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2 PCs - both for heavy AE/PR/C4D use - but only 1 for heavy GPU rendering

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jamf01

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Hi Alex -

Apologies for asking the same question as many others.

I use C4D, AE, PR 4K editing. I am very much a 1-man band. Lots of 4K video editing. But also very demanding 3D needs (large files, tons of polys, lots of GPU rendering needed).

I'm looking to build two (2) comparable, tandem high-end systems that spread their power across all these needs (GPU, CPU, RAM, etc.).
For 3D, I need good visual interaction on one machine (heavy poly scenes) - but also HEAVY rendering power on the 2nd one (my de facto 'render farm').
In order save $... for me, there's no need to create 2 GPU render machines.

Maybe you have a recent build suggestion that might fit my needs? 2 comparable systems - but one has a single GPU - the other has 2-4 GPUs?).

My current systems are 6 years old. Currently GPU rendering is way tough - and I understand once I pull the trigger, I'll be in a whole new world.
 
Alex Glawion

Alex Glawion

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Makes sense to split up these tasks onto 2 specialized machines. Here's what the first should look like roughly:

CPU: Ryzen 9 5900x
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15
Motherboard: MSI x570 Tomahawk
GPU: Nvidia RTX 3070
RAM: G.Skill Trident Z Neo or G.Skill Ripjaws V, 4x16GB, 3600cl16
SSD: Sabrent Rocket 4.0 2TB M.2 NVMe
PSU: 850W Gold, Seasonic Prime GX-850 or bequiet Dark Power Pro 11
Case: Phanteks p600s

And here's what the second could look like:

CPU: AMD Threadripper 1900X 3.8GHz 8-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S TR4-SP3
Motherboard: Gigabyte X399 Designare EX ATX TR4
GPU: Nvidia RTX 2080TI 11GB - Asus Turbo
GPU #2: Nvidia RTX 2080TI 11GB - Asus Turbo
GPU #3: Nvidia RTX 2080TI 11GB - Asus Turbo
GPU #4: Nvidia RTX 2080TI 11GB - Asus Turbo
Memory: 128GB (8 x 16GB) Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-2666 C16
Storage SSD: Samsung 860 EVO 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1600 G2 80+ GOLD 1600W
Case: Fractal Design Define XL R2 Titanium Big Tower Case

Of course, those 2080Tis might not be the best solution, you could get 3x RTX 3080 and would probably have higher performance and save some money, depending on if you find any of them at a reasonable price right now.
 
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jamf01

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Thank you for the info.

Pre-pandemic, I used matching workstations. at home and office. Now that I’m pretty much at home, I’m torn as to how best to spend my dollars - and configure my setups. I also need the redundancy of having 2 machines available for work. And need to plan ahead a year or two down the road if I return to an office environment where I’ll need 2 matching setups.

That said, what if I wanted both to be strong hybrid machines (both good at active work, but be able to do respectable gpu rendering)? Also- will want to maximize the best ram for AE/PR (128) - and fast drive access/storage for video editing. So basically looking for the best all-around machine for all uses (AE, PR, C4D, Redshift). So possibly taking option 1 up a level with more ram, fast drives, multi GPUs)? Thank you again for your advice!

Cost is not too big an issue as these are really my only major work-related expenses over a 5-6 year period. So these machines need to be strong and long-lasting. They are my bread and butter, basically.
 
Alex Glawion

Alex Glawion

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Here's a build that would do both well, active work and GPU Rendering:

AMD RYZEN 9 5900X
Noctua NH-U12S SE-AM4
Asus WS ACE x570
RTX 3070 / 3080
G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 64GB (2 x 32GB) 3600 CL16
Seagate FireCuda 520 M.2 2280 1TB PCIe Gen4 (Cache)
Intel 665p Series M.2 2280 1TB PCIe NVMe 3.0 (OS / Software)
Toshiba HDD 4.0TB 7200 128MB SATA3 3.5 {Projects and backup)
Corsair HX850 850W
Fractal Design Define 7

That build would run on a current gen Ryzen CPU which gives you fast active work performance, and the motherboard would allow you to have a multi-gpu setup for fast GPU Rendering.
 
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jamf01

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Thank you! And if I add a 2nd GPU and 128GB ram, PSU can handle that load?
 
Alex Glawion

Alex Glawion

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No you should get a stronger PSU if you plan on adding a second GPU. To be on the safe side, use a Wattage calculator such as this one: https://www.bequiet.com/en/psucalculator

You'll probably need around 1000W.

128GB of RAM is no problem with 32GB Modules.
 
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jamf01

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Last questions (I promise):
I have never run multiple GPUs before - thus these questions:

If I add a 2nd 3080 (whenever I can get my hands on one):
1. How much GPU rendering gains (percentage) can I hope to get from using an additional card?
2. Do I need a particular 'type' or 'size' of 3080 to run on the same board / fit in the same case?
3. Do I need a particular type of sli bridge/bracket/card support between the 2 cards?

You have been incredibly helpful.
Thank you!
 
Alex Glawion

Alex Glawion

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No worries! :)

1. GPU Rendering scales almost linearly with added GPUs. So around 95% faster.
2. You have to look at the spacing of your pcie-slots to make sure all of the gpus fit. There are very thick gpus that take up a lot of space and obstruct access to the second pcie-slot, so make sure you get thinner gpus. Optimally this would be a dual slot blower style GPU, but there are no 3080s yet in that style unfortunately. You'll have to stick to the thicker open air cooled gpus for now.
3. Nope, none needed. 3080 doesnt support this anyway. 3090 has support for nvlink bridges.
 
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