RTX Gaming + Rendering Rig

[9of9]

I think it's about time to replace the machine I got from PC Specialist about seven years ago - I've been waiting for the Ampere announcement before putting in an order, and I'm still trying to figure out what the best way to order this machine is, since it seems I can't pre-order the Ampere cards, so perhaps I will order for the rig to be built without a graphics card initially?

My intention is to have an RTX 3090 in this for gaming and AI training, and I also want to use it for rendering and running simulations. I've gotten a little used to having my workstation from work while working from home the past few months, and being able to use its 24 cores and 96GB of RAM, so I'd quite like to put together something with similar performance that I can use at home for the next few years.

This is my first time switching over from Intel to AMD - from what I can tell, this seems like the best value option? I've had mixed experiences with Intel CPUs and I've heard good things about Ryzen.

Also unsure about the best case for this build - I'd prefer something that's well-enclosed and has as few lights as possible. I liked my old Stormtrooper case for that (and it's nice carrying handle), but the rubberised coating has gone to hell on it, so I don't want to reuse it. Pretty much all the available cases for this build have glass panels on them, which I'm not hyped about. If possible, would like to keep the machine relatively quiet.

Edited with improved case/cooling.

Spoiler

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 XL BLACK QUIET TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32 Core CPU (3.7GHz - 4.5GHz, 147MB CACHE)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX TRX40-E GAMING (DDR4, Wi-Fi 6, CrossFireX/SLI) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (8 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD
1st Storage Drive
16TB SEAGATE IRONWOLF PRO 3.5", 7200 RPM 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 5000MB/R, 2500MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 5000MB/R, 4400MB/W)
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 H150i PRO Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Extra Case Fans
2x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
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]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 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
Google Chrome™
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 14 to 16 working days
Price: £0.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-trx40-pc/cQPPN9Heyw/

 

[AgentCooper]

The Fractal Define 7 Quiet XL will be your best bet for a discreet quiet case with good airflow and I reckon a liquid cooler would probably be advisable with one of the Threadripper chips.

Rendering isn't my area so I think waiting for someone else to cast their eye over your build would be a good idea and adding their two pence on that side of things.

 

[SpyderTracks]

I think Threadripper is definitely a wise choice over Intel X series CPU's, they just can't hold a candle for this kind of work anymore, AMD smashes them entirely.

I would also agree, the 3090 would be really great for this kind of work with the additional VRAM, but not only that, it has the ability to be NVLinked to another card. Now I'm not saying that's something that you need to consider now, but perhaps as an easy upgrade in the future, would add a substantial further bout of power. If that's something you think would suit you then up the PSU to the 1200 HXi. If not, it's fine as it is.

You can drop the thermal paste as the cooler comes with enhanced paste pre applied which is very good.

But otherwise, it's perfect, that would smash rendering and your other workflows, would be a stonking build!

 

[SpyderTracks]

Would you get a second 3090 in that case though? Assuming you wanted to go with 2? The Fractal site lists vertical GPU mount for a standard 2 slot card whereas the 3090 is a tri-slot.

Ah, in that case, no, you would need quite a large case to accomodate. Good spot

it's a very niche use case, I'm assuming that it won't be necessary, but it's always worth giving the option.

 

[AgentCooper]

I can't even work out if any of them will support it...the Thermaltake X71 can support 2 GPUs but they don't specify if they are standard dual slot or Tri-Slot. The only case that seems big enough to fit 2 tri-slot card in any formation is the Obsidian 750D...and that could, in theory, take 3x3090s given it has 9 slots

Isn’t that how Skynet started?

 

[9of9]

Good spot - getting another 3090 in further down the line would have been tempting... but I think I'll maybe stick to using the cloud once I'm actually making Skynet In all fairness, by the time I need more power, hopefully I'll just be able to slot in a 5090 instead. The 3090 is going to be a nice boost from trying to run training on a gimped 1080 Ti with 11GB VRAM.

Spec is with PCS now, just going to have to be quick on the trigger finger to get that 3090 I guess 😬

 

[AgentCooper]

Haven’t you got a T800 skull on your desk as well?