[SOLVED] €2000 to €2500 CGI PC Build - need help

[yurilobo]

Hi everyone,

Sorry if I post some "too newbie" questions lol, but I need your help.

I'm planning to build a PC for CGI (Octane/Redshift) and Graphic/Motion design in general (Full adobe softwares)

I would LOVE to spend €2000 MAX... but, If the gain in performance and overall stuff will be so impressive, then I can think about going to €2500 (Well, saying "Love" there was a bit too much, I would love to get it for free...but anyway, you got it haha)

I've used an online tool to kinda build a config based on my needs, but the config suggested I can't find the parts to buy in Europe, so I've asked some companies over here and most of them presented me some other config that "seems" to be the same. But, as I said, I'm not super sure if I'll be losing something by going with the "replaced" spec, if I should keep looking for the "suggested" spec.

Anyway, here what I've got so far:

I was looking for this:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8GHz 8-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
Motherboard: MSI X570 Tomahawk ATX AM4
GPU: Nvidia RTX 3070 8GB - EVGA FTW3
Memory: 64GB (4 x 16GB) G.Skill Trident Z Neo DDR4-3600 C16
Storage PCIe-SSD: Sabrent Rocket 1TB NVMe Gen4 M.2 Solid State Drive
Power Supply: EVGA 650 B5, 80 Plus Bronze 650W Power Supply
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P300 ATX Mid Tower Case

In Europe they've suggested me this option:

Phanteks P300 Black Case
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X CPU
Gigabyte X570 AORUS Ultra
RTX 3070 Gaming OC 8GB
2 x HDMI & 2 x DisplayPort
64GB CORSAIR VENGEANCE LPX 3600MHz (4x16GB)
1TB Gigabyte AORUS PCIe4 NVMe M.2 SSD (5000MB/R, 4400MB/W)
DARK ROCK PRO 4 Cooler
Contour 650w PSU
WiFi & Bluetooth on MBD
Integrated motherboard audio

or this:

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
MSI MPG X570 GAMING EDGE WIFI AM4 PCIe 4.0 ATX - ARGV READY!
64GB (4x16GB) Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000MHz
8GB NVIDIA GeForce AMPERE RTX 3070
512GB M.2. PCI-E NVMe SSD
1TB Seagate Barracuda SATA III
be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 Air Cooler
Be Quiet! System Power 9 700W 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply

Basically, what's the difference between them (motherboard, memory, gpu) ??
I've been trying to find a comparison chart between the EVGA 3070 FTW3 vs Gigabyte 3070 OC vs GeForce AMPERE ... but I can't find it anywhere 🙁


Thanksss in advance!

P.S. Feel free to suggest something totally different too

 

[velocityg4]

GPU: They are all RTX 3070. There won't be much difference between any of them if they are all triple fan coolers. Maybe some minor factory overclocks. Given the scarcity of GPU. I'd be more concerned with getting an RTX 3070 for a reasonable price. Getting whatever you can.

Memory: Definitely want 3600Mhz to get the most out of your CPU. As CPU performance is affected a decent amount by memory speed with Ryzen. Corsair or Trident Z doesn't really matter as long as you hit the advertised speed via XMP. Both are going to use memory made by Micron, Samsung or SK Hynix. Which all depends on the batch you get. As they can switch manufacturers at any time in the same model.

Personally, I'd want Crucial. As I know the memory is made by Crucial not whoever made the lowest bid. Plus you are less likely to run into issues if you try to add more memory. If you get the same make and model. While with Trident or Corsair. The upgrade may not work or work at full speed. As the chip manufacturers may have changed. Although a full matched set is always the best option.

SSD: Any of the 1TB NVMe SSD options listed are fine. Certainly wouldn't want 512GB. HDD are cheap. If you need more storage. You can get a lot for € 100.

Motherboard: Besides differences in ports offered and connectors you can look up. Basically the two MSI are decent budget boards while the Gigabyte is a mid range motherboard. The Tomahawk is the lowest of them and fine for home use. I wouldn't want it in a workstation that may be doing CPU renders at full load for long periods of time.

Outside of more bells and whistles. Quality wise the Gigabyte's biggest improvement is a more capable VRM and VRM heatsink for CPU overclocking. The VRM will handle heavy loads better. Especially if you overclock or use Precision Boost.

PSU: Those are all garbage. Get a Seasonic Focus Plus Gold or Corsair RMx (2018 not 2019). You want clean, stable and reliable power delivery. These two also have Platinum alternatives. Which will give a little better energy efficiency. There are other good ones those are just two which are well known and generally easier to find.

