Question Advice for upgrading pc for programming

[rtadd]

Hi.

I'm trying to learn how to develop apps (not really intrested in game development just yet) and I was wondering if I could/should upgrade my pc. I've just started learning, but my goal is to be able to contribute on any open source proyects.
I've built it myself two years ago and I mostly intended to use it for gaming. I know it's a budget pc, but it gets the job done:

-CPU: Intel i3 9100f
-Motherboard: MSI B365m pro-vh
-RAM: Hyperx DDR4 16 GB 2400 MHz (single stick)
-SSD: WD Blue nvme 500 GB
-GPU: GTX 1650 super

I haven't really found many guides on how to choose parts for a programming pc, most of what I've found seemed to suggest that a powerful processor with multiple threads (at least more than 4) and a lot of ram is desirable.
Without changing many parts, I think I can put a i7 9700 (non "k") in there, along with another 16 gigs of ram (lets assume that my budget allows it). But is it worth it? Is the 9100f goning to be a bottleneck if I start doing some serious work on it?

Thanks

 

[tennis2]

I think you're good with what you've got for now.

Once you get into it more, you can monitor RAM usage when compiling. Other than that, it's just wait time.

 

[Bob.B]

Hi.

I'm trying to learn how to develop apps (not really intrested in game development just yet) and I was wondering if I could/should upgrade my pc. I've just started learning, but my goal is to be able to contribute on any open source proyects.
I've built it myself two years ago and I mostly intended to use it for gaming. I know it's a budget pc, but it gets the job done:

-CPU: Intel i3 9100f
-Motherboard: MSI B365m pro-vh
-RAM: Hyperx DDR4 16 GB 2400 MHz (single stick)
-SSD: WD Blue nvme 500 GB
-GPU: GTX 1650 super

I haven't really found many guides on how to choose parts for a programming pc, most of what I've found seemed to suggest that a powerful processor with multiple threads (at least more than 4) and a lot of ram is desirable.
Without changing many parts, I think I can put a i7 9700 (non "k") in there, along with another 16 gigs of ram (lets assume that my budget allows it). But is it worth it? Is the 9100f goning to be a bottleneck if I start doing some serious work on it?

Thanks

Learn how to monitor cpu/gpu/ram usage then run your stuff and monitor.

If an area is weak it will show.

 

[egda23]

Your PC is perfectly ok for this project.
At this stage, and at what obviously seems to be a beginner level, there is no need to upgrade.
The first thing could eventually be some sort of supplementary storage allowing to backup your work.

 

[Ralston18]

My suggestion is to simply stay with the pc/configuration that you now have.

Write code, develop apps etc. for awhile to learn how well your system actually performs with respect to the overall process.

Very likely that any shortcomings in hardware will only appear after you have achieved some level of proficiency where your code becomes slow to compile, execute, etc..

What programming languages are you using? There are often recommended hardware requirements in the form of "minimal", "recommended", and "best". You do not want minimal and you do want as much best as you can afford. However, that is for the future.

Wait until a specific problem occurs Then you can directly address that problem.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

 

[CountMike]

Depends on what you "program/develop", you will have to test and debug so HW should at least meet minimum requirements of your work.

 

[rtadd]

Thanks for all the answers.
Yes, I'm well aware that my pc is more than enough for what I can do right now. I was asking because I might be coming into some money and I thought that I could use to upgrade something. As I said, I didn't built it initially with that kind of work in mind.
I'll start monitoring it and if I see any problems I'll adress it.
Thanks again

 

[hotaru.hino]

I'd say the only reason to seek more powerful hardware is if your turnaround times (from code changes to testing the change) are getting in the way of productivity.

Otherwise looking at the performance of your application and thinking you need better hardware because it isn't performing well enough could make you fall into the trap of what I call "relying on Moore's Law to make up for poor design/implementation". For instance on a web app project I'm working on, I noticed one of my functions was eating up nearly a second of compute time. Does it mean I need better hardware? No, because I found out I was doing excessive amounts of needless work that could be trimmed.