"I guess you didn't watch the video?
Even digital foundry shows they went from 38fps to 58fps by dropping RT ray tracing resolution from very high to high, which again proves my prior point that Ray Tracing is GPU bound, not CPU.
They also state you get an extra 20% more performance by dropping Ray Tracing geometry from very high to high.

These are GPU bound settings, not CPU.

Now when they are comparing Ray Tracing object draw distance, that has a CPU impact due to the extra CPU load in regards to A.I and scripting, the others really don't.
And Digital Foundry also state that CPU's with "Greater core counts and speed" should just dial it up. That would include the 3900/3950X.

But if you turn all the Ray Tracing settings to very high and push the game to 4k, then it doesn't matter if you have a 3600 or 5800X3D, you are going to be GPU bound first and foremost.

It's about achieving "good enough" performance where it is acceptable... And one game being outlier isn't a trend that is industry wide either, especially when I threw a ton of games out into the open in my prior post to prove that point."

Yes, most of the video is about GPU because the entire video isn't about trying to prove CPUs being a bottleneck when it comes to Ray Tracing but there is a section where DF shows the CPU bottleneck. I also never said it was only CPU bound. I have no idea where you got that idea. The post you are quoting to says "Yes Ray Tracing is primarily GPU bound but DF has noticed that many aspects are in fact CPU bound to the point where a 3600 can't hold 60fps." Ray Tracing is primarily GPU heavy but as DF says in this video and many others, there are certain RT settings that heavily affect CPU utilization as well because of the BVH buidling amongst other reasons. When you enable the setting is called "RT Object Range" because now the CPU has to calculate the reflected Ray Traced Ai and such as well on top of it's normal calculations. Hence why it's a Ray Tracing setting because without it, the CPU doesn't need to calculate it.

And yes, higher core count will help but as DF said, with newer CPUs, you can turn it up to max. You could also do your own research and see how it scales with cores vs ST performance:

You can clearly see that even with a 3900X, the fps doesn't increase. This is also not just a single game, the CPU bound issue happened in their Unreal Engine 5 video and many others. You would know that if you did more research and watched more DF videos. And this is just cross platform. Next gen only games will continue to be higher. It's also about achieving optimal performance with the least amount of bottlenecks. You keep talking about long term yet all you have done is shown us short term thinking by not doing enough research before recommending a CPU that will clearly bottleneck the 4080 GPU. Just because a person gets a 4080 doesn't mean that they will play at 4k Native. They can play at 4k with DLSS or they can play 3440x1440p as well as many other methods. But with 3000 series, you are literally just limiting their options in games. Not to mention a 4080 is supposed to be 30-50% faster than a 3090.

And yes, you threw in a ton of bad examples because they are all GPU bound due to the hardware pairing... While we are talking about a scenario that's about CPU limitations...

"Far from it. But the 3900/3950/5900/5950X leave the 5800X3D in the dirt as far as multitasking is concerned. You can double your performance."

You can double your performance only in certain applications. You can also "multitask" many applications by leaving them to the GPU instead which depending on the app, can make a much greater difference.

"I don't disagree that the 5000 series is a better buy, if your motherboard supports it, I wouldn't even consider the 3000 series if that support exists, but the point is to get a performance improvement for the lowest dollar cost in the short and long term, the 5800X3D isn't always going to be the right answer."

Sure but in the scenario we are talking about, 5800X3D is the obvious answer cause otherwise, he may need to upgrade is RAM if he went with any other CPU among other issues if he goes with Ryzen 3000.

if i were him i'd gone with a prebuild the day after i asked

I see a lot of back and fourth and both have good points. Gotta say though if someone is mostly using a PC for gaming and watching video's and doing light tasks and has an existing AM4 platform; with a gen 1 or 2 Zen, dropping in something like 5600, 5700X or even 5800X3D makes sense. Rather than going full hog on a brand new build/pre-built that will likely cost much more, a small upgrade to a Zen 3 processor, he/she could spend more budget on a higher tier GPU and would be good to go for gaming for a few years, if not several.

