$400-$500(including shipping) Render Node

T

TheTyrant

Gawd
Joined
Feb 3, 2003
Messages
684
1) What will you be doing with this PC?
Render Node for animation

2) What's your budget?
$400-$500(including shipping)

3) Which country do you live in?
Austin, TX USA

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget?
Motherboard, CPU, RAM, Case+PSU, HardDrive, DVD Drive

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing?
No reusable parts, this is a completely new build

6) Will you be overclocking?
No

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
N/A

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Next week or two

9) What features do you need in a motherboard?
Nothing in interest, just the fastest machine for the cost

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
Windows 7 64bit or Ubuntu 64bit
 
Quick build from Newegg.com


============
Rosewill R101-P-BK 120mm Fan MicroATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Model #:R101-P-BK
Item #:N82E16811147112
$29.99

ASRock H61M-VS LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Model #:H61M-VS
Item #:N82E16813157241
$59.99 -$5.00 Instant $54.99

Rosewill Stallion Series RD400-2-SB 400W ATX V2.2 Power Supply
Model #:RD400-2-SB
Item #:N82E16817182074
$39.99 -$5.00 Instant $34.99

Intel Core i5-2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500
Model #:BX80623I52500
Item #:N82E16819115073
$209.99

Kingston ValueRAM 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model KVR1333D3K2/4GR
Model #:KVR1333D3K2/4GR
Item #:N82E16820134792
$25.99

HITACHI HDS721050CLA362 (0F10381) 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Model #:HDS721050CLA362
Item #:N82E16822145299
$39.99

LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04 - OEM
Model #:iHDS118-04
Item #:N82E16827106276
$17.99

Subtotal: $413.93
 
I have the need to use a cheap solution for a rendering job that needs done, and I want to put it off on a non-workstation system. I have a few nodes I can use, but I would like to just scrap those old machines and just use a quadcore system to get rid of my old towers(they are pretty old singlecore machines)

I don't want to spend that much, because the job is already a low bid, and I want to keep my profits at a reasonable level to... you know pay rent and have food to eat.
 
TheTyrant said:
I have the need to use a cheap solution for a rendering job that needs done, and I want to put it off on a non-workstation system. I have a few nodes I can use, but I would like to just scrap those old machines and just use a quadcore system to get rid of my old towers(they are pretty old singlecore machines)

I don't want to spend that much, because the job is already a low bid, and I want to keep my profits at a reasonable level to... you know pay rent and have food to eat.
Click to expand...

Understandable on the low price. What software are you using to render? Is it memory intensive? What about disk access time? Do you need the DVD burner or can you get away with a USB key install of Windows?
 
TheTyrant,

That build ain't complete without a monitor at all. And if you are going to buy a monitor that does not have a VGA (D-Sub) socket at all (as in some newer models, which have only DVI and HDMI outs), you will have to special-order a DVI-I to VGA adapter (if that new monitor has a DVI-I socket) or purchase a discrete PCI-e x16 graphics card (if the DVI socket on the monitor only accepts DVI-D cables) just to even use that new monitor. This is because that ASRock H61 motherboard does not have DVI or HDMI capability whatsoever.

Though right off the bat the PSU is extremely shitty: Though labeled as a "400W" PSU, it realistically can barely handle even 250W without blowing up. This makes it a no-no in my book, especially since you can get far better quality PSUs for just a few dollars more.
 
Last edited:
E4g1e said:
TheTyrant,

That build ain't complete without a monitor at all. And if you are going to buy a monitor that does not have a VGA (D-Sub) socket at all (as in some newer models, which have only DVI and HDMI outs), you will have to special-order a DVI-I to VGA adapter (if that new monitor has a DVI-I socket) or purchase a discrete PCI-e x16 graphics card (if the DVI socket on the monitor only accepts DVI-D cables) just to even use that new monitor. This is because that ASRock H61 motherboard does not have DVI or HDMI capability whatsoever.
Click to expand...

since it's a render node, it can be headless, however...


does that mobo support booting without a video out? Many decent ones do, but I dunno about that one.
 
jeremyshaw said:
since it's a render node, it can be headless, however...


does that mobo support booting without a video out? Many decent ones do, but I dunno about that one.
Click to expand...

Oh, in that case, it depends on the motherboard. Some motherboards require a video out just to even POST. If no monitor is detected, the system will simply beep at you (if you have a speaker connected to the mobo).
 
