Workstation 3D, Animation and Render Rig ~$4K

[Ejviper]

Hello great people, I'm new at the forums, though I have been following LTT for a while on youtube.

I am here today to seek the help from the most power internet minds to help me on a quest to build the best 3D Motion Design and Rendering Workstation rig (for me... the best for what I'll use it).

 

I will be using the Desktop Workstation PC (Maybe even go hackintosh?!) for:

#1. 3D modeling and renders in Cinema 4D, Cinema 4D Team Rendering and OTOY Octane rendering

#2. Motion Graphic animation and compositing on Adobe After effects, also color grading with AE and Red Giant Looks.

#3. Rendering video with Adobe Media Encoder, from Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro

I also, lightly edit on premiere pro. Design on Illustrator and Photoshop sparingly. Those apps will work just fine with any kind of Rig I end up building.

 

Goal: A Workstation that can handle really well high poly counts on screen but can render advanced raytraced at decent speed.

Budget: Under $4,000. Including a 98%+ sRGB 24-28" 4K Monitor.
Wifi is a plus but not a Must Have. Keyboard and Mouse* can be suggested but won't be part of this budget. *Currently use an Intuos Pro 5 for cursor hadleing.

 

Note: I will not be using this rig for gaming, I don't care for parts that are gaming oriented or flexible enough to game on. If the parts is a gaming part but works great on my new rig then I welcome it.

 

Please, help me, I'm open to your great advice.

 

Thanks!

@Ejviper

[DocSwag]

Do you need anything other than the monitor? Like mouse, keyboard, headphones, etc.

 

Any special requirements? E.g. wifi

[Ejviper]

12 minutes ago, DocSwag said:

Do you need anything other than the monitor? Like mouse, keyboard, headphones, etc.

 

Any special requirements? E.g. wifi

Sorry for not being that clear. Peripherals, other than Monitor, would be nice but don't have to be within that budget. WiFi it's a plus but not a must. Probably want +1G Ethernet if I ever get around to get an external NAS backup HDD.

 

Thanks for replying @DocSwag

[DocSwag]

1 hour ago, Ejviper said:

Sorry for not being that clear. Peripherals, other than Monitor, would be nice but don't have to be within that budget. WiFi it's a plus but not a must. Probably want +1G Ethernet if I ever get around to get an external NAS backup HDD.

 

Thanks for replying @DocSwag

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i9-7940X 3.1GHz 14-Core Processor  ($1299.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: NZXT - Kraken X62 Rev 2 98.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($147.32 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: ASRock - Fatal1ty X299 Professional Gaming i9 ATX LGA2066 Motherboard  ($386.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($319.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($199.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Hitachi - Ultrastar 7K3000 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($63.50 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB GAMING X Video Card  ($914.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Fractal Design - Define R6 Black ATX Mid Tower Case  ($123.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic - PRIME Ultra Gold 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($104.99 @ Newegg) 
Monitor: Dell - P2715Q 27.0" 3840x2160 60Hz Monitor  ($398.00 @ Newegg) 
Total: $3959.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-04-05 20:31 EDT-0400

 

I went Intel since I know most of the Adobe stuff will probably prefer Intel, except when exporting. Cinema 4D likes more cores, so if you do a lot of that a 1950x may end up being a better option.

 

Octane seems to like lots of GPUs. If that's something you do a lot of, it's possible you could cut down on some of the other stuff and try to get a second 1080 ti

[brob]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i9-7900X 3.3GHz 10-Core Processor  ($921.99 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair - H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($109.89 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Asus - PRIME X299-DELUXE ATX LGA2066 Motherboard  ($452.71 @ Amazon) 
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($319.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Crucial - MX500 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($246.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: PNY - Quadro P4000 8GB Video Card  ($790.12 @ Amazon) 
Case: Fractal Design - Define C ATX Mid Tower Case  ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($79.59 @ SuperBiiz) 
Monitor: Asus - PA328Q 32.0" 3840x2160 60Hz Monitor  ($927.59 @ Amazon) 
Total: $3928.76
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-04-05 21:23 EDT-0400

