Building for 2014 - Gaming & 3d Art

[Ragnos]

Hello Tech Forums community!

Technology has changed considerably since I last put together a computer and I need help building one for 2014.

Goal - Purchase parts that will support the next few years' triple ‘A' titles as well as support my demands as a 3d artist.

Budget - $1000 to $1200 USD.​

The programs that I use for 3d modeling and animation are resource heavy and tend to rely on processor power rather than the GPU.

ZBrush, for example, is entirely software rendered meaning that the choice of GPU doesn't really matter when I'm sculpting a character made from millions of polygons.

3ds Max hogs the processor when it renders an animation frame by frame.​

As a gamer I'll want to play games at high settings for the next few years. Assets that I create are generally imported in game engines too. So a good GPU is still important to have both recreationally and professionally.

Overall, I'm looking for parts with staying power although they don't necessarily have to be top of the line. So, what parts would you recommend I purchase?

Thanks for your time,

Ragnos

 

[PP Mguire]

What is your current setup? If at all possible, you can reuse certain things to make that budget go a bit further.

 

[-RockMan-]

Hello Tech Forums community!

Technology has changed considerably since I last put together a computer and I need help building one for 2014.

Goal - Purchase parts that will support the next few years' triple ‘A' titles as well as support my demands as a 3d artist.

Budget - $1000 to $1200 USD.​

The programs that I use for 3d modeling and animation are resource heavy and tend to rely on processor power rather than the GPU.

ZBrush, for example, is entirely software rendered meaning that the choice of GPU doesn't really matter when I'm sculpting a character made from millions of polygons.

3ds Max hogs the processor when it renders an animation frame by frame.​

As a gamer I'll want to play games at high settings for the next few years. Assets that I create are generally imported in game engines too. So a good GPU is still important to have both recreationally and professionally.

Overall, I'm looking for parts with staying power although they don't necessarily have to be top of the line. So, what parts would you recommend I purchase?

Thanks for your time,

Ragnos

http://www.techist.com/forums/f76/advice-purchasing-computer-xps-710-what-parts-143478/index3.html

Newegg.com - AMD FX-6350 Vishera 3.9GHz Socket AM3+ 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor FD6350FRHKBOX

Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-970A-UD3P AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

Backup and storage work files
Newegg.com - Western Digital WD AV-GP WD10EURX 1TB IntelliPower 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

windows and apps/gaming workstation
Western Digital WD Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive - Newegg.com

2 of these for 115.00
Newegg.com - Kingston HyperX HyperX 10th Anniversary Series 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 Desktop Memory Model KHX18C9X3/4

Total now without case and card and whatever else
486.00

Antec NeoECO C NeoECO 620C 620W ATX12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Newegg.com

Newegg.com - ZOTAC AMP! ZT-70402-10P GeForce GTX 760 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support Video Card

GIGABYTE GZ-G2 puls GZ-G2SGB Black ABS / Mesh/ 0.6 mm SGCC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Newegg.com

Grandtotal of 900.00 bucks.
The parts I chose will help you do alot especially if your job requires it on critical deadlines to meet.

 

[Ragnos]

What is your current setup?

Excluding the optical and hard drives, I believe the only piece of technology that I can re-use will be my video card although I plan on purchasing a newer one.

Motherboard – ASUS P5W DH Deluxe
Processor – Intel Core 2 – 6600 @ 2.40GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.4GHz
Memory – 4GB (2 Sticks)
Video – NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450​

I believe that current motherboards have different slots for RAM which means that I won't be able to use those parts for my new build. I'm considering quad core since most of the programs that I use for 3d Modeling are optimized for the 64bit versions so I don't intend to use my current processor.

Old computer, huh?

Grandtotal of 900.00 bucks.
The parts I chose will help you do alot especially if your job requires it on critical deadlines to meet.

You found my first thread asking for computer help! A few parts have changed but if you take a look at what I posted above you'll see that the machine is quite similar.

So, I'm completely blown away that they have six-core processors right now! Is there software that optimizes a 128bit system? Also, the motherboard only has four slots for memory. Does a six-core processor need six slots, and while we're at it, does a quad-core need four? Then you suggest that I get two 4GB sticks which is really throwing me off. I apologize, for my lack of knowledge.

I like the price of the motherboard for sure. Looks like I'll have to get a wireless adapter to plug into one of the many USB slots if I get it.

I'm also happy with the suggestions for the HDD, video cards (I've never heard of Zotac; is the brand reliable?), PSU and case.

All under $1k? Color me impressed!

 

[PP Mguire]

Actually I was more interested in what your case and PSU was to see if you could reuse those, and if you had a copy of Windows you could use as well. There is more to be had with 1000 bucks.

 

[-RockMan-]

Excluding the optical and hard drives, I believe the only piece of technology that I can re-use will be my video card although I plan on purchasing a newer one.

Motherboard – ASUS P5W DH Deluxe
Processor – Intel Core 2 – 6600 @ 2.40GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.4GHz
Memory – 4GB (2 Sticks)
Video – NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450​

I believe that current motherboards have different slots for RAM which means that I won't be able to use those parts for my new build. I'm considering quad core since most of the programs that I use for 3d Modeling are optimized for the 64bit versions so I don't intend to use my current processor.

Old computer, huh?



