90K+ 5L video editing build

vineetrad

vineetrad

Beginner
Hi,

I want to build a system for Premiere Pro (4k edits for long form documentary content), Davinci Resolve (grading, denoising, stabilizing) and Topaz Video AI (upscaling, denoising to 4k small bits of archival footage).

Here is what I have out together along with a brief rationale for why I have chosen something. Would be great to get some inputs. Budget is upto 5L (can go higher if there is a real need).

Processor: Ryzen 9950x (I am not interested in gaming but open to leaelrn about any reasons the x3d would be better even for my use cases). The upgradability of the AM5 platform till 2027 at least makes the AMD a better option to the Ultra 9 option to me)

Motherboard: Asus ROG Crosshair Hero X870e
I also considered the slightly cheaper MSI MPG X870e carbon wifi and the much cheaper MSI X870 Tomahawk Wifi.
However the 5 Nvme slots on the Asus without sacrificing bus speeds makes it attractive for me to put the files, scratch, cache and project files for video software on different high speed nvme drives. Also 3 of the Nvme are gen 5 which is great. The high number of Sata connectors is also helpful as I would have 3 Sata SSDs and 2 7200rpm platter HDDs also that I would like to connect. The many USB connectors are also good as are the more robust power for overclocking options. For all these reasons I think the premium for the Asus board makes sense

Graphics card: Rtx 4070ti super or 5070ti or 5080 or 5090. I am not sure about whether the current pricing premium being demanded for the 5080 and 5090 due to supply/demand and the AI hype makes sense. The 4070ti super seems a stable, mature card with the best ROI currently. The 50 series 4:2:2 hardware support is attractive due to Ryzen not having Intel Quick Sync support at the CPU level. I was thinking of going with the 4070ti Super for now and then skipping directly to a top end 60 series card later. Topaz Video AI I guess is the main tool tlwehre the 5090 would shine significantly compared to the 4070Ti Super since I have no gaming nor 8k video workflow.

I have always used Asus and MSI cards so Asus tuf gaming and MSI gaming x trio were the specific brands/model lines I was considering. I have admittedly not been following PC and gfx components for the last 8 years so I am unaware about the quality of what seems to be new cheaper brands like Zotac, Inno, Galax etc. I would look to you all for your opinions if such brands are to be considered.

Storage: 2 WD black and 1 Samsung 9100 Pro Gen 5 nvme drives. 2 TB, 4TB and 8TB
I have about 5TB of film data I want to copy over to the 8TB nvme and the other two drives can be used for OS/apps and scratch/preview/other misc use

RAM:
GSkill trident z5 neo rgb ddr5 cl30 6000Mhz ram amd expo
or
Corsair Vengeance or Dominator Titanium ddr5 6400 cl32 amd expo
32x2 sticks. Or 64x2 sticks. I am not sure I need to get 128GB straight away?

Cooler:
Arctic liquid freezer iii pro 360 or nzxt kraken elite 360 rgb or asus or asus rog ryujin iii 360 argb.
I do not know how hot this system configuration gets when idling and when on full load. I will be moving to NCR at some stage which gets quite hot so I would want to ensure cooling is more than adequate to not cause any stability or overheating issues. I liked the screens the Nzxt and Asus provide but the Artic seems to be very robust and no nonsense. I would leave it to you all to suggest what has enough buffer room to ensure this.

PSU: Corsair HX1200i 1200W 80+ Platinum, Fully Modular, ATX 3.0
I would like there to be a high quality PSU with enough and more buffer vs the current power requirements. Open to other PSU options if any are better.

Chassis: I do not want a smaller case. I like very large cases with enough and more space, uncrowded attachment of large devices like gfc cards and AIO coolers and with ample options for larger fans and very good ventilation. I would like a tool-free case if possible.
The Lian Li Lancool III RGB (White) seemed ok to me but I would much prefer it if someone can suggest an appropriate option referring to my wishlist above. It can be from a higher price segment than the Lian Li if need be.

Thank you for any help guys!
 
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I don't think you can use more than 3x M.2 w/o any effect on GPU slots even on that Hero X870E.

I bought a 9800X3D + B850 rig 2 months back for gaming, during my research I didn't see any major benefit to get anything more expensive than a good B850 as they can't support more than 3x M.2 w/o any downsides. Since you have the budget, sure go ahead for a high end rig with 9950X + 5090 + expensive X870E mobo, but you don't necessarily gain anything major IMO from the mobo (unless USB4 is needed).

5080FE is reliably available these days at 1.1L or get 5070Ti at 83k. IMO no point getting anything less than 5070Ti given your budget.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 – Nvidia | STPL

nvidia.onlinestpl.co.in nvidia.onlinestpl.co.in
www.vedantcomputers.com

Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Eagle OC SFF 16GB GDDR7

GeForce RTX 5070 Ti EAGLE OC SFF 16G GV-N507TEAGLE-OC-16GD Powered by the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture and DLSS 4 Powered by GeForce RTX™ 5070 Ti Integrated with 16GB GDDR7 256bit memory interface WINDFORCE cooling system RGB Lighting Dual BIOS (Performance / Silent)
www.vedantcomputers.com www.vedantcomputers.com

RAM - Can consider 2x48GB, single 64GB sticks don't exist yet in India. Also, AM5 is not able to sustain high frequency like 6000MHz with 4x sticks. For non-gaming usage, freq & latency of RAM doesn't matter much as well though. I can see 2x48GB 6400MHz CL32 for 30k, should be good for you, can upgrade to 192GB if needed.
 
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Thank you very much. This is very useful information regarding the 3 M2 slots. I was not aware of this. I agree that if there will be an impact to the GPU slot bandwidth.

Yes, I was considering the 5070ti as the bare minimum for this build especially since 4070ti Super is at end of life. The 5080fr at 1.1L looks like a good spot though and a good choice between the 5070ti and 5090 and would largely allow me to do most of what I need to. I will likely pick that as the saner practical option and wait for the next Gen to upgrade the card at a later date than pay the premium for the 5090 right now.

Thank you again for the valuable inputs regarding the RAM. I will look into it.
 
Thank you for the link. That's a lot of x870e boards reviewed! Yes I would prefer to have USB4 support on an AMD board.

I had one question - the USB4 on AM5 boards in not builtin from what I understand and the x870e provides it with an addin chip. Does that mean performance suffers in any way compared to an Intel Core Ultra 200 9board which has builtin USB 4? I would assume that providing the USB4 impacts PCIe bandwidth?
 
I don't think you can use more than 3x M.2 w/o any effect on GPU slots even on that Hero X870E.
Click to expand...

This is what I found regarding the Asus Proart 870E wifi board specifically on the M2 and PCIe slots

PCIe Slots:
The motherboard has two full-length PCIe 5.0 x16 slots that can run at x16 speeds when only one is populated. When both are populated, they will run at x8 speed. The third PCIe slot is limited to x4 speed.
M.2 Slots:
There are three M.2 slots. The first two slots (M.2_1 and M.2_2) are directly connected to the CPU and support PCIe 5.0 x4 speeds. The third slot (M.2_3) is connected to the chipset and supports PCIe 4.0 x4 speeds.
Bandwidth Sharing:
The second PCIe x16 slot shares bandwidth with the M.2_2 slot. When M.2_2 is populated, the PCIe x16 slot will run at x8 speed. Similarly, the third PCIe slot's speed is affected by the M.2 slots, specifically M.2_2 and M.2_3.
 
Honestly, this is a pretty decent build overall. Just a few things that stood out to me:

CPU/Mobo — 9950X makes sense if you’re doing heavy-grade multi-core stuff regularly. But tbh, unless you’re hitting render queues hard all day, you might want to look at 9900X too — it’s cooler, cheaper, and still fast enough for most 4K workloads. Hero X870E is a beast, but unless you really need USB4 and five full-speed M.2s (which, to be fair, almost no board does properly without lane tradeoffs), you’re paying a premium mostly for peace of mind and branding. Up to you.

M.2 slots — Yeah, the board says 5, but like @OMEGA44-XT have mentioned, anything beyond 3 usually comes with PCIe lane juggling. If you're loading up all 5 drives and expecting no impact on GPU bandwidth, that’s not really how these boards are wired. Might not matter for your use case, but just flagging it.

GPU — You already nailed it with 4070Ti Super being a dead end now. 5070Ti is solid, but if you’ve got the budget and want better longevity + newer encoders (esp. for Topaz), then 5080 is the smarter buy. 5090 is overkill unless you’re seriously pushing upscaling nonstop or just want to future-proof for like 3+ years. Also agree with you on sticking to Asus/MSI — they’re just better-built. Zotac and Galax aren’t bad anymore, but I’ve still seen too many reports of coil whine, fan curve issues, or just mid thermals.

