TheKameo

I am looking to build a computer that is capable of running like a workstation without workstation hardware. I know that there are areas like ECC memory support and overall reliability that justify that type of purchase but that is not what I am trying to build, nor do I have the budget for it. More often than not workstation hardware is rather temperamental when dealing with the software set I use, and the programs tend to prefer enthusiast parts over WS grade hardware. I don't plan on using it as a render farm machine which would warrant that level of hardware. Maya runs very reliably on my desktop, but on a HP workstation the performance can be abysmal at times. I do not have the IT experience to troubleshoot that level of hardware either so enthusiast grade seems to be the best route. I had one more point to mention concerning RAM. Frequency can matter big time when it comes to zbrush, or running Designer. My professor went for 4133 when he built his pc about a year ago and he said it was a huge upgrade for Designer.

Hi, I am a bit new to the forums, but have been watching Linus for years. I keep up to date on tech and when I built my first pc I was happy to follow along with his videos with minimal complications. I am set to graduate in the next few months and will be entering the games industry shortly afterwards. Current Build:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Intel 6700k 4.0Ghz Corsair 32GB RAM 3200 Asus z-170A MB Nvidia GTX 1080ti Aim:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am looking to build a workstation class tower that is capable of running programs that relate to my field. The main programs that I currently use, and will continue to use are Autodesk Maya, Substance Designer, Substance Painter, Unreal Engine 4, ZBrush 20xx, Houdini, and the Adobe Suite. The main issues with my current build stem from age and the increasing demands from the programs that I use. Concerns:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RAM: Ram is a big concern for me, as Substance Designer can grab 20GB in a heartbeat, and using 2-5 programs at the same time is a requirement for efficient workflow. The current workstations that we use have 128GB and I have seen Houdini Take up 120GB for a simulation. Zbrush benefits heavily from strong ram speed and total amount. Processor: Another concern is having a strong processor for building lighting. Unreal's Lightmass is currently a CPU bound process and can be "farmed out" across a network. I will not have that luxury for a home machine, so I would need a strong base clock and large number of cores to help speed up my work. I have been looking at threadripper as a possible choice, but due to the uncertainty on the Intel side I have been somewhat deadlocked as to which side to pick. GPU: If I were to go with a Quadro, I would blow my budget almost immediately. Most of the time a regular gaming card does the trick just fine. Most of the programs listed above support CUDA acceleration, and Nvidia has been my choice for several years now. I would likely go with an RTX 2080ti to get strong clock speeds, and get the bigger VRAM to facilitate my workload. I want to go for the 2080ti due to the raytracing support, but by the time I go to make this machine Nvidia will likely release the 30xx series cards. Storage:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Strong storage options including a "scratch" disk help the programs I use to quickly dump large amounts of data, or cache what is currently being worked on. A 500GB SSD is enough. I would like to upgrade to a 1-2TB SSD for main storage. Peripherals/Monitors:---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I currently have a ROG Swift 1440p 165Hz display that serves me well, but I would like to look into purchasing a separate 4K display with strong color accuracy. Budget: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The budget for the system is between $3-5k USD