[SOLVED] Choosing CPU for Interior Architecture Student

[bprojectx]

Hi all, may I open with an apology for another "what to choose" topic. I have done some researches but only managed to narrow down the options, not deciding one.

Here is the scope:
I'm building a PC for my girlfriend who is studying Interior Architecture, so not as hardcore as Architecture but still requires decent amount of computing power. My aim is giving her a machine that will give her the compatibility for her needs (she's using Mac atm) and power not only for the last 2 years of her degree, but also should last for at least 2-3 years postgraduate so she can look for some works in the industry. When she has some fair share of knowledge and understand what is needed, I'll be ready by then.

I don't have much knowledge for this, to be honest, as the furthest I've ever looked at PC is for either gaming or coding.

I initially thought of either going with R5 5600X or i5 11600 (non-K, imo OC is dead, at least for what I'm seeing in Intel). But I don't know if 6c/12t will be enough for her work. Rhino, Revit and AutoCAD, which she is currently studying in are mostly using CPU intensively, with CAD as an exception as it depends on the nature of the model. So most of her applications will benefit from both higher clock for modelling and core count for rendering. Hence I pushed a little bit and came up with better options:

• R7 5800X @ $618.75 AUD. Honestly, not going to get this but I put it here as a reference for the Red team. Imo, with that much price difference, the 5800X is a bad choice price/performace-wise
• i7 11700k @ $549 AUD. I know I said Ks are dead to me, but the non K is 10 dollars off where I live so I get this for the high base clock

I feel like the 8c/16t is the sweet spot, but some more digging I found a gem, in my opinion, i9 10850k @ $589 AUD, which according to a lot of comments were just a lower clocked 10900k. All I am sacrificing from the 11th gen and Z590/B560 chipset is PCIe 4.0, correct me if I'm wrong. And I'm getting her gen 3 SSDs anyways so not much to lose I guess, plus 10850k + Z490 is cheaper from 11th + Z590/B560 in my place so that $40 difference does not mean much. However, 10c/20t though, now that is some upgrade to me + the a bit higher boost clock.

It's a long post already. I guess in the end, I just want to know if these options are overkill and I should just stick with R5/i5. I can't still pinpoint my girlfriend needs and don't know which to go. Reviews weren't much of a help since "Productivity Tests" were vague compares to the aforementioned tasks. I apologise again for the text, I tried to be detailed as much as I could.

Edit for readability

 

[drea.drechsler]

What softwares will this student run? and what softwares might they want to run in the future as they acquire skills and place greater demands on their system?

If the future includes 3D renderings (isn't it common now to sell a designs with virtual walk-thrus?) then more cores will only help. The 5800X is not only a speedy 8 core/16 thread CPU that's fast today but a system built around it on a cost-effective B550 motherboard can be readily upgraded in the future to a 5900X (12core/24 thread). Or even a 5950X (16/32) to get the kind of rendering performance previously reserved for extremely expensive professional HEDT systems.

Also: do not fall in the trap of comparing only CPU prices. Properly, you have to consider installed cost so that means including the motherboard price in the comparison.

 

[bprojectx]

What softwares will this student run? and what softwares might they want to run in the future as they acquire skills and place greater demands on their system?

If the future includes 3D renderings (isn't it common now to sell a designs with virtual walk-thrus?) then more cores will only help. The 5800X is not only a speedy 8 core/16 thread CPU that's fast today but a system built around it on a cost-effective B550 motherboard can be readily upgraded in the future to a 5900X (12core/24 thread). Or even a 5950X (16/32) to get the kind of rendering performance previously reserved for extremely expensive professional HEDT systems.

Also: do not fall in the trap of comparing only CPU prices. Properly, you have to consider installed cost so that means including the motherboard price in the comparison.

Currently she only knows that there will be Revit, Rhino and AutoCAD along with moderate Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. She considers having some looks at SketchUp as well but right now it's not needed. I think what you said about the 5800x is correct, it will suffice.

Do you have any recommendations for B550 boards? Or even X570 for the upgrade to 5900x or 5950x, if it happens (who knows if I'll even upgrade to that or next gen) as X570 VRM is better? Clean look is great as she hates the gamery feels of motherboards and prefer something clean, like the B550 Vision D-P.

Also sorry for falling into that trap, I was comparing 11th gen + Z590 vs 10th gen +Z490 and forgot about checking B550 boards. However, hypothetically, if the installed cost is roughly the same or not significant margin, would it be wise to consider 11700k + Z590 (even B560) vs 5800x + B550 (or Z570)? Just hypothetical, as prices of B550s in my place are not that great compare to B560s or even decent Z590s, given that 11700k and 5800x trades blow rather and the margin is not huge.

Thank you in advance, you helped me see through stuff a lot.

