Motion Graphics PC

[lakerwiz]

Hi All,

This is my first post, however I've been doing extensive research over the last few months trying to build myself a PC for Motion Graphics, Rendering, 3D Editing, After Effects, etc. This is my first PC build so please correct anything I may have incorrect in my parts lists below.

I mainly use Cinema 4D, Octane Renderer, and After Effects in my workflow and want something that will be an exceptional machine for use the next few years. I've filled in the info below and would love some input, edits, advice, or comments from anyone willing to assist. I've included 2 versions, 1 of which is a single CPU build, the other being a dual CPU build.

Comments:
-I don't know much about cooling, but would love some advice as to how many fans you recommend, liquid cooling, etc.
-Also I'm going with 2 SSD Drives, one for all my apps, one for caches, and 1 larger HD for file/ media storage. I'm pretty good about backing up my systems to external drives so am not sure I'm trying to do a RAID build, but open any comments/ recommendations about this.
-I've heard you have to purchase the specific memory/hard drives listed on a motherboard's drive for them to work properly. I've put the exact matching serial ID components in my parts lists below.
-I also read that dual CPU systems split the memory between each CPU. With the dual system, would you recommend upgrading the memory to 128GB as opposed to 64GB?
-With regards to a case, I'm looking to get a sturdy rackmount listed here, although I'm open to other recommendations: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811165181

Thanks for your assistance in advance, it's much appreciated.

System Usage: Motion Graphics, 3D Editing + Rendering, Cinema 4D, Octane Renderer, After Effects

Budget: $3500-$5000

Purchase Date: Within 1-2 months

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU, NVIDIA GPU

Overclocking: Maybe, I have no knowledge of how to properly overclock, and don't want to overcomplicate the usage or damage any hardware if it's that complex.

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe. Am I better off getting a single GPU or stacking a few 980ti or Titan X cards?

Your Monitor Resolution: 1080p

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I currently have a maxed out Macbook Pro from 2013, however want a PC and something much more powerful for content/ video creation.

Here's my Lists, I'm leaning more towards the Dual CPU as of now:

Single CPU: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CHxxyc

CPU: Intel Core i7-5960X 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($999.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Thermal Compound: ARCTIC MX2 30g Thermal Paste ($17.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus X99-DELUXE/U3.1 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($389.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($29.99 @ Adorama)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($29.99 @ Adorama)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($29.99 @ Adorama)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($29.99 @ Adorama)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($29.99 @ Adorama)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($29.99 @ Adorama)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($29.99 @ Adorama)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($29.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Black 6TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($299.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Superclocked+ ACX 2.0+ Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($619.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Superclocked+ ACX 2.0+ Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($619.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define XL R2 (Black Pearl) ATX Full Tower Case ($121.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1300 G2 1300W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($184.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM (64-bit) ($124.86 @ B&H)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar DSX 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card ($43.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition (2-Pack) 62.7 CFM 120mm Fans ($21.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $4057.23


Dual CPU:http://pcpartpicker.com/p/KjpQFT

CPU: Intel Xeon E5-2630 V3 2.4GHz 8-Core Processor ($629.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU: Intel Xeon E5-2630 V3 2.4GHz 8-Core Processor ($629.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12DXi4 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($63.99 @ Amazon)
Thermal Compound: ARCTIC MX2 30g Thermal Paste ($17.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z10PE-D16 WS SSI EEB Dual-CPU LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($495.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) Registered DDR4-2133 Memory ($47.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) Registered DDR4-2133 Memory ($47.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) Registered DDR4-2133 Memory ($47.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) Registered DDR4-2133 Memory ($47.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) Registered DDR4-2133 Memory ($47.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) Registered DDR4-2133 Memory ($47.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) Registered DDR4-2133 Memory ($47.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) Registered DDR4-2133 Memory ($47.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Black 6TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($299.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Superclocked+ ACX 2.0+ Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($619.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Superclocked+ ACX 2.0+ Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($619.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1300 G2 1300W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($184.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM (64-bit) ($124.86 @ B&H)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($36.88 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition (2-Pack) 62.7 CFM 120mm Fans ($21.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $4432.22

 

[Platinum_Gamer]

Look, you can't go wrong with any of them; they are absolutely beasts. However, I haven't come across many people using dual CPUs especially for personal uses since they are mainly used for servers and as such you will need to confirm if your software can support that.

Oh, even though the 5960X is an octocore extreme processor, you might still want to OC that thing from 3.5 GHz to something higher if you don't want to bottleneck the dual 980ti and to increase overall rendering performance.

 

[lakerwiz]

Thanks for your reply @Platinum_Gamer

Actually I've been hearing of a lot more people using dual CPU setups as opposed to the single core for at least my purposes.

I'm open to overclocking, have heard great things about doing so even a little bit on the 5960X

 

[lakerwiz]

Anyone else have any experience doing motion graphics on dual CPU systems vs. single CPU systems? I can't imagine the softwares I've listed having issues, but if anyone has bumped into problems, I'd greatly appreciate their insight/ comments.

Also looking for more info/ feedback on the cooling, memory, and GPU recommendations if anyone has anything to suggest. Thanks!