Need Advice for Order

Hi there~
I'm looking for another set of eyes on this before I order (tonight/tomorrow morning).
Please and thank you!

Budget:
I'm coming over to DS from an old Alienware (long overdue for replacement but its been a champ).
I'm shooting for around a ~$4K budget (I want to get a new monitor though too... so ~$3500 for the desktop).
I don't want to pay the premium for cutting edge tech. I'd like to be in that sweet spot of 80% max-performance with down-the-road upgradability, while meeting my use needs.

Expectations:
Must perform with Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects
Must perform with Blender (mainly modeling for STLs and still image rendering)
Must perform for streaming (multi-camera rig YouTube, OBS, no e-sports gaming)
Would like to have sound editing (Audacity with mic atm)... room to improve.
Would like to have solid gaming and 4K capability (Cyberpunk2077, Star Citizen, No Man's Sky... I'm not doing shooters like CoD, Battlefield, Overwatch, etc.). Gaming is tertiary use (<4 hours/wk)
Would like the machine to look nice, but it doesn't need to look like Tron. I've got a new studio. Some glow > black box.

Usage:
I'll use this for work (Digital Producer). 30 tabs open.
I'll use this for illustration, design, and photo editing.
I'll use this for content creation (video editing 1080p atm... needs to be upgradable into full 4K work).
I'll use this for digital marketing, writing books, and general daily use.


Special Needs:
I would like storage expansion capabilities (moving into 4K videos and short films)... external and cloud storage might suffice.
I video conference call and record audio, so keeping the machine on the quieter side would be nice. Studio does have sound foam though.



Configuration Code: 4634173

Chassis Model: Digital Storm Lumos
Processor: Intel Core i7-13700KF (5.4 GHz Turbo) (24-Thread) (16-Core) 3.4 GHz (Raptor Lake)
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero (Wi-Fi) (Z790) (Up to 3x PCI-E) (No SLI) (DDR5)
System Memory: 32GB DDR5 5200MHz Kingston FURY Beast
Power Supply: 1000W Digital Storm Performance Series (Semi-Modular) (80 Plus Gold)
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD M.2 (1TB Samsung 980 PRO) (NVM Express)
Storage Set 2: 1x SSD M.2 (2TB Samsung 980 PRO) (NVM Express)
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Graphics Card(s): 1x GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12GB (VR Ready)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex Liquid CPU Cooler (Dual Fan) (Fully Sealed + No Maintenance)
OS Boost: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial services on the operating system
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Home (64-Bit)
Recovery Tools: USB Drive - Windows Installation (Format and Clean Install)
Virus Protection: Windows Defender Antivirus (Built-in to Windows)
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)

* Any advice on money better spent on component swaps?
* I'm not sure about the motherboard. I like the connections but it might be overkill... or free up money for component swaps. Does downgrading the motherboard in favor of a sound card make more sense? vs external sound card later?
* I've been reading that putting the OS on the first SSD and files on the second SSD is the way to go. (Not sure, coming over from HDDs). Video file (clips and final) will likely cause me to purchase external drives for storage.
* No idea on cooling.

Originally posted by Hort I "might" consider upping to an I9 but as it is another $250-ish, probably not worth it.

Agreed, but here are some comparisons anyway:

Intel Core i7 13700K Blender benchmark - Gamers Nexus (YouTube)

Adobe Photoshop: 13th Gen Intel Core vs AMD Ryzen 7000 | Puget Systems

Adobe After Effects: 13th Gen Intel Core vs AMD Ryzen 7000 | Puget Systems

Originally posted by AthagaMor Must perform for streaming (multi-camera rig YouTube, OBS, no e-sports gaming)

The 13700K should be fine for that as well. It has 16 cores and can handle up to 24 threads. The E-cores are great/there to handle all of those background tasks while the P-cores plow through the foreground stuff. Furthermore:

Originally posted by Nvidia Video editors and livestreamers are getting a massive boost, too. New dual encoders cut video export times nearly in half. Live streamers get encoding benefits with the eighth-generation NVIDIA Encoder, including support for AV1 encoding.

Source: Creativity Redefined: New GeForce RTX 40 Series GPUs and NVIDIA Studio Updates Accelerate AI Revolution

Originally posted by AthagaMor Must perform with Blender (mainly modeling for STLs and still image rendering)

I think, the RTX 4070 Ti should be plenty for that workload. I'd only suggest jumping to the 4090 if you know you'll be working with very complex models and high res textures.

Blender System Requirements & PC Recommendations | CGDirector

Blender: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series Performance | Puget Systems

Originally posted by AthagaMor I video conference call and record audio, so keeping the machine on the quieter side would be nice.

Originally posted by AthagaMor No idea on cooling.

This is where/when the Stage 3 Vortex (triple fan, 360mm AIO) should be beneficial (i.e., similar cooling at slower fan speeds).

The BEST AIO Liquid Cooler - A Guide to the RIGHT Size | Hardware Canucks (YouTube)

Originally posted by AthagaMor I've been reading that putting the OS on the first SSD and files on the second SSD is the way to go. (Not sure, coming over from HDDs). Video file (clips and final) will likely cause me to purchase external drives for storage.

I'm not sure how much it would benefit OBS, but typical pro video production rigs -- that is, if you don't use a NAS -- have two or three internal drives.

Understanding Storage for Video Editing | Puget Systems

For example:

Storage Set 1 (OS, programs, and general media such as music or photos): 500GB or 1TB Samsung 980 Pro
Storage Set 2 (Current/recent project/work files): 1TB or 2TB Samsung 980 Pro
Storage Set 3 (Cache/"Scratch"): 500GB Digital Storm M.2 Performance Series) (NVM Express)

Apps such as Photoshop can benefit from a dedicated scratch disk. Plus a dedicated scratch disk helps prevent wear on other, crucial SSDs.

For mass storage/archiving, HDDs are still valuable. The Lumos supports up to two 3.5-inch drives. If you bring some from your current PC, I'd recommend adding that to your order notes so they are guaranteed to be pre-wired and not obstructed.

Originally posted by AthagaMor I'm not sure about the motherboard. I like the connections but it might be overkill... or free up money for component swaps. Does downgrading the motherboard in favor of a sound card make more sense? vs external sound card later?

Foremost, count up your necessary peripherals (e.g., webcam(s), keyboard, mouse, storage) and figure out which benefit from SuperSpeed USB. Then, check the motherboard specs to discover how many and what speed USB ports are included on the rear IO. IO is the most significant difference of motherboard features.

As for the audio/sound card:

External DACs vs. soundcards | Paul McGowan

In addition to literally noisy (i.e., sound contamination (e.g., fans)), the inside of a PC contains a lot of electrical interference (which is one of the top complaints, if any, about onboard audio).

Edited by MrCheetah - 01 Mar 2023 at 12:20am