Request Guidance on Assembling a PC: 128GB RAM, Optical Drive, Legacy HDD Compatibility – Estimated Cost $3500
Request Guidance on Assembling a PC: 128GB RAM, Optical Drive, Legacy HDD Compatibility – Estimated Cost $3500
Hello!
A year ago I attempted to assemble a PC but it didn’t go well. Now I’m eager to try again this time.
I need assistance assembling a desktop PC featuring:
- an optical drive,
- 96 GB (two 48 GB drives) or
- 128 GB of RAM,
and
compatibility with older hard drives via SATA.
My budget is around $3500.
This system will be used for:
- Video editing (Adobe Premiere Pro, Descript);
- OCR and book scanning (CZUR ET16 + FineReader) to generate large searchable PDFs from old newspapers — up to 100,000 pages in a single file.
That’s why I require 96 GB or 128 GB of RAM — memory usage increases rapidly.
The key priorities are:
- SSD performance + RAM cache during rendering;
- Smooth scrolling through PDFs over 20 GB;
- OCR that can handle simultaneous TIFF writing and reading.
I plan to order from:
https://hotline.ua
https://hard.rozetka.com.ua
Here’s what I’m considering or thinking about:
1. Intel Core Ultra 7 265K 3.9GHz / 30MB (BX80768265K) s1851 BOX
🔗 https://hard.rozetka.com.ua/ua/intel-bx8...454463807/
💰 17,592 UAH (~$422)
2. Budget unknown. Around $1000 — suggestions welcome!
3. MSI MAG Z890 Tomahawk Wi-Fi (s1851, Intel Z890, PCI-Ex16)
🔗 https://hard.rozetka.com.ua/ua/msi-mag-z...456194809/
💰 15,299 UAH (~$367)
Has 4 SATA ports, but one will be used for the Blu-ray drive.
Should there be a SATA splitter or controller card to expand this?
4. Kingston KC3000 4TB M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen 4.0 x4 3D TLC NAND (SKC3000D/4096G)
🔗 https://hard.rozetka.com.ua/kingston-skc...323284093/
💰 16,379 UAH (~$409)
5. ✅ Already ordered:
Fractal Design Define 7 XL Black — ideal for mounting numerous old SATA HDDs and one optical drive.
6. MSI MPG A850G PCIE5 850W
7. Seeking either 96 GB or 128 GB of RAM — I’m not sure which is better. Please recommend a solid choice.
8. Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360
🔗 https://hard.rozetka.com.ua/ua/arctic-ac...239553705/
💰 4,449 UAH (~$111)
But perhaps version III is worth considering, given the release timing around LGA1851 socket?
If you can suggest parts—especially GPU and RAM—I’d really appreciate it.
Thank you ahead of time!
Premiere Pro and other video editing software gain maximum performance from the most capable GPU available. While Nvidia cards are currently more favored compared to AMD or Intel options, cost can influence your decision.
https://www.pugetsystems.com/soluti...be...tions/#gpu
For high-resolution projects (4K and beyond), a GPU with at least 8GB of VRAM is recommended. I recently upgraded in 2024, replacing my RTX3060 12GB with an RTX4070 12GB during Black Friday.
Resolution options include 1080p, 4K, 6K, and 8K+. The minimum VRAM requirements are 4GB, 8GB, 12GB, and above.
While video applications often see limited improvement from fast XMP profiles, especially on AMD processors, Intel CPUs at 6000MT/s offer a significant advantage. Note the importance of 4 DIMM XMP speeds.
https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/a...02...n_Graphics
Using four DIMMs typically demands slower XMP rates for stability, and some motherboard BIOS settings cap speeds below 4800MT/s when four are installed. This means you might end up spending more on faster DDR5 if you go this route. Two DIMMs usually run at higher speeds than four.
It’s wiser to purchase all four DIMMs together as a cohesive unit. If you opt for two pairs, it’s hard to confirm they’re from the same batch, even with identical part numbers. Different production runs can have slightly varying memory timings, and mismatched kits may limit success with high XMP configurations. The two units might also feature different memory modules.
Choose an LSI SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) HBA card, pre-flashed with IT firmware—not IR (RAID) firmware.
https://forums.servethehome.com/ind...an...odels.599/
LSI cards work well with both SATA and SAS drives, but you can’t combine SAS and SATA in the same setup. The number at the end specifies the maximum number of drives supported, such as -4i for four drives or -16i for sixteen.
I currently use older SAS2 (6Gbps) 9211-8i controllers, but a faster SAS3 (12Gbps) LSI 9300-8i would be ideal.
https://www.amazon.com/SXTAIGOOD-9211-8i...B0BWY1VH3V
A note on part numbers: the '-i' at the end indicates IT firmware. It’s best to avoid LSI cards with '-e' in the name, which point to IR (RAID) firmware. I frequently buy used server components, but eBay and Aliexpress offer affordable LSI alternatives.
