New 3D Artist PC Build for Long Term

[Christina D.]

Hello Everyone!

I am new here, and was super happy to find a site for PC building for a CG artist. Since this is my first build by myself ( I have had other friends in tech build my previous computers which were good, but not powerful enough to last past 5 years) I wanted to make sure I have the right parts and specs for what I need for this computer.

I am a 3D modeler/sculptor/generalist, and heavily use Maya, Blender, Substance, Zbrush, and Houdini. I have done most rendering in Arnold, RenderMan, and currently want to move more towards GPU rendering with Redshift, and also real time with Unreal. Other programs I work in are Agisoft, Photoshop. After Effects, 3DS Max, and Modo.

My goal is to be able to run everything listed smoothly, and also future proof it for at least 10 years or more (whether it is the parts being stronger, or being able to easily upgrade and replace parts.

I have built my ideal setup on PC Part Picker and combined it with what I had auto built on this site's part builder.
I do want to have 128gb ram to just have it set for years. I currently have 32gb and have maxed that out for a while. I do need a good cpu for rendering and am considering getting the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, but it seems to be hard to find at the moment unless I want to pay double the price. The graphics card is important as well. I was going to get a GeForce RTX 2070 Super initially, but the price has skyrocketed since earlier this year and is equal to paying a GeForce RTX 3090 in some cases. Also since I am looking for more VRAM for Houdini to run smoother, I just said whatever and treated myself by adding it to the cart for now. I just want to know if these choice are good, compatible, and/or if they are overkill for what I need.

My Total Budget is no more than $5000 for the whole build, buuuut I am open to considering possibilities.

System Builder

pcpartpicker.com

PCPartPicker Part List:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 3.5 GHz 16-Core Processor ($719.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 4 CPU Cooler ($74.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 128 GB (4 x 32 GB) DDR4-4000 CL18 Memory ($699.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($309.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda Pro 10 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($272.33 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 24 GB XC3 ULTRA GAMING Video Card ($1634.49 @ Adorama)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox TD500 Mesh White w/ Controller ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair RM (2019) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($134.99 @ Corsair)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit ($139.88 @ Other World Computing)
Total: $4336.54



CGDirector.com Parts List: https://www.cgdirector.com/pc-builder/?=6LVab

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 3.5GHz 16-Core Processor ($719.99)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 ($89.90)
Motherboard: MSI X570 Tomahawk ATX AM4 ($249.99)
GPU: Nvidia RTX 2080TI 11GB - EVGA FTW3 Ultra Gaming ($1527.88)
Memory: 64GB (4 x 16GB) G.Skill Trident Z Neo DDR4-3600 C16 ($364.99)
Storage PCIe-SSD: Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 2TB M.2 Solid State Drive ($309.99)
Power Supply: Seasonic Focus GM-650, 650W 80+ Gold Power Supply ($99.99)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series Air 540 ($142.97)
Total: $3505.70

Any comments, suggestions, advice, etc. is greatly appreciated. I want to start building this in the next month, because I am tired of constant computer crashes and freezing.

Thank you!!!!
- Christina

 

[Hadoukie]

I just made an account on here, so I will be responding using this username instead of my Original Post. Looking forward to some thoughts on this!

- Christina

 

[Jerry James]

Build looks pretty solid overall, just needs a few tweaks (going off your PC Partpicker list).

- Swap out the CPU for a Ryzen 9 5950X. If you can't find one, drop down to a Ryzen 9 5900X.
- The Tomahawk motherboard is too pricey at the moment. Look for a few better options at that price range. Check for pricing on the Gigabyte B550 Aorus Pro V2, MSI X570 Unify, and Gigabyte B550 Vision D in your region. Since you want to move to Redshift, I'd pick an X570 motherboard so you can add more GPUs for faster rendering performance.
- The RTX 3090 is quite terrible from a value standpoint (unless you're sure you need that 24 GB VRAM). If you can do with lower VRAM, drop down to an RTX 3080 instead.