[Herman Mcpootis]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i9-7960X 2.8GHz 16-Core Processor  ($1556.49 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: RAIJINTEK - TISIS 70.2 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($69.99 @ Newegg Marketplace) 
Motherboard: MSI - X299 GAMING PRO CARBON AC ATX LGA2066 Motherboard  ($272.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($319.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($199.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Toshiba - X300 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($112.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB GAMING X Video Card  ($914.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Fractal Design - Meshify C Dark TG ATX Mid Tower Case  ($89.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Gold 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($74.40 @ Newegg) 
Monitor: Dell - P2715Q 27.0" 3840x2160 60Hz Monitor  ($398.00 @ Newegg) 
Total: $4009.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-04-05 22:27 EDT-0400

[sumbee]

5 hours ago, DocSwag said:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i9-7940X 3.1GHz 14-Core Processor  ($1299.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: NZXT - Kraken X62 Rev 2 98.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($147.32 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: ASRock - Fatal1ty X299 Professional Gaming i9 ATX LGA2066 Motherboard  ($386.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($319.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($199.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Hitachi - Ultrastar 7K3000 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($63.50 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB GAMING X Video Card  ($914.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Fractal Design - Define R6 Black ATX Mid Tower Case  ($123.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic - PRIME Ultra Gold 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($104.99 @ Newegg) 
Monitor: Dell - P2715Q 27.0" 3840x2160 60Hz Monitor  ($398.00 @ Newegg) 
Total: $3959.74

Everything like this except I would prefer other options here as that would save some more bucks from the mobo and case, I couldn't find my choice of mobo on PC partpicker, but I would say ASRock X299 EXTREME4 LGA 2066 for $200 (newegg), but be warned you will loose WIFI and few ports, but the board is still extremely capable. And if you really want all the airflow and SLI configuration later then go for "Cooler Master - MasterBox 5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case" for $54, as in case of a highly powered Dual GPUs configs, you will need it. And what more, the case is modular my friend and is "Small and HUGE enough!" for a watercooling setup (which I wouldn't recommend, if you aren't willing to overshoot your budget).

[DocSwag]

8 hours ago, sumbee said:

I couldn't find my choice of mobo on PC partpicker, but I would say ASRock X299 EXTREME4 LGA 2066 for $200 (newegg), but be warned you will loose WIFI and few ports, but the board is still extremely capable.

Part of the reason I chose the i9 is because the vrm is a little bit beefier. If OP wants to push their cpu to the max I would suggest getting something with a beefier vrm; however, if they don't want to push 4.5 ghz+ your suggestion is also very good (really the only difference is extreme4 is a 10 phase whereas the i9 has a 12, both using the same mosfets).

8 hours ago, sumbee said:

And if you really want all the airflow and SLI configuration later then go for "Cooler Master - MasterBox 5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case" for $54, as in case of a highly powered Dual GPUs configs, you will need it. And what more, the case is modular my friend and is "Small and HUGE enough!" for a watercooling setup (which I wouldn't recommend, if you aren't willing to overshoot your budget).

I decided to just splurge a bit on the case since the budget is relatively high . If OP wants they can always go for a cheaper option 

[sumbee]

On 4/6/2018 at 7:20 PM, DocSwag said:

Part of the reason I chose the i9 is because the vrm is a little bit beefier. If OP wants to push their cpu to the max I would suggest getting something with a beefier vrm; however, if they don't want to push 4.5 ghz+ your suggestion is also very good (really the only difference is extreme4 is a 10 phase whereas the i9 has a 12, both using the same mosfets).

That was exactly my point. Good that you caught it.

[VEXICUS]

On 4/6/2018 at 4:24 AM, Ejviper said:

Hello great people, I'm new at the forums, though I have been following LTT for a while on youtube.

I am here today to seek the help from the most power internet minds to help me on a quest to build the best 3D Motion Design and Rendering Workstation rig (for me... the best for what I'll use it).

