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

[lexluthermiester]

Exactly, that’s the point! I’m more focused on productive work. After Effects makes up about 60% of what I use, followed by the rest of the Adobe programs.

Ah, that is good to know. This changes my opinion somewhat. For the gaming side of things, either option would have been great, but with you saying that you do more non-gaming tasks, that changes things. In that situation, I would now lean you torwards the Ryzen side as the productivity performance is more impressive for the 7900X. I must agree with the above notions that 64GB is a bit on the lacking side. 96GB or 128GB would be wiser for what you are doing. At least 96GB. Get a 96GB or 128GB kit and upgrade later if you find you hit the buffers with what you do.

I'm going to make what might seem like a bold suggestion: If you're will to consider one, the new Intel 285K is very compelling for productivity work. Worth a look at the very least.

Intel Core Ultra 9 285K Review

Finally! Intel's new Arrow Lake architecture is launched. The new CPUs are full of design changes, like removal of Hyper-Threading, new Lion Cove P-Cores, an improved Thread Director and more. In our review we got surprising results that were both impressive and disappointing.

www.techpowerup.com

 

[Bobaganoosh]

Well, given some updates, I decided to modify a couple options here to try and go for more power for your workload. Might have to save up for it, but if you end up getting paid for your work, I would think it'd be worth the difference. Also, I'm not sure how much the gpu matters in your professional work, but you can still game on a 4070 Super and that'll save you a couple hundred euros.

Option 1:
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 285K 3.7 GHz 24-Core Processor (€692.99 @ Alternate)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler (€49.89 @ Caseking)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z890 AORUS ELITE WIFI7 ATX LGA1851 Motherboard (€289.95 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Memory: Kingston FURY Beast 128 GB (4 x 32 GB) DDR5-5600 CL40 Memory (€382.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€142.89 @ Alternate)
Video Card: Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER 16 GB Video Card (€846.99 @ notebooksbilliger.de)
Case: NZXT H7 Flow (2024) ATX Mid Tower Case (€109.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Power Supply: MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (€105.55 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Total: €2621.15
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-11-28 21:13 CET+0100

Option 2 (competes fairly well with 9950x in Adobe, but much cheaper...could also upgrade later easily):
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 4.5 GHz 16-Core Processor (€479.89 @ Proshop)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler (€49.89 @ Caseking)
Motherboard: ASRock B650E PG RIPTIDE WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard (€174.87 @ Computersalg)
Memory: Kingston FURY Beast 128 GB (4 x 32 GB) DDR5-5600 CL40 Memory (€382.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€142.89 @ Alternate)
Video Card: Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER 16 GB Video Card (€846.99 @ notebooksbilliger.de)
Case: NZXT H7 Flow (2024) ATX Mid Tower Case (€109.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Power Supply: MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (€105.55 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Total: €2292.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-11-28 21:20 CET+0100

Option 3 (it technically beats out the 9950x in Adobe After Effects so I couldn't ignore it, but I would go the aio route for it):
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i9-14900K 3.2 GHz 24-Core Processor (€489.00 @ Galaxus)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III 360 56.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (€68.93 @ Aquatuning)
Motherboard: ASRock Z690 Taichi ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (€189.21 @ Galaxus)
Memory: Kingston FURY Beast 128 GB (4 x 32 GB) DDR5-5600 CL40 Memory (€382.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€142.89 @ Alternate)
Video Card: Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER 16 GB Video Card (€846.99 @ notebooksbilliger.de)
Case: NZXT H7 Flow (2024) ATX Mid Tower Case (€109.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Power Supply: MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (€105.55 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Total: €2335.46
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-11-28 21:26 CET+0100

 

[hmn888]

Hi guys,

After a lot of consideration and taking into account all the recommendations here on the forum and my own research
I’ve put together a few lists that only differ slightly. I’m going with AMD, but I’m still unsure which motherboard would be the best fit for my system.

My budget is still around €2K, and I’m waiting for the Black Friday deals. Could you share your opinions and give me your final tips?

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

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 4.5 GHz 16-Core Processor (€479.89 @ Proshop)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III 240 56.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (€57.66 @ Galaxus)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B650-S WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard (€139.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory (€213.66 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Kingston KC3000 2.048 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€119.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Video Card: Gigabyte WINDFORCE V2 GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER 16 GB Video Card (€1049.00 @ Galaxus)
Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case (€79.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GT 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (€89.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)

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

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 4.5 GHz 16-Core Processor (€479.89 @ Proshop)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III 360 56.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (€68.93 @ Aquatuning)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B650-S WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard (€139.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory (€213.66 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Kingston KC3000 2.048 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€119.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Video Card: Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER 16 GB Video Card (€846.99 @ notebooksbilliger.de)
Case: be quiet! Shadow Base 800 ATX Mid Tower Case (€126.00 @ Galaxus)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GT 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (€89.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)

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


CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 4.7 GHz 12-Core Processor (€365.90 @ Alza)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III 360 56.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (€68.93 @ Aquatuning)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B650-S WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard (€139.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory (€213.66 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Kingston KC3000 2.048 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€119.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Video Card: Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER 16 GB Video Card (€846.99 @ notebooksbilliger.de)
Case: Montech AIR 903 MAX ATX Mid Tower Case (€68.90 @ Proshop)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GT 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (€89.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)

 

[_roman_]

I would not use a 240mm AIO or the 12 core ryzen (when you intend to game). One die should always have at least 8 cores.
You may save some cash with the case and the DRAM and invest it instead for a higher core count ryzen cpu or a longer AIO.

