Build advice for a 1080p gaming and animation & video editing/rendering build

[cannon_dt]

Guys,

Turning to you guys again for some build advice, please do lend me your expert opinions

I am building a PC for my friend and the requirements are as follows
- do some 1080p gaming
- animation and multi media tasks including video editing / rendering
- softwares include Illustrator, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Audition, Flash, After effects, 3Ds Max, Maya.

Budget is around 60K (dont need a monitor and kb/m, all other components needed)

Having just built a gaming PC, I know that the i5 would suffice for all 1080p gaming needs. But given that video editing etc and animation is not my forte, I am turning to you experts for advice. I have included as much information as I can in terms of tasks and softwares to be used.

If there is any other information that is needed please do let me know - I primarily need advice on the CPU/MB and GPU front. I assume the rest would fall into place once those core components are decided. Also given that I stay in India, my budget is in INR. I know that the US prices are much more competitive but I assume that the 60k budget would suffice. Please do give suggestions for all components if that is more sensible in terms of assembling the whole system.

Peace,
Ananth

PS : Just to confirm, this is a build from scratch, no existing parts that can be reused in the build.

 

[cannon_dt]

Z170 would require a bios update, to work with a 7700k. Stick with Z270 boards, if you really want to go with the 7700k.

Oh dear, back to the drawing board then 🙁

If you dont know how or don't feel comfortable updating the bios. You should be able to get a similar prized Z270 board.

How is this...
http://www.amazon.in/dp/B01N6E5DGE/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1496256417&sr=1-2&keywords=ROG+STRIX+GAMING

 

[YoAndy]

Z170 would require a bios update, to work with a 7700k. Stick with Z270 boards, if you really want to go with the 7700k.

Oh dear, back to the drawing board then 🙁

If you dont know how or don't feel comfortable updating the bios. You should be able to get a similar prized Z270 board.

How is this...
http://www.amazon.in/dp/B01N6E5DGE/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1496256417&sr=1-2&keywords=ROG+STRIX+GAMING

That's a really good motherboard.

 

[YoAndy]

The 7700k vs the 1700 showed the 1700 as being better, in multithreaded workloads.


Ryzen 1700 Multi Core Integer Speed
Much faster multi-core int speed.
+72%


Multi Core Floating Point Speed
Much faster multi-core fp speed.
+53%


Also from that site, which praises the 1700's value.

The AMD Ryzen 7 1700 is the least powerful of three new Ryzen 7 CPUs. The 1700 model has base and turbo clocks of 3.0 and 3.7 GHz respectively. Both of its more expensive siblings, the 1700X and 1800X, have higher clocks but they also have TDPs of 95 watts whereas the 1700 is rated at just 65 watts. Comparing IPC between Ryzen and Kaby Lake shows that Kaby Lake leads by a maximum of 9% which is great news for workstation users as this allows the 1700 to beat Intel's 6850K in multi-core workloads at almost half the price. Although the 1700 has great IPC it's somewhat limited by its relatively low (by Kaby Lake standards) clock speed which holds it back a little in both gaming and desktop workloads. For multi-core workstation use, the Ryzen 7 1700 represents the best value for money we have ever seen. [Mar '17 CPUPro]

They are both different cpus for 2 different things. the i7 is focused on gaming while Ryzen 7 is focused on server workloads.
http://hwbench.com/cpus/amd-ryzen-7-1700-vs-intel-core-i7-7700k

 

[logainofhades]

I have the mini itx strix Z270 board. I like it.


The 1600 is a bit better in multithreaded workloads too, using that same site, vs a 7700k.

http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-7700K-vs-AMD-Ryzen-5-1600/3647vs3919

Faster multi-core int speed.
+27%
MC Float
Slightly faster multi-core fp speed.
+13%


The 1600x is about 3-4% faster than that. The 1600/1600x offer acceptable gaming performance, and is getting better, with more optimizations being released. Kaby lake really isn't much different than Sandy bridge, so gaming companies have had a lot more time to optimize for Intel's architecture.

