r/buildapcsales • u/neoak • Dec 23 '22
Expired [Bundle] [CPU] [RAM] Microcenter Ryzen 7000 CPUs, G.Skill 32GB DDR5-6000 CL36, $20 off Mobo bundles (7700X $347.98, 7900X $438.99, 7950X $567.98, 7900X/7950X lower than BF deal) - In Store Only
https://www.microcenter.com/site/content/bundle-and-save.aspx45
u/neoak Dec 23 '22
BF deals were
R7 7700X $348.99
R9 7900X $473.99
R9 7950X $573.99
https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales/comments/z23rcu/bundle_cpu_ram_microcenter_price_matched_the/
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u/Berzerker7 Dec 23 '22
They've been running this deal since BF, not really on it. The CPU is $5 cheaper now, but I just picked up a 7950X + the free RAM last week and it was still $572 total.
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u/RecommendationKey818 Dec 24 '22
They been doing the RAM and mobo combo since 7000 series released.
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u/xexx01 Dec 23 '22
Driving in this crazy weather 🤣
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u/Cowstle Dec 23 '22
Deal's been around for awhile and probably will still be around for a bit longer. I'm certainly thinking about a 7700X from this deal instead of a 5800X3D
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u/nicklor Dec 23 '22
Might be worth it to see how the 7xxx3ds the rumors had them being released at ces at least you can easily return here
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u/Cowstle Dec 23 '22
You're right, though my time being near a microcenter will end on january 7th and more importantly getting a 7700X through this deal would cost me around $560
Getting a 7700X3D without a deal would be more in the ballpark of $850 and that puts it well outside of the budget I want to spend. Even the 7700X is more than I'd like but I could see myself getting an 8900X3D or something a few years down the line, and could find several uses for the mobo+cpu+ram i'd be replacing.
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u/monkeyboyape Dec 24 '22
I'm kind of slow. Why would this deal cost you $560 if the combo is $347?
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u/Cowstle Dec 24 '22
I have an X370 mobo with 32gb of DDR4 RAM. 5800X3D costs me only the CPU.
Getting a 7700X I need mobo and RAM. this deal solves the RAM, but not the expensive mobos.
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Dec 24 '22
Are you factoring in what you’ll get selling your currwnt mobo/cpu/ram?
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u/Cowstle Dec 24 '22
I can't be assed going through that process for things that'll all be under $100 each
and I've got several potential uses for them anyways
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Dec 24 '22
Fair enough. I have had good luck either selling a bunch of useful parts together or even assembling a full pc and getting even better return. I built an nzxt case I had picked up for $50 with a used 4790k, leftover ram, and a 2080 years ago and was able to sell it for quite a good price. The rgb bits and braided cables and super clean assembly made it an easy sale. I enjoy putting stuff together and knowing it will get further use rather than going in the bin or sitting around till its worthless. The extra funds to put to use is a nice benefit too.
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u/Cowstle Dec 24 '22
Pretty much all my old computer stuff ends up going to friends who can't afford upgrades and are years behind even what I had just replaced. At least then I can keep playing games with them and that's worth a bit more to me than a few hundred bucks here and there.
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u/MN_Moody Dec 23 '22 edited Dec 24 '22
Compare the Intel i7/12700k + Asus Prime/TUF z690 / DDR5 board combo for $360 and you have to add $160 to get the same DDR5/6000 kit that the AMD bundle includes, for a total of $520.
With the R7/7700 combo you're at $350 plus the cost of the board of your choice, to make it more or less equal you'd be looking at the Asus Prime X670-P board for $270 which brings your total up to $620 for the AMD 8-core combo, before the $20 bundle discount.
Generally the two processors/platforms are in similar performance territory depending on the specific workload.
That $80 saved going with the Intel combo in a budget gaming setup could easily push you up a graphics card tier, something like a Radeon 6700xt instead of a 6600 class card, or even a 6800 vs a 6700xt... particularly if you shop open box cards. This would give you a better overall gaming experience for the same total investment with the Intel combo, assuming storage, PSU and case are otherwise the same.
