New build for Unreal & Blender learning / Occasional CPU rendering freelance.

[lukedc]

Hi all, I'm in the process of building a new workstation and I'd like a little bit of input to help me narrow down what to get.

Intended use​

I work primarily in archvis, using Max / Vray / Corona. That has been my trade for the last few decades, however, I'm looking to add to my skillset by learning Unreal and Blender (initially). The aim of this new build will be to have something reasonably powerful to use while learning, so it's worth noting this is not a production machine. I may do the occasional freelance Max / Corona job, however, they will be infrequent and small enough that I can be patient when it comes to render times (I've been getting by with a dual Xeon E5-2697 v2) . I have an interest in landscapes and environments so that will probably be the initial direction I take with my learning, if that has any impact on the build.

Finally, there is a chance I'll do the occasional gaming - but there is a huge emphasis on occasional. Between work, kids, and learning, we all know where gaming sits on that list.

Ultimately I'm looking for something reasonably capable to get the ball rolling with Unreal and Blender, with the goal that in a few year's time if I need something more powerful I can upgrade if need be. This is something to learn on in my spare time that can potentially aid in a career sidestep.

Budget​

I'm in Australia so will be working in AUD. This price is excluding case and is a bit of a loose guess. I'm budget conscious (read: I have a mortgage..), so if it turns out I can achieve my goals for less money, I'll take that route.
$3000AUD / $2000 USD

Build so far​

I think my biggest struggle here is that over the last 5 years I've stopped paying attention to hardware so I'm not quite up to date. Its also hard to draw a line between having enough performance to learn and a little bit of future-proofing vs overspending on something I won't utilise to its full potential (wasting money)

CGDirector.com Parts List: https://www.cgdirector.com/pc-builder/?=6NV3c (note I have bumped up the price slightly to compensate for not needing a case)

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 4.7GHz 12-Core Processor

• Not sure if I should be going the intel or AMD route with this one. Open to either really.
• Is this overkill? Do I go with something less and reserve a bit more cash for a GPU?

CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
Motherboard: MSI PRO B650-P WIFI ATX AM5
GPU: Nvidia RTX 3070TI 8GB - EVGA FTW3 Ultra Gaming

• An important note here. I am open to buying on the secondhand market if it gives me a bit more performance for money. As an example, it looks like I can pick up a used 3090 for around the AU $1000-1200 mark.
• I have an old 2070. While limiting, could this be suitable enough to get me through the first few months of learning, giving me time to save for something a little better down the line?

Memory: 64GB (2x32GB) G.Skill RipJaws S5 DDR5-5600 CL30
Storage PCIe-SSD: WD Black SN850X 2TB NVMe M.2 Solid State Drive
Power Supply: Corsair RMx Series RM750x 750W Power Supply
Case: I already have one


Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[Jerry James]

An important note here. I am open to buying on the secondhand market if it gives me a bit more performance for money. As an example, it looks like I can pick up a used 3090 for around the AU $1000-1200 mark.

Definitely opt for used if you can find a good deal. The market isn't in the greatest shape for anyone on a budget. The RTX 4090 is amazing, but it costs an arm and a leg, and an additional organ of NVIDIA's choice.

CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4

Switch this out to a Noctua nh-d15 for the best possible performance. Opt for a Thermalright Peerless Assassin for Dark Rock Pro 4 levels of performance for half the price.

Everything else looks solid to me!