Best PC builds for 3D modeling?

Hey everyone, a friend of mine just landed some serious funding for a new project, so she asked me to put together a high-end workstation for 3D modeling and animation (Rhino, Autodesk Fusion, 3ds Max, Blender).

Here’s what I’ve cobbled together from Micro Center:

Intel Core i9-9900K (4.6GHz,70MB,105W,LGA1151) box with cooler
ASUS MAG Intel X299 Tomahawk WIFI, Intel X299, LGA1151, 7C84-001R
2x DDR4 32GB (2x16) G.Skill 3200Mhz Ripjaws V, F4-3200C16D-32GVK
Gigabyte RTX2080 SUPER Gaming OC, 8GB GDDR6, GV-N208SGAMING
Patriot SSD 1TB, Corsair Dominator, VP4100, M.2 2280, NVMe, PCIe 4.0 x4, VP4100
Toshiba 4TB 3.5" 7200rpm, 128MB, Intel NUC, Bulk Hardware
Phanteks Eclipse P400S Black/Red RGB, PH-EC416PSTG_BR
EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G5, 80 PLUS Gold, Modular, SSR-750FX
Noctua NH-D14

Dell UltraSharp 27" AH IPS, 2x HDMI/ DisplayPort 1.2/mini DisplayPort 1.2

TOTAL:
$7712 microcenter.com

She was advised to hold off until the RTX 30-series hits the US—any idea when those might actually be available here?

Zen 3 probably won't be hitting our local shelves for at least another month or two, and she can't wait that long because she likely needs to enter a competition before then.

So, I know the GPU is a bit of a question mark, but any smart suggestions or changes for the rest of the build?

It really comes down to what you actually need from the build. Personally, I’d lean toward an ASUS board like the Taichi series because of the robust power delivery, the triple M.2 slots, the Intel networking chip, and having more SATA ports available. It carries a premium price tag, though, so it really depends on your budget and priorities. To be honest, every single ASUS product I’ve owned has felt a bit lower quality than I expected—and I’m not alone in that; a few colleagues of mine have had similar experiences too.

HP monitors are great, but in my experience, they tend to be a bit overpriced. You can almost certainly find a display with the exact same specs for a better price; it’s just a matter of looking. Besides, where is the USB-C port? It’s frustrating when those things are missing.

I’m currently running a Patriot Hellfire SSD, and while it performs well, it runs incredibly hot and heats up my entire case. I’ve been thinking about swapping it out for a while now. In my second slot, I have a Samsung 970 EVO which is actually faster and keeps much cooler than that Patriot drive. Honestly, if I were you, I’d steer clear of those budget-tier vendors. We all know who the real industry leaders are when it comes to storage and reliability.

As for RAM... well, if you can find something with higher speeds, just go for it. The manufacturers definitely benefit from those higher clock speeds.

I don't even think the GPU needs much discussion. Waiting for something in the 3070 class or better is pretty much the only logical move here.

I don't have the bandwidth right now to sit down and vet every single replacement component I would suggest, so I'll leave it at that.

The Taichi is way too pricey. Honestly, the VRM and phase regulation on the Tomahawk are top-tier, right up there with high-end offerings—actually, according to some tests, it even outperforms the Taichi. -> CLICK As for extra slots and stuff, I don't see myself ever needing them, so the price gap just isn't worth it to me.

Regarding the monitor, I know it’s probably one of the best out there for this specific setup, so I just went with it without overthinking things too much.

This Patriot is a PCIe 4.0 SSD, which puts it in a different league compared to the Samsung 970. The 980 Pro that just came out is also PCIe 4.0, though it hasn't hit the shelves here yet (which wouldn't surprise me if it ends up being twice the price). In reality, there isn't a huge difference in real-world usage (yet), mostly because software isn't fully optimized to take advantage of those PCIe 4.0 speeds, so this feels more like an investment for the future than anything else.

I could probably spring for 3600MHz RAM for a few extra bucks, and since I'm running a Ryzen, I’ll likely end up doing that. 👍

And for the GPU, definitely... I'm just not sure when they'll actually be available here? The 3080 will probably be around ~$2333, and the 3070 hasn't even launched in the USA yet, so it'll be at least another month before we see them.

That Dell setup feels like total overkill if you're just diving into 3D modeling or animation, isn't it? Honestly, all you really need is a decent sRGB monitor that costs maybe half as much—ideally a solid 32" 4K display... because, let's face it, the color gamut on this specific Dell is way more than anyone actually needs for this kind of work.

If you're planning on doing some serious animation work, wouldn't it make more sense to take the money you'd spend on that high-end monitor and the priciest RTX card and instead invest it in a small farm of mid-range Nvidia GPUs running Octane?

To be honest, I'm not going to pretend I know the first thing about 3D modeling—beyond messing around with Python and some parametric modeling in Pyvist—so I'll take any advice you've got if you actually know your stuff.
A mid-range Nvidia farm? Using Octane?

I already mentioned the software she uses, though I'm not sure if she's looking to switch things up. Given that, what kind of monitor would actually make sense here?

