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PC Build for Generalist 2D/3D VFX Artist

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dashman

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Hey everyone! I have made my first post few days ago, but I have made some changes based on the feedback from this forum (thank you!) and some of my friends, so I decided to make a new fresh thread.

Just to refresh:

I am a VFX Artist, who will be working on both 2D (Compositing, editing, graphics/photoshop) and 3D (rendering). I am looking for a decent balanced build, and since I am doing pretty much a generalist freelance work, I am looking for something that could give me quick turn arounds/iterations.

Here are some of the apps that I will be using:
2D: Nuke (main software, use a lot CPU), Adobe After Effects, Photoshop,

3D: Autodesk Maya+Redshift (main software, lots of GPU), Unreal Engine.

My budget is around ~1500 USD

Here is my updated build:

PROCESSOR: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6Ghz Up To 4.4Ghz Cache 32MB 65W AM4 [Box] - 8 Core - 100-100000071BOX - With AMD Wraith Prism Cooler

VGA: GALAX Geforce RTX 2070 SUPER 8GB DDR6 EX (1-Click OC) - RGB Effect - DUAL 100mm FAN

MOTHERBOARD: ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming 4 (AM4, AMD Premium X570, DDR4, USB3.2, SATA3)

RAM: Corsair DDR4 Vengeance LPX PC25600 32GB (2x16GB)

SSD: Samsung SSD 860 EVO 250GB

PSU: Enermax Revolution XT II 80+ GOLD 750W - ERX750AWT

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S

MONITOR: LG 24" LED 24MK430H-B IPS

So far the price is a bit over budget (around ~1600USD, at least in my country). So I am wondering if I could squash the price a bit more.
Any advice and suggestions would be very appreciated!

Thank you!
 
Alex Glawion

Alex Glawion

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Looks good to me. Of course there are new Nvidia GPUs coming out soon, so you might be able to grab a RTX 3070 for the same price as a 2070 super, but get the performance of a 2080 ti.

I'd say the 250gb SSD will be filled up quite quickly, especially if it's your only storage device? Maybe get something bigger here - or a second storage device.
 
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dashman

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Looks good to me. Of course there are new Nvidia GPUs coming out soon, so you might be able to grab a RTX 3070 for the same price as a 2070 super, but get the performance of a 2080 ti.

I'd say the 250gb SSD will be filled up quite quickly, especially if it's your only storage device? Maybe get something bigger here - or a second storage device.

hi alex, thansk for the reply!

Haha yes i just heard about the new nvidia! How soon is it? Because I am planning to build this PC asap so I can secure a job, so I am now at the dillemma of whether i should wait for it or not 😅

Also yes I am planning to get another storage, so its not the only one
 
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Alex Glawion

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The release date is September 17th but the new gpus are said to be quite sparse, so you might have to wait for quite some time to see them in stock.
 
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dashman

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The release date is September 17th but the new gpus are said to be quite sparse, so you might have to wait for quite some time to see them in stock.

I see, I guess i shouldn't wait then, because i'd assume the price would go up because of it scarcity.

Also I am wondering, for my build, do you have any advice for cheaper alternatives for any of the parts (without losing too much performance)? Because I am in a tight budget and I am just looking for a suitable mid-to-highend computer for vfx work. Unless this build is the minimum I can get with my current budget
 
Alex Glawion

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There are new AMD CPUs launching October 8th, so that might bring prices down on the 3700X a bit. Of course going with a 2060 Super would not take too much performance away in most of your workloads, so that might be an option. You can also stick with the stock cpu cooler and save more more money.
 
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dashman

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There are new AMD CPUs launching October 8th, so that might bring prices down on the 3700X a bit. Of course going with a 2060 Super would not take too much performance away in most of your workloads, so that might be an option. You can also stick with the stock cpu cooler and save more more money.

I see, thank you.

so I have decided to remove the cooler. And for the gpu card I am thinking of 2060 6GB, this is the regular 2060, as the place im looking at do not have 2060Super in stock. Do you reccomend? or should i just take the leap and get the 2070 super?
At the Redshift Benchmark page, and I do not see the regular 2060 on the Redshift 3 table, so I do not know if it will be compatible or not.
 
Alex Glawion

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Both of them are compatible and you'll have a good performance boost with the 2070 super vs the 2060 non-super in redshift especially. Also, note that nvidia is launching new gpus in a short bit, that will perform even better. More info here: https://www.cgdirector.com/new-launches-rtx-3000-amd-rdna2-zen-3/

But as always.. it could be a while until the prices come down after first launch.
 
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dashman

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Both of them are compatible and you'll have a good performance boost with the 2070 super vs the 2060 non-super in redshift especially. Also, note that nvidia is launching new gpus in a short bit, that will perform even better. More info here: https://www.cgdirector.com/new-launches-rtx-3000-amd-rdna2-zen-3/

But as always.. it could be a while until the prices come down after first launch.

Gotcha.

also, i'm wondering for my HDD, do you think its wise to not have internal and just use an external drives for my assets/footage stuff? I am thinking that it'd be good to have my data be always mobile so I can work elsewhere if needed, but i dont know if using externeal drive will affect any of my performance
 
Alex Glawion

Alex Glawion

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Depends on the device type. There are external nvme ssds that are crazy fast, and internal hdds that are slow. I usually recommend having all active data on an internal drive, because external drives like to have connection problems every now and then, or can break when transported. Best to have at least a backup of everything you do.
 
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