E4g1e said:
Oh, in that case, it depends on the motherboard. Some motherboards require a video out just to even POST. If no monitor is detected, the system will simply beep at you (if you have a speaker connected to the mobo).
Click to expand...

I did not know this.. any suggestions of a good cheap mobo to use for the intel 1155?
 
Plus, I should of mentioned that I will be using a KVM switch to boot into this box, or just use the monitor for initial setup and just VNC to the machine when needed...
 
TheTyrant said:
Plus, I should of mentioned that I will be using a KVM switch to boot into this box, or just use the monitor for initial setup and just VNC to the machine when needed...
Click to expand...

I think that should work for booting purposes. I can't remember the last time I had a mobo refuse to boot because there wasn't a monitor hooked up to it. I don't see a huge problem with your existing selection. Just know their warranty is shorter than average (one to 2 years -- there's debate depending on what part of ASRock's website you believe.) You could also go with a Biostar.

For a case consider one of these:
$37 - NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK Black Steel ATX
It's roomy and has decent cable management (I've worked with one personally.)

$30 - Xigmatek ASGARD II B/O CPC-T45UE-U01 Black / Orange 0.8 mm SECC / Aluminum and Aluminum Mesh Bezel ATX
I've heard decent things about this one, but never seen one personally.

For a power supply I suggest this:
$41 (before $20 MIR, use promo code EMCKAKA24) - CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 430W

This is a much better PSU than the Rosewill.

For RAM consider going with one stick for now to save a few bucks.
$20 - Crucial 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333

I'd also drop the DVD burner unless you want it to actually burn DVDs. Just use the thumb drive install method I linked to earlier. Alternatively, borrow a drive from another computer to use for installation. Otherwise the $18 drive you picked out of stock and had $7 worth of shipping tacked on top of it. Get this instead:
$18 (plus $2 shipping) - LITE-ON DVD Burner Model iHAS124-04 - OEM
 
New Build:

LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM
Item #: N82E16827106289
$17.99


NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811146061
-$14.00 Instant
$49.99
$35.99


HITACHI HDS721050CLA362 (0F10381) 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822145299
$39.99


CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817139026
-$5.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$49.99
$44.99


Crucial 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model CT51264BA1339
Item #: N82E16820148346
$19.99


ASRock H61M-VS LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813157241
-$5.00 Instant
$59.99
$54.99


Intel Core i5-2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500
Item #: N82E16819115073
$209.99

Subtotal: $423.93
 
Just saw that the Core i5-2500k is on sale for $205. Same speed but it's $5 cheaper (multiplier unlocked too.)

$205 (use promo code EMCKAJG23) - Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core

For a bit more you can overclock the system (and potentially get your rendering jobs done more quickly.)

$100 (use promo code EMCKAKA32) - BIOSTAR TZ68A+ LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX

All told it would be just shy of $450 if you got the 2500k and the Biostar motherboard. Otherwise if you really don't want to overclock, save the $5 and just get the 2500k knowing you got a 2500k system for under $420.
 
tonytnnt said:
Just saw that the Core i5-2500k is on sale for $205. Same speed but it's $5 cheaper (multiplier unlocked too.)

$205 (use promo code EMCKAJG23) - Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core

For a bit more you can overclock the system (and potentially get your rendering jobs done more quickly.)

$100 (use promo code EMCKAKA32) - BIOSTAR TZ68A+ LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX

All told it would be just shy of $450 if you got the 2500k and the Biostar motherboard. Otherwise if you really don't want to overclock, save the $5 and just get the 2500k knowing you got a 2500k system for under $420.
Click to expand...

Excellent! I love this idea. It will still keep me in my budget that I wanted, plus it will give me the option for additional compute power for rendering. 3-4 days until I order. I hope the deal is still active then. I will post back when I have order, until then if anyone has any suggestions and tweaks to the configuration I am open to them.

Cheers
 
TheTyrant said:
Excellent! I love this idea. It will still keep me in my budget that I wanted, plus it will give me the option for additional compute power for rendering. 3-4 days until I order. I hope the deal is still active then. I will post back when I have order, until then if anyone has any suggestions and tweaks to the configuration I am open to them.

Cheers
Click to expand...

Deal won't be active then. The CPU promo code expires today, and the motherboard promo code expires tomorrow. If you want to save the $15 you should probably buy the CPU today. There are other motherboards around the $100 range but imo the Biostar I linked to is the best for your described needs.
 
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