The Best $2000 High-End Content Creation PC Build – July 2024
Calling All Serious Content Creators!
If you’re looking to put together the ultimate video editing PC at a mainstream price, this is the guide for you! Rather than try to tweak gaming-focused builds to make them a better match for heavy Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and similar application use, just build one that’s designed for content creation from the start! Sure, you could game on this system, but the components have been chosen specifically to maximize application performance and minimize noise, which is what we think professional video editors will value the most.
This Month’s Build, Featuring Intel and Nvidia!
For July 2024, the High-End Content Creation continues to feature Intel’s raging-fast Core i7-14700KF, a 20-core, 28-thread behemoth that offers tremendous content creation chops for the price. It has a total of 8 performance cores and 12 efficiency cores, allowing it to tackle any task with targeted firepower: a few ultra-high speed core for single-threaded tasks or a phalanx of cores for multi-threaded tasks. It’s paired with an upgraded GPU this month, the powerful Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super 12GB, which provides incredible acceleration in apps like Davinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, and Photoshop. It’s also massively-efficient, which is great for keeping noise in check, while also allowing for the use of up to 4 monitors.
Backing up the CPU and GPU is 64GB of ultra-high-speed DDR5-6400 RAM and a top-end 2TB PCIe Gen 4 solid-state drive, which offers extraordinary I/O throughput. To put the finishing touches on this build, we suggest you equip it with an efficient fully-modular 850W power supply and cool it with an awesome tower cooler from Thermalright. Finally it’s housed in the trend-setting Fractal Design North, which will look great in any professional studio or work space. This will give you a silent-running, workstation-class system.
Parting Thoughts
If you’re looking to complete your system, you’ll find our recommendations on the perfect peripherals for a content creation PC later on this page. We use Amazon affiliate links for our readers in the US, which will auto-convert for our readers in the UK, Canada, and parts of the EU, with regional substitutions made automatically based on availability. Your use of these links to purchase the products we recommend will help support continued development of this site.
Required Components
-
CPU –
Intel Core i7-14700KF
$374The 14700KF offers blazing-fast performance for a relative bargain price. With 8 performance cores and 12 efficiency cores (up from 8 in the 13700KF), it delivers a total of 20 cores and 28 threads of game- and content-crushing performance. It’s the chip every serious PC user would be proud to have in their system!This CPU offers tremendous content creation capability, far exceeding anything AMD offers at this pricepoint.
-
Motherboard –
MSI MAG Z790-A Max WiFi
$240MSI’s “A” line is legendary for offering up tremendous performance for the price, and this Socket 1700 model based on the Z790 chipset is a perfect match for Intel’s latest CPUs. It features a massive 16+1+1 Phase VRM, four M.2 slots (all being Gen 4 x4), a PCIe Gen 5 video card slot, eight USB ports (one being Type-C), and integrated WiFi 7. Note that it conforms to the DDR5 RAM standard, providing the ultimate in performance for high-end Intel processors.14th-Gen CPUs require updated firmware, and many motherboards don't have it, but MSI released its "Max" line to make the transition simple: every Max motherboard is guaranteed to boot 14th-Gen CPUs out of the box!
-
Video Card –
Asus GeForce RTX 4070 Super 12GB Dual Evo OC
$600The RTX 4070 Super offers amazing performance and amazing efficiency, surpassing the original 4070 by 15% at the same launch price. This model’s dual-slot, dual-fan cooler with oversized fans will keep temperatures in check and noise levels down, without filling up your system. Plus it has a factory overclock to give it an extra boost.While marketed primarily for gaming, the RTX 4070 Super is an exceptional content creation GPU, far exceeding the performance of any AMD GPU, while providing a solid 12GB of VRAM and impressive efficiency. It also supports up to four UHD monitors simultaneously!
-
Memory –
G.Skill 2x32GB Ripjaws S5 DDR5-6400 CL32
$205For the ultimate in speed, you must go with DDR5 RAM, but not just any DDR5 RAM, because you need high-frequency DDR5 to blow past DDR4 RAM performance. And that’s what you get with G.Skill’s Trident Z5 kit running at DDR5-6400 with timings of 32-39-39-102 at 1.40V. This is the real deal when it comes to DDR5 performance!This DDR5 kit is a great match for the CPU and motherboard - remember, DDR4 is not compatible!
-
Solid-State Drive –
WD_Black SN850X 2TB NVMe
$140WD took its vaunted SN850 and endowed with even greater speed, creating the 850X. Powered by amazingly-fast NAND flash, and offering transfer speeds up to 7,300MB/s, it’s the one you want!The speed of this drive will be put to good use in a serious content creation machine. If you'd like to split out your OS and swap drive for even better throughput, just pick up two 1TB drives... or better yet, two of these 2TB drives!
