PC Build Thread

[WingsofWar]

So im in need of a 3D rendering workhorse under a budget.

Can I build something similar to this stats for a better price?

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...d_6_G180-13103

[serialk11r]

Er, the core i7-2600 alone runs 300 retail lol.
You might be able to find a LGA775 quad core system for 400ish, my friend got a quad core + GTX470 or something system for 600 on tigerdirect last year. BTW the Nvidia GT520 is about as poor value as it gets.

[Kage]

The main thing is that when u buy a pre built computer windows seems to work out to be free. You might be get similar/better parts for cheaper, but with how expensive windows is you will probably go over budget. I'll check though tomorrow when I get out of class I'll try to put something together on newegg with your budget...$699 is significantly higher than your original $300 ;-P

[Snaps]

Agreed with serialk11r - the GT520 will be a SERIOUS letdown for ANY sort of graphic work...

[WingsofWar]

So what exactly makes the GT520 bad in terms of value? Is the GTX470 better in respect?

[Giccin]

Originally Posted by WingsofWar

So what exactly makes the GT520 bad in terms of value? Is the GTX470 better in respect?

I think the GT520 had a minor overheating issue and glitchy-ness in its software.

I could pull a really nice GFX card for you; however, I'm not sure if you're brand specific or not.


I love nvidia and EVGA. <3

[WingsofWar]

Nah im not really brand specific, i just want the parts in the PC to do well.

I first want to square away a good deal on a Motherboard and CPU. But Iv been getting mixed advice about what to choose. Some say that a cheaper quad core will be enough with todays software, while others say the older architecture of the quad cores arn't suited for 3D rendering, and that i would need at least a Core i5 or AMD PhenomII Xx?

Is that right?

I mean if i have to break my budget of $300-400 to get a proper rig, i don't mind. Id just hate to pay like $900-$1000 when i don't have to.

[Snaps]

I really can't compare prices (I'm in NZ, the price to build that computer your posted would be almost $900). But I can still offer advice.

I think it's probably worth explaining nVidia's naming scheme so you kinda know what's going on :P :
- The Letters denote the "range" the graphics card is in. GS is worst, followed by GT, then GTS, with GTX being the best.
- The first number denotes the generation of the card. Lower numbers means the card is older (and therefore likely slower), a higher number means the card is newer and likely faster.
- The second and third numbers denote the actual processing power of the card (in a way), for example - A GTX 480 may be similar in processing power to a GTX570 (as the GTX570 is a newer generation, and the range of cards has shifted to a higher power, so the new GTX580 will be more powerful than the older-generation GTX480)

To then answer your question - YES, the GTX470 (high-end) is a much better video card than the GT520 (low-end). That said, after a little reading, it seems the video card may not be all that important for rendering... I would still spend a reasonable amount one though. Maybe get one of the older GTX260's?

As for CPU - I'd go for a Second-generation i5 (2500 maybe?)... (I'm similar to Giccin in that I like certain brands, AMD is ewww). I don't think the hyperthreading of the i7 would be worth the extra money you'd pay for it, at least not with current software.

Edit: you should be able to get a rig that's good for the job for well under $900, but you might have to go a little over $400.

[82mm 4g63]

To be honest, you won't touch a custom built PC even with the crappy 520 GPU for $700. They use cheaper components and slap on a copy of Windows 7, which by itself is ~$100.

If you wanted to build a PC with similar specs and a far superior GPU, you're looking to spend a little bit over that $700 mark as well as reusing your old case.

Core i7 2600K --- $315 --- ($15 upgrade over the i7 2600)
Gigabyte P61 USB3 motherboard --- $70 --- (Upgrade over the non-namebrand)
MSI GTX560 --- $190 --- (The GT-R to the GT520's Prius)
Corsair Vengeance 8GB DDR3-1600 --- $53 --- (Low latency, higher clock speed)
Corsair Builder Series CX500 PSU --- $60 --- (Best name in PSU's, +50w)
Samsung F3 1TB --- $60 --- (Less storage, faster read times)
Samsung CD/DVD burner --- $20 (It's a DVD burner...)

= $770

After the CPU/Memory combo discount and mail in rebates you're around $713. You're upgrading every component especially the GPU, but you pay for it.

You could save $60 by reusing your power supply.
You could save $20 by reusing your CD/DVD drive.
You could save $15 by dropping the GTX560 and adding an HD 6850.

