My First PC Build – Intel vs AMD for Work and Gaming

[hmn888]

Hello everyone,
I’m planning to build my first PC and have put together two parts lists while waiting for good deals.
The PC will be primarily used for work with Adobe programs (especially After Effects) and some 3D work.
I also enjoy gaming, so I want to build a system that can handle both tasks efficiently.
I’m undecided between an AMD or Intel CPU. I’m leaning towards Intel since I’ve always used Intel processors.
However, I’ve heard a lot about issues with the latest 13th and 14th generation Intel CPUs. Are these issues resolved now?
Can I confidently build a stable system with Intel after applying BIOS updates and undervolting?
I haven’t found much solid information on this, and most discussions are either “Intel is bad” or “AMD is the better choice.”
I would love to hear from experienced people about their thoughts on this. Also, I’d appreciate any feedback on the rest of
the components in my build. Below are the two parts lists I’ve put together. My budget is around 2,000 Euros.

Intel System:​

https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/rq26sp

• CPU: Intel Core i7-14700K 3.4 GHz 20-Core Processor
• CPU Cooler: be quiet! Pure Loop 2 Liquid CPU Cooler
• Motherboard: MSI PRO Z790-P WIFI ATX LGA1700
• Memory: Corsair Vengeance 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30
• Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 NVMe
• Video Card: Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER 16 GB
• Case: be quiet! Silent Base 802 ATX Mid Tower
• Power Supply: MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850 W 80+ Gold Fully Modular

AMD System:​

https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/R4LdXR

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 4.7 GHz 12-Core Processor
• CPU Cooler: be quiet! Pure Loop 2 Liquid CPU Cooler
• Motherboard: MSI B650 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX AM5
• Memory: Corsair Vengeance 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30
• Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 NVMe
• Video Card: Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER 16 GB
• Case: be quiet! Silent Base 802 ATX Mid Tower
• Power Supply: MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850 W 80+ Gold Fully Modular

Which system would you recommend based on a balance of gaming and productivity?
Also, if you have any insights on the CPU choice or potential issues with either, I would love to hear them.
Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[dgianstefani]

Both of these are outdated.

If you can, wait for RTX 50xx release, if you can't, then this is a better option, or wait for 9800X3D to come down in price.

PCPartPicker Part List: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/WXvsZc

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9700X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor (€332.96 @ Caseking)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler (€34.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Motherboard: MSI B650 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard (€152.89 @ Mindfactory)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory (€213.66 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€141.89 @ Alternate)
Video Card: Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER 16 GB Video Card (€846.99 @ notebooksbilliger.de)
Case: be quiet! Silent Base 802 ATX Mid Tower Case (€160.90 @ Galaxus)
Power Supply: be quiet! Dark Power 13 750 W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (€187.98 @ Mindfactory)
Total: €2072.17
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-11-27 00:16 CET+0100

 

[anonuser57]

The thing with Intel is it needs a lot of power, especially with all cores active, and you absolutely must update your BIOS immediately when you get your motherboard or else the chip will self destruct. From a performance standpoint I think the Intel CPU edges out the 7900x, but you need to double check that with reviews and you also need to find reviews with your productivity applications. It is probably best to look at reviews for recent CPUs for the performance of the CPUs you are looking at rather than the reviews dedicated to them.

 

[Bobaganoosh]

For productivity, the 9700x only keeps up with 7900x if you run PBO to the max. That said, you can run the 7900x with PBO and CO and get in front again. The 9700x will be a little faster in games though (but depending on the game and resolution, they may perform exactly the same).

You'll notice that the 14700k wins in after-effects and trades blows elsewhere. Depending on how you clock things, you should be happy with any of these options, honestly. As for the Intel issues...it'll draw more power in workloads, but if you update the bios there shouldn't be any risks or issues with it. Not really a concern anymore.

 

[DaemonForce]

Uh the parts aren't what I call outdated but that list certainly is. To start, good luck picking up either of those chips.
If your thing is going to mainly focus on gaming, pick up an entry level X3D that offers the best possible performance and you're solid.
If you're doing basic streaming it's also good but overclock or load up on more cores.
If you're doing gaming and game development or some kind of rendering that is sometimes high compute workload, load up on non-X3D cores and high core clock.
The rest is cake.

 

[QuietBob]

The PC will be primarily used for work with Adobe programs (especially After Effects) and some 3D work.

If you mostly use After Effects with Multi-Frame Rendering, you will benefit from having 12 or more cores. 3D rendering on the CPU will also gain from increased core count.

With gaming as your other priority, I'd recommend a Ryzen 9 9900X or 9950X over the Core Ultra series. While the latest gen from Intel does admirably in many apps, the Ryzen tends to perform much better in games.

Here's a benchmark comparing the two architectures in After Effects: