Video Production & Editing + Game Development Workstation

[griffpatch]

Hello all you helpful people - I have been a YouTube creator for some time now, but am sick of using my poor laptop as my primary workstation for recording and editing. I want to get a PC that will cut through the workloads and set me up to achieve anything I throw at it (games dev & even local AI perhaps?)

But - I want the impossible since I'd prefer it to be not overly huge, but also need it to be relatively quiet when just using the internet / screen recording (for tutorials).

Here is a beast I spec'd out, perhaps it's overkill, what do you think? Thing is, I don't want to be disappointed lol.
I don't know if the FRACTAL DEFINE 7 might get a bit hot and noisy under load? Perhaps the TORRENT would be better (even if it's a tad louder at idle).
And is the COSAIR 1200W SHIFT better than the 1000W non-shift (I hear it's quieter).
The other question is are the stock fans on these cases sufficient?

All views are very VERY welcome - Tell me I don't need as powerful a graphics card / process... anything - I just want to be happy with my box as I don't intent to spend this kind of money again lol.

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 24-Core Processor i9-14900KS (Up to 6.2 GHz) 36MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG MAXIMUS Z790 DARK HERO (LGA1700, DDR5, PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
Memory (RAM)
96GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 5600MHz (4 x 24GB)
Graphics Card
24GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4090 - HDMI, DP
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti / RX 7700 XT AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
4TB SAMSUNG 990 PRO M.2, PCIe 4.0 NVMe (up to 7450MB/R, 6900MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1200W RMx SHIFT SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX XT RGB High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND

Much appreciated,

Griffpatch

 

[Scott]

You've missed out the bottom of the configuration which has a number of other items that we would typically require but I've gone for a new config anyway as I would opt for AMD.

With regards to the Game development, would that include actual gaming? If gaming is up there as well then I would opt for the X3D offering, otherwise the non-3D is no slouch anyway.

You didn't mention a budget but I'm guessing there isn't too much of a constraint there given the choices you were making.

The case is an excellent choice but needs configured with an AIO to make the most of it. With AMD the H115i has you covered nicely and it's the quietest cooler available. The system will be quiet for any non-GPU intensive tasks, so recording and the likes will be absolutely fine. It'll only bring fan noise from the GPU when under usage.

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 16 Core CPU (4.5GHz-5.7GHz/80MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
GIGABYTE X670 AORUS ELITE AX (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6E)
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 32GB)
Graphics Card
24GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4090 - HDMI, DP
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti / RX 7700 XT AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 6500MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1200W RMx SHIFT SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H115i ELITE CAPELLIX XT RGB High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Price: £3,633.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/YeN06wZBQC/

 

[griffpatch]

You've missed out the bottom of the configuration which has a number of other items that we would typically require but I've gone for a new config anyway as I would opt for AMD.

With regards to the Game development, would that include actual gaming? If gaming is up there as well then I would opt for the X3D offering, otherwise the non-3D is no slouch anyway.

You didn't mention a budget but I'm guessing there isn't too much of a constraint there given the choices you were making.

The case is an excellent choice but needs configured with an AIO to make the most of it. With AMD the H115i has you covered nicely and it's the quietest cooler available. The system will be quiet for any non-GPU intensive tasks, so recording and the likes will be absolutely fine. It'll only bring fan noise from the GPU when under usage.

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 16 Core CPU (4.5GHz-5.7GHz/80MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
GIGABYTE X670 AORUS ELITE AX (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6E)
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 32GB)
Graphics Card
24GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4090 - HDMI, DP
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti / RX 7700 XT AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 6500MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1200W RMx SHIFT SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H115i ELITE CAPELLIX XT RGB High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Price: £3,633.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/YeN06wZBQC/

That's very interesting... I wasn't really considering an AMD processor having always stuck with Intel... I don't play games as much at present, although having the ability to work with Unity / Unreal / Blender are all must haves down the line. Most of my work right now is in adobe products & video recording / editing.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of the AMD route? I feel they may run a bit cooler being a better manufacturing process, but are they as good for video editing?

