Question Ryzen 7 2700 or Ryzen 5 3600 for photo editing

[amitshesh]

I am building a PC primarily for photo editing (I use ACDSee Pro + Photoshop.

I am not able to decide between the two processors. Most benchmarks say Ryzen 5 3600 is better. However I am wondering if, for these applications, it is better enough to spend $35 more. I can use that money for something else, like a better GPU, for example.

Note that there is a lot of benchmarking for Lightroom, but not ACDSee. Their tech support also isn't helpful about what hardware properties work best (more threads, cores or single core performance).

Anybsuggestions, or better, experience?

 

[cryoburner]

I haven't tried ACDSee in many years, and can't recall seeing it in any recent benchmarks, but I believe these programs should benefit more from having faster single-core performance rather than additional cores. I wouldn't expect them to make much use of the extra threads of the 2700 at all (Though it's possible there might be certain filters and things in Photoshop that do), so the 3600 would likely be the better option.

And in fact, even at heavily multithreaded tasks, the 3600 typically matches or beats the 2700, due it performing around 15% more instructions per clock, and maintaining notably higher clocks under multithreaded loads. So, it's probably worth the extra $35 or so.

Have you decided on the rest of the system's hardware, or an approximate budget for it?

 

[amitshesh]

Thanks for your reply!

This is tentatively the rest of my build (hope the link works): https://pcpartpicker.com/list/8Jb3zY

My budget is 600, lesser if I can swing it. I have access to free Windows 10 from work, so that is not included in my budget. My current desktop has an AMD Athlon (about 8 years old). The computer is functional but for photo editing it is irritatingly slow, hence the upgrade. Because I don't have an urgent need I am trying to do this as cheaply as possible. I do not do any gaming. I am hoping that the wait for Black Friday will pay off...

 

[Giannis_Mag]

Its tough choice indeed. R5 3600 is new with better single core performance. I dont think you will need more than 6 cores for photo editing,wich is way less demanting than video editing. Make sure you have 2x8GB 3200mhz RAM and install your programs (photoshop, lightroom etc.) in the SSD, so they open much faster and run better.

 

[dorsai]

Photo editing in general benefits from faster everything...buy the 3600 and pair it with an NVMe SSD and fast 3200+ ddr4 and you'll be golden. The 3600 will also give you better memory support and cooler operating temps than the 2700.

 

[cryoburner]

This is tentatively the rest of my build (hope the link works):

Yeah, that should be a notable upgrade over an eight year old Athlon-based system. If I were to make any suggestions, at least based on current prices, you can get a 500GB Samsung 860 Evo for about the same price as that Sandisk drive, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the 500GB Crucial MX500 also priced similarly, or perhaps a little lower during the next couple weeks of sales. Both of those are considered to be some of the more reliable and better-performing 2.5" SATA SSDs. The 512GB Intel 660p is also priced similarly (a few dollars more) and will tend to be somewhat faster, being an NVMe drive, though the performance differences should be relatively minor at most tasks.

That MSI board includes their "Flashback" feature, so it can be updated to a BIOS that supports Ryzen 3000 without requiring an earlier CPU, but it's also worth noting that the newer "MAX" versions of their boards should support a Ryzen 3600 out of the box, without requiring a BIOS update. Those versions tend to only cost about $5 more, which might make them worth considering for the convenience, unless you happen to see a considerably better deal on a non-MAX board. That board also comes in a standard-size ATX version with 4 RAM slots and additional PCIe slots for about the same price, which might potentially be useful for future upgrades. Alternately, they have some lower-priced MAX boards that might be worth considering.

And as was mentioned, you might want to look at faster RAM to eke a little bit more performance out of the processor, especially since DDR4-3200 costs about the same as DDR4-3000 now. Something like a 2x8GB kit of G.Skill RipJaws V 3200 (CAS 16) actually costs about $8 less than that kit of Corsair DDR4-3000 RAM currently...
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/qGqbt6/gskill-memory-f43200c16d16gvgb

Or G.Skill has a DDR4-3600 (CAS 18) Ripjaws kit for a couple dollars more than that Corsair. Ryzen 3000 processors generally should be compatible with that speed, but the performance differences between these kits will tend to be minimal at most real-world tasks, and potentially not worth paying $10 more for...
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/n6...b-2-x-8-gb-ddr4-3600-memory-f4-3600c18d-16gvk

 

[amitshesh]

Yeah, that should be a notable upgrade over an eight year old Athlon-based system. If I were to make any suggestions, at least based on current prices, you can get a 500GB Samsung 860 Evo for about the same price as that Sandisk drive, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the 500GB Crucial MX500 also priced similarly, or perhaps a little lower during the next couple weeks of sales. Both of those are considered to be some of the more reliable and better-performing 2.5" SATA SSDs. The 512GB Intel 660p is also priced similarly (a few dollars more) and will tend to be somewhat faster, being an NVMe drive, though the performance differences should be relatively minor at most tasks.

That MSI board includes their "Flashback" feature, so it can be updated to a BIOS that supports Ryzen 3000 without requiring an earlier CPU, but it's also worth noting that the newer "MAX" versions of their boards should support a Ryzen 3600 out of the box, without requiring a BIOS update. Those versions tend to only cost about $5 more, which might make them worth considering for the convenience, unless you happen to see a considerably better deal on a non-MAX board. That board also comes in a standard-size ATX version with 4 RAM slots and additional PCIe slots for about the same price, which might potentially be useful for future upgrades. Alternately, they have some lower-priced MAX boards that might be worth considering.