Regarding that motherboard, MSI is an absolute best buy at this price point when you look at the specs; there's really no debate there. Most of those tests you're seeing are "just" focused on thermals, so that's essentially the only metric that matters here. As for the expansion slots... well, it all comes down to how many drives and other components you plan on cramming into the case down the road.

I’ve learned the hard way that you can be pretty disappointed with Dell when they ship the exact same monitor series to an entire office. They all come from the same production line—say, one costs around $250—but once you line them up side-by-side, the calibration is all over the place. One looks yellowish while the next looks stark white. Even resetting everything to factory defaults doesn't fix it, which makes sense. It totally shattered any illusions I had about professional color accuracy or the supposed superiority of Dell displays. At the end of the day, you have to manually calibrate every single unit anyway. You could do the same thing with any third-party monitor, really. But yeah, it was a letdown.

If I were looking at Patriot, I'd probably pick just any SSD over them, like maybe a Corsair MP600 instead. Obviously, PCIe 4.0 isn't the same as 3.0, so I completely understand why you went with your choice. I'm just saying that if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't go that route, and I've already explained my reasoning 😉 in case Samsung ends up being too overpriced for your budget.

For the GPU, your best bet is to check directly with retailers and suppliers (like Best Buy or Micro Center). I only mentioned the 3070 because its performance tier is comparable to a 2080, and honestly, it's better. I've heard there might be some issues with the 3080, so it's possible that beyond just being sold out, manufacturers have slowed down production to iron things out. From what I read online, the specific vendor matters quite a bit; for instance, Asus apparently only has one reported issue, whereas Palit seems to have more. But then again, like with most things, you can usually just solve the problem by downclocking, blah blah blah...

Adam Moore3 said:To be perfectly honest, I'm certainly not going to pretend I know anything about 3D modeling—aside from a little bit of tinkering with Python and some parametric modeling in Pyvist—so I’ll gladly take any advice from someone who actually knows what they're talking about.
A mid-range Nvidia farm? An Octane renderer?

The software mentioned was her own choice, and I have no way of knowing if she's willing to switch things up, but given those tools, what kind of monitor would actually make sense in this scenario?

Just to clarify, Octane is a plugin used with Blender and various other 3D software packages:

https://home.otoy.com/render/octane-render/purchase/

Like I mentioned, she really only needs that if she plans on rendering lengthy final cuts or working in extremely high resolutions like 4K...

Regarding the monitor, my point is mainly that spending $900 might be overkill here. A 27" WQHD 75Hz display would likely suffice—and you'll actually notice a smoother feel when rotating objects during the modeling process—all while costing about half as much, which allows that extra budget to be redirected toward the GPU.

For example: https://www.amazon.com/asus-monitor...7-16-9-7697001

Kuzim, I’ll suggest Octane to her if she thinks she can actually make use of it.
The main reason I included that monitor was because I saw it in person once—the image quality was incredible—plus a buddy of mine who does professional photo editing raved about it. Most reviews seem to back that up, too.

Once I find out when the 3080 arrives here in the States, I might just pivot my budget toward the 3080 instead and grab a cheaper monitor like the one you suggested.

I'm still not quite following what you mean by an "Nvidia mid-range farm"? Are you talking about running multiple GPUs in SLI since Octane handles them so efficiently?

EDIT: Best Buy says the 3000 series should be available by late October or early November. 😵

Adam Moore3 said:Once I find out when the 3080 actually arrives here in the States, I might just pivot my budget toward that card instead and pick up a more budget-friendly monitor, similar to the one you suggested.

I'm still a little unclear on what you meant by an "Nvidia mid-range render farm," though? Are you referring to running multiple GPUs via SLI since Octane is so efficient at utilizing them?

Not SLI, actually—you should probably take a look at the FAQ:

https://home.otoy.com/render/octane-render/faqs/

You could set up a render farm over a LAN using several different machines with very inexpensive components, provided the GPU itself is powerful enough, or you could go with a single motherboard featuring two or more PCIe 4.0 slots to house multiple GPUs. It really comes down to figuring out exactly what the software requires. Wouldn't it be a cost-effective strategy to start with a multi-GPU motherboard and one high-end card, then gradually add more later? Just keep in mind they would need to have matching VRAM, with at least 8 GB to be viable.

Ultimately, everything depends on whether the specific project actually necessitates a full farm and if there's enough budget allocated for it, or if simply having a couple of GPUs on one board will suffice. I don't have direct experience working with Octane myself, but I know someone who uses it professionally alongside Lightwave for architectural renderings and commercial work.

P.S. If you're sticking with just one GPU for now or in the long run, the 3080 is significantly faster at rendering than the 2080 Super, so it’s definitely worth shifting that budget away from the monitor and toward the GPU instead. In fact, without doing any formal math, wouldn't it be smarter to opt for a slightly lower-end CPU so she can put that extra cash toward a 3090, assuming they aren't priced out of reach here in the States? Though, let's face it, they probably will be.