And going for a Zen 2 no matter how many cores doesn't make much sense unless you are using it for work, or specific productivity work loads.. as the IPC and efficiency just doesn't cut it these days, particularly for gaming. Take a 5600X its MT performance is a touch lower than a 3700X but its ST stomps it with more cache per CCX and improvements to latency means for much better 3D performance, and most likely a faster experience in day to day desktop tasks.

Not to mention efficiency gains so lower power bill in the long term and cheaper/lesser cooler required. On other other flip of the coin.. spending twice the amount if not more for a prebuild or Zen 4 build for what seems to be a fairly small IPC increase doesn't seem worth it for gaming if you are already on AM4 and have a Zen 3 ready motherboard unless you really want the best.

Also there is no point in getting a 3600 over something like a 5600. The gains are huge over one generation and the cost is so insignificant to the gains that can be had.. so price to performance it makes little sense in looking at old stuff. Better off finding a good price on Zen 3 (listed above) and the rest on the graphics card, gen 4 SSD or whatever.

That's assuming that they are comfortable upgrading bios and swapping out CPU etc.

Sony and Microsoft get a lot of flack for their timed exclusivity deals, especially as of late, but so many have forgotten about the insane exclusivity deals EGS does! To think that you have the exact same machine, and yet, you may be still forced into getting certain games on different storefronts. What an insane console war like logic. 

I don't think I'll ever be able to get games like Tony Hawk 1&2 or Kingdom Hearts anywhere except EGS at this point. Unless Tony Hawk comes to PC Game Pass after that deal closes. At least another timed exclusivity is finally up.

The Friday news!

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Fanatical has two new Flash deals, and both will last the usual 24 hours:

• The first flash deal is HUMANKIND, 47% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/humankind
• The second is SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech, 80% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/steam-world-quest-hand-of-gilgamech

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Take a look at Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered in 8K with Reshade Ray Tracing Shadows & Ambient Occlusion
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/take-a-look-at-marvels-spider-man-remastered-in-8k-with-reshade-ray-tracing-shadows-ambient-occlusion/
AD Massicuro has shared a new video, showcasing Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered in 8K with Reshade Ray Tracing Shadows and Ambient Occlusion.
As we’ve already reported, the game by default uses Ray Tracing Reflections. However, and thanks to Reshade, PC gamers can further improve the quality of shadows, global illumination and ambient occlusion.
(...)
Lastly, AD Massicuro has showcased other games with Reshade Ray Tracing. For instance, you can find videos for Resident Evil 2 Remake, Resident Evil 3 Remake, Batman Arkham Knight, and Battlefield 1.

DLC-sized Mod for Skyrim Special Edition adds six main isles to explore
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/dlc-sized-mod-for-skyrim-special-edition-adds-six-main-isles-to-explore/
Modders ‘smr1957’ and ‘Tasheni’ have released a new DLC-sized mod for Skyrim Special Edition, called Tasheni’s The Pride of Teia. This mod adds six main isles to explore, two dungeons, a lot of wildlife and underwater life.
Moreover, this mod comes with The Pride of Teia, a big sailable ship and player home. Thus, players can sail in Teia or in Skyrim, from Dawnstar to Castle Volkihar and take their companions with them.
The Pride of Teia is a really big sailable ship with two fully functional interiors: a cabin and a basement. The doors in the interiors function in two directions: They teleport you either on that ship in Skyrim or on that ship in Teia.

