main PC + rendering config

[F Suarez]

Hi guys.

 

After many delays my 8 years old PC (a Core 2 Duo 8400 with 4GB RAM) is starting to have random failures and I can't delay anymore buying a new machine. I'd appreciate if you can advise me regarding what's the best configuration for my needs and budget - 800 to 1000 euros. (BTW, I live in Europe, Portugal)

 

I’m a long time Sketchup and Vray user, using them mostly to model and render small rooms - kitchens, or bedrooms, or living rooms - and usually my .SKP files are between 20MB and 50MB only, but this PC will also be my main machine, where I do all my daily activity, from browsing to writing and dictating. So, it needs to do all that, and simultaneously render as fast as possible using Vray (and/or eventually other renderers).

 

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CPU

From what I've been reading it seems that at the moment the best bet is the Ryzen 1700 or 1700X?

 

RAM

Given my needs, should I go with 16 GB, or 32GB?

MB

 

SSD

I already have several 3.5'' HDD's for storage, but I want a reliable SSD for the OS and my main software.

 

Graphics card

It seems that in the next few years most if not all the main renderers will take advantage of GPU, but at the moment I’m still using Vray 1.49, which only uses the CPU, and I want to upgrade to Vray 3.5, but since my budget is quite limited perhaps it's better to buy an entry-level graphics card for now, and upgrade in 2 or 3 years if or when I need the extra horsepower?

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Thanks for reading. I'd appreciate all comments and suggestions.

[Nikolaos M]

This my suggestion for your budget:

 

1 Crucial MX300 525GB, SATA (CT525MX300SSD1)

1 AMD Ryzen 7 1700, 8x 3.00GHz, boxed (YD1700BBAEBOX)

1 G.Skill RipJaws V schwarz DIMM Kit 16GB, DDR4-3200, CL16-18-18-38 (F4-3200C16D-16GVKB)

1 MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GT LP, 4GB GDDR5, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort (V809-2404R)

1 ASUS ROG Strix B350-F Gaming (90MB0UJ0-M0EAY0)

1 Phanteks Enthoo Pro M Tempered Glass schwarz, Glasfenster (PH-ES515PTG_BK)

1 Corsair TX-M Series Modular TX550M 80PLUS Gold 550W ATX 2.4 (CP-9020133)

 

1000€ without shipping cost.

[F Suarez]

Thank you very much for your suggestion, Nikolaos. It seems a very balanced system, thank you.

 

Crucial MX300 525GB, SATA (CT525MX300SSD1).

 

Regarding the SSD, I don't need to install a lot of software, so perhaps an 240/250/275GB SSD is enough? Or is Windows these days a lot bigger?

 

G.Skill RipJaws V schwarz DIMM Kit 16GB, DDR4-3200, CL16-18-18-38 (F4-3200C16D-16GVKB).

Is buying a single 16GB stick worth it, to eventually buy another in 3 or 4 years, if necessary? Or by that time I'd have a hard time finding the exact match for this single stick?

(I'm assuming I'd need to buy the same exact type of memory)

[Francisco Penaloza]

The prices of SSD are very low now, I would totally recommend getting at least around 500Gb, you will not even notice when you are running out of space with something smaller, those 250Gb or less are OK for render nodes or such, But as workstation, they get full very quickly.

 

Maybe Nikolaos could confirm this, but from my understanding, you will be better to have RAM in pairs, instead of single DIM for these RYZEN CPU.

 

Now it may be a good too, look for a little cheaper motherboard and put more money on more RAM. For today's standard 16Gb is cutting it very close. 32Gb will give you the necessary headroom for larger scenes for a couple years to come.

[Nikolaos M]

A single 16gb module wouldn't make a huge difference in CG apps. Afaik, dual channel in Ryzen systems would have an impact in some games only, but I'm not a gamer, so do a little research on that.

 

If one wants to have the ability to upgrade to 64gb RAM in the future and the budget is tight, then yes, a single 16gb dimm would be a wise choice. RAM frequency is said to be much more important in Ryzen systems than dual channel. The downside in this is exactly the fact that these platforms tend to be picky in RAM and pairing a future module with the old one (even if it's exactly the same model sometimes but from a more recent batch) would be a challenge, especially for high frequency RAM. Lower frequency RAM would be easier to match with different kits, but from what I read in various threads, there is a noticeable difference in performance in most scenarios. Maybe a Ryzen user could say more on this issue. I haven't got experience with these new platforms yet.

 

I agree with Francisco. A spacious ssd is a good investment.

[F Suarez]

Thanks, Nikolaos and Francisco.

 

In that case I'll get a 500GB, better safe than sorry.

