Need advice for building PC for 3ds max, photoshop, autocad

[ruds]

Hi All,

 

I just wanted to get some help and feedback for a PC I am planning to get fairly soon. I have very little know-how when it comes to building PCs/what parts go good together/what is appropriate for a 3dsmax system. I will be getting help from a friend to put the machine together so I am ok on that front.

 

I have around AUD$2500 (australian dollars) to spend. From browsing the forums PC parts seem to be significantly cheaper in the US than Australia so please take that into consideration.

 

I am an interior design student so I will be using 3dmax primarily for interior scenes / visualisation. I don't really need a machine for animation although it wouldn't hurt.

 

I have just been looking at a build of a gaming PC and using that as a base for what I wanted to get.

CPU Intel Q9400 Q9400 CORE 2 QUAD 2.66GHz/6MB/1333FSB/LGA775/Quad Core

Motherboard Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 P45+ICH10R, FSB 1600 MHz, DDR2 1366+, PCI-E x16 2.0(CrossFireX), SATAII, RAID, 2oc PCB, GbN LAN,1394, 8-ch audio, ATX

 

RAM 1 Kingston KHX8500D2K2/4G ( CL5) 4G (2G x 2) HYPERX 1066MHz(PC2-8500) DDR2 kit CL5 (5-5-5-15)

 

Case Antec Nine Hundred Tower Gaming Case with Side Window - Black, NO PSU, 9 Drive Bays, Top mounted 200mm exhaust fan, Top USB/IEEE1394/Audio, ATX

 

Harddrive 1 Seagate ST31000333AS 1TB SATA Barracuda 7200.11 3Gb/s 32Mb

Videocard 1 Palit P-HD4870-1GB-OC ATI HD4870 Sonic (Overclocked) PCI-E 2.0 1GB 256-bit GDDR5, 775/3800MHz(Overclocked), Dual Link DVI, HDMI, HDCP, Dual Fan

 

Optical Drive 1 Samsung SH-S223F ( Black ) Sata DVD-RW : SHS223F⁄BEBE 22x (Dual Layer, Zwart, SATAII) OEM

 

Monitor: 23" LCD Wide TFT Monitor - High Glossy Black, Max. Resolution 1920x1080, 5ms Response, Digital / Analog Samsung

PSU Thermaltake SP-TTW0203 ToughPower QFan 750 Watt Active PFC Cable Management

Soundcard Creative SBXFI-TITAN-CO Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium PCIe, Card Only

 

 

I am not sure if it is worth getting a case without a PSU - adds a fair bit to the cost but I can't find any cases that I like (purely from an aesthetics point of view). I am also planning on using XP as I haven't heard great things about Vista.

 

My first questions would be:

1. Is 4gb ram enough - is it worth going to 6?

2. Would an Intel i7 CPU be better than the Q9400 for what I want to do?

 

If I could get some help with some suggestions on what to replace or if it overall looks like a good system then please let me know!

 

Thanks heaps.

Edited May 16, 2009 by ruds

[mervin_lim23]

so far your setup seems good. i like your ram specification.thats very expensive here in the phillipines.hyper x.with regards your video card i dont recommend palit daytona. look for GE force 9 series instead. my ATX is also ANTEC(300). it is recommnded to buy a good PSU (antec power cool i'm not quite sure of the name) just read the Antec manual they hava a recomendation for PSU because the set up is demanding more voltage than the regular setup that why u need a more powerful PSU thats the reason they are not including any genric PSU in the ATX package. CPU specs is good but if you can afford the quadcore extreme series much better. im using INTEL CORE2QUAD 9400 and its good. my atx is also antec.my board is MSI platinum. same specs as your GIGABYTE.just put 4gig of ram or if you can make it 8gig much better. just use 64bit of operating system because 32bit of windows wont work if your using 4gig ram. just send me a message if you want more info regarding set-up

[rawla]

Hi All,

 

My first questions would be:

1. Is 4gb ram enough - is it worth going to 6?

2. Would an Intel i7 CPU be better than the Q9400 for what I want to do?

 

Thanks heaps.

 

More the RAM the better it is. To use more than 3GB RAM you need XP64 bit.

 

From whatever I have read, the i7 is the way forward.

 

Anuj

[ruds]

Thanks for the replies. Having looked a bit further into the Autodesk website and the minimum system requirements I have a couple more questions:

 

1. What are the main differences of running 3dmax in 64bit vs 32bit?

2. On the Autodesk website it says that 3dmax 10 64bit software requires Intel® EM64T as a minimum - does i7 qualify here? On the pc website I have been looking at the EM64T is around $200 more expensive than the i7.

