Recommended PC Hardware for affinity photo and affinity designer!

[MEB]

Hi Ghaeth wardeh,
Try to focus on the intended use of the application first rather than on the type of machine you want. Besides learning, what do you intend to do with the app as soon as you're familiar with it? Are you a designer student? Do you want it to draw a few things as a hobby only? Do you want to use it for some sort of commercial use?

[R C-R]

14 minutes ago, toltec said:

Remember that the ipad version of Affinity is not the full version that is on the PC or Mac.

Duh! That was supposed to be the first & most important 'bullet point' in my earlier reply but somehow I forgot to include it. Thanks for mentioning it.

[R C-R]

12 minutes ago, MEB said:

Besides learning, what do you pretend to do with the app as soon as you're familiar with it?

I think you meant to use a different word there.

[Ghaeth wardeh]

17 minutes ago, MEB said:

Hi Ghaeth wardeh,
Try to focus on the intended use of the application rather than on the type of machine you want. Besides learning, what do you intend to do with the app as soon as you're familiar with it? Are you a designer student? Do you want it to draw a few things as a hobby only? Do you want to use it for some sort of commercial use?

Thank you MEB,

I will goback to unversity to study graphic design next year but i can't wait for that, until that time, i want to learn by myself with online courses.

[Ghaeth wardeh]

2 hours ago, R C-R said:

 

i will not make any buisness from using affinity software. i will study graphic design next year, but i can't wait, i want to start these days how to use affinity photo and designer this year by selflearning or by online courses

[MEB]

If you intend to go to university (for a 3/4 years university course) and use the system you are building/acquiring now you will be better served with a desktop computer. It will give you much more flexibility/expandability for future and is more robust/capable for any assignments/works where low system specs may limit what you can do.

[Ghaeth wardeh]

2 hours ago, MEB said:

 

thank you so much

[Scungio]

This past year I got a PC, a Ryzen 7 1700x. I think in today's marketplace it makes more sense to buy a prebuilt computer from somebody, whether it is CyberPower, iBuyPower, Origin PC, NZXT's build service, etc. If you try and build yourself you are not getting the lower prices that those companies can get for parts. RAM, Graphics cards, etc can be very pricey when you are trying to build your own PC. Those companies I mentioned also have sales and specials frequently throughout the year.

Also, don't forget about AMD and their Ryzen chips, I find that they are the best bang for your buck. The PC that I bought would have cost me easily $2,000 if I were to buy the parts and build it myself, because I would have paid much more for the RAM, the graphics card, etc. I saved $700 by going the prebuilt route. The only thing that I ended up buying and installing myself was a Noctua Air Cooler and a Samsung 960 NVME M.2 drive because I WAS able to get a better deal on those shopping for them myself.

There is no reason why a PC you buy/build today can't last you 5 years, so I would try and get/assemble the best your budget allows. It may seem like overkill to have a beefy powerful system today when you are learning but 3 years from now when you are more experienced that powerful hardware will come in handy. You don't want to be in a situation where 2 or 3 years from now your PC isn't able to keep up with you and you are looking to buy/build again.

[Ghaeth wardeh]

really i am confused ... i just want to enjoy myself by learning and using affinity photo and designer .... but i am confused where should i start!!!!!!

[gdenby]

Hi, Ghaethm

What is convergence software?

[Ghaeth wardeh]

20 minutes ago, gdenby said:

Hi, Ghaethm

What is convergence software?

affinity photo and affinity designer... but i am so confused about what i shuold to use as an entry level.... ipad pro or pc?

[gdenby]

3 minutes ago, Ghaeth wardeh said:

affinity photo and affinity designer... but i am so confused about what i shuold to use as an entry level.... ipad pro or pc?

As mentioned earlier, Affinity Photo is now only available on iPad. Designer is in the works, but there has been no statement about when it will be available. Right now, you would need a PC to run both. Also as mentioned, Photo on iPad is not quite the same as on the desktop.

For graphic design, I do think Designer is a better choice than Photo. Photo is aimed at developing camera images, and enhancing them. 

PCs tend to have upgrade options. Macs, at this point, very few. If you go w. an entry level pc, I suspect you may be able to upgrade the hardware when you start running into performance problems. Also, if you are like many students, you may find your academic focus changing after starting university. I will say again that if you intend to do CG, the more powerful the hardware, the better. But if you get into something like programming, that can be done on very rudimentary systems.

