Need help deciding which tech to upgrade/eliminate (PC, PS5, MacBook, iPad)

[ltm32]

I want to apologize in advance, as I will try to keep this short but it may drag a bit. I am a grad student exploring upgrading some tech and getting rid of a device, but am uncertain what will be best. I had some extra money after/during undergrad from working constantly, and wasted on money on things I didn't necessarily need.

My current situation tech wise is as so:

• Custom PC (32gb ddr4 ram, i9-9900k, 2070 super)
  • some gaming use, stream setup from ps5, and multi-tasking/occasional school projects
• PS5
  • 99% of my gaming use as it runs most modern games better than my PC does lol (especially AAA titles)
• 2017 MacBook Pro (2.9ghz Quad-Core Intel i7, Radeon 560 graphics, 512gb)
  • Most of my assignments are done here, as well as multi-tasking both on the go and with my TS3 dock with the monitors that are connected to my PC
  • also where i use all of my microsoft office apps as i feel like they run a little better on the mac vs ipad
• 2018 iPad Pro 12.9” (64gb storage which is almost maxed out from just notes, WiFi only)
  • gets all of my note taking, as well as a large amount of media consumption

I have come to the conclusion that there is little benefit for me having all of these. In a perfect world, I would dump the PC and get a new MacBook Pro or similar Mac. This is also a strong case for me because I LOVE macOS and the productivity I have become accustomed to with it. The only hesitancy here is that game developers have still given little support to gaming on Mac despite some of the recent port options apple has provided and the insane hardware with apple silicone. So here are the options I have considered in terms of what to get rid of, keep, and/or upgrade. In every case, I would keep my PS5 since I do almost all my gaming on it and have done so for years.

1. Upgrade PC (probably just going to have to build a whole other system if I really want a performance increase), sell my MacBook Pro and try to make the transition to all of my on-the-go tasks being completed on my iPad Pro. Realistically, I could keep the current PC, but games just don't run at the same resolution and fps that my PS5 can push.
2. Sell the PC, buy a new MacBook (or even a Mac mini/studio?) while keeping my iPad Pro. Gives me portability, keeps the ecosystem benefits and my main aspect of note taking and school tasks in the iPad. I'm used to multitasking on MacBooks and with my thunderbolt dock I can take advantage of the monitors and accessories I already have.
3. Sell the PC, keep current MacBook Pro, while upgrading my iPad Pro. This would lead me to using the iPad Pro for basically all of my everyday tasks, while still having the macbook for streaming gameplay from PS5, and multi-tasking for tasks that need a little more real estate or just function better on MacOS vs iPadOS. But the computing power of the iPad will probably be more than my mac at that point lol. This also solves my current memory issue on my iPad Pro, with only about 6 GBs of storage left.
4. Don't buy anything and either sell my pc or macbook. Simplest option and I can always upgrade down the road if I feel like my remaining items are lacking for what I do.

All that being said... I would love to hear feedback from others. Whether thats which one of my choices you think is best, or a new idea completely. I am relatively budget limited (i don't want to spend 3500 on a top line pc or mac), but am not afraid to spend some cash for things I will gain improvement from. I also don't mind going the used route if I think I can find a better deal that will still last me years to come.

Thanks for taking the time to read this mess, and I appreciate any feedback!

 

[punkncat]

I will admit up front that I am biased against Apple. I know they make some really good products and particularly when you have the other parts of the ecosystem like the watch, the phone and all that. What I don't like it how they plan obsolescence in order to maintain the high level of performance they tout.

You could conceivably spend a significant amount less building a new PC that performed the gaming and work tasks that you want as compared to the Apple products and with far more powerful hardware.

I don't personally like to work from laptops or tablets.

So, with those factors in mind, I would put it like this. Since you know you like the PS for gaming, and you also mention your preference to the MacOS it really seems that the shoe in decision would be to go Apple if you have the available funds to do so. Particularly more if you have the other items to fit that walled garden. The poignant part to me is your mention of having spent too much already on this aspect of your day to day. If this was weighted more than other aspects, then a PC is the sure-fire way to go IMO.