3. I am looking at the Leadtek Quadro FX 570 ATX 256MB DDR2 128-bit 12.8GB/sec PCI Express x16 Dual Dual-Link DVI-I has anyone had any experience with this card?

4. Is 4GB ram enough? - I will primarily using the PC for rendering stills on interiors.

[AJLynn]

1. In 64 bit Max can use more regular and virtual memory and in general does a much better job any time it has to cope with large amounts of data. When in doubt, go 64-bit.

2. All i7's and other recent Intel CPUs including all Core 2 chips and even some Pentiums are able to run 64-bit Windows and 64-bit software. You do not need to pay extra for that.

3. That card is for people who don't know what they're doing or just want to have a Quadro no matter what. In that price range, buy a Geforce card.

4. If you buy an i7 your RAM will be in multiples of 3. Get 6GB.

 

Also, remember that you need not only a 64-bit Max installation, you need a 64-bit Windows version.

[ruds]

Alright,

 

I am still corresponding with my software supplier that I am able to get a 64 bit version of 3ds max 10 (I am getting a 13 month student license). I am still unsure whether a single version is available and can be run on 32 bit or 64 bit systems or there are two separate 3ds max 10 versions - 32bit vs 64bit.

 

I am still researching (as best I can) different parts and i've ended up with something like this:

 

CPU CORE i7 920 2.66GHz 4.8GT QPI 8MB CACHE LGA1366 Intel i7 920 ( SLBCH ) CORE i7 920 2.66GHz 4.8GT QPI 8MB CACHE LGA1366

Medium stock level * $455.00

 

MOTHERBOARD LGA1366, X58, 6DDR3, FSB2000, RAID, GBLAN, PCIE2.0, 3FW, UD3, ATX Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P LGA1366, X58, 6DDR3, FSB2000, RAID, GBLAN, PCIE2.0, 3FW, UD3, ATX

Low stock level * $415.00

 

MEMORY 6G (2GB x 3) PC-10600 (1333MHz) XMP DDR3 RAM 32x240-pin DIMMs Triple Kit Non ECC Unbuffered 9-9-9-24 Corsair TR3X6G1333C9 6G (2GB x 3) PC-10600 (1333MHz) XMP DDR3 RAM 32x240-pin DIMMs Triple Kit Non ECC Unbuffered 9-9-9-24

Low stock level * $148.00

 

CASE Tower Gaming Case with Side Window - Black, NO PSU, 9 Drive Bays, Top mounted 200mm exhaust fan, Top USB/IEEE1394/Audio, ATX Antec Nine Hundred Tower Gaming Case with Side Window - Black, NO PSU, 9 Drive Bays, Top mounted 200mm exhaust fan, Top USB/IEEE1394/Audio, ATX

Medium stock level * $208.00

 

PSU ToughPower QFan 750 Watt Active PFC Cable Management Thermaltake SP-TTW0203 ToughPower QFan 750 Watt Active PFC Cable Management

Product needs to be ordered in * $255.00

 

GRAPHICS ATX 256MB DDR2 128-bit 12.8GB/sec PCI Express x16 Dual Dual-Link DVI-I Leadtek Quadro FX 570 ATX 256MB DDR2 128-bit 12.8GB/sec PCI Express x16 Dual Dual-Link DVI-I

10% deposit needed to order * $350.00

 

OPTICAL DRIVE Sata DVD-RW : SHS223F⁄BEBE 22x (Dual Layer, Zwart, SATAII) OEM Samsung SH-S223F ( Black ) Sata DVD-RW : SHS223F⁄BEBE 22x (Dual Layer, Zwart, SATAII) OEM

High stock level * $38.00

 

MONITOR 23" LCD Wide TFT Monitor - High Glossy Black, Max. Resolution 1920x1080, 5ms Response, Digital / Analog Samsung 2333SW-BL 23" LCD Wide TFT Monitor - High Glossy Black, Max. Resolution 1920x1080, 5ms Response, Digital / Analog

Medium stock level * $303.00

 

SOUND CARD Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio PCI-E Retail Creative SNDCREXFI01L Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio PCI-E Retail

High stock level * $88.00

 

HARDDRIVE SATA 3.5" CUDA7200.12, 320GB, 7200RPM, 16MB, 3GB/S, NCQ Seagate ST3320418AS SATA 3.5" CUDA7200.12, 320GB, 7200RPM, 16MB, 3GB/S, NCQ

High stock level * $79.00

 

 

OS Microsoft Vista Home Premium 64Bit OEM Windows: OEM DVD (only sold w/ new system or to a system builder)

High stock level * $175.00

Total (including GST) $2,514.00

 

 

I used another pre-built gaming system as a base.

 

I am still looking into the most appropriate graphics cards for this build.

