Build Advice 2011 to 2023: Upgrade time from $2K+ 2011 System - What's my best option ?

[lanerellis]

Hi Fine Tom's Hardware Folks!

I'm a computer user dating back to 1984, when I started running a 300-baud BBS on my Commodore 64, later migrating to the Amiga, UNIX, and reluctantly later, Windows PCs.

I built my last system at the end of 2011, and it's still running beautifully, but I'm eying up giving it some upgrades, and I'm here to ask your opinions on just how I should upgrade it.

I'm happy to have built a system in 2011 that still runs great in 2023, but know the time to upgrade it is coming.

Here's what I currently have -- built specifically for rendering in Adobe Premier Pro -- never any game playing:

2011/2012 New Computer, all parts from NewEgg.com, purchased December 22, 2011, received December 28:

Motherboard: ASUS MAXIMUS IV EXTREME-Z
Intel Z68
Celeron / Core i3 / Core i5 / Core i7 / Intel Core 2nd gen (LGA 1155) / Intel Core 3rd Gen (LGA 1155) / Xeon (LGA1155)
DDR3 2200(O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1600/1333
P/N 90-MIBGGO-GOAAYOOZ

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K - Core i7 2nd Gen Sandy Bridge Quad-Core 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Intel HD Graphics 3000 Desktop Processor - BX80623I72600K

Video Card: EVGA NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX570
1280MB 320-Bit GDDR5
Core Clock 732MHz
2 x DVI 1 x mini HDMI
480 Cores CUDA Cores
PCI Express 2.0 x16
P/N 012-P3-1570-AR

RAM: G.SKILL RIPJAWSZ 16GB (4x4GB) DDR31600 PC3-12800
F3-12800CL9Q-16GBZL
DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Timing 9-9-9-24
CAS Latency 9
Voltage 1.50V

Power Supply: SILVERSTONE ST75F-P 750W ATX 12V v2.3 / EPS 12V 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced Blue Edition RC-932-KKN3-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0, Black Interior and Four Blue LED Fans-1x 230mm front fan, 1x 230mm top fan, 1x 230mm side fan, and 1x 140mm rear fan

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I72600K
Batch# 3137A477

Later additions still in use:

Crucial BX500 480GB 3D NAND SATA 2.5-Inch Internal SSD, up to 540MB/s - CT480BX500SSD1

Western Digital 10TB WD Black Performance Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, 256 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD101FZBX

Western Digital 6TB WD Black Performance Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, 256 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD6003FZBX

2 x Western Digital Black WD2002FAEX 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive

Do you think I can keep the case, power supply, storage hard drives, and put in a new motherboard, CPU, RAM, video card, and a larger SSD?

I paid $320 for that i7-2600K CPU back in 2011 -- what's the equivalent CPU in 2023, and what's the best Intel CPU now in the $320 to $600 range? Is the Intel Core i9-13900K - Core i9 13th Gen Raptor Lake 24-Core a top option in my price range?

I'd like to stick with a higher-end ASUS motherboard. Is there an ASUS motherboard that will let me use my existing SATA 6 Gb/s hard drives? I paid $330 in 2011 for my motherboard -- what's the current comparable model in their lineup that might work for me?

I'd also like to get at least 32GB of RAM, perhaps 64GB?

Besides which CPU to get, a video card upgrade is the most perplexing question for me -- I spent $340 on my GTX570 in 2011, and know video card prices have skyrocketed since. I'm not a gamer, and my current card still renders great for me in Premier Pro, however I'm thinking I should probably upgrade it while I'm making these changes...

Will I also need to replace my 2011 SILVERSTONE ST75F-P 750W power supply?

How much would I be looking at for this upgrade?

Should I just build an entirely new system? I suppose it is mostly a new build, just hopefully keeping my case and hard drives...

I appreciate your time and assistance, Tom's Hardware folks!

Thanks so much -- cheers!

 

[Why_Me]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i7-13700 2.1 GHz 16-Core Processor ($366.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: *Deepcool AG620 67.88 CFM CPU Cooler ($43.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: *MSI PRO Z790-A WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($189.99 @ B&H)
Memory: *G.Skill Ripjaws S5 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: *Crucial P5 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($97.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: *Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12 GB Video Card ($799.99 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: *Corsair RM850e (2023) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1793.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-10-11 00:36 EDT-0400

A better look at those components.

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/PRO-Z790-A-WIFI

https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...-30m-cache-up-to-5-20-ghz/specifications.html

https://www.deepcool.com/products/C...al-Tower-CPU-Cooler-1700-AM5/2022/15900.shtml

F5-6000J3040G32GX2-RS5K F5-6000J3040G32GA2-RS5K - Overview - G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd.

Ripjaws S5 is a performance DDR5 DRAM memory series made with hand-screened memory ICs that passed G.SKILL rigorous validation tests. Each Ripjaws S5 memory kit strikes an ideal balance between performance, compatibility, and stability and is available in matte black or matte white aluminum...

www.gskill.com

https://www.crucial.com/ssd/p5-plus/CT2000P5PSSD8

https://www.gigabyte.com/Graphics-Card/GV-N407TWF3OC-12GD#kf

https://www.corsair.com/us/en/p/psu/cp-9020263-na/rme-series-rm850e-fully-modular-low-noise-atx-power-supply-cp-9020263-na

 

[Lucky_SLS]

I would ask you to start here:

Hardware Recommendations

Our workstations for Adobe Premiere Pro are tested and optimized to give you the best performance and reliability. View our hardware recommendations.

www.pugetsystems.com

if you want to save a bit of cash, you can go for the 12900k with DDR4 rams. or you can go for the 14700/14900 that is gonna be launching soon.

