Red or Blue next for CPU? Content Creation Work Station

[im_livegolf]

1. Budget & Location

I'm looking to upgrade my current build's CPU, Mobo, and RAM for around $500 USD. Full specs at the end. I have 2 builds planned out, but I'm not sure which one, or maybe something else, I should go with. Both are embedded at the end.

 

 

2. Aim: What is the system going to be used for?

I'm shooting for a well-rounded computer. I use this thing for everything: gaming, school work, photo editing, playing music, video creation and editing, streaming. If I get a CNC/3D printer, I'll be doing 3D work as well but I'm not doing that yet. I would also look to have the option to overclock so that the life of the CPU can be extended.

-For games, I play a wide range of stuff. Some recent examples: BF1, Overwatch, Minecraft, Dishonored 2, Fork Knife, KOTOR 1&2, Black Desert Online, XCOM 2, Crawl, GTA V (single-player only), Skyrim (modded, of course).

-For video creation, I record via OBS in the background. I currently use my GPU to record via NVENC H.264 since my CPU 100%'s in most modern games. I have my games' settings to utilize ~40% of my 1070 when not recording so there is enough resources for OBS to use. I also have a dedicated HDD for recording videos to; not sure if that's important to include, but just in case...

-For video editing, I use DiVinci Resolve 14 (the free edition). It's featured enough for my needs, and free which is nice.

-For photo editing, I use Affinity Photo. I shoot in RAW on my Fujifilm, which makes each file MASSIVE. For the edits I do, it takes at least 30 seconds to apply just one of them. (If it would use my GPU like I've set it to do, this wouldn't be an issue. But, it seems like there are some bound to the CPU.) Exporting also exclusively uses the CPU, so those take a while to finish.

-For streaming, I use OBS to push to either Restream.io or just Mixer. I want to go at least 720p60, but I haven't been able to reach this while looking decent with my config. 

-I'm assuming a computer that can handle the above can run Word, PPT, Excel. At least I'd hope so!

 

 

3. Monitors: How many monitors do you plan on running? Do you plan on moving to more monitors in the future? What resolution are they at too?

I currently have 2: a horizontal 1080p 60hz IPS Asus-something as the main, and a used Dell 1080p TN(??) in portrait. If I start making some decent money with photography, I may upgrade my main monitor to a color accurate one (hopefully higher hertz/resolution too). I never plan on doing a surround setup using 3 monitors, but maybe an ultra-wide if one is available for a decent price (and also color accurate, higher refresh rate than my main one). But for now, these 2 are good. The Asus uses HDMI, the Dell DVI.

 

 

4. Peripherals: Do you also need to purchase peripherals?

I'm upgrading my current rig, so my peripherals will be fine. Only if/when one breaks will they get upgraded. And I'd try to fix it myself first. My Windows 10 license if from my Windows 7 license, so I'll tie that to my Microsoft account before upgrading since the core hardware is changing. 

 

 

5. Why are you upgrading?

My CPU is reaching the end of its useful life. Even with a significant overclock, it is struggling in how I'm trying to use it. There is content I want to make, but physically cannot with my current set up. Well, unless if I went for a "cinematic," stuttery frame rate of 10fps. But I'm not. My CPU is 4+ years old at this point, and is conspicuously the bottleneck. With it severely limiting what I can make and do, along with extending how long it takes to make it quite significantly, I think it is time for an upgrade.

 

(Throughout the nearly 6 years of having my desktop, I've clean reinstalled Windows 4 times. In the name of keeping it speedy. It takes about 5 days for me to reinstall all the software I use, reconfigure, etc. I keep everything clean, storage slim, processes low, and the rest of the sha-bang. I can't squeeze out any more performance than I already am. I also regularly clean the filters, heat sinks, and whole case of dust. No thermal throttling. Ever.)

 

Also, my mom has 50,000+ photos from more than a decade of taking photos. All of which are on her laptop. Since that's not the greatest of ideas, I was going to take my old hardware (my current config, but using my old GPU, RAM...) and make a NAS storage server using FreeNAS out of it. I was going to take off the overclock for greater stability, longevity, and lower power consumption, and put in 4 HDDs, and an old laptop HDD to just hold the OS. I may throw in some extra functionality into it, but that depends on its initial levels of utilization. 

