Upgrading or building a new PC? This is the thread for you!
polycount lvl 666
If you're a 3D artist in need of a new computer, or just want to upgrade an old one, this is the thread for you!
Building a PC can get very expensive, and many simply don't know enough about computers to make an informed decision on what to buy. This thread aims to help those who are less tech savvy, or whose knowledge is simply out of date, get the best PC their budget allows.
Below you'll find several component categories, each with information you should know before deciding what to buy, and a small select list of quality parts that have been well reviewed on major online retailers such as Amazon, Newegg, etc.
At the very bottom there is also a list of PC builds for various budgets.
Thread last updated: March 2024
-Return policy - Do they; Accept open box returns? Charge for returns? How long after purchase can returns be made?
-Where do they ship from? Shipping costs, taxes, and return policy can all be greatly affected by this.
USA:
Amazon.com
Newegg.com (warning: Newegg is NOT reliable when it comes to returns! Buy at your own risk!)
Canada:
Amazon.ca
Newegg.ca (warning: Newegg is NOT reliable when it comes to returns! Buy at your own risk!)
memoryexpress.com
UK:
Amazon.co.uk
aria.co.uk
scan.co.uk
overclockers.co.uk
Other:
pcpartpicker.com (Only use for quick price/compatibility overview. Not all retailers it links to are reliable)
store.cablemod.com (Custom order PC cables, any color/length.)
nowinstock.net (Cant find the newest GPU/CPU/etc. in stock anywhere? This site shows hour-by-hour who has stock)
---CPU---
What to Know:
- Any modern AMD or Intel CPU with at least 16 threads will be fine for 3D work.
- If you want to do CPU rendering / baking, or very heavy multitasking, the more threads the better.
- If you're primarily working in game engines, a large CPU cache is best (like on Ryzen X3D CPU's)
- For CPU performance comparisons go here: (note: do NOT trust userbenchmark.com !)
- Warning! High end Intel 13900 and 14900 CPU's are known to fail! Only go Intel for mid/low end CPUs!
AMD:
$530 - AMD Ryzen 7950X3D (32 threads) (Socket AM5)
$??? - AMD Ryzen 7950X (32 threads) (Socket AM5)
$370 - AMD Ryzen 7900X (24 thread) (Socket AM5)
$370 - AMD Ryzen 7800X3D (16 threads) (Socket AM5)
$290 - AMD Ryzen 7700X (16 threads) (Socket AM5)
Intel:
-- NOTE; 14900 and 13900 series CPU's are known to regularly fail, and thus are not recommended!
$370 - Intel i7-14700KF (28 threads) (Socket LGA 1700)
$300 - Intel i7-14600KF (20 threads) (Socket LGA 1700)
$300 - Intel i7-13700KF (24 threads) (Socket LGA 1700)
$230 - Intel i7-13600KF (20 threads) (Socket LGA 1700)
$310 - Intel i9-12900K (24 threads) (Socket LGA 1700)
$200 - Intel i7-12700KF (20 threads) (Socket LGA 1700)
$150 - Intel i7-12600KF (16 threads) (Socket LGA 1700)
$110 - Intel i7-12400F (12 threads) (Socket LGA 1700)
- 12GB of VRAM or more is recommended for Substance Painter and GPU-based renderers.
- Multi-GPU setups do not improve viewport performance, and only certain renderers benefit (Octane).
$6800 - RTX 6000 Ada (48GB VRAM)(Slightly slower then 4090 unless more then 24GB VRAM needed)
$1600 - Geforce 4090 (24GB VRAM) (coil whine is very common with ASUS & MSI Geforce 4090 cards)
$1100 - Geforce 4080 Super (16GB VRAM)
$1100 - Geforce 4080 (16GB VRAM) (normally goes for same price as the super variant, get that instead)
$800 - Geforce 4070 Ti Super (16GB VRAM)
$670 - Geforce 4070 Ti (12GB VRAM)
$600 - Geforce 4070 Super (12GB VRAM)
$530 - Geforce 4070 (12GB VRAM)
$???? - Geforce RTX 3090 Ti (24GB VRAM)
$???? - Geforce RTX 3090 (24GB VRAM)
$???? - Geforce RTX 3080 Ti (12GB VRAM)
$??? - Geforce RTX 3080 (12GB VRAM)
$??? - Geforce RTX 3060 (12GB VRAM)
- 32GB minimum for modern artist workstations, with Epic recommending 64GB for UE5.
- On Intel CPU's higher RAM frequencies are better, but have diminishing returns the higher you go.
- For AMD CPU's specific RAM frequencies work best (DDR4 3200 or 3600 for AM4, DDR5 6000 for AM5)
- CAS Latency = lower is better (CL14 is better then CL16). Mainly important for game engines (examples here and here)
- Most RAM will run slower then its advertised speeds by default unless XMP/DOCP is enabled in BIOS!
- RAM should all be bought as one set for maximum compatibility & chance of reaching advertised speeds.
- For dedicated render machines, ECC (error correcting code) RAM can be used for improved reliability.
-Most setups these days use an SSD for the OS and apps, and a mechanical drive (HDD) for file storage.
-SSD's: The slowest use SATA, the fastest use NVMe with PCIe 4.0.
-HDD's: The fastest ones use 'CMR' (instead of 'SMR') tech, or are 'hybrid' drives.
-HDD's live longer the less often they spin up / down (Windows settings: "Turn off Hard Disk after" to "Never")
-You can mirror / auto backup data to a second drive via a RAID1 array, in case one drive fails.
-NAS (Network Attached Storage) is used to backup data both locally and offsite (in case of fire/flood/etc.)
-For long-term data archiving use M-Discs; special DVD / BR discs rated to last 1000 years by the US DoD.
-Servers may use "U.2" or "U.3" connectors for SSD's, these are very rare to see in normal PCs.
M.2 SSD (NVMe):
$320 - Crucial T705 (2TB) (for those that need extremely fast sequential read speeds)
$190 - Seagate FireCuda 520 (2TB) (high endurance, good for a cache drive)
$160 - Western Digital Black SN850X (2TB)
$150 - Samsung 990 PRO (2TB)
-The type of motherboard you need for your CPU depends on the socket and chipset it's designed for.
-Chipset/Socket examples; Intel i7-12900K CPU uses LGA 1700, Ryzen 5950X CPU uses AM4 socket motherboards.
