Author Topic: I NEED HELP with a PC build  (Read 6663 times)

2022-11-16, 10:08:44

Yousef13

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Hello

I want to build a new PC and I only work with corona renderer and 3dmax, nothing else at the moment. I got fired from 2 jobs for being impatient so waiting for the first 4 passes to render made me realize that they were right to do so.
My current device I have a G14 Zephyrus Laptop with an AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS with a Radeon Graphics 3.00 GHz processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU, with 40gb of RAM.
I don't like the performance when I have to deal with big scenes, the viewport takes forever and the render too, but with small scenes ( one room for example ) it does a good job. Now I want a PC that can run any viewport smoothly and render any scene faster than I can realize I chose the wrong camera :D

That's not all, I want all that with a budget of 3000$ only.

Seriously, I watched a lot of youtube videos trying to figure out what to buy, but honestly, I got nothing, I don't trust my knowledge to decide. I am an archviz who is just starting but I already have a ton of work to get done so I am thinking of getting a powerful PC that can serve me for years. I only use corona renderer so I get confused when I hear about GPU and their importance, do I need a powerful GPU when using corona?
what is the best CPU for my case ?

Thank you

2022-11-16, 15:54:53
Reply #1

maru

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It's always the same with CPUs:
Check benchmarks (https://corona-renderer.com/benchmark, https://www.cpubenchmark.net/, possibly a few others).
Find the highest rated CPU that is within your budget (considering the motherboard, RAM, and other parts).
Optionally wait for hardware sales to get it even cheaper or buy a better one. ;)

Make sure you get enough RAM - looks like 64 GB is the standard now. The more, the better.

Make sure you get the right RAM type for your CPU and that you install it correctly. This is especially important with AMD CPUs (I am honestly not sure about newer models). You can find information about the perfect RAM frequency for your CPU by googling. How to install the RAM sticks will be explained in your motherboard manual.

Invest in high-quality cooling, otherwise your CPU will overheat under load and you will see thermal throttling or shutdowns.

Invest in a high-quality PSU.

Invest in a case with good air flow.

About the GPU - the more RAM you have in it, the better for previewing hi-res textures in the viewport. Buy a decent GPU to get good viewport performance, but it doesn't have to be an RTX unless you are planning to make some use of it (e.g. gaming). Corona does not use GPU for rendering at all (except Optix denoising) so it is mostly important for the host app and using other apps.



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2022-11-17, 21:53:24
Reply #2

Yousef13

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It's always the same with CPUs:
Check benchmarks (https://corona-renderer.com/benchmark, https://www.cpubenchmark.net/, possibly a few others).
Find the highest rated CPU that is within your budget (considering the motherboard, RAM, and other parts).
Optionally wait for hardware sales to get it even cheaper or buy a better one. ;)

Make sure you get enough RAM - looks like 64 GB is the standard now. The more, the better.

Make sure you get the right RAM type for your CPU and that you install it correctly. This is especially important with AMD CPUs (I am honestly not sure about newer models). You can find information about the perfect RAM frequency for your CPU by googling. How to install the RAM sticks will be explained in your motherboard manual.

Invest in high-quality cooling, otherwise your CPU will overheat under load and you will see thermal throttling or shutdowns.

Invest in a high-quality PSU.

Invest in a case with good air flow.

About the GPU - the more RAM you have in it, the better for previewing hi-res textures in the viewport. Buy a decent GPU to get good viewport performance, but it doesn't have to be an RTX unless you are planning to make some use of it (e.g. gaming). Corona does not use GPU for rendering at all (except Optix denoising) so it is mostly important for the host app and using other apps.

I went ahead and checked the benchmark as you suggested, I found that the Ryzen 9 7950x is my best option but not completely budget-wise, because I was willing to pay double the price of 7950x or more if that means I get double the performance, but it doesn't seem like it and that's where I get confused.

Those were my options, I tried to look up what makes a threadripper CPU so expensive while Ryzen 7950x is better than TR 5960, but I am not that knowledgeable in that regard so I relied on corona benchmark and here is what I found :
1   00:00:26.34   18,448,100   naeq   AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32-Core Processor
1   00:00:33.67   14,430,800   olegdjus …   AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X 24-Core Processor
1   00:00:31.90   15,231,400   glnn_23   AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 16-Core Processor

I figured out that the 7950x might be the one because of the price and performance, but I know I am missing something! why the huge price difference?

