I'm putting together a productivity-focused PC and I'm looking for the best CPU and GPU combination. My main uses will be engineering software like Fusion, Solidworks, and Matlab/Simulink, along with graphics design programs like Photoshop, Lightroom, and Illustrator (though I might consider switching to Affinity). I also do video editing in Davinci Resolve, especially with 4K footage, and I play games occasionally but nothing too demanding—I'm fine with 1440p or even 1080p. Eventually, I plan to incorporate some AI workloads into my work. I've narrowed it down to a few options based on information from Puget Systems:
1. RTX 5070TI + Intel Ultra 9 285k
2. RTX 5070TI + Ryzen 9 9900x
3. RTX 5070TI + Ryzen 9 9800x3D
4. RTX 5080 + Intel Ultra 7 265k
I have a budget of around $1200 for just the CPU and GPU, as I've sorted out the rest of my build. Right now, I'm leaning towards the first option. It's been a while since I last built a PC, so I'm open to any updated insights!
4 Answers
If you can wait a bit, grabbing the 9900x and holding out for the 5070 TI Super could be a great move. More VRAM will definitely be beneficial for those AI tasks you're planning.
I’d steer clear of the x3D CPU. Unless you're fully leveraging that extra cache (which mainly benefits gaming), it’s better to go with one of the earlier options for your editing needs.
I think the RTX 5080 paired with the Intel Ultra 7 265k would actually give you the best bang for your buck. Just keep in mind that you might run into CPU upgrade limitations down the line.
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