-Almost all motherboards use Realtek audio, but may use a different name for marketing purposes (ASUS's 'SpremeFX').
-Micro ATX and Mini ITX boards all generally fit in standard ATX Mid/Full PC towers, they don't need special towers.
-You may need to update (flash) your bios to make it work with the latest CPUs.
-ASUS boards "Multi Core Enhancement" makes all CPU cores run at max Turbo Boost speed (increasing CPU temps).
- Ideally a modern motherboard should haves; It's recommended to get one with USB4, PCIe 5.0, and a post code display (in case any issues occur).
-It's recommended to get at least a 750 watt PSU these days, or more depending on your GPU.
-A cheap/poor quality PSU can cause the early death of PC components, and affect general stability/performance.
-Wattage rating (ex: 750W) is the maximum amount of power it's designed to send to your PC (not draw from outlet).
-"80 PLUS" ratings refer to energy efficiency. Higher rating = less power wasted. Worst to best; Bronze, Gold Platinum, Titanium.
-Only ATX 3.0 power supplies have a '12VHPWR' connector for newer GPU's, ATX 2.0 ones need to use an adapter.
-Warning: Do NOT mix and match / re-use cables between modular power supplies, doing so could easily destroy your PC. Modular EVGA power supplies should be completely avoided as well due to this issue (see here).
ATX 3.0 Power supplies:
$330 - Hydro Ti PRO (1000W) (Titanium)
$250 - Seasonic VERTEX GX-1000 (1000W) (Gold)
$220 - Seasonic VERTEX GX-850 (850W) (Gold)
$180 - Corsair RM1000e , 2023 model (1000W) (Gold)
$130 - Corsair RM850e , 2023 model (850W) (Gold)
-Air cooling is the cheapest and most reliable form of cooling.
-High end air coolers are massive, don't fit in all ATX cases, may block RAM sockets, and can damage the motherboard if PC moved.
-Water cooling is best for those who intend to have their PC render for days at a time, or do overclocking.
-Water coolers can be bought pre-assembled (all-in-one/AIO), or built from individually chosen parts yourself (custom).
-"Closed loop" AIO water coolers are designed to never be refilled or require maintenance. They are set-and-forget just like air coolers.
-Custom water coolers can perform much better then AIO coolers, but are expensive and require occasional maintenance.
-Water coolers if leak can destroy your PC.
-With a custom water cooling setup, mixing parts that use different metals (copper, aluminum, etc.) can result in galvanic corrosion.
-When attaching cooler to the CPU use no more then a grain of rice worth of thermal paste for best results.
-Case fan size (120mm, 140mm, etc.) is measured from one screw to the next along the border, NOT diagonally.
-Case fan power connectors are universally compatible with all motherboards no matter if they have 4-pins (PVM), or 3-pins (FLX/ULN).
-Liquid LN2/CO2/LHe & Phase cooling; Only used for the most excessive of overclocks. Not viable as every day cooling solutions.
CPU Air Coolers (fans):
$90 - Noctua NH-D15 (get the SE-AM4 version if using an AM4/Ryzen motherboard)
$60 - Deepcool AK620
$50 - Scythe Fuma 3
$50 - Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE
$40 - Deepcool AK400
CPU Water Coolers (All-in-one):
$120 - NZXT Kraken X61
$110 - ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280
$90 - Corsair H80i
Case fans:
$30 - Corsair ML
$20 - Noctua NF-S12A
$15 - Be Quiet! Silent Wings 2
Thermal paste:
$8 - Arctic Silver 5
$8 - Arctic MX-4
-Will it fit all the parts you've chosen? (i.e. be sure to check both the overall dimensions and internal layout)
-Does it have optical bays? (This is very important for some, and not at all for others)
-Is it designed with water cooling in mind?
-How good is the ventilation?
-Does it have sound dampening? (For many people, a noisy PC is annoying)
-Does it have both USB Type-A and Type-C ports at the front? Type-A is common, but Type-C is the new & increasingly popular standard.
-WARNING! The riser cables included with the NZXT H1 case are known to catch fire! NZXT has issued a recall.
Towers (optical bays):
$190 - Be Quiet! DarkBase 900
$130 - Corsair Carbide Series Air 540
$120 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R
$100 - Phanteks Enthoo Pro
$90 - Nanoxia Deep Silence 3
Towers (no optical bays):
$150 - Phanteks P600S
$140 - CoolerMaster H500P
$140 - Lian Li O11 Dynamic (only for liquid cooled setups)
$120 - Phanteks Enthoo Evolv
$100 - Corsair 4000D
$90 - Phanteks Eclipse P400S
$90 - Fractal Design MESHIFY C
$90 - Lian Li Lancool II
$70 - Be Quiet! PURE BASE 500
$60 - Phanteks P300
Mini ITX cases:
$280 - DAN A4-SFX (Only available through overclockers.co.uk)
$210 - Streacom DA2
$200 - FormD-T1 (requires assembly)
$190 - NCASE M1 V6 (Community designed, funded via kickstarter. Only available through ncases.com)
$170 - IN WIN 901
$110 - Lian Li TU150
$120 - Velka 3 rev 1.1 and the riser cable (the riser cable is mandatory to fit a dedicated GPU in the case!)
$60 - Cougar Case QBX
-Color accuracy; "DCI-P3", "sRGB", and "Adobe RGB" are the main standards used to determine color accuracy (higher % = better).
-Panel types; TN (fast, bad colors), VA (great contrast, ghosting issues), IPS (great colors, pixels can't be fully black so poor contrast), OLED (excellent colors, but can suffer burn-in over time).
-Quality control; Many/Most screens have random back light bleeding and/or dead pixels.
-Testing back light bleed; Display a solid black image full screen, the more uneven the black levels the worse your screen is.
-HDR; Monitors normally only support 400 nits max brightness ('DisplayHDR 400'), unlike TVs which can often go to 1000 nits.
-G-Sync vs Freesync; G-Sync 'Ultimate' is rare but offers a better experience over 'G-Sync compatible' Freesync monitors.
-Color calibration almost always has to be done by the user.
-For color calibration devices, if you have trouble using the included software, try this: displaycal.net
-New/Future technologies worth reading about: Mini LED, LG's "IPS Black".