 

I will be using the Desktop Workstation PC (Maybe even go hackintosh?!) for:

#1. 3D modeling and renders in Cinema 4D, Cinema 4D Team Rendering and OTOY Octane rendering

#2. Motion Graphic animation and compositing on Adobe After effects, also color grading with AE and Red Giant Looks.

#3. Rendering video with Adobe Media Encoder, from Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro

I also, lightly edit on premiere pro. Design on Illustrator and Photoshop sparingly. Those apps will work just fine with any kind of Rig I end up building.

 

Goal: A Workstation that can handle really well high poly counts on screen but can render advanced raytraced at decent speed.

Budget: Under $4,000. Including a 98%+ sRGB 24-28" 4K Monitor.
Wifi is a plus but not a Must Have. Keyboard and Mouse* can be suggested but won't be part of this budget. *Currently use an Intuos Pro 5 for cursor hadleing.

 

Note: I will not be using this rig for gaming, I don't care for parts that are gaming oriented or flexible enough to game on. If the parts is a gaming part but works great on my new rig then I welcome it.

 

Please, help me, I'm open to your great advice.

 

Thanks!

@Ejviper

WHAT ABOUT THIS....

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Threadripper 1950X 3.4GHz 16-Core Processor  ($879.39 @ OutletPC) 
CPU Cooler: NZXT - Kraken X72 Liquid CPU Cooler  ($194.05 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: ASRock - X399 Taichi ATX TR4 Motherboard  ($333.00 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($412.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($154.89 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($74.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: AMD - Vega Frontier Edition 16GB Frontier Edition Video Card  ($854.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Thermaltake -  View 71 TG RGB ATX Full Tower Case  ($176.99 @ B&H) 
Power Supply: Corsair - 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($229.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $3311.17
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-04-08 09:09 EDT-0400

[DocSwag]

36 minutes ago, vexicus365 said:

Video Card: AMD - Vega Frontier Edition 16GB Frontier Edition Video Card  ($854.98 @ Newegg)

AMD cards can't even be used for Octane OTOY rendering.

[pKc]

On 06/04/2018 at 6:02 AM, DocSwag said:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i9-7940X 3.1GHz 14-Core Processor  ($1299.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: NZXT - Kraken X62 Rev 2 98.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($147.32 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: ASRock - Fatal1ty X299 Professional Gaming i9 ATX LGA2066 Motherboard  ($386.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($319.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($199.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Hitachi - Ultrastar 7K3000 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($63.50 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB GAMING X Video Card  ($914.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Fractal Design - Define R6 Black ATX Mid Tower Case  ($123.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic - PRIME Ultra Gold 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($104.99 @ Newegg) 
Monitor: Dell - P2715Q 27.0" 3840x2160 60Hz Monitor  ($398.00 @ Newegg) 
Total: $3959.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-04-05 20:31 EDT-0400

 

I went Intel since I know most of the Adobe stuff will probably prefer Intel, except when exporting. Cinema 4D likes more cores, so if you do a lot of that a 1950x may end up being a better option.

 

Octane seems to like lots of GPUs. If that's something you do a lot of, it's possible you could cut down on some of the other stuff and try to get a second 1080 ti

I am also confused between 1950x and 7940x. My main workload will be 3d programs and yes adobe too. I am a freelancer. I want to consider 7940x for its performance on any software over 1950x, which is good for multi threaded applications. Whether saving money now will cost me money later.. moreover not many options on x399 mobos too. 

[DocSwag]

Just now, pKc said:

I am also confused between 1950x and 7940x. My main workload will be 3d programs and yes adobe too. I am a freelancer. I want to consider 7940x for its performance on any software over 1950x, which is good for multi threaded applications. Whether saving money now will cost me money later.. moreover not many options on x399 mobos too. 

If you OC both I believe that the 7940x should be ahead nearly all of the time. However, if you don't want to OC, perhaps consider something along the lines of @Herman Mcpootis's build. The mobo VRM is weaker, as is the CPU cooler, but the CPU has 16 cores which will be more beneficial if you don't want to OC.