Future Predictions of Computer Performance

[Tim Smith]

Even though a new build is still a little ways off for me, I have been busy looking at all the latest hardware from both Intel and AMD.

It seems Intel has once again gained a marginal foothold in the high performance desktop sector. For awhile Ryzen was blazing with new powerful and lower currect chips from the 3800 series to the 5800 series and all in between.

Intel has gained an advantage by adding a few more cores to existing multi core configurations. These additional cores are less powerful but fit well in between good power consumption, heat management and performance. Ryzen  is often viewed as a less expensive alternative and offeres a decent price to performance ratio. Their prices appear to be climbing along with the performance. All said, I wouldn't let the smaller difference in price now be a factor in my decision.

It isn't just the cpu being considered here, since the additional requirements of a motherboard are very important and often drive up the cost of a total build beyond projected numbers. For instance an Alder Lake i7 12700K  to remain current should probably have DDR 5 memory. Yes you can make a build with DDR 4 but why do that when trying to stay future proof? Many have said it makes more sense to wait on the non K version because  overclocking this chip really isn't terribly beneficial.

On the Ryzen side of things, technically Intel has a slight advantage, however Ryzen is no slouch and for most intensive applications it will be more than enough at the 5000 series level when comparing to Intel. Ryzen is noted to have had an advantage on the video end as well.

Speaking of video, for a DAW maybe the onboard video in something like the i7 or i9 would probably be adequate and even if you bought a video card, it makes sense to have onboard as a backup solution in a pinch. Video cards are "up there" right now in terms of price, however if using a computer for graphic intensive software, it makes sense to make that upgrade at the same time. I don't see the point in transferring over a 10 year old video card. If things are tight and one isn't picky about video, then maybe. I probably won't go that route. A large video card means a lot more heat to get rid of and the potential for more noise. 

Putting together a rig at the high end with Intel begins with a 400-500 dollar cpu. It all adds up. If we were on the cheap we would just get a laptop and be done with it. While it is still true an Intel build will cost more over all than an AMD build. I am still willing to shell out a little more for what I perceive to be an overall better machine in Intel. I know there are those who might disagree. I admit to some bias and am willing to be convinced.

I think we are well past the idea of a head to head shootout with a clear winner in daily DAW use. Both makers make a killer machine if you set it up correctly. From what I gather, Win 11 has some quirks that need to be ironed out. I don't think you can drop it in for DAW work without any tweaking unless you don't put a havey load on the computer. Not sure, but if win 11 professional is anything like Win 10 pro, there are certainly options. Unlike Win home.

[Starship Krupa]

16 hours ago, Tim Smith said:

trying to stay future proof

There really isn't future proof when it comes to performance-sensitive computer components, is there?

From my perspective, it's usually just nudging my computer system(s) further away from obsolescence. I'm about to post a thread about my "new" build.

[Tim Smith]

35 minutes ago, Starship Krupa said:

There really isn't future proof when it comes to performance-sensitive computer components, is there?

From my perspective, it's usually just nudging my computer system(s) further away from obsolescence. I'm about to post a thread about my "new" build.

One good thing- It looks like the desktop build market will continue for some time yet. The gamer market will prop it up for some time yet IMO.

Good luck on the upgrade/build. If changing the mobo I would look at the chipset that best suits a low latency build. I think it's the 670? Unless you're going to Ryzen.