-Onboard audio has reached a point where it will be good enough for most people. But for everyone else...
-Years ago, for good audio quality, you would get a dedicated sound card (i.e. an internal DAC / Digital to analog convertor).
-These days, for good audio quality, you get an external DAC + AMP.
-Windows OS only requires drivers for a USB DAC if it can go above 96khz. Many DAC's avoid going over 96khz for this reason.
-Linux and MAC/iOS don't require a USB DAC to have drivers unless it goes above 192khz.
-CD audio is all 44.1khz, and iTunes/Spotify audio is all 44.1khz to 48khz (but not lossless unfortunately).
-For extra durability, get a DAC with a 6.3mm audio plug and use a 3.5mm adapter if needed (6.3mm plugs are FAR more durable).
-If you want to convert analog to digital (that is, to record audio), look into getting an external "Audio Interface".
External DAC's (Outlet power):
$700 - Topping DX7 Pro (DAC+AMP combo unit)
$400 - JDS Labs Element II (DAC+AMP combo unit)
$100 - JDS Labs Atom DAC+ (can be paired with their 'AMP+' if you have no other preferred AMP)
$270 - Mayflower Objective 2 + ODAC Rev. B (Older DAC+AMP unit, but a favorite of many)
External DAC's (USB power):
$290 - Apogee GROOVE (192khz / 3.5mm)
$200 - AudioQuest DragonFly Red (96khz / 3.5mm)
$170 - Audioengine D1 (96khz / 3.5mm)
$150 - Audioengine D3 (96khz / 3.5mm)
$150 - JDS Standalone ODAC Rev B (96kHz / 3.5mm)
$100 - AudioQuest DragonFly Black v1.5 (96khz / 3.5mm)
$60 - Zorloo ZuperDAC (192khz / 3.5mm)
Headphones (wired):
$480 - Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (Open back)
$330 - Moondrop x Crinacle Blessing2:Dusk (in-ear monitors)
$280 - TANCHJIM Oxygen (in-ear monitors)
$220 - Massdrop X Sennheiser HD 6XX (Open back. Essentially identical to the HD 650 but cheaper)
$110 - Moondrop Starfield (in-ear monitors)
What to know:
-CPU speed; Laptop CPUs have finally caught up to the performance of average desktop CPUs as of mid-2020. Don't buy old ones!
-CPU types; Laptops can sometimes use desktop CPUs, but uses more power, and generate more heat shortening the laptops lifespan.
-GPU speed; While as this may soon change (w/RDNA2), atm Nvidia laptop GPUs are faster and more power efficient then AMD ones.
-GPU upgrades; Limited to your existing GPUs generation (ex: 1060>1080), but laptops w/Thunderbolt3 can use external desktop GPUs.
-RAM; Most laptops max out at 16GB of RAM, but for modern 3D workloads it's recommended to get one that can handle 32GB or more.
-Screen; You'll want 1920x1080 or better, and IPS for color accuracy. Touch screens are normally only available on slower laptops.
-Screen vs battery; G-Sync/120hz screens can't switch to an integrated GPU so battery life is much worse for web browsing and such.
-Keyboard; Many laptop keyboards lack the right side 'number pad', but some 3D apps (such as Blender) use it extensively.
-Ports; You'll likely want 2+ USB-A ports, USB-C port w/Thunderbolt 3 support, ethernet port, HDMI, and 3.5mm headphone/mic jacks.
-Cooling; A cooling pad is recommended to increase the lifespan of your laptop, especially if regularly maxing out the CPU/GPU.
-Battery; Extend battery life by lowering recharge threshold (ex: only perform full rechange when charge goes below 60%).
-Theft/Recovery; Keep the serial number for police in case the laptop is stolen. An internet tracking app can also help them.
Budget: Under $2000
CPU: Intel i5-13600KF
RAM: 64GB (2x32GB at 6000MHz CL30)
GPU: Geforce 4070 12GB
SSD: 2TB Western Digital SN850X
MOBO: MSI MAG B760 TOMAHAWK WIFI
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK400
Tower: Corsair 4000D
Power: Corsair RM750e (2023) (750W, Gold rated)
Budget: Under $1000
CPU: Intel i5-13400F
RAM: 32GB (2x16GB at 3200MHz CL16)
GPU: Geforce 3060 12GB
SSD: 1TB Samsung 970 Evo Plus
MOBO: MSI PRO B760M-A WIFI
Tower: Phanteks Eclipse P300A
Power: Corsair RM750e (2022) (750W, Gold rated)
Building a PC can get very expensive, and many simply don't know enough about computers to make an informed decision on what to buy. This thread aims to help those who are less tech savvy, or whose knowledge is simply out of date, get the best PC their budget allows.
Below you'll find several component categories, each with information you should know before deciding what to buy, and a small select list of quality parts that have been well reviewed on major online retailers such as Amazon, Newegg, etc.
At the very bottom there is also a list of PC builds for various budgets.
Thread last updated: March 2024
---Retailers/Websites---
What to know:-Return policy - Do they; Accept open box returns? Charge for returns? How long after purchase can returns be made?
-Where do they ship from? Shipping costs, taxes, and return policy can all be greatly affected by this.
USA:
Amazon.com
Newegg.com (warning: Newegg is NOT reliable when it comes to returns! Buy at your own risk!)
Canada:
Amazon.ca
Newegg.ca (warning: Newegg is NOT reliable when it comes to returns! Buy at your own risk!)
memoryexpress.com
UK:
Amazon.co.uk
aria.co.uk
scan.co.uk
overclockers.co.uk
Other:
pcpartpicker.com (Only use for quick price/compatibility overview. Not all retailers it links to are reliable)
store.cablemod.com (Custom order PC cables, any color/length.)
nowinstock.net (Cant find the newest GPU/CPU/etc. in stock anywhere? This site shows hour-by-hour who has stock)
---CPU---
What to Know:- Any modern AMD or Intel CPU with at least 16 threads will be fine for 3D work.
- If you want to do CPU rendering / baking, or very heavy multitasking, the more threads the better.
- If you're primarily working in game engines, a large CPU cache is best (like on Ryzen X3D CPU's)
- For CPU performance comparisons go here: (note: do NOT trust userbenchmark.com !)
- Warning! High end Intel 13900 and 14900 CPU's are known to fail! Only go Intel for mid/low end CPUs!
