A beginners workstation. Spec overlook.

[OneDown]

Hello people, In the next couple of months Im going to be looking at building my a new workstation for myself. Because Im going to be heavily focusing on using 3DS Max, Maya and Zbrush over the next couple of years I need something that will last me as I start working my way up to high poly models.

Ill be upgrading if and when so it doesnt need to be a pro workstation now but just something that will do me for the next few months.
My main areas of focus are 3D modeling, animation and maybe lighting and rendering further down the line.
Now the one thing have has proven hard to decide on is the GPU, shall I get an 8800GTS and softmod it to a FX3700 or just get a faily standard but current model GPU as right now im not gonna be able to do anything intensive? So if you could recommend anything other than what I have said or better it then please Id be more than gratefull.

This is it so far:

Intel i5 655k 3.2GHZ Unlocked Quad Core.
Asus P7P55D-E Intel P55 Express 1156 Motherboard
Corsair Dominator 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 12800C7 1600MHz Triple Channel Kit
OCZ ModXStream Pro 600w Silent SLI Certified Modular Power Supply
Antec 300 Case
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache
Optical Drive- ANY

If you guys could give me your thoughts on the spec I have in mind now it would be super helpful.
Thanks in advance!

 

[obsidian86]

get teh i5 750 or 760 the extra cores will work wonders but ideally you want something from thr i7 8xx series

 

[ScrewySqrl]

I'd reccommend a more modern GPU than the 8800. It was good in it's day, but it's utterly trashed by more modern GPUs, which are no slouch in rendering.

in order of increasing power, I rank modern dx11 GPU's liek this

HD5670 (don't go lower)
GTS450
HD5750
HD5770
HD5830
GTX460 768 MB
GTX 460 1GB
HD5850
GTX470
2xHD5750 in crossfire
2xGTS450 in SLI
2x HD5770 in crossfire
HD5870
2x 5850 in Crossfire
GTX480
2 GTX 460 in SLI
2x470 in SLI
HD5970
2x 5870 in Crossfire
2x480 in SLI
2x 5970 in crossfire

 

[OneDown]

Wow, super quick replies, Thanks!
I never notuced the 655k wasnt a quad core, Duhh. So yeah ill definately look at the i5 760 instead. And I would like to go for a i7 but I cant justify the extra cash right now and ill be upgrading to that further down the line maybe.

Thanks for the advice on GPUs too ScrewySqrl, ill definately tyake that in mind and go for something more modern shall we say.

 

[batuchka]

Tower @ $571AR

Optional Items

Scythe YASYA cooler $35
http://www.directron.com/scys1000.html

Review
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3274/scythe_yasya_scys_1000_cpu_cooler/index6.html

60GB Sandforce based SSD $120AR Free Ship
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233124

 

[OneDown]

Okay, so Ive done some revising of my initial setup I was going with and Ive got it down to this:

Intel Core i5 760 2.80GHz (Lynnfield) (Socket LGA1156)
Asus P7P55D-E Intel P55 Express 1156 Motherboard
Asus GeForce GTX 460 Direct CU TOP 768MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card
Corsair Dominator 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 12800C7 1600MHz Triple Channel Kit
OCZ StealthXStream 2 600W Power Supply
Antec 300 Case
Samsung HD103SJ SpinPoint F3 1TB SATA-II 3.5" Hard Drive
Sony AD-7260S-0B 24x Internal DVD±R/RW/Ram Drive - Black

If you guys know of any compatibility issues beween this kit then id be mighty grateful if you could let me know!..

Also, my websites of preference are Overclockers.co.uk, Scan.co.uk and Aria.co.uk and Im looking to spend a max of £800.

OC'ing the CPU at some point would aslo be a possibility so I know I'd have to invest in a descent cooler. If you have any recommendations?..

Many many thanks again guys!!!

 

[ScrewySqrl]

the triple-channel ram won't work with an 1156 chipset. Its dual channel only. so go for 4 GB (2x2 GB), or 8 GB (2x4 or 4x2 GB).

you could still do 6 GB with 2x2 GB and 2x1 GB.