Best PC build for 3D/motion and rendering? (Updated budget)

[Jade W]

Hello again
I asked this question before but I was fortunate enough to up my budget a bit ($2,000 US minus the monitor) I am also going to sit on this for a bit longer to see if gpu prices drop so that I can switch that out for a better one later.

I do a lot of 3d modeling and animation. Fast rendering is a plus. I use both blender and cinema 4d the most, sometimes I use maya. Would prefer to use gpu for rendering. I also use Adobe after effects, premiere, illustrator, etc.

Any recommendations for good monitors are welcome too (25in maybe?)


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

CPU: Intel i9 10900k 3.6GHz 10-Core Processor ($478.99)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 ($89.90)
Motherboard: MSI Z490 Tomahawk ATX LGA1200 ($219.45)
GPU: Nvidia GTX 1660 6GB - Gigabyte Windforce ($664.87)
Memory: 32GB (2 x 16GB) G.Skill Ripjaws V DDR4-3200 C16 ($159.99)
Storage PCIe-SSD: Sabrent Rocket 1TB NVMe Gen4 M.2 Solid State Drive ($159.98)
Power Supply: EVGA 650 B5, 80 Plus Bronze 650W Power Supply ($67.00)
Case: NZXT H510 ATX Mid Tower Case ($143.25)
Total: $1983.43

 

[Jerry James]

Hello again
I asked this question before but I was fortunate enough to up my budget a bit ($2,000 US minus the monitor) I am also going to sit on this for a bit longer to see if gpu prices drop so that I can switch that out for a better one later.

I do a lot of 3d modeling and animation. Fast rendering is a plus. I use both blender and cinema 4d the most, sometimes I use maya. Would prefer to use gpu for rendering. I also use Adobe after effects, premiere, illustrator, etc.

Any recommendations for good monitors are welcome too (25in maybe?)


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

CPU: Intel i9 10900k 3.6GHz 10-Core Processor ($478.99)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 ($89.90)
Motherboard: MSI Z490 Tomahawk ATX LGA1200 ($219.45)
GPU: Nvidia GTX 1660 6GB - Gigabyte Windforce ($664.87)
Memory: 32GB (2 x 16GB) G.Skill Ripjaws V DDR4-3200 C16 ($159.99)
Storage PCIe-SSD: Sabrent Rocket 1TB NVMe Gen4 M.2 Solid State Drive ($159.98)
Power Supply: EVGA 650 B5, 80 Plus Bronze 650W Power Supply ($67.00)
Case: NZXT H510 ATX Mid Tower Case ($143.25)
Total: $1983.43

Hey Jade, any particular reason for going Intel over AMD at that price point? For most of your workloads, that seems like a better option. A 5900X would be far better than the 10900K at lower power draw and thermals.

As you said, the GPU is extremely overpriced, so I'd recommend shopping locally. At that price point, you should be able to get an RTX 3060/ 3060 Ti if you're lucky.

That NZXT case also seems needlessly pricey so you can go with any mesh case that you find at around the $100 mark. If you're planning to move into GPU rendering soon (before you change this workstation again), a full tower case is recommended so you can add GPUs easily. Same applies to the power supply, up it to at least 850W or higher if you plan to run a card like the RTX 3080/3090.

 

[Jade W]

I ran it through again to include amd parts and got this:

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

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8GHz 8-Core Processor ($399.00)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 ($89.90)
Motherboard: MSI X570 Tomahawk ATX AM4 ($244.71)
GPU: Nvidia GTX 1660TI 6GB - Gigabyte Windforce ($699.99)
Memory: 32GB (2 x 16GB) G.Skill Ripjaws V DDR4-3200 C16 ($159.99)
Storage PCIe-SSD: Sabrent Rocket 1TB NVMe Gen4 M.2 Solid State Drive ($159.98)
Power Supply: EVGA 650 B5, 80 Plus Bronze 650W Power Supply ($67.00)
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P300 ATX Mid Tower Case ($155.79)
Total: $1976.36

But yeah I stuck with Intel exclusively at first because I'm pretty new to this and I was following the advice of a friend that knows a bit more than I do. But I've heard some good things about amd builds online so I'm open to it if it might be better overall. Thanks for the power supply and case tip, I'll switch those out

 

[Jade W]

Hey Jade, any particular reason for going Intel over AMD at that price point? For most of your workloads, that seems like a better option. A 5900X would be far better than the 10900K at lower power draw and thermals.

As you said, the GPU is extremely overpriced, so I'd recommend shopping locally. At that price point, you should be able to get an RTX 3060/ 3060 Ti if you're lucky.

That NZXT case also seems needlessly pricey so you can go with any mesh case that you find at around the $100 mark. If you're planning to move into GPU rendering soon (before you change this workstation again), a full tower case is recommended so you can add GPUs easily. Same applies to the power supply, up it to at least 850W or higher if you plan to run a card like the RTX 3080/3090.

Whoops not sure if I was supposed to reply directly to this or not .

 

[Jerry James]

I ran it through again to include amd parts and got this:

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

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8GHz 8-Core Processor ($399.00)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 ($89.90)
Motherboard: MSI X570 Tomahawk ATX AM4 ($244.71)
GPU: Nvidia GTX 1660TI 6GB - Gigabyte Windforce ($699.99)
Memory: 32GB (2 x 16GB) G.Skill Ripjaws V DDR4-3200 C16 ($159.99)
Storage PCIe-SSD: Sabrent Rocket 1TB NVMe Gen4 M.2 Solid State Drive ($159.98)
Power Supply: EVGA 650 B5, 80 Plus Bronze 650W Power Supply ($67.00)
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P300 ATX Mid Tower Case ($155.79)
Total: $1976.36

But yeah I stuck with Intel exclusively at first because I'm pretty new to this and I was following the advice of a friend that knows a bit more than I do. But I've heard some good things about amd builds online so I'm open to it if it might be better overall. Thanks for the power supply and case tip, I'll switch those out

Oh, in this case, I'd go with the first build you got because you're getting similar single-core and better multi-core performance with the Intel system there. Try finding a Core i9 10850K instead of the 10900K btw. It performs almost the same and should be cheaper.
Ryzen's only a good option if you're shopping for a CPU in the $500-600 price point, at which point the 12-core Ryzen 9 5900X is a fantastic pick.