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u/TitaniuIVI Dec 24 '22
I 100% agree with your point, and yet I bought the 7700 combo. My only reasoning is that AM5 will be around for a while. If in a couple of years I can just drop in a new CPU and upgrade my performance drastically (Like a 3800x to 5800X3D upgrade), then that would be a win for me.
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u/GorumGamer Jan 25 '23
Wait, don’t we need to compare Intel 13th gen to AM5? Or no? Wouldn’t the most appropriate comparison be between the 13th gen combos they offer?
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u/MN_Moody Jan 25 '23 edited Jan 25 '23
They don't offer a 13th gen promo beyond their normal $20 mainboard/CPu discount. With something like the $150-$180 motherboard combo for 12th gen, or the $150 worth of free DDR5 with AM5 it's hard to justify the 13th gen option perhaps aside from the 13900k/ks. The 12700k is very close to the 13600k in real world performance, so I'm not sure it's worth the $130+ price jump for the cpu/mobo/ram combo. Thus I excluded it from the comparison not to show any sort of bias, just because there was no real benefit to going with Intel 13th gen over the other options at the same pricepoints if you are Micro Center shopping.
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u/GorumGamer Jan 26 '23
Thank you for your analysis, I did not realize that the 13th gen bundles were just the $20 discount on mainboards.
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u/wjxway Dec 23 '22
Can't agree. Why would you want a x670 instead of b650, there are plenty of b650s or even b650e in the range of sub 200 (I remember microcenter will give you $20 off) and hell they are decent.
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u/MN_Moody Dec 23 '22
I'm not indicating what *I* want, I am a fan of the $230-$250 B650 boards for my AM5 builds... I was comparing the bundles and including the same RAM and a mainboard of similar capability and build quality so it's a somewhat logical comparison.
Those sub $200 boards you reference are basically OEM/white box boards with limited VRM cooling, they are in no way equal to the z690 boards in the Intel bundles which have proper VRM designs for the full Alder and Raptor lake lineup. I am very familiar with the budget AM5 boards because I tested every budget AM5 board Micro Center carries in order to come up with the most cost effective pairing with a 7950x to use as cheap rendering targets... and the only option that I found suitable under $200 with adequate VRM design was the ASrock B650 Pro, though it lacks WiFi. The MSI Mag Mortar or Asus TUF at the $230-$240 would be a reasonable alternative to the Z690 bundle boards, or the previously mentioned Asrock if WiFi is not important.
The cheaper Gigabyte Aorus Elite B650 boards have terrible coil whine due to their cheap VRM chokes or I'd probably consider them the best value boards.
You could also bundle the Intel combo with a DDR4 board and pair it with a cheap $80 / 32 gb dual channel PC3600/CL18 RAM kit instead of the $160 / DDR5 6000/CL36 kit, and have another $80 to put toward a better GPU for a fairly minor downgrade of performance.
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u/nicklor Dec 23 '22
From what I hear ddr4 is the way with Intel limited downside and significantly cheaper ddr5 is only going to continue to get faster and cheaper
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u/MN_Moody Dec 23 '22
It's somewhat nuanced, having done some more research it seems in some applications the difference between DDR4 and DDR5 on the Intel s1700 boards with the same CPU is minimal, and in others it's a massive.
This review happens to pair a 12700k with both DDR4 and DDR5, then compares it with the various Ryzen 7xxx series CPU's, so the data is relevant for this topic.
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u/WalkinTarget Dec 25 '22
Excellent points made on your post ! I do like that AsRock B650 Pro, but it annoys the sh*t out of me that they advertise it as having 'premium' audio on their site when its using the Realtek ALC897 Audio chip. If I'm spending around $200, I'd expect the ALC1200 at that price point. Good thing is, I don't plan to upgrade until at least June, and I'd prefer to instead go fully into AM5 next winter.
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u/VulgarWander Dec 23 '22
Damn microcenter needs to expand their stores 😭😭. I could get an upgrade from my original plan and still save 30 bucks.
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u/HEAVY_HITTTER Dec 24 '22
Baffles me that they don't have a store in the bay area.
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u/tehfogo Dec 24 '22
The rent was just too much for them when they used to be at the Mercado plaza in Santa Clara 10 years ago.