 

[YoAndy]

YES I agree with you the 1600 is a good cpu too, the i7 7700k at gaming blows everyone out of the water is just lacking some extra cores. The 1600x is not bad for someone with a tight budget. Me personally ill wait for the release of the new intel x processors this summer and the new Socket LGA 2066

To be released Q'2 17

 

[cannon_dt]

Just to add some budget numbers
Ryzen 1600 is 10K less than 7700k
Ryzen 1600x is 5K less than 7700k

So once again, the trade offs towards settling for the i7 I believe is worth it.

The final piece to the puzzle is the CPU cooler. Assuming that we will OC sometime in the future, an after market cooler is needed. Is the Hyper 212 EVO good enough? The Noctua is too expensive out here, plus I dont think the case would house it well. BTW the case is http://www.coolermaster.com/case/mid-tower/masterbox-lite-5/

 

[logainofhades]

The 212 is not well suited to overclocking an i7. Those 7700k's get hot, quite quickly, because once again Intel cheaped out on the thermal interface material between the cpu die and the heat shield. Noctua's bigger coolers would not fit in that case.

 

[cannon_dt]

So what should I do for cooling? Or should I get the 212 and not do OC? Water cooling is not really an option now... alternatives please???

 

[logainofhades]

The Cryorig H7 is a nice cooler. A bit better, and shorter, than a 212, so it would fit your case. It should allow for some overclocking. Would prefer an H5 universal, but that is pushing the limits of what that case can handle height wise.

To be honest, I think you really need to decide what is more important to you, gaming performance, or your video related tasks. Given the GPU you are going to use, I still say a Ryzen 1600 is the way to go, though. You are not going to bottleneck a 1060, with a Ryzen 1600. Most benches out there are using GTX 1080's, at a minimum.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-ryzen-5-1600-cpu,5073.html

Finally had some time to read earlier comments, as resolution goes up, the gaming performance gap diminishes, as the load is more on the GPU, than CPU.

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/amd_ryzen_5_1600_review,18.html

 

[cannon_dt]

I will check out what cryorig options I have.
Also you are ignoring the fact that the ryzen 6 is not that far off in terms of budget. And a simple CPU comparison certainly puts the i7 on top - so from a value for money perspective I am not able to see the rationale in a ryzen 6 build (assuming all other costs remain the same)

Also do you think a different cabinet would open my options to more coolers - please suggest some if that is the case

 

[madmatt30]

The ryzen 1600 is way lower budget (& even the 1700 is too) when you counter in the fact that a good b350 overclockable board will set you back 10k or less.

Then factor in you don't need to buy a cooler straight away because the spire is excellent,it'll do 3.8ghz on the 1600 easily.

 

[logainofhades]

Yea a different case would open up the cooler options. The regular Coolermaster Masterbox 5 would work vs that lite version you linked.


You mentioned 10k for the 1600 vs the 7700k. That is roughly $155. That is a significant amount of money. Also, unless you really want SLI, you can go with a less expensive B350 board. Also I still feel that it will lose to a 1600/1600x, in your video work, and gaming with a GTX 1060, you are not going to see much, if any difference in gaming. Also the 1600 does not have to have an aftermarket cooler right away. The stock wraith cooler can handle a mild overclock. The Ryzen 7 1700 also comes with a wraith cooler. The 7700k has to have a cooler, as it doesn't come with one.

Bit-tech used an R9 390, which is much closer performance wise to your GTX 1060, than a 1080 is.

https://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2017/05/11/amd-ryzen-5-1600-review/5


The 7700k is a great CPU, but you seem to keep hitting that budget wall, while attempting to get it.

 

[cannon_dt]

The ryzen 1600 is way lower budget (& even the 1700 is too) when you counter in the fact that a good b350 overclockable board will set you back 10k or less.

Then factor in you don't need to buy a cooler straight away because the spire is excellent,it'll do 3.8ghz on the 1600 easily.

Can you please suggest a few good overclockable B350 MBs please?

