technology Need help with building new computer

[Nightfall Veilwing 1,138]

I’ve been wanting a new computer for quite some time now, but instead of buying a pre-built one at Walmart or Best Buy or something, I want to build it so I can have more control of what'll go into it. I’m going for a computer that I can use for creative works since, and I’ve heard that most people who do creative works, such as video-editing and digital art/design, used Macs, but I’m not really into Apple, so I’d like to have the creative-oriented part of a Mac for this computer I ant to build.

 

I’ll be using this computer for my dream career, which is doing several things in the creative field, such as 2D and 3D animation, CGI, 3D printing, making my own videos and movies, and a few other things.

For the software, I’ll be using several Adobe programs:

• After Effects
• Animate
• Audition
• Bridge
• Illustrator
• Photoshop
• Premiere Pro

And I'll use Blender and/or Maya for the CGI.

 

For the computer’s OS, I’d like to stick with Windows 10 since I’m used to it, but a friend of mine says that Windows would compress and degrade the quality of the videos, which Mac don’t do, and he also said that the MP4 video format degrades quality, too, but let me know if either is true or not.

I do want to make 1080p HD and 4K quality stuff without the quality being compromised.

I was also wanting this computer to have 3 monitors on a stand with those arm things that are posable and would let me rotate the monitors. The resolution would be 1920×1080px for each monitor.

For the tower, I’d like to have a small one so it wouldn’t take that much space.

For the RAM, I’ll be needing plenty of it because I want the software I’ll be using to run smoothly and not lag on me. Do you think I should go with 64GB, 128GB, or should I go for more?

For the processor, I know nothing about this, so what do you think I should use? And is 5.0GHz fast?

For the hard drive, I heard of the benefits of an SSD, but the traditional HDD had some good factors, too, so should I do both? I’d like this computer to have several TBs of space since I’ll be making a lot of content.

 

If any of you have built your own computers, what parts would you recommend for how I want my computer to be? And do you have any answers to the questions that I asked when explaining what I’m going for? I understand that this computer might be a bit for expensive than a Mac, but for I have planned for it, I'd say it'll be worth it.

I appreciate the help.

[Splashee 28,564]

1 hour ago, Millennium Shadow said:

I’ll be using this computer for my dream career, which is doing several things in the creative field, such as 2D and 3D animation, CGI, 3D printing, making my own videos and movies, and a few other things.

That is a wonderful dream to have, and definitely a good place to spend money

You seem to already know what you need. And you know the issues and problems with Apple even if they have advanced in technology lately. I really trust that you can both build this computer, and get the right hardware for it!

I got my computer back in 2013, dream setup, dual Nvidia cards, but the memory is still on the low side (just 4 GB), and I have been doing Blender, and Photoshop, and all kinds of advanced things even this year! It seems that you do need a lot of memory to really be able to work. And also, like the comment above, SSD drive is a -must have-, especially for the boot drive, but also if you are doing like 4K video and need to access stuff from disk.

[Nightfall Veilwing 1,138]

 @-Solstice-

Quote

124GB should be good for you.

Did you mean 128GB? 
——————————————————————————————

Quote

You should do SSD only because hard drives are slow and get slower over time.

Do they make multi-TB SSDs? 
Should I use a SSD or an HDD for backup? 
——————————————————————————————

Quote

Upgrade to Windows 11.

Why Win11? Isn't that OS terrible? 

Besides, I found a tutorial on how to make Win10 look like Win11. 

[Nightfall Veilwing 1,138]

@Splashee

Quote

You seem to already know what you need.

You think I do? I really don't know anything about building a computer, and I could be missing some details. 
——————————————————————————————

Quote

It seems that you do need a lot of memory to really be able to work. And, also, like the comment above, SSD drive is a must have, especially for the boot drive, but also if you are doing like 4K video and need to access stuff from disk.

I was thinking of the SDD having 5TB, or more. 