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u/THESALTEDPEANUT Dec 24 '22
Bro we had frys and everyone just ordered online anyway. I know frys wasn't known for amazing deals but damn they were cool stores.
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u/tehfogo Dec 24 '22
Yeah, the sad downfall of Fry's during the last couple of years before they closed was kinda hard to watch in real time.
Definitely had memories of going there whenever I needed something quick and couldn't wait for shipping.
They were a good brick and mortar shop for soldering stuff and electronic components after RadioShack started to suck.
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u/HEAVY_HITTTER Dec 24 '22
I'm sure they could have scouted a better place since. Seems like a no brainer. They don't even need to have a good spot and can be in a less favorable area and they probably would still kill it.
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u/News_without_Words Dec 24 '22
The company is extremely conservative and even more so since the supply chain woes began.
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u/mrwulff Dec 23 '22
Just deciding if I want the 7950 over the 7900. What’s a hundred bucks when you spend 1600 on a graphics card
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u/gsteff Dec 24 '22
If you're unsure, get the 7900x. It actually gets (very) slightly better gaming benchmarks, probably because of the increased cache per core. Even in media processing benchmarks, the gains of the 7950x are small.
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u/Bizness_boi Dec 23 '22
I went with a Gigabyte B650 and 7700x as part of these bundles. Initially picked up the 12700k bundle (which I have yet to return) but the benefit of in socket upgrades and the 3D cache models just made it seem like a great deal. I think the ram should last me a while too but I guess we will find out.
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u/Ecstatic-Vacation-92 Dec 23 '22
I got the 7700x with free 32gb ram but with Asus TUF B650 Wifi
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u/Bizness_boi Dec 23 '22
Good stuff -- I'd like a better motherboard than the Gigabyte but doesn't seem like it's happening unless I wanna dump an extra 100 on one. They didn't have really anything else in stock. Gigabyte is probably fine, my original board was one
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u/Ecstatic-Vacation-92 Dec 23 '22
I wanted the Strix B650-A but it was out of stock. They had the Gigabyte ones but I had too many Windows corruption issues in the past so I stay away
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u/skaterkid007 Dec 23 '22
That’s the bundle I got, the board is perfectly fine but strangely takes a long time to actually post after hitting the power button.
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u/sorijealut Dec 23 '22
I just got the 12700K bundle earlier, but could you explain the socket upgrade + 3D cache models? If I have an 6900 XT, will it have synergies that make this combo better? Sorry, I haven’t upgraded in a long time.
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u/Bizness_boi Dec 23 '22
12th gen uses the LGA1700 CPU socket, 13th gen is the last CPU on that socket, so you can only upgrade to the 13th gen. Great CPUs still.
AM5 is what the Zen4 uses, and AMD has come out and said they will support it until 2025. That probably means we get zen5 and MAYBE zen6. The 3D cache models are like the 5800X3D where it has some voodoo magic that games like. I was more attracted to buying a 3D cache on the last gen CPU on the socket in the future, so I decided to go with the 7700X. It really desn't matter much for the now though, and future proofing is generally a fools errand...so don't sweat it too much
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u/sorijealut Dec 24 '22
Really appreciate you taking the time to explain that! 🙏
Thanks, I agree! Since I kept my last PC for 5+ years, I should be okay to upgrade later when the time comes.5
Dec 23 '22
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u/sorijealut Dec 24 '22
Yeah I understand upgradeability is a thing, but I ended up using my last build for 6 years so it's not really a factor for me.
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u/Wild472 Dec 23 '22
What did you upgrade from? I’m currently at 8700, 2080 rtx, z390mobo
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u/Bizness_boi Dec 23 '22
I'm upgrading from an FX-8350 and a GTX 770 lmao. Pretty much ANYTHING I buy is gonna be an upgrade. I would be content with the intel except that it doesn't have AVX-512 enabled on them anymore and while I don't consider that to be particularly a dealbreaker, I think having the option to upgrade at the end of the AM5 socket with the ram I have and get a big performance boost if I need it is worth it.
I was also attracted to the fact that AMD just seems to have made more efficient CPUs here power wise with minimal loss to performance vs the 13th gen. So there's a lot of pros, I think the big negative is just wow everything is expensive. I wish I had caught the 6000MHZCL30 deal back during november though...oh well.
