$1,500 Modeling Computer

Hello everyone,

I am getting ready to build a new computer and have read through a lot of the threads here looking for similar builds to what I am looking for. One of the things I’ve noticed is that a lot of the people with the same needs as me are going after high-end machines. I’ve been using most of the programs below for over 10 years and have never needed more than a $1,200 machine. However, cost to benefit factors into my budget more than hard numbers so if you have something that you think is a smarter route than I’ll take it into consideration. With that being said I’m looking for a machine that has longevity and upgrades easy and any advice is always welcome. Thanks in advance!

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: 01/01/2010.

BUDGET RANGE: $1,250 - $1,500 approx. after rebates.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Z-Brush 3.5, Maya 2009, 3DS Max 2009, AutoCAD Architecture 2008, Revit Architecture 2010, Adobe CS4, Firefox (w/ CoolIris plug-in). These will be the only programs running on this computer.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Monitor’s, Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com, other suggestions welcome.

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States.

PARTS PREFERENCES: I have had really good experiences with AMD’s Processors and GPU’s in the past but I am not against trying any Intel or Nvidia products either.

OVERCLOCKING: I’m not very experienced in this, but as I understand it overclocking can save you in processor, etc. costs. So, I’m open to it, especially if someone can point me in the right direction of some resources.

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: The programs that I use are not GPU intensive but that doesn’t mean that they won’t be in the future, so I would like to have the option of upgrading to multiple cards.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: I have 2 19” monitors that I run @ 1280x1024.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: The majority of work I do at home is model based (non-rendering). I will need atleast 4 GB of RAM to take advantage of all Z-Brush offers but that’s not enough for some of the other programs (if I ever needed to use them to their full potential), so I think going to 6 GB with the option to upgrade to as much as 12 GB is a safe place to start. I don’t need a massive hard drive as I already have 1 TB free in network storage. If the option to do something like dual quadcore processors is available, I would definitely be interested. As far as case goes here is one similar in style to what I would want:

COOLER MASTER COSMOS 1000 RC-1000-KSN1-GP Black/ Silver Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case – Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119138

yeah, wait until it is a lot closer to the time you want to buy it

I did not know things would change that much, thanks for the replies I will be sure to check back closer to purchase date.

Thanks,