Question Preview / Critique my (planned) 4k After Effects Editing Build

[PatrickPowers]

Hi all,

I'm about to purchase the elements for my second ever build (first was in 2017). This machine will be used primarily for 4k compositions in After Effects (thus the 128GB RAM) and Premiere Pro. I'm ready to buy all this this weekend, but wanted to get some experienced eyes on it before I pull the trigger. If you have any thoughts, I'm all ears!

Oh, and I'm reusing my Phanteks Enthoo full tower case, as well as my current speakers, keyboard / mouse, and monitors.

Here's the list:

[PCPartPicker Part List](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/VQDQQP)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i9-14900K 3.2 GHz 24-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/ZLjRsY/intel-core-i9-14900k-32-ghz-24-core-processor-bx8071514900k) | $549.00 @ Amazon
**CPU Cooler** | [ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III 72.8 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Hk3NnQ/arctic-liquid-freezer-iii-728-cfm-liquid-cpu-cooler-acfre00137a) | $127.99 @ Amazon
**Motherboard** | [MSI MEG Z690 UNIFY ATX LGA1700 Motherboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/dk8bt6/msi-meg-z690-unify-atx-lga1700-motherboard-meg-z690-unify) | $199.99 @ Newegg
**Memory** | [Corsair Vengeance 128 GB (4 x 32 GB) DDR5-5600 CL40 Memory](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/HKn9TW/corsair-vengeance-128-gb-4-x-32-gb-ddr5-5600-cl40-memory-cmk128gx5m4b5600c40) | $429.99 @ Amazon
**Storage** | [HP FX900 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/mnxRsY/hp-fx900-pro-2-tb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-4a3u1aaabb) | $134.99 @ Amazon
**Storage** | [HP FX900 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/mnxRsY/hp-fx900-pro-2-tb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-4a3u1aaabb) | $134.99 @ Amazon
**Video Card** | [MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X 12G GeForce RTX 3060 12GB 12 GB Video Card](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/pD8bt6/msi-geforce-rtx-3060-ventus-2x-12g-geforce-rtx-3060-12gb-12-gb-video-card-rtx3060ventus2x12goc) | $289.00 @ MSI
**Power Supply** | [Deepcool PX1000G 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/p34Zxr/deepcool-px1000g-1000-w-80-gold-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-r-pxa00g-fc0b-us) | $129.99 @ Newegg
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| **Total** | **$1995.94**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2024-05-03 10:50 EDT-0400 |

 

[geofelt]

Looks reasonable.
My thoughts:

Consider a top air cooler that is going to last longer.
Here is an analysis of running top processors with less that top coolers:
https://www.tomshardware.com/features/intel-core-13900k-cooling-tested

Consider using a single 4gb m.2 ssd which should be cheaper. Performance will not be different.

Your motherboard will support up to 196gb of ram.
Consider a 4 x 48gb kit.
Max ram speed may be lowered with 4 ram sticks.
I did not check as to the max speed,
The motherboard ram QVL list should tell you.

 

[35below0]

Everything is on the money except the GPU and PSU. They're ok, but i have questions.

Why 3060? The RTX 4060 sells for practically the same price.

Why the 1000w PSU?

I agree with geofelt that a single NVMe would be more convenient unless you need scratch disks?
I disagree with him about a 4x48 Gb kit. They are hideosuly expensive and rare to boot. It's true you need memory but 128Gb is simply more attainable.
There's no harm in checking the QVL for that MSi UNIFY. Good catch on the motherboard btw. z690s have come down in price so much. Anyway, if you see a 4x48Gb kit you can afford take it, but be aware that a 2x48 Gb kit + another 2x48Gb kit is not the same and may not ever work properly. Or at all.

As for the liquid freezer, it's unfortunately very mediocre for intels, so you may want to use something else.
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/liquid-cooling/arctic-liquid-freezer-iii-aio-review

An air cooler does last longer.
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/air-cooling/thermalright-phantom-spirit-120-evo-review

 

[35below0]

Here's a few alternate PSUs

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Rq...fully-modular-atx-power-supply-vertex-gx-1000

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/dCs8TW/seasonic-focus-plus-platinum-750w-80-platinum-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-ssr-750px

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/P6...fied-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-ssr-850px

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/nGjRsY/be-quiet-straight-power-12-850-w-80-platinum-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-bn337

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/fK...ertified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-bn506

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/mW4Ycf/super-flower-leadex-platinum-850-w-80-platinum-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-sf-850f14mp

 

[PatrickPowers]

Everything is on the money except the GPU and PSU. They're ok, but i have questions.

Why 3060? The RTX 4060 sells for practically the same price.

Why the 1000w PSU?

I agree with geofelt that a single NVMe would be more convenient unless you need scratch disks?
I disagree with him about a 4x48 Gb kit. They are hideosuly expensive and rare to boot. It's true you need memory but 128Gb is simply more attainable.
There's no harm in checking the QVL for that MSi UNIFY. Good catch on the motherboard btw. z690s have come down in price so much. Anyway, if you see a 4x48Gb kit you can afford take it, but be aware that a 2x48 Gb kit + another 2x48Gb kit is not the same and may not ever work properly. Or at all.

As for the liquid freezer, it's unfortunately very mediocre for intels, so you may want to use something else.
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/liquid-cooling/arctic-liquid-freezer-iii-aio-review

An air cooler does last longer.
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/air-cooling/thermalright-phantom-spirit-120-evo-review

AH, ok. Some good things to think about....