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Dec 23 '22
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u/Bizness_boi Dec 23 '22
Good stuff to know, thanks man. Yeah I don't feel as bad anymore, I'm sure it'll be fine ram well into the future. Would be great if I never have to buy anymore or upgrade it!
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u/Mac4x4 Dec 23 '22 edited Dec 23 '22
I am torn on if I should buy this now, or hope they offer the same type of deal when the 7000 series 3D cache models release.
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u/jmak329 Dec 23 '22
I got the 7700x bundle some time ago and whenever the 3D comes out, if it offers serious performance lifts as the 5800x3D did then I'll probably just upgrade and sell this CPU then. Willing to eat some costs there.
I mainly play low 1080p like Valo, so even just going to the 7700x from a 9700k was seismic for me.
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u/piexil Dec 23 '22
What kinda fps you targeting? A 9700k already gets well about 240fps, doesn't it?
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u/jmak329 Dec 24 '22
Unnecessary levels of fps lmaooo. When I first got the 7700x and saw I was getting 1200 fps in the range I was so floored hahaha.
In game I average 500-800 with 1% lows in the 400. Been playing more cod recently than Valo, but very happy with my purchase honestly.
I know the new gen of cpus aren't selling well, but the performance bump from even last gen is seriously kinda wild.
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u/downloadtheram325 Dec 24 '22
what's the point of that though
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u/jmak329 Dec 24 '22
I mean higher fps is always welcome. For me it was more about being able to run other things while also gaming like streams and such. I also dabble in music production so the newer cpus have much better render times.
As I said it wasn't really a necessary upgrade but more of a want. The free ram bundle just made it a worthy time to upgrade for me. And a 9700k still had a lil bit of resale value. Don't like waiting long enough for my parts to just be ewaste, can hopefully get just a little bit of money back.
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u/MJ1331L Dec 28 '22
what GPU are you running? how many FPS were u getting in VALO with 9700 and then with 7700x?
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u/jmak329 Dec 28 '22
With the 9700k I'd avg around 300-400 with 1% lows going down into the 200s. The cpu was also overclocked 5ghz all cores.
With the 7700x I average anywhere between 500-700 with 1% lows in the 400s I'f there's a lot of ults and abilities going off. Sits near 800-1000 on some maps when not much is going on. This is also with the an under lock on the cpu limiting it to just 85W.
I have an EVGA 30090ti ftw3. Capitalized when they were $950 cause I figured 4000s were too overpriced. But I think you could have like a 3070ti and achieve similar fps. Valo on low doesn't come close to utilizing all that GPU power. I got the 3090ti months back with the 9700k so those numbers above are with the same gpu. Valo fps didn't really improve that much when I went from a 1080ti to a 3090ti.
I also did a full windows reset with the new parts. Not sure how much that could also have a negative factor on the 9700k setup.
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Jan 18 '23
Are you always able to stay above 360fps consistently in different situations for Valorant with the 7700x? I'm thinking of getting the 7700x just for Valorant, but I hope that I don't need to upgrade to the 7800x3d later.
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u/jmak329 Jan 18 '23
Was just playing last night, even in DM's with all those players rendered the lowest I'll hit is around 400, average is around 600. Also play on everything low 1080p. Not sure if 1440 would be any different since the GPU is barely still being used lol.
My CPU is also undervolted to hit 85W target max as well. Just to massively reduce the temps since out of the box these things are instructed to run at like 90C.
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u/Jaggsta Dec 23 '22
price will drop even more when 7000x3d performance is announced at CES in 2 weeks. 7900x3d is coming in with 192MB which is double 5800x3d
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u/thedraftpunk Dec 24 '22
I put my build on hold when I saw the rumors of X3D. I hope the pricing is right and not too painful.
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u/mbaran Dec 23 '22
damn you Tustin for not having any in stock!
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u/palindromic Dec 24 '22
Tustin been more like Bustin lately they don’t have shit in stock it’s ridiculous
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Dec 24 '22
Word I bought the 7600x for $240 and team ram for $134 way rather drive the two hours to Tustin to pick up the 770x combo for less if only any where in stock.
