Advice on PC build for animation student

[Shanjb3]

I'm planning to build a computer for my daughter, who's currently studying animation. I'm hoping to keep the cost around or slightly below $1000, with the ability for her to upgrade later, if needed. She will still have access to the college’s computer labs, so this computer doesn’t have to do everything, but we’d like for it to do most of what she needs for the next several years. I’m shopping in the US.

Here’s what I started with from the PC Builder. My questions are below, and then my proposed build from PCPartPicker.

CGDirector.com Parts List: https://www.cgdirector.com/pc-builder/?=6LRsU

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3100 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($187.19)
CPU Cooler: AMD Wraith Stealth Cooler (Included with CPU) (-)
Motherboard: MSI B450 Tomahawk MAX ATX AM4 ($114.99)
GPU: Nvidia GTX 1660 6GB - EVGA XC Gaming ($349.66)
Memory: 16GB (2 x 8GB) Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3200 C16 ($74.99)
Storage PCIe-SSD: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 512GB NVME M.2 Solid State Drive ($79.99)
Power Supply: Corsair CX Series CX450M 450W ATX 2.4 Power Supply ($69.99)
Case: be quiet! Pure Base 600 Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.00)
Total: $965.81


CPU: The Ryzen 3 3100 isn’t in stock most places right now and appears overpriced on Amazon - I could get the Ryzen 5 1600 for the same price or less. Can I make this switch without issues?

Memory: Can I increase this to 32 gig without issues?

SSD Storage: Can I increase this to 1 terabyte without issues?


And here’s my proposed build (making the switches I just mentioned):

Part List - AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (12nm), GeForce GTX 1660, be quiet! Pure Base 600 ATX Mid Tower - PCPartPicker

Part List - AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (12nm), GeForce GTX 1660, be quiet! Pure Base 600 ATX Mid Tower

pcpartpicker.com

This build at PcPartPicker comes in a bit below the budget. If I’m willing to spend another $100-$150, is there an obvious upgrade you’d suggest? (If i don’t spend the extra $ on the computer, I’ll give it to her - which she might actually prefer.)

Thank you!
-Shannon

 

[Shanjb3]

Quick addition: We realized we want the computer to have wifi capabilities, since we can’t guarantee her various dorms/apartments will always have an accessible ethernet connection. Would it be best to design the computer with wifi motherboard now or will a PCI wifi card be adequate?

Here’s the current plan, but I’m not tied to anything:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (12nm) 3.2 GHz 6-Core Processor
Motherboard: *currently MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard, but reconsidering
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 6 GB XC BLACK GAMING Video Card
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-2666 CL19 Memory
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive
Power Supply: Corsair CX (2017) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
Case: be quiet! Pure Base 600 ATX Mid Tower Case

 

[Jerry James]

I'm planning to build a computer for my daughter, who's currently studying animation. I'm hoping to keep the cost around or slightly below $1000, with the ability for her to upgrade later, if needed. She will still have access to the college’s computer labs, so this computer doesn’t have to do everything, but we’d like for it to do most of what she needs for the next several years. I’m shopping in the US.

Here’s what I started with from the PC Builder. My questions are below, and then my proposed build from PCPartPicker.

CGDirector.com Parts List: https://www.cgdirector.com/pc-builder/?=6LRsU

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3100 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($187.19)
CPU Cooler: AMD Wraith Stealth Cooler (Included with CPU) (-)
Motherboard: MSI B450 Tomahawk MAX ATX AM4 ($114.99)
GPU: Nvidia GTX 1660 6GB - EVGA XC Gaming ($349.66)
Memory: 16GB (2 x 8GB) Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3200 C16 ($74.99)
Storage PCIe-SSD: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 512GB NVME M.2 Solid State Drive ($79.99)
Power Supply: Corsair CX Series CX450M 450W ATX 2.4 Power Supply ($69.99)
Case: be quiet! Pure Base 600 Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.00)
Total: $965.81


CPU: The Ryzen 3 3100 isn’t in stock most places right now and appears overpriced on Amazon - I could get the Ryzen 5 1600 for the same price or less. Can I make this switch without issues?

Memory: Can I increase this to 32 gig without issues?

SSD Storage: Can I increase this to 1 terabyte without issues?


And here’s my proposed build (making the switches I just mentioned):

Part List - AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (12nm), GeForce GTX 1660, be quiet! Pure Base 600 ATX Mid Tower - PCPartPicker

Part List - AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (12nm), GeForce GTX 1660, be quiet! Pure Base 600 ATX Mid Tower

pcpartpicker.com

This build at PcPartPicker comes in a bit below the budget. If I’m willing to spend another $100-$150, is there an obvious upgrade you’d suggest? (If i don’t spend the extra $ on the computer, I’ll give it to her - which she might actually prefer.)

Thank you!
-Shannon

Try finding the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or an Intel Core i5 10600K in your region. Let me know how they're priced. The Ryzen 5 1600 is definitely a great deal, but if you're working on scenes, a better processor will be a tad bit smoother.
I'd also swap out the motherboard once we can decide on the best CPU on this budget

And yep, storage and memory expansions won't be an issue.

 

[Shanjb3]

Try finding the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or an Intel Core i5 10600K in your region. Let me know how they're priced. The Ryzen 5 1600 is definitely a great deal, but if you're working on scenes, a better processor will be a tad bit smoother.
I'd also swap out the motherboard once we can decide on the best CPU on this budget

And yep, storage and memory expansions won't be an issue.

I can get the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 for around $200, which is just about $50 more than the Ryzen 5 1600. (The Intel i5 10600K closer $270.)

So I'll switch out the CPU for the Ryzen 5 3600. (Will I need to add a CPU cooler for that one?)
Thank you for your help!!

 

[Jerry James]

I can get the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 for around $200, which is just about $50 more than the Ryzen 5 1600. (The Intel i5 10600K closer $270.)

So I'll switch out the CPU for the Ryzen 5 3600. (Will I need to add a CPU cooler for that one?)
Thank you for your help!!

Nope, the included cooler should do just fine As for the motherboard, check on prices for the MSI B550M Pro-VDH Wi-Fi. I think it's the only board at that price range with built-in Wi-Fi. However, if you can make do with a USB Wi-Fi dongle, you can also check out the ASRock B550M Pro 4 or the MSI B550M Bazooka. All these boards will give you a very nice, smooth upgrade path to Ryzen 5000 without changing anything else in the system.

 

[Shanjb3]

OK, she decided to go with the ASRock B550M Pro 4 motherboard. The CPU and graphics card were on back-order by the time I got around to buying them, but we'll eventually get everything in and start building it!

Thanks so much for all your help!