 

Edit: Looking at the Zotac GeForce 9800GT 512MB GDDR3 660 Eclk 1800 Mclk 256-bit, DVI HDTV as a graphics card which is $178 as opposed to $350.

Edited May 18, 2009 by ruds

[AJLynn]

Lose the sound card - the motherboard has built in audio - and swap out the video card for a simple gaming card such as a Geforce 9800GT. You'll thank me later.

 

Also, if you do have to go with the 32-bit version of Max it should install on your 64-bit system but will not be able to allocate as much memory as the 64-bit version would. It will still run and will most likely run better than the 32-bit version running on 32-bit Windows, but not as well as the 64-bit version running on 64-bit Windows. If the student copies are like the regular copies you will receive a DVD that can install either version.

[ruds]

Thanks for the help!

 

I just need to further research a few things before I send the order in:

 

1. If I buy Vista 64bit do I also get a license to XP 64bit

2. If the Leadtek 9800GT graphics card is better than Zotac 9800GT graphics card

3. Making sure all the parts are compatible/work well together

 

As it stands I am heading towards this build:

 

Shopping Cart

Remove Product(s) Stock Qty. Total

 

CPU

Intel i7 920 ( SLBCH ) CORE i7 920 2.66GHz 4.8GT QPI 8MB CACHE LGA1366 * $455.00

 

MOTHERBOARD

Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P LGA1366, X58, 6DDR3, FSB2000, RAID, GBLAN, PCIE2.0, 3FW, UD3, ATX * $415.00

 

RAM

Corsair TR3X6G1333C9 6G (2GB x 3) PC-10600 (1333MHz) XMP DDR3 RAM 32x240-pin DIMMs Triple Kit Non ECC Unbuffered 9-9-9-24 * $148.00

 

CASE

Antec Nine Hundred Tower Gaming Case with Side Window - Black, NO PSU, 9 Drive Bays, Top mounted 200mm exhaust fan, Top USB/IEEE1394/Audio, ATX * $208.00

 

PSU

Thermaltake SP-TTW0203 ToughPower QFan 750 Watt Active PFC Cable Management * $255.00

 

Samsung SH-S223F ( Black ) Sata DVD-RW : SHS223F⁄BEBE 22x (Dual Layer, Zwart, SATAII) OEM * $38.00

 

MONITOR

Samsung 2333SW-BL 23" LCD Wide TFT Monitor - High Glossy Black, Max. Resolution 1920x1080, 5ms Response, Digital / Analog * $303.00

GRAPHICS CARD

Zotac ZT-98GES3P-FSP GeForce 9800GT 512MB GDDR3 660 Eclk 1800 Mclk 256-bit, DVI HDTV With XIII Century Death or Glory * $187.00

 

STORAGE - (GETTING 2X)

Seagate ST3500418AS 500G 16M 7200RPM SATA Barracuda 7200.12 * $170.00

 

WIRELESS CARD

Belkin F5D7000AU (BEL2172) PCI WiFi: 802.11g 54mbps * $39.00

 

OPERATING SYSTEM

Microsoft Vista Home Premium 64Bit OEM Windows: OEM DVD (only sold w/ new system or to a system builder) * $155.00

 

Total (including GST) $2,373.00

[schmoron13]

depending on what software you run for your day-to-day stuff (itunes, etc), you might consider one of the Vista 64 flavors. I have xp64 and though it runs great, itunes does NOT have drivers for it so I have to use a chop-shopped older version, and I had similar issues with my pro-sound card, my printer, my DAW, etc. Some folks don't make xp64 drivers (though they make vista64 drivers) so if you look it up ahead of time, you'll save yourself a headache. I'm still debating if I want to grind it out till windows 7 comes out or just bite the bullet, grimace, and purchase vista 64.

 

if you buy vista 64, you DO NOT get a copy of xp64 btw. I paid about 150 US for mine.

[ruds]

Alright thanks for the help people. I have sent an emal through to the shop I am going to buy the parts from and hopefully will have the PC by the end of the week so that I can fire up 3ds max.

[Slinger]

Swap out that 1333mhz speed ram and get some 1600mhz speed or higher.

 

Like Andrew said, dump the Quadro and just get a gaming card.

[Greg Hess]

Check out the Antec P182 case instead.

http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=8863&page=2

 

It's my current fav case. Watch out for extra length psu's though...you might have to remove the bottom hd fan to fit them in, then put the fan back in afterwords.

 

Also make sure if you own a P180 or P182, that you remove the fan filter covers on the front of the case (leave the filters in place, just remove the plastic swing doors). Removing the mini swing doors increases airflow by nearly 50%!

 

Also a wireless g card? You should really look into an N. I don't know what your available network speeds are in your area, but wireless n is a much better investment at this point then g.