[Ghaeth wardeh]

10 minutes ago, gdenby said:

As mentioned earlier, Affinity Photo is now only available on iPad. Designer is in the works, but there has been no statement about when it will be available. Right now, you would need a PC to run both. Also as mentioned, Photo on iPad is not quite the same as on the desktop.

For graphic design, I do think Designer is a better choice than Photo. Photo is aimed at developing camera images, and enhancing them. 

PCs tend to have upgrade options. Macs, at this point, very few. If you go w. an entry level pc, I suspect you may be able to upgrade the hardware when you start running into performance problems. Also, if you are like many students, you may find your academic focus changing after starting university. I will say again that if you intend to do CG, the more powerful the hardware, the better. But if you get into something like programming, that can be done on very rudimentary systems.

thank you so much!

[firstdefence]

If you can afford $2000 buy a reasonably spec'd PC and an iPad Pro and enjoy the happiness that is installed in both versions of Affinity Designer 

[Ghaeth wardeh]

24 minutes ago, firstdefence said:

If you can afford $2000 buy a reasonably spec'd PC and an iPad Pro and enjoy the happiness that is installed in both versions of Affinity Designer 

yes, i will save more money to do it 

[Ghaeth wardeh]

thank you so much guys, but what is better option i can go with? i3 7350k, i7 7700k or i7 8086k?

[SrPx]

You can get in certain shops a nice computer for 500 - 700 without the monitor. That'd be more than enough, if the parts are well chosen.

IMO, forget i3 if you can afford it.

7700k is nice for the current price, but I wouldn't go there....

8086k, I don't believe there's such a thing.

I believe you mean 8700k or 8600k. (both are six cores. An intel core i7 and i5 , respectively)

Seems Affinity can make use quite well of multiple cores, and that uses quite the CPU.

I myself am going for an AMD Ryzen 7 2700x, if serves you as a guide. The recent benchmarks are outstandingly better than its recent iteration, the 1700. Even much better than 1700x and 1800x.

Even more, the 2700x is surpassing, in applications, to that what can offer an intel i7 8700k. Which was equal or so in this area with the previous ryzen 1700. Not anymore. Still, purely in video games, the intel i7 8700k does kick easily all of the AMD Ryzens for a main reason: It can be overclocked to 5 ghz "easily" (with special cooling, and a premium main board. Typically, if not going to mess with all that, which I don't like to do anyway (I fear for the lifespan of the machine in very long term), in stock clocks (non over clocked) I'd say the situation is very different). Also, because the IPC (instructions per cycle) per each core is much better in intel i7s than in Ryzen. In absolutely everything else, other than games : Heavy multi tasking, video editing, rendering, a lot of 2D/3D workflows... this Ryzen 2700x is a winner. Thing is, it gets out of stock very often, for this reason. Tons of ppl are grabbing it now. Indeed, this Ryzen 2700x is good enough for top games, unless you are quite a hardcore gamer. Not the usual audience around here.

That said, you don't go wrong with an intel 8700k. Is a fabulous machine. But for rendering, while it's on par with a Ryzen 1700 3D rendering with Blender Cycles, and that might have to do with intel's better IPC and clock (ie, intel reaching, over clocked, 5ghz, Ryzen I dunno if 4.3 or 4.5), despite 1700 having two more cores, the fact is that this new AMD Ryzen 2700x clearly wins (in professional applications) intel's 8700k, which for now, is the best in mainstream, at non crazy pricing, similar cost for both.

Intel 8700ks --> 6 cores, 12 threads .  AMD Ryzen 2700x (8 cores 16 threads) . Blender, and many CPU based rendering systems, as well as a few video editors, do a great use of cpu threads: The more, the merrier. I have even done amazingly conclusive tests about the matter.