-
Case –
Fractal Design North White
$140The North is a true watershed product for the professional case market. Designed for designers, with a nod to mid-century themes thanks to the wood slat front grille, this PC case will look great anywhere, and is perhaps the harbinger of the next big trend as RGB lighting’s potential has been tapped out! This case also offers plenty of space and quiet operation, thanks to the two included 140mm front fans. All in all, you’re getting an amazing enclosure for a seriously-pro PC!This case was originally designed as a gaming case, but its professional looks and ultra-quiet operation make it perfect for a content creation PC.
-
Power Supply –
SilverStone DA850R Black
$120Offering up 850W of power and top-notch build quality, this PSU is a great value among high-end models. Thanks to its fully-modular cables and compact 150mm length, it’s very easy to install, allowing you to minimize cable clutter by leaving out cables you don’t need for this build. It’s also forward-looking, with both traditional video card power cables and a 12V-2×6 connector (an improved version of the 12VHPWR connector), allowing you to directly connect to any current or future GPU. The best part: thanks to its Gold-rated efficiency and zero-fan mode, the power supply will operate in silence most of the time!This PSU will provide plenty of power for this system, which under full CPU/GPU rendering load will draw under 500W.
-
CPU Cooler –
Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 EVO
$43Thermalright is legendary in the CPU cooler business, having designed some of the very first premium tower coolers in the early 2000s. Their focus has always been on performance per dollar, providing a lot of metal for your money. And with the Phantom Spirit 120 Evo, that metal comes in the form of seven chunky 6mm heatpipes running through two big heatsink towers. They are aided by two ultra-premium 120mm fans using fluid dynamic bearings and a proven 9-blade design. All in all, you get class-leading performance at a price that no other manufacturer can touch!This high-powered cooler will keep the hot-running Core i7 processor under control, while looking absolutely first-rate in this system!
-
Operating System –
Windows 11 Home (USB) @Newegg
$139Windows 11 built on everything people loved about Windows 10, and then took it to 11! It adds significant under-the-hood changes to make it faster and more secure, and of course, the interface is sleek too! Note that we’re linking to Newegg, because Amazon long ago stopped selling this physical USB version of Windows, which is the most convenient one to use.Win11 is definitely what you want on a new PC!
Optional Products
-
Sound Card –
Creative Sound Blaster AE-7
$172 The Guru’s TipStepping up to a dedicated sound card is a good choice if you do a lot of audio work.
-
The 32-inch Professional 4K Monitor –
ViewSonic VP3256-4K
$500 The Guru’s TipAny content creator will want a big 4K monitor to work with, and this one is that and a whole lot more!
-
The Ultimate Business Keyboard –
Logitech MX Keys S Wireless Illuminated Keyboard
$110 The Guru’s TipLogitech really leapfrogged the competition when it released this keyboard, and no one is close to catching up!
-
The Deluxe Wireless Mouse –
Logitech MX Master 3S
$100 The Guru’s TipPerhaps the coolest feature of this mouse from a content creator's perspective is the Flow cross-computer control, which allows you to work seamlessly on three computers without the need for a KVM switch.
-
The Deluxe PC Headset –
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless
$120 The Guru’s TipWhile designed first for gaming, this headset is of such a quality that any content creator can be proud to use it!
Total Cost: $2011
Required Components
- CPU – Intel Core i7-14700KF ($374)
- Motherboard – MSI MAG Z790-A Max WiFi ($240)
- Video Card – Asus GeForce RTX 4070 Super 12GB Dual Evo OC ($600)
- Memory – G.Skill 2x32GB Ripjaws S5 DDR5-6400 CL32 ($205)
- Solid-State Drive – WD_Black SN850X 2TB NVMe ($140)
- Case – Fractal Design North White ($140)
- Power Supply – SilverStone DA850R Black ($120)
- CPU Cooler – Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 EVO ($43)
- Operating System – Windows 11 Home (USB) @Newegg ($139)
Optional Products
- Sound Card – Creative Sound Blaster AE-7 ($172)
- The 32-inch Professional 4K Monitor – ViewSonic VP3256-4K ($500)
- The Ultimate Business Keyboard – Logitech MX Keys S Wireless Illuminated Keyboard ($110)
- The Deluxe Wireless Mouse – Logitech MX Master 3S ($100)
- The Deluxe PC Headset – SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless ($120)