Have a look at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itNW...VIDIADeveloper and also this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lTT...l=NVIDIAStudio

If she's planning to apply for those small business tax credits for freelancers, I don't think there will be any issues if, when she actually goes to buy everything, she picks a different GPU than the one she originally specified. As I recall, there's usually a 15% margin allowed on the total price, so does it really matter if it isn't the exact same component listed on the paperwork?

If I were building a rig specifically to act like a Bitcoin mining machine—picking out a beefy CPU and basing everything around a few high-end best buys for GPUs—would that actually make sense?

What you suggested is way too complicated. She’s looking for something basically plug&play. She isn't some IT expert who's going to build out a whole GPU farm over a LAN; she just wants to run the Adobe suite. 😁
Honestly, I think with a 3080, everything will fly, and the setup won't be a headache. I’m definitely going to tell her to hold off on buying anything until the 3080 is actually available here. If it doesn't fit the budget, we'll just shift the money from the monitor over to the 3080.

Thanks for all the advice, anyway! 👍

Hmm... You didn't mention Adobe, and they don't really have much in the way of dedicated 3D applications—maybe Dimensions or the occasional Cinema 4D plugin—plus you hadn't mentioned any of them at the start... if she's just starting her journey into the world of 3D, then almost everything I suggested might be a bit off the mark, wouldn't it?

She mentioned those specific programs along with the Adobe suite. I didn't dig too deep into the details since I don't really follow all this stuff myself. Honestly, given the budget we're working with, it probably doesn't matter exactly which software version we pick—we're aiming for a practical, no-nonsense solution regardless.

To be honest, I have no clue how much she actually knows about it. 🙂

Personally, I think this build is solid, though you really need to double-check if that motherboard and RAM actually play nice together, because compatibility issues can be a real headache... I definitely don't see eye to eye with what Adam Moore3 was saying earlier about the Dell being overkill. It’s absolutely not overkill; honestly, color accuracy is everything here. Like, seriously important. Now, whether Dell's quality control is consistent enough to ensure you aren't getting ten different calibrations on ten different units... well, I wouldn't know, I don't really go that deep into their manufacturing specs, but I've got an older version of that monitor and it's been fantastic.
If you're planning on doing any heavy GPU rendering, you're going to need a beefier graphics card, specifically something from the Nvidia RTX series.
So, yeah, just my two cents...

P.S. One more thing—those Ryzen chips tend to run pretty hot, especially when you're running long CPU render jobs. Everyone says that Noctua cooler performs just as well as liquid cooling, but in my experience, that's just not quite how it plays out... I ended up buying an extra Noctua fan and cramming as many as I could possibly fit into the case.

Anyway, just something to think about.

amberhawk5 said:In my view, this build looks solid, though I’d definitely suggest double-checking the compatibility between the motherboard and the RAM, as that can sometimes be a bit tricky. I have to disagree with the gentleman above who suggested that a Dell might be overkill for this type of work; if anything, color accuracy is absolutely critical here. It really is vital. Now, whether Dell's quality control is consistent enough to ensure you don't end up with ten different calibrations out of the box is something I can't speak to with certainty, but I do own an older model of this specific monitor and I honestly couldn't be happier with it.

With all due respect, while a properly calibrated monitor is certainly important, there are plenty of Dell monitors available that come factory-calibrated at nearly half the price, even if they lack the wide color gamut that makes this particular model such an advantage. Does one truly need to pay a premium for DCI-P3 or Adobe RGB color space just for modeling purposes? I once had an older, highly-regarded Dell U-series monitor where the "factory-calibrated" sRGB mode was practically useless because the white balance leaned far too red, and even its sRGB gamut felt slightly off; meanwhile, the other modes offered a gamut so wide that you simply can't manage it without a colorimeter. While I would love to own a monitor like this and actually utilize its advanced features, is it strictly necessary for this specific task?

wanderingbison9 said:With all due respect, sure, the monitor matters and having it calibrated to a specific standard is great, but there are plenty of Dell monitors out there that come factory calibrated and cost half as much, even if they don't boast a wide color gamut, which honestly feels like an advantage here... I mean, what are you actually going to do with DCI-P3 or Adobe RGB color space for modeling, and why pay the premium for it? I once had one of those older, hyped-up Dell U-series models where the "factory calibrated" sRGB mode was basically useless because the white balance was way too red, plus the sRGB gamut wasn't even quite right, while every other mode just had a massive gamut that you can't even manage without a colorimeter in hand... I'd love to own a screen like that and actually put those extra features to use, but for this kind of work, it's really not necessary.

When it comes to modeling, yeah, I agree, it doesn't matter at all, but modeling eventually leads to some kind of photo or video output, and for that, it's incredibly important... Everything you need for photo editing is also necessary when you're doing 3D visualizations, or at least it is for my clients...

amberhawk5 said:When it comes to modeling, I agree that it doesn't really matter, but at the end of the day, modeling results in some kind of photo or video output, which makes it quite important. Everything you need for photo editing is also necessary during 3D visualization, at least according to my clients.

If that's the case, you really have to know exactly what you're doing. You need to understand how to properly activate and configure color management across every single application in your workflow.

The general issue on these forums is that people tend to ask for advice without actually specifying their exact process or the type of output they are trying to achieve, don't you think?