Build worth £3500, incl. VAT

[The_Hypnotist]

Hello everyone

I've gone through several OcUK system lists posted by people on this subforum, and I am still undecided on an Intel vs Amd build.

I need this rig for:
- 3D editing: Blender, 3D Studio Max, Maya, possibly Modo/Houdini
- 3D rendering: Vray mostly.
- video editing/compositing: After Effects
- gaming previewing in game engines such as UT4, Unity

Budget:
£3500, incl. VAT

The rig must have:
- 2080Ti, no question about it, FTW3 comes to mind;
- future proof moba: PCI-4 ready, I plan on upgrading the system thoroughly, as needs occur;
- cpu: I am thinking of going with i9 9900k vs the i9 9700k, but I am not convinced it would make a difference in the above tools;
- cpu cooler: air type, Noctua or better, goes well with the case; I read good things about air pumps
- NVMe: moba needs to support at least two of these, if not, a pci slot nvme adaptor to run those;
- ram: 16gb vs 32gb, I am willing to start with 16gb, test the waters, get 32gb, but what ram frequency to stick to?;
- psu: 850w+, eyeballing future upgrades
- case: quality airflow even with meshes
- monitor: a gaming monitor with high refresh rate and low response time, IPS panel, I don't plan on doing color correction, price up to £600;


After watching the latest Gamersnexus videos, I'm torn between getting the i9 9900k or waiting for the rumored Threadripper 3, while also matching said Threadripper with higher freq ram sticks, thus increasing the budget pricing.


I am willing to wait until December for the upgrades market to stabilize prices, but I appreciate any advice from specialists that run PC rigs for similar 3D work.



What do you think? Help me out get a build that's future proof for at least 3 years.

 

[spoffle]

You can't have PCIE 4 and Intel at the moment. PCIE 4 AMD Zen 3000 only, for now.

 

[orbitalwalsh]

@The_Hypnotist

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 9 3900X Twelve Core 4.6GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £559.99
• 1 x Gigabyte X570 AORUS ULTRA (AMD AM4) DDR4 X570 Chipset ATX Motherboard= £299.99
• 1 x Team Group Xtreem "8Pack Edition" 32GB (4x8GB) DDR4 PC4-28800C16 3600MHz Quad Channel Kit - Black= £329.99
• 1 x Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming OC 11264MB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card= £1,099.99
• 1 x Aorus 1TB NVMe PCIe Gen4 M.2 Solid State Drive (GP-ASM2NE6100TTTD)= £299.99
• 1 x Phanteks Eclipse P600S Glass Silent Midi Tower Case - Black= £134.99
• 1 x be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 CPU Cooler= £84.95
• 1 x Seasonic Focus Plus 750W 80 Plus Gold Modular Power Supply= £104.99

Total: £2,930.78 (includes shipping: £15.90)
​

Big Aorus/Gigabyte fan with rep support and UK warranty on here but swap NVMe PCIe 4.0 for

Sabrent 1TB Rocket Nvme PCIe 4.0 M.2 2280 Internal SSD Maximum Performance Solid State Drive (SB-ROCKET-NVMe4-1TB)

Its £200 vs Aorus/corsair/WD PCIe 4.0 drives, which are £300. Few friends from Uni that I studied Games design and have a career in the field have all switched to PCIe 4.0 systems... lol
You might get more out of it then others - though still GeoMapping benefits the most bar data crunchers

also for ram.

Ballistix Sport LT Gray 32GB Kit (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 UDIMM

• BLS2K16G4D32AESB

half the price and should overclock to 3600hz .

Going Ryzen 12 cores will help with CPU rendering and Video editing . Also pave way for any next Gen console work etc

GPU has 4 yr warranty if registered within 28 days and Gigabytes @GIGA-Man rep is very active on here was proves handy for a lot of people .
Buildzoid rates Aorus boards as some of the best , though I didn't spec @Plec 's personal fav THE MASTER

above edits would save about £250, which can be used on Drives for back up/NAS etc

 

[random_matt]

Wouldn't you rather downgrade the gpu and wait for ampere?

 

[orbitalwalsh]

Wouldn't you rather downgrade the gpu and wait for ampere?

prob depends if OP is doing creative work now. remembering way back when going from mid tier to top end GPU could save hours or days rendering a scene etc

 

[The_Hypnotist]

@orbitalwalsh thanks for the wishlist, I am going to take a look.

Right now I am going through the tribulation of learning Blender 2.8, and I've dabbed a bit with keyshot, also vray, but not extensively.

My goal is to slowly switch to animation, either with Houdini or Maya/3DSmax, so scene rendering will be a primary thing to look for.

Overall, I am looking for RIG ideas to cement a list of compatible hardware parts, and I can wait until Black Friday if I have to, to buy them.

