Upgrading Gaming PC - Not Sure Where to Start (CPU, RAM, Mobo?)

Lzszs on 04/11/2023 - 14:24
Last edited 04/11/2023 - 15:10

I did some research into upgrading the gaming PC that I bought from this deal but I'm a bit overwhelmed by the tech jargon. I'd greatly appreciate some advice.

I use it for video editing (Premiere Pro etc.) and am finding that it lags. (Not really a gamer)

Current specs:
* CPU- Intel Core i5 10400F Comet Lake LGA 1200 2.90GHz
* MOBO- ASUS Prime H510M-A pci-express 3.0
* GPU- nVidia GeForce RTX 3060 12GB
* Ram- PNY Electronics 16GB (2x 8GB) DDR4-3200 (1600 MHz)
* SSD- M.2 NVMe 1TB (+added 2x2TB SATA SSDs)
* PSU- EVGA 700 GD 700W 80+ Gold Non-Modular Power Supply

(I'm not sure why BPC Tech provided a different motherboard to the Gigabyte B560M one listed in the deal. To my knowledge the B560M is superior but I didn't notice until months later..)

My current thinking is:
* keep the GPU
* buy an i7 or i9 CPU (why is this i9-11900 CPU so cheap??)
* upgrade RAM to 2x16GB DDR4
* maybe consider upgrading the mobo later?
Not sure about budget, but <1k would be nice. Just need it to be smooth when editing 4k video.

Does this sound ok? Is there anything I need to check other than compatibility with the mobo?

Thanks in advance :)

Computing Computer Desktop Computer

Comments

  • frondono on 04/11/2023 - 14:51

    Probably worth starting here.

    https://www.pugetsystems.com/solutions/video-editing-worksta…

    There'll be all sorts of guides around.

    • zszs on 04/11/2023 - 15:28

      Interesting read! Thanks for that.

  • scrimshaw on 04/11/2023 - 15:15
    +2

    Intel Core i9 11900 Processor $499

    that CPU isn't really that cheap, just regular price, it's an 11th gen Intel 8 core processor and this generation was before the time Intel introduced the hybrid CPU core design that combines larger cores with smaller ones.

    The 13th gen i7-13700K for e.g is 40% ahead in productivity benchmarks and that is a $600 CPU.
    https://www.techpowerup.com/review/intel-core-i7-13700k/25.h…

    Just note 13th gen uses a new socket so a mobo upgrade is required

    • zszs on 04/11/2023 - 15:30

      Ah I see, I just saw i9 and thought that's cheap. I'll have to learn about the many differences between CPU models. Thanks :)

  • FireRunner on 04/11/2023 - 15:17
    +1

    RAM is a cheap and easy upgrade, definitely worth it there.
    Don't think it's worth upgrading the mobo down the line.
    Either stick with it and upgrade just the CPU or upgrade both together so you find the best value combo instead of restricting yourself to LGA1200
    Also another consideration is the CPU cooler, check if what you have is adequate to cool an i7 or i9

    • zszs on 04/11/2023 - 15:31

      Good point, thank you - not sure about the cooler but will find out :)

  • Danstar on 04/11/2023 - 15:36

    Double your RAM
    i7 and a cooler for it should do the trick

    • zszs on 05/11/2023 - 00:53

      Thanks for your advice :)

    • zszs on 05/11/2023 - 00:55

      Thank you this is very helpful! I'll keep an eye out for some Black Friday deals.

  • Ozbar Gain on 04/11/2023 - 17:06
    -1

    Buy RAM and and most expensive gpu you can and be done with that.
    Then in a few years upgrade the CPU and mobo to a new platform

  • garetz on 04/11/2023 - 18:00

    That is a basic gaming pc, of course you will have issues with video editing, It is now 5 generations old.

    Just remember if you upgrade the cpu, you will need a much better cooling solution to take advantage of the extra power.

    • zszs on 05/11/2023 - 00:58

      Tech sure moves quickly, only bought it 1.5 years ago! Thanks for the tip re cooling, I see a fan in the back but will look into some better options.

      • garetz on 05/11/2023 - 02:49

        Even when you bought it a 12400f would of been a better option, and the same price too. That's why its almost never worth buying a prebuilt, they will scam you as much as they possibly can.

  • Kail on 04/11/2023 - 19:56
    +1

    What does your Task Manager say is struggling most when it lags during your video editing?
    Hit the Performance tab and see what's going on.

    • zszs on 05/11/2023 - 01:02
      +1

      The CPU hits about 95%, memory at 80%, GPU at 10-20%. Sooo I'm guessing the CPU is the culprit..? :I Thanks, I didn't think to check task manager!

      • scrimshaw on 05/11/2023 - 10:19
        +1

        It's normal for CPU utilisation hitting 100% when you're rendering, encoding or transcoding video. You want it that way since that means your CPU is fully busy doing the task, so that's nothing abnormal.

        You do need more memory: 16GB is bare minimum and 32GB is recommended. And if you're editing 4k video files, storage speed is important, so maybe do a benchmark on your SSD and let us know what kind of read / write / random performance you're getting
        Technically it's optimal to have at least a 'scratch' drive for current project files, working space, basically. This ideally should be a fast, high endurance drive, e.g a Samsung 990 or 980 Pro

      • Kail on 05/11/2023 - 11:58

        No worries! I agree with scrimshaw's analysis that you need more RAM, I'd definitely start with that then see how it is :)

  • goliath on 05/11/2023 - 16:59

    My computer is more than 5yo and I upgraded my GPU from 1070 to 4070 about 6 months ago and kept everything else. So far so good.

    I think your computer is a good balance and I don't think anything is really a short board.

    If you really want to then I'd suggest you to begin with RAM, because they allow for more concurrent processes, e.g., more tabs from the browers. 16GB is a bit too small and now ti's not very costly. Then CPU if you want.

    And motherboard is perhaps a last option as it's the least factor to impact the overall perforamce, plus that you usually will have to reinstall the system if you replace it, while other upgrades usually don't need that.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join