Budget PC for 3D Modeling

[dennismv]

UPDATE: (scroll to the bottom)
--
I am seeking to build a budget PC for some serious 3D modeling.

i.e for serious use of Maya, Modo, Photoshop, and the like. I am talking about large 3D models like that of car interior, exterior, shading, textures, and so on. For budget I mean that this will be used for in-home training, so things like rendering times are somewhat important for in-home comfort, but not so important like they may be in a real 3d modeling studio where time counts. That is to say that things like rendering times still have to be comfortably quick, but they do not have to be ultra-fast.

Can you help me establish some basics -- I have some preliminary questions, like

• AMD or Intel? Single multicore processor or 2 or 4 multicore processors?
• How many GB or RAM do I am for to be comfortable? 16Gb? 32Gb? 64Gb?
• Should I will aim for the largest HDD capacity? It's a want but I don't know if I will really need the largest HDDs out there, or maybe just a couple of smaller ones..
• I know it will come up - the video card, but I will save it for later. I am leaning towards nVidia for now.

I think the rest will fall into place, but here I want to establish the basics to start with. Can you please help?

 

[metril]

You want, at a minimum, a quad core cpu. You can start with 16 GB RAM and upgrade to 32 GB down the road. For video card, if you want a card that is officially supported by the program and the card vendor, you need to get a professional card. Otherwise, if you don't mind hacked drivers, then you can get a midrange gaming card.

 

[tiraides]

Give us a dollar amount. All of our recommendations are worthless if they don't fit your budget.

 

[dennismv]

Thanks. I am setting the budget to $1000 - $1500 (without monitor), and around $2000 (with monitor).

 

[tiraides]

Do you use Maya more or Photoshop? What other resource-intensive programs do you use?

Do you see yourself playing any games with this machine? If so, what types (e.g. MMOs, RTS, FPS)?

Are you fine with a 1920x1080 resolution or do you want something larger (like 2560x1440)?

 

[dennismv]

Definitely will use Maya. Photoshop is probably about equal or so, but it's hard to say. Photoshop is such a common tool that it will probably end up being more in use.

I don't see myself playing games.

1920x1080 is fine.

Also, .... is it still considered to be cheaper if I build from parts, vs purchasing a system as a whole from a manufacturer?
I found NewEgg Combo Deal for $929.

• Intel Core i5 Haswell 3.4GHz Quad-Core CPU
• ASRock Z87 Extreme3 LGA 1150 Motherboard
• G.Skill Ripjaws X 16GB MEM
• GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 660 2GB PCI-E 3.0
• Western Digital 1TB HDD

It has Intel i5, not Intel i7 which I think will have a bit more power. But otherwise, it fits within my budget, saves me some trouble building the system, and seems like I get a bit of a discount. What do you think about that?

 

[Dangman]

Also, .... is it still considered to be cheaper if I build from parts, vs purchasing a system as a whole from a manufacturer?

Generally, yes.

Some additional questions:
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
6) Will you be overclocking?
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? UEFI? etc.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?

 

[dennismv]

1. In US, Detroit, Michigan
2. Will need CPU(s), motherboard, video card, RAM memory, power supply, HDD, monitor possibly fancier CPU fans (for cooling). I think the rest will fall into place. I have spare keyboards, mice, cases, etc
3. reusing case, mice, keyboard. I do not think I will be reusing any PSU.
4. No overclocking
5. monitor - plan to have 24" minimum. Not looking for anything fancy (i.e no IPS for now)
6. Planning on buying/building now, within the next week, or two at the most.
7. features in a motherboard? I think only SLI/crossfire support is what's important to me, in case I use it later.
8. Most likely I will use Windows 7 64 bit and yes have legit license for that.

One important note: I would like to build with a potential for an upgrade later. i.e. add/upgrade CPUs, add memory, add an extra HDD, things like that. I don't think it is a big concern as with my budget, I will probably still get a single-CPU motherboard now, as I don't think I can afford a dual-CPU machine on my budget. Upgrading/adding HDDs is usually not a big issue, but memory support on the motherboard probably should go up to 64Gb.

 

[dennismv]

To recap, it will be used for 3D renderings and retouching in Photoshop and to run animations in Maya. And also for running MudBox, Mental Ray, Key Shot, and other programs.

I've put together a list of parts - what do you think?

$324 - Motherboard - ASUS Sabertooth X79 LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131801

$324 - CPU - Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I73770K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116501

$150 - RAM - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL10D-16GBXL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231528

$234 - Video - ASUS GTX660 TI-DC2O-2GD5 GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121656

$139 - HDD - Seagate Constellation ES ST1000NM0011 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Enterprise Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148784

$20 - DVD Burner - ASUS 24X DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

$300 - Monitor 27" - ASUS VX279Q Black 27" wide screen
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236337

$50 - Case - Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153

Total - $1541

Also found another combo which is about the same price but without a monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1418417

 

[crzykid71]

That's not a bad parts list, if your not overclocking you could get a cheaper board and a non-k version i7 3770 to save more money so you could get a bigger harddrive you'll probably start filling it up over time with what your doing.

 

[Dangman]

Intel Motherboard Asus with 64Gb Max Memory: = $134
ASUS Sabertooth X79 LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131801

CPU - Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz
ntel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I73770K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116501

These two parts won't work together since they use entirely different sockets. That mobo is socket LGA 2011 and that CPU is socket LGA 1155.

RAM - 16Gb (2 sticks) - $150
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL10D-16GBXL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231528

It's currently priced at $135, not $150.

Video Card $234
ASUS GTX660 TI-DC2O-2GD5 GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121656

Way too overpriced. Not to mention, not the right card to get.

HDD $139
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148784

Not the optimal drive setup.

Case - $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153

There are better cases for the money out there.

As for the Newegg combo deal you posted earlier, that setup isn't built. It'll be sent to you as a bunch of parts, not a completed PC. Plus it's not a good setup anyway due to the case and PSU.

All right, here's what I recommend instead:
$568 - Intel Core i7-3930K CPU
$320 - Asus Sabertooth X79 Intel X79 Motherboard
$115 - Crucial BLS2CP8G3D1609DS1S00 Ballistix Sport 2 x 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$185 - Sapphire HD 7870 GHz OC 2GB PCI-E Video Card
$99 - Samsung 840 120GB SSD
$63 - Western Digital Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$100 - Seasonic G Series SSR-650RM 650W Modular PSU
$43 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case
---
Total: $1493 shipped

Key notes:
- The extra two cores of that CPU will make the PC last a bit longer and increase its performance in heavily multi-threaded applications like Maya.
- AMD cards tend to do perform better than Nvidia cards when it comes to Maya.
- Keep the OS and applications on the SSD. Keep everything else on the hard drive. Also, for the future, get a second hard drive or SSD (cheapest you can find) and use that a scratch disk for Photoshop. That'll immensely improve PS performance.

 

[dennismv]

Thanks! I didn't catch some of those.

What do you think though about putting more money into the video card, rather than the CPU?
i.e. getting a cheaper 4-core CPU and getting a more powerful video graphics card.

 

[tiraides]

Many of the programs that you use benefit more from the CPU than the video card.

I second Danny Bui's sentiment about buying the second drive (IMO, SSD) for Photoshop.

If you want a good monitor (or two) for your work, and since you don't mind using a 1080p resolution, I recommend one of the following:

$267 - Dell U2412M
$320 - Asus PA248Q

(NewEgg links provide details on each monitor)

Many people lean more towards the Dell U2412M than the Asus PA248Q, but both are professional-quality monitors that are suited for your work.

 

[Dangman]

What do you think though about putting more money into the video card, rather than the CPU?
i.e. getting a cheaper 4-core CPU and getting a more powerful video graphics card.

In addition to what Tiraides said, it's more beneficial for you to go with a strong CPU now since it'll be more expensive and harder to upgrade the CPU for a reasonable price in the future. With the way Intel does things, pretty much whatever Intel CPU you get is going to be the CPU you'll be sticking with until the PC's death.

