An illustrator's and gamer's computer...

DirtyDavinci

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Aug 20, 2004
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Hello, to all. I wanted suggests for a new system I am building, but it has been a while since I pieced together my last one. I am woefully behind on the new items out there on the market, and I really don’t know what would be the best combinations for me, especially with the new technologies. So I’ve decided to ask for suggestions. I’ll give you an idea of what I would like. I am an illustrator who uses animation and digital programs for my works, as well as being a gamer. I would like a system capable of running programs like Photoshop, 3d studio max or Maya (for animation rendering) while still being able to use resources for other applications, like gaming in the meantime. My concern is having a good processor (dual or quad), with at least 4 gigs of ram and a high end video card. Any suggestions on models, makes, brands? I am willing to spend 2k-2.5k on the computer, not including price of peripherals. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!
 
Photoshop would benefit from a quad. Rendering programs usually do too, or they will in the future anyway. Get a quad.

Since you are using this for work, I suggest you do NOT overclock. OK, do overclock, if you're good at it and/or don't mind risking the occasional crash. I think Q6700 or Q9450 would be best. The Q6700 is cheaper, but the Q9450 has a new set of instructions called SSE4 which may be useful in your work once software starts supporting it.

Some ideas for MB/video/PSU:
- for that budget you can even consider a setup like XFX 780i + three 9800GTX + Toughpower 1000W. That makes sense if you have a huge monitor (30").
- for a 24" monitor (or 28", or LCD TV with 1080p): Asus P5N-D, two 8800GTS G92 512MB cards, Silencer 750W
- for a 22" monitor or less: GA-EP35-DS3R, one 8800GTS G92 512MB card, Corsair 650TX or 550VX

Other things to check out at www.newegg.com: WD6400AAKS, SH-S203B.

The RAM depends mostly on the motherboard you pick. For example for the DS3R I suggest the OCZ Reaper DDR2 800 2x2GB (it's $80 for 4 GB, get two of these). Of course, to use 8 GB of RAM you need a 64-bit OS. I'd prefer Vista 64 to XP 64 because XP 64 is less well supported by games and doesn't have DirectX 10.

 
No problem. Actually, let's try to narrow it down a little.

1. Will you ever need 3 or 4 monitors? I'm asking because 3 or 4 monitors require two video cards (a card has 2 outputs, usually), and that means the motherboard you get needs to have at least 2 PCI-E x16 slots.

2. Do you have or intend to get a monitor with 1920x1200 or more? Once you decide this part you'll know if it's worth getting two or even 3 video cards.

3. Once you know how many video cards you want you can pick a case. For example for a single video card I totally like the P182 - nice and quiet and doesn't fill up all the room under the desk. For 2 or 3 cards, on the other hand, you'd need something bigger and with lots of fans.

 

shadowduck

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Good questions aevm. I second them, and ask a few more.

Do you have a preference on motherboard maker?

How heavy is your PS use? If it is really heavy, 8GB of RAM would be useful.

If you really want the best performance from your rendering apps, get a FireGL or quarto card for your rendering work, and a 2nd card for gaming.
 

DirtyDavinci

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Good questions. Let's answer them then.

Will I ever need more than two monitors? No, I am aiming on two only. More than that becomes something of a hassle for me.

I am planning on getting a monitor with 1920x1200. It's good to be able to work with the highest resolution monitor you can.

Hadn't thought of the case. I do prefer quiet, but I wouldn't mind something with extra fans if the needed cooling power is required.

No preference on motherboard makers. As long as it's a respected brand I'm content.

Photoshop use will be extensive. Either for full blown digital or composite planning images. So the 8 GB of ram sounds like a good idea to me.

Quatro are expensive, but I have heard people say good things about them. Never heard of FireGL though.

Hope these answers help :)
 
They sure help.

At 1920x1200 SLI helps. Unfortunately, if you enable SLI you can't use two monitors, and you have to switch SLI on and off when you go from gaming to work or viceversa. I know it no longer requires a reboot these days, but still some people find it annoying.

All right. I think I'd go for something like this:

Two 8800GTS 512MB cards

XFX 780i or eVGA 780i or Asus P5N-D motherboard
The 780i boards cost more, and their biggest advantage is the third slot. You won't use it, with 8800GTS 512MB cards, because they don't support Triple SLI.

Silencer 750W ($120 at newegg now, regular price $200)

RC-690 case, or Thermaltake Armor, or CoolerMaster Cosmos, or TJ-09, or some Lian-Li.

Why don't you check these out (at newegg's site for example) and see if you like them. For example the case is a totally personal thing, you need to see it for yourself.

 
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At 1920x1200 SLI helps. Unfortunately, if you enable SLI you can't use two monitors, and you have to switch SLI on and off when you go from gaming to work or viceversa. I know it no longer requires a reboot these days, but still some people find it annoying.
Agreed, but OP can make the trade off of playing games at a lower res. A single (G92)8800GTS will be/should be able to handle 2-D/low 3D (ie CAD) fine at that res.

@OP:
For rendering work a Quad core will help. Rendering is more CPU bound than GPU bound. Imo, there is no need for workstation GPUs unless you are doing some really kick @ss renderings. Also if going 8GB you will need a x64 OS.
 

shadowduck

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@avem:

You could run 3 video cards, and plug one monitor into the SLI setup and the other in the 3rd video card couldn't you? Using one of the 780i boards you suggested

@OP:
FireGL is ATI's Workstation card.
Yes, you are looking at about $850 for one of those (Quarto card).


 
I have no idea if nVidia's software is smart enough for that setup. It sounds interesting, yeah, it's worth investigating.

Of course, if this works, the 3rd card can be a $40 thing, it doesn't have to be a high-end gaming card.
 
If your work requires color accuracy, then stay away from all LCD monitors using a TN panel. That means stay away from all consumer level 22" LCD monitors with the exception of the Lenovo ThinkVision L220x which uses a 22" 8-bit S-PVA LCD panel; it costs about $500 - $550.

If you are considering 24" LCDs, then as a basic rule, stay away from all 24" LCDs priceless at less than $575 (unless it's on sale) online.

22" and inexpensive 24" LCD monitors are cheap for a reason, they use 6-bit TN panels that are less expensive to manufacture than other LCD panel technologies.