Help me build a $2500-3500 CPU

[Peter Steele]

Hi guys,

I just got a new RED Scarlet Mysterium and am needing a computer to go with it now. I started off looking at the lower level mac pros and then started looking into hackintosh builds. After browsing these forums it seems like you can get more for your money with custom builds, but it sounds like hackintosh builds have not been the most reliable. I was hoping to use final cut just because its cheaper, but if a PC turns out to be the better deal I suppose Adobe might work.

Would any one be able to make recommendations for a full computer (minus the monitor) build for about $2500-3500?

I just want something that is going to be able to handle pretty big projects of 4k/5k raw footage and have a decent life span. If you have any recommendations they would be super helpful. Thanks

 

[Akin A]

With a $3500 CPU, you won't have room in the budget for a motherboard, RAM, GPU, storage, etc.

 

[Peter Steele]

heh sorry I meant to say $2500-3500 for the whole computer (minus the monitor), thanks for the clarification

 

[Troy Bakewell]

With an MX camera you might consider used rockets? They sure can be had for cheap these days.

I'm not a post guy so take that with a huge grain of salt.

 

[Daniel Keywan Hollister]

Here is a PCPartPicker link that's the basis for all of our editing workstations. Without monitors/accessories, this setup comes to $2873. We edit 4K/6K RED footage native in Premiere without issues. Definitely there are some adjustments you could make, either up or down on price. (I'd get a 980 Ti now, probably. And some people might not need the second SSD, or would be fine with one CPU lower.) Also keep in mind we edit everything over the network, so this doesn't include a lot of actual storage. But that can be remedied cheaply if your needs aren't too wild.

There's so many ways you can go with this, but whenever I build a new machine, I start out with this configuration and go from there.

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

With an MX camera you might consider used rockets? They sure can be had for cheap these days.

I'm not a post guy so take that with a huge grain of salt.

Forget the original Rocket. A GTX Titan Black GPU outperforms it in REDCINE-X and we get more performance still from a newer Titan X. If we move to software like Resolve or Premiere that don't rely on a paltry few threads and single stream/ single GPU acceleration, we can really open up the performance with newer many-core CPUs and multiple GPUs. The Rocket was the ideal solution in its time. Unfortunately in computer component time, 2 years is an eternity and we have found it far better to invest into more powerful systems and/ or multiple systems that can benefit all aspects of post or other tasks, while not investing into proprietary hardware that only offers benefits to certain formats or tasks. And often lose their luster as other tech advances around them. The current Rocket-X is again feeling the same pinch as the original Rocket. I would recommend a Rocket-X to those who have needs were it will be ideally suited. For many, however, a Rocket-X may not be an ideal solution. What is difficult is determining the needs of someone else. Especially when they're guessing at what they may need to begin with. My recommendation is to start with a decent workstation system and plan to build up, add on, add more systems. Don't go all-out and buy the monster PC or spend a lot on a proprietary accelerator card until you know where your workflow tools are coming up short.

 

[Jeffery Anderson]

Not sure there is any benefit in using a hack-in-tosh running iOS, compared to running Windows.

Kilgore, isn't the new 6GB 980 ti, better than the Titan Black? Newer version of DirectX to boot?

EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 06G-P4-4995-KR 6GB SC+ GAMING w/ACX 2.0+, Whisper Silent Cooling w/ Free Installed Backplate Graphics Card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=14-487-142

 

[Daniel Keywan Hollister]

Oh, the 980 Ti outperforms the Black, no questions asked. It's about neck-and-neck with the Titan X in most situations, so why not save the money? At this point, the 980 and all of its iterations are what people should be buying.

Regarding the hackintosh concept... you wouldn't want to run your editing software on the Mac side of that. I prefer OS X for general use and because I'm also a developer, but the hackintosh route is certainly not a stable one for production, and it can also be a huge pain to get working.