 

[hmn888]

I would not use a 240mm AIO or the 12 core ryzen (when you intend to game). One die should always have at least 8 cores.
You may save some cash with the case and the DRAM and invest it instead for a higher core count ryzen cpu or a longer AIO.

Thank you for your feedback. I’ll probably go with these parts.

Which motherboard would you recommend for me?


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

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 4.5 GHz 16-Core Processor (€479.89 @ Proshop)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III 360 56.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (€68.93 @ Aquatuning)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B650-S WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard (€139.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory (€213.66 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Kingston KC3000 2.048 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€119.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Video Card: Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER 16 GB Video Card (€846.99 @ notebooksbilliger.de)
Case: be quiet! Shadow Base 800 ATX Mid Tower Case (€126.00 @ Galaxus)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GT 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (€89.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)

 

[Dr. Dro]

Thank you for your feedback. I’ll probably go with these parts.

Which motherboard would you recommend for me?


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

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 4.5 GHz 16-Core Processor (€479.89 @ Proshop)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III 360 56.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (€68.93 @ Aquatuning)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B650-S WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard (€139.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory (€213.66 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Kingston KC3000 2.048 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€119.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Video Card: Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER 16 GB Video Card (€846.99 @ notebooksbilliger.de)
Case: be quiet! Shadow Base 800 ATX Mid Tower Case (€126.00 @ Galaxus)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GT 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (€89.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)

Looks really good, but you might just want to get the 128 GB kit, given what you do. I changed this part list with one and a more robust B650E motherboard which should better afford you I/O capabilities that should help with your workflow. It does add a small bit to the cost, but I think you should consider it. Otherwise, solid build!

PCPartPicker Part List: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/c7QQZc

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 4.5 GHz 16-Core Processor  (€479.89 @ Proshop)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III 360 56.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  (€68.93 @ Aquatuning)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B650E AORUS ELITE X AX ICE ATX AM5 Motherboard  (€206.05 @ Galaxus)
Memory: Kingston FURY Beast 128 GB (4 x 32 GB) DDR5-5600 CL40 Memory  (€382.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Kingston KC3000 2.048 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  (€119.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Video Card: Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER 16 GB Video Card  (€846.99 @ notebooksbilliger.de)
Case: be quiet! Shadow Base 800 ATX Mid Tower Case  (€126.00 @ Galaxus)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GT 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€89.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Total: €2320.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-11-29 00:13 CET+0100

 

[hmn888]

Looks really good, but you might just want to get the 128 GB kit, given what you do. I changed this part list with one and a more robust B650E motherboard which should better afford you I/O capabilities that should help with your workflow. It does add a small bit to the cost, but I think you should consider it. Otherwise, solid build!

PCPartPicker Part List: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/c7QQZc

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 4.5 GHz 16-Core Processor  (€479.89 @ Proshop)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III 360 56.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  (€68.93 @ Aquatuning)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B650E AORUS ELITE X AX ICE ATX AM5 Motherboard  (€206.05 @ Galaxus)
Memory: Kingston FURY Beast 128 GB (4 x 32 GB) DDR5-5600 CL40 Memory  (€382.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Kingston KC3000 2.048 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  (€119.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Video Card: Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER 16 GB Video Card  (€846.99 @ notebooksbilliger.de)
Case: be quiet! Shadow Base 800 ATX Mid Tower Case  (€126.00 @ Galaxus)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GT 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€89.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Total: €2320.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-11-29 00:13 CET+0100

Thanks for your opinion! I also plan to upgrade to 128GB later. Right now, I’m being a bit more economical since I can always add two new sticks later, and with 64GB, I should still be fine for a few months.

Do you have any tips regarding the power supply? I’m not sure if all power supplies are the same, or if some cables might not fit certain components in the end?

I still see that graphics cards and generally PC parts are getting cheaper. The Gigabyte 4070 Ti Super, which was €60 cheaper two weeks ago, and now I don’t see any price drops. Currently I see that the cheapest GPU is from PNY. Have you had any experience with that brand?

 

[_roman_]

2 Ram Sticks should work better as 4 RAM Sticks.

I may suggest going for those 2x 48GiB RAM Sticks.
Better = less hassle - faster .... look at the memory controller what it can do. 2 ram modules should most of the time be faster as 4 ram sticks.

 

[hmn888]

2 Ram Sticks should work better as 4 RAM Sticks.

I may suggest going for those 2x 48GiB RAM Sticks.
Better = less hassle - faster .... look at the memory controller what it can do. 2 ram modules should most of the time be faster as 4 ram sticks.