 

Regarding the RAM, I'm starting to get worried about these incompatibilities. The more I read, the more it seems the Ryzen platform isn't yet as good as Intel regarding this.

 

A friend of mine today advised me to wait a few weeks and buy instead the new Intel i7 8700 CPU. I have to admit it didn't even cross my mind, since it's ''only' an hexa-core, but this afternoonI checked a few reviews of the 8700k and it seems quite attractive. My current PC is having some failures, but perhaps it's worth it to wait some time?

 

If I understood correctly this CPU has integrated graphics, which perhaps could be enough for Sketchup. That would allow me to not have to buy a graphics card for now, and Ispend that money getting an additional 16GB, to have 32GB RAM right from the start.

Edited October 9, 2017 by fsuarez

[Francisco Penaloza]

Well, you should take everything that you read online with a full spool of salt. I am running two Ryzen machines at home with Zero problems, Just choose your motherboard, go to their manufacturer website and find the recommended RAM for that model that's all. Most of the 'complain' and 'horror stories' that you read online are from Gamers or people trying to Overclock their machines.

 

If you are investing all this time and money I would totally recommend to tight your belt a little and just get the 32 G of RAM, it will save you time and headaches, I honestly don't think you will have to buy more RAM later.

 

Regarding video card, do not use the one that comes with the CPU, that just a discrete video chip for basic need, no matter what Intell tell you it won't perform well for Sketchup or any advance 3D Software.

Today you have so many choices of great video card for the decent price. just get 1050Ti as recommended and you'll be fine.

This will be your workstation, you will be in a deadline with this machine do not be cheap with the tools that feed you

[F Suarez]

Thanks, Francisco.

 

I think I'm pretty decided to get a Ryzen 1700, your advice makes all the sense.

 

Yesterday I got a call from a rehabilitation center saying that a (extremely long awaited) spot for intensive physical therapy is available, tomorrow morning. It's very sudden, but I've been waiting for a long time, and I immediately accepted, which means that the new PC subject will have to wait until I'm back in 30 days time. I'll get back to this as soon as I'm back at home.

 

Thanks again.

[info@3dimpact.de]

Hi,

 

I wish you luck and success with the therapy!

 

The Ryzen is a good choice currently

 

regards

[Dejan Sparovec]

I'm running two machines on only 100+ GB SSD and still have plenty room to spare with windows, graphics apps and some other minor apps installed on it. All data is stored on an HDD. Of course, if you want to install games and other stuff on it, then you need to go much higher than that.

 

Regarding RAM, if you only do simple interiors, 16 GB should be enough, but for bigger scenes I needed to upgrade from 32 to 64 on my machine and after that it could finally breathe again

 

Good luck!

[F Suarez]

Hi again everyone. I got back home from the rehabilitation center 3 weeks ago, feeling much better now, and I'm getting back to the ''PC upgrade'' subject again, fully energized!

 

In this meantime (to cut costs) I decided to keep my faithful Antec 182, so instead of buying a new PC case I think I'll make an upgrade to my current PC. This will also allow me to keep the same graphics card, which is relatively slow, but perfectly adequate for my needs. Perhaps in 2 or 3 years I can upgrade the GFX, if necessary.

 

This is the configuration I'm currently looking at...

Ryzen 1800X

Scythe Kotetsu Mark II, or Scythe Mugen 5 Rev B

Corsair CMK16GX4M2A2666C16 2666

Asrock AB350 Pro4 ATX

WD Green 6TB

Crucial MX300, or MX500

Corsair RMx550, or be quiet! Straight Power 10, or be quiet! Straight Power 11

 

My biggest doubts are by far regarding the motherboard and the RAM. I was advised to get these, but I'm still worried about compatibility.

Corsair CMK16GX4M2A2666C16 2666

Asrock AB350 Pro4 ATX

 

The 2666 Mhz also worries me a bit, it isn't very fast RAM by any standards, and I think Ryzen CPU's benefit a lot from fast RAM, so my rendering times wouldn't be as good as theoretically possible, but if that's the price to pay for stability, I guess it's worth it.

 

In any case, I appreciate all comments and suggestions regarding the configuration.

[dhaivatsoni]

Great man, We would love to see how cinebench performes in your pc. I know it is not main stream but it will be definately intresting to see that. Photos would be great too.

[F Suarez]

Great man, We would love to see how cinebench performes in your pc. I know it is not main stream but it will be definately intresting to see that. Photos would be great too.

Hi Dhaivat. I don't have the PC yet, I ordered the components from a friend of mine, and he's always extremely busy, so it may still take 2 weeks, or 2 months, I'm not exactly sure. But as soon as I have everything working properly I'll install that benchmark to check how the new PC is performing, and I'll post the results here.