Other Thoughts: I don't know if your workload is CPU bound or not. You really should be looking at something more workstation oriented. Such as AMD Threadripper. Besides more cores available and quad channel memory. You'll have far more PCIe 4.0 lanes to scale up to multiple GPU.

Just don't cheap out on the Motherboard or PSU. Those are big factors in long term reliability.

 

[tennis2]

All 3 systems spec out 4x16GB RAM. So that's all the same. The 3rd build is slightly inferior because it uses 3000MHz instead of 3600MHz.

Mobo - All about VRM and connectivity. I don't see any issue with any of the 3 recommendations.

GPU - They're all RTX3070. So the only difference is the coolers.

PSU - I think all 3 builds skimp on the PSU quality.

Storage - putting a 1TB mechanical hdd in any build is pointless. These days, you can buy 2TB or even 4TB for nearly the same price if you really need it. I'd stick with the 1TB SSD in the first 2 builds if 1TB is what you need.

What part of Europe? Have you used PcPartPicker.com?

 

[tennis2]

Motherboard: Besides differences in ports offered and connectors you can look up. Basically the two MSI are decent budget boards while the Gigabyte is a mid range motherboard. The Tomahawk is the lowest of them and fine for home use. I wouldn't want it in a workstation that may be doing CPU renders at full load for long periods of time.

The X570 Tomahawk is quite good actually.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...FnsZYZiW1pfiDZnKCjaXyzd1o/edit#gid=2112472504

 

[Th4nato5]

To add on to the others, I would recommend a Corsair RMx Gold PSU with a 750W or 850W rating, or a high level Seasonic one.

 

[tennis2]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor (€436.99 @ Mindfactory)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler (€75.02 @ Alza)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B550M MORTAR WIFI Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (€152.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory (€302.41 @ Alza)
Storage: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (€296.99 @ Mindfactory)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB XC3 ULTRA GAMING Video Card (€550.00)
Case: Fractal Design Meshify C Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case (€101.10 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (€92.98 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Case Fan: Fractal Design Dynamic X2 GP-14 68.4 CFM 140 mm Fan (€16.38 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Case Fan: Fractal Design Dynamic X2 GP-14 68.4 CFM 140 mm Fan (€16.38 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Total: €2041.15
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-03-15 22:17 CET+0100

 

[Th4nato5]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor (€436.99 @ Mindfactory)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler (€75.02 @ Alza)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B550M MORTAR WIFI Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (€152.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory (€302.41 @ Alza)
Storage: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (€296.99 @ Mindfactory)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB XC3 ULTRA GAMING Video Card (€550.00)
Case: Fractal Design Meshify C Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case (€101.10 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (€92.98 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Case Fan: Fractal Design Dynamic X2 GP-14 68.4 CFM 140 mm Fan (€16.38 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Case Fan: Fractal Design Dynamic X2 GP-14 68.4 CFM 140 mm Fan (€16.38 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Total: €2041.15
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-03-15 22:17 CET+0100

I would say go for a 750W Corsair RMX.

 

[tennis2]

Yeah, plenty of budget for that. Gotta start somewhere.

 

[yurilobo]

Thanks, everyone.

I'm currently living in Ireland so should be some site that ships here and, apparently, Amazon.de have most of the parts and ships to Ireland.

I didn't know about this PcPartPicker.com, was looking over there and it's awesome, would be great to find the best prices all in one place, make it much easier to buy.

-----

About all your tips, let me see If I got it right:

Seems like you all agreed that doesn't really matter which RTX3070 I get right, it's just a brand thing and they will be mostly the same, right?
Because this EVGA one it's really hard to find, even PcPartPicker doesn't show it.

So:

GPU: I can go with any RTX3070 model available

SSD: I can go with any of those listed 1TB NVMe

MOBO: velocityg4 said that the Tomahawk one isn't the best option for Workstations, and seems like you all agree that the other ones are fine... which option is a better one in this case? The X570 AORUS Ultra? The one that tennis2 selected from PCPartPicker (MSI MAG B550M MORTAR WIFI Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard)? Any other?

PSU: Seems like it's a unanimous decision that all 3 recommendations are "not the best" and you all kinda agree with either Seasonic Focus Plus Gold or Corsair RMx (better 750W or more right?)

Memory: Must be 3600Mgz .... Sorry @velocityg4, I didn`t understand the part "as long as you hit the advertised speed via XMP.
and also didn't quite get the second part as well:

Personally, I'd want Crucial. As I know the memory is made by Crucial not whoever made the lowest bid. Plus you are less likely to run into issues if you try to add more memory. If you get the same make and model. While with Trident or Corsair. The upgrade may not work or work at full speed. As the chip manufacturers may have changed. Although a full-matched set is always the best option.

haha sorry, I'm a newbie, I know...I know...

