Need Computer Advice - Buy or Wait

tempestswitch on 25/02/2021 - 09:20

Hey all,

So I had an old PC that I used for editing but the power supply went toast and took the motherboard and graphics card too.
Specs:
i7 6700K
GTX 980
32GB 2666 RAM

I edit photos and videos for work. Was acceptable with the performance with the old machine but obviously want an upgrade.

I know I would like a 5900X and 3060 Ti for Adobe Premiere + Lightroom, but there is simply no way to get one at the moment.
Original budget was $3000-4000
I need a PC soon as I have a few edits coming my way.

Options Should I build a cheap
* $1000 Intel machine that's a little bit better than my old PC to get me through (i5 10400F, 32GB RAM, 1650 Super) - Then see what is available in a year then sell and upgrade
* $1500 AMD 3600 + 1660 Super build and upgrade to 5900X +3060 Ti when available
* $3000 Intel build and call it a day (i9 10900K, 64GB RAM, RTX 3070)

Thanks all.

Poll Options expired

  • 2
    $1000 (i5 10400F, 32GB RAM, 1650 Super)
  • 3
    $3000 (i9 10900K, 64GB RAM, 3070)
  • 20
    $1500 (Ryzen 3600, 32GB RAM, 1660 Super)
Computing Computer Desktop Computer

Comments

  • killertaxi on 25/02/2021 - 09:24
    +7

    If your using it for work, time is money. I'd invents in the higher performance option if I was you.

    • s1Lence on 25/02/2021 - 09:41

      agreed, if it was just personal use i'd go budget but paying a bit more this scenario makes much more cents in the long run

  • gmail92 on 25/02/2021 - 09:28
    +1

    I reckon go $1000 but grab a z490; which will put you on track for a cheap I9 when they get thrown out. Pick whatever gpu fancies you.
    I9s currently have much better price-perf value than AMD equiv.

    • tempestswitch on 25/02/2021 - 09:36

      That's a fair call.. So maybe in a few years when people upgrade to 12+13th Gen I can snag a cheapie 10/11th Gen i9?

  • wiipantz on 25/02/2021 - 09:29
    +1

    I'm pretty sure there has been some turnkey systems on OZB of late that could get you going asap with warranty ect ect…. Alienware I think was the latest from memory, worth a look?

    • tempestswitch on 25/02/2021 - 09:32

      Yeah there has been some solid machines, but a hobby of mine is building a machine myself. I find a lot of joy in doing that. And also I want to cram it into a Mini ITX machine.

      • wiipantz on 25/02/2021 - 09:35
        +2

        yeah I've built countless amounts of machines and still do as a hobby not so much professionally anymore, just with wait times some of the pre-builds hold up atm for GPU stock mostly. I get the 'want' with building was addressing more the 'need' for the device than anything :)

        • tempestswitch on 25/02/2021 - 09:37
          +1

          The 'need' aspect is something I need to weight up haha. I just love building it myself too much

  • AndyC1 on 25/02/2021 - 10:05

    Instead of the Ryzen 3600 I would grab the Ryzen 5600X.

    • tempestswitch on 25/02/2021 - 10:07

      I just missed the 5600X del from Newegg :(

  • zrmx on 25/02/2021 - 10:05

    Since you're using it for productivity work, the performance king is just going to be Ryzen 59-0Xs , but the best value is actually still 3900X/3950X, if you can find them at reasonable price.

    Checkout this review here: https://www.techspot.com/review/2134-amd-ryzen-5800x/

    Performance ranking wise with Premiere Pro: 5950X (~5%)> 3950X/5900X (~5-6%)> 3900X (~3-4%)> 10900K ~(2%)~= 5800X (~14%)> 3700X ~= i7-10700K

    I don't really recommend the 10900K due to power cost and motherboard is still more expensive than AM4 platform, unless you need X570. The B450 Tomahawk actually will be able to handle up to 3950X (which is more energy taxing than the 5950X). As the computer will be used for work, I'd assume you won't be doing overclocking as stability is king.

    • tempestswitch on 25/02/2021 - 10:39

      Do you think I should get a 3600 until the 5900X is available or just get a 3900X now?
      Pricing for the 3900X isnt great at the moment

      • zrmx on 25/02/2021 - 10:54
        +1

        Yea I realised that's the case when doing some price searching.

        Cheapest 3900X atm is Amazon US $706.80 shipped if you have Prime, or CentreCom $729. In comparison, the i9-10900 (non-K, presuming no overclocking needed) is $599 from CentreCom i9-10850K (performs similar to 10900) $557.10 from Computer Alliance via eBay 10%. That's ~30% price difference vs 5% performance difference in Premiere Pro (although that gap may widen if you do move onto other productivity applications).

        MB cost (when on sale, generally the below prices can be reduced by ~10%):

        • AM4: B450 Tomahawk Max II $155 shipped CentreCom, or if B550, if mATX B550M Steel Legend $188 shipped from OLC or AZeShop via Amazon AU, if ATX B550 then MSI B550-A Pro $229 shipped

        • Z490: MSI Z490-A Pro: $249 ~$218 (didn't realise the eBay 10%/12% off deal is still on)

        So lowest CPU+MB cost:

        • 3900X+: $861.80, or $894.80, or $935.80

        • i9-10850K+Z490: $848 $775.10 (~11%, or ~15%, or ~21% cheaper than 3900X+)

        From a previous comment/comparison, without updating the prices, the 3600+MB cost will be:

        • CPU: ~$287 (Amazon US via Prime)
        • MB: stay the same as above being AM4 platform, so $155 or $188 or $229
        • Total: $442 or $475 or $516
        • Performs ~35% worse than 3900X in Premiere Pro, but ~49%, ~47%, ~45% cheaper than the 3900X option.

        Add in another CPU for comparison, the i7-10700 (non-K, which has similar performance as 5600X, but quite a bit cheaper), $398 from OLC via Amazon AU. With MB, it'll cost $616, which compared to:

        3600+MB, it performs ~13% better and:

        ~39%, or ~30% or ~19% more expensive

        3900X+MB, it performs ~17% worse and:

        ~28.5%, or ~31% or 34% cheaper.

        10850K+Z490, it performs ~14% worse and ~20.5% cheaper.

        So 3600 seems to be the best value/performance balance, but the overall percentage cost will reduce as you integrate them into the overall system cost, but it'll be your decision to make. It'll depend on how much you value your time, and do you have a lot of work/projects at the moment. As if a project can finish rendering faster, that means you can start the next project faster, if you have sort of a backlog. This means you can do more work and generate more income, depending on the nature of your work.

      • zrmx on 25/02/2021 - 11:34

        ^updated some CPU choice and MB pricing with consideration to current eBay promo.

        Good luck.

  • TheBird on 25/02/2021 - 12:00

    The software you use will make a difference to the best recommendation. Particularly, your video editing software.

    Also, what you're editing. Codec, bitrate, resolution.

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