 

[dennismv]

New development to the story: almost ready to purchase a system. Budget is now $1500 with monitor.

Dangman's post has a pretty good guideline for getting a system from parts.

To avoid building from parts and to get a system whole I looked at this system:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229488&Tpk=cyberpowerpc gamer 2 cores

My main question: Intel vs AMD: will the AMD FX-Series FX-8350(4.0GHz, 8-core) in this cyberpowerpc system match Intel Core i7-3930K (6-core) or Intel Core i7-3770K (4-core) CPUs mentioned earlier?
Subquestion: will that particular cyberpowerpc system handle 3D modeling applications, like Maya, without noticeable lags?

 

[Dangman]

New development to the story: almost ready to purchase a system. Budget is now $1500 with monitor.

........If I had known you were going to wait this long until building the PC, I could have saved myself the trouble from doing that build list in September.

Anyway man, when exactly are you planning on buying the parts?

To avoid building from parts and to get a system whole I looked at this system:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229488&Tpk=cyberpowerpc gamer 2 cores

Subquestion: will that particular cyberpowerpc system handle 3D modeling applications, like Maya, without noticeable lags?[/QUOTE]
NOOOOOOPE. It has a very shitty power supply. Not to mention that CyberpowerPC doesn't exactly have a good track record. There's a reason why they're so cheap compared to other gaming PC builders.

My main question: Intel vs AMD: will the AMD FX-Series FX-8350(4.0GHz, 8-core) in this cyberpowerpc system match Intel Core i7-3930K (6-core) or Intel Core i7-3770K (4-core) CPUs mentioned earlier?

Both Intels will outperform the FX-8350. The FX-8350 might catch up with the Core i7 3770K but for the most part, it will still be outperformed by that CPU. Also, the COre i7 3770K would not be good choice for the money these days.

 

[no_control]

To piggyback on the above you might want to consider a Pro GPU over consumer. The app specific drivers work much better for a given cards power. I switched over and AutoCAD and 3DS run much smoother and render times are shorter.

Either of these would be a good balance between cost and performance.

Just an observation, but I know it kills your budget.

 

[Dangman]

To piggyback on the above you might want to consider a Pro GPU over consumer. The app specific drivers work much better for a given cards power. I switched over and AutoCAD and 3DS run much smoother and render times are shorter.

Either of these would be a good balance between cost and performance.

Just an observation, but I know it kills your budget.

Depends on which application he's going with. With AutoDesk Maya 2013, it does appear that the Quadro 2000 will outperform the card I listed back in September. However, for AutoDesk AutoCAD 2013, the lowly GTX 650 actually outperforms the Quadro 2000.

 

[no_control]

yeah sorry i was only looking Maya since thats what the OP listed should have been more specific. Either way, my point is a bit moot until he has cash in hand.

 

[dennismv]

........If I had known you were going to wait this long until building the PC, I could have saved myself the trouble from doing that build list in September.

well the PC is actually for my sister who has been searching and searching through all kinda of systems, and I don't know why, but looking at all kinds of assembled computers including Dell and others. I guess she ended up liking the idea of getting a whole computer right away rather than parts.

I personally like your list and it will not go to waste. I will use it when I am ready to build my own system, although probably not this year. I will back for a refresh

 

[Dangman]

well the PC is actually for my sister who has been searching and searching through all kinda of systems, and I don't know why, but looking at all kinds of assembled computers including Dell and others. I guess she ended up liking the idea of getting a whole computer right away rather than parts.

I personally like your list and it will not go to waste. I will use it when I am ready to build my own system, although probably not this year. I will back for a refresh

So when exactly are you getting this system for your sister?

If you still want to go the prebuilt route, you're gonna need to up your budget by at least another $300 to $500 if you want it built by a reputable company. In addition, be prepared to wait roughly at least 2-3 weeks for the PC to arrive as it's crunch time for a lot of PC boutiques right now.