And I do want this computer to be able to boot up quickly and be ready practically immediately like a morning person. 
——————————————————————————————————————————————————
@-Solstice-

Quote

I am thinking you should use an SSD as a backup.

How much space? I was think multiple TBs. 
——————————————————————————————

Quote

And about Windows 11, I don't understand what people have against it; it works perfectly for me.

I do like how Win11 look, mind you. 

[Sophie 1,475]

For video/photo editing I would recommend this: 

CPU: Intel 9 12900 (K if you want to overclock (Since Video editing loves cores, make sure to get one that has plenty of cores!)) but to be honest, I would wait for the 13th generation OR wait for Ryzen 7000 which should be released both this Q3
RAM: 128GB (the more, the better!)
Storage: SSD for OS while you use a M.2 SSD for your programs, an external HDD would be useful for saving your Files and projects
For a graphic card I would recommend one with at least 10GB of VRam. (Nvidia would be more useful since they support much more features)

as OS I would recommend Win 10 since most programs support it perfectly.

[Nightfall Veilwing 1,138]

4 hours ago, Sophie H. said:

For video/photo editing I would recommend this: 

CPU: Intel 9 12900 (K if you want to overclock (Since Video editing loves cores, make sure to get one that has plenty of cores!)) but to be honest, I would wait for the 13th generation OR wait for Ryzen 7000 which should be released both this Q3
RAM: 128GB (the more, the better!)
Storage: SSD for OS while you use a M.2 SSD for your programs, an external HDD would be useful for saving your Files and projects
For a graphic card I would recommend one with at least 10GB of VRam. (Nvidia would be more useful since they support much more features)

as OS I would recommend Win 10 since most programs support it perfectly.

What does it mean to overclock? And what are cores? 

You think 256GB of RAM would overdoing it?

Why do you recommend using an SSD for my software but an external HDD for all my work?

And do you know if Windows 10 is good or creative works? I've heard that Macs are better for that.

[Sophie 1,475]

6 minutes ago, Millennium Shadow said:

What does it mean to overclock? And what are cores? 

You think 256GB of RAM would overdoing it?

Why do you recommend using an SSD for my software but an external HDD for all my work?

And do you know if Windows 10 is good or creative works? I've heard that Macs are better for that.

Overclocking means that you push the frequenz of a CPU much higher so it works even more efficient, the only problem that comes with overclocking is that the CPU gets much more hot.
 

Each CPU core can perform operations separately from the others. Mulitple cores may also work together to perform parallel operations on a shared set of data in the CPU's memory cache.

I think for the start are 128GB fine, you could even start with 64GB and then upgrade later if you feel like it isn't enough  
I for myself use a 250GB SSD just for the operation system while I've a 2TB (2000GB) M.2 SSD for my programs. the HDD as extern media is a good way to save your projects in case your computer breaks down. Also it's much more easy to transport your project files to another computer this way.
Sadly I don't have any experience with Macs but I heard from friends that they are perfect! but also very expensive, my biggest problem with Macs is that most programs I use don't operate with the OS from Apple.

[Nightfall Veilwing 1,138]

12 minutes ago, Sophie H. said:

Overclocking means that you push the frequenz of a CPU much higher so it works even more efficient, the only problem that comes with overclocking is that the CPU gets much more hot.
 

Each CPU core can perform operations separately from the others. Mulitple cores may also work together to perform parallel operations on a shared set of data in the CPU's memory cache.

I think for the start are 128GB fine, you could even start with 64GB and then upgrade later if you feel like it isn't enough  
I for myself use a 250GB SSD just for the operation system while I've a 2TB (2000GB) M.2 SSD for my programs. the HDD as extern media is a good way to save your projects in case your computer breaks down. Also it's much more easy to transport your project files to another computer this way.
Sadly I don't have any experience with Macs but I heard from friends that they are perfect! but also very expensive, my biggest problem with Macs is that most programs I use don't operate with the OS from Apple.

So my computer will need a cool system, correct?
I typically keep the temp in my place at 18°C (64°F), so it ought to stay cool.

