Rocket Lake or AMD 5000

[xy16644]

Hi All

Looking to upgrade my 9yr old 3rd gen Intel system. I use it for internet,email, 1080p/4k video watching and virtualisation (using VMware Workstation Pro). I can't decide between AMD (3000 or 5000 series) or Intel (11th Gen Rocket Lake).

I've been considering the following:

Intel:
Intel Core i5 11600KF
Asus Strix B560-F
2 x 16GB 3200Mhz
Samsung 980 Pro 500GB

AMD:
AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Asus Strix B550-F
2 x 16GB 3200Mhz
Samsung 980 Pro 500GB

Each of the above systems are almost the same price. The main difference I can tell is that the Intel CPU uses 125W and the AMD uses 65W.

I was also considering paying the extra for the 6 core AMD Ryzen 5 5600X but that would add about £120 for the AMD system.

I can't seem to make up my mind, help please I do want the system to last at least 5+ years.

Since I've waited this long if there's anything new coming around the corner I could wait a bit longer to upgrade!

 

[xy16644]

I'd go for a b560+ 11400F combo as right now that offers the best bang for your buck.

The price of each system is the same (give or take £20) so why B560/Intel?

The thing I don't get with the new Intel CPUs is, same have low base clock speeds, does this matter compared to higher base clocked CPUs?

 

[xy16644]

Aaaah ok thanks. So I'm assuming if you have a lower clocked base CPU of say 2.6Ghz that can boost to 4.2Ghz and a higher base clocked CPU of 3.6Ghz that can boost to 4.2Ghz the performance is the same?

 

[xy16644]

I think AMD seems to be the safe bet if considering budget. The 3600 is actually cheaper now, at least on the OCUK store. Also you need to get a aftermarket cooler for the rocket lake which adds to the cost.

I already have a CPU cooler so all set on that side. Why is AMD the "safer" bet? The nice thing about Intel Rocket Lake is that it was released recently so its new tech. The Ryzen 5 3600 feels much older although is great value.

Hard to decide here.

 

[xy16644]

Flip a coin TBH, but the AM4 has a much better choice if you want to keep your system 5+ years as you've quoted. In year 3, you could probably pick up a cheap 5950x and drop it in if you feel you need MOAR cores, or MOAR power!!!

haha, yes! AM4 gives great flexibility for future upgrades. Oh damn, this is a tough call.

The difference in price between the 11400F system and the Ryzen 5 5600x is about £115...

 

[xy16644]

I don't need the fastest 6 core right now. If I can get everything done on my 9yr old PC I'm sure the 3600 will do just fine. Having an AM4 system then gives me great options/flexibility going forward to upgrade to an AMD 5000 CPU (6/8/12/16 core!). Everyone seems to love the 3600!

 

[xy16644]

Thanks to everyone for your reply/input!

I'm lucky in that I am able increase my budget for this build quite a bit so have decided to go for an 8 core build rather and go all NVMe storage. I'm leaning towards Intel at this point so how do these parts look:

• Intel Core i7 11700KF
• Asus ROG Strix Z590-F
• 2 x 16GB 3600Mhz Corsair
  
• Samsung 980 Pro 500GB - system boot drive
  
• Seagate Firecuda 520 - 1TB- used for data storage and a few VMs
  
• WD Blue SN550 2TB - backup drive with versioning

The Samsung and Seagate drive are PCIe 4.0 as I want maximum performance/IOPS for running VMs/Windows/Programs. The backup WD is a nice to have but will really help with the daily backups I make of VMs and all data.

My current setup is almost 9yrs old as I spent extra on it last time so now that I can do this again I'm hoping it will last up to 9yrs again!

 

[xy16644]

@Moeks: Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I understand what you mean re backups so maybe I should explain a bit more how I do backups I use the drive in my PC as an online backup and it also has versioning so I can go back to files/folders from different dates. This is like a convenient backup where I can quickly restore something when needed. Lets call this my online backup. Then I have my offline backup. This is a USB drive I keep in the same house as my PC. Then I have an offsite backup which I keep at a relatives house in another country which is another USB drive. On top of all that I also backup to the cloud in real time (phew). I also have a UPS for my PC...

I reckon for what I use a PC for I can upgrade my existing PC to something new that will last at least 5 years and possibly 8+ years. I'm seriously thinking about getting the 8 or 12 core AMD 5000 CPU but want to do some more research before pulling the trigger.

I'm out of touch with CPU news, will there be a refresh of AMD Ryzen 5000 CPUs this year that is worth waiting for? My PC is so old so whats another 6 months of waiting lol

 

[xy16644]

Ok, am trying to finalise the shopping list so here is what I have so far taking all the helpful feedback into account. I've decided to high end and spend more as I am building this with 5+ years in mind:

• AMD Ryzen 9 5900x
• ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero (plus optional TPM for Bitlocker)
  
• Corsair 2 x 16GB 3600Mhz
• Samsung 980 Pro 500GB(boot/system drive)
  
• Samsung 980 Pro 1TB (Data/VM drive)
• BeQuiet Dark Rock Pro 4CPU cooler

I'll be reusing my PSU, GPU, case and SATA SSDs (these will be used for my online backups).

The motherboard has 8 SATA ports, can they all be used if I have two M2 drives installed?

Also. are there enough PCIe lanes to add a third M2 drive using one of the PCIe slots? The plan is to replace the SATA drives with single M2 drive later on.