Play as Spider-Man's dead uncle's gravestone with this messed up mod
https://www.pcgamer.com/play-as-spider-mans-dead-uncles-gravestone-with-this-messed-up-mod/
Modders are having a grand 'ol time with the recently released Spider-Man Remastered PC port. So far, we've seen model swaps that let you swing across New York as Mary Jane, Wilson Fisk, and even the late Stan Lee, but I think we've officially crossed a line: a mod uploaded yesterday at the sinister hour of 2AM replaces Spider-Man with the gravestone of his dead Uncle Ben.
The mod Become Uncle Ben, created by Nexus Mods user Saphire, is quite literally a controllable slab of granite adorned with a loving farewell from his widow and loving nephew: "Beloved Husband and Uncle 1952-2010"

GAMING NEWS

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed will have Ray Tracing effects, PC Requirements revealed
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/ghostbusters-spirits-unleashed-will-have-ray-tracing-effects-pc-requirements-revealed/
Illfonic has announced that its 4v1 hunt or haunt action-packed asymmetrical multiplayer game, Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, will release on August 18th. Moreover, the team revealed its PC system requirements, and that it will have Ray Tracing effects.
>> The specs aren't high, unless you want RT.

Here is a 20-minute in-engine video for Hogwarts Legacy
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-is-a-20-minute-in-engine-video-for-hogwarts-legacy/
Warner Bros has released a new video for Hogwarts Legacy, featuring 20 minutes of in-engine footage. This video showcases some of the game’s environments.

Here are the official PC system requirements for Saints Row
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/here-are-the-official-pc-system-requirements-for-saints-row/
Deep Silver and Volition have revealed the official PC system requirements for Saints Row. According to the PC specs, the game will be using both DX11 and DX12, and will require at least 50GB of free hard-disk space.
>> The GPU specs for Ultra 4K60fps are kind of insane (12GB of VRAM).

Friday news, part two:

Magic Arena gets a crossover set for the first time, and it's Lord of the Rings
https://www.pcgamer.com/magic-arena-gets-a-crossover-set-for-the-first-time-and-its-lord-of-the-rings/
For a few years now, Magic: The Gathering has been doing crossover sets with other worlds under the Universes Beyond and Secret Lair labels. We've recently seen adaptations like Street Fighter and Fortnite, while an upcoming set will explore the various Warhammer properties. None of these crossovers have ever reached past paper Magic and into the digital world of Magic: The Gathering Arena
. Next year, however, that changes. Upcoming set The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth will release sometime next summer, or "Q3 2023." Its release will bring the world of LOTR to a booster set that will appear not just on digital, but will be a set in Alchemy, the standard-equivalent ruleset of Arena. Wizards of the Coast previewed the set today during its Wizards Presents event.

An official D&D virtual tabletop system is being developed in Unreal Engine 5
https://www.pcgamer.com/an-official-dandd-virtual-tabletop-system-is-being-developed-in-unreal-engine-5/
An official digital toolset and virtual tabletop for playing Dungeons & Dragons is on the way. During an event today, Wizards of the Coast showed off some in-engine footage from the toolset's pre-alpha phase.
The software, which Wizards refers to as an "early-in-development D&D digital play experience," will work with the existing D&D Beyond digital tools and the updated ruleset on the way (which is basically D&D 5.5 Edition). Wizards says it will "offer players and Dungeon Masters full immersion and rich 3D creation tools."

Diablo 4 will have 'an army of developers' working on years of seasonal updates
https://www.pcgamer.com/diablo-4-will-have-an-army-of-developers-working-on-years-of-seasonal-updates/
Diablo 4 will be supported by an "army of developers" working on new seasonal content for years to come, Blizzard said in today's new quarterly update, with updates and new content ranging from polish and quality-of-life features to major new features, quests, enemies, items, live events, and—of course—season passes.

Helldivers 2 is definitely real, and probably announcing soon
https://www.pcgamer.com/helldivers-2-is-definitely-real-and-probably-announcing-soon/
Another Nvidia leak bears out: 12 seconds of footage from a Helldivers 2 trailer has leaked on Twitter ahead of an official announcement. As sequels go, Helldivers 2 shouldn't be a big surprise at this point: developer Arrowhead Game Studios (also the makers of Magicka) hasn't released a new game since Helldivers in 2015, and last October Arrowhead tweeted some cryptic binary code that seemed like a tease for an announcement that never materialized. In other words: it's about time.

