System recommendation for Android Development / Gradle / Software Emulation

[bob_janes]

Hi:

My current system is 10 year old AMD Phenom II X6. Recently I installed Android Studio to develop Android Apps. Unfortunately, I could not use it, gradle was too sloooow, and no software emulation. So I want to build a new system from scratch. I will use the current system for Ubuntu.

I tried to use PC Build Tool here, but none of the purpose was for Android Development. Can someone recommend a CPU, motherboard, GPU, RAM, power supply, SDD, and case for a new build. Since I use system for a decade, budget is not limit, but I don't want to spend more than necessary. I do not play games, but do attend Zoom meetings for online lectures using webcam. Recently I found that Cyberlink video software for webcam video editing was creating a lot of delay in video and audio, so I guess I do need system capable of efficient video editing.

Thank you for any recommendations.

 

[Alex Glawion]

Hey!
What kind of budget are you working with roughly? Android Dev is certainly not my strong suit, so I might be guessing a lot here, but I'd think that having high clocking cpu cores would benefit you more than having lots of cores, unless the compiling is extremely optimized for multi-threading?

 

[Bob Janes]

Alex: My budget is $2000 to $3000. Thanks for any system recommendation. I am novice, so a case for easy build will be nice.

 

[bob_janes]

I replied without logging in, and so as a guest.

 

[Alex Glawion]

Hey Bob,
Here's a build that should work well for your workloads and is within your budget:

CGDirector.com Parts List: https://www.cgdirector.com/pc-builder/?=Ol1Rf0v0yra

CPU: Intel i9 10900k 3.6GHz 10-Core Processor ($844.93)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 chromax.Black ($99.95)
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix Z490-E Gaming ATX LGA1200 ($249.96)
GPU: Nvidia RTX 2080 Super 8GB - Gigabyte Turbo ($879.00)
Memory: 64GB (4 x 16GB) Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3200 C16 ($279.99)
Storage PCIe-SSD: Sabrent Rocket 1TB NVMe Gen4 M.2 Solid State Drive ($199.98)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx Series RM750x 750W Power Supply ($134.99)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($129.99)
Total: $2818.79

Hope this helps,
Alex

 

[bob_janes]

Thanks Alex. Appears that intel i9 10900k is sold out at most places. Would you recommend maybe a different intel cpu good for Android Studio and emulation? Otherwise I will just wait for a restock of i9.

 

[Alex Glawion]

Hey Bob,
Sure, you can either go with an older Gen such as the i9 9900k (Get a LGA 1151 Motherboard such as the MSI Z390 Gaming Edge AC), or if you'd like to rather go with AMD, the 3900X is a great buy that even sports 12 Cores. Be sure to get an x570 Motherbord though (such as the MSI Tomahawk x570 or MSI x570 Unify) if you decide to go with AMD.

 

[bob_janes]

Thank you Alex. I will do some research regarding AMD vs Intel for Android Studio and Emulation.

 

[bob_janes]

Hi Alex: After doing my research, I have decided to wait out for intel i9 10900k cpu. I did order it, it is on back order, with expected arrival in 2 to 4 weeks. Meanwhile, I have been looking at your recommendations for other components. I do have few questions.

1) Is the air cooled CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 chromax.Black good enough if I do long hours of cpu use with all cores at 5 ghz frequency? Or should I look at AIO liquid cooler?
2) If I do get AIO 360 mm cooler, would you change the recommendation for the mid tower case? I am not into RGB, just a plain case that is easy to build with, and possibly have a 5.25" Blue Ray Drive option (I want to use it from my old system). On the other hand if you think that the Noctua air cooler would work for me, do you think that the Corsair Carbide Series 200R ATX Mid Tower Case is still the best option, easy to work with?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Alex Glawion]

The more powerful the cooler the longer the cpu will be able to boost higher. Many of the coolers will cool the 10900k just fine, but it might throttle earlier or not boost as high on some.

With a 360 aio you probably have the best chances of a high all-core boost on the 10900k, yes. We usually recommend the following 360mm aios:

Corsair Hydro Series H150i PRO RGB
Fractal Design Celsius S36
DEEPCOOL Castle 360EX
EVGA CLC 360 AIO

I can't recommend a 280mm AIO for the 10900k, as it will most likely perform worse than an Air-Cooler.

The thing is, you can't definitely say that a 360mm aio is always better than an Air cooler. There are many Air cooler such as the Chromax or the bequiet dark rock pro4 that perform really well, and perform even better than AIOs on short bursts of clock spikes.

For sustained rendering though, 360mm AIOs do perform better as they just have more radiator volume and surface area.

The 200R won't fit a 360mm AIO, but I can recommend the following cases that would:

Corsair Carbide Series 275Q ATX Mid Tower Case
Corsair Carbide 400C ATX Mid Tower Case
Fractal Design Define R5 Black ATX Mid Tower Case
be quiet! Pure Base 600 Black ATX Mid Tower Case
Corsair Carbide Series Air 540

 

[bob_janes]

Thank you Alex for your very informative reply. I am now using your information to arrive at a final AIO 360 mm cooler and ATX mid tower parts. One concern from my previous reading is clearance from case which required some builds to use full tower. I want to avoid full tower, trying to get a lighter case so moving around the case is not difficult ( I am a senior citizen with bad back). I saw some reviews where final weight of completed full tower system was 75 lbs, ouch.

Thanks again, Alex. Please do let me know if you were to high grade your cooler/case recommendations. Meanwhile I am reading reviews.
Regards,
Bob

 

[bob_janes]

Hi Alex: After doing my research, I have decided to wait out for intel i9 10900k cpu. I did order it, it is on back order, with expected arrival in 2 to 4 weeks. Meanwhile, I have been looking at your recommendations for other components. I do have few questions.

Turns out that i9-10900k is delayed another month, ETA is now end of September. So I am thinking about going with AMD Ryzen 3900XT cpu. Turns out that the latest Android Studio does support Ryzen for Android Emulation with hardware acceleration in Windows 10 Pro.

So I am on square one with designing my system with 3900XT. Same requirements, not for playing game, but I guess I will need a video card since 3900XT does not have graphics like i9-10900k.

My question is what is a good x570 motherboard, memory, cooler, and medium tower case for 3900XT ( 3900XT does not have a stock cooler)? I am not going to overclock it. I tried to use build system here, but somehow can not get 3900XT cpu. I also can not find prebuilt with 3900XT, I guess because the cpu was release in July of this year.

Thanks.

 

[Alex Glawion]

Yes a dedicated GPU makes sense either way as the integrated one in Intel CPUs isn't all too strong. 3900XT sounds good! The 3900XT does not come with a stock cooler, I would recommend the bequiet dark rock pro 4 for you.

As for a Motherboard you can use any x570 Motherboard as they are all compatible with the XT variants after a BIOS upgrade.

The 3900XT is so new that the pre-builts are probably lagging behind. You can also get a normal 3900X which should be much more readily available and has almost the same performance. That one should also be available in pre-builts.