"New AMD Budget CAD Workstation Build for an architecture student"
Approximate Purchase Date: Before Feb. 2013
Budget Range: Hope to not push it to far past $1000 for the hardware. I'm a architecture student, so I'm looking for value, and expandability.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: 3D design work in Rhino V5, V-Ray rendering, Web-surfing, Other CAD work.
Are you buying a monitor: Not at this time, but I would like the capability to expand to 2-3 monitors with a Firepro gpu.
Parts to Upgrade:
All I currently have is a 500G HDD @5400 RPM, 8MB Cache, and 3.0Gb/s - Im thinking about adding a budget friendly SSD, any suggestions?
Im building my system around a AMD Firepro 5900 GPU @ $425. The Firepro is already going to use up a large portion of my budget, but a pro graphics card is important for the CAD work I'm going to be doing.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814195106
For the CPU a AMD FX-6300 Vishera 3.5GHz (4.1GHz Turbo) priced at $130 on amazon seems like a great value. Ive heard a lot of Intel fan-boys (I am one myself), but is it really worth the added cost? I'm willing to upgrade the CPU late.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113286
I want a motherboard that is easy to setup, and is as compatible with my system as possible. Two 16x pci-e would be nice for the possibility to run another Firepro card down the road, I don't know much about brands but here are two options that might work well.
GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard @ 145
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128514
ASUS SABERTOOTH 990FX R2.0 AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS @ 180. Are all the on-board temp sensors a good feature?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131877
Will 8Gb of memory be enough, could always expand to 16Gb if I needed it. Any good deals out there?
Dont know much about what PSU I'd want, the GPU runs off the motherboard power.
Looking for a minimalist case with minimal cost. Suggestions please.
Do you need to buy OS: Yes
I am considering Win8 64, but is Win7 64 still king? What is the cheapest way to get a licence?
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com, amazon prime
Location: Between San Luis Obispo, California and Oahu, Hawaii
Parts Preferences:
This is my first AMD system, seems like a better value. Really what it comes down to is real world performance and cost.
Overclocking: If I need it
SLI or Crossfire: Possibly later
Additional Comments: I want to build a tough system that I can expand on when I have the money
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My current dell XPS laptop with a I7 2630QM @ 2GHz and Geforce GT 525M is not cutting it.
I haven't built a PC in a long time, but I'm trying to do my research. Any thoughtful advice would be appreciated!!!
Approximate Purchase Date: Before Feb. 2013
Budget Range: Hope to not push it to far past $1000 for the hardware. I'm a architecture student, so I'm looking for value, and expandability.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: 3D design work in Rhino V5, V-Ray rendering, Web-surfing, Other CAD work.
Are you buying a monitor: Not at this time, but I would like the capability to expand to 2-3 monitors with a Firepro gpu.
Parts to Upgrade:
All I currently have is a 500G HDD @5400 RPM, 8MB Cache, and 3.0Gb/s - Im thinking about adding a budget friendly SSD, any suggestions?
Im building my system around a AMD Firepro 5900 GPU @ $425. The Firepro is already going to use up a large portion of my budget, but a pro graphics card is important for the CAD work I'm going to be doing.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814195106
For the CPU a AMD FX-6300 Vishera 3.5GHz (4.1GHz Turbo) priced at $130 on amazon seems like a great value. Ive heard a lot of Intel fan-boys (I am one myself), but is it really worth the added cost? I'm willing to upgrade the CPU late.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113286
I want a motherboard that is easy to setup, and is as compatible with my system as possible. Two 16x pci-e would be nice for the possibility to run another Firepro card down the road, I don't know much about brands but here are two options that might work well.
GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard @ 145
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128514
ASUS SABERTOOTH 990FX R2.0 AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS @ 180. Are all the on-board temp sensors a good feature?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131877
Will 8Gb of memory be enough, could always expand to 16Gb if I needed it. Any good deals out there?
Dont know much about what PSU I'd want, the GPU runs off the motherboard power.
Looking for a minimalist case with minimal cost. Suggestions please.
Do you need to buy OS: Yes
I am considering Win8 64, but is Win7 64 still king? What is the cheapest way to get a licence?
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com, amazon prime
Location: Between San Luis Obispo, California and Oahu, Hawaii
Parts Preferences:
This is my first AMD system, seems like a better value. Really what it comes down to is real world performance and cost.
Overclocking: If I need it
SLI or Crossfire: Possibly later
Additional Comments: I want to build a tough system that I can expand on when I have the money
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My current dell XPS laptop with a I7 2630QM @ 2GHz and Geforce GT 525M is not cutting it.
I haven't built a PC in a long time, but I'm trying to do my research. Any thoughtful advice would be appreciated!!!