 

 

6. Please copy and paste the major dot points into your thread as it makes it easier for us to give you better feedback.

[alt+0149] I'm upgrading my rig's CPU, but will have to do Mobo+RAM too. Want to overclock at some point.
• I use it for everything: resource-heavy games, recording, photo editing, and all the way to school work, web browsing.
• 2, 1080p, 60hz monitors
• aim to use old parts for server build
• I am not sure which way to go, or if something soon is coming I should just wait for.

 

 

7. Extra info: Added background, so that you know from where I am coming, and where I currently plan to go.

 

If I use my old parts for a NAS, I'll have to get another case to hold everything, or just build one of wood. 
I still have my AMD Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB GPU and 8GB of DDR3 RAM to use.

My current specs: (yes, I have this in a .txt file)

PC Specs:
MoBo: MSI Z97 PC Mate (LGA 1150, Intel) 
CPU: Overclocked Intel i5-4690K Quad Core @4.2 GHz  LGA 1150
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO, GELID Solutions GC-Extreme Thermal Compound
GPU: Overclocked MSI GTX 1070 Gaming 8GB
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 16GB (4GBx4) DDR3 1600
PSU: Corsair Hx750  750W  Gold certified, Modular
Storage:
SSD - Samsung 250 GB 
HDD - WD 1 TB HD (mass storage)
HDD - WD 1 TB HD (recording only, older one)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922
Monitors: 
ASUS VS239H-p 23" IPS LCD
Used Dell 1080p P2412H
Fan Controller: NZXT AC-SEN-3-B1 Sentry Touch Screen Fan Controller
Sound Card: ASUS Xonar DGX PCI-E GX2.5 Audio Engine

Peripherals:
Keyboard: Corsair Strafe RGB CHERRY® MX Silent
Mouse: Logitech G700s
Speakers: Audioengine A5+, powered
Headphones: Sennheiser HD 598
Microphone: Rode NT-USB

 

I have 2 prospective builds on PCPartPicker.com below. I am not sure which way to go, or if these are even good builds to begin with. For each, I would upgrade the RAM later if I needed it by buying 2 of the same sticks. I was really hoping I could use my current RAM, but DDR3 isn't compatible.  I would also like to get an M.2 drive, but that's another day.  I will use my current: Case, PSU, GPU, CPU Cooler, SSD, HDDs, CD/DVD Drive, Fans, Fan Controller, OS, Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers, Headphones, and Monitors. in addition to the new MoBo, CPU, and RAM.

 

1: AMD Ryzen 2600x build:

 

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/tQdk9J
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/tQdk9J/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600X 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor  ($209.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI - X470 GAMING PLUS ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($129.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Tactical 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($90.62 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Tactical 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($90.62 @ Amazon) 
Total: $521.22
 

 

2: i5-8600K Coffee Lake Build:

 

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/kdbJMZ
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/kdbJMZ/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8600K 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor  ($238.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI - Z370 SLI PLUS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($132.29 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Tactical 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($90.62 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Tactical 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($90.62 @ Amazon) 
Total: $552.52

 

tldr: For my work, my current build is inhibiting. I am not sure if Blue or Red is better for my applications and games. I only need to upgrade my CPU, MoBo, and RAM, as they are the current bottleneck. I can spend about $500, but I'm not sure if the upgrade is worth it right now.

[NoRomanBatmansAllowed]

You don't need super gamery stuff with a top of the line mobo when you're on a budget.

 

I'd actually recommend something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 1700 3GHz 8-Core Processor  ($244.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: MSI - B350 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($149.88 @ Walmart) 
Total: $459.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-05-17 20:36 EDT-0400

[BeepBoop.PC]

Okay, that's a lot of info, but for you I say go with Intel. Only because of content creation, everything else is pretty much the same towards both. AMD is very promising, and I'm yet to use it myself since I always default to Intel, but in one of their latest videos, HardwareCanucks, explains the new updates for blue CPU's well and how they can utilize their resources best to use towards video editing. Take my word with a grain of salt, I always go team blue because I understand the skews better and the pricing, etc. But they make a pretty good argument for Intel, at least for right now. Check it out:

 

 

[BeepBoop.PC]

If you do pick Intel, though, it'll be a bit more expensive, but based on Dmitri's findings, that little bit more should carry much further in terms of performance than AMD.

 

NoRomanBatmans recommends the Ryzen 7 1700 (8-core) for $250

I recommend the i7-8700 or 8700k (6-core) for $280 and $300, respectively.

 

One thing I will say, Team blue's in a good place right now and I wouldn't recommend trying to look for an older 6-core Intel cpu, as they'll just be more expensive. The 5820k in my other system was also $300 and it's performance is nowhere near the 8700K, Intel cpu's have less cores generally, but they utilize them better.

