Are you looking to become the next great animator? Do you need to find the best PC for your creative projects? Or perhaps you are a designer who is actively working from home?
Whatever your situation is, here at Overclockers UK we’ve compiled this guide all about the best hardware and PCs for animation and digital art work.
The Essential Components:
If you want to build your very own art and animation workstation, we’ve put together our list of the very best components you need.
Processor:
The AMD Ryzen Threadripper CPUs have been built with 7nm Zen architecture and can feature up to 64 cores and 128 threads. Thanks to the ultra-fast clock speeds, up to 288MB of cache, and support for up to a total of 88 PCIe 4.0, you can experience cutting-edge performance in all your creative projects. With one of these CPUs at the centre of your workstation, you will have everything you need to complete your workload at lightning-fast speeds.
AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 5965WX CPU:
- 24 cores and 48 threads
- Boost clock speeds of up to 4.5GHz
- Up to 141MB cache
- 280W TDP
AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 5975WX CPU:
- 32 cores and 64 threads
- Boost clock speeds of up to 4.5GHz
- Up to 146MB cache
- 280W TDP
Motherboard:
If you are planning to harness the power of an AMD Ryzen Threadripper CPU, you need a motherboard that has a compatible, sTRX4 socket. These motherboards utilise onboard cooling to help keep these hefty CPUs cool and performing at optimum temperatures. Along with intelligent integrated power phase designs to ensure a steady delivery of power to the processor when you need it most.
ASRock TRX40 Taichi sTRX4 ATX Motherboard:
- Support for 3rd AMD Ryzen Threadripper CPU
- Socket sTRX4
- Active onboard cooling: mini heatsink and fan
- Compatible with PCIe 4.0 and DDR4 RAM
- 16 power phase design
RAM:
For an animation workstation, we would recommend you utilise an octo-channel RAM configuration, and with at least 64GB of high-quality RAM. All of your workload is spread across eight RAM sticks and the high capacity means more of your data can be processed all at once.
Corsair Vengeance Pro RGB 256GB (8x32GB) DDR4 Octo Channel RAM Kit:
- 256GB (8 x 32GB) capacity
- DDR4 standard
- Octo-channel kit
- Integrated RGB light strip
- Custom designed PCB
- Compatible with Intel XMP 2.0
Graphics Card:
Optimised for intensive workloads, a powerful graphics card is a must.
Thankfully, the AMD Radeon Pro series has been designed for creative professionals looking for exceptional performance and stability in image rendering, simulations, AI modelling, and much more.
AMD Radeon Pro W6600 Professional Graphics Card:
- AMD Radeon Pro GPU
- AMD RDNA 2 architecture
- TSMC 7nm FinFet
- 28 built-in Ray Accelerators
- 1792 Stream Processors
- 32MB of AMD Infinity Cache
- Optimised for HDR, ultra-HD, and Ultrawide monitors
AMD Radeon Pro W6800 Graphics Card:
- AMD Radeon Pro GPU
- AMD RDNA 2 architecture
- 32GB of GDDR6 video memory
- 3840 Stream Processors
- 60 built-in Ray Accelerators
- Support for up to six 4K monitors
Cooling:
Keep all of your vital hardware cool and performing at its best with a reliable cooling system such as an AiO.
EK Water Blocks EK-AiO dRGB 360mm CPU Cooler:
- AiO CPU cooler
- 360mm
- 3 x integrated 120mm fans
- RGB lighting
- Compatible with both Intel and AMD sockets
Lian-Li Galahad RGB 240mm AiO CPU Cooler:
- AiO CPU cooler
- 240mm
- 2 x integrated 120mm fans
- RGB lighting
- Compatible with both Intel and AMD sockets
Power Supply:
The PSU is responsible for supplying all of your hardware with a steady, constant flow of power. For peak performance, we recommend a PSU that has at least an 80 Plus Gold rating to ensure maximum efficiency during your heavy workloads.
Corsair TX850M 850W 80 Plus Gold Semi Modular PSU:
- Semi-modular PSU
- 80 Plus Gold rating
- 850W
Super Flower Leadex 1600W Modular 80 Plus Platinum PSU:
- Modular PSU
- 80 Plus Platinum rating
- 1600W
Storage:
Premium-quality storage is a must for all of your creative projects. A Solid State Drive is faster and more efficient compared to a hard drive, meaning you won’t have to worry about any pesky slow loading times or lag.
Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB NVMe M.2 SSD:
- 2TB storage capacity
- M.2 SSD
- 3500MB/s read speed
- 3300MB/s write speed
WD Blue SA510 1TB 2.5’’ SATA SSD:
- 1TB storage capacity
- 2.5” SATA SSD
- 560MB/s read speed
- 520MB/s write speed
External Storage Drives:
Investing in an external hard drive with a high capacity is perfect for storing any of finished projects for safe keeping.
Seagate Expansion 4TB External Desktop Hard Drive:
- 4TB storage capacity
- External desktop hard drive
- USB 3.0 connectivity
Animation Accessories:
To help you create those incredible animations, we’ve got a wide range of accessories designed to streamline your productivity, including touch pen creative tablets.
Wacom Cintiq 22HD Touch Pen Display Tablet:
- Creative tablet
- 1920 x 1080 display resolution
- 21.5” screen size
- Rotating stand
Wacom Intuos Pro Medium Pen Tablet:
- Creative tablet
- Wireless
- Pressure sensitive
- Includes Wacom Grip Pen
Monitors:
Investing in a monitor that has an IPS panel, high resolution, smooth refresh rates, and colour-accurate technology is the perfect addition to your creative work setup. Every detail of your work will be on display in stunning high-quality so you can always achieve your best.
Corsair Xeneon 32’’ 32UHD IPS Monitor:
- 32” monitor
- 3840 x 2160 display resolution
- IPS panel type
- 144Hz refresh rates
The Best PCs for Animation:
If you don’t want to build your own PC, thankfully OcUK also has its own range of powerful configurable workstations. Each of these systems is packed with the very best hardware, designed to enhance your performance and streamline your productivity.
RENDA G6-CS Photography and Graphic Design Workstation:
Designed for photography and graphic design, the RENDA G6-CS Workstation comes fully equipped with everything you need to create stunning animations. Optimised for Abode Photoshop, you can configure this PC to suit your individual needs, profession, and workload. As standard, installed within a sleek Phanteks Enthoo full tower is a powerful Intel Core i9 12900KS CPU and NVIDIA GeForce GeForce RTX 3050 GPU. However, you can choose to tailor the GPU and storage options.
- Photography and graphic design workstation
- Optimised for Abobe Photoshop etc.
- Configurable hardware
- As standard comes with Intel Core i9 12900KS CPU and NVIDIA GeForce 3050 OC GPU
RENDA G5-PP Post Production Workstation:
The RENDA G5-PP Workstation has been optimised for video editing and digital art. Armed with a powerful AMD Ryzen 9 5900X CPU for exceptional performance in both single and multi-threaded intensive tasks. As standard, this workstation includes both a 500GB M.2 SSD and a 4TB hard drive, along with the ability to add an additional secondary SSD. You will have plenty of storage space for all of your creative projects.
- Video editing and digital art workstation
- Configurable hardware
- As standard includes an AMD Ryzen 9 5900X CPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 OC GPU
8Pack Supernova MK2 PC:
Built by legendary overclocker, 8Pack, the Supernova MK2 is not just a gaming PC. It’s a flexible powerhouse that is perfect for animations and all your other creative projects. Having undergone a huge upgrade recently, the Supernova now boasts an exceptional 30%+ uplift in performance. This PC is now packed with the latest powerful hardware, including a fifth-generation AMD Threadripper CPU, octo-channel RAM, and a whopping 36TB of storage space! All of which makes this PC perfect for creative work, including digital rendering, simulations, and animations.
- Powerhouse PC
- Perfect for intensive animations and creative workloads
- Includes AMD Threadripper CPU, octo-channel RAM, and two NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 CPUs
- Huge 36TB of storage
- 7 min read
Ruth Rowley
Author
Ruth has been with Overclockers UK for over a year and has gone on to write about everything ranging from in-depth hardware guides to monthly game releases.
Outside of writing blog posts, she can be found wrapped in a blanket with her black cat, engrossed in a book or playing life-simulation games such as The Sims, Stardew Valley, and Animal Crossing.
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