You found my first thread asking for computer help! A few parts have changed but if you take a look at what I posted above you'll see that the machine is quite similar.

So, I'm completely blown away that they have six-core processors right now! Is there software that optimizes a 128bit system? Also, the motherboard only has four slots for memory. Does a six-core processor need six slots, and while we're at it, does a quad-core need four? Then you suggest that I get two 4GB sticks which is really throwing me off. I apologize, for my lack of knowledge.

I like the price of the motherboard for sure. Looks like I'll have to get a wireless adapter to plug into one of the many USB slots if I get it.

I'm also happy with the suggestions for the HDD, video cards (I've never heard of Zotac; is the brand reliable?), PSU and case.

All under $1k? Color me impressed!

Yeah I found your old post also I remember you making it way back in the old days.
Also zotac I have had one temporary video card which was GT440 2 years ago.
Never had one struggle with it and played everything without ease.
Due to me being a poor man I had to let it go to pay off some bills. :/

If you get a wireless adapter go right into target or walmart and get a belkin wireless adapter.
Mines costed me 32.00 each and comes with a 2 year warrenty.
I'm glad you like that build, mainly since you said gaming and art work.
I figured this would hold you down to the floor for a long time.
You still have options to a better board in the summer of 2014 if you want.

Good to see some old members come back, I'm hoping you can teach these rookies thing or three about tech crap.

 

[Ragnos]

Actually I was more interested in what your case and PSU was to see if you could reuse those, and if you had a copy of Windows you could use as well. There is more to be had with 1000 bucks.

The power supply that I'm using is the Corsair 620 (520w). Back when I was researching parts I heard that even though Corsair sells this part as 520 watts it can actually run around 700-800 perfectly fine. Something about needing to market at pre-set standard wattage.

The case that I have now is from Cooler Master.

Additionally, I own a copy of Windows 7. What else would you recommend, PP Mguire?

Also zotac I have … Never had one struggle with it and played everything without ease.

If you get a wireless adapter go right into target or walmart and get a belkin wireless adapter.

Good to see some old members come back, I'm hoping you can teach these rookies thing or three about tech crap.

Good to know about Zotac and the wireless adapter, thanks.

Teach a thing or two to rookies? Ah, well, the only thing I can teach is to research, ask questions after you research, and research some more. I went from never opening a case before the forums to confidently building a functional computer.

Speaking of research…

I relearned that maximum memory is dependent on the motherboard. The MoBo that MikeTech recommended has a maximum of 32GB of memory and four slots. That means that four 8GB sticks would be best suited for the MoBo and in turn a quad-core processor.

Thing is, if companies are going to start pumping out 128bit programs as standard maybe I should pay the little bit extra and get the six-core processor and purchase a MoBo that has 6 slots next year…

… decisions ...

 

[Yevrag35]

Thing is, if companies are going to start pumping out 128bit programs as standard maybe I should pay the little bit extra and get the six-core processor and purchase a MoBo that has 6 slots next year…

Where did you hear that? Even if they did, the OS would have to support 128-bit processes then, and MS (trust me) has no plans this *decade* to produce a 128-bit OS.

 

[Ragnos]

MS (trust me) has no plans this *decade* to produce a 128-bit OS.

Great, then I'll stick with four cores and four sticks of memory! Money saved!

 

[-RockMan-]

The power supply that I'm using is the Corsair 620 (520w). Back when I was researching parts I heard that even though Corsair sells this part as 520 watts it can actually run around 700-800 perfectly fine. Something about needing to market at pre-set standard wattage.

The case that I have now is from Cooler Master.

Additionally, I own a copy of Windows 7. What else would you recommend, PP Mguire?


Teach a thing or two to rookies? Ah, well, the only thing I can teach is to research, ask questions after you research, and research some more. I went from never opening a case before the forums to confidently building a functional computer.

Speaking of research…

I relearned that maximum memory is dependent on the motherboard. The MoBo that MikeTech recommended has a maximum of 32GB of memory and four slots. That means that four 8GB sticks would be best suited for the MoBo and in turn a quad-core processor.

Thing is, if companies are going to start pumping out 128bit programs as standard maybe I should pay the little bit extra and get the six-core processor and purchase a MoBo that has 6 slots next year…

… decisions ...

Well about the psu are you mainly geared at corsair or do you want to go for something more stable ?
I checked out the psu link you hosted, it has some good features a very good rating by most users..
One main issue that sticks out to me, is how long will it hold out with the parts you get for it ?
I'm sorry to say this, but I rather not have that in your machine and it sparks/shorts itself out in the middle of the day.
The link I hosted up, that would do you pretty well same price tag more coverage features.
I've had my antec vp450 began to fail 4 weeks ago, still worked and everything.
The sata cables died and knocked out one of my hard drives and started to hum a little.
RMA support by antec was quick tech guy named josh seem knowlegable.
Did this all same day within 3 hours had it shipped out by 4pm est. :/
Had the vp450 for 2 years, even with 2-3 different boards and cpus it still rocks.

My next question I've been meaning, what type of work do you do ?
Only reason why I ask you because you seem undecided if you might need a 4 core amd/intel or 6 core.

For 119.00 free shipping and a slight oc to 3.6ghz you shouldn't have a reason to lag hard at all while working nonstop.

Other than that you should be set to buy soon.