buffalotuna :
I'm looking to spend 1
$1500, but am willing to spring for the ~$200 more for better ram if it'd give enough of a difference in performance. This is my first personal editing PC. I worked on a Mac in the library in uni, but I never thought to check its specs.
Oh I see. So you're not upgrading an old PC where you can scrap some parts. You need 100% new parts.
Within this budget I would recommend this configuration:
PCPartPicker part list /
Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7GHz 8-Core Processor ($294.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus - TUF B450M-PLUS GAMING Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($98.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill - Sniper X 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($262.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($86.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Toshiba - X300 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($110.99 @ Dell)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB GT OCV1 Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design - Meshify C Mini Dark TG MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($75.77 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($56.08 @ B&H)
Case Fan: be quiet! - SilentWings 3 pwm 59.5 CFM 140mm Fan ($26.90 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: be quiet! - SilentWings 3 pwm 59.5 CFM 140mm Fan ($26.90 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: be quiet! - SilentWings 3 PWM 50.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($19.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: LG - 27UD58-B 27.0" 3840x2160 60Hz Monitor ($296.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $1596.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-12 02:19 EDT-0400
What's most important when considering these programs is CPU performance. For desktop applications such as motion graphics, 3d rendering, video editing, premiere and aftereffects as well. CPU-Performance will be you main concern. RAM only defines whether "how many tabs can I have open". But for the program to run smoothly, you need a good multi-threaded performance. AMD Ryzen CPUs offer a superior multi-threaded performance as opposed to Intel who provide a superior single-threaded performance (which is only used by video games). So for your case, I would highly recommend going for a Ryzen CPU, which will come with a 3-year warranty instead of 1-year and has a much higher thread-count, which is what you want.
The case is one of the best for cooling as the front panel is all holed-up making it ideal for your computer to stay cool. Every fan slot is covered with dust filters, so it'll be really easy to clean. Just a simple wipe with a slightly damp-cloth once every couple of weeks and you don't need to worry about dust buildup.
It comes with 2 pre-installed fans at the front, I added 3 more. One 120mm for the back at two 140mm for the top of the case. These are very very quiet, which I think is really important when you're working. If the two pre-installed ones at the front are loud, you can always replace them with more BeQuiet fans.
I managed to include 32Gb of RAM at 3200Mhz, which is really good for Ryzen CPUs. You have the Ryzen 7 2700X, which is the top of the line CPU.
Price also includes a 27" 4K IPS display although note that the monitor does not have built in speakers.
As for Windows, you can either purchase a license for about 100$.
I personally always buy them on Ebay for 5$. I buy OEM licenses. They're 100% legit and works flawlessly. The only difference is that you don't get support/warranty from Microsoft but in my experience it's not like they're much of a help anyways.
Let me know what you think.
Is this within your budget?