[Jurrunio]

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hDVHgL
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hDVHgL/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 1700 3GHz 8-Core Processor  ($244.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($54.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Team - Dark 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($159.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $459.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-05-17 21:05 EDT-0400

 

Ryzen 7 is not as good as Coffee Lake when it comes to doing 1 thing fast, but it can do multiple things at once with a smaller performance hit. In other words, Ryzen is more versatile. Say you want to play games while video is being encoded at the background, Coffee Lake is inferior to Ryzen. Coffee also costs more to get competing performance. 

 

2nd Gen Ryzen is faster than 1st gen, but not yet worth the extra price.

 

A fast SSD can help editing by making files ready up faster. I'd dedicate one seperately rather than using the boot drive for this.

47 minutes ago, im_livegolf said:

All of which are on her laptop. Since that's not the greatest of ideas, I was going to take my old hardware (my current config, but using my old GPU, RAM...) and make a NAS storage server using FreeNAS out of it.

Just use the CPU's integrated graphics, no need for the R9 280

 

22 minutes ago, NoRomanBatmansAllowed said:

Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($149.88 @ Walmart) 

Price raised to over $190

[NoRomanBatmansAllowed]

4 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

Price raised to over $190

OK so the price is now just above $500.

[im_livegolf]

16 hours ago, NoRomanBatmansAllowed said:

You don't need super gamery stuff with a top of the line mobo when you're on a budget.

 

I'd actually recommend something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 1700 3GHz 8-Core Processor  ($244.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: MSI - B350 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($149.88 @ Walmart) 
Total: $459.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-05-17 20:36 EDT-0400

I really appreciate you taking the time to make this recommendtaion! 

 

For the CPU, I was trying to balance between Core Count and Single Core clock speed to balance between being able to make content and single-core heavy games. Those two extra cores would be nice, for sure! Would sacrificing single-core performance be worth it for the additional cores?

 

I am worried about the motherboard. I have an ~$80 motherboard in right now, and with certain games, electricity arks to my PCIe cards from the motherboard! A WiFi card was killed this way, so I'm weary of a ~$65 mobo. I don't want to lose my whole system, so is the MSI B350 proven to be reliable?

 

The RAM I suggested is all-in-all $10 cheaper than your suggestion, but is clocked at 2666 instead of 3000. I don't care about the looks, so is the $10 worth it for that performance boost?

 

And thank you again for taking the time to read through everything and respond! I've read so much, I'm at the point where I need some external input before I lose my mind.

[im_livegolf]

16 hours ago, BeepBoop.PC said:

Okay, that's a lot of info, but for you I say go with Intel. Only because of content creation, everything else is pretty much the same towards both. AMD is very promising, and I'm yet to use it myself since I always default to Intel, but in one of their latest videos, HardwareCanucks, explains the new updates for blue CPU's well and how they can utilize their resources best to use towards video editing. Take my word with a grain of salt, I always go team blue because I understand the skews better and the pricing, etc. But they make a pretty good argument for Intel, at least for right now. Check it out:

 

 

*sigh* I know... I've put so much effort into building this the first time around, and I'm putting in so much more this time.  So thank you for taking the time to look through all of it. I really appreciate you taking time to help me out.

 

No offense, but I always take info with a grain of salt!  Sorry, it's my schooling and experience surfacing there. But it is still valuable to know why someone always goes one way or the other. I know that a lot of other creators make workstations with Intel-based computers, but I wasn't sure if these new CPUs had something definitively that made one better than the other. I've certainly been doing my homework, and I haven't found that info yet.

 

Onto your follow-up post, I am willing to put a smidgen extra upfront IF it means that it will effectively last longer. I tend to be long-term oriented in everything (exhibit A: I'm working towards having my retirement done by age 25, or about 2 years from now), so a little extra now for a significantly longer life is something I am fine with. 

 

I will definitely be comparing the 1700 and 8700k here with greater depth, with your input. I am looking for the option to overclock, to again extend the life of the CPU. Would the possible/likely overclock of the 8700k provide a significant-enough performance boost to make the additional ~$50 worth it over the overclock of the 1700? 

 

I will definitely be checking out the video! Lemme respond to everyone else here first. And again, thanks for taking the time to provide your input and reading everything!