Also, just out of curiosity, I see that you picked (2x32GB) instead of (4x16GB).... is it better, or doesn't make any difference?

Cooler: What about the cooler?

P.S. I really like the idea of using this PCPartPicker thing. So I'll try to make a list there with your recommendations and post it here to see if's everything ok.

Thanks

 

[tennis2]

PCPP pulls from Ireland also. Just have to select your country in the top right corner of the webpage. (not visible in mobile browsers)

Would need to refresh this list with available parts (and recheck component pricing), but for example, an easy toggle.
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor (€512.95 @ Komplett)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler (€78.95 @ Komplett)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B550M MORTAR WIFI Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory (€499.66 @ Custompc)
Storage: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (€403.61 @ Custompc)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB XC3 ULTRA GAMING Video Card (€550.00)
Case: Fractal Design Meshify C Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (€147.03 @ Custompc)
Case Fan: Fractal Design Dynamic X2 GP-14 68.4 CFM 140 mm Fan
Case Fan: Fractal Design Dynamic X2 GP-14 68.4 CFM 140 mm Fan
Total: €1642.20
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-03-16 14:28 GMT+0000

Not sure how the pricing compares with the above "Ireland markets" or "importing" from UK or Germany sites. I'll leave that to you.

 

[yurilobo]

PCPP pulls from Ireland also. Just have to select your country in the top right corner of the webpage. (not visible in mobile browsers)

Would need to refresh this list with available parts (and recheck component pricing), but for example, an easy toggle.
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor (€512.95 @ Komplett)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler (€78.95 @ Komplett)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B550M MORTAR WIFI Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory (€499.66 @ Custompc)
Storage: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (€403.61 @ Custompc)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB XC3 ULTRA GAMING Video Card (€550.00)
Case: Fractal Design Meshify C Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (€147.03 @ Custompc)
Case Fan: Fractal Design Dynamic X2 GP-14 68.4 CFM 140 mm Fan
Case Fan: Fractal Design Dynamic X2 GP-14 68.4 CFM 140 mm Fan
Total: €1642.20
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-03-16 14:28 GMT+0000

Not sure how the pricing compares with the above "Ireland markets" or "importing" from UK or Germany sites. I'll leave that to you.

Oh, nice! Just changed there but Irish stores don't have most of the parts haha

And changed back to the Germany ones and ALL 3070 are more than 1500 Euros now 😱 they all tripled their prices... is this real life? 😱😱

I`m also getting some warnings with this list:

• Warning! Some AMD B550 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update before using Vermeer CPUs. Upgrading the BIOS may require a different CPU that is supported by older BIOS revisions.
• Note: The Noctua NH-U14S 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler may require a separately available mounting adapter to fit the MSI MAG B550M MORTAR WIFI Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard.
• Note: Some physical dimension restrictions cannot (yet) be automatically checked, such as CPU cooler / RAM clearance with modules using tall heat spreaders.

I also went back to that second recommendation up there that seems to match "a bit more" with everyone's tips and changed some stuff myself trying to match yours, but the price went a bit higher:

• Phanteks P300 Black Case
  [*]AMD Ryzen 7 5800X CPU
  [*]Gigabyte X570 AORUS Ultra
  [*]RTX 3070 Gaming OC 8GB
  2 x HDMI & 2 x DisplayPort
  [*]64GB CORSAIR VENGEANCE LPX 3600MHz (4x16GB)
  [*]1TB Gigabyte AORUS PCIe4 NVMe M.2 SSD (5000MB/R, 4400MB/W)
  [*]DARK ROCK PRO 4 Cooler
  [*]Corsair RM750 80 Plus Gold
  [*]WiFi & Bluetooth on MBD
  [*]Integrated motherboard audio
  [*]2 x PureWings 2 - 140mm
  [*]£2,258.80

BTW, I'm checking that in this site that told me that ships to Ireland (Punch Technology PC Build)

 

[tennis2]

And changed back to the Germany ones and ALL 3070 are more than 1500 Euros now 😱 they all tripled their prices... is this real life? 😱😱

Yes, this is the world we live in right now. Nobody can buy a GPU, and the poor saps that do are paying 2x-4x the MSRP.

The PCPP notes/warnings are not applicable for the parts selection given. The B550M Mortar has BIOS flashback, and the U14S comes with an AM4 bracket.