Best PC Builds VOTE NOW $2000 Content Creation Workstation

Who has the best PC build under $2000?

  • CUDA Acceleration by Remixislandmusic

    Votes: 1 20.0%
  • The Magician by Hellfire13

    Votes: 1 20.0%
  • Creation Powerhouse by Jeremyj_83

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • You Crunch 16 Cores, Whaddaya Get? by G-Unit1111

    Votes: 1 20.0%
  • Data Zapper by Lucky_SLS

    Votes: 2 40.0%

  • Total voters
    5
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Jsimenhoff

Community Manager
Editor
Feb 28, 2016
1,814
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Vote now for the Best PC Build under $2000! Here are the final five:

CUDA Acceleration by Remixislandmusic

The Magician by Hellfire13

Creation Powerhouse by Jeremyj_83

You Crunch 16 Cores, Whaddaya Get? by G-Unit1111

Data Zapper by Lucky_SLS


Welcome to the Summer 2019 Best PC Builds Competition! For more than two decades Tom's Hardware has brought you news and reviews of the latest and greatest in hardware, growing to over 2 million users in the process! With constantly evolving technology, our members have developed an unmatched talent for finding the best prices and putting together the best system builds anywhere.

We've gone ahead and changed the rules a bit, so please make sure to read the list of ground rules below.

Be warned:
  • We no longer accept Newegg as a source of parts.
  • Build lists must link directly to the Amazon product page.
So why the change? Well, in the past few competitions we've noticed that prices using the PCPartPicker builder don't necessarily reflect actual availability. Given that and the confusion in regards to the list of available vendors, we wanted to simplify the process to encourage more participation.

When exporting your build lists from PCPartPicker, please make sure to edit the links so they point directly to the Amazon product page (please see the BBcode in my example build below for further clarification).

This thread is for the $2,000 Content Creation Workstation Build budget category. We are looking for the best rig for content creation, no matter the medium. That means builds good for editing, rendering, illustrating, designing, and AutoCADing. Compute power FTW! Please only submit builds within the $2,000 budget category to this thread. All other builds will be disqualified.

We will accept submissions over the next 2 weeks.

Please make sure to follow the ground rules below. Any builds over budget will be disqualified.

Here are the ground rules:
  • Only one build per budget category, per user. Multiple builds from a single user or duplicate accounts will be disqualified.
  • Do not go over budget.
  • Use only Amazon to source parts.
  • DO NOT USE Amazon 3rd Party Sellers to source parts.
  • Use list prices only: coupons, rebates, bundles or any other limited-time offers will not be accepted.
  • Do not include shipping or tax in your final budget.
  • Do not include the Operating System, Monitor or VR Headset, Keyboard, Mouse or Gamepad.
  • All builds must have a name.
  • Do not put your forum handle in the name of your build, and avoid odd capitalization & symbols.
  • Provide direct links to the Amazon product pages of each component — we encourage users to use PCPartPicker's System Build for speedy construction. Do not post a link to your build, but rather please be sure to export as BBCode and then edit with the product page links for a quick copy/paste to the forums.
Here's an example build for formatting help:
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7 GHz 8-Core Processor ($251.89 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master - Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition 57.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard ($126.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($77.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($43.81 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce RTX 2070 8 GB STRIX GAMING OC Video Card ($489.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT - H500 ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
Total: $1030.66
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-19 12:26 EDT-0400


Here are links to all five build categories:

$500 Low Power NAS Build
$750 Media Center Home Theater Build
$1000 Mainstream Gaming Build
$1500 Gaming and Streaming Build
$2000 Content Creation Workstation
$5,000 Ultimate Watercooling Build

Good luck and may the best build win!
 
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PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i9-9900K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor | $484.99 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler | Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240R RGB 66.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler | $114.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard | MSI MAG Z390 TOMAHAWK ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $161.99 @ Amazon
Memory | Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory | $165.99 @ Amazon
Storage | Intel 660p Series 2.048 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive | $181.99 @ Amazon
Storage | Seagate Constellation CS ISE 3 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $57.50 @ Amazon
Video Card | Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2080 8 GB WINDFORCE Video Card | $659.99 @ Amazon
Case | Cooler Master MasterBox MB511 RGB ATX Mid Tower Case | $74.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply | SeaSonic FOCUS Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply | $79.90 @ Amazon

| Total | $1982.33
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-30 17:56 EDT-0400 |

Intel UHD graphics for quick sync acceleration.
16 threads for raw editing horsepower.
RTX2080 for Cuda acceleration.
2TB NVME for lightning-fast data access.
3tb hdd for bulk storage.
 
Last edited:
The Magician...

PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD - Threadripper 2950X 3.5 GHz 16-Core Processor | $655.27 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler | Noctua - NH-U12S TR4-SP3 54.97 CFM CPU Cooler | $69.90 @ Amazon
Motherboard | Gigabyte - X399 AORUS PRO ATX TR4 Motherboard | $269.99 @ Amazon
Memory | Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory | $139.49 @ Amazon
Storage | ADATA - XPG SX8200 Pro 512 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive | $74.99 @ Amazon
Video Card | EVGA - GeForce RTX 2080 8 GB Black Video Card | $629.99 @ Amazon
Case | Cooler Master - MasterBox MB510L ATX Mid Tower Case | $49.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply | Corsair - TXM Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply | $104.99 @ Amazon
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $1994.61
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-22 04:55 EDT-0400 |
 
