Logical Increments Blog

Building a PC with the AMD A6-9500, A8-9600, A10-9700, and A12-9800

AMD recently refreshed their entry-level CPU range, and we’re quite happy with the results. We’ve already taken a look at their new 35W CPUs, and now we’d like to turn our attention to the more powerful (and power hungry) range from AMD. Interestingly enough, a number of these CPU’s have a configurable thermal design power (cTDP) of 45W from the default 65W.

This article will suggest a number of builds that could best utilize these new 65W CPUs. Prices for these builds come in between $313 and $424. So, read on to see for yourself!

Building a PC with AMD’s A6-9500E, A10-9700E, and A12-9800E

Now that the dust has settled with AMD’s great releases of its Ryzen and Threadripper CPUs, the manufacturer has quietly refreshed its entry-level CPUs. Although they’re not built on the Zen chip architecture, they do use the new AM4 socket. This provides us builders with new features, and very importantly, a simple path to future CPU upgrades. So with this in mind, sit back as I review the new 35W CPUs and what you can build with them!

This article covers builds using the A6-9500E ($65), A10-9700E ($85), and A12-9800E ($110). The total build price comes in anywhere from $330 to $450, so these are great entry-level PCs. You can see our builds for the new 65W CPUs here.

AMD Threadripper 1900X vs Intel i7-7820X

AMD’s marketing slide comparing the Ryzen CPUs to their competition.

Since March 2017, AMD’s new Ryzen CPUs have been very successfully entering the mainstream CPU market. With the recent release of their Threadripper line, AMD has also entered the HEDT (high-end desktop) segment, and was very successful in offering Intel meaningful competition (see Threadripper 1950X vs Core i9-7900X).

However, many have questioned the need for the latest Threadripper processor, the 8-core 16-thread 1900X, on the high-end X399 platform. After all, a cheaper CPU with the same core count, the Ryzen 7 1800X already exists on the much cheaper AM4 platform. Coming in at $550, its direct competition would be the 8-core 16-thread Intel Core i7-7820X, priced at $600. How do these processors compare?

Building a PC with the AMD Threadripper 1900X

With the Threadripper 1920X and 1950X already added to our recommendations and proving hugely popular with builders, many have wondered: What can do with the 1900X? So, read on to see why many workstation builders are enjoying the cheapest Threadripper CPU

RX Vega Radeon Packs: Are They Worth It?

With the RX Vega 56 and 64 release comes something new in the form of Radeon Packs. As the Radeon GPU range as a whole is suffering with stock thanks to the cryptocurrency shortage, this seemed like a good idea on paper to limit hoarding for cryptocurrency mining. Yet, I have to ask: Are they worth it to builders? Read on as I try and solve the Radeon Pack riddle.

Building a PC with RX Vega 56 and 64

With AMD’s Threadripper CPUs tearing up the rule book on the processor market, it’s now the RX Vega’s turn to disrupt the GPU market. Now, the question is, are the new RX Vega 56 and Vega 64 graphics cards good, and what sort of PC should you build with them?

AMD RX Vega 64 vs. GTX 1080 & GTX 1080 Ti

AMD’s RX Vega, the gaming version of AMD’s long-awaited high-end GPU architecture, finally saw its release this month. While RX Vega 56, the smaller brother of the full Vega GPU, offered great price-to-performance compared to NVIDIA’s price-equivalent GTX 1070, the story is different with RX Vega 64 when comparing it to its price-equivalent, the GTX 1080.

The Big AMD Update: Threadripper, Vega, Ryzen 3

AMD has launched a huge amount of disruptive hardware recently. Here’s the official Logical Increments™ analysis you have all been waiting breathlessly to absorb.

RX Vega 56 vs GTX 1070 & GTX 1080

AMD first mentioned the Vega GPU architecture over a year ago, even before the launch of its Polaris graphics cards. It was slated for an early 2017 release, but due to mysterious circumstances was pushed back and back, theoretically coming to market in late June with a Titan X-style Frontier Edition — a prosumer Vega GPU-based graphics card starting at $999.

Now, it’s mid-August, and AMD has finally released the gaming-oriented RX Vega 64, with its smaller brother Vega 56 coming on the 28th of August. But how do they compare to the current competition, the GTX 1070 and 1080? Let’s find out.

Windows Workstation vs. iMac Pro

Chris Cunningham
18th Aug 2017
Guides

A lot of enthusiast workstation customers are eagerly awaiting the release of the $5,000 iMac Pro coming in December. Yet, with such a price tag, it had me wondering if it’s the best option for money. With the release of the brand new iMac, it comes as no surprise that avid Apple fans are looking to Sell My iMac to see how much money they could get if they were to sell it. The money can then be put towards buying the latest option. Everyone one has their own preference when it comes to Windows or Apple and that’s not a problem. So join me as we delve into workstation parts to find the answer!