Looking For Input On An Animation Build

whitney

Honorable
Aug 22, 2013
5
0
10,510
I'm moving back to PC after using a Mac for ~5 years. I was told in college I have to use a Mac to work in animation and unfortunately I was quite naive at the time. Looking forward to working on a PC again but I need a little help with the components!

Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next 2-3 weeks

Budget Range: $800-1000 with tax, shipping & rebates

System Usage From Most to Least Important: After Effects, Flash, Premiere, Maya (strictly for animation), Illustrator, Painter, Web Browsing

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, speakers, monitor*, case*

*I have a Cintiq but I would like to add a secondary monitor for when I don't need to use it. I also have an old case that I can use for the time being but plan on replacing in the near future for a Prodigy M. The price of the case is not part of the budget. I just want to make sure for anyone giving input that I will eventually be using a Micro-ATX.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon, Frys, Micro Center, Newegg

Location: Northern Atlanta Area, US

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU, NVIDIA Chipset Graphics Card, and just some good reliable RAM (16-32 GB)

Overclocking: Not Sure

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: Cintiq - 1600x1200, I would like to add a secondary 2560x1440 monitor but I am aware of how unlikely that is to fit in my budget.

Additional Comments: My reason for this build is I'm running on a severely outdated and underpowered machine. I'm aware I can't get everything with my budget but more than anything I want to make sure I'm not paying too much for components I won't utilize completely or even need at all. Please keep in mind this is in no way a gaming rig. My main concern is render times in After Effects & Premiere.

Here are the components I'm considering:
CPU - Intel Core i7-4770
Motherboard - ASRock H87M Pro4
RAM - Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8) DDR3 1600
Graphics Card - EVGA GeForce GTX760 Superclocked
Power Supply - Silverstone ST55F-G 550W
SSD - Samsung 840 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" SATA III
Hard Drive - Western Digital Blue 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache
OS - 64-bit Windows 7 OR Windows 8 (not sure which as they both cost the same)

Any and all advice is appreciated. It's a little overwhelming for me trying to build from scratch. Thanks!
 
Solution
If you have money left over you should at least get the Prodigy and a new power supply, which you will definitely need if you want to run a Haswell rig. You could do that for $1K:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H87M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($110.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($270.66 @ Newegg)...

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator
If you have money left over you should at least get the Prodigy and a new power supply, which you will definitely need if you want to run a Haswell rig. You could do that for $1K:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H87M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($110.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($270.66 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($76.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1000.56
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-22 13:24 EDT-0400)
 
Solution

whitney

Honorable
Aug 22, 2013
5
0
10,510


Thank you for the input! I want to wait for the Prodigy M to come out in October to give the inside of the case a little more breathing room. But I will for sure be purchasing it! Will the power supply you suggested be that much different than the one I was considering? I can see the power and output aren't that far from each other and I obviously want to save money where I can.
 

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator


For a single GPU that's more than enough for what you need. Seasonic is widely regarded as being among the best manufacturers around (and I have a couple of them myself). The PSU is the one area where you DON'T want to save money. That can have serious consequences later on. I generally recommend buying the case now because transferring your build to a new case typically isn't a lot of fun.
 
An xeon will be cheaper if you don't oc. And this psu is gold for a similiar price as that bronze. If you ever upgrade to more than 16gb or ram, go with w8 otherwise you'd need w7 pro which would cost more.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1uZ5D
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1uZ5D/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1uZ5D/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230V3 ($264.99)
Motherboard: ASRock H87M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($74.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($110.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($103.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $944.42
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-22 13:48 EDT-0400)
 

whitney

Honorable
Aug 22, 2013
5
0
10,510


Thank you for the info on the power supply. And I wasn't even thinking of the hassle involved with taking apart and reassembling a computer. If Micro Center still has the Prodigy cases for $60 this weekend I will consider picking one up. Thank you again
 

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator


No you do not need a Xeon for this type of a rig. I don't care what CPU Boss says, but it's just not necessary. You have to keep in mind that Xeons require slower ECC RAM and much more expensive workstation motherboards.

Thank you for the info on the power supply. And I wasn't even thinking of the hassle involved with taking apart and reassembling a computer. If Micro Center still has the Prodigy cases for $60 this weekend I will consider picking one up. Thank you again

I've done this several times, it's generally not that big of a hassle but it does take a solid 3 - 4 hours to do.
 

whitney

Honorable
Aug 22, 2013
5
0
10,510
I do have one more question involving motherboard size and the Prodigy. Since the Prodigy is classified as a Mini-ITX (though I know it's inner dimensions are just shy of being Micro-ATX) will I have any problems with the Micro-ATX motherboard? That was my big reason for trying to wait out the M since it is supposed to be a Micro-ATX. I'm not sure I'm the craftswoman that most case modifications require.
 

whitney

Honorable
Aug 22, 2013
5
0
10,510


Thank you. And I appreciate the CPU suggestion but just incase my graphics card dies (this has happened to me more than I care to remember) I'd like to have the integrated graphics as a backup (even if they aren't stellar). About the memory, is there any brand in particular to stay away from? I'm still shopping around a lot on that aspect and don't really have a brand I favor so to speak.