- Go for a 1000W power supply at least if you hope to add more graphics cards to help with Redshift renders.

- Drop down to a 3600 MHz DDR4 memory kit.

 

[Hadoukie]

Thanks @Jerry James! I appreciate you taking time for the advice.

- I'll see what CPU I can find in the next month but Ill definitely try to get the Ryzen 9 5950X or Ryzen 9 5900X if that's the only one available
- For the Motherboard, is $239 pricey for that? I will check out the other ones you listed and read up on those as well to see what fits better.
- I was on the fence with the RTX 3090 since it is new and I havent heard much about it. The reason for the 3090 was also because I could combine it with another in the future, but I get its not worth the value at the moment. There is this 3080 I was looking at as alternative since I don't know if I would need 24gb vram either. Saves me half the amount

EVGA FTW3 ULTRA GAMING GeForce RTX 3080 10GB 10 GB Video Card (10G-P5-3897-KR) - PCPartPicker

EVGA FTW3 ULTRA GAMING GeForce RTX 3080 10GB 10 GB Video Card (10G-P5-3897-KR)

pcpartpicker.com

- Ill definitely up the power supply. Thanks for that note.
- For the RAM kit, is there a reason to drop to 3600 MHz DDR4 vs 4000?

 

[Jerry James]

Thanks @Jerry James! I appreciate you taking time for the advice.

- I'll see what CPU I can find in the next month but Ill definitely try to get the Ryzen 9 5950X or Ryzen 9 5900X if that's the only one available
- For the Motherboard, is $239 pricey for that? I will check out the other ones you listed and read up on those as well to see what fits better.
- I was on the fence with the RTX 3090 since it is new and I havent heard much about it. The reason for the 3090 was also because I could combine it with another in the future, but I get its not worth the value at the moment. There is this 3080 I was looking at as alternative since I don't know if I would need 24gb vram either. Saves me half the amount

EVGA FTW3 ULTRA GAMING GeForce RTX 3080 10GB 10 GB Video Card (10G-P5-3897-KR) - PCPartPicker

EVGA FTW3 ULTRA GAMING GeForce RTX 3080 10GB 10 GB Video Card (10G-P5-3897-KR)

pcpartpicker.com

- Ill definitely up the power supply. Thanks for that note.
- For the RAM kit, is there a reason to drop to 3600 MHz DDR4 vs 4000?

1)

2) Yep, it shouldn't cost more than $200. That's when it offers good value. You can find more board options here as well - Best Motherboards for 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen CPUs 3950X, 3900X, 3700X, 3600X (cgdirector.com)

3) Yep, that's good. But do keep in mind that if you want to stack multiple graphics cards, it's best to go for Blower fan models. They'll be noisier but when you want more than 2 graphics cards, that's the better option.

4)

5) Mostly just how the Ryzen architecture works. You can find more info here - Best Memory (RAM) for 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen CPUs 3900X, 3700X, 3600 (cgdirector.com)

 

[Hadoukie]

1)

2) Yep, it shouldn't cost more than $200. That's when it offers good value. You can find more board options here as well - Best Motherboards for 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen CPUs 3950X, 3900X, 3700X, 3600X (cgdirector.com)

3) Yep, that's good. But do keep in mind that if you want to stack multiple graphics cards, it's best to go for Blower fan models. They'll be noisier but when you want more than 2 graphics cards, that's the better option.

4)

5) Mostly just how the Ryzen architecture works. You can find more info here - Best Memory (RAM) for 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen CPUs 3900X, 3700X, 3600 (cgdirector.com)

Awesome! Ill take a look at the motherboards, and the other ones for the 5000 series and see where I go with this.

Thanks for the info for the RAM too. It is very helpful. Ill report back with what I do, and when I get all the items to build.

I appreciate all the help!
- Christina