In case going intel, I'd go for an i7 but only coffee lake (8xxx), a six core 8700k, or if AMD, a Ryzen 7 of the latest gen, 2700x.  (both brands are preparing new stuff, but with that in mind, you'd never buy a computer, as they are all the time releasing stuff, now more than ever, as AMD is pushing Intel badly.... ) 

IMO, unless the software you most will depend on, is using some very intel-specific optimizations, I'd go AMD. I'm an intel guy, but I have this now as the route to go... Due to upgrading path, too. You can get later one a threadripper CPU (now renamed, I believe), which provides you a crazy lots of cores and threads, in case you would need that... With intel's coffee lake platform, you are stuck in 8700k as the best thing you can get. And IMO, their non mainstream line, the x-Series line, is "extremely" expensive. (threadripper line ain't cheap either, but much cheaper for  the same number of cores than intel's core x)

Depending on the budget you have I might advice a configuration for general 2D/3D work. You can get very nice machines even with small budget. But of course, you are always loosing workflow speed if choosing worse cpus. Also, each tasks has its rquirements, even same task varies depending on software to use. If one is planning on using ONLY a video editor depending basically in GPU rendering, then the focus must be on a good graphic card. Which now is totally crazy thing to do, as the bitcoin and etc mining has set the graphic cards prices prohibitively high.

And then there's the monitor. Lately I recommend people beginning and with no cash, at least getting a 98% sRGB color space supported monitor. Ideally, one that you could calibrate with a hardware calibrator, but there the price starts to go up. At least, if is sRGB REALLY compliant, that's a lot. After all, is mostly what iPad Pro first gen was providing, and that was mostly fine.

There's an i5 that is fine, is the coffelake one, the 8600 one. As that's 6 cores, after all.... But I'd go for the mentioned top ryzen, if you can afford it. (prices of the top Ryzen 7 mainstream and top intel's mainstream are pretty similar (~350$). Instead, in extreme, professional lines, intel's core i9 (1k $ just the cpu) goes up to the roof, and also Threadripper  (400$ - 1000k depending on model). And you don't need that. ) . The cpu should not go over 400$, as if not, the total computer is gonna be really expensive.

I'd purchase a good PC. For learning (and IMO, for working, too), is better to get a solid good PC or Mac, you can see with time if getting an iPad later on, IMO.

IMO, focus on the CPU, (Ryzen 2700x as best, or if going intel a 8700k, but I don't recommend it), then put  there some 16 GB ram, 2400 or 2666 MHZ speed (this is NOT the cpu speed!!!) in the ram would suffice, don't need to go more expensive, at least a sRGB (tested by some reliable reviewers) fully compliant monitor model, at least for now, (unless you have already a good enough monitor) and I'm still not sold on the need of a SSD disk, specially for us needing so many gigabytes and so, so many writes per day on disk, and having to cut costs somewhere, being CPU/RAM so crucial.......Also as I still don't trust an SSD lasting as much as a good mechanical drive. So that'd be a Seagate barracuda 7200rpm, 1 terabyte. These are dirty cheap, now.  In graphic cards, they are pretty expensive now. I'd purchase, for now just a 1050 2gb (around 150), or a 1050 ti 4gb (Around 200 $ . quite better, not just due to the memory). But heck, given the prices, and before letting it force choosing a worse cpu, I wouldn't do so, would choose a cheaper and worse GT 1030 (90 bucks, I believe), again, at least for now.

There a super budget choice in PC, matching to the situation of graphic cards market (terrible) , which is purchasing a cpu with g. card integrated. These, depending on the software, can be really, really a very low end machine.... And here, tehre's differences of big nature between AMD and intel . For this route, some recommendations :

- The cheap route, and stillm the better performance in integrated graphic cards : The recent release from AMD: 2400G. This has its pros and cons : Pros: fair performance on the card, better than intel's integrated ones. Price, the machine becomes really affordable. Cons : That I have not a single clue how the brush engine in Affinity Photo and Designer would go with this... or operations with raw files, and etc. As clearly are strimmed down cpus. Still, they are definitely not weak. But here there's a risk of not seeing stellar perfomance, to say the least. Have not made a single test/checked any, so, can't say.

- Intel has an edge in this option: You have integrated cards (remember it seems Affinity makes mostly use of the CPU, so this option of favoring CPU power over card, makes sense....) by intel that, checking tests, are clearly inferior to the AMD 2400G one.... BUT... AMD has NOT released a top CPU, top of the line, with an integrated card. SO, with intel in the 8700k, you get an integrated one (it works, but if the software asks for sth GPU accelerated, forget it), by default. And still get a top notch cpu. Pros: Again, good price, avoid like with the 2400G the purchase of an overpriced card, until mining goes away a bit, and save a bunch of bucks for now, so to make the first money hit smaller, and fit your budget, while still get a lot of more power in CPU than with AMD's 2400G. Also, that you can do exactly this with another 6 core CPU, the 8600 from intel, it'd be a very interesting cheaper purchase.  And still get quite some power there. (but the performance difference is considerable between an i7 8700k and an i5 8600. Still, a intel 8600, much better in raw power than a AMD 2400G, except in the graphic integrated card, where AMD wins.).