= $620 w/o Windows7; w/o case


[Edit]

I agree with Snaps about the CPU, if you wanted to drop down to a new i5 you probably wouldn't notice much performance loss. It would save you $95 dropping the total to $675. The AMD HD6790 is a pretty impressive middle range GPU for ~$110, could save you another $80. (Total: $595)

[serialk11r]

If you're building a new system, AMD is much better value for the CPU, as intel quads are all over 200. As for the video card, I think the best performance per buck you can get right now is the GTX460. I just bought one for a bit over 100 bucks. No worries that it's not a 5xx series, they're basically on the same architecture.

You can get a Phenom II X4 for just 100 bucks on Newegg. With a 50 dollar mobo and a GTX460 you're running about 270 dollars. So if you get closer to 400 dollars you can have a pretty nice system. Now dropping 100 dollars off that is a bit tough...I see GTX260 going for 65 shipped Buy it now on Ebay, that would save about 50 bucks. If you go on Ebay for everything you can probably drop like 30-40 bucks off the total cost.

If you don't mind an older processor/board you can PM me if you're interested (E6400, Gigabyte G33-DS2R) Sorry for the excessive soliciting :P

[KadeS]

If you're building a PC for graphics rendering, why not go for AMD and overclock it? As said above, its performance per buck. Though AFAIK AMD isn't as efficient with their number crunching, but for sheer ghz per dollar, its worth it.

If you aren't worried about noise, a used rack server might be better...

[WingsofWar]

rack server? educated me, a google search didn't do me any good since i have no idea what im looking at.


I am leaning towards an AMD quad core processor and a fairly cheap mobo thanks to some of the suggestions here, any sources or suggestions? I am looking at Tigerdirect and Newegg right now, at those Combo deals for a mobo and CPU. But im like...uhh.... these combos seem like good stats but everything is made to seem top-notch, and i can't really trust the reviews.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...y=#ReviewStart

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.693504

[Snaps]

82mm 4g63 -- I would even consider dropping the spec of the RAM (to 8GB 1333/CL9), as I doubt the faster RAM will make a noticable difference in rendering, will provde a little saving...

If you're really trying to keep it at a lower budget, then you could also go for a slightly slower harddrive for a cheaper price. Agreed that 1.5TB is wayyy overkill, so I agree on the 1TB (82mm 4g63 specs), but you could shave another couple of dollars off by going to a slower drive. I was quite happy with my WD Caviar Green for about 2 years until I got the itch to go for an SSD, would NEVER look back now

Edit: WoW -- Both of those have dual PCIe x16 slots, chances are you're paying a little extra for something you aren't goins to use, there Other than that, I think that's a reasonable deal, but get someone else to comment on the pricing

[82mm 4g63]

What I think you should do is wait until the AMD Zambezi processors launch at the end of the year! That's what I'm doing. Future FX-8170 owner right here.

But if you can't wait... GO WITH INTEL!

(Just an FYI, I am running a 2 year old AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE overclocked just a bit. It's a sweet rig, but it doesn't compare to even the older i7 processors let alone the new i7's or new i5's.)

In regard to the AMD bang for buck argument... I would've agreed last year and if we were talking about playing video games, but we're talking about 3D rendering now. When it comes to rendering Intel >>>>>>>>> AMD. The most powerful processor AMD currently has to offer is the the 6-core Phenom II X6 1100T ($190) and it is inferior to all of these Intel chips: i7-875k, i7-975, i7-980x, i5-2500k($220), i7-2600k($315) in that order.

(Check this out http://www.overclockersclub.com/revi...5_2500k/13.htm)

If you're comfortable overclocking, the i5-2500k is a beast at overclocking. The gap between the X6 1100T and the i5-2500k REALLY opens up and definitely earns the extra $30.

In regard to the AMD vs Intel motherboards, you're looking at the same price. A decent AM3 board with sata3/6 and usb3.0 is $70, the same price as the Intel.

Originally Posted by Snaps

82mm 4g63 -- I would even consider dropping the spec of the RAM (to 8GB 1333/CL9), as I doubt the faster RAM will make a noticable difference in rendering, will provde a little saving...

If you're really trying to keep it at a lower budget, then you could also go for a slightly slower harddrive for a cheaper price. Agreed that 1.5TB is wayyy overkill, so I agree on the 1TB (82mm 4g63 specs), but you could shave another couple of dollars off by going to a slower drive. I was quite happy with my WD Caviar Green for about 2 years until I got the itch to go for an SSD, would NEVER look back now

Edit: WoW -- Both of those have dual PCIe x16 slots, chances are you're paying a little extra for something you aren't goins to use, there Other than that, I think that's a reasonable deal, but get someone else to comment on the pricing

Yeah, DDR3-1333 is definitely cheaper, but the CPU/Memory combo actually makes that memory $13 bucks cheaper and the same as the equivalent 1333mhz. With the hard drives, just get something cheap and SATA3/6...you can add more later when you need to.