I did have a CORSAIR iCUE H150i ELITE on my list.

Also, why did you opt for the SSDs in that configuration and speeds sizes... I'm assuming there is a plan there?

 

[Scott]

That's very interesting... I wasn't really considering an AMD processor having always stuck with Intel... I don't play games as much at present, although having the ability to work with Unity / Unreal / Blender are all must haves down the line. Most of my work right now is in adobe products & video recording / editing.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of the AMD route? I feel they may run a bit cooler being a better manufacturing process, but are they as good for video editing?

I did have a CORSAIR iCUE H150i ELITE on my list.

Also, why did you opt for the SSDs in that configuration and speeds sizes... I'm assuming there is a plan there?

H150i isn't as quiet as the H115i. The H150i would be the minimum required for an Intel chip as it's incredibly hot when running at full chat, it will thermal throttle, where the AMD chip is far more efficient, with the H115i being more than enough. As the H115 has 140mm fans they're quieter than the 120mm fans (smaller=faster=noisier) and there are 2 vs the H150i having 3. The cooling description was all to do with silence and matching well with the Define.

On benchmarks the top end Intel will slightly out-pace AMD in Puget tests, but there's not enough in it for me to negate the down side. You'll never notice in real life as any proper heavy lifting will likely be GPU driven.
Intel will thermal throttle and lose performance - AMD Wont
Intel is EOL on the socket and cannot be upgraded - AMD is on a new platform and has at the very least one more iteration down the road, more than likely 2.
Intel uses 50% more power to achieve same performance as AMD
Due to the power requirements, the heat output is significant and needs top end cooling and maintenance to keep inside thermal throttling. Even gaming some intense games throttle on 360mm coolers, it's abysmal.

There aren't any real downsides to AMD right now. Even the benchmarks will be put to rest when the next chip comes out, which will swap straight in, so the upgrade potential is unmatched.

The brand power of Intel is unbelievable, I think they shell out a lot of money for influence to try and keep themselves selling (and it works).

The AM5 is my first AMD build since the Athlon 2 days. I go with what I think is best regardless of brand, I recommend with the same thought and reasoning

 

[griffpatch]

H150i isn't as quiet as the H115i. The H150i would be the minimum required for an Intel chip as it's incredibly hot when running at full chat, it will thermal throttle, where the AMD chip is far more efficient, with the H115i being more than enough. As the H115 has 140mm fans they're quieter than the 120mm fans (smaller=faster=noisier) and there are 2 vs the H150i having 3. The cooling description was all to do with silence and matching well with the Define.

On benchmarks the top end Intel will slightly out-pace AMD in Puget tests, but there's not enough in it for me to negate the down side. You'll never notice in real life as any proper heavy lifting will likely be GPU driven.
Intel will thermal throttle and lose performance - AMD Wont
Intel is EOL on the socket and cannot be upgraded - AMD is on a new platform and has at the very least one more iteration down the road, more than likely 2.
Intel uses 50% more power to achieve same performance as AMD
Due to the power requirements, the heat output is significant and needs top end cooling and maintenance to keep inside thermal throttling. Even gaming some intense games throttle on 360mm coolers, it's abysmal.

There aren't any real downsides to AMD right now. Even the benchmarks will be put to rest when the next chip comes out, which will swap straight in, so the upgrade potential is unmatched.

The brand power of Intel is unbelievable, I think they shell out a lot of money for influence to try and keep themselves selling (and it works).

The AM5 is my first AMD build since the Athlon 2 days. I go with what I think is best regardless of brand, I recommend with the same thought and reasoning

This is excellent advice thank you.

Although I have always had Intel chipsets, I am no fanboy. I just want the best choice and you are certainly selling me.

Regarding the 115 vs 150... wow - now that I've looked into them both I can see you are dead right thanks.

What about the SSD setup you specified? What were your thoughts when setting them up like you did?

One last - I have again seen people saying the torrent case is thermally much better than the define 7. I guess is just depends if the define gives the edge audibly when not running heavy workflows.

 

[sck451]

This is excellent advice thank you.

