iGPU or GPU and CPU

[MarkVintel2]

Hello, I can't decide which is the better option. The PC is going to be used for general tasks, music software, maybe some gaming.

 

Option 1:

Only with an iGPU:

Intel Core i5-11600K (3.9GHz)

 

Option 2:

With a CPU and a GPU:

AMD Ryzen 5 5500 (3.6GHz)

GIGABYTE GeForce GT 1030 2GB OC

 

The motherboard will be changed depending on the chosen option.

 

What to choose? (The price of the two options is the same)

[Chris Pratt]

The 11600K just has Intel UHD graphics, not even Xe, so performance in general will be very weak. You might be able to do some very light gaming on it or maybe something a little heavier with low quality and/or low resolution, but for the most part, gaming isn't going to be a real option.

 

That said, the GT 1030 is not a very capable GPU either, especially with only 2GB of VRAM available to it. It will be marginally better than the iGPU on the Intel chip, but you're really talking about maybe a game being playable at 720p medium vs low or not at all. In general, neither is going to provide a good gaming experience.

 

The 11600K is a better CPU overall and has more performance than the 5500, so for everything else you do, that's the better option. I'd just not even worry about gaming as an option and go with the 11600K. You can add a dGPU in later if you decide you really want to do some gaming.