Discussion Should I add a GPU to my system or get a better APU?

amundsen

Caliper Novice
Original poster
Aug 1, 2018
26
3
Hello,

I have a mini-ITX motherboard with a i8700k but without GPU which I've been using for for music first and foremost (DAW/studio as well as live music with a lot of processing) as well as for day to day use (browsing, text editing...) for 2 1/2 years. I watch some videos but I don't do any gaming. The cooling is good (Noctua NH-U9S with two fans and two 120 case fans on top). However after having completed this build I've begun to do some 3D modelling (OpenSCAD) for 3D printing. I've noticed that while rendering 3D models the fans go crazy. This happens also when a 3D model is opened online (Fusion 360, Onshape) and sometimes also when a lot of tabs are opened in my browser.

The reasons I went for an APU configuration were:
- lighter (more portable) build;
- less heat and therefore reduced cooling noise;
- reduced power requirements;
- use of the PCI slots for alternative goals (additional I/O ports, better soundcard for instance).

The question is: can I improve the situation with a more powerful APU such as the new AMD Ryzen 5700G or should I rather add a GPU to my setup?

Thank you in advance.
 

DrLeroy

Noob Saibot
May 15, 2020
186
117
What case are you running?
and what motherboard?
Chances are you could get a pretty good USB sound card if you wanted, and therefore drop in a small quadro, such as a P600, P620 or P1000, all which come in single slot low profile models (making some case assumptions here)
or if you have the space, you can pickup older quadro cards cheap, thinks like the K4000 or M4000 for not much, which will be good for CAD work.
On the other side though, quadro cards may not be any better that a gtx card for your use cases anyway I would check this with the software you are using.
If this is the case, I would look at GT1030, for single slot LP on the cheap, or gtx1050's or 1650's which both shoudl come in low profile 2 slot if that is a requirement.
Another cheap options could be older gpu's like 950's 960's etc.
If you have the space, add the gpu, as an 8700k is a solid cpu, and no point upgrading.

now if you want to stick APU, then the 5700G does look pretty boss, the graphics performance seems to fluctuate between just under gt1030, to as high as gtx1050 levels in some edge cases. the multi threading performance would be a good step up if that is a use case for you, the consideration here being the cost outlay for a B550 or X570 ITX board and a 5700G is quite high.

as for your current fan ramp up issues, i would check your actual temps, along with cpu load, and how far your cpu is clocking to determine if a repaste, and or new fan may be all you need to cool the cpu better and get that small performance uplift you may be after. my 2c, buy a gt1030 or Quadro P600 and if still rocking a stock cooler, get a better cooler and repaste, new cooler, dust clean out and go, should be cheapest option here also.
 
  • Like
Reactions: amundsen