Looking for a bit of advice

[2Lucid]

Hi
I was hoping to get some advice on building a PC. I've read some stuff about different parts but honestly it starts to become really overwhelming. I'm not that savvy a tech person. I'm a digital painter, illustrator and storyboard artist and I've been an avid Mac user for a long time. But after working recently on an animation team I've learned the benefits of custom built PC's. So, my current iMac is on the fritz. I'm now heavily considering a PC cause funds are tight these days and a new Mac is obscenely priced.

Considering what I currently do and now delving into 3D storyboarding and some modeling-- I primarily use Blender. I'm pretty aware that any build that can handle 3D production can also handle my digital drawing and painting.

So, here's my question. How much is reasonable to spend on a PC by building it myself? Giving myself room to expand later as funds become more available.

Thanks to anyone willing to point me in the right direction or pitch their two cents.

also... here's what the CGDirector site list for me.
CGDirector.com Parts List: https://www.cgdirector.com/pc-builder/?=Db1Et0v0Iml

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 3.5GHz 16-Core Processor ($709.99)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 ($74.21)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550 Aorus Pro AC ATX AM4 ($189.99)
GPU: Nvidia RTX 2070 SUPER 8GB - MSI Gaming X ($799.66)
Memory: 64GB (4 x 16GB) G.Skill Ripjaws V DDR4-3200 C16 ($219.99)
Storage PCIe-SSD: Sabrent Rocket 1TB NVMe Gen4 M.2 Solid State Drive ($199.98)
Power Supply: Corsair CX Series CX550M 550W ATX 2.4 Power Supply ($90.89)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series Air 540 ($165.52)
Total: $2450.23

 

[Jerry James]

I'd say that's a really balanced build overall @2Lucid. That said, you still might want to wait a few more days for the upcoming Nvidia 3000 GPUs (September 1st) before deciding.

One small tweak I'd make here is to check for the X570 Tomahawk motherboard in your region (if there's no specific feature you're looking for in a motherboard like Thunderbolt) instead of the B550 Aorus. The Tomahawk offers far better value and shouldn't be that much pricier than the $190 Aorus in the generated build.

There's really no limit on how much you can spend on building a PC, but the build you've picked does hit that sweet spot of excellent performance without throwing too much cash at it.

For an upgrade, your motherboard will allow you to jump up to a Ryzen 4000 CPU (yet to be released) if you ever need to. Also, PCI-E 4.0 support on the motherboard will ensure that you can swap out your graphics card for a more powerful one at any time. If you do want significant upgradability wrt additional or more powerful graphics cards in the future, I'd also recommend upping the power supply wattage. 850W power supplies are priced well in most regions, and shouldn't set you back too much.

 

[2Lucid]

Thanks Jerry... This is all much more reassuring. I'll look into your suggestions. I'm not too sure if I need any thunderbolt connections so the suggested money savings is appreciated.

Thanks again.