Desktop PC for Architect Use

[Lauren]

Hello!

I'm looking to buy a desktop PC to replace my mac as it just isn't sufficient. I need it to run programs such as; autocad, revit, sketchup with vray and enscape, photoshop and the like.
I have this configuration but it is a little over budget at £1050. Is there anything I can cut down on without affecting the performance and longevity of it too much? or is it worth sticking to this configuration?

Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 275Q QUIET CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B450-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.1, 6Gb/s) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2666MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 860 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W VS SERIES™ VS-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 V2 Series High Performance CPU Cooler (AMD)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
2 PORT (2 x TYPE A) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence

 

[SpyderTracks]

I would agree with @Nursemorph, it's worth the slight trade off on the 2060 to get the better M2 drive and faster RAM.

Ryzen is quite reliant on high frequency RAM, the optimum being 3600MHz, but 3200 is pretty much the go to for most uses and fits your budget with the amendments.

Just to stress in case you're worried, the stock coolers on the 3000 series Ryzens are very good indeed, they perform admirably and don't sound like hurricanes like previous stock coolers did.

 

[Lauren]

Thanks for the feedback, would you recommend the Ryzen 5 3600 over the Intel i5-9400F then?
I was debating which would perform better as I am likely to be running multiple programs at once including real-time rendering software.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks for the feedback, would you recommend the Ryzen 5 3600 over the Intel i5-9400F then?
I was debating which would perform better as I am likely to be running multiple programs at once including real-time rendering software.

Absolutely. In single threaded performance, they're about neck and neck, but the i5 has no hyperthreading, so absolutely sucks in multithreaded applications which most of yours are. The 3600 absolutely destroys it almost everywhere. Also the i5 is on a dead platform with zero upgrade path.

Skip to 9 minutes in for a summary.

To be frank, the budget is limiting you with regards to the processor, ideally you'd want the 3700x as a minimum, but that's no where near possible at your budget.

Given the limitation the 3600 is a good fit.

 

[Lauren]

ok, that makes sense thank you!

What would be the benefits of opting for the 3700x over the 3600 if I were to stretch my budget a bit further?

 

[SpyderTracks]

ok, that makes sense thank you!

What would be the benefits of opting for the 3700x over the 3600 if I were to stretch my budget a bit further?

There’s a good comparison video here:

BTW ignore any comparison sites like userbenchmark or cpubenchmark or the like. They use baseless algorithms to determine performance that has absolutely zero relevance in real world performance, plus they are essentially paid by intel to unfairly give the advantage to lower cores and higher frequency (which intel is stuck on). The actual important factor is IPC (instruction per clock) which intel haven’t really improved upon in the last 5 years, whereas AMD’s latest chips have greatly improved upon as well as increasing core count and frequency.

 

[Scott]

ok, that makes sense thank you!

What would be the benefits of opting for the 3700x over the 3600 if I were to stretch my budget a bit further?

3700X would be a better fit for professional use. The 3600 fairs admirably, don't get me wrong.... but the 3700X would be the go-to.

I would probably opt for a 240mm AIO cooler with the 3700X though.

 

[SpyderTracks]

There’s another good breakdown here which includes most current processors to compare to including video editing benchmarks and suchlike:

https://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Ryzen-7-3700X-Desktop-CPU-Review-A-frugal-8-core-and-16-thread-processor.428750.0.html

 

[Lauren]

Ok, I am looking to order this now. I lost the last quote so I have re-done the configuration after following the comments

Is there anything worth changing or isn't needed in this configuration. It is a bit over budget but I think I can stretch a little bit if it will end up being worth it for future longevity.

Please could you check over the configuration for me?

Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 275Q QUIET CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Eight Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B450-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.1, 6Gb/s) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB ADATA SX6000 Pro PCIe M.2 2280 (2100 MB/R, 1500 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 240 High Performance Liquid Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Price: £1,354.00 including VAT and Delivery

 

[SpyderTracks]

Only slight hesitancy is if budget allows, I’d up the cooler to the h100i, it’s just far superior.

but other than that, perfect!

 

[Lauren]

Thanks so much!

The Corsair H100i RGB Platinum Hydro Series?

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks so much!

The Corsair H100i RGB Platinum Hydro Series?

Yes, it's expensive but well worth it for longevity and peace of mind, plus you can monitor it via software called iCue, and set alerts if the pump or fans fall below certain thresholds.