but since video editing will utilise the CPU and all cores at the same time, i would suggest getting a beefy Z690 board with good VRMs. this mobo has USB bios flashback for 14th gen support.

like this one: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/FNWzK8/asrock-z690-extreme-atx-lga1700-motherboard-z690-extreme

regarding SSD, the WD SN850X is currently on sale. I would advice you to get it before the sale ends.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/crKKHx/western-digital-black-sn850x-2-tb-m2-2280-pcie-40-x4-nvme-solid-state-drive-wds200t2x0e

The PSU is old. Better to get a new one. a 850W PSU should do. this model got the 16 pin connector for Nvidia cards.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/vNcgXL/thermaltake-toughpower-gf-a3-850-w-80-gold-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-ps-tpd-0850fnfagu-l

A good case with front panel type C and fans for a good price:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/2MwmP6/montech-air-903-max-atx-mid-tower-case-air-903-max-b

 

[DSzymborski]

Have to agree on the PSU replacement. At 12 years old, I'd be looking at replacing *any* PSU, no matter how amazing, in a new build, and the PSU in question was more solidly above-average at the time rather than amazing in any case.

And it's pretty much a new build. Cases are simply better these days and have better connectivity options. While incremental upgrades of PCs are quite viable -- it's rare when I fully retire one of my machines -- the key to making an incremental upgrade process work is actually doing it over time. By the time a PC's a dozen years old, it's a bunch of years past the time when that approach made any sense.

 

[Misgar]

I frequently re-use old Lian Li tower cases dating back to the mid 2000s for new builds, especially when I want to fill them with multiple 3.5in hard drives and perhaps a Bluray burner. By all means keep your existing case and disk drives, but ditch the old PSU.

I'm not sure what your exact budget is, or what resolution you're working at, e.g. 720p, 1080p, 4K, 6K/8K, or the duration of your video clips, but you'll need a powerful CPU and GPU plus lots of RAM for anything above 1080p. For 4K, fit 64GB RAM, for 6K/8K, fit 128GB. 2 DIMMs are better than 4 DIMMs, especially when running high XMP memory overclocks, so buy what you need now.

If found the benchmark graphs from Puget Systems useful in December 2022 when I was building a new video rendering rig for Topaz Video AI and Adobe Premiere Pro, where the Intel 13900K is highly rated.

I also work in Photoshop, which has slightly different requirements and I ended up with an AMD 7950X (for lower dissipated power), an RTX 3060 12GB (not too expensive) and 2 x 32 GB DDR5 RAM (enough for 4K work).

To quote from Puget Systems' recommendations for Premier Pro:-
https://www.pugetsystems.com/soluti...be-premiere-pro/hardware-recommendations/#cpu

The best CPU for Premiere Pro depends heavily on what you will be doing and your budget. For workloads that are primarily using H.264 and H.265 (HEVC), Intel’s Core i9 13900K does a great job – thanks to its built-in QuickSync functionality – and is very reasonably priced.

At the moment, AMD is stronger in terms of live playback and exporting performance in Premiere Pro in most cases. However, Intel’s Core processors (particularly the new 13th Gen models) are great options as they perform close to a similarly-priced AMD Ryzen CPU, but include Quick Sync which can be used to process H.264 and HEVC media rather than relying on the GPU to do those tasks. This frees up the GPU to be used for processing GPU-accelerated effects, debayer R3D footage, etc.

As you can see, in Premiere Pro, the Intel 13900K and AMD 7950X both have their good points, depending on whether you want good performance in H.264/265 encoding or fast live playback and exporting.

Despite the 13900K being much faster in Adobe Photoshop, I opted for the 7950X in an Asus Prime X670-P Wifi mobo, because the 7950X dissipates roughly 50W less heat than the 13900K when running flat out (200W AMD vs 250W Intel) and is easier to tame with a Noctua NH-D15 big air cooler. For the 13900K, I'd probably suggest a 360/420mm AIO, if your case has the space.

I'm using three 1TB M.2 NVMe drives on the Asus X670-P, the first for Windows 10 plus Adobe/Topaz apps, the second as an Adobe/Topaz scratch disk and the third for video work-in-progress files. I also have five hard disks for archiving video/photos. Backup is to LTO4 tape on an external SAS drive, other computers and four TrueNAS Core RAID-Z2 server arrays.

Most decent mobos will have at least four 6GB/s SATA ports for hard disks and optical drives. I prefer more SATA ports and some of my older rigs without NVMe have 8 or 10 SATA ports (all used). I tend to build a new video editing rig every 4 to 5 years, as photo/video resolutions get bigger and processing demands increase.

This Puget benchmark graph gives an idea of relative performance of commonly available GPUs. You can see my RTX 3060 12GB down near the bottom with a lowly score of 1195, with the newer RTX 4070 Ti 12GB up at 1383, making it a good choice. I'd advise getting 12GB of video RAM as opposed to only 8GB, to give your rendering apps more room to breath.

You can get reasonable performance out of a GPU for as litle as $300, but a $2000 RTX 4090 would be better and a $5000 RTX 8000 Workstation card would be even faster. My longest video run took 36 hours upscaling a 1.5 hour video from HD to 4K in Topaz. The 7950X sat at 89C/192F the entire time and the 3060 was running similar temperatures. With GPUs, you trade processing time against money. More cash, faster rendering.

Whatever motherboard you buy, get one with large VRM heatsinks and good power delivery for the CPU.

Best of luck with the new rig.

 

[lanerellis]

Thanks so much, Why_Me, Lucky_SLS, DSzymborski, and Misgar for your excellent insights, ideas, and good suggestions!

You've given me plenty to mull over as I decide.

Most of my video editing these days is of GoPro 10 footage between 2K and 5K.

Thanks again for your advice, folks -- cheers! 🌞