Why I'm Switching Back to Intel: Core Ultra Experiment

The Core Ultra Experiment Rationale

• 💡 The experiment aims to determine if Intel's Core Ultra is as bad for gaming as commonly perceived, despite its productivity strengths.
• 🎯 This is a personal curiosity project, not sponsored by Intel, following a similar 30-day Ryzen experiment from years ago.
• ⚠️ The current AMD 9950X system at home, while powerful, suffers from a frustratingly long and inconsistent boot time, a key motivator for this switch.

Building the Intel System

• 🛠️ The build utilizes readily available parts, including a Maximus Hero Z890 motherboard and a 285K CPU.
• 💨 A Haven BF360 case is chosen over a dual-chamber design to mitigate dust accumulation from its floor placement.
• ❄️ A 420mm be quiet! Silent Loop 3 AIO cooler was initially planned but ultimately replaced with a 360mm Pure Loop 3 due to case compatibility issues.
• 🎨 The aesthetic is an all-black build, with minimal RGB, focusing on a clean and maintainable setup for a work system.

Initial Boot and Troubleshooting

• ⚠️ The first boot into Windows presented issues, including a black screen and the need for a BIOS update and ME firmware update.
• ⚙️ The Management Engine (ME) firmware was identified as the culprit, causing the OS to not load properly and limiting CPU speeds in safe mode.
• 🧹 To ensure a clean slate, any traces of previous AMD drivers are being removed using Revo Uninstaller.

Observations and Future Considerations

• 📈 While Intel's Core Ultra is known to be slower in gaming benchmarks compared to AMD's X3D CPUs, the subjective day-to-day experience is the focus.
• 🔌 The motherboard's networking ports (2.5GbE and 5GbE) are noted as surprisingly not including 10GbE, prompting a consideration for a 10GbE NIC.
• 🤔 The long-term impact of moving the OS drive between multiple systems is acknowledged as a potential factor in any observed quirks.