As for the GPU, I will be happy with some suggestions, I know nothing about that

2022-11-18, 12:27:07
Reply #3

Juraj

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Have a look at the few threads in this section that discuss Ryzen 7950X and Intel 13900K builds.

These are the best two builds you will be able to buy today. Don't look at Threadripper with your budget, it's generation (or two) behind already and very cost inneffective.
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2022-11-18, 13:47:53
Reply #4

Nejc Kilar

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I don't even think you can get a 3xxx series Threadripper anymore and if you do it is probably going to be really difficult finding a motherboard for it - seems like everything went EOL really quickly. There might be a SIs still sporting a few though.

I do agree with Juraj, 7950x or an 13900K build seems to be quite the sweet spot for your budget. The next gen (although previous gen compared to consumer parts, Zen 3 vs Zen 4) Threadrippers are now PRO only which means you'll get a ton of PCI-E lanes you don't really need for rendering and it will cost you quite a bit. These are still the way to go if you are after top notch performance but they will be quite a bit more in that "workstation" pricing tier that is just a lot more expensive than what you get on the consumer side with the above suggested CPUs.

In case you do want to do the math, the 5975wx is the 32 core Threadripper now and the 64 core one is the 5995wx.
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2022-11-18, 13:49:00
Reply #5

romullus

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Those were my options, I tried to look up what makes a threadripper CPU so expensive while Ryzen 7950x is better than TR 5960, but I am not that knowledgeable in that regard so I relied on corona benchmark and here is what I found :
1   00:00:26.34   18,448,100   naeq   AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32-Core Processor
1   00:00:33.67   14,430,800   olegdjus …   AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X 24-Core Processor
1   00:00:31.90   15,231,400   glnn_23   AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 16-Core Processor

Never look at the top entries at Corona benchmark if you want to know the expected performance of a given CPU, most likely those are extremely overclocked runs, just for chasing records and these speeds are not sustainable in normal environment. Look at the median entries - those are much more realistic indicators of what you should expect from your CPU.
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2022-11-18, 14:01:26
Reply #6

Juraj

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Having the website list median (and possibly average) score would be very nice. Right now, you just have to kind of randomly scroll (with popular CPUs for quite a lot) to find somewhat representative sample.
Actually, it's not very useful at all in current form.

With denoising and upscaling algorithms, brute force in form of rendering time is also less and less useful. I wouldn't compare different CPUs in similar price bracket in that way anymore.
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2022-11-18, 14:11:24
Reply #7

maru

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2022-11-18, 21:02:45
Reply #8

Yousef13

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Have a look at the few threads in this section that discuss Ryzen 7950X and Intel 13900K builds.

These are the best two builds you will be able to buy today. Don't look at Threadripper with your budget, it's generation (or two) behind already and very cost inneffective.

I was thinking of getting the best I can even if I increase the budget, but that only if it is completely worth it. So as you guys suggested I will not be thinking of threadrippers anymore.
Ryzen 7950x seems good for me based on what I read.
For the GPU, for 3dmax/corona workflow as an archviz, what would you suggest?



I don't even think you can get a 3xxx series Threadripper anymore and if you do it is probably going to be really difficult finding a motherboard for it - seems like everything went EOL really quickly. There might be a SIs still sporting a few though.

I do agree with Juraj, 7950x or an 13900K build seems to be quite the sweet spot for your budget. The next gen (although previous gen compared to consumer parts, Zen 3 vs Zen 4) Threadrippers are now PRO only which means you'll get a ton of PCI-E lanes you don't really need for rendering and it will cost you quite a bit. These are still the way to go if you are after top notch performance but they will be quite a bit more in that "workstation" pricing tier that is just a lot more expensive than what you get on the consumer side with the above suggested CPUs.

In case you do want to do the math, the 5975wx is the 32 core Threadripper now and the 64 core one is the 5995wx.


Thank you for your insight, I decided on 7950x. I am overwhelmed with so much information from the digging the past two weeks, I don't know how to connect the dots to come up with decisions regarding the rest of the parts.
Yet, I added these products to the shopping cart, to be ready for the black Friday, here it is :

CPU : AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 16-core 32-thread
RAM : Crucial 64GB (2 x 32GB) DDR5 SDRAM Memory Kit
SSD : Kingston 2 TB Solid State Drive - M.2 2280 Internal - PCI Express NVMe
SSD for system : Seagate FireCuda 520 1 TB Solid State Drive - M.2 2280 Internal - PCI Express NV
Motherboard : Asus ROG Strix X670E-I GAMING WIFI Gaming Desktop Motherboard - AMD X670 < youtube recommendation, I don't know if it is too much or not
Case : Fractal Design Focus 2 Computer Case
PSU : Corsair RMx Series RM850x - 850 Watt 80 PLUS Gold Fully Modular ATX PSU

Also I added two products for cooling but I don't even know if it fits or enough :
Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition
Enermax LIQMAX III ARGB 360 ELC-LMT360-ARGB Cooling


what do you guys think ?