Since my original post, I upped the MoBo to MSI MAG z790 Tomahawk b/c I thought that might natively support the 14th gen intel...It's only about $10 more?

I'll go with the 4TB m.2. I do want separate drives for boot and scratch disks, but I'm bringing over some m.2s from my current build to allow that.

1000w PSU just because....better safe than sorry? You think an 850 would be sufficient?

Opinion on a AIO that would be better? I'm told these 14th gen chips run extremely hot, so I was figuring liquid cooling would be the way to go.

 

[35below0]

AH, ok. Some good things to think about....

Since my original post, I upped the MoBo to MSI MAG z790 Tomahawk b/c I thought that might natively support the 14th gen intel...It's only about $10 more?

I wouldn't want an MSi z790 motherboard. Unfortunately there have been issues with cracks in the chipsets. You will probably be ok, but there is an element of lottery involved. I wouldn't recommend it.

A z690 board loses almost nothing. A PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot that interferes with the GPU? You may want a 5.0 NVMe drive some day but right now it's not worth chasing. Thsi is opinion from some guy on the internet so ask for more opinions.

Take a look at the AsRock z690 Extreme. It has damn near everything and sells for a very low price.
Its is a DDR4 motherboard!!!!!! This may be a blessing or a curse. There are high capacity DDR4 kits available, and for less money than DDR5.

Yes, it will need to be flashed before it can take the 14900K, but it has a VRM that can feed that CPU with no problems. Something many z690 and z790 motherboard cannot do.
In addition, the z690 Extreme can be flashed with just a PSU and a USB stick.

I'll go with the 4TB m.2. I do want separate drives for boot and scratch disks, but I'm bringing over some m.2s from my current build to allow that.

That's wise.

1000w PSU just because....better safe than sorry? You think an 850 would be sufficient?

The Deepcool is kinda noisy. Better to spend on quality than watts. Durable and quiet PSUs are listed in my other post. You can again ask for more opinions.
With a 14900K and 3060/4060, you can't break more than 600w so anything 750-850 will be good. If you buy a more power hungry GPU, your requirements may increase. 850w would be a good spot. A high quality PSU, for your peace of mind and silent operation.

Opinion on a AIO that would be better? I'm told these 14th gen chips run extremely hot, so I was figuring liquid cooling would be the way to go.

They are designed to run hot. That doesn't mean they need a hurricane to keep them cool, because you can't and don't want to keep them cool. They cool down when idling but get close to 100C under load. You'll be fine with a Phantom Spirit EVO, or Noctua NH-D15, or Scythe Mugen 6, or a number of other air coolers.
Liquid cooling is not required.

Of course it's an option so you may want to go that route but you'll have to do some reading to find the right one.

 

[35below0]

Here are some RAM kits if you decide to go with the AsRock Extreme

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/md...4-x-32-gb-ddr4-2666-memory-f4-2666c18q-128gvk

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/rJkgXL/gskill-ripjaws-v-128-gb-4-x-32-gb-ddr4-3200-memory-f4-3200c16q-128gvk

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/LT...2-gb-ddr4-3200-cl14-memory-f4-3200c14q-128gvk

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/qzJgXL/gskill-trident-z-rgb-128-gb-4-x-32-gb-ddr4-3200-cl14-memory-f4-3200c14q-128gtzr

These are confirmed compatible by G.Skill.

 

[geofelt]

Some added thoughts:
I would not worry about 13/14 gen compatibility.
That support was out perhaps a year ago and all z690/Z790 motherboards made since then come with the enabling 14th gen bios.
In the unusual event that you bought very old stock, there will be some options:

The better motherboards will have the ability to update bios with no cpu installed.
Borrow a cheap 12th gen processor to do the flash.

My inclination, on general principles. is to buy a Z790 motherboard and not Z690.
They are very similar, and Z790 will have incremental improvements.

I spent some time looking at some of the suggested motherboards and what ram did they support.
Confusion reins!

In particular, what 4 x 32gb ram kits are supported, and at what speeds do they run.
Buy a kit that is explicitly supported by part number in either the motherboard QVL list or by the ram vendor.
I suspect 5200 speed is as good as you are going to be able to get.
Here is a Kingston kit that looks good, but do diligence and verify compatibility.

On a top end build, why not consider the i9-14900KS?
It is a well binned version of the 14900K with higher clocks.

All modern intel K processors are designed to run at 100c.
An Intel engineer said " you are leaving performance on the table if you are not touching 100c"
The case and the cooler has something to do with that.
Yes, the better the cooler, the better you will do.
But.... How much better?

Exactly which Enthoo case do you have?
Most will have room for a top air cooler like the noctua NH-D15.

The front intake air compatibility will be important to your cooling options.
If your case supports only a 240mm aio, then that has the cooling capability of the noctua nh-d15
If the case supports a 360 aio, then you can do a bit better.
But, a aio top mount is less effective because the cooling airflow is the inside case air which will be in the 50c. range, not 24c. from room air.
Lastly, aio coolers do not last forever.
The pump, a mechanical device will fail or get clogged. Or air will enter through the tubes and the aio must be replaced.
Think about 10 years.

I don't know the date of this report by puget systems on premiere pro:

Hardware Recommendations

Our workstations for Adobe Premiere Pro are tested and optimized to give you the best performance and reliability. View our hardware recommendations.

www.pugetsystems.com

 

[NedSmelly]

Perhaps consider a graphics card with at least 16GB VRAM if you anticipate 8K editing in the future. 24GB is even better.