Please check spec for HD editing in Davinci Resolve

[elarbee]

Hi, I'd be grateful for feedback on this build please.

I plan to produce short vids in Davinci Resolve (free version) for educational use, mainly HD and archival footage. Here's an example: The global nuclear arsenal in 60 seconds. My budget is £1500 incl. 24" monitor.

I've read a lot re Davinci Resolve recommended specs, and tried to build from that basis. A few points:

- I want a quiet build, hence the Corsair TXm PSU and Silencio S600 case (also has built-in SD card reader for transferring footage)
- Scott recommends 16GB RAM @3600 for most systems, but I read that Davinci can use the extra, so I chose 32GB @ 3200. But open to feedback!
- Do I need the RTX 2060 Super 8GB?? (I know the 30 series is coming, but that's outa my price range!)

Thanks very much!

Case
COOLERMASTER SILENCIO S600 QUIET MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Eight Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA 120 2.5" SSD, (up to 560MB/sR | 540MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 V2 Series High Performance CPU Cooler (AMD)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
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
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Monitor
IIYAMA X2481HS 24" LED WIDESCREEN, D-Sub, DVI-D, HDMI 1920x1080
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Home Installation
NONE
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Price: £1,529.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/QzmpFNafD7/

 

[AccidentalDenz]

- Do I need the RTX 2060 Super 8GB?? (I know the 30 series is coming, but that's outa my price range!)

I can't help with the other questions as they're outside of my expertise, but the general talk seems to be that the 3060 will cost a similar amount to the 2060 Super, and is coming out next month. So it might be worth waiting to see if you can get one.

 

[elarbee]

I can't help with the other questions as they're outside of my expertise, but the general talk seems to be that the 3060 will cost a similar amount to the 2060 Super, and is coming out next month. So it might be worth waiting to see if you can get one.

Thanks for that, I'll keep it in mind for sure. But my question about the video card is really whether I actually need an 8GB card, or if it's overkill for short HD video-making. I know Davinci Resolve leverages video card so everything I've read recommends getting a good video card...

 

[elarbee]

I'd still appreciate some help with this spec please!

My main questions:
Do I really need an 8GB card (RTX 2060 SUPER), or is it overkill for making short HD videos?
16GB 3600 RAM vs 32 GB 3200?

Thanks!

 

[AccidentalDenz]

@SpyderTracks any thoughts on this?

 

[SpyderTracks]

I'd still appreciate some help with this spec please!

My main questions:
Do I really need an 8GB card (RTX 2060 SUPER), or is it overkill for making short HD videos?
16GB 3600 RAM vs 32 GB 3200?

Thanks!

For any kind of video editing you'd want an RTX card as the mimum as the Tensor Cores and RT Cores make a huge improvement to editing workflows and they're a hardware feature only found on RTX cards.

The VRM quantity is just a bonus, that's the minimum on the 2000 series cards.

The 3060ti is set to be released in October and substantially better than the 2060 for around the same price. If it were me, I'd order it without a GPU and then get a 3060ti or even 3060 when it's released.

I'd go for 3200MHz RAM, they've been having stability issues with 3600MHz at higher quantities.

The case isn't the best for airflow, for this kind of use, even though it's substantially more money, I would only go for the Fractal Define 7 which is excellent at noise reduction, but also great for cooling.

I also wouldn't recommend that screen, it's extremely basic and is going to limit your editing window significantly. For not much more you can get a decent 4k refurbished monitor here which would be a SIGNIFICANT improvement to your workflow again: https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/grade-a1-electriq-28-4k-ultra-hd-hdr-1ms-freesync-monitor-a1-eiq-284kmb-hdr/version.asp?refsource=ldadwords&mkwid=s0Wp224Nd_dc&pcrid=432127515769&product=A1/EIQ-284KMB-HDR&pgrid=72799533004&ptaid=aud-421842933780la-709751759490&channel=googlesearch&gclid=Cj0KCQjwzbv7BRDIARIsAM-A6-0Mr-F2eNv14lKOYc03SObttGk1e53ypmxuv359GswHrGE4jeLUpeEaAjy2EALw_wcB

So I realise this is going to extend the budget a tiny bit, but overall it will quite literally be a massive step up in capabilites, silence, thermals and workflow (comments by changes):

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE Significantly better case for both airflow and silence
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3800X Eight Core CPU (3.9GHz-4.5GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4) Hardly any more expensive but worth it
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready! Slightly cheaper model, still has support for next gen processors
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB) Better stability than 3600MHz currently
Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD With the view of fitting 3060/ti when available
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE Reduced to HDD to improve budget
1st Storage Drive
256GB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (500MB/R, 400MB/W) Scratch drive to offload when RAM filled, significantly improves rendering times
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET RMx series is semi passive so fans only kick in when under load, so significantly quieter
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 240 High Performance Liquid Cooler Much more capable cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
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
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Home Installation
NONE
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days

Price: £1,103.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/dJTh9tAq8J/

 

[SpyderTracks]

That gives you around £400 left in the budget:

£180 for refurbished 4k screen
Leaves £220 for 3060 / ti, expected price to be around £300 to £350, so you would need to save a tiny fraction more.

If that doesn't work for you with holding off for the 3060, then the 2060 would be a good option also. Fitting the RTX2060 to the build above would take it to £1402, so you'd need an extra £80 to get the 4k monitor.

I really think overall, you'll appreciate spending that fraction extra, you'll be surprised how much of an improvement it will make.

 

[elarbee]

Thanks very much @SpyderTracks! Very helpful and I learnt a lot. But I'm still unsure on a couple of things (sorry for the stupid questions - yes I'm new to this!) I don't plan to do any 4K editing, just short HD videos with stock/archival footage. So...

-- Will a 4K monitor improve the UI / workflow for making HD videos? If so, ok!
-- I know the 3060 will out-perform the 2060, but do I need either for short HD videos? Or would a cheaper card do the job while I build skills making HD vids? (I ask because Scott recommends not overshooting on the GPU)

Thanks!

 

[SpyderTracks]

I don't plan to do any 4K editing, just short HD videos with stock/archival footage.

It's not related to the resolution of video you're editing, just how much information you can display on the screen. With a 4k screen, you can have your output window displaying at 1080p and still have space for your scrubber and toolset bars, plus any other windows you need open.

It's about screen real estate, it just means you can have a lot more open at the same time without everything being cramped. Makes a huge difference.

 

[elarbee]

It's not related to the resolution of video you're editing, just how much information you can display on the screen. With a 4k screen, you can have your output window displaying at 1080p and still have space for your scrubber and toolset bars, plus any other windows you need open.

It's about screen real estate, it just means you can have a lot more open at the same time without everything being cramped. Makes a huge difference.

Thanks very much for those clarifications @Nursemorph and @SpyderTracks - super helpful!