2022-11-19, 00:22:02
Reply #9

Vuk

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I would most definitely advise going the 7950x route. The 3000 Threadripper is basically a dead platform now. It is already more than 12 or so months that I can't find a single trx40 motherboard in a 600km radius around my location :).

Haven't yet tried the 7950x but for the past few months, I find myself sitting always in front of a 5950x workstation and just turning on the DR server on my 3990x workstation. The snappiness of the 5950x system is just way ahead of the 3990x and it is so noticeable that I might just send all the TR systems to the farm and change most of the ws machines with the newest 16core Ryzens or Intels. Though I am leaning more toward the 7950x since it is more efficient than it's Intel counterpart.

As for your build go for the AIO rather than the Hyper 212 just check the am5 socket compatibility. The CM cooler isn't really suited for that wattage so a 360 or 420 aio should be ok. The X670E motherboards are overkill and only if you need PCIe gen 5. If you want to save some money you have the same Strix board with the B660 series which is quite good.
« Last Edit: 2022-11-19, 00:28:21 by Vuk »

2022-11-19, 21:56:39
Reply #10

Yousef13

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I would most definitely advise going the 7950x route. The 3000 Threadripper is basically a dead platform now. It is already more than 12 or so months that I can't find a single trx40 motherboard in a 600km radius around my location :).

Haven't yet tried the 7950x but for the past few months, I find myself sitting always in front of a 5950x workstation and just turning on the DR server on my 3990x workstation. The snappiness of the 5950x system is just way ahead of the 3990x and it is so noticeable that I might just send all the TR systems to the farm and change most of the ws machines with the newest 16core Ryzens or Intels. Though I am leaning more toward the 7950x since it is more efficient than it's Intel counterpart.

As for your build go for the AIO rather than the Hyper 212 just check the am5 socket compatibility. The CM cooler isn't really suited for that wattage so a 360 or 420 aio should be ok. The X670E motherboards are overkill and only if you need PCIe gen 5. If you want to save some money you have the same Strix board with the B660 series which is quite good.

I could not find a B660 motherboard for AMD chip, but I found some options:
 TUF GAMING X670E-PLUS WIFI Gaming Desktop Motherboard - AMD X670 Chipset
Asrock B650 PRO RS AMD B650 AM5 ATX DDR5 Motherboard


Someone mentioned the DDR5 and I must go with a motherboard that supports it, and I don't care about PCIe gen5 ( I didn't even know what is it till I looked it up after your reply ) :D
As for the CPU cooler, is Noctua NH-D15 good ?

what do you think ?
Also, as an archviz, what to look for when shopping for a monitor ?
Thank you all for your help

2022-11-21, 15:02:04
Reply #11

Vuk

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The TUF is an ok motherboard. I haven't checked the vrm but I think it is ok for the 7950x and I guess you won't be overclocking.

Yes, you would need ddr5 since 7000 series CPUs don't support ddr4, and if you plan on going 128gb ram at some point get 32gb ram sticks so you can upgrade from 64 to 128 by just adding 2 more sticks.

NH-D15 is their biggest cooler so it should be ok. Make sure to get a case that supports the height of the cooler heatsink+fans. A really good case is the Fractal design torrent. It is a bit more expensive but the quality is outstanding and the airflow is fantastic!
I have one and I am really pleased with it.

As for the monitor I could give you 10 recommendations but it would be great if you can give an estimated budget/price range for the monitor.

Best,
V

2022-11-23, 10:30:41
Reply #12

Yousef13

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The TUF is an ok motherboard. I haven't checked the vrm but I think it is ok for the 7950x and I guess you won't be overclocking.

Yes, you would need ddr5 since 7000 series CPUs don't support ddr4, and if you plan on going 128gb ram at some point get 32gb ram sticks so you can upgrade from 64 to 128 by just adding 2 more sticks.

NH-D15 is their biggest cooler so it should be ok. Make sure to get a case that supports the height of the cooler heatsink+fans. A really good case is the Fractal design torrent. It is a bit more expensive but the quality is outstanding and the airflow is fantastic!
I have one and I am really pleased with it.

