R&D
68 MAXIMUMPC OCT 2019 maximumpc.com
CHRISTIAN GUYTON, STAFF WRITERINSPIRED BY a handful of reader let ter s, this issue
we’re building a video-editing machine. The most
dedicated readers among you might recognize
the case as the same one we used for a previous
video-editing build, but this time the internals are
very different. With AMD releasing a bevy of new
components, we knew it was time to put some of
them to the test in a new rig. We also tried to stick
to a relatively sensible budget for a workstation
PC, setting ourselves a goal of $2,000.
Without blowing closer to $3,000, we won’t be
making a godly beast of a computer dedicated
to 4K video editing. What we’re producing is an
effective but not overpriced workstation, ready
for all manner of office work, as well as video
editing, image manipulation, and audio work.
Flexibility was key: A system that could carry out
complex tasks quickly and effectively. There was
a dual purpose, though: Testing the capabilities
of the array of new hardware from AMD. While
we’ve played around with individual components,
this is our first build properly featuring the new
hardware; that means a next-generation CPU and
GPU from AMD, as well as a new motherboard
and drive, to produce a build capable of taking full
advantage of the new NMVe Gen4 and PCIe 4.0.
For this rig, as with all PCs built with editing
in mind, we needed a powerful CPU, capable of
performing processor-intensive tasks such as
rendering and video encoding. For that, we’re
using one of the more powerful new 3000-series
Ryzen CPUs: the Ryzen 7 3700X, with a base clock
of 3.6GHz, and a potential boost clock of 4.4GHz.
Let’s see how this brand new system turns out.THE CONCEPT
LENGTH OF TIME: 1-2 HOURSVideo-Editing
Powerhouse
LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: EASYIn need of a new rig for editing video? Look no further