New DAW / Gaming PC. Ryzen 3 3300X or Intel i5 10600KF?

Hello,

I am switching my laptop to a new desktop computer. Laptop has enough performance but it makes so much noise when under load, I can’t really stand it. I am using my pc for gaming and DAW use. I do pretty much 50/50

So, Now I am between 2 configurations:

Intel i5 10600K
16GB RAm
1tb SSD M.2
PCIe 3
Nvidia GTX 1660 Super

Or

AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
PCIe 4
Nvidia RTX 2060

Ryzen 3 3300X has very good single core performance but has lower clock speeds than Intel i5 10600K even when overclocked.
Both of the configurations have same price. But I am just not really sure how well Ryzen 3 3300X performs in cubase or will there be any compability issues with some VSTs? I have read some horror stories from the web.

My old desktop had 4770K and it had no issues running cubase and that cpu was old. My current laptop has I5 9300H and it also does the job,
only reason I want rid of this, is the noise. I have open headphones and the laptop is making so much noise, I have to turn up the volume on my headphones, and I already have tinnitus and hyperacusia so I am now building a virtually silent computer.

Intel Build Pros:

6 threads + HT = 12 total
Intel has better clockspeeds (up to 5ghz)
Cubase better optimized for intel?

Intel build Cons:

Intel has only PCIe 3
Lower RAM speed support
Need to buy new mobo for new cpu
Runs warmer

AMD Pros:

Better RAM speed support
PCIe 4 support (worth it? I don’t really know)
New Zen coming soon, no need for new motherboard
Runs cooler

AMD Cons:

Only 4 threads + HT = 8 total.
Lower clockspeed

I would really appreciate if someone with Ryzen CPUs could give some info to me how their PC run compared to their old intel builds. There
is not much infor about intel vs ryzen DAW performance in Cubase. Also give your opinion. I am running on a limited budget. The reason
why I don’t have R5 3600 in the list, is because that has worse single core performance than 3300X. 3300X is really an amazing CPU for it’s price.

And if someone has 3300X, please let me know how it performs!

I do have Steinberg UR22C audio interface. Does it work well with AMD builds?

Thank you!

I’m sure there are horror stories about Intel configurations as well.

It’s 6 cores + HT = 12 threads total. Two threads per core.

Cubase is as far as I know not optimized for any CPU.

Be careful when getting a new Ryzen if you want compatibility with the next generation. Not all future Ryzen chips will run on any current or older motherboard as far as I know. Not a big deal, just make sure you double-check before buying.

PCIe 4.0 is nice, but I’m not sure you’ll benefit that much. Sure, you’ll likely get faster load times, but m.2 is already pretty fast. I wouldn’t go out of my way to get a Ryzen system just for that if you’re not doing pretty heavy work

Generally speaking, what puts stress on a single core on your CPU is a plugin or VST-instrument that needs to compute quickly so you don’t experience any latency when for example playing a note on a keyboard. This means that if you’re just mixing the demands are different from if you’re playing a keyboard for example, or singing and need realtime effects (assuming your interface can’t provide that).

So you should consider what you do and how you do it. If you have a long chain of plugins, meaning that you have one plugin after another in series - one long chain in one channel going to a group/output where you have another long chain - then you put a lot of stress on one core.

If on the other hand you spread the load in parallel with more plugins over parallel paths - meaning maybe just four per channel but with many more channels - then the load will spread over more cores and threads. When I mix for TV (post) that’s my situation. I have many channels and not that many plugins in series. It’s mostly in parallel. For me more cores/threads is better than a faster CPU, and I can always increase the buffer size if I run into problems.

I think you should also consider is how much power you need now and how much you’re going to need in the foreseeable future. It could be that if you get a 3300X you’re fine for a short amount of time, say a year, and then you have to upgrade. But at that point the 3300X is probably not worth much at all and so the question is what do you do? If you can’t sell it are you going to buy another “modest” CPU from the last generation? If you do that, would you maybe have been better off with a 3600 or 3700 from the start instead? You’d have to look at the loss from buying the 3300 + the cost of the new CPU, and if that’s more than the cost of a 3600/3700 today then you “lost” money.

Of course, if you don’t have the money you don’t have the money.

Lastly, just for the record: I don’t think I’ve read any reviews of anyone using quad cores for DAWs these days. Even hex cores are less common recommendations than octa-core CPUs. Not saying it won’t work, just that most people tend to get at least 6-8 cores (2x the threads).

@MattiasNYC

Thank you for thorough answer. I misspelled, I was supposed to write cores. Oh well. I think I came to conclusion and will go with i5 10600K. It has 6 cores and base speed is 4.1Ghz. And with slight OC it will get 5Ghz. That is plenty for my needs. The 3300X is bit too slow. As you mentioned, I will most likely just lose more money. So I thought I will go with the Intel. As my computer has to perform both DAW and games, I think Intel is a safe choice.

I never even maxed out my old 4770K with 12Gb of RAM…

Still got to heal my ears for a bit before I try to make music again.

But thanks!