Starfield is going to Gamescom, but not with new gameplay
https://www.pcgamer.com/starfield-is-going-to-gamescom-but-not-with-new-gameplay/
Even after its big 15 minute reveal this summer, everyone is begging for more Starfield details. Fans spotted a mention of Starfield gameplay being shown during an on-site Gamescom fan event in Germany next week, but it turns out their hopes were a little too high.

The most influential Quake mod of all time is back
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-most-influential-quake-mod-of-all-time-is-back/
Threewave, the classic capture the flag mod for the original Quake, is back after 26 years. Bethesda announced today that nine levels from the original Threewave CTF mod, along with the grappling hook, special runes, and other enhancements, have been brought back to life and added for free to the Quake remaster on Steam.

It's Only Money is a 'lowlife simulator' that looks like an indie GTA Online with silly mini-games
https://www.pcgamer.com/its-only-money-is-a-lowlife-simulator-that-looks-like-an-indie-gta-online-with-silly-mini-games/
It's Only Money is an upcoming open-world co-op "lowlife simulator" for 1-4 players that begins with an interesting premise: The new mayor of Rockhaven is looking to gentrify the city in a hurry, and to make it happen he's throwing everyone who doesn't fit his vision into a hole—a literal, giant hole.

That tactics game about farting donkey doodles is coming this winter
https://www.pcgamer.com/that-tactics-game-about-farting-donkey-doodles-is-coming-this-winter/
Tactics games are going absolutely medieval this year, and Inkulinati is no exception. Based on the silly manuscript doodles and marginalia of medieval monks, Inkulinati takes those critters and makes them into units in a battle of turn-based strategy.

Embracer report suggests the KOTOR remake isn't delayed after all
https://www.pcgamer.com/embracer-report-suggests-the-kotor-remake-isnt-delayed-after-all/
Despite a recent Bloomberg report that the Knights of the Old Republic remake was "delayed indefinitely," the game might still be on its way this year.
According to a financial report from Embracer Group, the IP-hungry parent company of the studios working on the game, "One of the Group's AAA projects has transitioned to another studio within the Group," and that it isn't "expecting any material delays for the title based on this transition." The company said the delay was to "ensure the quality bar is where we need it to be for the title."

Quake Champions has left Steam Early Access
https://www.pcgamer.com/quake-champions-has-left-steam-early-access/
Quake Champions, the free-to-play spin on Quake's landmark multiplayer shooting, has officially left Steam Early Access. The game, which melds the gib-splattering, rocket-jumping FPS fun of the original Quake with more modern "hero"-style characters, each of whom has their own special abilities they can deploy across the course of a match, was originally launched in 2017, co-developed by id Software and Saber interactive.

New Redfall deep-dive details the game's Dishonored DNA, open-world size
https://www.pcgamer.com/new-redfall-deep-dive-details-the-games-dishonored-dna-open-world-size/
Dishonored developer Arkane Studios has released a new deep-dive video detailing its upcoming cooperative shooter Redfall, and watching it is first time I've felt like I have a proper grasp on what exactly Arkane is building.

Before we end, let's check the weekend deals at GOG and Steam:

+GOG

• The first Deal of the Day is The Forgotten City, 15% off during 70 hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_forgotten_city
• The second, and last, DotD is Shadow Empire, with a 75% discount until Monday: https://www.gog.com/en/game/shadow_empire
• The Weekend Sale features Steampunk games with up to 85% discounts during 3 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20220819_weekend_sale
• And the Made in Ukraine Sale comes with up to 90% discounts until August 24: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20220819_made_in_ukraine

