Building an AE guzzler!

[NeaHan]

Hey,

I'm looking to build a PC which will power through AE projects primarily but allow flexibility to modify and cope with more 3D in the future.
I have always used pre-builds in the past so am a but out of my depth and need some guidance!

TASKS
90% After effects (mostly HD, some UHD and relatively complex projects with some GPU hungry plugins)
10% AI, PS, C4D

Future flexibility for more work in C4D and/or Blender etc.

BUDGET
£2,500-£3,000
Happy to hover around the top and of that if a good monitor solution is included.

MONITOR
Top speeds not essential as mostly 24/30 fps animation/motion graphics
I have limited space so preferably looking for a single monitor set up - 32"-34"?
Thought I wanted curved but may well be misguided on that.

STORAGE
Probaby 1TB NVMe for projects & 1TB for system/software files (more would be nice if budget allows)

PROCESSOR
I have only ever used Intel processors - are AMD really that much better?
In my first punt spec (below) I have ramped up the core count to take advantage of multi-frame rendering but I'm pretty sure I have gone a bit over the top!
So do I need a more balanced CPU with a higher single core clock speed?

Like I said, the spec below is a first punt so feel free to correct any wild assupmtions I might have made.

Thanks in advance for any advice,
Neal



Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX MB540 ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 18 Core Processor i9-10980XE (3.0GHz) 24.75MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X299-E GAMING II: ATX, USB 3.2, SATA 6 GB/s, Wi-Fi AC - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
128GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (8 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 1030
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H150i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Google Chrome™
Speakers
LOGITECH Z200 2.0 SPEAKERS - 10W
Webcam
Logitech® HD Webcam C920 - 1080p recording & 720p video calling
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £2,955.00 including VAT and Delivery

 

[barlew]

Hey,

I'm looking to build a PC which will power through AE projects primarily but allow flexibility to modify and cope with more 3D in the future.
I have always used pre-builds in the past so am a but out of my depth and need some guidance!

TASKS
90% After effects (mostly HD, some UHD and relatively complex projects with some GPU hungry plugins)
10% AI, PS, C4D

Future flexibility for more work in C4D and/or Blender etc.

BUDGET
£2,500-£3,000
Happy to hover around the top and of that if a good monitor solution is included.

MONITOR
Top speeds not essential as mostly 24/30 fps animation/motion graphics
I have limited space so preferably looking for a single monitor set up - 32"-34"?
Thought I wanted curved but may well be misguided on that.

STORAGE
Probaby 1TB NVMe for projects & 1TB for system/software files (more would be nice if budget allows)

PROCESSOR
I have only ever used Intel processors - are AMD really that much better?
In my first punt spec (below) I have ramped up the core count to take advantage of multi-frame rendering but I'm pretty sure I have gone a bit over the top!
So do I need a more balanced CPU with a higher single core clock speed?

Like I said, the spec below is a first punt so feel free to correct any wild assupmtions I might have made.

Thanks in advance for any advice,
Neal



Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX MB540 ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 18 Core Processor i9-10980XE (3.0GHz) 24.75MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X299-E GAMING II: ATX, USB 3.2, SATA 6 GB/s, Wi-Fi AC - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
128GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (8 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 1030
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H150i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Google Chrome™
Speakers
LOGITECH Z200 2.0 SPEAKERS - 10W
Webcam
Logitech® HD Webcam C920 - 1080p recording & 720p video calling
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £2,955.00 including VAT and Delivery

For multi core work the AMD chips are miles ahead. I'll leave someone with more up to date knowledge of desktop components to jump in with detailed advice.

 

[NeaHan]

For multi core work the AMD chips are miles ahead. I'll leave someone with more up to date knowledge of desktop components to jump in with detailed advice.

Thanks Barlew, I've just never had one before so it may be the time to make the leap!

 

[David689]

Hey,

I'm looking to build a PC which will power through AE projects primarily but allow flexibility to modify and cope with more 3D in the future.
I have always used pre-builds in the past so am a but out of my depth and need some guidance!

TASKS
90% After effects (mostly HD, some UHD and relatively complex projects with some GPU hungry plugins)
10% AI, PS, C4D

Future flexibility for more work in C4D and/or Blender etc.

BUDGET
£2,500-£3,000
Happy to hover around the top and of that if a good monitor solution is included.

MONITOR
Top speeds not essential as mostly 24/30 fps animation/motion graphics
I have limited space so preferably looking for a single monitor set up - 32"-34"?
Thought I wanted curved but may well be misguided on that.

STORAGE
Probaby 1TB NVMe for projects & 1TB for system/software files (more would be nice if budget allows)

PROCESSOR
I have only ever used Intel processors - are AMD really that much better?
In my first punt spec (below) I have ramped up the core count to take advantage of multi-frame rendering but I'm pretty sure I have gone a bit over the top!
So do I need a more balanced CPU with a higher single core clock speed?

Like I said, the spec below is a first punt so feel free to correct any wild assupmtions I might have made.

Thanks in advance for any advice,
Neal



Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX MB540 ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 18 Core Processor i9-10980XE (3.0GHz) 24.75MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X299-E GAMING II: ATX, USB 3.2, SATA 6 GB/s, Wi-Fi AC - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
128GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (8 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 1030
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H150i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Google Chrome™
Speakers
LOGITECH Z200 2.0 SPEAKERS - 10W
Webcam
Logitech® HD Webcam C920 - 1080p recording & 720p video calling
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £2,955.00 including VAT and Delivery

I believe the conventional wisdom on here is that the AMD CPUs are much better than the Intel ones (a link is often posted about this but I can't find it). But the latest generation of Intels (12th generation) may change all that and also soon another generation of AMD CPUs is to be released.

