Discussion on 3960x PCIe lanes
Discussion on 3960x PCIe lanes
I’m thinking about setting up a new system for video editing, compositing, and gaming. I want a 3950x configuration, which should cost roughly two-thirds of the 3960x model. However, that might limit the PCIe lanes available. My plan is to use an NVMe OS drive, an NVMe cache drive, and an NVMe + 2-8TB HDD with Primacache for mass storage. I’d pair it with a 1080GPU of my choice. For connectivity, I’d connect via Thunderbolt or a 10Gb Ethernet cable to an external NAS. I’m considering 7–8 USB ports for external drives.
In terms of software, I’ll mainly work in DaVinci Resolve, focusing on Fusion and Color tabs. I might skip the third NVMe drive if I go with an SSD and a traditional HDD with Primacache. There could be adjustments needed as I write this.
Your RAID setup will be backed up to an external HDD for safety, and I’ll keep active projects on another internal drive for fast access. Let me know if this makes sense or if you’d like more details!
You might be unsure about the number of graphics cards you should use. Having just one is usually sufficient, as long as you have enough PCIe lanes. Think about allocating lanes—4 for each NVMe drive, 8 for the GPU, and 4 for your network card. Adding another GPU could cause issues. You probably don’t need a separate cache drive or extra drives for HDDs; a SATA SSD would be better. For RAID, avoid using hard disks if you want speed—stick with NVMe drives instead. So, adding another GPU means you’ll need more NVMe cards. Otherwise, everything should work fine.
I'll begin with one GPU and plan to increase capacity later. My current RAID setup uses 8TB on my machine, which is nearing full, so I’ll upgrade when needed—SSDs won’t be useful then. For the Primocache, a single large SSD should suffice right now; it’s around 3TB and should cover future needs, even though it’s pricey. I just double-checked my notes and might swap the third NVMe for an SSD to free up space. My configuration now includes two NVMe drives, an SSD, multiple HDDs, several GPUs, and a NUC.
For long-term storage, consider using a NAS. RAID 0 increases the risk of data loss. This leaves only four PCIe lanes available for your second graphics card, which may not be sufficient. Alternatively, you could enable dual M.2 mode on your PC, providing enough PCIe lanes while maintaining SSD performance—verify your motherboard supports this feature.
It's going to take a while before I can finally relax! Appreciate your support. The RAID keeps my assets and recordings safe, with daily backups to an external HDD. All active projects are manually backed up to the primocache drive. When updates occur in the RAID, it automatically monitors them and replicates changes to another server I own at a different location. For long-term storage, every year I transfer the old footage onto duplicate HDDs, label them properly, and store them in two Pelican cases—one in a storage locker and one at a friend's house.