Building a suitable mid-priced rig for a 3D artist.

bogloggs · Nov 13, 2013

Ahoy hoy, I'm currently look for a career change and one of the routes I'm going to test out is becoming a 3D artist/animator. I'm going to need a new computer for that as my current one is very decrepit. I initially planned to get a laptop but I've since read that a desktop would be a lot better at the sort of tasks I'm going to perform, which would be mostly in the Autodesk and Adobe suites. This is what I've got so far: -

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/21IBl
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/21IBl/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/21IBl/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£155.99 @ Aria PC) $249.54
CPU Cooler: Arctic Cooling UCACO-AP11301-BUA01 Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler (£7.99 @ Amazon UK) $12.78
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£57.00 @ Amazon UK) $91.17
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£114.88 @ Amazon UK) $183.76
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£69.95 @ Amazon UK) $111.89
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£46.92 @ Scan.co.uk) $75.05
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card (£139.91 @ CCL Computers) $223.80
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case (£76.99 @ Amazon UK) $123.16
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply (£37.27 @ Amazon UK) $59.62
Total: £706.90 ($1,130.88)
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-13 16:15 GMT+0000)

I've already got a 24" 1080p screen, keyboard, mouse, DVD drive and Windows.

So, first of all, is that a fairly balanced system for my needs (no gaming)?
Would it be worth paying more for a Xeon E3-1230 V2 or an i7?
Choosing a motherboard was a bit of a guess. Did I guess reasonably?
My other graphics card choice was a GTX 660. Would that be preferable?

Any other suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Novuake · Nov 13, 2013

First off, what programs will you be using?

The graphics card might not be necessary at all if you won't be gaming. A better CPU could help you more depending on what program you use.

No point in getting the K-Edition CPU if you will not be overclocking, if you DO plan on OCing, you will need a Z77 based board.

I would ALSO suggest that you go for Haswel instead.

Also, a better PSU might be needed, I never suggest the CX series if you plan on overclocking, and if not then at least geqt the CX500.

So if you answer those I may be able to optimize that build for you.

bogloggs · Nov 13, 2013

Thanks for replying. I'm not 100% sure what software I'll be using at the moment as I just want to get an overview of the industry, but I suppose it'd be 3D Studio Max, Maya, Mudbox, ZBrush, After Effects, Cinema 4D, etc. Stuff like that.

I hadn't really considered overclocking. I've never done it before, so I suppose no, I won't be.

Cool, so potentially upgrade the CPU and PSU and downgrade the graphics. Sounds sensible?

g-unit1111 · Nov 13, 2013

Novuake :

No it still will be especially if you're using heavy duty CS5/6. You don't want to put massive strains on the CPU and slow down those fine redraws if you can possibly help it.

Would it be worth paying more for a Xeon E3-1230 V2 or an i7?

Xeon E3 isn't necessary. If you're going to pay more get an i7-4770K.

I would trash the original rig - there's no reason to pay that much money for old hardware, and the Corsair CX430 will not power that rig. Here is what I would do:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£171.59 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£23.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-C ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£95.21 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£63.53 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£63.54 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card (£149.98 @ Dabs)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case (£47.98 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£69.89 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£13.15 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £698.85
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-13 17:26 GMT+0000)

- GTX 660 has CUDA and Phys X which will be better for Photoshop
- I didn't include 16GB of RAM or SSD but you can add those as you want
- New i5-4670K and Z87 motherboard
- That cooler is no better than the stock fan, replaced it with something much better

Novuake · Nov 13, 2013

g-unit1111 :

Yip, but the HD7870 is overkill and/or underpowered for compute.

g-unit1111 · Nov 13, 2013

Novuake :

True, but If you're starting in computer rendering I would personally think a GTX 660 or 660TI would be a better choice for rendering, would it not?

Novuake · Nov 13, 2013

g-unit1111 :

Novuake :

True, but If you're starting in computer rendering I would personally think a GTX 660 or 660TI would be a better choice for rendering, would it not?

Agreed. Bus width is useless for compute.

sora · Nov 13, 2013

g-unit1111 :

Novuake :

True, but If you're starting in computer rendering I would personally think a GTX 660 or 660TI would be a better choice for rendering, would it not?

This. 560/660TIs are great cards for rendering and gaming!

bogloggs · Nov 14, 2013

That's great guys, thanks for the advise.

One more question - I don't know if it's sacrilege to mention pre-built PCs on here, but what do you think of this: -
http://www.medion.com/gb/prod/MEDION®%20AKOYA®%20P5223%20E/310018444?wt_mc=gb.intern.StdProducts.welcome.on-ma&wt_cc1=4_1&wt_cc3=DEAL%20OF%20THE%20DAY

It looks like the CPU is 10% slower than the i5-4670 I was going to get. But then the graphics are a bit better and most importantly I'd be saving over £100. Or would it have all rubbish components and be a false economy?

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Building a suitable mid-priced rig for a 3D artist.

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