AMD:
$530 - AMD Ryzen 7950X3D (32 threads) (Socket AM5)
$??? - AMD Ryzen 7950X (32 threads) (Socket AM5)
$370 - AMD Ryzen 7900X (24 thread) (Socket AM5)
$370 - AMD Ryzen 7800X3D (16 threads) (Socket AM5)
$290 - AMD Ryzen 7700X (16 threads) (Socket AM5)
Intel:
-- NOTE; 14900 and 13900 series CPU's are known to regularly fail, and thus are not recommended!
$370 - Intel i7-14700KF (28 threads) (Socket LGA 1700)
$300 - Intel i7-14600KF (20 threads) (Socket LGA 1700)
$300 - Intel i7-13700KF (24 threads) (Socket LGA 1700)
$230 - Intel i7-13600KF (20 threads) (Socket LGA 1700)
$310 - Intel i9-12900K (24 threads) (Socket LGA 1700)
$200 - Intel i7-12700KF (20 threads) (Socket LGA 1700)
$150 - Intel i7-12600KF (16 threads) (Socket LGA 1700)
$110 - Intel i7-12400F (12 threads) (Socket LGA 1700)
---VIDEO CARD (GPU)---
What to know:- 12GB of VRAM or more is recommended for Substance Painter and GPU-based renderers.
- Multi-GPU setups do not improve viewport performance, and only certain renderers benefit (Octane).
- GPUs may create a high pitch noise ('coil whine'), which can cause ear damage / hearing loss if too close.
- The 12 pin power connector on some Nvidia GPU's can melt if not fully inserted into the socket. Be careful!
- AMD GPU's are not well supported outside of games, and thus are not recommended.
NVIDIA:- The 12 pin power connector on some Nvidia GPU's can melt if not fully inserted into the socket. Be careful!
- AMD GPU's are not well supported outside of games, and thus are not recommended.
$6800 - RTX 6000 Ada (48GB VRAM)(Slightly slower then 4090 unless more then 24GB VRAM needed)
$1600 - Geforce 4090 (24GB VRAM) (coil whine is very common with ASUS & MSI Geforce 4090 cards)
$1100 - Geforce 4080 Super (16GB VRAM)
$1100 - Geforce 4080 (16GB VRAM) (normally goes for same price as the super variant, get that instead)
$800 - Geforce 4070 Ti Super (16GB VRAM)
$670 - Geforce 4070 Ti (12GB VRAM)
$600 - Geforce 4070 Super (12GB VRAM)
$530 - Geforce 4070 (12GB VRAM)
$???? - Geforce RTX 3090 Ti (24GB VRAM)
$???? - Geforce RTX 3090 (24GB VRAM)
$???? - Geforce RTX 3080 Ti (12GB VRAM)
$??? - Geforce RTX 3080 (12GB VRAM)
$??? - Geforce RTX 3060 (12GB VRAM)
---RAM---
What to know:- 32GB minimum for modern artist workstations, with Epic recommending 64GB for UE5.
- On Intel CPU's higher RAM frequencies are better, but have diminishing returns the higher you go.
- For AMD CPU's specific RAM frequencies work best (DDR4 3200 or 3600 for AM4, DDR5 6000 for AM5)
- CAS Latency = lower is better (CL14 is better then CL16). Mainly important for game engines (examples here and here)
- Most RAM will run slower then its advertised speeds by default unless XMP/DOCP is enabled in BIOS!
- RAM should all be bought as one set for maximum compatibility & chance of reaching advertised speeds.
- For dedicated render machines, ECC (error correcting code) RAM can be used for improved reliability.
---SSD/HDD---
What to know:-Most setups these days use an SSD for the OS and apps, and a mechanical drive (HDD) for file storage.
-SSD's: The slowest use SATA, the fastest use NVMe with PCIe 4.0.
-HDD's: The fastest ones use 'CMR' (instead of 'SMR') tech, or are 'hybrid' drives.
-HDD's live longer the less often they spin up / down (Windows settings: "Turn off Hard Disk after" to "Never")
-You can mirror / auto backup data to a second drive via a RAID1 array, in case one drive fails.
-NAS (Network Attached Storage) is used to backup data both locally and offsite (in case of fire/flood/etc.)
-For long-term data archiving use M-Discs; special DVD / BR discs rated to last 1000 years by the US DoD.
-Servers may use "U.2" or "U.3" connectors for SSD's, these are very rare to see in normal PCs.
M.2 SSD (NVMe):
$320 - Crucial T705 (2TB) (for those that need extremely fast sequential read speeds)
$190 - Seagate FireCuda 520 (2TB) (high endurance, good for a cache drive)
$160 - Western Digital Black SN850X (2TB)
$150 - Samsung 990 PRO (2TB)
---Motherboard---
What to know:-The type of motherboard you need for your CPU depends on the socket and chipset it's designed for.
-Chipset/Socket examples; Intel i7-12900K CPU uses LGA 1700, Ryzen 5950X CPU uses AM4 socket motherboards.
-Almost all motherboards use Realtek audio, but may use a different name for marketing purposes (ASUS's 'SpremeFX').
-Micro ATX and Mini ITX boards all generally fit in standard ATX Mid/Full PC towers, they don't need special towers.
-You may need to update (flash) your bios to make it work with the latest CPUs.
-ASUS boards "Multi Core Enhancement" makes all CPU cores run at max Turbo Boost speed (increasing CPU temps).
- Ideally a modern motherboard should haves; It's recommended to get one with USB4, PCIe 5.0, and a post code display (in case any issues occur).
---Power---
What to know:-It's recommended to get at least a 750 watt PSU these days, or more depending on your GPU.
-A cheap/poor quality PSU can cause the early death of PC components, and affect general stability/performance.
-Wattage rating (ex: 750W) is the maximum amount of power it's designed to send to your PC (not draw from outlet).
-"80 PLUS" ratings refer to energy efficiency. Higher rating = less power wasted. Worst to best; Bronze, Gold Platinum, Titanium.
-Only ATX 3.0 power supplies have a '12VHPWR' connector for newer GPU's, ATX 2.0 ones need to use an adapter.
-Warning: Do NOT mix and match / re-use cables between modular power supplies, doing so could easily destroy your PC. Modular EVGA power supplies should be completely avoided as well due to this issue (see here).
