Advice on a cheap build... Need help!

[mattrosser]

- *Sigh* Another newb lost in the jungle of technical confusion -

 

Hi all. I'm tying to build myself a new workstation, but like so many people who've posted on here, I haven't got much of a clue what I'm looking for. I'm also trying to keep the budget down, to the equivalent of around $850(ish), yet looking through some of the other forum threads on here, that now doesn't seem like much now. However, I'm not look for the most advanced setup; just something I can mess around with in my free time for improving my rendering skills, as well as vastly improving my knowledge of Revit and Max. Whatever I end up with will also be the machine I use to complete my masters degree (architecture), and also perhaps the start of a workstation that I can upgrade and add to as time goes on.

 

So, as I said, my budget is around $850. I currently do almost all my modelling in Rhino (Grasshopper and Tsplines inc) and render in Vray. I'm now learning Max and Revit, and therefore need something that handles all those programs, plus the post production work in Adobe PS, illustrator etc. After about a week of research, I'm looking at the following:

 

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($194.66 @ Outlet PC)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler($29.98 @ Outlet PC)

Motherboard: MSI 990FXA-GD65V2 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($119.99 @ NCIX US)

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)

Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($166.10 @ Newegg)

Case: NZXT Gamma Classic (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply($37.99 @ Newegg)

Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.49 @ Amazon)

Monitor: LG IPS224V-PN 21.5" Monitor

Total: $838.17

 

Does that look decent, or can anyone provide me with any other suggestions?... Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated, as I would really prefer to avoid spending my money on something which turns out to be.... pants. Cheers.

[joelmcwilliam]

For 3d stuff:

 

Better to go with intel in stead of amd. Why? Because of higher single core speed. Most 3d apps use only one core. So better to get a cpu with the highest single core speed.

 

Now, because you are still a learner:

 

to get really low budget, you can go this route:

 

 

cheap cpu and mobo and overclock. However because it is a dual core with no hyper threading you have no great rendering power.

 

Budget slightly higher:

 

mobo: Gigabyte G1.Sniper B5

 

cpu: i5-4690K (Better rendering times.)

 

You can overclock your cpu high with this mobo. You need a aftermarket cpu cooler: Scythe Mugen (MAX) .

 

If you have more money get a cheap z97 mobo and the i7-4790K. Also with a aftermarket cpu cooler.

 

Ram: buy one stick of crucial 8 gb. And ad more of the same later.

 

SSD: crucial 256 gb

 

HDD: you could do without

 

PSU: look for seasonic, xfx, cooler master v series. Good quality/ price ratio. Get the 550 W which is plenty if you go for the intel.

 

GPU: Because you are a learner, try the igpu of the intel and see how it goes. Overclock it. If you have too much lag in viewports buy a gaming gpu.

http://www.revitforum.org/hardware-infrastructure/

http://www.revitforum.org/hardware-infrastructure/72-revit-hardware-video-graphic-cards.html

 

MONITOR: for 3d, bigger is better, because of all those submenu's. Don't get a small monitor. Get a (BenQ) 1920x1080 27 inch.

Edited September 26, 2014 by joelmcwilliam

[Nikolaos M]

You could see something like this:

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.98 @ NCIX US)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.52 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($92.75 @ Amazon)

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($129.99 @ Newegg)

Case: Cooler Master N300 ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.98 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 450W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Amazon)

Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ OutletPC)

Monitor: LG 24MB35DM-B 60Hz 23.8" Monitor ($164.99 @ Adorama)

Total: $849.15

 

You can add an ssd with 65-70$ at some point and radically upgrade your system.