 

[ltm32]

I will admit up front that I am biased against Apple. I know they make some really good products and particularly when you have the other parts of the ecosystem like the watch, the phone and all that. What I don't like it how they plan obsolescence in order to maintain the high level of performance they tout.

You could conceivably spend a significant amount less building a new PC that performed the gaming and work tasks that you want as compared to the Apple products and with far more powerful hardware.

I don't personally like to work from laptops or tablets.

So, with those factors in mind, I would put it like this. Since you know you like the PS for gaming, and you also mention your preference to the MacOS it really seems that the shoe in decision would be to go Apple if you have the available funds to do so. Particularly more if you have the other items to fit that walled garden. The poignant part to me is your mention of having spent too much already on this aspect of your day to day. If this was weighted more than other aspects, then a PC is the sure-fire way to go IMO.

I appreciate your honesty even if you aren't a fan of apple!

I can agree on some of the shady things Apple has done like withholding some features just to release them later on in a "pro" version, plus removing some features despite keeping premium prices. Also, yes, I have invested a lot of time and effort into the Apple ecosystem (phone, watch, HomeKit, MacBook, TV and iPad), and do very much enjoy its nearly flawless integration between devices. Plus, I thoroughly enjoy most every OS Apple has on their current or relatively current devices.

I have funds to upgrade either my iPad to new a iPad Pro or my MacBook to a MacBook pro/Mac mini or Mac studio (with solid specs). But unfortunately, I do not have the funds to upgrade both or that would probably be my clear answer. I agree with you that apple seems like the better choice for me since I am not really gaming on my current pc that often as it is, and enjoy macOS as a whole.

That being said... do you have recommendation that would be better than the ps5/current pc spec and be relatively cost effective? I imagine I would be building a whole new system, but just curious since I imagine you have good insight on the Windows side. It could also provide me with some useful information if I decide to keep my PC in this equation!

Thank you!

 

[punkncat]

On the PC aspect the current platform may have parts and pieces you could re-use. The 8/9th gen motherboards have no where to go past the 9900K you already have. That CPU alone should be worth a pretty good bit on the used market considering that anyone with an 8th gen or i3/i5 9th gen would be looking for something like that to "soup up" their own system.

Right this moment Intels high end 13/14 gen parts are having an issue with crashing, so that pushes to AMD. AMD is about to release a new line of CPU on 9000 if I am correct on the model #. This should put 7000 into a decent clear out price before long. If you went with a really nice AMD motherboard and went mid/high field on a Ryzen 5(ish) build that should be a good performer and leave room for an update to the R7 or R9 a little further down the road.

The higher end 4000 series Nvidia cards are ALSO having their own issues right now. Apparently, between that weird power cable and having GPU dies degrading and losing performance (I think both those articles are here on Tom's somewhere) it would be worth doing a bit of research on it to see which cards are affected.

If it were today that you were going I would first ask if Microcenter is close enough by you to use. I would suggest an AM5 bundle alongside an RX7800XT/7900XT(X) maybe. You would lose out on Ray Tracing, if that matters to you, but in pure rasterization the AMD cards are actually more powerful, particularly for the money.
After you get that set up, take apart the older build and part it out on eBay or Marketplace, etc.

.02

edit- TBH, since you already have all the other parts of the Apple walled garden, I would go that route since you like that OS. It is a pretty slick setup they have going. It was worth repeating.

 

[ltm32]

On the PC aspect the current platform may have parts and pieces you could re-use. The 8/9th gen motherboards have no where to go past the 9900K you already have. That CPU alone should be worth a pretty good bit on the used market considering that anyone with an 8th gen or i3/i5 9th gen would be looking for something like that to "soup up" their own system.