ATX 3.0 Power supplies:
$330 - Hydro Ti PRO (1000W) (Titanium)
$250 - Seasonic VERTEX GX-1000 (1000W) (Gold)
$220 - Seasonic VERTEX GX-850 (850W) (Gold)
$180 - Corsair RM1000e , 2023 model (1000W) (Gold)
$130 - Corsair RM850e , 2023 model (850W) (Gold)
---Cooler---
What to Know:-Air cooling is the cheapest and most reliable form of cooling.
-High end air coolers are massive, don't fit in all ATX cases, may block RAM sockets, and can damage the motherboard if PC moved.
-Water cooling is best for those who intend to have their PC render for days at a time, or do overclocking.
-Water coolers can be bought pre-assembled (all-in-one/AIO), or built from individually chosen parts yourself (custom).
-"Closed loop" AIO water coolers are designed to never be refilled or require maintenance. They are set-and-forget just like air coolers.
-Custom water coolers can perform much better then AIO coolers, but are expensive and require occasional maintenance.
-Water coolers if leak can destroy your PC.
-With a custom water cooling setup, mixing parts that use different metals (copper, aluminum, etc.) can result in galvanic corrosion.
-When attaching cooler to the CPU use no more then a grain of rice worth of thermal paste for best results.
-Case fan size (120mm, 140mm, etc.) is measured from one screw to the next along the border, NOT diagonally.
-Case fan power connectors are universally compatible with all motherboards no matter if they have 4-pins (PVM), or 3-pins (FLX/ULN).
-Liquid LN2/CO2/LHe & Phase cooling; Only used for the most excessive of overclocks. Not viable as every day cooling solutions.
CPU Air Coolers (fans):
$90 - Noctua NH-D15 (get the SE-AM4 version if using an AM4/Ryzen motherboard)
$60 - Deepcool AK620
$50 - Scythe Fuma 3
$50 - Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE
$40 - Deepcool AK400
CPU Water Coolers (All-in-one):
$120 - NZXT Kraken X61
$110 - ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280
$90 - Corsair H80i
Case fans:
$30 - Corsair ML
$20 - Noctua NF-S12A
$15 - Be Quiet! Silent Wings 2
Thermal paste:
$8 - Arctic Silver 5
$8 - Arctic MX-4
---Tower/Case---
What to check:-Will it fit all the parts you've chosen? (i.e. be sure to check both the overall dimensions and internal layout)
-Does it have optical bays? (This is very important for some, and not at all for others)
-Is it designed with water cooling in mind?
-How good is the ventilation?
-Does it have sound dampening? (For many people, a noisy PC is annoying)
-Does it have both USB Type-A and Type-C ports at the front? Type-A is common, but Type-C is the new & increasingly popular standard.
-WARNING! The riser cables included with the NZXT H1 case are known to catch fire! NZXT has issued a recall.
Towers (optical bays):
$190 - Be Quiet! DarkBase 900
$130 - Corsair Carbide Series Air 540
$120 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R
$100 - Phanteks Enthoo Pro
$90 - Nanoxia Deep Silence 3
Towers (no optical bays):
$150 - Phanteks P600S
$140 - CoolerMaster H500P
$140 - Lian Li O11 Dynamic (only for liquid cooled setups)
$120 - Phanteks Enthoo Evolv
$100 - Corsair 4000D
$90 - Phanteks Eclipse P400S
$90 - Fractal Design MESHIFY C
$90 - Lian Li Lancool II
$70 - Be Quiet! PURE BASE 500
$60 - Phanteks P300
Mini ITX cases:
$280 - DAN A4-SFX (Only available through overclockers.co.uk)
$210 - Streacom DA2
$200 - FormD-T1 (requires assembly)
$190 - NCASE M1 V6 (Community designed, funded via kickstarter. Only available through ncases.com)
$170 - IN WIN 901
$110 - Lian Li TU150
$120 - Velka 3 rev 1.1 and the riser cable (the riser cable is mandatory to fit a dedicated GPU in the case!)
$60 - Cougar Case QBX
---Screen/Monitor---
What to know:-Color accuracy; "DCI-P3", "sRGB", and "Adobe RGB" are the main standards used to determine color accuracy (higher % = better).
-Panel types; TN (fast, bad colors), VA (great contrast, ghosting issues), IPS (great colors, pixels can't be fully black so poor contrast), OLED (excellent colors, but can suffer burn-in over time).
-Quality control; Many/Most screens have random back light bleeding and/or dead pixels.
-Testing back light bleed; Display a solid black image full screen, the more uneven the black levels the worse your screen is.
-HDR; Monitors normally only support 400 nits max brightness ('DisplayHDR 400'), unlike TVs which can often go to 1000 nits.
-G-Sync vs Freesync; G-Sync 'Ultimate' is rare but offers a better experience over 'G-Sync compatible' Freesync monitors.
-Color calibration almost always has to be done by the user.
-For color calibration devices, if you have trouble using the included software, try this: displaycal.net
-New/Future technologies worth reading about: Mini LED, LG's "IPS Black".
---Audio---
What to know:-Onboard audio has reached a point where it will be good enough for most people. But for everyone else...
-Years ago, for good audio quality, you would get a dedicated sound card (i.e. an internal DAC / Digital to analog convertor).
-These days, for good audio quality, you get an external DAC + AMP.
-Windows OS only requires drivers for a USB DAC if it can go above 96khz. Many DAC's avoid going over 96khz for this reason.
-Linux and MAC/iOS don't require a USB DAC to have drivers unless it goes above 192khz.
-CD audio is all 44.1khz, and iTunes/Spotify audio is all 44.1khz to 48khz (but not lossless unfortunately).
-For extra durability, get a DAC with a 6.3mm audio plug and use a 3.5mm adapter if needed (6.3mm plugs are FAR more durable).
-If you want to convert analog to digital (that is, to record audio), look into getting an external "Audio Interface".