I was thinking that I would get a 2nd external HDD for backing up my work. 
And what does "M.2" mean, exactly?

I'm not really into Apple.  I've owned only 1 Apple product in my life, and it was preowned. It was the 1st gen iPod Shuffle.
I guess you could say I'd like my computer to have the good qualities of both the PC and Mac.

[Sophie 1,475]

1 minute ago, Millennium Shadow said:

And what does "M.2" mean, exactly?

it's a next gen form factor for storage 

I had only iphones before, never a mac before, so I don't have any experiences with it, sorry :c 

[Nightfall Veilwing 1,138]

5 minutes ago, Sophie H. said:

it's a next gen form factor for storage 

Oh? What's new about it?

[Sophie 1,475]

2 minutes ago, Millennium Shadow said:

Oh? What's new about it?

It's much more faster in reading and writing data! like 

A HDD has a writing and reading of about 250mb/s and 200mb/s
A SSD has a writing and reading of about 550mb/s and 500mb/s
A M.2 has a writing and reading of about 7GB/s and 6 GB/s!  

[Nightfall Veilwing 1,138]

10 minutes ago, Sophie H. said:

A M.2 has a writing and reading of about 7GB/s and 6 GB/s!  

Damn!

Sounds like how in that one episode of Futurama where Fry drank 100 cups of coffee and was able to move so fast that nobody around him was able to notice.
This is what I'm referring to in case you don't know.

Spoiler

 

Is there anything else you'd recommend for this computer?

[Sophie 1,475]

3 minutes ago, Millennium Shadow said:

Sounds like how in that one episode of Futurama where Fry drank 100 cups of coffee and was able to move so fast that nobody around him was able to notice.
This is what I'm referring to in case you don't know.

I LOVE Futurama! so yeah, I know what you mean 

Mhhhh, nothing I can think of right now  

[Nightfall Veilwing 1,138]

1 hour ago, Sophie H. said:

Mhhhh, nothing I can think of right now  

Well, thanks for you recommendations for the parts you mentioned.

Though, do you have any recommendations for the motherboard or the power source?

Edited July 22, 2022 by Millennium Shadow

[Sophie 1,475]

Moments ago, Millennium Shadow said:

Well, thanks for you recommendations for the parts you mentioned.

Though, do you have any recommendations for the motherboard or the power source?

You're very welcome!
 

Well, it depends on what CPU and GPU you're going to get, 
Like, AMD or Intel, or Nvidia and AMD and so on, when I've  that informations, I can tell you what kind of mainboard you can get and what power source would be good

[Nightfall Veilwing 1,138]

9 minutes ago, Sophie H. said:

You're very welcome!
 

Well, it depends on what CPU and GPU you're going to get, 
Like, AMD or Intel, or Nvidia and AMD and so on, when I've  that informations, I can tell you what kind of mainboard you can get and what power source would be good

And how much do the brands of the parts matter? I'm worried about getting parts that wouldn't be compatible with the other parts.

[Sophie 1,475]

2 minutes ago, Millennium Shadow said:

And how much do the brands of the parts matter? I'm worried about getting parts that wouldn't be compatible with the other parts.

Just tell me what you want and I can build a computer for you so you can just copy and paste the names of the part c:

[Nightfall Veilwing 1,138]

29 minutes ago, Sophie H. said:

Just tell me what you want and I can build a computer for you so you can just copy and paste the names of the part c:

By that, do you mean build the actual computer itself or figure out what I'll need for it?

I was also want one of those drawing tablets with a screen. I want to be able to see what the hell I'm doing!
I did get a Wacom tablet, but I lost the stylus, and I couldn't get the hang of it at all.

Edited July 22, 2022 by Millennium Shadow

[Sophie 1,475]

1 minute ago, Millennium Shadow said:

By that, do you mean build the actual computer itself or figure out what I'll need for it?