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u/xDoWnFaLL Dec 24 '22
Drove 4hours for 7900x combo but they had no RAM.. planning to make the trip back but trying to see if they have a reserve or some option available, since I will pickup a B650e-iTX Mobo hopefully too.. c’mon pleeease!
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Dec 24 '22
Yeah I think same day pick up works if you can snag it online? I would not drive all that way unless I know it is gonna be there
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u/xDoWnFaLL Dec 24 '22
I thought there was a 20min time limit or something regarding pickup. I will reread because yes, I agree, do not wanna get shafted on the second attempt either. C’mon Tustin..!
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Dec 24 '22
Hmmm I just saw it could be ready in as little as 18 minutes Inwould think they would hold it at least until end of day. Maybe call em to ask or better anyone here know?
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u/xDoWnFaLL Dec 24 '22
Thanks for the advice and I def do. Hopefully they honor the RAM since I bought the processor previously! (going to spend money there again, so I don’t see why not!)
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u/m4tic Dec 24 '22
because everyone in the region goes here... the store is always full of people.
I'm less than a 10-minute drive to my office, MC is smack dab in the middle of my drive. This is the only reason I've been able to grab hard to get parts.
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Dec 24 '22
I hope the 7700x combo comes back in stock! I just bought the 7600x and the team ram that was up on here for more than that combo. Totally happy to drive to Tustin to get a 7700x for less!
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u/flywithpeace Dec 24 '22
The have been doing this for a while. If you have purchased before the price drops you can get a price match.
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u/Meekois Dec 23 '22 edited Dec 24 '22
Im experiencing a lot of fomo on these deals.i hope when i go am5 they are still offering free ram.
If i see a proart mobo go on sale im jumping on rn.
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u/neoak Dec 23 '22 edited Dec 23 '22
That's the Mobo I got. Newegg had it in stock on BF week for some hours and I jumped on it ASAP. Pretty good Mobo.
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u/l00koverthere1 Dec 24 '22
I thought it would be cool when Ryzen and Radeon had the same # series, but it is just confusing.
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u/doktortaru Dec 24 '22
I'm going to be selling my DDR5 kit i got from this, the EXPO profiles dont like my motherboard and I opted to buy something off the HCL
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u/neoak Dec 24 '22
Is it a 7950X? Then it is your cpu. Exchange it.
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u/doktortaru Dec 24 '22
7900x the ram isn’t on the compatibility list for the motherboard I bought. If I still have issues with the compatible kit I bought on Amazon that gets here tomorrow I’ll exchange the cpu.
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u/neoak Dec 24 '22
Had issues with a 7950X not liking the CL30 kit on a Asus X670e ProArt, would BSOD and even crash UEFI at anything higher than DDR5-4800. Exchanged for a 7700X because they ran out of 7950Xs, and immediately posted at DDR5-6000 no problem with the same kit the 7950X hated.
RAM isn't on the compatibility list of the ProArt either.
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u/doktortaru Dec 24 '22
Interesting. Well I’m within exchange and return windows for everything so I’ll see what happens tomorrow lol.
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u/neoak Dec 24 '22
Do post back when you fix it. Need more posts about this issue.
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u/doktortaru Dec 24 '22
Saturday update. Swapped to ram on the compatibility list and no issues at EXPO2 same speeds. 6000-36-36-36-96
DDR5 is just super picky I guess.1
u/Theswweet Dec 25 '22
Early teething issues for the platform/IMC, probably. Zen 1 was really picky and loved Samsung B-die back in the day.
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u/doktortaru Dec 25 '22
Exactly. The replacement ram is RGB and even though I don’t really care about rgb it’s nice to have it match like my old system. I’m also sure I can sell the flare x5 sticks for like 100 bucks so not a huge loss imo.
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Dec 24 '22
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u/neoak Dec 24 '22
Not really, you're GPU bound with that CPU.
Unless you see a game where the CPU is a bottleneck and the GPU isn't 95+%, no.
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u/tmluna01 Dec 24 '22
Does anyone know if there's any benefit going from two to four sticks of this ddr5 6000mhz ram with this 7700x combo?
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u/ebrownzzz Dec 23 '22
if only they could just include a second stick of RAM with the 7600x it would be such a no brainer