External DAC's (Outlet power):
$700 - Topping DX7 Pro (DAC+AMP combo unit)
$400 - JDS Labs Element II (DAC+AMP combo unit)
$100 - JDS Labs Atom DAC+ (can be paired with their 'AMP+' if you have no other preferred AMP)
$270 - Mayflower Objective 2 + ODAC Rev. B (Older DAC+AMP unit, but a favorite of many)
External DAC's (USB power):
$290 - Apogee GROOVE (192khz / 3.5mm)
$200 - AudioQuest DragonFly Red (96khz / 3.5mm)
$170 - Audioengine D1 (96khz / 3.5mm)
$150 - Audioengine D3 (96khz / 3.5mm)
$150 - JDS Standalone ODAC Rev B (96kHz / 3.5mm)
$100 - AudioQuest DragonFly Black v1.5 (96khz / 3.5mm)
$60 - Zorloo ZuperDAC (192khz / 3.5mm)
Headphones (wired):
$480 - Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (Open back)
$330 - Moondrop x Crinacle Blessing2:Dusk (in-ear monitors)
$280 - TANCHJIM Oxygen (in-ear monitors)
$220 - Massdrop X Sennheiser HD 6XX (Open back. Essentially identical to the HD 650 but cheaper)
$110 - Moondrop Starfield (in-ear monitors)
---Laptop/Notebook---
What to know:
-CPU speed; Laptop CPUs have finally caught up to the performance of average desktop CPUs as of mid-2020. Don't buy old ones!
-CPU types; Laptops can sometimes use desktop CPUs, but uses more power, and generate more heat shortening the laptops lifespan.
-GPU speed; While as this may soon change (w/RDNA2), atm Nvidia laptop GPUs are faster and more power efficient then AMD ones.
-GPU upgrades; Limited to your existing GPUs generation (ex: 1060>1080), but laptops w/Thunderbolt3 can use external desktop GPUs.
-RAM; Most laptops max out at 16GB of RAM, but for modern 3D workloads it's recommended to get one that can handle 32GB or more.
-Screen; You'll want 1920x1080 or better, and IPS for color accuracy. Touch screens are normally only available on slower laptops.
-Screen vs battery; G-Sync/120hz screens can't switch to an integrated GPU so battery life is much worse for web browsing and such.
-Keyboard; Many laptop keyboards lack the right side 'number pad', but some 3D apps (such as Blender) use it extensively.
-Ports; You'll likely want 2+ USB-A ports, USB-C port w/Thunderbolt 3 support, ethernet port, HDMI, and 3.5mm headphone/mic jacks.
-Cooling; A cooling pad is recommended to increase the lifespan of your laptop, especially if regularly maxing out the CPU/GPU.
-Battery; Extend battery life by lowering recharge threshold (ex: only perform full rechange when charge goes below 60%).
-Theft/Recovery; Keep the serial number for police in case the laptop is stolen. An internet tracking app can also help them.
----------Suggested Desktop PC setups----------
SSD: 2TB Western Digital SN850X
MOBO: MSI MAG X670E TOMAHAWK WiFi
MOBO: MSI MAG X670E TOMAHAWK WiFi
CPU Cooler: Scythe Fuma 2 Rev.B
Tower: Corsair 4000D (or Fractal Design Torrent)
Power: Corsair RM1000e (2023) (1000W, Gold rated)
Budget: Under $3000
Power: Corsair RM1000e (2023) (1000W, Gold rated)
Budget: Under $3000
CPU: Ryzen 7900X
RAM: 64GB (2x32GB at 6000MHz CL30)
GPU: Geforce 4080 16GB
SSD: 2TB Western Digital SN850X
RAM: 64GB (2x32GB at 6000MHz CL30)
GPU: Geforce 4080 16GB
SSD: 2TB Western Digital SN850X
MOBO: MSI MAG X670E TOMAHAWK WiFi
CPU Cooler: Scythe Fuma 2 Rev.B
Tower: Corsair 4000D (or Fractal Design Torrent)
Power: Corsair RM1000e (2023) (1000W, Gold rated)
Power: Corsair RM1000e (2023) (1000W, Gold rated)
CPU: Intel i5-13600KF
RAM: 64GB (2x32GB at 6000MHz CL30)
GPU: Geforce 4070 12GB
SSD: 2TB Western Digital SN850X
MOBO: MSI MAG B760 TOMAHAWK WIFI
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK400
Tower: Corsair 4000D
Power: Corsair RM750e (2023) (750W, Gold rated)
Budget: Under $1000
CPU: Intel i5-13400F
RAM: 32GB (2x16GB at 3200MHz CL16)
GPU: Geforce 3060 12GB
SSD: 1TB Samsung 970 Evo Plus
MOBO: MSI PRO B760M-A WIFI
Tower: Phanteks Eclipse P300A
Power: Corsair RM750e (2022) (750W, Gold rated)
Replies
https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Unreal-Engine-4-16-CPU-Comparison-Skylake-X-Kaby-Lake-X-Broadwell-E-Skylake-Ryzen-7-984/
The most comparable CPU to the 8700k is the 6850k (the 8700k is ~15% faster)
Personally I'd go with a 6 core Intel processor. Most applications aren't fully multithreaded so you do want high single core perform as well as multicore performance. In general my option is if 2 processors score similarly in bench marks for multithreaded tests, but have different core counts, get the one with less cores.
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=3098&cmp[]=2969
If you really want to go with an AMD CPU, I'd skip the 1700X and wait for the Zen+ line that'll be coming out in April.
Thank you for all the help on this thread so far! Its the first time I've bought a PC and this has made it much less daunting. My current PC is roughly 8 years old and falling apart so I've been putting this off awhile.
I have been on the Overclockers UK site and chosen the X99 EATX Graphics Workstation and I've made a few changes. My goal is to make a professional PC which is capable of rendering and modelling large meshes (zBrush, 3DS Max, Marmoset, Substance Painter) and comfortable with painting/editing enormous PSDs (10k x10k resolution). Would be fantastic if it is also somewhat future proof enough to reach roughly decade old!
