Solved PC upgrade advice please..

I've been planning on upgrading my rig for some time and now it's time to pull the trigger. My thought is to just get a slightly better AMD APU and be done with it. But then I gave it more thought and I was now wondering if it would be better to go all in.

Rather than just getting a Ryzen 3 3200G how about this, get a Intel Core I5-10600K and a new motherboard? The Intel has 6 cores/12 threads and a built in GPU, base MHz is 4.1.

Is this a no brainier or am I overthinking it?
All advice is welcome
TIA
Jeff

Your thinking that is crystal clear is that an upgrade to a AMD Ryzen 3 3200G could be done with your existing motherboard, while an upgrade to an Intel Core i5-10600K would require a new motherboard - so, the Core i5 upgrade path is going to be inherently more expensive that the Ryzen 3 upgrade path, meaning you may have to go that little bit further to justify that expenditure.

The bit that is no brainier is, "why are you needing an upgrade, right now?" Like, is there some software you need that wont run on your current rig? Or would you like to see some favourite software run a bit faster, that is without bottlenecks? All chosen processors can run on Windows 10 and 11 Operating Systems, so there is no real gain there - might be better to wait until CPUs are certified as being "Windows 11" only CPUs, because then you will know that the technology is meant for the system you are intent on running. The choice is yours.

The Core i5 has more cores per die than both the Ryzens, and it's CPU performance can be 50% greater, according to published benchmarks. The drawback of the i5 is that it consumes more power. It consumes 125W compared to the Ryzens 65W - that is a doubling of power consumption for a 50% gain in performance. The second drawback of the i5 is that it supports a slower Memory Bus compared to the Ryzens, but this difference is only a couple of hundred Megahertz.

Also note that the processors Cache memory is shared out between each of the Cores on the die. This gives the i5 a better L3 Cache and the Ryzens a better L2 Cache. The CPU Cache technology holds instructions temporarily to improve the performance of memory access.

BunnyJ said:

I've been planning on upgrading my rig for some time and now it's time to pull the trigger.

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Is that because prices are insanely over inflated right now?

Performance wise my current rig is ok.. the goal in going to the Intel is to make sure that I don't have to do another upgrade for a few years. The AMD upgrade is so minor it's almost not worth doing and from what I've read Photoshop will do a bit better with a 6 core 12 thread processor.

Yes.. it's going to cost more to go to the Intel but IMO, it might be worth it.

NavyLCDR said:

Is that because prices are insanely over inflated right now?

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They are.. but that's for the GPU. If I got a Ryzen 5 3600 I would have to get a dedicated GPU and those are outrageously priced. I can get the Intel and the Motherboard for less than the AMD/separate GPU

BunnyJ said:

They are.. but that's for the GPU. If I got a Ryzen 5 3600 I would have to get a dedicated GPU and those are outrageously priced. I can get the Intel and the Motherboard for less than the AMD/separate GPU

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That mainly works if you aren't interested in the performance of the GPU. Integrated graphics are usually much worse than discrete graphics cards. Example: HD 630 vs nVidia GT 1030 (The Intel includes HD 630 graphics. The GT 1030 is a low-end card from two nVidia generations ago, and probably not much purchased by crypto miners.) If you don't game, that's probably OK.

bobkn said:

That mainly works if you aren't interested in the performance of the GPU. Integrated graphics are usually much worse than discrete graphics cards. Example: HD 630 vs nVidia GT 1030 (The Intel includes HD 630 graphics. The GT 1030 is a low-end card from two nVidia generations ago, and probably not much purchased by crypto miners.) If you don't game, that's probably OK.

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I understand that and if I need a better GPU I can get one later on.

BunnyJ said:

I understand that and if I need a better GPU I can get one later on.

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System Builder <-----

BunnyJ said:

They are.. but that's for the GPU. If I got a Ryzen 5 3600 I would have to get a dedicated GPU and those are outrageously priced. I can get the Intel and the Motherboard for less than the AMD/separate GPU

Click to expand...

