15/05/2026 7:50 am
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What cpu am I actually supposed to be looking at for a value build come Black Friday 2026? I've been building rigs since the DDR3 days so I'm not a total noob but looking ahead at the 2026 roadmap has me kind of stumped with where Intel and AMD are headed. I usually do a full refresh every 4 years and my current AM4 rig is finally starting to chug during 14404p video editing.
I'm trying to budget around $300 for the chip specifically. By then I'm guessing the Ryzen 9000 series will be the old reliable mid-range pick or maybe Intel finally figures out their power draw issues? It feels like the price-to-performance curve is getting weirdly flat lately...
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15/05/2026 8:15 am
ngl, i had issues with the newer platforms recently and it was just not as good as expected for the stress it caused. i usually play it safe now. unfortunately, those bleeding edge chips can be finicky... honestly, i'd just grab the Intel Core i5-15600 14-Core 4.9GHz LGA1851 for a stable, locked experience. pairing it with Crucial Pro DDR5 32GB 5600MHz makes life way easier than chasing tiny performance gains.
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15/05/2026 7:51 am
Unfortunately, performance jumps have been pretty underwhelming lately. I've had issues with efficiency and it's not as good as expected for the price.
- Look for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X 8-Core 5.5GHz AM5 during the sale.
- Or check if the Intel Core i5-15600K 14-Core 4.9GHz LGA1851 is finally discounted. Stick with AM5 though, it makes the next refresh way easier. Honestly, just hmu if you need more help.