As for the monitor I could give you 10 recommendations but it would be great if you can give an estimated budget/price range for the monitor.

Best,
V


I was afraid I would miss the 7950 deals so I made a purches for most parts expcet for the case, moniter and GPU
here is the list :
SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2 2280 1TB PCI-Express Gen 4.0 x4, NVMe 1.3c Samsung V-NAND 3-bit MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Team Group T-FORCE CARDEA ZERO Z440 M.2 2280 1TB PCIe Gen 4.0 x4 with NVMe 1.3 3D NAND Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) ...
CORSAIR iCUE SP120 RGB ELITE Performance 120mm White PWM Triple Fan Kit with iCUE Lighting Node
Enermax LIQMAX III 360 ARGB, All-in-one CPU Liquid Cooler for AM4 & AM5 / LGA 1700/1200/1151, 360mm Radiator
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X - 16-Core 4.5 GHz - Socket AM5 - 170W Desktop Processor (100-100000514WOF)
CORSAIR Vengeance 64GB (2 x 32GB) 288-Pin PC RAM DDR5 5200 (PC5 41600) Desktop Memory Model CMK64GX5M2B5200C40
ASUS TUF GAMING X670E-PLUS WIFI 6E Socket AM5 (LGA 1718) Ryzen 7000 ATX Gaming Motherboard (16 Power Stages, PCIe 5.0, .
Refurbished: CORSAIR RMx Series (2021) RM850x CP-9020200-NA/RF 850 W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular < I just notcied the word Refurbished when copying, hope it turns out okay

As for the case and the monitor, I have to stick with my local options which are limited.
A case i found for a 100$ is called Lian li lancool 2 mesh, I couldn't decide on how the components fit into it so I have not bought it yet
I also found a monitor called odyssey g7 curved ( lc27g75tqsmxue ), Is it good for archviz ? it is not exactly cheap ( 600$ ) but it is not gonna cost an extra 130$ for shipping because it is available locally. So you can say my budget is 400-450$ if you can recommend a better monitor

As for GPU, what do you think is the sweet spot for a gpu that can navigate 3dmax veiw port smoothly when working on big scenes ? < my definition of big scenes is around 20m polygons
Is the 3060 a good option still ? I rather not pay more than I definitely need for GPU, budget is tight

Thank you so much for your help

2022-11-24, 09:13:08
Reply #13

Juraj

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I would say do not buy anything from Enermax, esp. when it comes to AIOs.
AIOs in general had lot of bad rep lately (from non-Asetek sourced pumps), but Enermax is legendary for their poor track record.

Buy some of the market staples:

Air: NH-D15
AIO: Arctic Liquid Freezer II (This is the best AIO on market due to thicker rad) 360/420, or any of the popular Asetek models (NZXT, Corsair, EK, etc..). No really, buy the Arctic :- )

Even laptop integrated GPUs have smooth 3dsMax viewport, it's very little affected by GPU power. The important is to not run out of VRAM, so 8+, ideally 12+ GB GPU card is good otherwise you will be limited to 1-2K textures in viewport look and single 3dsMax instance open.

I am glad you scored a deal for the 7950X :- ) ! That was probably the only authentic Black Friday shit lol.
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2022-11-24, 12:19:56
Reply #14

Yousef13

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I would say do not buy anything from Enermax, esp. when it comes to AIOs.
AIOs in general had lot of bad rep lately (from non-Asetek sourced pumps), but Enermax is legendary for their poor track record.

Buy some of the market staples:

Air: NH-D15
AIO: Arctic Liquid Freezer II (This is the best AIO on market due to thicker rad) 360/420, or any of the popular Asetek models (NZXT, Corsair, EK, etc..). No really, buy the Arctic :- )

Even laptop integrated GPUs have smooth 3dsMax viewport, it's very little affected by GPU power. The important is to not run out of VRAM, so 8+, ideally 12+ GB GPU card is good otherwise you will be limited to 1-2K textures in viewport look and single 3dsMax instance open.

I am glad you scored a deal for the 7950X :- ) ! That was probably the only authentic Black Friday shit lol.

I thought AIO cooler is enough, what do you mean by AIR ?
I already purchased the list above along with the Enermax AIO, since I already bought i would give it a shot but do i need anything else regarding cooling ?

Okay so i will go with 3060 12gb GPU, hope it is enough