This is what I've selected so far:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/ocuk-tech-labs-x99-eatx-graphics-workstation-pc-configurator-fs-010-tl.html#p=qQo1)_$qQp/98qQq/9'qQCuU6qQM/*7AslV'zIsj1*4'IRS1).(JhL1(88Leg1!z6TaB1U/yTaC1UuxTPm1#w;bbnJ24).bbnK24)VbbsQ24-VbicN2$(7bicO2$(ubjkH2_~v
Processor: Intel Xeon E5-1650v4 3.60GHz 6-Core with Hyperthreading (Socket 2011-3) - Retail
Memory: Kingston Fury Black 16GB (4x4GB) DDR4 PC4-19200C15 2400MHz Quad Channel Kit
CPU Cooler: Alpenföhn Alpenfohn Atlas - 200W TDP Premium Twin Heatsink CPU Cooler
M.2 SSD for OS: Samsung 960 EVO Polaris 250GB M.2 2280 PCI-e 3.0 x4 NVMe Solid State Drive
Mechanical HD: Seagate BarraCuda 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache HDD
GPU: PNY Nvidia Quadro M4000 Graphics Card - 8GB GDDR5 - 1664 CUDA Core
Power Supply: Super Flower Leadex Platinum 1600W Fully Modular "80 Plus Platinum" Power Supply - Black
Wifi Adapter: Asus PCE-N15 300Mbps 802.11B/G/N Wireless PCI-E Network Adapter
What do you guys think? Is this too excessive for what I need? Is there something I may have overlooked (not enough memory)? Or perhaps is there a way you can see to get the cost down without compromising the performance power too heavily?
Any help greatly appreciated,
Jo
This time I'll use the suggested components in the top thread, but my current problem is that I'm trying to find someplace that will build the PC for me as I'm dead scared of ruining it myself.
Edit: If it comes down to it, I'll buy an anti static bracelet and do it myself, but I'm just figuring out if I can avoid that!
CPU: The X99 platform that you chose has been succeeded by the X299 platform, so no new chips are being released for it. If you want to go with a workstation class socket such as the X299 get a CPU with at least 8 cores (like a i7-7820X), otherwise the 8700K will be cheaper and faster then what you picked.
GPU: Workstation class video cards, such as the Quadro lineup, are only really necessary for very specific types of work, and based on the programs you said you'll be using, are a huge waste of money. Instead you should be looking at a Geforce 1070, 1080, 1080Ti, or Titan XP.
RAM: 16GB is considered the minimum for a modern PC meant for creating 3D art. Since you said you want this PC to last a long time, you should double that to 32GB.
SSD/HHD: The ones you picked are fine, but you'll probably want twice that much storage (500GB SSD and 2TB HDD).
Power supply: You don't need 1600W, that's insane. Even half of that (800W) would be more then you need.
I've put together a PC using Scan.co.uk's custom PC builder. I started with the "Intel Socket 2066 Skylake X High performance PC" as the base and followed your guide much more carefully.
Here's what I have so far:
- RAM: 32GB (2x16GB) Corsair Vengeance RGB 3000MHz
^ Used the suggested CPU & GPU (Quadro was pushed on me as a must-have for professionals by a few sites and the customer helpline for overclockers- I was lead astray!) , More RAM with two free slots for potential upgrades, more space on SSD,
Few things I'm concerned about:
The motherboard - I couldn't find one on the list so I chose what I thought was the best equivalent. Does this look right to you? The other options were; ASUS TUF X299 MARK 2 (and MARK1), ASUS PRIME X299-A, ASUS ROG STRIX X299-E GAMING, ASUS ROG RAMPAGE VI APEX, ASUS ROG RAMPAGE VI EXTREME, and Asus WS X299 PRO.
The GPU - I've chosen the 1080 - do you think it's worth the extra cash to get the 1080 ti? There's comparisons online with for gaming but not modelling/art so it's difficult to tell if the upgrade would effect me.
Power supply - is the quality too low? I've been worried about this since a friend's powersupply blew and damaged some of his components.
Thanks again,
Jo
Do you happen have a specific budget in mind for this build? It's harder to recommend parts without knowing that. For your questions though; The motherboard is fine, the power supply is OK but 750W would probably be the sweet spot given your new parts list, and the 1080 Ti can help performance quite a bit in VRAM heavy tasks such as working with a lot of layers on 4K textures in Substance Painter.
Currently this build is $3700 - I'd like to keep the budget below that but I'm finding it tough to decide which components can be swapped out or prioritised price wise. I initially planned to only spend roughly $2000-2500, but I've also been scared of buying a PC which isn't capable enough or I'd have to upgrade sooner than I'd like so I've gone for more pricey options (without really knowing if they're the best fit!) What'd you suggest to get the price down?
Anyhow, here's a few changes you could do to bring the price down: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/QHXc6X
Switching to an 8700K CPU would result in you losing about 30% of your multi-threaded performance compared to the 7820X, but you'd actually see an increase of about 15-20% performance in single-threaded tasks and save about $500. If you can find the 1080 Ti being sold for its MSRP that'd also knock off another $500+ , but probably wouldn't be very easy.
I went for the 1080 Ti in the end, even if it's more pricey, in the hope that by the time I need to upgrade this inflation period would have blown over
I've learnt quite a bit about PCs in the last week or two, including the fact that it's another $1000 to get someone to build it for you than handling it yourself
Thanks again!
Jo
I'm going to be on the move a lot over the next year and am looking to buy a laptop that allows me to continue my digital art work. I'm considering getting a Dell Inspiron. I'm a student so I'm going to be doing a bit of everything: digital painting, character modelling in maya, character animation in maya, zbrush sculpting, substance painter texturing, some motion graphics work in MASH and AE, some editing in PremierePro, and some light game deving in unity.
The specs are: Intel Core i7-7700HQ, 256GD SSD + 1TB HDD, Nvidia Geforce GTX 1060 6GB, 16GB RAM [max ram], 3.8GHz.
The only thing that worries me is that it doesn't have a 4K IPS screen (just a regular 1920x1080 display). There is another prebuilt Inspiron that has a 4K IPS screen but a GTX 1050Ti instead of the 1060, which I understand is a substantially weaker card, so I'd have to exchange one for the other.
Do these specs sound performative enough for character modelling/animation and game dev work? If not, are there any prebuilt laptops that have the polycount stamp of approval at the moment?
Thanks for the advice, I'll check that out, at least I have the peace of mind of what to look for now! Greatly appreciated!
Back in the day AMD did seem to have a higher number of bugs, mostly viewport related, in 3d packages. I roughly estimated it to be at least 5x more common based off reports of forums, but over the last 5 years, it seems to be a non-issue.
Also "Next generation of Nvidia GPUs (Ampere/Volta) are rumored to be released on April 12 2018." Might not be the best time to buy a new GPU.
*There is CPU based Iray, but it's very slow.
