AMD Ryzen 7 2700 Processor with Wraith Spire LED Cooler - 8 Cores, 16 Threads, 4.1 GHz Max Boost for Gaming, Streaming & Content Creation (YD2700BBAFBOX) - Perfect for PC Builds, Workstations & High-Performance Computing

I have always considered myself a hardcore gamer, but not like in the first person shooter sense, though I do play them...I am more into the RTS, simulator and turn based games. Which has meant not needing the best graphics cards but a decent one and good supporting hardware but not needing the top shelf stuff. So I design my systems in a mid-range sense and usually one generation behind when I upgrade my systems. Not being cheap or getting cheap things, but making sure I am getting the best bang for my buck. When I first started building my own PCs, that meant several rigs made with AMD CPUs. They were on par with or even better than the Intels and you could get them for a lot less. Then Intel leapfrogged AMD with the Core 2 Duos and even tho they were more expensive than the AMDs of the time, they were hands down offering you raw power and performance for those extra dollars that it was impossible to say no to them. AMD struggled to keep up and just when they had something that would compete, intel introduced the i-series and left AMD in dust again. Fast forward to today and my i-5 43xx is dropping framerates on some of the newer AAA FPS games I am getting into. These newer FPS games are just to good not to play and I am at a point in my life where I have some extra cash to splurge on a better rig than I have typically built in the past. Usually when I am upgrading my rig it is with a 500-800 dollar budget in mind. This time it was more like 1400-1500. Still not tippity top shelf for that you are spending 2000 to the skys the limit, but a lot of it came off of the middle and top shelves and all of it is current generation. This processor AMD Ryzen 7 2700, Asus Prime x370-pro, 16gb(2x8) Corsair vengeance ddr4 3200mhz, EVGA RTX 2070 ultra gaming, crucial M.2 1TB SSD and a new license for Window 10(as I was on 7 and support for it ends later this year nor would the old license play nice with the new mobo). I recycled my case and its fans, the 2.5" Samsung evo SATA 1TB SSD for storage which had been my boot drive for about 3 months, the 700watt power supply and dvd drive for legacy purposes. This CPU does come with a better than the average intel stock cooler, but not by much and will get me by while I determine which air tower cooler I want to use, but for now I am digging the RGB lighting it came with. By my standards its not near good as the tower cooler I was running before which would keep my cpu at 28-30C idle and maybe 50 or 60C under load. This thing is more like 40-50 idle and 70-80 under load probably higher if I forget to open the door to the computer cubby to let the cold air in and the hot air out. So I will be doing some research to upgrade that before too long. I want to drop those temps about 10 across the board. But for free it saved me some upfront money and gives me time to make an informed decision on my upgrade path. This CPU is truly a great bang for you buck, if you are into overclocking you may want to spend the extra 50 or so bucks get the R7 2700X and you still will be getting a great processor for less than the gen9 i5, i7 and i9. From what I gather, there is only one thing the intel CPUs are truly better at right now and that is playing what ever game you are playing and only that. Essentially single applications. If you are like me and have a browser open on a secondary monitor so you can check forums, guides and map while you play or have show on from Amazon this is you baby. Basically the more programs and apps you have open, the more this thing shines over the intel. Its nice that I can choose the AMD lineup again without feeling like I am giving up something significant and in the process save hundreds. Its good when there is competition in a market, these new offerings from AMD should force Intel into lowering their prices to remain both competitive and relevant, because I think its only a matter of time before AMD releases some real intel killers. The consensus from all the pro reviewers on youtube and across the internet is that this is not an Intel killer, but it is a strong competitor the likes of which we have not seen from AMD in over a decade. And I am for one super happy with my purchase and have no regrets. I don't like to rave or review my electronics until I have been using them daily for a month because we all know that they are either going to be DOA or start glitching out and failing in the 1st month or some. Everything I purchased and put together has been rock steady and awesome.