And as was mentioned, you might want to look at faster RAM to eke a little bit more performance out of the processor, especially since DDR4-3200 costs about the same as DDR4-3000 now. Something like a 2x8GB kit of G.Skill RipJaws V 3200 (CAS 16) actually costs about $8 less than that kit of Corsair DDR4-3000 RAM currently...
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/qGqbt6/gskill-memory-f43200c16d16gvgb

Or G.Skill has a DDR4-3600 (CAS 18) Ripjaws kit for a couple dollars more than that Corsair. Ryzen 3000 processors generally should be compatible with that speed, but the performance differences between these kits will tend to be minimal at most real-world tasks, and potentially not worth paying $10 more for...
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/n6...b-2-x-8-gb-ddr4-3600-memory-f4-3600c18d-16gvk

Wow! Thanks for all those recommendations! I had no idea about the MAX motherboards. I did choose the Gaming Pro because of the USB flashback, but the MAX is even better! I found a MAX motherboard that was $20 less as well!

My current computer has the Crucial MX 500, so I think I will go with that one again.

Here is my updated parts list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/VpTF8M. This look better?

If it was not obvious from my posts, this will be my first build ever. I have always bought pre-built. I have searched and searched, but have not found a Ryzen build for a desktop that isn't a gaming machine worth $1000+, unless it is from a company that I have never heard of (CyberPowerPC, IBuyPower). I have updated parts like RAM, GPU, SSD, etc. but have never tinkered around with actual CPU and motherboard before.

 

[cryoburner]

Yeah, I don't believe that motherboard includes the Flashback feature, though it shouldn't be needed, since it should support a Ryzen 3600 out of the box.

As for the updated parts list, an RX 550 is actually not as fast as an RX 460, so if you can find an RX 460 for about the same price, it might be the better option. A 550 should draw a bit less power under load though. I know you mentioned not gaming, but some other software can potentially utilize GPU acceleration too, and if they are about the same price, you might as well take the faster card.

The Nvidia GT 1030 might be another option to consider around that price range, with the standard version performing similar to an RX 550 (but again slower than a 460), with lower power draw still. Pay attention to not get a version of the GT 1030 with DDR4 memory though, as they perform slower, while usually costing about the same as the normal version with GDDR5 memory. Its possible you might see some sales for other, faster cards near this price range as well during Black Friday sales.

 

[amitshesh]

Yeah, I don't believe that motherboard includes the Flashback feature, though it shouldn't be needed, since it should support a Ryzen 3600 out of the box.

As for the updated parts list, an RX 550 is actually not as fast as an RX 460, so if you can find an RX 460 for about the same price, it might be the better option. A 550 should draw a bit less power under load though. I know you mentioned not gaming, but some other software can potentially utilize GPU acceleration too, and if they are about the same price, you might as well take the faster card.

The Nvidia GT 1030 might be another option to consider around that price range, with the standard version performing similar to an RX 550 (but again slower than a 460), with lower power draw still. Pay attention to not get a version of the GT 1030 with DDR4 memory though, as they perform slower, while usually costing about the same as the normal version with GDDR5 memory. Its possible you might see some sales for other, faster cards near this price range as well during Black Friday sales.

I cannot seem to find an RX 460 anymore. Amazon has run out of them, so has newegg it seems. The 560 is available and a out $110, but benchmarks show that it is worse than 460? These numbers drive me crazy!

The GT 1030 with GDDR5 does seem like a good option. Will look for these GPUs during Black Friday.

Yes, the motherboard does not have USB flashback but I won't need it. I guess the money I save there can go into a better GPU.

I did have one more question. What do you think about that case? If the motherboard is mATX then will this case be too big, or will it fit? I honestly picked that case because it was cheap. I was planning to swing by Microcenter sometime to look at some parts myself. If you have any recommendations that would be good.

Thanks again for all your inputs!

 

[cryoburner]

What benchmarks are showing an RX 560 as performing worse than an RX 460? The standard RX 560 (1024 core version) has more graphics cores than an RX 460, and should be a little faster. There's another version with just 896 cores though, which is pretty much the exact same card as an RX 460, and should perform about the same as that card. The performance difference between them shouldn't be more than 10-15% though, and if you are not gaming it's probably not too important. They list the core count next to the model number on PCPartPicker to differentiate the two versions though...

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/video-card/#c=416,395&sort=price&page=1

The RX 550 will offer lower performance than a 460/560 though, as it has just 640 cores. Again though, if you are not gaming, that isn't going to matter for most software.

Edit: Oh, as for the case, a MicroATX motherboard should be compatible with an ATX case. The side panel on that one appears to be acrylic (plastic) which can scratch easier than a tempered glass side panel, and might potentially allow more sound from fans to be audible outside the case. There are some other models with tempered glass panels around that price range as well now, but I don't know how their overall quality and features compare. You might have to consult reviews for that. Here's a list of cases with tempered glass panels sorted by their current sale prices though...

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/case/#B=3,4&sort=price&page=1