 

[cannon_dt]

These ok, if I got with the Ryzen solution

http://www.amazon.in/GIGABYTE-GA-AB350-GAMING-RYZEN-B350-Motherboard/dp/B06VWHXK94/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1496409816&sr=1-3&keywords=am4+b350

http://www.amazon.in/GIGABYTE-GA-AB350M-Gaming-SMART-Type-Motherboard/dp/B06XF49QNM/ref=sr_1_7?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1496409816&sr=1-7&keywords=am4+b350

 

[cannon_dt]

Yea a different case would open up the cooler options. The regular Coolermaster Masterbox 5 would work vs that lite version you linked.


You mentioned 10k for the 1600 vs the 7700k. That is roughly $155. That is a significant amount of money. Also, unless you really want SLI, you can go with a less expensive B350 board. Also I still feel that it will lose to a 1600/1600x, in your video work, and gaming with a GTX 1060, you are not going to see much, if any difference in gaming. Also the 1600 does not have to have an aftermarket cooler right away. The stock wraith cooler can handle a mild overclock. The Ryzen 7 1700 also comes with a wraith cooler. The 7700k has to have a cooler, as it doesn't come with one.

Bit-tech used an R9 390, which is much closer performance wise to your GTX 1060, than a 1080 is.

https://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2017/05/11/amd-ryzen-5-1600-review/5



The 7700k is a great CPU, but you seem to keep hitting that budget wall, while attempting to get it.

So say I go with the 1600.
1. Can I get the 212 EVO to do all the overclocking? Or would I have to invest in a Noctua cooler like I had to with the 7700K?
2. Is MasterBox 5 required or can I go with the cheaper Lite cabinet? Will this affect OC capabilities down the road?

 

[madmatt30]

http://www.amazon.in/gp/aw/d/B06VWHXK94/ref=pd_aw_sim_sbs_147_of_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=1H4AAHQN0DDVP88P0EZQ

That gaming 3 is a great board for the money.

You don't 'need' an aftermarket cooler if you're going for the 1600 (non x) it comes with a very good stock cooler that'll get you up to 3.8ghz with still acceptable temps.

You can go with a cheaper cabinet , just make sure (being in a hot climate) you've got a couple of 120mm front intakes & at least 1x120mm rear exhaust.

 

[logainofhades]

The 212 evo would work with a 1600. It is a lower wattage CPU, than the 7700k. (65w vs 91w) The Cryorig H7 is still quieter/better cooler though. You do not have to use the MasterBox 5. I didn't find the lite version on Amazon. Here is another case, for you to consider, that I recommend often when priced well.

http://www.amazon.in/DEEPCOOL-KENDOMEN-TOWER-COMPUTER-CASE/dp/B00V62IUG2/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1496412974&sr=1-2&keywords=deepcool+kendomen

 

[madmatt30]

^ that's a very very good case choice if you don't mind the looks.

You really can't get any better on the preinstalled cooling front .

 

[cannon_dt]

@madmatt30
Great, so that settles the MB then.

@logainofhades
From dimensions perspective is the deepcool and lite masterbox 5 the same? I ask because I am getting the masterbox lite 5 mid tower for 4.5K which is the same as the deep cool. Except that I dont know if the CM comes with pre installed fans. Looks are not a priority for me, so thats that!I think I will stick with the wraith cooler for now and when I intend to do some serious OC I will go ahead with the Cryorig. So thats money saved too.

OK, so I am going to do the entire budget build based on dealer prices and take a call. Thanks for all the help. I am still not sold on the value for money between the i7 and 1600... Phew, this is a pain 😀

 

[madmatt30]

^ you get a single 120mm exhaust in the master box , you get 5 preinstalled fans in the kendomen.

You're looking at 2 x120mm extra fans for the mastercase so its more expensive at the end of the day.

That kendomen is a very very good case .
Its about an inch taller & deeper than the cooler master, fairly negligible difference.

 

[cannon_dt]

@madmatt30
Gotcha, I just have to ensure the dealer has it. I will check that out.

