First PC Build, video editing, 3D Modeling, Animation, Streaming.

[Tina Grace]

Hi Alex!

First, thank you so much for this great website, cgdirector.com. The clear and to the point information on your site gives me the courage to build my first desktop PC.

My budget is $2,500 with a cushion of $500 i.e. $2500 to $3,000 build.

My build aims to do video editing, 3D Modeling, animation, and a bit of streaming from time to time. The leading software of focus for this build are; premier adobe pro, after effects, blender, OBS.

I used the Auto PC Builder on cgdirector.com to guide me on selecting my parts based on a $2,500 budget for both; video editing build and 3D Modeling plus animation build. So I am considering the following parts;

1. CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 3.5GHz 16-Core Processor
2. Motherboard: ASRock X399 Professional Gaming ATX TR4
3. RAM: 64GB (4 x 16GB) G.Skill Ripjaws V DDR4-3200 C16
4. Graphic Cards: Nvidia RTX 2060 Super 8GB - Asus Turbo
5. CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
6. Storage SSD: Samsung 860 EVO 2TB 2.5" Solid State Drive
7. PCIe-SSD: Samsung 970EVO 1TB V-NAND SSD
8. Storage HDD: Seagate BarraCuda Compute 8TB, 3.5"
9. Power Supply: EVGA 650 B5, 80 Plus Bronze 650W Power Supply
10. Case: Phanteks Eclipse P300 ATX Mid Tower Case.

I attempted mostly to reconcile the two lists populated by cgdirector.com auto PC builder. However, there are a few things I would appreciate your educated feedback on as follows;

1. Is the above reconciliation list compatible?
2. Would you suggest the AMD Threadripper 2950X 3.5GHz instead of the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 3.5GHz for the CPU
3. Should I go on the graphic card with the AMD Radeon RX 5700XT - Gigabyte Gaming OC instead of the Nvidia RTX 2060/2070

Your feedback will be very much appreciated.
Regards,
Tina Grace.

 

[Jerry James]

1. Is the above reconciliation list compatible?
2. Would you suggest the AMD Threadripper 2950X 3.5GHz instead of the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 3.5GHz for the CPU
3. Should I go on the graphic card with the AMD Radeon RX 5700XT - Gigabyte Gaming OC instead of the Nvidia RTX 2060/2070

Your feedback will be very much appreciated.
Regards,
Tina Grace.

1. Hey Tina, the X399 motherboard won't be compatible with the Ryzen 9 processor. The motherboard uses a TR4 socket while the processor needs an AM4 socket Switch out the motherboard to an MSI X570 Unify (unless a specific feature on that X399 motherboard is relevant to you?)

2. As for the processor choice itself, I'd highly recommend jumping up to a Ryzen 9 5950X or even 5900X if you can find one in your region. It'll be a better experience. The 2nd gen Threadripper is only a good choice if you're doing heavy CPU rendering work and won't need to use it to actively work on projects.

3. I'd recommend sticking with Nvidia because if you get into rendering, CUDA has superior support so at a professional level it's better to go with Nvidia for the time being. However, Nvidia did launch a new series of GPUs so switch out that RTX 2060 Super for an RTX 3070 if you can find one in your region. It's significantly faster and not too much more expensive.

PS. Bump up that power supply wattage to something in the 750-850W range for some easy future upgrades. You can find a few options here - Best Modular Power Supplies of 2020 - 550W / 650W / 850W / 1000W (cgdirector.com)

@Alex Glawion can probably shed some light on the storage you have for those workstation tasks

 

[Tina Grace]

Hi Jerry!

Thank you so much for your prompt response to my post. I am glad that you point out the incompatibility on my list, which helps me make my build better, avoid unnecessary headaches, and learn a lot.

I will switch the motherboard and the CPU to MSI X570 Unify and Ryzen 5950X. I will upgrade the graphic cards from RTX 2060 to RTX3070 and the PSU from 650w to 1000w to allow room for future upgrades as you recommend.

I guess CPU Cooler on the list is sufficient? Alex's suggestion for the storage or any other components for this build is welcome.

I will definitely use the CGdirector links on this build. I am very grateful for all your help.

 

[Jerry James]

I guess CPU Cooler on the list is sufficient? Alex's suggestion for the storage or any other components for this build is welcome.

I will definitely use the CGdirector links on this build. I am very grateful for all your help.

Yep, you're good on the CPU cooler No issues there! It's one of the best coolers in the biz, so all cool. Pun intended.

 

[Alex Glawion]

1. Storage SSD: Samsung 860 EVO 2TB 2.5" Solid State Drive
2. PCIe-SSD: Samsung 970EVO 1TB V-NAND SSD
3. Storage HDD: Seagate BarraCuda Compute 8TB, 3.5"

The Storage config looks good to me. In fact that's almost the same setup I have running in my workstation.

The Sata SSD for OS / Apps, the Nvme SSD for your active project files, and the HDD for backups and archiving. I have a second HDD too for redundant backups though.

 

[Tina Grace]

Alex and Jerry, thank you so much for your generous support. You guys are fantastic, and I am very grateful.

I guess I am moving on to the buying phase of the pc building process. I have also decided to go with the RTX 3080 Graphic Card instead of the RTX 3070.

I'll keep you posted, and thanks again!