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 7960X CPU:
- 24 cores
- 48 threads
- 5.3GHz boosted clock speed
- 152MB cache
- 350W 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 or sTR5 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.
ASUS Pro WS WRX803-SAGE TRX4 E-ATX Motherboard:
- E-ATX form factor
- Compatible with AMD Threadripper CPUs
- sTRX4 socket
- PCIe 4.0
Gigabyte TRX50 Aero D (sTR5) E-ATX Motherboard
- E-ATX motherboard
- Compatible with AMD Threadripper CPUs
- sTR5 socket
- PCIe 5.0
- Quad-channel RAM
RAM
For an animation workstation, we would recommend you utilise a dual-channel RAM configuration, and with at least 64GB of high-quality RAM. All of your workload is spread across two RAM sticks and the high capacity means more of your data can be processed all at once.
Corsair Vengeance RGB EXPO 64GB (2x32GB) Dual-Channel RAM Kit
- 64GB capacity (2 x 32GB)
- Dual-channel configuration
- Compatible with AMD EXPO
- 5200MHz boosted clock speed
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.
HYTE THICC Q60 240mm LCD AiO CPU Cooler:
- AiO CPU cooler
- 240mm
- Compatible with sTRX4 sockets
- 5” IPS display
- White/black design
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.
Kolink Regulator 1000W 80 Plus Gold Modular PSU:
- Modular PSU
- 80 Plus Gold rating
- ATX 3.0 compatible
- PCIe 5.0
- 1000W
be quiet! Straight Power 12 850W 80 Plus Platinum PSU:
- Modular PSU
- 80 Plus Platinum rating
- 850W
- ATX 3.0 compatible
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 your 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 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
ASUS ROG Swift XG27AQDMG OLED 2560 x 1440 Gaming Monitor
- 27” gaming monitor
- 2560 x 1440 display resolution
- OLED panel
- 240Hz refresh rate
- 0.03ms response time
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 Creator3D Core 3D Design and Animation Workstation:
Designed for photography and graphic design, the RENDA Creator 3D COre 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 mid tower is a powerful Intel Core i9 14900K CPU and NVIDIA GeForce GeForce RTX 4080 Super GPU. However, you can choose to tailor the hardware to better suit your needs whether this is 3D design or animation.
- 3D design and animation workstation
- Optimised for Abobe Photoshop etc.
- Configurable hardware
- As standard comes with an Intel Core i9 14900K CPU and NVIDIA GeForce 4080 Super GPU
RENDA Creator Plus Content Creation Workstation:
The RENDA Creator Plus Content Creation Workstation has been optimised for content creation Armed with a powerful AMD Threadripper 7960X and NVIDIA RTX 4080 Super unlock exceptional performance in both single and multi-threaded intensive tasks. With a configurable hardware specification you can tailor this RENDA workstation to better suit your workloads.
- Content creation workstation
- Configurable hardware
- As standard includes an AMD Threadripper 7960X CPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Super GPU
8Pack Supernova MK3 PC:
Built by legendary overclocker, 8Pack, the Supernova MK3 is not just a gaming PC. It’s a flexible powerhouse that is perfect for animations and all your other creative projects. This PC is packed with the latest powerful hardware, including an AMD Threadripper Pro 7995WX CPU, octo-channel RAM, seven NVIDIA RTX 4090s, and a whopping 24TB 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 serve NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPUs
- Huge 24TB of storage
The Best Hardware and PCs For …
What Hardware Do You Use for Animating?
Do you have any top hardware or accessory recommendations for your fellow animators? Leave them in the comments.
*Prices correct at time of writing and PC specs are subject to change.
- 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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