off-topic - Ryzen cpu purchasing question

[David]

I have all the basic components ready for a new pc build
except for the CPU.

I can get by easily with a Ryzen 3, but that processor
would not be much better than my old Intel.    But it
would allow me to finish my build faster, and be up
and running with Fedora on my new NVMe M.2 drive.

Where I live, ordering online at Walmart is about $ 10
cheaper than other services.

I will be using this computer for basic household task
while at the same time reporting my experiences with
Fedora and likely just the Rawhide isos.    I hope to
install several Rawhide isos on my new NVMe in the
coming months, and probably other distros too.

I have no reason to hurry with this build other than being
anxious to report how it works with various Linux distros and especially
Fedora.

I assume it would be silly to waste money on a $ 300 cpu.
Right ?      But if I can restrain myself, and take a deep breath,
then I should be able to place an order
the new Ryzen 5 3600XT in about a month.    Those are currently
$ 250 plus tax U.S.A. dollars.     I can not really justify doing that
today.      Today, I could order the Ryzen 3 for $ 75, and start my
build next week.    Does anybody really care how the Ryzen 3 now
performs in 2020 on Fedora ( on a desktop pc ) ??   I imagine that
would now only be relevant on a laptop.

David Locklear

[Richard Shaw]

I previously had a Ryzen 5 2600 (Zen+) and now have the 3600 (Zen2) and I
have been very happy with both. I was able to find the 3600 for $174 but
prices vary over time.

My reasoning is that I wanted the fastest, reasonably priced processor at
65W TDP. Folding@Home on my RX580 already has the temperature in my office
10 degrees F hotter than the rest of the house.

Having been a packager for 12+ years and building a lot of software on my
PC, I can tell you it's plenty fast paired with DDR4 3200MHz memory (memory
speed affects the optimal infinity fabric speed and has a significant
impact on performance but that's a whole thread on its own).

Right now i have it in my X370 MB and works fine after a BIOS update. If I
were going to buy right now and didn't care about Zen3 compatibility I
would buy a B450 MB (may or may not get updated BIOS from MB manufacturer).
If you are worried about upgrading to Zen 3 when it's best to go with a
B550 or X570.

Thanks,
Richard

[Dave Stevens]

On Thu, 9 Jul 2020 13:42:15 -0500
David  wrote:
> I have all the basic components ready for a new pc build
> except for the CPU.
>
> I can get by easily with a Ryzen 3, but that processor
> w
>
> I assume it would be silly to waste money on a $ 300 cpu.
> Right ?      But if I can restrain myself, and take a deep breath,
> then I should be able to place an order
> the new Ryzen 5 3600XT in about a month.    Those are currently
> $ 250 plus tax U.S.A. dollars.     I can not really justify doing that
> today.      Today, I could order the Ryzen 3 for $ 75, and start my
> build next week.    Does anybody really care how the Ryzen 3 now
> performs in 2020 on Fedora ( on a desktop pc ) ??   I imagine that
> would now only be relevant on a laptop.

try phoronix in the forums, they have lotsa benchmarks. Example:
https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=141-benchmarks-lapto...

[David]

Folks, I should have been more clear.

I already have a new fancy motherboard, etc.     I have seen all the
benchmarks.    I am
only concerned with how a specific Ryzen processor works with Fedora or
other Linux distros.
As I said, I can get by with the $ 75 Ryzen 3.

I assume that the Linux kernel and Fedora will work even better in the
future with Ryzen.    But
is there any issue with the very newest Ryzens on Linux ?

One perk to spending the extra money on a Ryzen 7, is just to not have to
replace the cpu for a year or two.
And I guess that one gets a warm-fuzzy feeling watching their GHz
tachometer read 4.7 GHz.

David Locklear

[stan]

On Thu, 9 Jul 2020 13:42:15 -0500
David  wrote:
> I have all the basic components ready for a new pc build
> except for the CPU.
> I can get by easily with a Ryzen 3, but that processor
> would not be much better than my old Intel.    But it
> would allow me to finish my build faster, and be up
> and running with Fedora on my new NVMe M.2 drive.
> I will be using this computer for basic household task
> while at the same time reporting my experiences with
> Fedora and likely just the Rawhide isos.s too.
>
> I have no reason to hurry with this build other than being
> anxious to report how it works with various Linux distros and
> especially Fedora.
> today.      Today, I could order the Ryzen 3 for $ 75, and start my
> build next week.    Does anybody really care how the Ryzen 3 now
> performs in 2020 on Fedora ( on a desktop pc ) ??   I imagine that
> would now only be relevant on a laptop.

Go with the Ryzen 3.  For your use case it is more than enough.  Spend
the extra money on things that will make a difference in user
satisfaction for the lifetime of the system.

1.  Upgrade the monitor and graphics device, you look at them all day
long, and their performance / responsiveness is immediately noticeable.
2.  Upgrade peripherals like pointer devices and keyboard, favoring
ergonomic. Your wrists will thank you.
3.  Upgrade memory.  More memory will pay dividends in the speed of
tasks.

If the socket is the same for the Ryzen 3 and Ryzen 5, you can always
upgrade in the future when the price drops on the Ryzen 5.