I'd rather stick with the OverClockers hardware stock, and I'll probably pay them to build the PC for me, I don't want to waste time with it.

 

[orbitalwalsh]

@orbitalwalsh thanks for the wishlist, I am going to take a look.

Right now I am going through the tribulation of learning Blender 2.8, and I've dabbed a bit with keyshot, also vray, but not extensively.

My goal is to slowly switch to animation, either with Houdini or Maya/3DSmax, so scene rendering will be a primary thing to look for.

Overall, I am looking for RIG ideas to cement a list of compatible hardware parts, and I can wait until Black Friday if I have to, to buy them.

I'd rather stick with the OverClockers hardware stock, and I'll probably pay them to build the PC for me, I don't want to waste time with it.

Which rendering engine engine will you be using with Maya/Max ? Determines were to spend the cash more, CPU renderings is 32GB min really

 

[The_Hypnotist]

Which rendering engine engine will you be using with Maya/Max ? Determines were to spend the cash more, CPU renderings is 32GB min really

Some friends told me that the industry standard right now is Arnold (GPU intensive), but I am starting with V-Ray and switching to whatever is needed, slowly.

 

[orbitalwalsh]

Some friends told me that the industry standard right now is Arnold (GPU intensive), but I am starting with V-Ray and switching to whatever is needed, slowly.

Haha, Arnold is CPU and V ray is GPU.

So gunning for 12 core ryzen and 2080ti covers both end of the spectrum in the highest regard !
16 core ryzen comes in at £700 and 2080ti is £1100 so would eat a bit chunk of budget, but as above ^^^^^ it would still be within your budget !!! Or JUST

 

[sideways14a]

Prob wait for the big 16 core AM4 chip to be honest, if not Threadripper 3000 which would be the best for outright cpu grunt.

Whats the point in the 2080ti? Seems like a very good way to part company with a lot of money when a cheeper video card might be all thats needed.

 

[Grafter67]

Check some linus tech tips videos on youtube. They will reinforce amd for cores and memory clocking in your usage.

I agree the graphics card is a luxury, but it's your cash and if the tax man is cool, go for it.

edit : 32 v 16 GB is a tiny part of your budget, so def 32GB at least.

 

[orbitalwalsh]

Check some linus tech tips videos on youtube. They will reinforce amd for cores and memory clocking in your usage.

I agree the graphics card is a luxury, but it's your cash and if the tax man is cool, go for it.

edit : 32 v 16 GB is a tiny part of your budget, so def 32GB at least.

Puget articles smasht he living daylights out not Linus for workstation based PCs, specially when they build them Nd have access to problems for geomapping etc.

And it's not a luxury, it's actually a key component. 2080ti is actually cheap ! Need Workstation grade at £3k a pop if doing complex scene rendering via GPU . Could means days or hours saved etc.

Prob wait for the big 16 core AM4 chip to be honest, if not Threadripper 3000 which would be the best for outright cpu grunt.

Whats the point in the 2080ti? Seems like a very good way to part company with a lot of money when a cheeper video card might be all thats needed.

As above, depends on Rendering Engine used and complexity . 720p 5 mins scene might take a few hours with vray on a 2070 Vs same time at 1080p with a 2080ti

 

[The_Hypnotist]

Ignoring price, help me choose final version:


Team Intel:

• 1 x Crucial Ballistix Sport LT Gray Micron E-Die 32GB Kit (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 UDIMM= £149.99
• 1 x OcUK Mega Mat Medium Elite Tactical Gaming Surface= £7.99
• 1 x Samsung 2TB 860 EVO SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps 64 Layer 3D V-NAND Solid State Drive (MZ-76E2T0B/EU)= £269.99
• 1 x Seasonic Prime Ultra Titanium 750W 80 Plus Titanium Modular Power Supply= £214.99
• 1 x WD Black 2TB SN750 M.2 2280 NVME PCI-E Gen3 Solid State Drive Includes Heatsink (WDS200T3XHC)= £433.99
• 1 x Asus ROG Maximus XI Hero (WI-FI) Intel Z390 (Socket 1151) DDR4 ATX Motherboard= £309.95
• 1 x Intel Core i9-9900KS 4.0GHz (Coffee Lake) Socket LGA1151 Processor - Retail (1yr Warranty)= £569.99
• 1 x Asus GeForce RTX 2080 Ti ROG Strix OC 11264MB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card= £1,249.99
• 1 x Phanteks Eclipse P400 Air Midi Tower DRGB Case - Black= £83.99
• 1 x Noctua NH-U12A High Performance CPU Cooler - 120mm= £89.99

Total: £3,394.96 (includes shipping: £14.10)
​

or

Team AMD:

• 1 x Asus GeForce RTX 2080 Ti ROG Strix Advanced 11264MB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card= £1,249.99
• 1 x Noctua NH-U12A High Performance CPU Cooler - 120mm= £89.99
• 1 x Phanteks Eclipse P400 Air Midi Tower DRGB Case - Black= £83.99
• 1 x Corsair AX850 Titanium 80 Plus Titanium Modular Power Supply (CP-9020151-UK)= £214.99
• 1 x Samsung 2TB 860 EVO SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps 64 Layer 3D V-NAND Solid State Drive (MZ-76E2T0B/EU)= £269.99
• 1 x Aorus 2TB NVMe PCIe Gen4 M.2 Solid State Drive (GP-ASM2NE6200TTTD)= £379.99
• 1 x Team Group Xtreem "8Pack Edition" 32GB (4x8GB) DDR4 PC4-28800C16 3600MHz Quad Channel Kit - Black= £229.99
• 1 x Gigabyte X570 AORUS XTREME (AMD AM4) DDR4 X570 Chipset EATX Motherboard= £769.99
• 1 x Ryzen 9 3950x Sixteen Core = 749.99 (Preorder)

Total: £4,053.01 (includes shipping: £14.10)



I know the Ryzen 3950X price is an aproximation...

Monitor and other accessories are on my list too, I am still waiting for some Nov/Dec releases.

Let me know if I need to add any cable mods or extra accessories for the pc case I didn't think about.​

 

[orbitalwalsh]

@The_Hypnotist

You can get a Sabrent Rocket for £50 cheaper then the corsair - no point in spending huge amount on NVMe 4.0 as controllers currently in uses aren't even as fast a 4.0 standard can go!! they come out next year, and since your not doing Geomapping- not going to push the drives to the max .

can pick up a 1000w PSU - good standard for £120. case is personaly choice but again can save cash .

8 core ryzen should do you fine for now, since your mainly GPU rendering. I would wait till Zen3 launches next year then pick up 16 core Zen 2 on the cheap or 16+ zen3 at release if you need the cores.

and then you;ve got dual 2080ti for rendering !!! also Full Gigabyte RMA for mobo and GPU which is a lot better in the UK to asus, rep support on here and then GPUs have 4 yr registered warranty vs 3

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x Crucial Ballistix Sport LT Gray Micron E-Die 32GB Kit (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 UDIMM= £149.99
• 2 x Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming OC 11264MB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card= £1,129.99
• 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Eight Core 4.4GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £299.99
• 1 x Gigabyte X570 AORUS ULTRA (AMD AM4) DDR4 X570 Chipset ATX Motherboard= £299.99
• 1 x Phanteks Revolt Pro 1000W 80 Plus Gold Modular Power Combo Supply= £149.99
• 1 x Phanteks Eclipse P600S Glass Silent Midi Tower Case - Black= £134.99
• 1 x Corsair Force MP510 series 1920GB NVMe PCIe M.2 Solid State Drive (CSSD-F1920GBMP510)= £248.99
• 1 x Seagate 2TB 2.5" BarraCuda 120 SATA Solid State Drive (ZA2000CM1A003)= £226.99
• 1 x be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 CPU Cooler= £73.99

Total: £3,860.80 (includes shipping: £15.90)


If you really want, can still splash out on 12 core ryzen and would just be around the price of the 16 core system above but with dual 2080ti's!

x570 xtreme is a lovely board but X570 Master matches it for cheaper. Also Aorus z390 master/xtreme are the better designed boards of the ROG Hero - by a good shot!!!​

 

[snips86x]

The problem you have with Intel @The_Hypnotist is if you buy the 9900k, you have no upgrade path as the new Intel 10 series require a new motherboard. AM4 will give you zen3 coming next year and will have much better longevity.

 

[koolpc]

£3.5k is overkill

 

[Lakeland]

You’re sorted with the gfx cards, after that 32gb ram, 3900x/3950x cpu and ssd would make an amazing pc for rendering. Spend the budget on the major components and the rest just needs to be good quality components that will be reliable, no need for a £700 motherboard.

What about storage btw? If you’re rendering big scenes do you need to consider a NAS setup?

 

[orbitalwalsh]

£3.5k is overkill

its not a gaming rig . in 2007 my Animation rig cost £2k + featuring triple GTX 8800's

You’re sorted with the gfx cards, after that 32gb ram, 3900x/3950x cpu and ssd would make an amazing pc for rendering. Spend the budget on the major components and the rest just needs to be good quality components that will be reliable, no need for a £700 motherboard.