Exactly, I’ll start with 2x32GB. Do you have any recommendations regarding the motherboard?

 

[Dr. Dro]

Thanks for your opinion! I also plan to upgrade to 128GB later. Right now, I’m being a bit more economical since I can always add two new sticks later, and with 64GB, I should still be fine for a few months.

Do you have any tips regarding the power supply? I’m not sure if all power supplies are the same, or if some cables might not fit certain components in the end?

I still see that graphics cards and generally PC parts are getting cheaper. The Gigabyte 4070 Ti Super, which was €60 cheaper two weeks ago, and now I don’t see any price drops. Currently I see that the cheapest GPU is from PNY. Have you had any experience with that brand?

Any ~850W power supply with a native Gen 5 connector or aftermarket cables available is going to be a decent choice for you. I'd personally gravitate towards a Super Flower, Seasonic or Corsair power supply if it can be helped. "Gold" rating is enough.

 

[Bobaganoosh]

I couldn't find any reviews on that power supply. It's supposedly got good specs/certs so probably fine. The cheapest one I could find good reviews for was the MSI one I had listed, but that doesn't mean the supply you picked is bad. It just seems too new to have reviews out yet.

As for motherboards, I've been leaning ASRock lately, but I wouldn't buy lower-end than the Riptide I picked for the amd system in post #52 above. I haven't used many of the gigabyte/MSI boards lately so I can't speak on them.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Do you have any recommendations regarding the motherboard?

Motherboard: MSI PRO B650-S WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard (€139.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)

That's a good model. The rest of your list is bang on. You've got a winner!

 

[Ferrum Master]

Exactly, I’ll start with 2x32GB. Do you have any recommendations regarding the motherboard?

I would not do that, as they change a lot, afterwards it would be a paintrain to match them up if you upgrade. Only option is to sell and buy whole set again.

Otherwise looks great... gun for Black Friday deals.

 

[lexluthermiester]

I would not do that, as they change a lot, afterwards it would be a paintrain to match them up if you upgrade. Only option is to sell and buy whole set again.

No it wouldn't. That's just bad advice.

 

[kapone32]

I would not do that, as they change a lot, afterwards it would be a paintrain to match them up if you upgrade. Only option is to sell and buy whole set again.

Otherwise looks great... gun for Black Friday deals.

Depends on who's name is on the RAM.

 

[Waldorf]

@_roman_
without oc/pbo etc, stock cpus are within a few degrees, especially considering most are using alu for rads,
you are better off getting a 240/280 with copper rad (like the Eisbaer).
mine (280), with a different pump, even cools the 2080S as well (full block), all while having lower temps than virtually any other brand with 360/420 that only cools the cpu.

and to give you some numbers, from all midi atx cases without psu (~2800) on pcpartpicker:
~2000 fcan fit a 240, ~1400 a 280 AIO, ~1300 a 360, and just ~200 for a 420.
and thats for a big market like the US, others might have even less to choose from, especially if you ignore some cheap (made) stuff, or you want glass.
in short, you restrict the option for cases by a lot, while not gaining much for cooling (as long as the rad is alu).

 

[Ferrum Master]

No it wouldn't. That's just bad advice.

Don't be so overconfident because of the place you live and have much more available buying options.

 

[eidairaman1]

Depends on who's name is on the RAM.

Gskill and corsair are known to change modules internally by code

 

[Ferrum Master]

Gskill and corsair are known to change modules internally by code

And Kingston does it by looking into horoscope.

 

[eidairaman1]

And Kingston does it by looking into horoscope.

No wonder I wasn't using them during the P3/P4 days.

 

[hmn888]

Thank you so much, guys! Your tips and recommendations have been incredibly helpful!
I've ordered all the parts, and they should arrive by the end of next week. I decided to go with the
AMD R9 7950X and the RTX 4070 Ti Super. Hopefully, I can start building everything next weekend.

To be honest, I'm a little nervous since this will be my first time building a PC on my own.
But I think it will work out! If I have any questions or run into problems, I might come back here to ask for help

 

[kapone32]

Thank you so much, guys! Your tips and recommendations have been incredibly helpful!
I've ordered all the parts, and they should arrive by the end of next week. I decided to go with the
AMD R9 7950X and the RTX 4070 Ti Super. Hopefully, I can start building everything next weekend.

To be honest, I'm a little nervous since this will be my first time building a PC on my own.
But I think it will work out! If I have any questions or run into problems, I might come back here to ask for help

Congrats welcome to the insane world of PC.

 

[_roman_]

Just be careful with the cpu socket pins. There is plenty of guides shipped wiht amd mainboard and amd processor manuals

And build on a flat surface, not in a vertical position

 

[lexluthermiester]

Don't be so overconfident because of the place you live and have much more available buying options.

Um, ok. Your suggestion implies that there are NO options for upgrades available where the OP is at, which is silly. If the OP can buy RAM at all, they can get an upgrade kit later. So yes, your suggestion was bad advice.

 

[azrael]

@hmn888 so no ECC memory for productivity? You're bold.