If you're aiming for a mid-range enthusiast build (which is more than capable enough for most tasks) and don't live in a place where energy bills take almost half your income I'd recommend an AMD.
CUDA is your main missing one but even then OpenCL is starting to garner more traction now that software developers look to get out of vendor lock.
GameWorks stuff can often always be replaced with competing technologies in GPU Open though FLEX is nice!
So I've been meaning to upgrade my graphics card and add more ram to my computer for a while now, but I don't really know anything about hardware. So I was hoping someone here could give me some advice.I'll link some products below and maybe someone can tell me if they are good or bad. Suggestions for other products would also be appreciated. Thanks =)I also have my current specs below
These are some graphics cards I'm looking at. They have similar specs and price---------------------------------------
MSI GeForce GTX 1060 Gaming X HDMI 3xDP 6GB - https://pricespy.co.uk/product.php?e=3780489
Asus GeForce GTX 1060 Dual OC 2xHDMI 2xDP 6GB - https://pricespy.co.uk/product.php?e=3793825
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 Windforce 2X OC HDMI DP 2xDVI 6GB - https://pricespy.co.uk/product.php?e=3814563
EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 Gaming ACX 2.0 HDMI 3xDP 6GB - https://pricespy.co.uk/product.php?e=3793833
---------------------------------------
For RAM I'm looking at this. Seems to be similar to the ones I have currently.---------------------------------------
https://pricespy.co.uk/product.php?e=1292952
---------------------------------------
Here are my current specs:---------------------------------------
Gainward GeForce GTX 560Ti 1GB PhysXPCI-Express 2.0, GDDR5, 2xDVI, HDMI, 822MHz
Corsair Vengeance# DDR3 1600MHz 8GB CL9Kit w/2x 4GB XMS3 modules, CL9-9-9-24, 1.5V,Vengeance Heatspreader, 240 pin
Intel® Core# i7-2600 ProcessorSocket-LGA1155, Quad Core, 3.4Ghz, 8MB, 95W,Boxed w/fan
Silver Power SP-SS500 500W PSUATX 12V V2.2, 80 Plus, Standard, 1x 6pin+1x 6+2pinPCIe, 6× SATA, 120mm Fan
ASUS P8P67 LE, Socket-1155ATX, P67, DDR3, 2xPCIe(2.0)x16, Crossfire, SATA6Gb/s, USB 3.0, FW, BT, EFI
Cooler Master CM 690 II Lite SvartFans: 1x 120mm Front, 1x 120mm Bak, mATX, ATX
Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB7200RPM, SATA 3.0 Gbps, 3,5", 32MB Cache, 8.9ms
---------------------------------------
Cheers
For RAM, that'll probably be OK, but normally all your RAM sticks should be the same capacity (you currently have 2x4GB, and you're looking at 2x8GB, I'd just go with another 2x4GB so you have a total of 16GB in your system). Also keep in mind that RAM wont be useful if you decide to do a CPU upgrade in the future since DDR3 was succeeded by DDR4 several years ago.
How important is a DDR3 to DDR4 upgrade for a 3d artist? I work mainly with 3ds max, substance painter and substance designer. I do a little bit of work in zbrush, but it's mostly concept sculpting.And I don't play games at all on my pc.
There are some motherboards that support both DDR3 and DDR4, but they are rare, and need DIMM sockets for each type because the notch is in a different place (so it's impossible to stick a DDR3 ram stick into a DDR4 socket and vise versa).
Also, should I get a graphics card with two fans instead of just one? Does it make a difference?
Also, GTC is happening in a little over a week, and it's rumored nvidia will announce the next generation of graphics cards at it. So I'd wait on that purchase if you can.
Got it. I'll wait and see if they announce something
Based on the Lenovo Y700 specs, you'd probably want to look at systems in this range in order to see a noticeable performance boost over what you have: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/yLtWtg
That CPU is about 70% faster then the one in your laptop/notebook, and the GPU is about 3-4 times faster.
Could you recommend a monitor for me? Not sure what to buy. But I think between 1920x1200 IPS or 32' 2k VA - what do you think? I need a new monitor as second one because one monitor doesn't have enough space...
Please help.
As a side note, I really wish people wouldn't call 4K sets 2K since when 8k becomes mainstream things will become very confusing if people call them 4K...
16gb of ram is fine, but leave room to upgrade.
New GPUs from Nvidia should be coming, or at least announced, within the next 2 months. You should probably wait on buying a new GPU until then. You might be able to build your PC now and use your old GPU until then.
Water-cooling isn't necessary, and is a liability. A large CPU heat sink and a case good for cooling is all you need to keep a workstation cool.
For RAM, I'd personally recommend going for 32GB these days, as 16GB is more or less considered the minimum amount for a modern workstation and can definitely bottleneck you depending on the kind of work you want to do.
I'd also highly recommend getting an SSD of some sort if you didn't already plan for one.
So I'm looking for new laptop upgrade for 3D Animation (Autodesk Maya , Zbrush , Substance Painter , 3DS Max , Autocad) , since I want to be mobile. Which of them 3 are the best choice for that? I've heard that Alienware are not as strong as people say... Also my budget is not the best... let's say until 1160 dollars...
If you have better recommendations please suggest so .
Thanks in advance
@visionarymindful Have you looked at gaming laptops like the MSI Stealth or Acer Predator? The Dell 17 7000 caught my eye at Costco but I have heard Inspirons can start having issues after a year.
Hello, I'm just heading into my second year of University studying programming and computer engineering, and I need help picking out a laptop.
I'm mainly interested in developing applications and mainly games, as so, I would like to buy a laptop to help me in my future endeavors.
Here is what I want out of it:
Last until I graduate, so 4 years.
1000~1500$.
Can easily use game engines such as Unity and Unreal on it, as well as programs such as blender for 3d Modeling and animating.
My older friends who are now seniors in my faculty have told me that somewhere along the lines I'll end up switching to a macBook pro regardless of what I buy now, so I should buy a macBook pro and get it over with, however if I buy one with the budget I have it will be the lowest grade 13" no touchbar 128GB/8GB RAM core i5 version, and so I'm not really sure.
Right now I'm looking into the Lenovo Y720 and macBook Pro mentioned above^.
P.s. I have a great desktop set up with a GTX 980 Ti/core i5, however I would like to do most of my work on the laptop
Thanks.