost
- Indium Solder
- Overclocking Potential
30 FPS
- 3.8GHz Base
- ”Only” 24 Cores
- Expensive
Today’s number one pick for a processor in this range is the Threadripper 3970X. Now, this isn’t the top of the line Threadripper as the 3990X does slot in above this with 64 cores (versus the 32 cores that we get with the 3970X). However, the 3990X has a base clock of just 2.9GHz and a Max Boost Clock of 4.3GHz. For our purposes in gaming today, those base clock speeds are going to be more important than core count. So, the Threadripper 3970X is an easy pick over the 3990X in this price range/product range from AMD.
For those looking to shave some cost of their system, AMD has the Threadripper 3960X which makes a good alternate solution. Stepping back to the Threadripper 3960X loses 12 cores, but picks up 100MHz in base clocks and keeps the same Max Boost Clock speed. That isn’t a huge base clock boost and it is a rather significant drop in core count. So, while a similar performance in gaming, the 3960X is going to be a capability step backward for any professional applications that are heavily multi-threaded that you might also use this Threadripper system for. As such, this is very much a value move and one that will depend largely on if you are going to be gaming only or gaming and working on this system. So, while not the highest end product in the Threadripper line in any one aspect, this is a decent option in a lot (or maybe most) of users cases.