@logainofhades
I have a question for you. So your recommendation for the ryzen is that it is good at gaming and better at video editing/rendering. Does it actually outperform the i7 when it comes to the video editing/rendering tasks? I know that the i7 is better at gaming but is it actually inferior to the 1600 when it comes to multi threaded tasks. Like I said, I am still trying to convince myself of the ryzen route.
Succinctly put - i7 wins gaming and if 1600 wins video tasks then the 1600 should win in terms of overall value for money. But if the i7 and 1600 are comparable at video tasks then 15K is not a winning variable.. I dont know if I have confused you but I for one certainly am !!!!! 😀

 

[madmatt30]

^ there are an insane amount of variables mate that dictate performance.
For gaming the i7 is better - the ryzen is good enough though.
For single instance rendering the i7 will complete sooner - once again the ryzen will still be very fast though.
For background rendering while you're gaming - the ryzen will win hands down.
For simultaneous renders - 2 or 3 at time - the ryzen will win again

Those are its strengths.

You say the price difference is unimportant but the fact is 15k will get you a larger and/or faster ssd , an extra platter drive to use as an editing/scratch disk & you'll still have 10k in reserve for a rainy day.

& if editing /rendering is important & gaming is too you do absolutely want an ssd & 2 secondary drives , one for games etc, one for video editing use.

Sitting playing bf1 on a 64 multiplayer map at 90-100 fps while rendering a 4k video stream & seeing just over 50% CPU usage on the 1700 is a sight to behold.

& yes this is a 1700 (I was initially going for the 1600 but in the UK when I bought mine the 1600 was £220 & the 1700 was £270 on a flash sale so it made sense)

The 1600 will do the same , it may peg at 70-80% - fact is though while a 7700 may hit 120fps while solely playing bf1 it'll be pegging out at 95-100% usage.

The ryzens have huge amounts of background reserves in comparison.

 

[cannon_dt]

^ there are an insane amount of variables mate that dictate performance.
For gaming the i7 is better - the ryzen is good enough though.
For single instance rendering the i7 will complete sooner - once again the ryzen will still be very fast though.
For background rendering while you're gaming - the ryzen will win hands down.
For simultaneous renders - 2 or 3 at time - the ryzen will win again

Those are its strengths.

You say the price difference is unimportant but the fact is 15k will get you a larger and/or faster ssd , an extra platter drive to use as an editing/scratch disk & you'll still have 10k in reserve for a rainy day.

& if editing /rendering is important & gaming is too you do absolutely want an ssd & 2 secondary drives , one for games etc, one for video editing use.

Sitting playing bf1 on a 64 multiplayer map at 90-100 fps while rendering a 4k video stream & seeing just over 50% CPU usage on the 1700 is a sight to behold.

& yes this is a 1700 (I was initially going for the 1600 but in the UK when I bought mine the 1600 was £220 & the 1700 was £270 on a flash sale so it made sense)

The 1600 will do the same , it may peg at 70-80% - fact is though while a 7700 may hit 120fps while solely playing bf1 it'll be pegging out at 95-100% usage.

The ryzens have huge amounts of background reserves in comparison.

You make a compelling case.
But video tasks while gaming is not a priority. And my real question I guess is that the 7700K is also good at video tasks etc right? And my build already factors in a SSD and HDD. I guess whats really bugging me is that 7700K is probably the best available intel CPU now whereas 1600 is not the best AMD on offer - so that is what is making me relent to the 15K. Does that make sense?? (Add to that the ryzen 7 is just 2K less than 7700K. )

 

[logainofhades]

The 7700k would be good, but the 1600 is going to be better. 12 threads vs 8. The 1700 beats Intel's 6 core cpu, in such tasks, and holds its own pretty well vs the $1000 8 core Intels, clock for clock. Price/performance, for video editing, Ryzen wins hands down. The Ryzen 7 would be more than 2k less, as you could use the stock cooler, for now, and that you could use a less expensive B350 board, unless you absolutely had to have SLI. Given the fact that the GTX 1060 isn't SLI capable, I do not see that being the case here.