Although I have always had Intel chipsets, I am no fanboy. I just want the best choice and you are certainly selling me.

Regarding the 115 vs 150... wow - now that I've looked into them both I can see you are dead right thanks.

What about the SSD setup you specified? What were your thoughts when setting them up like you did?

One last - I have again seen people saying the torrent case is thermally much better than the define 7. I guess is just depends if the define gives the edge audibly when not running heavy workflows.

The Torrent is a great case for air cooling. It's not great for liquid cooling. (It has a solid top, where you'd ideally mount the radiator, so you end up having to remove the nice front fans, or alternatively mounting it on the floor of the case, which is always a bad idea. With an air cooler it's fantastic; with a liquid cooler not so much.

The Define 7 is a good case if you're hyper-focused on silence (or tonnes of hard drives). If that's not such a concern, there are other, better options. The Corsair 5000D Airflow is a good bet, or you can do "send in your own case" with something like the Fractal Meshify 2, my personal favourite case.

 

[RichLan564]

What about the SSD setup you specified? What were your thoughts when setting them up like you did?

What Video editing software are you using?

Drives would typically be as below, you don't want everything on one drive for numerous reasons, performance to name one

512GB for OS and Applications
2TB SOLIDIGM P44 for working drive (active editing projects)
2TB SOLIDIGM P41 for import/export/storage drive (also can be scratch drive if required)

I would throw a 4TB mechanical drive in there too for good measure for long term finished project storage (unless you have a NAS you can use)

 

[Martinr36]

What about the SSD setup you specified? What were your thoughts when setting them up like you did?

All explained in detail here

Why more than one storage drive?

I've been meaning to put something like this together for a while. In recent weeks I've found myself writing this more and more so thought I would just post my thoughts in a thread that I could link to. So the reason for this thread is to try and give insight as to the reasoning behind having...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

 

[griffpatch]

The Torrent is a great case for air cooling. It's not great for liquid cooling. (It has a solid top, where you'd ideally mount the radiator, so you end up having to remove the nice front fans, or alternatively mounting it on the floor of the case, which is always a bad idea. With an air cooler it's fantastic; with a liquid cooler not so much.

The Define 7 is a good case if you're hyper-focused on silence (or tonnes of hard drives). If that's not such a concern, there are other, better options. The Corsair 5000D Airflow is a good bet, or you can do "send in your own case" with something like the Fractal Meshify 2, my personal favourite case.

Hey there - Thanks for the feedback,

| The Define 7 is a good case if you're hyper-focused on silence

I have a question about the Define 7 case, if a radiator needs to be mounted inside, I assume it goes at the top, and then you need to replace the top of the case with the airflow version which is a grill... Then does that invalidate the whole quiet setup?

Or have I got that all wrong?

Cheers

 

[sck451]

Hey there - Thanks for the feedback,

| The Define 7 is a good case if you're hyper-focused on silence

I have a question about the Define 7 case, if a radiator needs to be mounted inside, I assume it goes at the top, and then you need to replace the top of the case with the airflow version which is a grill... Then does that invalidate the whole quiet setup?

Or have I got that all wrong?

Cheers

Honestly I'm not sure how PCS would build in it. My guess is that they'd be most likely to mount the radiator on the front of the case, which would limit airflow and cooling but keep it pretty quiet. If you want to know for certain I'd give them a call and ask.

 

[Scott]

Hey there - Thanks for the feedback,

| The Define 7 is a good case if you're hyper-focused on silence

I have a question about the Define 7 case, if a radiator needs to be mounted inside, I assume it goes at the top, and then you need to replace the top of the case with the airflow version which is a grill... Then does that invalidate the whole quiet setup?

Or have I got that all wrong?

Cheers

I believe they typically mount it on the top. I had the Define R6, which is pretty much the same, with the top panel removed and in place depending what I was doing.

You would need to see how temps & acoustics are with the panel in place.

What I will say is that regardless of the panel being in place or not, it was still very quiet. The key is the H115i which is super silent even when being used.

Under the desk I don't think you would ever hear it, other than when the 4090 stretches its legs.