Question Seeking Advice on PC Upgrades for Real Estate Photography, Video Editing, and Light Gaming

[fuzmaster]

I’d love some input on upgrading my PC to better handle my work in real estate photography, video editing, and occasional gaming. I’m a photographer and content creator working with Adobe Lightroom Classic, Premiere Pro, and After Effects, and I create content for a startup company. My current setup works, but when handling more intense tasks, like 4K video rendering or larger Lightroom files, I run into some performance issues. I’ve considered making a major upgrade to the new Mac Mini 4 when that was announced, as I have experience with both Mac and Windows and am comfortable working with either. However, I’d like to explore my options to see if upgrading my current rig might be more efficient.

Current Setup:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X, a 6-core CPU running at 3.8 GHz
• Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 GAMING X ATX AM4
• RAM: 32GB (4 x 8GB) G.Skill Trident Z RGB DDR4-3600
• Storage:
  • 480GB SSD for cache files
  • 1TB NVMe SSD for programs and games
  • 2TB Samsung 870 QVO SSD dedicated to project files
• Graphics Card: MSI GTX 1660 Ti 6GB GDDR6
• Case: Corsair Carbide Series 275R ATX Mid Tower
• Power Supply (PSU): Rosewill Capstone 550 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX
• Operating System: Windows 11

Performance Issues:

The biggest bottlenecks I notice are in real-time playback and exporting in Premiere Pro and when importing or generating previews in Lightroom. Even though I’ve optimized media cache settings and playback quality, the system sometimes lags or stutters when handling 4K video files, which affects my workflow efficiency.

Upgrade Ideas and Considerations:

1. GPU Upgrade:
   I’ve looked into upgrading my graphics card to either the RTX 3060 or RX 6700 XT, which I’ve read would provide better performance in Adobe software thanks to more VRAM and GPU acceleration. I’m hoping this could help with both the GPU-accelerated effects in Premiere Pro and some light gaming on the side. I’m open to other GPU suggestions that could suit my needs and budget.
2. CPU Upgrade:
   Another area I’m considering upgrading is my CPU. I’ve been looking at moving to a Ryzen 5800X or 5900X to get more cores and improve multitasking and rendering performance. From what I’ve gathered, higher-core CPUs are especially beneficial for After Effects’ Multi-Frame Rendering, and I’d love to know if anyone has experience with how noticeable the performance boost might be.
3. Power Supply Consideration:
   With the potential upgrades, I’m also considering whether it’s necessary to upgrade my power supply. Right now, I’m using a 550W Rosewill Capstone PSU, which has been sufficient so far. However, I’m not sure if I would need additional wattage to support the new GPU and CPU, or if the 550W can handle it. Any advice on the PSU wattage needed for an upgraded setup like this would be really helpful.

Why Not Switch to a Mac Mini 4?

While I’m comfortable with both Mac and Windows and have considered the Mac Mini 4 as a more drastic upgrade, I’m interested in seeing if there’s a way to optimize my current PC first. The Mac Mini option is appealing, especially with its efficiency in handling creative applications. However, if I can get similar performance by upgrading my current rig, that would be my preference.

Questions:

• Is the GPU upgrade to an RTX 3060 or RX 6700 XT worthwhile for my workflow, or are there better alternatives for Adobe software performance?
• Will upgrading my CPU to a Ryzen 5800X or 5900X offer a significant boost in real-time playback and rendering in Adobe apps?
• Would a power supply upgrade be essential, or would my 550W unit handle these upgrades?
• Any storage setup recommendations for handling large video and photo files more efficiently?

Thanks for reading through this! I’d really appreciate any guidance, especially from those of you who use similar Adobe software or have experience balancing content creation with light gaming.

 

[Ralston18]

This:

"I run into some performance issues."

Understood within the overall context of your post.

However, my suggestion is to quantify the current performance level as much as you can and then post the measured or observed values.

What system resources are being used, what is using any given system resource, and to what extent?

Many ways to discover and otherwise get a quantifiable sense of the system's performance.

You can use Task Manager, Resource Monitor, Performance Monitor, and other tools to establish the current performance levels and use those levels as baselines towards improving performance.

Could be that there is just one "bottleneck" dragging down performance.

= = = =

And I immediately wondered about the 550 Watt PSU.

Take a look at the following link:

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-psus,4229.html

Not with the immediate purpose of going out and buying a new PSU.

Simply to learn more about PSU's and to apply the wattage calculators.

No harm in looking.

 

[Why_Me]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *AMD Ryzen 7 5700X 3.4 GHz 8-Core Processor ($152.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: *Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($35.90 @ Amazon)
Video Card: *MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X 12G GeForce RTX 3060 12GB 12 GB Video Card ($279.97 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: *NZXT C750 (2022) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.95 @ Amazon)
Total: $552.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-11-08 15:02 EST-0500