Upgradeable After Effects and C4D build. Kinda lost with RAM choices.

[dondragon]

Hello!
I've been doing motion design for about 10 years and recently (finally!) made the decision to abandon Apple hardware. My goal with my future build is getting a solid After Effects machine , as well as a strong Cinema 4D (wanna explore Redshift and Octane). I've been doing mainly 2D and some 3D, but my computer has always been a limit in taking the 3D to the next level.

Basically I want to build a stable machine that can be upgradable in the near future (maxing out RAM for After Effects!) and maybe adding a second GPU for Cinema 4D (once I become a master in it). Not really interested in overclocking anything, just using the hardware's own capability to work as it should.

So here it goes:

CPU: AMD 3960X 24 core
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken Z73, 360mm, 120mm x 3.
Motherboard: ROG Strix TRX-40 E Gaming (found a good deal for it, already got it).
GPU: EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Super XC Ultra Gaming OC (found a very very good deal, already got it).
RAM: I still don't know which modules to get.
My ignorant self makes me think to get 64 or 128 GB (in 32GB modules), and in the near future max it out to 256 GB, by just adding more 32 GB modules. Is this even possible without losing stability? or even make it work with no issues?
I've been looking at these 2 options:
Option 1 - Hyper X Predator 3200 MHZ (2 X 32GB or 4 X 32GB)
Option 2 - G.Skill Trident Z Neo 3200 MHZ Dual channel kit, 2 X 32GB (getting 1 or 2 kits at first).
SSD NVMe: Samsung 970 EVO Plus NVMe, 500GB M.2 / For OS and Software.
SSD: Samsung860 EVO, 1TB, SATA III / For project and Disk Cache.
HDD: Not sure which to choose, not very concerned about it / For long term storage.
PSU: Asus ROG THOR 1200W, 80 Plus Platinum Full Modular
Case: Thermaltake View 51 TG ARGB

What do you think about it? All community comments are welcome as well.

Thanks in advance. Cheers!

- Jorge

 

[Alex Glawion]

Hey Dondragon,
There are rare cases where combining RAM Modules from different Kits produces instabilities. This is rare, but to be absolutely sure you might want to get a full KIT of the final amount of RAM. Personally I've been able to combine KITs of the the same RAM bought at different times without any problems, but it does not always work.

Why don't you get 4x32GB now (that way you already have quad channel) and you can buy and test another 128gb later to see if it works, or send them back if it does not.

The G.Skill Trident Z Neo 3200 MHZ are fantastic. See if those are available as 4x32gb Kits.

Seagate Barracuda or Western Digital Blue HDDs are fine for Backup / long term storage.

The Build looks good to me overall, Go for it!

 

[dondragon]

Thanks for all the input, Alex! Sounds like a safe bet buying the 128 GB kit and then see if the second kit works.

It took me a while, but I finally found a 64GB and a 128GB G.Skill Trident Z Neo 3200 kit. I live in Mexico, so it's not that easy to find everything at a fair price. That was on of the reasons of my first choice, the Hyper X Predator which even has monthly payments with no interest. I recently found out that AVADirect uses the Predator modules for the Greyscale Gorilla builds.... so it's still around my head. Here in Mexico the Trident Z Neo is about 20% more expensive than the Predator, do you think it's worth it?

I've been reading a lot about RAM, single, dual and quad channels, latency, general benchmarks, and some real world tests (the ones by Puget Systems are great!) and basically the results show that for general stuff in motion design the high numbers in popular RAM modules can be a little more into the risky side (a lot of them show an OC profile) and might not be worth it if you are more inclined to the stability of a system. Puget Systems even use a 'basic' 2666 MHZ Samsung module (which, by the way, is not even in the QVL for the Motherboard nor the CPU).

I guess stability is not only linked to the QVL or official supported hardware, but to the real world with the people actually using the hardware into their builds. That's where I think the Trident Z Neo and its popularity has a strong case for me, even if its more expensive. Maybe even the Samsung ones that Puget Systems uses, but those are hard to find in stock!

Thanks again for all the support and valuable info.

Cheers!

 

[Alex Glawion]

You should compare the clock speed and timings on the ram. There are many different versions. Always go with the highest clock speed and lowest latency, as that will be the most superior RAM. e.g. 3200 cl18-17-17-36 will be inferior to 3200 cl16-17-17-32.

The Motherboard manufacturers test many ram modules, but not all of them. You can usually use any of the modules from popular manufacturers, even if they are not on the QVL.

I am not sure why puget would use 2666 mhz ram, maybe they have discounts on them, but Ryzen or Threadripper cpus should always be paired with higher clocking ram such as 3200 or 3600mhz for best performance.

 

[dondragon]

Found this: https://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/amd-ryzen-threadripper-3960x-review,2.html

Almost at the end of the article there's a part that explains Quad-Channel memory... apparently when you use all of the available modules (maxing out that RAM at 256) in a configuration of 8X32, the maximum JEDEC support falls to 2667 MHz. My guess is that's the reason Puget Systems uses 2666 modules. At 128GB (4X32) the support stays at the official support of 3200 MHz.

I suppose I will have the experience of what works best for me: having 128 GB running at least at 3200 or 256 GB at 2667.

By the way, I'm still deciding which modules to get. LOL. At least I already got the SSDs, but might change the cooler for a ROG Strix LC 360 (found it in a mexican online store in which I can pay with my credit card points!).

 

[Alex Glawion]

Yes that's true, with all the RAM slots fully populated the official support is at lower clock speeds.

 

[dondragon]

I finally got everything and will build my PC tomorrow. Super excited! I made a few last minute changes to the original hardware list, but I think everything will be fine .

I'll let you know how it goes!

Thanks for the help, Alex!

 

[Alex Glawion]

Awesome, let me know how it goes!

 

[dondragon]

It was really fun! I got shaky hands for a few seconds when I was installing the Threadripper, but everything was very smooth. I'm pretty sure those shaky hands existed because of the CPU price .

I already put another thread in the Completed PC Builds section, I hope it helps another newbie like me! Heheh

 

[Alex Glawion]

Saw it, that's great, thanks! Yes my hands shook too when I did some thermal testing on the 3990X. Whenever the safety cover is off the motherboard's cpu socket, those pins are bent so fast...