Speccing a system for Autodesk Maya 2018 – advice please!

Rapidbadger

Rapidbadger

Rapidbadger

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Hi all,

I’ve been dabbling in the the word of Autodesk Maya 2018 for the past few months. I’m still very new and loving it, but the biggest stumbling block is my MacBook Pro 2015 – it’s just not capable enough. I realise that if I want to advance it’s best to go down the PC route.

So, I’ve spent some time researching and have come up with a first draft spec. I’m looking to spend around £1,500 (not including monitor, keyboard and mouse). I’m new to speccing systems so I’d really appreciate some thoughts, advice and guidance from this wonderful community.

Here we go…

Processor: I want something to cover modelling/animation and rendering as I’m too new to know what I’ll end up doing more of, but so far I seem to be doing more rendering. Rendering is better with multi-thread, so more cores. Modelling/animation is better with single thread, so higher clock speeds (you probably all know this!). The chip shown below would be right for rendering, but would it be the best option to cover all bases?
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/inte...e-socket-lga1151-processor-oem-cp-65k-in.html = £479.99


Graphics: Maya recommend Nvidia over AMD. The Quadro range are preferred, and this one is high on the Maya preferred list (I believe the Quadro range is mostly for rendering).
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/pny-...-card-5gb-gddr5-1024-cuda-core-gx-05n-pn.html = £480.98

Or, is the newer GeForce RTX the way to go? Like this one for almost the same price as the Quadro?
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...92mb-pci-express-graphics-card-gx-1a4-gi.html = £488.99


I really can’t tell the difference between motherboards! But not all motherboards support i9 chips. If I go i9, then this one seems right, however I’m open to suggestions – could I go cheaper here?:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/msi-...cket-1151-ddr4-atx-motherboard-mb-342-ms.html = £169.99


Memory: 16GB is fine for Maya, 32GB is the dream for rendering – but is expensive. Is 3200 ok, or can I feasibly go lower to save money and maybe get 32GB? Minimal noticeable difference between the speeds?
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/team-group-vulcan-t-force-16gb-2x8gb-ddr4-pc4-25600c16-3200mhz-dual-channel-kit-black-grey-tlgd-my-09s-tg.html = £119.99


HDD: I can add more drives to the case as and when needed. Will probably need 2 drives eventually, one for OS etc, then a big fat HDD that can be used as a scratch-disk for temporary files etc. Any thoughts on this?
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/seag...a-solid-state-drive-stgs500401-hd-3a8-se.html = £69.95


Power Supply: 500W should be ample, right? I specced a modular one as I’m a neat freak and hate cable clutter! I could save money here I feel. Advice welcomed!
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/be-q...plus-gold-modular-power-supply-ca-131-bq.html = £72.95


Case: As small as possible and quiet if I can! Not after lit fans etc.
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/cors...dition-mid-tower-pc-case-black-ca-196-cs.html = £57.99


And Windows 10, obviously:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/microsoft-windows-10-64-bit-dvd-oem-ms-kw9-00139-sw-172-ms.html = £109.99

TOTAL (with the Geforce RTX): £1569.84


That’s it! Is there anywhere I can save money, or anywhere I’ve over-specced unnecessarily?
Thanks in advance!
 
Edit to the above post;

After more research I'm inclined towards the RTX 2070 as I think the RTX would create a more versatile machine. Plus Arnold renderer is CPU-based, not GPU so the Quadro wouldn't impact this. Would anyone have any thoughts on this? Advice appreciated as I'm new to speccing PCs!

I see a lot of recommendation for buying a used GTX 1080ti over an RTX 2070, but reading about it has got me a little confused! Anyone have any thoughts on buying second-hand cards?

I'm also now thinking about getting a 250GB nvme card for the OS etc due to sheer speed, and a large HDD for storage. Is this a good way to go?

Still not sure about which motherboard to get – I've read so much but it does result in more questions than solutions! I'd be looking around the £160 mark.

Sorry for so many questions. I'm appreciative of any advice and help.
Thanks!
 
Thanks for your thoughts Quartz.
I hadn't considered AMD chips for Maya. Were you looking at it from a final rendering point-of-view, where the multithreading is more beneficial? When the new chips are released, would that see a reduction in prices of ones such as the Threadripper 1920 or 1950x?
 
Thank you both, good to know.
Any thoughts on the GPU I've specced? Is it overkill considering rendering uses CPU rather than GPU? Or should I go for it considering I have the budget? If I went down the AMD route, is it better to go with an AMD card?
 
Hi Adam182. Absolutely! :) I keep changing my mind but am getting more settled on my spec.

Quartz suggested the AMD TR CPU which looks great, but I’ve thought more about how I use Maya and animation is looking as likely as rendering. After much reading, I think the i9 would cover both bases better. Either way, it’s in my budget and it’s a good chip. What are your thoughts?

I’m struggling with the motherboard at the moment. Any recommendations? I was looking at the Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro which gets pretty good reviews. What do you think of that one? It’s in the price range I was looking at.

I’m also looking at the Corsair TX650M. Again, it’s the right price and is reviewed well. Open to suggestions though.

To sum up, the possible build would be:

Intel Core i9 9900k
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/inte...e-socket-lga1151-processor-oem-cp-65k-in.html

Gigabyte RTX 2070 Windforce
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...92mb-pci-express-graphics-card-gx-1a4-gi.html

Corsair Vengeance 16GB 3200
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/cors...hannel-kit-black-cmk16gx4m2b32-my-456-cs.html

Gigabyte Aorus Pro Z390
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...cket-1151-ddr4-atx-motherboard-mb-579-gi.html

Corsair TX650M PSU
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/cors...lar-power-supply-cp-9020132-uk-ca-234-cs.html

Still not sure about which nvme m.2 SSD to get for the OS/software etc - they’re really pricey. Would I see the speed benefit or is there a more cost effective option that’s good? I’m going to get a 1tb or 2tb 7,200 HDD for storage though.