I don't think you need the extra thermal paste as I believe that cooler comes with its own good quality paste.

Bullguard is said to be a waste of money as the Windows built in one is better and free.

I think the graphics card may be underpowered for your needs. Productivity software these days seems to make use of graphic cards for it's calculations. I was advised to get a 3060 card for Adobe software but I see that that is no longer available.

One more thought - those SSDs are slow compared to M2 drives - the M2 drives are crazy fast. The advice is usually to get a 500Gb one for the OS and programs and then use other drives for data. And maybe a small SSD as a scratch disc for the Adobe programs.

I am no expert on PC systems - I am just repeating what I have read frequently on here. Hopefully folk who know more will be able to chip in soon.

 

[JUNI0R]

Heya @NeaHan I see you've got some advice already, but I thought I'd go ahead and get a spec down on paper. Your sort of uses aren't my usual, but I thought I'd give it a go! If people more knowledgable than me spot an error in my ways, I'm sure they'd be happy to correct!

When it comes to CPU choice, Intel's HEDT line is definitely not the way to go. The X299 chipset was released in June 2017 and is approaching 5 years old, not only that, the 10th gen chips were so useless, they dropped them for 11th gen. They haven't yet released anything to replace them. From Intel's Core lineup, the 12th gen is on a brand new platform for this generation and would likely smoke the heck out of the HEDT chip above. Between that and the current Ryzen 5000 series, 12th gen intel takes the performance crown, especially for CPU bound tasks.

Speaking of AMD, their HEDT line, Threadripper is a proper bit of kit, but when speccing one up with all the bells and whistles of the spec below, it came up at over £3,500 so really rather over budget, plus it's not an area I'm massively compitent in so would want to leave that to someone else. Their Ryzen 5000 line is a strong contender, although as above has recently been beat out by the recently released 12th gen. That said, AMD have a number of announcments coming up on the 6th (a Ryzen 5000 refresh as well as a DDR5 platform) which, from leaks look to be pretty promising, so definitely one I'd wait to see the results of before placing an order. They didn't come out with Threadripper for the 5000 series, but I believe that to also be coming later this year? Again I'm sure someone more informed about Treadripper would be happy to correct.

SO for the time being, I reckon the way to go is 12th gen Intel, with a spec looking something like the one posted below. If you have any questions, ask away! I'll do my best to answer them

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE If you're not looking for anything toooo professional, the 5000X is a fantastic case
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 16-Core Processor i9-12900K (3.2GHz) 30MB Cache Top dog from the 12th gen lineup
Motherboard
GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS ELITE DDR4 (LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready Top end motherboard to handle the 12900K
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (4 x 16GB) The most RAM this configurator allows. If you need more, I'd recommend speccing 1x4GB then buying RAM seperately
Graphics Card
12GB ASUS DUAL GEFORCE RTX 3060 - HDMI, DP, LHR Significantly more powerful GPU with lots of VRAM for AE tasks, weirdly the ASUS is less than the 'standard' set of cards
1st Storage Drive
3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE Unsure if this is needed, but large HDD for inactive project file storage
2nd Storage Drive
NONE I haven't added anything here, but wondering if something like a 256GB SSD scratch drive is something that's recommended for AE work?
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W) Super fast boot SSD for Windows and applications, depending on the amount of pluggins making this 1TB might be a consideration
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW) Active project drive
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Higher wattage PSU to handle the 12900K and potential future upgrades
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H150i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0 If you need WiFi, this is all the WiFI card you'll need
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001] I'd stick to Windows 10 while W11 is still in it's infancy and a bit buggy
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE What David said
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) Our standard recommendation, if you'd rather pay for the extra coverage, go for it!
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £2,435.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-pc/N0GXw2ZqMX/

 

[David689]

I note that you have had machines in the past. I was surprised to discover, on here, that you can transfer your Windows 10 licence from an old machine, even if it is an OEM version. That, of course, assumes you no longer wich to use Windows on the old machine (I had been using Windows 10 on an old iMac. It is now sitting in our bedroom running linux to use Netflix and Amazon Prime Video).

 

[DarTon]

Another option is to go with a i7-12700K with DDR5 RAM. The i9-12900K adds cost and needs higher end supporting components (adding more cost) to obtain a small amount of performance.

According to benchmarks by Pugetsystems, AE seems to benefit from DDR5, adding around 9% in performance terms. The performance differential between the i7-12700K and i9-12900K is small at around 4%. So an an i7-12700K with 4400Mhz DDR5 will outperform an i9-12900K with 3200Mhz DDR4. You'll need to ask PCS to upgrade the total RAM to 64GB.

The added advantage is that the i7-12700K DDR5 system can afford to have a somewhat less top of the range motherboard, cooler and PSU. Plus you buy a system that can use even faster DDR5 as it becomes available and should (if Intel isn't lying) be more compatible with the 13th gen Raptor Lake CPUs.

The disadvantage is that DDR5 is damned expensive!

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 12-Core Processor i7-12700KF (3.6GHz) 25MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z690-F GAMING WIFI (LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 4800MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB ASUS DUAL GEFORCE RTX 3060 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st Storage Drive
3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i RGB PRO XT Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £2,273.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-ddr5-pc/dTa9QcGtsc/