If the price is right, go get it. It's a good proc. I even have I3 10100 (4 cores/8threads), and it's more than enough for all my work. 10600K is far more powerful.
Your motherboard is limiting AMD processors you can get to 3xxx series. 5 3600 is a good proc, with limitations you already exposed.

Don't know if Ryzen 5 4650 is available in your area. It's a good processor with more powerful graphic than Intel, but it's not available everywhere (was introduced as OEM part). Price is somewhere around Intel 10500.

BunnyJ said:

I understand that and if I need a better GPU I can get one later on.

Click to expand...

Right. Especially if you're trying to talk yourself into the Intel upgrade.

(That's OK. My desktops are AMD at the moment, but I have gone back and forth between them and Intel over the years. My latest Intel system used an X99 chipset. I sorta miss the quad channel RAM, which would require a Threadripper AMD chipset.)

BunnyJ said:

I've been planning on upgrading my rig for some time and now it's time to pull the trigger. My thought is to just get a slightly better AMD APU and be done with it. But then I gave it more thought and I was now wondering if it would be better to go all in.

Rather than just getting a Ryzen 3 3200G how about this, get a Intel Core I5-10600K and a new motherboard? The Intel has 6 cores/12 threads and a built in GPU, base MHz is 4.1.

Is this a no brainier or am I overthinking it?
All advice is welcome
TIA
Jeff

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All I can say Jeff is that I have aways been a Intel person and IMHO, if you do go with Intel you will happy with your decision.

Winuser said:

All I can say Jeff is that I have aways been a Intel person and IMHO, if you do go with Intel you will happy with your decision.

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I used to get Intel processors and I switched to AMD some time ago. While I like AMD I found that the Intel gives me a nice CPU/GPU combination on the same processor.

Price wise I can get all of the parts for the Intel build in Sept or Oct of this year. IMO,, It's the way to go for me.

Ghot said:

System Builder <-----

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Nice but a bit much for my overall budget

Josey Wales said:

Desktops by Digital Storm

Our desktops form an entirely new breed that has been recognized industry wide as one of the most powerful systems available. Build one now.

www.digitalstorm.com

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Thanks.. but I have all of the parts I just want to do an upgrade and I can do that myself.

BunnyJ said:

I used to get Intel processors and I switched to AMD some time ago. While I like AMD I found that the Intel gives me a nice CPU/GPU combination on the same processor.

Price wise I can get all of the parts for the Intel build in Sept or Oct of this year. IMO,, It's the way to go for me.

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I miss the days when I use to go to all the local computer shows. They use to have some great deals. Now the closet one that I know of is to far me me. It's south of Baltimore which means taking I-95 from Delaware, going through the tunnel and probably getting on the Beltway. It is much closer and easier for me to order online with Micro Center then take a short trip to ST. Davids Pa.

Winuser said:

I miss the days when I use to go to all the local computer shows. They use to have some great deals. Now the closet one that I know of is to far me me. It's south of Baltimore which means taking I-95 from Delaware, going through the tunnel and probably getting on the Beltway. It is much closer and easier for me to order online with Micro Center then take a short trip to ST. Davids Pa.

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There's a shop in my town but they mostly fix PC's etc and they sell used parts. I have to touch base to see what he would charge to assemble the parts for me.

BunnyJ said:

There's a shop in my town but they mostly fix PC's etc and they sell used parts. I have to touch base to see what he would charge to assemble the parts for me.

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We have a local Electronics/Radio Shack store that sells parts, new and rebuilt computers/laptops and does repairs. I do buy from them on occasion. I know it's not their fault but they can't compete with Micro Center. A few years back and under a different ownerI was going to go ahead and have them custom build a desktop for me. The tech I talked to was a friend of my son and he told me he would get back to me with a price. He never did and I never had them build my desktop.

You don't have to spend a fortune for a GPU if integrated GPU works for you. Any pre-owned OEM GPU will work better than iGPU.
But if you are willing to spending extra for the motherboard to get an i5, why not just get a Ryzen 7 3700X (8 cores, 16 thread) , use your existing mobo and look for a cheap (around $50 or less) OEM GPU online. You can just upgrade the GPU later on.

I like the idea,, I just have to work that out budget wise.