I have 3500, WHAT SHOULD I BUY

shannonhochkins

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hey everyone, i have a little of 3k to spend, i will be using it for 3d rendering and animation, what should i get,? i want a pretty killer computer but i just dont know enough to know what parts to buy,

any help would be awesome,

cheers,

shannon
 
G

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wow, the system listed above would be a dream come true for me. it's an awesome choice.
 

theAnimal

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And the 850W PSU.
And the $70 cooler, shouldn't be OCing a workstation.

I also wouldn't do RAID 0.

Also might want a better monitor or 2, like HP LP2475w.
 

xthekidx

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Because the GT200 Processor is designed to assist in rendering and animation and takes a big load off of the CPU, greatly decreasing the amount of time it takes to render video and the like (like half the time to render or more). Go check the Nvidia website.

+1 on raid 0, I wouldn't do that either. Raid 5 I think is a better choice since you have the money, get 4 1TB WD Caviar Black Drives. This will give you a speed boost, and the reliability of redundancy, somewhat of a hybrid of Raid 0 and 1.
-1 on the PSU. I like having a bigger PSU so upgrade options are open in the future. Plus a larger PSU generally gives you higher efficiency than a PSU that is rated at the level of power you are using, saving money when you pay the power bill.
-1 on Cooler, for the best rendering and animation, you would get a lot more out of the 920 if you OC'd it, and with that cooler you wouldn't be risking too much if you OC'd to 3.4-3.5ish. I have a similar setup and my temps never get over 78C, even under full load on Prime95. On most other apps, I don't see it get over 60C, even while in the middle of intense games. I would actually recommend the TRUE (thermalright ultra 120 extreme RC 1366) for slightly better cooling, its the best cooler on the market right now. Even if you didn't OC, the cooler would bring down your temps and your CPU would last forever.

Since you aren't strapped for money, I would also upgrade the motherboard to the P6T Deluxe or Gigabyte X58 UD5 motherboard, they have a few more features. Or you could go for the ASUS P6T6 WS Pro, but I don't think its necessary.
 

shannonhochkins

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hey guys, thanks heaps for your suggestions, i still have very little idea on what to get because everyone is dissagreeing with everyone :)

if someone could give me specs again with all arguments with better parts and that ?
and point me somewhere i could get the parts pretty cheap.?

thanks heaps
shannon
 

xthekidx

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I'm assuming you are in the US.

www.newegg.com - this is probably the best place to get parts, but other places have better deals once in a while
www.tigerdirect.com - probably newegg's biggest competitor
www.amazon.com has good deals on memory every once in a while
 

mford66215

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Cant disagree on the parts listed, although I do have problems with raid 0. Doing the raid 5 thing sounds good, but spent the $$ on a dedicated raid controller.

I really hope this is for work, cause for $3.5k I'd go buy a car!
 

shannonhochkins

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lol, no thia is for school, or tafe, i live in australia, i already have a car, but im doin 3d animation and rendering with mayer, so i need a computer that can keep up with me without crashing so i dont punch the screen and get frustrated like the other one lol,,

thanks guys, keep the suggestions coming,
 
What are you asking for? It's not exactly clear.
And it's not likely you'll get total agreement on any one single configuration - especially with fairly vague objectives like "i want a pretty killer computer". You're asking for an attractive looking, powerful computer, right?

One person mentions that you don't need a powerful graphics card for a 3d rendering and animation workstation and another says you want a powerful graphics card to assist in rendering and animation. Both are correct - depending - on what software packages you will be using, and how you use them. You haven't provided enough guidance or information to know which is the better solution for your system. Knowing your budget is always helpful and you were good about that. But I get a definite vibe that you'd like to spend less than $3500. So it's important you state what you REALLY want to spend. And maybe what you're willing to spend if it can be shown to be worth the extra $$$ spent.

Spending $1000 for a 3.2Ghz Core i7 965 is an option. And so is spending $290 for a Core i7 920, $70 for a CPU cooler and overclocking the i7 920 to 3.2Ghz.

A Gigabyte X58-UD3R motherboard was mentioned to save $50 and it's a good motherboard. But it will limit the amount of RAM you're able to install compared to ASUS P6T, ASUS P6T Deluxe or Gigabyte X58 UD5 also mentioned. X58-UD3R supports both dual channel and tri channel DDR3 modes so you'd have the option of using 2GB/3GB/4GB/6GB or 8GB of DDR3 RAM. The other MBs are tri channel mode only and you'd be able to use 3GB, 6GB or 12GB using the most commonly available DDR3 RAM kits.

I'm guessing you're not a full time graphics/3D & animation worker. They usually ask for a system that will run specific software packages. And they usually have a better idea about what core components they need/want for their software of choice, usually from hanging around the software forums where the other graphics/3D & animation workers hang out.

Do you know what software you'll be using? Are you going to be making your living with the new workstation, or is it for more of a hobby or educational experience? Are there any other software packages you might want to try during the lifespan of this workstation? Have you visited the software forums to get an idea what hardware works best with the software you want to use?

How many hours a day will you be using your workstation for heavy 3D & animation work? Someone mentioned you might want a better monitor.

Will you be thinking about resale value in the future? How long do you expect to be using this new system?

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It's going to be your workstation, and it's your money you'll be spending. It's a good idea to take ownership of the process and do enough research on the software you'll be using so you'll recognize the best options. And maybe be better able to explain your requirements or expectations for your new system.
 
And looking at the current $AUD rates and all - can you confirm you'd be looking at something around $2000USD?

edit;
maybe even less than $2000USD
Here is what http://www.pricespy.com.au/ found for some comparable $AUD prices:
Core i7 920 - $465
Asus P6T - $350
G.Skill 6GB DDR3 PC10666 RAM - $244 for 6GB
EVGA GTX 285 - $645
 

theAnimal

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A larger PSU will be less efficient since it will spend most of the time running in the lower part of the efficiency curve.
 

xthekidx

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No workstation cards are extremely expensive, and a low end one would cost more than that GTX 285 previously mentioned, and woud not necessarily perform any better, probably worse than the GTX 285.
 

theAnimal

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Well the PSU is 850, and this system is below 400...
 

xthekidx

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Not if she overclocks and adds a few drives for storage, which would be highly advisable for the purposes she will be using this system for...and at peaks I'll bet the system that WR2 pieced together draws more than 400W
 

theAnimal

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Not without a second GTX.
 
How much less efficient? What does the lower part of the efficiency curve look like for a Corsair PSU?

Lets estimate an idle power draw of ~150w and a load draw of ~375w.
For a 750TX PSU idle efficiency looks to be around 83% and load efficiency around 87%. Im guessing the 850TX would be close to those efficiency levels.