You’ll need an SFF-8087 forward breakout cable for each group of four hard drives.
I suggest adding a second M.2 NVMe drive solely for Premiere Pro’s scratch files. I also have a third 1TB M.2 NVMe drive reserved for video work-in-progress before moving everything back to five drives.
Thank you for your feedback! I’m glad you found the information helpful. Regarding RAM, the timing differences can vary even without changes in frequency. Still, it mainly affects boot speed, which will be limited by the slowest component. The main drawback is reduced performance at lower frequencies, though a solid board with quality RAM usually stays above 4800—would you agree?
I'm not certain whether every BIOS across all motherboards checks the SPD chips in every DIMM and selects the slowest timings, or merely examines the DIMMs in A2 and B2. If you possess very fast DIMMs in A2/B2 but slower ones in A1/B1, you could encounter difficulties when reaching the maximum XMP speed of the A2/B2 DIMMs. Just a guess.
I've been enjoying mixing different RAM sticks since the DDR2 era and managed to achieve a modest 3000MT/s overclock using two pairs of Corsair Vengeance RAM in a 3800X configuration. I rarely verify the QVL, relying instead on luck and some online research. However, if you anticipate needing to fill all four slots eventually, it's wise to purchase a matched set of four DIMMs rather than just two pairs, especially if you can find them at comparable prices.
I faced issues with certain Kingston Hyper-X DDR3 modules, but upon inspection, three of the four DIMMs exhibited varying speeds (1333, 1600, and 1866). Despite sharing identical blue heatsinks, I didn't bother to verify their part numbers. I had additional 40 Hyper-X DIMMs from previous systems, so I assembled a "matched" quad. This suggests my BIOS might be configured with 1866 or 1600 settings, while the 1333 DIMM appears to be struggling.
The only point I'm making about mixed pairs is that it's one of the queries forum moderators posed when users encounter difficulties with high XMP/EXPO/DOCP overclocks. You're likely aware that larger capacity DIMMs (32GB/48GB) can sometimes cause problems when all four slots are filled for 128GB or more. This might indicate that a quad (or even eight) channel Xeon, EPYC, or Threadripper setup could be more suitable if you ever require 256GB to 2TB of RAM. I own an older Xeon server board with eight DDR4 slots, and my HP servers feature 16 DIMM slots.
Yes, you should generally be fine with your motherboard's JEDEC DDR5 default speed of 4800MT/s, but there are occasional cases on this forum where BIOS settings drop to 4200 or 3800MT/s across four DIMMs. You can always override automatic settings and manually adjust timings, then run MemTest86 for verification.
If you wish to identify the memory chips inside your DIMMs, consider using Thaiphoon Burner to inspect each one.
https://thaiphoon-burner-official.com/
It could be worth exploring Puget Systems' products, even if they seem costly, to uncover any obvious flaws in your planned build. Some video editing programs place more emphasis on the GPU than the CPU, or vice versa.
I've observed variations in GPU/CPU usage percentages for different Topaz Video AI algorithms. Occasionally, the CPU runs at 60% while the GPU is at 90%. At other times, both components operate near their maximum power limits. Topaz also utilizes the integrated GPU within the CPU (if available) alongside the main GPU card in the PCIe x16 slot.
The top RAM selection for capacity listed in the MSI z890 Tomahawk's QVL is the Corsair 4x48gb CL 38-38-38-84 at 5200 MT/s. Another strong option from Corsair on your MOBO QVL is the Corsair 4x32gb CL 38-38-38-84 at 5600 MT/s.
Thanks for the advice, you really understand your equipment. Could you assist me with my current setup?
I have six HDDs connected (two 2TB and three 3TB each) plus a 1TB SSD. All my photos, videos, and .docx files are stored on those drives. My CPU is an i7 2600K, there’s no GPU yet, and the motherboard is a P8Z68 with 32GB RAM.
What bothers me is that when I open a folder or file on the HDDs, it takes about 5 to 14 seconds for the drive to activate and start spinning. Then, if I open a .docx file and begin typing, Word slows down slightly because the drive is still waking up. It’s really frustrating.
Is there any solution? For example, can I prevent the drives from sleeping? Would using a NAS help? Also, when I’m on WhatsApp, it sometimes lags — it seems like the app is trying to access those drives too.
After installing Windows, I first turn off all power-saving features, such as shutting down the hard disk after 20 minutes. I'm not in an office where computers stay on overnight or on weekends when no one is around.
1). Go to 'Power Options' (Windows 10 Pro works the same in 11)
2). Find your current power plan (likely Balanced) and click 'Change plan settings'
3). Select 'Change advanced power settings'
4). Adjust 'Hard disk' to 'Turn off hard disk after' at 0 minutes. The default is 20 minutes.
5). I also set the 'USB selective suspend setting' to Disabled
6). Set PCI Express 'Link State Power Management' to Disabled
7). Choose 'Turn off display after' as Never