+Steam

• The daily deal is Microsoft Flight Simulator, with all the editions having a 25% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1250410/Microsoft_Flight_Simulator_Game_of_the_Year_Edition/
• The first Weekend Deal is OUTRIDERS, that has a demo and will be 50% off until August 25: https://store.steampowered.com/app/680420/OUTRIDERS/
• Enter the Gungeon is free to try during the weekend and 25% off until Thursday 25: https://store.steampowered.com/app/311690/Enter_the_Gungeon/
• The Games made in New Zealand Sale brings up to 90% discounts until the 25th (tho some may end sooner): https://store.steampowered.com/sale/nzgames
• NARAKA: BLADEPOINT is free to try during the weekend and 50% off until August 29: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1203220/NARAKA_BLADEPOINT/
• And the last one is the Quakecon 2022 Sale, with up to 70% discounts until the 30th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/quakecon2022

And that's all. You know, there are far more news than I thought I would find in the middle of August and the Summer Holidays (sucks for you Pemalite). Oh well, we'll see how next week goes but, with Gamescom starting Tuesday, I don't have much hope of it slowing down.

But anyway, until next time, I wish you a happy and gaming weekend.

ASUS Recalls ROG Maximus Z690 Hero Motherboards Due to Fire and Burn Hazard

https://www.techpowerup.com/297942/asus-recalls-rog-maximus-z690-hero-motherboards-due-to-fire-and-burn-hazard

" The general recall has its roots in a December 2021 announcement by ASUS that a batch of the motherboard is being voluntarily recalled by the company after it discovered that a capacitor that's part of the motherboard's VRM has been defectively installed in the opposite electrical polarity. This has the potential to cause a fire."

You would think such expensive boards would get the best QA but apparently not...

Intel Core i5-13600HX mobile high-end CPU spotted with 14 cores and 20 threads

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-core-i5-13600hx-mobile-high-end-cpu-spotted-with-14-cores-and-20-threads

Intel Core i9-13900KF CPU reaches 6.18 GHz with liquid chiller attached in new overclocking test

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-core-i9-13900kf-cpu-reaches-6-18-ghz-with-liquid-chiller-attached-in-new-overclocking-test

Gigabyte teases AORUS Gen5 SSD 10000 reaching up to 12.5 GB/s sequential read speed

https://videocardz.com/newz/gigabyte-teases-aorus-gen5-ssd-10000-reaching-up-to-12-5-gb-s-sequential-read-speed

Faster than the Corsair one but honestly, even with a PCI-E Gen 5 motherboard, I would probably buy a Gen 4 SSD unless you really need the fast speeds. Cause the chances are that games won't actually utilize the speeds and realistically, you will probably get double the Gen 4 capacity for the same price.

GPU Price Crash Is Making It Hard For AIBs To Offload AMD Radeon Graphics Cards Too, RX 6700 XT Drops Below $400 US, RX 6600 Below $260 US

https://wccftech.com/amd-radeon-rx-6000-graphics-cards-difficult-to-sell-after-gpu-price-crash-aibs-ready-price-cuts-to-get-rid-of-inventory/

Personally these budget cards need to go lower. Imo 6700XT should be $300 and 3060 should be $200 but I doubt they will go that low.

I'm almost sure Chazore felt something the moment you pressed Submit. He hates the EGS and the timed exclusives with passion.

Well, he and everybody else, of course (I'd doubt the sanity of whoever agrees with these practices), but he's the most vocal about it.

Well for me, there is always the third option... Which is to sail the 7 seas looking for buried treasure stolen by the evil Tim Sweeney on EGS island.

Personally I always buy my games these days as I have a well paying job but it's out of principle that I won't bother with touching EGS similar to how I boycott anything that's on Uplay. Once the game comes on Steam and goes on a sale, that's when I will buy it.

Well, they (in general) f*ck up some GPUs, even high end ones, so I don't see why they wouldn't do the same with motherboards. Chinese plants are cheaper, but there's a downisde to that.

And it's about time mid and low end cards start to drop in price as well! I thought it would take longer, but I guess people are so tired of waiting to get the chance of getting one that they decided to wait a bit more and get one of the next gen cards. And now stores and AIBs have troubles selling any card.

Poor, poor business...