Want to put a new PC together, looking for some advice.

[JTB123]

Hello everyone,

 

The time has come where my current PC just isn't fast enough anymore and it's old enough that upgrading isn't really an option for what I'm after but I haven't really kept up with PC hardware much recently and am looking for some help.

 

1. Budget & Location

 

I live in the UK and I'd like to get this under £700-£800 if possible. I won't need a monitor, keyboard, mouse or case. I honestly don't know enough about GPU acceleration for video rendering but I currently have a 1070. 

 

2. Aim

 

Video production, 1080p 60fps. I will be using this for video capture as well and gaming but video production is the main focus. I rarely game on my PC anymore but if I don't have to compromise much on the video production side and still game then that's great. 

 

I have been using SSD's for a while now and have become very used to quick boot times but I don't know if M.2 drives are really worth it. Any information on this would be appreciated. Is it really worth going with M.2 for anything other than my boot drive? 

 

3. Monitors

 

I already have a 4K monitor which I'm very happy with so won't be need anything additional.

 

4. Peripherals

 

I don't need anything in this department either, very happy with my mouse and keyboard, speakers, headset etc.  

 

5. Why are you upgrading?

 

I have started video production and streaming far more than I did when I first built my computer. It can handle it fine but I would really like to increase the speed at which I can create content and the general navigation of video while editing is slower than I would like. 

 

If I have missed anything please let me know and/or if you have more specific questions. 

 

Thanks in advance. 

[H4X3R]

Hi there. Are you willing to buy used?

Also, what are the parts you have in your current PC?

 

As for NVME drives, they are faster but IMO it's not worth it, especially not at your budget. You can always add one later on.

[limegorilla]

Primarily. Yes m.2 (NVME) drives are much better than their SATA counterparts. They are muuuuccchhh faster, and you can use the freed SATA port for more storage. I wouldn't go crazy, a 250gb boot drive is enough for the OS and a few applications, but if your going to use over half of that space I would recommend jumping to a 500gb one due to the way SSD transfer speeds work.

A 1070 is most likely not worth upgrading. It's not bad enough to justify upgrading in the first place and I would say you could probably get away with even some 4K stuff.

As far as a CPU, if you want video editing go Ryzen. The multicore performance is leaps and bounds over intel, and it will perform much better for streaming. I would advise one of the new 2nd gen chips, alongside a mobo with overclocking support.

RAM - for video editing I would go at 32gb if you can. This gives you enough overhead to not have to worry about upgrading, but if you go for two 16gb dimms upgrading to 64gb isn't hard.

 

[JTB123]

58 minutes ago, H4X3R said:

Hi there. Are you willing to buy used?

Also, what are the parts you have in your current PC?

 

As for NVME drives, they are faster but IMO it's not worth it, especially not at your budget. You can always add one later on.

 

I am not opposed to buying used if it's a viable option.

 

The only thing I'll be carrying over from my old machine is the case and my main storage drives. 

 

56 minutes ago, limegorilla said:

Primarily. Yes m.2 (NVME) drives are much better than their SATA counterparts. They are muuuuccchhh faster, and you can use the freed SATA port for more storage. I wouldn't go crazy, a 250gb boot drive is enough for the OS and a few applications, but if your going to use over half of that space I would recommend jumping to a 500gb one due to the way SSD transfer speeds work.

A 1070 is most likely not worth upgrading. It's not bad enough to justify upgrading in the first place and I would say you could probably get away with even some 4K stuff.

As far as a CPU, if you want video editing go Ryzen. The multicore performance is leaps and bounds over intel, and it will perform much better for streaming. I would advise one of the new 2nd gen chips, alongside a mobo with overclocking support.

RAM - for video editing I would go at 32gb if you can. This gives you enough overhead to not have to worry about upgrading, but if you go for two 16gb dimms upgrading to 64gb isn't hard.

 

That's what I was thinking regarding M.2, I would just get one for windows and basic applications but that's it. Are there any particular ones that are highly regarded? 

 

Is there a specific Ryzen CPU you had in mind? I have really not kept in the loop with new CPU tech so any recommendations would be very much appreciated. Is there a minimum core/speed I should be looking at? 

 

Thank you both for your help. 

 

[H4X3R]

30 minutes ago, JTB123 said:

 

I am not opposed to buying used if it's a viable option.

 

The only thing I'll be carrying over from my old machine is the case and my main storage drives. 

 

That's what I was thinking regarding M.2, I would just get one for windows and basic applications but that's it. Are there any particular ones that are highly regarded? 

 

Is there a specific Ryzen CPU you had in mind? I have really not kept in the loop with new CPU tech so any recommendations would be very much appreciated. Is there a minimum core/speed I should be looking at? 

 

Thank you both for your help. 

 

Here's what i suggest:

Ryzen 1700 8 core incl. cpu cooler -- 150 pounds -- https://skinflint.co.uk/amd-ryzen-7-1700-yd1700bbaebox-a1582201.html?hloc=uk

Asrock B450M Pro4 -- 75 pounds (has an m.2 slot for an nvme drive) -- https://skinflint.co.uk/asrock-b450m-pro4-90-mxb8f0-a0uayz-a1858732.html?hloc=uk

32GB RAM with at least 3000 mhz speed (higher speed is better with ryzen)

1. New: 230 pounds -- https://skinflint.co.uk/corsair-vengeance-lpx-black-dimm-kit-32gb-cmk32gx4m2b3000c15-a1323557.html?hloc=uk

2. Used: 180 pounds -- https://bit.ly/2DPxdd6

3. 64GB DDR4: 315 pounds -- https://www.gumtree.com/p/memory-motherboards-processors/crucial-64gb-16gb-x-4-ddr4-2400mhz-ram/1321869493

A good 600W PSU, for example: -- 70 - 80 pounds --  https://skinflint.co.uk/be-quiet-pure-power-10-cm-600w-atx-2-4-bn278-a1564596.html?hloc=uk 

For GPU:

1. Used = GTX 1070 for about 200 pounds: https://www.gumtree.com/search?search_category=all&q=gtx 1070

2. New = GTX 1060 6GB for 200 pounds: https://skinflint.co.uk/msi-geforce-gtx-1060-6gt-ocv1-v809-2234r-a1564648.html

NVME 240GB SSD -- 50 pounds --https://skinflint.co.uk/adata-xpg-sx6000-256gb-asx6000np-256gt-c-a1718112.html?hloc=uk

 

Total Cost = 740 - 820 pounds

 

 

 

 

 

[JTB123]

18 hours ago, H4X3R said:

Here's what i suggest:

Thanks for the recommendations, this gives me a great base to start. 

 

Quick question regarding RAM, is 64GB necessary? What would be the main benefit for that? I'm guessing navigating through video files while rendering would be really snappy and responsive.

 

Regarding the CPU I notice there is a 2700x 8 core version which base speed is slightly higher but almost double the price. I'm assuming the performance difference is not equal to the price jump?

[H4X3R]

3 hours ago, JTB123 said:

Thanks for the recommendations, this gives me a great base to start. 

 

Quick question regarding RAM, is 64GB necessary? What would be the main benefit for that? I'm guessing navigating through video files while rendering would be really snappy and responsive.

 

Regarding the CPU I notice there is a 2700x 8 core version which base speed is slightly higher but almost double the price. I'm assuming the performance difference is not equal to the price jump?

64 isnt necessary. 32GB would be just fine for your use case. The 32GB kit comes in 2 x 16 sticks so should you ever need more you can add 2 more 16GB sticks.

 

the 2700X is a refreshed version with higher clockspeeds but only has a small performance gain. The 1700 is the best choice in your price range.