PC Build Help: 3D modeling and design work

[mel a.]

Hey there,

I'm building my first PC and used the PC-Builder. I have a few questions and would love some advice!

I plan on using the computer for 3D work (Blender; more time modeling, less time rendering) and since I currently work as a graphic designer, I would be running the Adobe Suite off of it as well (Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign simultaneously). I currently have a Samsung Space Monitor which I'll continue to use. In addition to this one, I'll be hooking up a Huion pen display. My budget is around $2k CAD, so I'm looking at a cap of around $1.5k USD. Here's what the builder spit out:

CGDirector.com Parts List: https://www.cgdirector.com/pc-builder/?=yb1yg0z0Iqg

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 3.8GHz 12-Core Processor ($429.99)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 ($89.90)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550 Aorus Pro AC ATX AM4 ($179.00)
GPU: Nvidia GTX 1660TI 6GB - EVGA XC Gaming ($259.99)
Memory: 32GB (2 x 16GB) Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3200 C16 ($109.99)
Storage PCIe-SSD: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1TB NVME M.2 Solid State Drive ($134.99)
Power Supply: Corsair CX Series CX450M 450W ATX 2.4 Power Supply ($69.99)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($123.99)
Total: $1397.84 USD

Some questions:

• Is the CPU cooler necessary since the Ryzen will come with its own out of box? Also I'm looking at potentially getting a case which may or may not have built in fans
• Is there a big difference between Nvidia's GTX and RTX series? Is swapping to an RTX considered an "upgrade" and would it be worth it in the long run?
• Are there any alternative options to the case? Like this one. If I wanted to explore different cases, what do I need to watch out for?

Thanks for any tips and insights you can provide

 

[Alex Glawion]

Looks like a solid build.

The stock cooler that comes with the 3900X CAN be sufficient, but the Dark Rock Pro 4 will let the CPU perform better as the cooling is more powerful especially in sustained workloads such as rendering.

If you use gpu render engines such as cycles or redshift or octane, then yes, the RTX series of gpus do come with some features that enable much faster rendering.

There are hundreds of case options that you can chose from, just be sure the case supports ATX Motherboards, and you should be good to go.

 

[mel a.]

Thanks so much for your help Alex! I'm looking forward to ordering the parts and getting started