So, you would be safer in terms of Affinity running well with a 8700k, leaving its integrated, not buying a g.card just now, rather  than with a 2400G from AMD. Unless I understood badly the usage Affinity apps make of hardware. Which very well could be. Of course, you can go down to an i3 8100 (I believe has same integrated card than a 8700k), but then is just 2 cores, 4 threads. Very weak (not only for cores/threads, but a lot of stuff more) for these purposes, IMO. For this kind of usage, for the money I'd prefer to go at least to a 4/6 core from AMD (2200G or 2400G), or a 8400 from intel.

So, there you have it.

My main advice is save the bucks for a Ryzen 2700x. 16 gb, and GT 1050 (or 1030 if no money enough) as the best advice I can give. Maybe in a budget, tight budget, a 8700K from intel, and just hope that its integrated graphic card can cope with stuff for a while, is anothe clever option. My bad feeling about these intel paths is upgrade paths pretty stuck there, to 8700k, and that's it. Plus, a proved quite less performance in practically any multi threaded test, synthetic or with real scenarios, real apps.

About Macs, no freaking idea. All the above allows you to purchase a quite working PC machine for graphics creation, even from low price points, from around 400 bucks (not including monitor) till around 800. Depending on configuration, and being careful on the pieces, to keep in budget. The monitor, just a sRGB compliant until you get into specific print or photo lab color accuracy needs, ideally able to be calibrated by hardware, or tested by some reputable test labs/reviewer as coming from production quite well balanced/calibrated by default (and still, better if at least you'd calibrate it by software, in any case, if by hardware is not possible) that can be around 200 -350 bucks more. I've seen lately quite nice monitors for 400, though. Going for an Eizo of the pro range is an overkill while learning, IMO. I like NECs.

 

[walt.farrell]

2 minutes ago, SrPx said:

8086k, I don't believe there's such a think.

https://www.pcworld.com/article/3280095/components-processors/intels-limited-edition-5ghz-core-i7-8086k-40-anniversary.html

[SrPx]

lol! I thought it was a typo....

Seems is merely a 8700 in steroids, better overclocking. Still 6 cores, not 8 like the amd 2700x, and so, still 12 threads, not 16. Also, the main advantage is overclocking, still games are more favored -this is gonna change soon- for single clock speed rather than multiple cores, and for overclocking this specific machine, the actual article says you need a z370 board, that's quite more expensive than the middle range of AMD for a ryzen, or the middle board for a intel which you don't plan to overclock. In regular 8700k, tho, you would also need to spend bucks in a thermal solution, as it over heats, unlike the default Ryzen solution for that (but Ryzen cpu do overlock very little, hence why intel is much better for games, top clock speeds)

I still would opt by a Ryzen 2700x, no matter what....That new model is just yet another gift for gamers... unless further tests tell me sth really revealing and new...

[SrPx]

hmmm...yeah, and is just a limited edition, I guess is some days till gets out of the stock for ever, if not already. Still, a base clock of 4 Ghz, instead of the 8700k 3.7, and turbo clock speed in single core of 5Ghz (hardcore gamers were getting that, and 5.2 with special ($$) cooling) if you buy a premium mo board (again, $$), instead of the standard 4.7 Ghz of a 8700k with no advanced cooling in both cases. Meh.  I'm not into that type of gaming....  (anymore ;D ).

Also, AMD is finishing already its 7 nanometers cpu and gpu tech, while intel seems stuck, yet. Seems 10nm from intel is gonna compete at almost the same time with AMD's 7 nm .Around maybe start of 2019. So, it's all looking better for AMD than Intel (also AMD has multiplied by a lot its main income).. I'm no AMD fan, neither intel's... Indeed, back in August I was convinced to go the 8700k route. Is, mostly, all about how I see tests/benchmarks going with graphic content creation apps. And that whenever I disable by hand one rendering thread in Blender, I see times multiplying by a huge factor...Am delaying the purchase as I thought this machine of mine would have crashed for ever by now... I was wrong...

