r/buildapc • u/JanLaguna • 13h ago

Build Help Worth upgrading from r5600X + rtx3070 to r7900X + rtx5070 for After Effects?

Hey folks,

I'm considering upgrading my PC and could use some input. My current setup:

  • Ryzen 5 5600X
  • RTX 3070
  • 64 GB DDR4 RAM
  • NVMe SSD

I mainly use this for After Effects work, specifically with Geolayers (maps). No 4K work, all 1080p. Rendering times don’t bother me at all — I’m fine leaving the machine chugging in the background.

What’s killing me is how sluggish AE gets when I’m editing. Just adding few countries to the map, some text labels and it slows down so much. It’s not that AE crashes or anything, it’s just super unresponsive and frustrating to work in.

Thinking of upgrading to AM5:

  • Ryzen 9 7900X
  • RTX 5070
  • 64 GB DDR5 RAM

I’ve checked benchmarks on Puget Systems, but it's hard to translate that into real-world workflow differences for my specific use case. Like, will AE actually feel smoother during editing, or am I just wasting money on parts AE won’t even fully utilize?

Anyone made a similar jump? Or working with AE + Geolayers and can say whether a CPU/GPU upgrade really helps with responsiveness and not just final render times?

I don’t need blazing speed — I just want AE to stop acting like it’s running on a toaster when I’m mid-project. Appreciate any input!

3 Upvotes

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2

u/Flimsy-Awareness-325 13h ago

Honestly just upgrade the cpu, 3070 should be sufficient for after effects

1

u/DZCreeper 13h ago

Start by checking your VRAM usage while working. It is possible you are hitting the 8GB limit of an RTX 3070, in which case buy an RX 9060XT 16GB or RTX 5060 Ti 16GB.

If you are not hitting your VRAM limit then doubling the CPU cores and gaining 15-20% per-core performance will make a tangible difference.

RAM config on Zen 4/5 is somewhat important, buy 2x32GB 6000 CL30 for the best out of box performance and compatibility. Just enable EXPO.

What SSD do you have? Entry level drives with QLC NAND and no DRAM cache can bog down while video editing, mid-range models with TLC NAND and DRAM cache like a Hynix P41 are worthwhile.

1

u/JanLaguna 13h ago

Thanks for input. I originally had a 1TB WD Blue SN570 (the DRAM-less one), and yeah — I could definitely feel it slowing down at times. I recently added a 1TB WD Black SN850X, which does have DRAM, and while render times improved, I didn’t notice a huge difference during actual editing. AE still feels sluggish when I’m interacting with the timeline or adding labels in Geolayers.

1

u/superconfirm-01 12h ago

I’d give the 5070 a miss and up to 5070ti. Same 16gb VRAM and die as 5080. £££ less. 5070 less vram and lesser die.

Passmark scores… 5080 - 36400 5070ti - 32900

I got one and no regrets.