 

*edit: corrected a spelling mistake in paragraph 3

[im_livegolf]

16 hours ago, Jurrunio said:

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hDVHgL
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hDVHgL/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 1700 3GHz 8-Core Processor  ($244.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($54.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Team - Dark 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($159.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $459.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-05-17 21:05 EDT-0400

 

Ryzen 7 is not as good as Coffee Lake when it comes to doing 1 thing fast, but it can do multiple things at once with a smaller performance hit. In other words, Ryzen is more versatile. Say you want to play games while video is being encoded at the background, Coffee Lake is inferior to Ryzen. Coffee also costs more to get competing performance. 

 

2nd Gen Ryzen is faster than 1st gen, but not yet worth the extra price.

 

A fast SSD can help editing by making files ready up faster. I'd dedicate one seperately rather than using the boot drive for this.

Just use the CPU's integrated graphics, no need for the R9 280

 

Price raised to over $190

Hey, thank you for taking the time to give your input! Not very many people would look at my post and be like "yeah, I'll take the time to help this person out." So thank you so much!

 

Ok, that is really useful info. I am really trying to make a well-rounded machine, so going with the versatile option may be the option with which to go. I don't know if foregoing single-core performance was worth the trade-off for more core counts. As I said in my response to NoRomanBatmansAllowed, I don't know where the balance is between being able to make content and single-core heavy games. 

 

Being able to export a video or export a photo in the background while doing something else would be a fantastic time saver, oh my god! That's precisely why I was thinking about going for more cores. But I also didn't want to sacrifice the useful life of my CPU by sacrificing on single-core performance. I just didn't know where that balance was. I want this computer to be useful for at least 4 years. But it needs to be useful during those 4 years, you know? So would Ryzen's 3Ghz or possible/likely OC last me for at least those 4 years?

 

You saying how Ryzen 2 isn't worth it yet, Coffee is good for one thing quick, and Ryzen 1 is good for multitasking is really helpful.  On the SSD note, I actually just got back a 500GB SSD from a family member (I help some people with computer upgrades/repairs), so I could use that one as a new boot drive, and my current SSD as an editing-specific drive! On the Integrated graphics, yeah that is the most logical way to go. The only thing I thought I might maybe be able to do with that GPU in there is use it as a dedicated stream-hosting computer. But I don't know if I'll physically have access to it for the whole life of this upgrade, so I didn't want to make that assumption.

 

So again, I want to say thank you for your input! There is so much to consider, having your input is helpful in making sense of it all. I really appreciate you taking the time to do this.
 

[Jurrunio]

6 hours ago, im_livegolf said:

Ok, that is really useful info. I am really trying to make a well-rounded machine, so going with the versatile option may be the option with which to go. I don't know if foregoing single-core performance was worth the trade-off for more core counts. As I said in my response to NoRomanBatmansAllowed, I don't know where the balance is between being able to make content and single-core heavy games. 

 

Being able to export a video or export a photo in the background while doing something else would be a fantastic time saver, oh my god! That's precisely why I was thinking about going for more cores. But I also didn't want to sacrifice the useful life of my CPU by sacrificing on single-core performance. I just didn't know where that balance was. I want this computer to be useful for at least 4 years. But it needs to be useful during those 4 years, you know? So would Ryzen's 3Ghz or possible/likely OC last me for at least those 4 years?

 

You saying how Ryzen 2 isn't worth it yet, Coffee is good for one thing quick, and Ryzen 1 is good for multitasking is really helpful.  On the SSD note, I actually just got back a 500GB SSD from a family member (I help some people with computer upgrades/repairs), so I could use that one as a new boot drive, and my current SSD as an editing-specific drive! On the Integrated graphics, yeah that is the most logical way to go. The only thing I thought I might maybe be able to do with that GPU in there is use it as a dedicated stream-hosting computer. But I don't know if I'll physically have access to it for the whole life of this upgrade, so I didn't want to make that assumption.

Unless you can spend more for an i9, or going used X99. Ryzen is your best bet in order to not break the budget. Ryzen can still play these games, just not at frame rates high enough for high refresh rate monitors.

 

Ryzen platform will get new CPUs till 2020, so there's still 2 years of upgrade to look forward to. You might want to spend extra for a mobo that can support that power draw though, since Ryzen 2000 series shows speed increase at the cost of high power draw and heat output. Ryzen 1000 series you can buy currently are all late-production models, which means they can hit 4GHz max. If you want to keep some efficiency, then 3.7-3.8GHz is your best bet.

 

Ryzen 2 does have a much better memory controller, but if you arent the type of people who buy expensive Samsing B-die memory and overclock RAM as much as possible, then it's not worth the hassle.