What about storage btw? If you’re rendering big scenes do you need to consider a NAS setup?

looks like mainly GPU rendering, 16 core currently wasted at costs . But then again, depending on the rendering work loads they are doing, if its going to take days then high GPU counts help

 

[The_Hypnotist]

@The_Hypnotist

You can get a Sabrent Rocket for £50 cheaper then the corsair - no point in spending huge amount on NVMe 4.0 as controllers currently in uses aren't even as fast a 4.0 standard can go!! they come out next year, and since your not doing Geomapping- not going to push the drives to the max .

can pick up a 1000w PSU - good standard for £120. case is personaly choice but again can save cash .

8 core ryzen should do you fine for now, since your mainly GPU rendering. I would wait till Zen3 launches next year then pick up 16 core Zen 2 on the cheap or 16+ zen3 at release if you need the cores.

and then you;ve got dual 2080ti for rendering !!! also Full Gigabyte RMA for mobo and GPU which is a lot better in the UK to asus, rep support on here and then GPUs have 4 yr registered warranty vs 3

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x Crucial Ballistix Sport LT Gray Micron E-Die 32GB Kit (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 UDIMM= £149.99
• 2 x Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming OC 11264MB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card= £1,129.99
• 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Eight Core 4.4GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £299.99
• 1 x Gigabyte X570 AORUS ULTRA (AMD AM4) DDR4 X570 Chipset ATX Motherboard= £299.99
• 1 x Phanteks Revolt Pro 1000W 80 Plus Gold Modular Power Combo Supply= £149.99
• 1 x Phanteks Eclipse P600S Glass Silent Midi Tower Case - Black= £134.99
• 1 x Corsair Force MP510 series 1920GB NVMe PCIe M.2 Solid State Drive (CSSD-F1920GBMP510)= £248.99
• 1 x Seagate 2TB 2.5" BarraCuda 120 SATA Solid State Drive (ZA2000CM1A003)= £226.99
• 1 x be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 CPU Cooler= £73.99

Total: £3,860.80 (includes shipping: £15.90)


If you really want, can still splash out on 12 core ryzen and would just be around the price of the 16 core system above but with dual 2080ti's!

x570 xtreme is a lovely board but X570 Master matches it for cheaper. Also Aorus z390 master/xtreme are the better designed boards of the ROG Hero - by a good shot!!!​

Thanks for the wishlist update...

My intention is getting the system all setup before the Christmas holiday, and I can increase my budget to 5K if I need to.

I chose the Aorus Ultra moba based on some reviews mentioning it handles dual 2080TIs nicely, and AORUS also has a compatible NVLink component to match. I plan on getting another 2080TI down the line, or whatever the upgrade would be.

I've updated my wishlist accordingly, I am only waiting for the release of 3950x on OUK store.

 

[orbitalwalsh]

Thanks for the wishlist update...

My intention is getting the system all setup before the Christmas holiday, and I can increase my budget to 5K if I need to.

I chose the Aorus Ultra moba based on some reviews mentioning it handles dual 2080TIs nicely, and AORUS also has a compatible NVLink component to match. I plan on getting another 2080TI down the line, or whatever the upgrade would be.

I've updated my wishlist accordingly, I am only waiting for the release of 3950x on OUK store.

tried to get lowest budget with dual 2080ti's without compromising warranty and cooling etc .

Double check your rendering, if your doing 100% GPU then its dual 2080ti's with 8 core , if its 50/50 would consider 12 core ryzen - just to save cash etc

phanteks p600s is worth the money, specially with dual GPU and heavy workloads. airflow and silence is golden in it

Shooting through some of the software you use , 3900x vs 3950x

video editing - davinci resolve shows 4k there's little in it but at 8k theres 15% gain. Fusion shows 12 cores is actually faster

https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/a...tudio-CPU-performance-AMD-Ryzen-9-3950X-1616/

I see that you use after effects , only 10% increase in performance with 30% in costs .

https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/After-Effects-CPU-performance-AMD-Ryzen-9-3950X-1614/

Exporting in Prem Pro finally flex's 3950x muscles
https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Premiere-Pro-CPU-performance-AMD-Ryzen-9-3950X-1615/

V-RAY !!!

16 core does pull ahead on 12 cores in CPU mode only

https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/V-Ray-Next-CPU-Performance-AMD-Ryzen-9-3950X-1609/

if going 12/16 core + dual 2080tis then hybrid is your friend

https://www.chaosgroup.com/blog/understanding-v-ray-hybrid-rendering

loads of pro's and cons with CPU vs GPU rendering, for gaming based/visual renders GPUs have the edge

with £5k you could easily hit dual 2080ti and 16 core ryzen. will say, wait for intel 10th gen x299x . will be interesting to see CPU pricing along with X299X mother board pricing and then performance for the programs you need it, specially if all cores can hit 5ghz etc