Build a PC / 3D & rendering

$4,500 PC for 3D and rendering, part by part

An Intel Core Ultra 9 285K with the GeForce RTX 5080, and the 6 parts around them that fit it: $4,930 all in.

Blender, CAD and simulation, with long renders. Every part here was checked against every other for fit, and picked for all-core throughput and render speed. A price marked Amazon US is ScoutPrices' reading of the listing its button opens, dated; the rest are typical prices. Not a checkout total: no operating system, shipping, tax, screen, keyboard or mouse.

The Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and the GeForce RTX 5080 are well matched at 1440p.

Change the budget or the job

Fit for the job

Enthusiast

$4,930 of $4,500

The ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero goes onto the Lian Li O11 Dynamic Evo RGB's tray: ATX, Z890, nine standoffs.

The Intel Core Ultra 9 285K drops into the LGA1851 socket, lever down: 24 cores, up to 5.7 GHz.

The Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360's block sits on the chip and its 360 mm radiator bolts to the roof; rated 330 W against 250 W.

Two sticks of G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 64GB (2x32GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 White click into the second and fourth slots: 64 GB at 6000 MT/s.

The Samsung 9100 Pro 2TB screws into the first M.2 slot under the card.

The GeForce RTX 5080 slides into the x16 slot and latches: 310 mm in a case that takes 422 mm, 16 GB of memory.

The Super Flower Leadex VII XG 1000W goes into the basement, 1000 W for a build that draws about 800 W flat out, one native 16-pin cable to the card.

Side panel on, 7 case fans spinning. Fit for the job: 87 of 100.

Build order

Eight steps, the way a builder works through the case. $4,482 all in.

ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero on the tray
Core Ultra 9 285K in the socket
Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360 on top
2 sticks of memory
Samsung 9100 Pro 2TB on the board
RTX 5080 in the x16 slot
1000 W supply in the basement
Panel on, power on

Illustration built from this build's parts: the case's card and cooler clearances, the board's size, the card's length, the cooler, the memory sticks, the supply. Shapes are generic, not the products' own.

PartScore for the jobPrice

ProcessorIntel Core Ultra 9 285K

Highest 3D & rendering score the budget allows next to this card: 24 cores, boosts to 5.7 GHz.

2 swaps that still fit