Creation Powerhouse

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel - Core i7-9700K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($362.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Corsair - H115i PRO 55.4 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($139.42 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - Z390 AORUS ELITE ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Intel - 660p Series 2.048 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($194.95 @ Amazon)
Storage: Hitachi - Ultrastar 7K3000 3 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce RTX 2080 8 GB Black Video Card ($629.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design - Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case ($78.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - RM (2019) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Fractal Design - X2 GP-12 (Black) 52.3 CFM 120 mm Fan ($12.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1995.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-22 08:38 EDT-0400
 
Last edited:

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator
"You Crunch 16 Cores, Whaddaya Get?":

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Threadripper 2950X 3.5 GHz 16-Core Processor ($645.16 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master MAM-D7PN-DWRPS-T1 AMD Wraith Ripper ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X399 AORUS PRO ATX TR4 Motherboard ($269.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB GDDR6 3xDP HDMI ($399.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT H500i ATX Mid Tower Case ($92.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G3 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1968.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-24 12:50 EDT-0400


Notes:

  • This build is all about computing power as it uses AMD's TR4-2950X with 16 cores and 32 threads
  • Gigabyte's Aorus motherboard can hold up to 128GB of RAM
  • No secondary storage but can be added
  • Sapphire's Radeon 5700XT is economical while extremely powerful
  • Corsair's Dominator Platinum 32GB looks good and is very fast
  • Cooler Master's custom TR4 cooler is a good alternative to AIOs
 
Last edited:
Data Zapper :

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Threadripper 2950X 3.5 GHz 16-Core Processor ($649.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright SilverArrow TR4 130 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X399 AORUS PRO ATX TR4 Motherboard ($269.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-2933 Memory ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Corsair MP510 960 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($123.89 @ Amazon)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 7K3000 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.30 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB Video Card ($449.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox MB520 RGB ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: BitFenix Whisper M 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $1966.14
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-24 17:37 EDT-0400
 
Last edited:

FSXwithAMD

Reputable
May 18, 2016
14
1
4,515
Side Hustle:

PCPartPicker Part List
CPU: AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X Processor (YD295XA8AFWOF) ($649.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i v2 70.69 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($114.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X399 AORUS PRO ATX TR4 Motherboard ($269.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport AT 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($154.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 7K4000 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB Video Card ($451.46 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox MB510L ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($96.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $1996.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-24 18:36 EDT-0400


Fixed with guidance from g-unit1111. Thanks!
 
Last edited:
Jul 23, 2019
2
0
10
The Visualizer Workstation
Expanding and exploring your dreams... real or virtual

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($329.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master ML120L TUF Gaming Alliance Edition RGB 66.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 GAMING X ATX AM4 Motherboard
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($176.39 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 2 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($278.79 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 2 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($278.79 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Diamond Radeon HD 6450 1 GB Video Card ($42.04 @ Amazon)
Case: DIYPC Skyline-06 ATX Full Tower Case ($113.05 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Cougar VTE 600 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($43.30 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS40 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($59.49 @ Amazon)
Total: $1381.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-23 17:26 EDT-0400
 

rigg42

Respectable
Oct 17, 2018
639
233
2,390
"The Professional"

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 3.8 GHz 12-Core Processor ($499.99)
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS ATX AM4 Motherboard ($199.99)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3466 Memory ($205.76 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial P1 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($59.95 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial MX500 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($107.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon VII 16 GB Video Card ($699.99)
Case: Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case ($66.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Gold 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Fractal Design X2 GP-14 (Black) 68.4 CFM 140 mm Fan ($14.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Fractal Design X2 GP-14 (Black) 68.4 CFM 140 mm Fan ($14.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1990.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-30 00:55 EDT-0400
 
Last edited:
Jul 21, 2019
4
1
15
BiG Bertha

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 3.8 GHz 12-Core Processor ($499.99)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE ATX AM4 Motherboard ($199.99)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($155.85 @ Amazon)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Desktop HDD 4 TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($76.50 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8 GB DUAL EVO OC Video Card ($729.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox MB511 RGB ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Thermaltake 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1987.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-28 20:01 EDT-0400
 

rigg42

Respectable
Oct 17, 2018
639
233
2,390
I was wondering if we could edit our builds?
i did several times

Could we get some clarification on this? I've edited pretty much all of my builds either because I realized a part wasn't in compliance with the rules or I decided to go a different direction.

Hey guys be civil. Trashing each other's part choices isn't going to win you votes. If you feel that certain posters are not following the rules, use the "Contact Moderator" or "Report Post" button and we will deal with it.

Assuming that editing isn't out of bounds, would constructive criticism be okay? Via PM perhaps? As an example I've seen some questionable choices in regard to motherboard/CPU combo's that would seriously hamper performance. I didn't say anything for the very reason you stated. I'm personally more interested in helping people spec better builds than I am in winning the contest.

Is it better to offer explanation of why we choose certain things? Should we just let the builds speak for themselves and not muddy the threads up with a sales pitch?
 
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g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator
Could we get some clarification on this? I've edited pretty much all of my builds either because I realized a part wasn't in compliance with the rules or I decided to go a different direction.



Assuming that editing isn't out of bounds, would constructive criticism be okay? Via PM perhaps? As an example I've seen some questionable choices in regard to motherboard/CPU combo's that would seriously hamper performance. I didn't say anything for the very reason you stated. I'm personally more interested in helping people spec better builds than I am in winning the contest.

Is it better to offer explanation of why we choose certain things? Should we just let the builds speak for themselves and not muddy the threads up with a sales pitch?

You can explain your part choices but if you want to critique it's best to start a new thread or discuss it via the PM system.

And yes as was stated you can edit your builds as much as you would like until the contest is closed.
 
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