Edit for grammar

 

[drea.drechsler]

Currently she only knows that there will be Revit, Rhino and AutoCAD along with moderate Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. She considers having some looks at SketchUp as well but right now it's not needed. I think what you said about the 5800x is correct, it will suffice.

Do you have any recommendations for B550 boards? Or even X570 for the upgrade to 5900x or 5950x, if it happens (who knows if I'll even upgrade to that or next gen) as X570 VRM is better? Clean look is great as she hates the gamery feels of motherboards and prefer something clean, like the B550 Vision D-P.

Also sorry for falling into that trap, I was comparing 11th gen + Z590 vs 10th gen +Z490 and forgot about checking B550 boards. However, hypothetically, if the installed cost is roughly the same or not significant margin, would it be wise to consider 11700k + Z590 (even B560) vs 5800x + B550 (or Z570)? Just hypothetical, as prices of B550s in my place are not that great compare to B560s or even decent Z590s, given that 11700k and 5800x trades blow rather and the margin is not huge.

Thank you in advance, you helped me see through stuff a lot.

Edit for grammar

The Vision is definitely top-end and a lot more costly than necessary. It's a bit unfortunate but most boards do have a gamery appearance. One thing working in your favor is that once everything's installed the board is usually covered and not even noticeable

A good choice is the B550 Tomahawk; at least it has a subdued color scheme.

Given that list of softwares, and the field in which she'll be working, I can't help but think she'll become frustrated with either of those CPU's...and quite possibly sooner rather than later. I do believe having the option of easily and cheaply moving up to a low-end HEDT processor is a major advantage. You might even consider going with a 5900X out of the gate as it's at a far better cost/performance position compared to a 5800X.

 

[bprojectx]

The Vision is definitely top-end and a lot more costly than necessary. It's a bit unfortunate but most boards do have a gamery appearance. One thing working in your favor is that once everything's installed the board is usually covered and not even noticeable

A good choice is the B550 Tomahawk; at least it has a subdued color scheme.

Given that list of softwares, and the field in which she'll be working, I can't help but think she'll become frustrated with either of those CPU's...and quite possibly sooner rather than later. I do believe having the option of easily and cheaply moving up to a low-end HEDT processor is a major advantage. You might even consider going with a 5900X out of the gate as it's at a far better cost/performance position compared to a 5800X.

Thank you, just want to let you know that you made someone life easier than a bit, both my girlfriend and I are grateful for your help. Before I go, do you mind if I ask for some tips for an efficient Ryzen system? I know that good RAM contributes too so I'm looking for some 3600 CL16 as they are the best my budget allows. Other than that, any components that I should pay attention specifically to create an optimised, smooth 5800x/5900x system?

That's it for this thread and if I could I'd mark all your replies as best answers as they all gave their fair share of knowledge. Thank you once again, and good luck with your stuff and health during this time.

Best regards.

 

[drea.drechsler]

Thank you, just want to let you know that you made someone life easier than a bit, both my girlfriend and I are grateful for your help. Before I go, do you mind if I ask for some tips for an efficient Ryzen system? I know that good RAM contributes too so I'm looking for some 3600 CL16 as they are the best my budget allows. Other than that, any components that I should pay attention specifically to create an optimised, smooth 5800x/5900x system?

That's it for this thread and if I could I'd mark all your replies as best answers as they all gave their fair share of knowledge. Thank you once again, and good luck with your stuff and health during this time.

Best regards.

3600 memory is really the fastest you should consider. Ryzen 5000 CPU's certainly can handle faster but you're well into the range of diminishing returns and on the edge of degrading overall performance if not properly set up, which can take a lot of tweaking.

You might consider 32GB of memory...i think it could help with the work she's getting into. Keep it to 2 x 16GB DIMM's, or simply 2 DIMM's regardless of capacity.

Be sure to get a good airflow case, preferably one with a mesh front. Plenty of fans in front as intakes and top/rear as exhaust.

CPU cooling needs care: a quiet BIG air cooler doesn't need to be costly. Look at BeQuiet instead of Noctua, or even Scythe, for some good ones that are cheaper. Neither does an AIO cooler need to be expensive; I like Cooler Master's line. If getting an AIO it should be 240mm or bigger...preferably 280mm if your case fits one.

Also remember that AIO's come with very capable and quiet fans so you don't have to buy so many case fans as with an air cooler. Fans can get expensive...upwards of $30US for some of Noctua's to get quiet ones...so remembering that can even up cpu cooler cost comparisons.

Lastly comes the GPU. If she's not gaming you can economize there, but you'll need one with any Ryzen CPU. You'll have to look at your local markets for cost and availability. Probably an RX6600XT or GTX3060 would be the best choice.

In general...try to avoid RGB stuff and you save money right there. It doesn't sound like she wants that anyway.