High-End 3950X PC Build for Video Editing, 3D Animation | Workstation Build $2200-$2500

This high-end PC build is meant for production and workstation tasks, including video editing (Premiere), 3D modeling, or similar. It'd also do well as a gaming PC build for a secondary task.

Depending on how you choose the parts below -- we've provided alternatives to some of the components -- you end up between $2150 and $2450 for the build. The motherboard could be cut down in cost a lot (alternatives below) and the RAM could be cut to 16GB, although we wouldn't recommend it for a production machine. The cooler could also be cut in cost, but then you'd want to buy a bigger case, as the P400A won't clear a lot of the good air coolers.

AMD R9 3950X PC BUILD PARTS LIST w/ ALTERNATIVES

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NOTE: If you go for an air cooler, you might need a case with more clearance. Check clearance specs.

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Editorial, Host: Steve Burke
Testing: Patrick Lathan
Assembly: Jake Henderson
Video: Andrew Coleman

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[Nethanieal]

Just gota say. I always want to see what kinda rigs you prefer for different purposes. Regardless of what other people think . This is a good video Steve. I value your experience and expert opinion when it comes to building PC's . Always curious to what kinda builds the pros use regardless of how much it costs . You and Jay2cents are the best resource for this . Cheers

[thepcenthusiastchannel]

The performance uplift from my Xeon E5-1680V2 clocked at 4.6GHz is incredible. I'm just running the Ryzen stock but my renders finish in far less time. I can also render two jobs at once and finish in less time than the old Xeon. This is a fantastic CPU.

[asysjr]

A top performance workstation chip, with low TDP, that can be put in a standard desktop motherboard.


The only problem with this chip is avaliability.

[MasterBasser]

Im so glad i grabbed a 3950x as soon as i saw it on amazon. it was gone within literally 2 minutes. Then I thought amazon would never ship it, got worried when the shipment date kept being pushed back despite overnight shipping... then it just shows up at my front door today. :D Now if only the motherboard would ship out too...

[timmahotool]

When Steve says we would totally steal this for our production if we did need it for testing you KNOW it's good!! GG

[derbsmcbergs]

I don't think I've ever commented on it before but the blue time bars on the sides of the charts are such a nice touch if you aren't interested in a particular set of data.

[rogerlost]

Something worth considering for a workstation is Nvidia's new "OptiX" rendering system. Blender just got updated to use it and now the lowly 2060 can render almost as fast as dual 1080tis. It's so much faster than just CUDA, it's insane. It's only for RTX cards, though.

There aren't any tests at the moment, but looking at Phoronix's testing results it seems like dual 2060s would probably be the best value for money in terms of performance per dollar.

[mattsdp]

Dude! This is the best AMD build video I have seen in over a year, exactly what I was looking for. Thanks Steve! Great job on this one. Gamer Jesus for the win!

[dtune]

Can we all take a second to appreciate the top down case lighting for this vid?

[thepolticalone]

I could have a gotten a cheaper table meeeh

[AEMiata]

You mention in this video that the MSI BIOS is one of the best for X570 and the AsRock BIOS isn't great. I know it wouldn't be easy, but would it be possible to create a video comparing each motherboard manufacturer's BIOS for a specific platform like X570? You could also discuss which manufacturers stick to AMD/Intel's recommended settings and which ones deviate to give some out of the box overclocking.

[alekobra]

I'm curious when arctic liquid freezer II review. I think it deserves

[troyvzwky]

Looking forward to seeing the review of the new Arctic CLC. I'm planning a new build next year, and I'm leaning toward going with the Liquid II based on the various other reviews I've seen and read. A positive GN review would seal the deal.

[EmblemParade]

Unbelievably good value workstation. The next leap to Threadripper is big in terms of $$$ and also in terms of performance, and of course if your business can afford it then go for it! But I''m just amazed at what ~$2k can give you right now with all components working well for the some heavy, complex workloads. These are magically affordable times for content creators.

[sharkstrangler]

Like seeing these different kinds of content. Keep it up GN!

[IV-fad]

Waiting for the Liquid Freezer II review I know it’s gonna be a chart topper!

[LandoCalrissiano]

Here's to hoping you guys try building a deep learning PC someday. It something I'm actually looking at building myself.

[bwjclego]

Very excellent video. I have a friend who I know will be looking for a good video production workstation for his little production company at some point soon (he just went full time!), and I was already thinking the 3950X seemed like the ideal candidate, but this gives me a much more solid base recommendation. I think this will be useful for a lot of people.

[spankroy]

I'd like to see this CPU with a nice air cooling setup.

[GregorMima]

Yeah I have nearly the same config, now I wish I could get the 3950x at all lol. I went for a 2070s tho and an air cooler.