RAM — 2x48GB 6400 CL32 is the sweet spot right now. 4-stick configs on AM5 can be hit or miss above 6000. You probably don’t need 128GB from the start unless you know you’re working with giant project timelines or tons of browser tabs + background apps while editing.

Cooling — Arctic LF III is the better pick if you’re going for actual cooling over RGB screens. NZXT and Asus look cool, sure, but you’re paying ₹10k+ more for aesthetics. Arctic’s pump is solid, fans are good, and it’s quieter than most.

PSU — HX1200i is more than enough. Maybe even a bit too much unless you plan to go 5090 later. If you’re set on it, no harm — it’s a high-quality unit anyway.

Case — Lancool III is a nice balance between airflow, cable mgmt, and build room. Only thing is it gets cramped near the top if you’re mounting a big AIO. If you want a bit more premium feel, look at Fractal Torrent or even Phanteks NV7 (if you can find it).

Overall, the build makes sense. You’ve already avoided the usual beginner traps. Just maybe don’t overspend on the board if you don’t need every feature, and unless your workload is GPU-bound daily, the 5080 gives you a really good performance-per-₹ spot right now.
 
@Shayem Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed response. Much appreciated!

9950X makes sense if you’re doing heavy-grade multi-core stuff regularly
Click to expand...

Noted. My workflow and timeline tends to be pretty long, somewhat complex with a decent number of CPU effects with 4k native and upscaled footage. I have pretty long timeline renders as well in 4k. Any thoughts on the 9800x3d vs 9900x or the 9950x3d vs 9900x? While I don't have any gaming use case which my understanding is the main benefactor of the 3d v-cache I also saw a few tests showing for Photoshop (also another tool with decent usage in my workflow) thebx3d did provide a marginal benefit. I don't think I need the x3d but was just curious to see what a bit more money might buy me that may be of any use toy use cases.

but unless you really need USB4 and five full-speed M.2s (which, to be fair, almost no board does properly without lane tradeoffs)
Click to expand...

I was planning to buy and shift all my external storage for archival projects and RAW Blackmagic and RED camera 4k footage to owc express 1m2 nvme drives connecting externally on USB4. So that's why I am keen on USB4.

M.2 slots — Yeah, the board says 5, but like @OMEGA44-XT have mentioned, anything beyond 3 usually comes with PCIe lane juggling.
Click to expand...
Noted. I plan to use 3 internal NVMe drives as of now not more.

5070Ti is solid, but if you’ve got the budget and want better longevity + newer encoders (esp. for Topaz), then 5080 is the smarter buy. 5090 is overkill unless you’re seriously pushing upscaling nonstop or just want to future-proof for like 3+ years. Also agree with you on sticking to Asus/MSI — they’re just better-built. Zotac and Galax aren’t bad anymore, but I’ve still seen too many reports of coil whine, fan curve issues, or just mid thermals.
Click to expand...
Will likely go with 5080 and upgrade later to a 6 series card. Thank you, I'll stick to ASUS/MSI then. A bit of a premium for less hassle and reliability is something I'd prefer.

NZXT and Asus look cool, sure, but you’re paying ₹10k+ more for aesthetics. Arctic’s pump is solid, fans are good, and it’s quieter than most.
Click to expand...
Beyond the 10k premium, are they less efficient than the artic? While a nice screen is welcome, if they do the primary job less efficiently then I'd go with Artic.

Case — Lancool III is a nice balance between airflow, cable mgmt, and build room. Only thing is it gets cramped near the top if you’re mounting a big AIO. If you want a bit more premium feel, look at Fractal Torrent or even Phanteks NV7 (if you can find it).
Click to expand...
I liked the NV9 (probably an overkill but I like giant cases haha). Any opinions also on the Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO XL ARGB (E-ATX) Full Tower Cabinet (White)?

I would prefer a white case so it's easier to see inside in case one needs to tinker inside and since the PC will be placed in a rokm with reasonably well done decor and lighting it wouldn't hurt if the PC also looked a esthetically pretty.
 
Is threadripper 7000 series or upcoming 9000 series out of your budget? Gigabyte AERO D motherboard looks good?

I have a 9950X and RX 7800XT with an older ASUS ProArt X670E board instead of latest 870 series because I run linux and wanted full hardware compatibility.

Wanted to point out that with latest bios I have 4 sticks of Crucial Pro 48gb RAM running at the alternate 5200 speed. It boots at rated 5600 speed but memtest random data test number 8 fails but all stable at 5200 just FYI.
.

My board has usb4
 
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