Video and audio editing workstation £1500 ∓ £200

[liverpoolchety__]

Hello, as mentioned above i am looking to build video editing and audio producing workstation in the price range of £1500 ∓ £200. It will be used for 4K video editing mainly Premiere Pro, a little bit of After Effects and Audio editing software. Below you can see what i have ''managed'' to build and would love to hear your opinions on that.

Kind regards


Case
PCS 3601 CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 12 Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.6GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660 - HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3400MB/R, 2300MB/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
STANDARD AMD 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 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
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
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 16 to 19 working days
Price: £1,549.00 including VAT and Delivery

 

[ChrisCooney]

Hi there! I think this thread would be more appropriate in the ‘check this spec’ section of the forum. Perhaps a mod with some powers can move it for you.

 

[liverpoolchety__]

My bad, sorry. I have posted here, because in the past i've had similar question. Thanks anyway!

 

[Bigfoot]

That is an older generation CPU and you would be better off with a 5000 series. The case and cooling are not suitable for the CPU and it will cook. For WiFi you need the AX200. Please include the unique configuration link, so that you can get some suggested changes.

 

[sck451]

Both AE and Premiere Pro these days will prefer (a) a CPU with fast single-core performance and (b) a modern graphics card, compared to a CPU with loads of cores. At this price point, the ideal is the 5600X combined with the RTX 3060. Once we have a new case, the rest of your build is pretty decent, with just the odd tweak to storage and cooling.

If I could claim another £23 of budget, I'd upgrade the motherboard to the Tuf B550 one, which gives a more plausible CPU upgrade path down the line if you decided it is worth it for you.

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA 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 PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/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
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler Black Edition
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
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
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
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 - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £1,708.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/nd43CNmmC5/

 

[liverpoolchety__]

Both AE and Premiere Pro these days will prefer (a) a CPU with fast single-core performance and (b) a modern graphics card, compared to a CPU with loads of cores. At this price point, the ideal is the 5600X combined with the RTX 3060. Once we have a new case, the rest of your build is pretty decent, with just the odd tweak to storage and cooling.

If I could claim another £23 of budget, I'd upgrade the motherboard to the Tuf B550 one, which gives a more plausible CPU upgrade path down the line if you decided it is worth it for you.

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA 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 PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/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
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler Black Edition
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
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
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
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 - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £1,708.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/nd43CNmmC5/

Thanks for the corrections, appreciate it. I have got some questions. As i have done some video editing on a laptop i can say that Adobe apps are not using the GPU that much, therefore isn't it better to change the RTX3060 for GTX1660 or 1660TI and get a better CPU such as 5900X or 5950X?
Another thing the case, is it really that bad for cooling, how about the noise reduction?
And one last thing, do you think that there is a significant difference between 3200 and 3600mHz RAM?

 

[Bigfoot]

The case is really cheap with only 1 exhaust fan and no inlet fans. It really is not somewhere to skimp. A poorcas3 will get hot, throttling performance and shortening component lives. Why would you spend £1500+ on a PC and then stick it in a £21 hot box?

 

[sck451]

Thanks for the corrections, appreciate it. I have got some questions. As i have done some video editing on a laptop i can say that Adobe apps are not using the GPU that much, therefore isn't it better to change the RTX3060 for GTX1660 or 1660TI and get a better CPU such as 5900X or 5950X?
Another thing the case, is it really that bad for cooling, how about the noise reduction?
And one last thing, do you think that there is a significant difference between 3200 and 3600mHz RAM?

I have a 5600X and 1660 Super combination. In rendering the CPU does not run at 100%: essentially the graphics card is the bottleneck.

Really for video editing today you want a 30-series graphics card: both Premiere Pro and After Effects are increasingly GPU driven these days. Once you take the package costs of a higher tier CPU into account (CPU, cooler, perhaps motherboard), the only Ryzen 5000 chip you can afford is the 5600X. If you can afford a higher budget, go for the 5900X by all means, but I don't think it can be done at £1700.

 

[Bigfoot]

AE and PP use both CPU and GPU, depending on exactly what you are doing. A balanced build is best. Bear in mind that if you upgrade the CPU, you will probably also need a better motherboard and better cooling, so it may be more expensive than it first looks.

 

[liverpoolchety__]

The case is really cheap with only 1 exhaust fan and no inlet fans. It really is not somewhere to skimp. A poorcas3 will get hot, throttling performance and shortening component lives. Why would you spend £1500+ on a PC and then stick it in a £21 hot box?

Yeah make sense, never had a PC and i think of the case that it is something fancy for gamers.

I have a 5600X and 1660 Super combination. In rendering the CPU does not run at 100%: essentially the graphics card is the bottleneck.

Really for video editing today you want a 30-series graphics card: both Premiere Pro and After Effects are increasingly GPU driven these days. Once you take the package costs of a higher tier CPU into account (CPU, cooler, perhaps motherboard), the only Ryzen 5000 chip you can afford is the 5600X. If you can afford a higher budget, go for the 5900X by all means, but I don't think it can be done at £1700.

For rendering i agree that the GPU takes a hit, but It also depends on what are you doing, what kind of effects are used as @Bigfoot says.

AE and PP use both CPU and GPU, depending on exactly what you are doing. A balanced build is best. Bear in mind that if you upgrade the CPU, you will probably also need a better motherboard and better cooling, so it may be more expensive than it first looks.

Haven't thought about that. Also seeing the prices of GPU's they are still through the roof. Is buying a PC now is a good thing, considering the GPU market?

 

[sck451]

Since last year's updates the GPU is now a big, major part of Premiere Pro rendering, now not only for GPU effects. A 5900X+1660 combination would be poor value for money for this reason.

This article about last year's changes is really quite illuminating on the question.

Premiere Pro (BETA) - H.264 NVIDIA Hardware Encoding Performance

In the 14.2 Beta for Premiere Pro, Adobe has added support for H264/HEVC hardware encoding with both NVIDIA and AMD GPUs. How well does this feature work, and is it any faster than the existing implementation using Intel Quicksync?

www.pugetsystems.com

 

[MrWilson]

Yeah make sense, never had a PC and i think of the case that it is something fancy for gamers.



For rendering i agree that the GPU takes a hit, but It also depends on what are you doing, what kind of effects are used as @Bigfoot says.



Haven't thought about that. Also seeing the prices of GPU's they are still through the roof. Is buying a PC now is a good thing, considering the GPU market?

This is the million dollar question. Ultimately, if your laptop is managing with your applications it is worth waiting. Prices continue to be at an all time high. Back in January we were told that they would return to normal, now we’re being told sometime next year. While the recent mining ban in China is likely to improve GPU availability and pricing this is going to take a while to fully come into effect and most likely things will remain the same until most of the world is vaccinated and things return to “notmal”.

TL;DR: if you can wait wait, but if you can’t we will do our best to get you a system you need within your budget.

 

[dbax]

Hey man.
I also asked a similar question yesterday, for the same purposes + photo editing. I tried countless combos and could not get the outcome for £1500

I purchased a build then advised in forum. after some great advice i Re-tweaked my build. Spent an extra £80 but worth it long term.

Here is the build:

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 - HDMI, DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/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 H115i 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
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
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 - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £1,830.00 including VAT and Delivery