Hey all,
I'm looking to build my first desktop to replace my ailing laptop. I've been going 4.5 years on a 1.66GHz processor with 2GB of RAM and an integrated graphics card. As an architecture student doing 3d modelling, rendering, and other intensive, this laptop is no longer happy with doing the things I ask of it.
Approximate Purchase Date: Late December/Early January
Budget Range: $1000 - $1300
System Usage from Most to Least Important: 3D Modelling (Rhino), Rendering (VRay), Adobe Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign), AutoCAD. Also, I don't play any games.
Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com
Country: USA
Parts Preferences: None
Overclocking: I've never done it, but I'd like to have the option
SLI or Crossfire: Not at present, perhaps down the road, but I can just as easily do without it.
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
Additional Comments: Will also need Windows OS, a monitor, and a wireless card.
Parts List:
CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz
In terms of rendering, will this will be better than going with one of the 6 core offerings from AMD?
MOBO: ASRock Z68 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
I don't know anything about motherboards, so I could have selected something entirely incompatible
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory
I feel like a lot of RAM is important for the tasks I'll be performing, plus it's not terribly expensive.
PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
Again, I know nothing about power supplies, so feel free to enlighten me.
GPU: EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) FPB 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Maybe this isn't sufficient for programs such as Rhino, but considering I'm presently running an integrated graphics card, I feel like this should be a big enough step up.
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue WD7500AALX 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
I really don't even need more than 500GB. In 4.5 years, I've amassed only around 100GB of data that needs to be kept locally. The rest is on an external.
CASE: Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Again, I know nothing here, but I don't need any fancy lights. Just something simple that will hold my gear and keep it cool.
CD/DVD: ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA
WIRELESS: TP-LINK TL-WN781ND Wireless Adapter IEEE 802.11b/g/n PCI Express Up to 150Mbps Wireless Data Rates 64/128-Bit WEP, WPA, WPA2
MONITOR: Acer G235HAbd 23'' 5ms 1920x1080 WideScreen LCD monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1
Give me any suggestions to tweak, any places to trim fat, anything that needs to be fixed/improved. Or feel free to re-do the whole thing and give me a system you feel is better suited. I'm open to all suggestions!
Thanks everyone! I'm excited to get building!
I'm looking to build my first desktop to replace my ailing laptop. I've been going 4.5 years on a 1.66GHz processor with 2GB of RAM and an integrated graphics card. As an architecture student doing 3d modelling, rendering, and other intensive, this laptop is no longer happy with doing the things I ask of it.
Approximate Purchase Date: Late December/Early January
Budget Range: $1000 - $1300
System Usage from Most to Least Important: 3D Modelling (Rhino), Rendering (VRay), Adobe Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign), AutoCAD. Also, I don't play any games.
Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com
Country: USA
Parts Preferences: None
Overclocking: I've never done it, but I'd like to have the option
SLI or Crossfire: Not at present, perhaps down the road, but I can just as easily do without it.
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
Additional Comments: Will also need Windows OS, a monitor, and a wireless card.
Parts List:
CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz
In terms of rendering, will this will be better than going with one of the 6 core offerings from AMD?
MOBO: ASRock Z68 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
I don't know anything about motherboards, so I could have selected something entirely incompatible
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory
I feel like a lot of RAM is important for the tasks I'll be performing, plus it's not terribly expensive.
PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
Again, I know nothing about power supplies, so feel free to enlighten me.
GPU: EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) FPB 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Maybe this isn't sufficient for programs such as Rhino, but considering I'm presently running an integrated graphics card, I feel like this should be a big enough step up.
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue WD7500AALX 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
I really don't even need more than 500GB. In 4.5 years, I've amassed only around 100GB of data that needs to be kept locally. The rest is on an external.
CASE: Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Again, I know nothing here, but I don't need any fancy lights. Just something simple that will hold my gear and keep it cool.
CD/DVD: ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA
WIRELESS: TP-LINK TL-WN781ND Wireless Adapter IEEE 802.11b/g/n PCI Express Up to 150Mbps Wireless Data Rates 64/128-Bit WEP, WPA, WPA2
MONITOR: Acer G235HAbd 23'' 5ms 1920x1080 WideScreen LCD monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1
Give me any suggestions to tweak, any places to trim fat, anything that needs to be fixed/improved. Or feel free to re-do the whole thing and give me a system you feel is better suited. I'm open to all suggestions!
Thanks everyone! I'm excited to get building!