And yet, you never know. The 8700k, with 2 cores less, was beating the Ryzen 1700 even in multi-core benchmarks (remarkably, slightly in Blender render tests with Blender's Cycles renderer), the flag ship in terms of performance/cost ratio from AMD (the 1800x was better, but more pricey) after having totally hit the flotation line of Intel when they yet had not released yet the 8700k. My take : pffff. To both. Just buy whatever is at bet shape (for the bucks) at each moment, there's no freaking way to guess this stuff with 100% reliability, not anymore... Still, this fierce competition is good for us, consumers, no more intel dominance (unlike the AMD FX times), better prices, better products, no more 5% performance improve per 5 years anymore (I hope!)

[SrPx]

About the build per parts, or buy the mounted pc, in my country, going to the right shops, costs around the same. I wouldn't purchase it in a shop where they'd put the whatever the pieces they'd select (often cr4ppy, to gain $ there, or to get ride of pieces no one wants, or a high RMA ). I'd go only to those that charge me zero per mounting, or 50 bucks as much. Just because that way I have a an extra warranty on the mounting act itself  . And because I hate mounting it. If you are no expert at it, I'd recommend going to a shop were you can pick the parts from a list, and let'em mount it. Cost tends to be very similar, in my experience, so, it's not worth it, all the hassle....

[R C-R]

Not to muddy the waters with even more things to consider but since next year @Ghaeth wardeh plans on attending a university, I think it is worth finding out what kind of computing device(s) they recommend for their graphic arts students. Plus, for many university curriculums a laptop they can take to their classes would be a good idea.

[Ghaeth wardeh]

11 hours ago, R C-R said:

Not to muddy the waters with even more things to consider but since next year @Ghaeth wardeh plans on attending a university, I think it is worth finding out what kind of computing device(s) they recommend for their graphic arts students. Plus, for many university curriculums a laptop they can take to their classes would be a good idea.

i think i will start with ipad pro, to learn on affinity photo, ( affinity designer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and procreate apps, and in next year i will buy a laptop!

[R C-R]

6 minutes ago, Ghaeth wardeh said:

i think i will start with ipad pro, to learn on affinity photo, ( affinity designer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and procreate apps, and in next year i will buy a laptop!

It sounds to me like you really want an iPad Pro, regardless of any other considerations, so I think that is what you should get. 

[Ghaeth wardeh]

13 hours ago, SrPx said:

hmmm...yeah, and is just a limited edition, I guess is some days till gets out of the stock for ever, if not already. Still, a base clock of 4 Ghz, instead of the 8700k 3.7, and turbo clock speed in single core of 5Ghz (hardcore gamers were getting that, and 5.2 with special ($$) cooling) if you buy a premium mo board (again, $$), instead of the standard 4.7 Ghz of a 8700k with no advanced cooling in both cases. Meh.  I'm not into that type of gaming....  (anymore ;D ).

Also, AMD is finishing already its 7 nanometers cpu and gpu tech, while intel seems stuck, yet. Seems 10nm from intel is gonna compete at almost the same time with AMD's 7 nm .Around maybe start of 2019. So, it's all looking better for AMD than Intel (also AMD has multiplied by a lot its main income).. I'm no AMD fan, neither intel's... Indeed, back in August I was convinced to go the 8700k route. Is, mostly, all about how I see tests/benchmarks going with graphic content creation apps. And that whenever I disable by hand one rendering thread in Blender, I see times multiplying by a huge factor...Am delaying the purchase as I thought this machine of mine would have crashed for ever by now... I was wrong...

And yet, you never know. The 8700k, with 2 cores less, was beating the Ryzen 1700 even in multi-core benchmarks (remarkably, slightly in Blender render tests with Blender's Cycles renderer), the flag ship in terms of performance/cost ratio from AMD (the 1800x was better, but more pricey) after having totally hit the flotation line of Intel when they yet had not released yet the 8700k. My take : pffff. To both. Just buy whatever is at bet shape (for the bucks) at each moment, there's no freaking way to guess this stuff with 100% reliability, not anymore... Still, this fierce competition is good for us, consumers, no more intel dominance (unlike the AMD FX times), better prices, better products, no more 5% performance improve per 5 years anymore (I hope!)

i think i will wait to next year to build pc or buy a laptop, i will start now with ipad, but i am waiting for affinity designer for ipad, i don't is good idea to buy premium pc or laptop just for learning now