Advice on a build for 3D Graphics

foxwell · Sep 30, 2012

Okay so basically I've been saving up for a while to afford a kick butt build that will help me to power through my projects in 3d modelling and animation (also rendering.... and some video editing -_- ...so yeah lots of focus on graphics, performance and such)

My budget for this build is $2000, but I'm not too worried about that since I've picked all but one part and I'm still about $150 under the budget (I know I'm just a student, but I wont be able to build up this kind of cash after I graduate XD I'll have to get out of my parents house, so I put in a lot of green because this will probably be the computer I use for serious, more professional projects once I'm a graduate)

Anyway I've done the groundwork, I just need some opinions on the parts I've picked. I still need to pick a power supply unit so if someone could suggest a wattage...brand, whatever that'd be great cuz I have no idea... idk 670 maybe?

Anything else you can offer is greatly appreciated, comments or concerns regarding compatibility, suggestions on parts that might work better, etc...

So here's the parts to my build. (minus a few accessories I picked like a monitor arm and a keyboard)

Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN3-GP
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

Motherboard: ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 LGA 1155 Intel Z77
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131821

Processor: Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070

SSD: Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe MKNSSDCR240GB-DX 2.5" 240GB SATA III
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226226

GPU: EVGA 04G-P4-2673-KR GeForce GTX 670 Superclocked+ w/Backplate 4GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130785

Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231311

Monitor: ASUS VS Series VS228H-P Black 21.5" 5ms HDMI LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236176

Disk Drive: LG Black 14X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 12X BD-ROM 4MB Cache
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136249

I'm not sure if I should add in extra fans or if I'll need a different heat sink for that processor,etc... whatever advice you can offer.

Ps: For those who want to know the kind of software I'll use it'll all be on a windows 7 64bit OS and the programs I'll use will mainly be 3DS Max 2012, Maya 2012, Mudbox (maybe Z-brush too), (maybe Vray), Photoshop and After effects...

dudewitbow · Sep 30, 2012

the gtx 600 line up isnt as prepared to do professional work compared to previous gens. If the program uses cude(you will have to look it up manually) then the 600 series is fine. If its a gpu accelerated program that doesnt use CUDA but uses GPGPU, then a radeon card, or fermi card(gtx 400/500) would be faster than a gtx 600 series.

manofchalk · Sep 30, 2012

You have put too much money into the GPU and motherboard, and that has detracted from what important in the CPU and RAM.

Downgrade the 670 to the standard 2GB model, the extra VRAM doesnt help in games (unless your talking big resolutions) or 3D modelling.
Also brand swap away from EVGA, reference design cooling is hot and loud compared to custom.
In fact, if you arent gaming at all you could drop the graphics card entirely or get a significantly cheaper card.

Get a cheaper motherboard, the Sabertooth looks awesome, but that doesnt justify its price.
The AsRock Z77 Extreme4 is a good budget board.

Double that RAM to 16GB and increase the speed to 1600mhz.

Up the CPU to an i7-3770k.

foxwell · Sep 30, 2012

XD ehh I'll definitly be gaming and I was already thinking about doubling the ram so it's good to have that confirmed. I'm not so sure about going down to 2gb though 4gb is supposed to be good when dealing with large scenes in 3ds max and maya

also I don't know what brand I should go for other than EVGA

manofchalk · Sep 30, 2012

Large amounts of memory are important in the type of usage, but not on the GPU. System memory and the CPU are the bigger factors in performance here.

MSI, Gigabyte and ASUS are the good Nvidia manufacturers. Prefer MSI personally.

dudewitbow · Sep 30, 2012

on the nvidia side, I prefer MSI for enthusiast usage(as they release unlocked voltage gpus going against what nvidia originally designed.) for stock or slight overclock purposes, I would either use Asus or EVGA depending on the price and which models i can choose from.

foxwell · Oct 1, 2012

Thanks for the tips guys. Especially that bit about bumping up the processor to an i7-3770k. I was a little skeptical about the heat issues when I looked over the ivy bridge models, but after looking into watercooling it definitly looks like the way to go for this build.

I'm not sure if I went overboard with the power supply or not. I'd like the option to throw in another graphics card in the future, but I honestly just took a guess for the watts based on a list off builds I was looking at.

Here is an updated list for the build.
Opinions, comments and advice are all greatly appreciated.

foxwell · Oct 1, 2012

Sooo any final thoughts or concerns, or should I call this thing finished and get ready to place the orders?

manofchalk · Oct 2, 2012

A 750W PSU is overkill for the rig as it stands, but will be needed if you want to Crossfire/SLI later.

The Corsair H60 perform on par with a Hyper 212 EVO for double the price.
Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVVO. $35 ($5 rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099
And my proof.
http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/cm_hyper212_evo/4.htm

If the reason for the 2x8GB kit is future expandability, make sure you get Win7 Professional 64bit. Home Premium can only support up the 16GB of system memory.
Might want to get a low profile kit as well, so it wont conflict with the 212 EVO or future heatsinks.
G.Skill Ares 16GB (2x8GB) 1600Mhz CL10 1.5v. $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231558

No HDD?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148834

Other than that, the build looks good.

foxwell · Oct 2, 2012

I was planning on going with pro so that's fine with me. You guessed right on the ram too.

An HDD is outside my budget and I need some kind of buffer on the cash in my account (car payments and such) XD I'll just put it on a Christmas list.

I'm going to stick with the H60 for my cooling though. It's a good chance for me to get more familiar with liquid cooling.

foxwell · Oct 2, 2012

Oh and thanks for all the tips and info. You guys were a big help.

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