And then there’s the subject of cooling...from reading up about it, a cooling kit seems like a must-have. Is this the case?

Thanks so much for everyone’s input so far, massively appreciated!
 
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Thanks lee32uk, these are useful. Helpful in confirming what I've specced so far!

I'm thinking of the 860 Evo 500GB SSD, and ditching the 1TB for now. Looks like I'm nearly ready to buy!
 
Adam182 said:
I can confirm you are on the right track spec wise.

I'm a full time animator myself and use Maya/Max/AE and am also currently in the market for an upgrade.

As I arnt willing to wait for the new zen chips I'll be opting for the 9900k as well.

The rig you specified above will be great for any 3D package you throw at it.
Click to expand...


Thanks so much for your thoughts, Adam182. So good to hear – this gives me real confidence to go ahead!

Good point edscdk, I've looked at the benchmarks and the RTX2070 should be fine. It's in my budget too so I think I'll go for it.
Hi orbitalwalsh! Eisbaer 360 water cooler, right? Looks terrifying! :D I might go for the Dark Rock Pro 4...I think I could handle that one!

Once again, thanks for the help everyone! You've all been amazing.
 
Thanks Adam182 and lee32uk, great advice as always!

I knew there would be one more question (sorry!). I was going for the Dark Rock Pro 4 as recommended by...well...most people here! I have an NZXT H500 case (which is really nice, BTW – neat, fairly compact, minimalist, thoughtful layout inside). It mentions the depth clearance for a CPU fan cooler is 165mm. The DR Pro 4's height is 163mm. I'm thinking it's gonna be very, very tight to get it in (and I don't know what thickness MB and CPU they use to get those clearances).

So, can anyone recommend a slightly lower profile CPU fan cooler that would have more clearance please? Ones I think will work are:

Dark Rock 4 single fan £61.99 (159.4mm)
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/be-quiet-dark-rock-4-cpu-cooler-hs-01d-bq.html

Cryorig H7 Plus dual fan £41.99 (145mm)
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/cryorig-h7-plus-cpu-heatsink-with-2-x-120mm-fans-hs-010-cy.html

Gigabyte Aorus ATC700 dual fan £59.99 (158mm) to sit nicely on my Gigabyte Aorus Pro MB? :D
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/gigabyte-aorus-atc700-cpu-cooler-2x-120mm-hs-008-gi.html

Arctic Freezer esports edition £39.95 (150mm)
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/arct...cpu-cooler-2x-120mm-hs-06q-ar.html#tech_specs

Any thoughts on this please? Thanks!
 
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Just a thought off the back of my post above; if a fan cooler isn't going to cut it, should I start thinking about liquid cooling? They seem quite expensive – and a bit scary! :eek:
 
Genius! I looked everywhere for info on it, good find lee32uk!

So, it's really snug but it will just fit. Shame it's such a monster, it really overwhelmes the case. Are there slightly smaller coolers that would do the same (or similar) job?
 
Thanks orbitalwalsh – I did!

Most of my parts arrived over the weekend so I spent an absorbing few hours today getting to know where all the bits and pieces go, installing the CPU, RAM, Dark Rock Pro 4 (what a beast it is! Just fits into the H500 case...thankfully), then panicking about if I'd put enough thermal paste on the CPU (I'm sure it's fine). It was quite enjoyable.

Just waiting for the RTX 2070 now, and I'm done.

I found 2 long temperature sensors in the Aorus Pro box. I see where they connect to on the MB, but I have absolutely no idea where to put the sensor ends in the H500 case. Googling it doesn't seem to give any definitive answers (apart from not to sandwich them between the CPU and cooler! :D). Does anyone have any suggestions? Are they important, or is it ok to just leave them off?

The case came with 2 120mm fans, both set up stock for negative pressure (one on the top and one at the rear). I've read up on the best way to cool cases and am thinking of going positive pressure, so changing the top fan to be an inlet (that'll blow down onto the DR Pro 4) and keeping the rear fan as an outlet. Then I might add 1 or 2 140mm fans to the front of the case as inlets.

Can anyone guide me on this please? Is my suggestion a good idea? The NZXT H500 doesn't have a huge grille at the front for intake (has a long thin filtered one down the front right hand side). I have read that this setup might impact on the GPU temps (I'm getting an RTX Gaming OC with 3x fans on the top – not a blower style) due to the hot air being sucked back in again through the rear grilles. Is this true?

I've read so much about cooling but still seem to be none the wiser! There are so many opinions out there. Would appreciate some help if possible please.

Thanks!
 
Hi! Just a small question about my recent build – if anyone can help I'd appreciate it.

So the build went really well, and the system is running fine. I've done a couple of test renders and it's a LOT faster than my Mac so already Maya is much more enjoyable to use, with more immediate results.

The RAM was running at 2133MHz until I enabled XMP, where it went up to 3200MHz.

One odd thing I've noticed though: The CPU is an i9-9900K @ 3.60GHz. However, according to the Aorus Pro Hardware Monitor it seems to be running at 4.7GHz, with the CPU vCore at 1.368v. I haven't done any overclocking (still don't know how!). Is this right? What's going on?

At idle, CPU is stable at around 20˚C. During a render, it goes up to a stable 80˚C. I'm guessing this is all fine?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts!
 
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