Right this moment Intels high end 13/14 gen parts are having an issue with crashing, so that pushes to AMD. AMD is about to release a new line of CPU on 9000 if I am correct on the model #. This should put 7000 into a decent clear out price before long. If you went with a really nice AMD motherboard and went mid/high field on a Ryzen 5(ish) build that should be a good performer and leave room for an update to the R7 or R9 a little further down the road.

The higher end 4000 series Nvidia cards are ALSO having their own issues right now. Apparently, between that weird power cable and having GPU dies degrading and losing performance (I think both those articles are here on Tom's somewhere) it would be worth doing a bit of research on it to see which cards are affected.

If it were today that you were going I would first ask if Microcenter is close enough by you to use. I would suggest an AM5 bundle alongside an RX7800XT/7900XT(X) maybe. You would lose out on Ray Tracing, if that matters to you, but in pure rasterization the AMD cards are actually more powerful, particularly for the money.
After you get that set up, take apart the older build and part it out on eBay or Marketplace, etc.

.02

edit- TBH, since you already have all the other parts of the Apple walled garden, I would go that route since you like that OS. It is a pretty slick setup they have going. It was worth repeating.

We actually just had a Microcenter open in Indianapolis late last year and I haven't got to go yet since I have been out at school, but I can definitely give them a visit (I have been looking for a reason to go anyway lol)!

I don't really care too much about ray tracing, its a nice bonus but its not something I'm sweating over too much as long as I am still getting decent FPS around the 1440p mark. I am currently built in the original NZXT h1 (after replacing the pcie riser cable since some of them caught fire), and would probably switch cases if I am going with a whole other build. That case still goes for a little cash second hand I think. Probably can keep my ram and storage, and find a relatively inexpensive PSU and micro-ATX case for the build.

Then like you mentioned, part out everything else as well as some of the old parts I still have laying around from my first build. Would definitely reduce the price overall.

 

[kira-faye]

If you're already mostly on PS5 for gaming, sell your desktop now while it's still worth anything (though I doubt you'll get much for it). Sell the PS5 and get the PS5 Pro when those become available this winter. I'm sure you can clear some space on the iPad, maybe pull all the impatient stuff off and do a factory reset. Then live with things as they are for a while, and whichever seems more lacking (likely the iPad from what you're saying here) upgrade that.

 

[kira-faye]

We actually just had a Microcenter open in Indianapolis late last year and I haven't got to go yet since I have been out at school, but I can definitely give them a visit (I have been looking for a reason to go anyway lol)!

I don't really care too much about ray tracing, its a nice bonus but its not something I'm sweating over too much as long as I am still getting decent FPS around the 1440p mark. I am currently built in the original NZXT h1 (after replacing the pcie riser cable since some of them caught fire), and would probably switch cases if I am going with a whole other build. That case still goes for a little cash second hand I think. Probably can keep my ram and storage, and find a relatively inexpensive PSU and micro-ATX case for the build.

Then like you mentioned, part out everything else as well as some of the old parts I still have laying around from my first build. Would definitely reduce the price overall.

Don't plan on selling the H1 unless you got a late production AIO - the earlier ones clog up with mixed metal corrosion to the point of being useless over time.

 

[ltm32]

Don't plan on selling the H1 unless you got a late production AIO - the earlier ones clog up with mixed metal corrosion to the point of being useless over time.

Oh, thank you! I guess its more convenient to keep it anyways as long as I get a board that fits. That's if I keep the PC overall though.

As far as your first comment, I am leaning towards getting rid of it now since it is depreciating and already not worth a whole lot as it is. PS5 Pro definitely seems enticing but I haven't done a lot of research on what all it will actually improve on over the base model. As much as its nice having a PC, I am not taking advantage of it to the full extent since I have the other devices.

I think the iPad upgrade will be the choice first, but I think letting it run for a bit on my current devices will make what changes I need more apparent.

Thanks for your feedback!