What you'll need for it :3

1 minute ago, Millennium Shadow said:

I was also want one of those drawing tablets with a screen. I want to be able to see what the hell I'm doing!

Mhhhhhh... maybe you could get a laptop with a touchscreen on it! there are some that have really enough power for you work! plus you can carry them around

[Nightfall Veilwing 1,138]

6 minutes ago, Sophie H. said:

What you'll need for it :3

Was there something you were wanting to know about what I wanted for this computer that I haven't said yet?

6 minutes ago, Sophie H. said:

Mhhhhhh... maybe you could get a laptop with a touchscreen on it! there are some that have really enough power for you work! plus you can carry them around

This was a laptop that I've been wanting to get. Would that work?

[Sophie 1,475]

8 minutes ago, Millennium Shadow said:

Was there something you were wanting to know about what I wanted for this computer that I haven't said yet?

This was a laptop that I've been wanting to get. Would that work?

Well, how much money do you want to spend? Then I'll can look for a laptop instead since you're more portable with it.

[Nightfall Veilwing 1,138]

On 2022-07-22 at 4:14 PM, Sophie H. said:

Well, how much money do you want to spend? Then I'll can look for a laptop instead since you're more portable with it.

It's a case I want to spend as little as possible, but I'm willing to pay for what I need, if that makes sense.

Edited July 24, 2022 by Millennium Shadow

[BornAgainBrony 2,397]

21 hours ago, -Solstice- said:

@Millennium Shadow

I do mean 128GB, yes. I am thinking you should use an SSD as a backup. And about Windows 11 - I don't understand what people have against it, it works perfectly for me.

Why would you want to use an SSD as the backup drive? HDD's are much more suited to sitting around doing nothing for extended periods of time (which is why most of the big MyBooks are HDD). SSD's are much more suited to being subjected to tons of read/write, which is why they're recommended for the system drive.

 

 

21 hours ago, Splashee said:

I got my computer back in 2013, dream setup, dual Nvidia cards, but the memory is still on the low side (just 4 GB), and I have been doing Blender, and Photoshop, and all kinds of advanced things even this year! It seems that you do need a lot of memory to really be able to work. And also, like the comment above, SSD drive is a -must have-, especially for the boot drive, but also if you are doing like 4K video and need to access stuff from disk.

That's surely going to send the cost of the PC waaaaay up. 4K is terribly expensive to do. You'd probably need a RAID system (for the benefit of OP, that's basically an array of hard drives sitting in a box, working together to form one wicked-fast giant hard drive), to store all the data, and some of those monsters can cost as much as the PC.

I haven't even tried to touch 4K yet, but my current hybrid gaming/media studio PC still puts a lot of strain on the hard drives, just from doing HD. @Millennium Shadow Unless you've got a really big budget, I wouldn't recommend 4K video, especially if you're just starting out with learning how to do this stuff. The data storage demands for 4K are just insane, especially once you start doing complex multi-layer composites.

I keep the SSD for system files and applications, and occasionally put media source files there if they're going to be accessed constantly. But the rest of the rig consists of four HDD's. Three of them I use to store various source files for the video projects. If I know certain files are going to be accessed simultaneously during playback or rendering, I'll spread those out across the three HDD's so the drives don't have to do extra work jumping back and forth (which slows everything down, and wears the drives out faster). The final drive is where I output the renders.

Sure, a bunch of big SSD's are preferable (if you can even find them), but if you're not running a professional studio, they're just not very cost-effective. SSD prices haven't come down nearly far enough yet.

A Western Digital Blue 4TB SSD costs $400.
A Western Digital Blue 4TB HDD costs $64.

[Nightfall Veilwing 1,138]

Quote

It's a case I want to spend as little as possible, but I'm willing to pay for what I need, if that makes sense. 

@Sophie H. You know what I mean?

[Sophie 1,475]

16 minutes ago, Millennium Shadow said:

@Sophie H. You know what I mean?

I do! but a good laptop for that isn't cheap though, they start at $1000+