Kind of budget build

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1

Hi :)

I have to build a pc for my sister. She is an architect an will use Photoshop, 3ds Max, ArchiCAD, Illustrator, probably Maya, and she'll be rendering in 3ds and VRay. It has to be quiet, very stable and kind of fast when rendering. I was thinking of this:

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Formula ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($299.79 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($77.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($199.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 500W ATX Power Supply ($47.99 @ Mwave)
Total: $1095.72

and a discrete case haha

I can't go over $1000 and think this is a little bit too OP for architecture 3d rendering but I will also be able to use it for some games and that's why I dont go over an Nvidia Quadro K2000 or something because I've heard they are not all that good for 3ds and not good at all for games.

Thanks for any help you can give!

2

Hey rol00, you've got a decent selection, but I would also consider the following:

  • Replace the H100i with something like a Noctua NH-U14S, the air cooling is much more quiet and reliable.
  • Your sister is not going to use or miss half the features on the Maximus VI motherboard, rather get something like an Asus Z87 PRO.
  • For productivity I would rather invest in more RAM, get something like a 16Gb kit.
  • This is going to seem controversial, but consider getting a 1Tb Seagate Hybrid Hard Drive or maybe a cheap small 32Gb ssd that you can use for cache.
  • As for the power supply, rather get a Corsair CX or GS series power supply. The only decent power supply Cooler Master "makes" are the V-series ones (only because SeaSonic is the OEM)

Good luck with your decision!

3

The whole build is a bit imbalanced.  The GTX 660 will be a bit weak in real time rendering.  The eXtreme Power Plus series of power supplies is probably one of the lowest quality power supplies on the market as well.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3ksFc

Put a little bit of an overclock to get that 8320 to 8350 speeds.  The mildy overclocked 8320 won't be as fast as an i7-4770k, but it will be very close, especially when rendering.

Noctua NH-d14.  Cool and quiet.

Nice motherboard which can support quite a bit of overclocking.

16GB of RAM will help in rendering.  Currently not sure if the speed of RAM will improve 3D rendering or not, but it wasn't a whole lot more money so I picked it up anyway.

1TB WD Blue.  If she cares about quick boot times, pick up a 120gb SSD or something similar.

R9 280.  It's a lot stronger than the GTX 660.  If she is looking to use CUDA for rendering, pick up a GTX 760 instead.  If she's fine with OpenCL, the R9 280 will be quite strong.

FD Define R4.  Silent foam padding all around.  Great case if you're looking for quiet computing.

CX600M.  It's not the highest quality power supply, but it's modular and has more than enough wattage for this system.

4

As an AMD fan, I like all the suggestions you made, I would personally just change a few things:

  • Rather get an ASUS M5A99FX Pro R2.0 motherboard instead of that ASRock. I just don't don't trust them.
  • I personally don't think his sister should be running an overclocked machine. If I were in her position I would rather have stability and overclocking the CPU does create the possibility of that hapening. So rather pay a bit more and get the 8350.
  • To cool the CPU, rather get the Noctua NH-U14S, the NH-D14 is complete overkill if you're not going to overclock.
  • I would also save a bit more money and get her something like a NZXT H2 case. It's a bit cheaper than the R4, but ultimately a silent case.
  • Get a plain CX600 or TX650 power supply. I really don't think the modular functionality is going to be missed.
5

El Budgetrino http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3kGPt

6

Valid points, if overclocking is not an option.

That ASRock good looked nice as it has a digital 8+2 power phase design and highly rated on Newegg.  I've got nothing bad on ASRock, but you may.

 I don't think the 990fx chipset is needed, the 990x(Asus M5A99X Evo R2.0) board will work just fine as it has the same strong power delivery.

Some parts aren't that much cheaper than the ones I have picked, though(U14S is ~$3 less than the D14)

I usually prefer modularity for anything over 550w.  The cables become a bit hectic when you get to higher wattages.

I have not looked into the NZXT H2.

7

Hi :D Mithras and SomeTechNoob i get you but I dont like AMD :/ and .NeOZeN. I really like your build but I rather get i7 for my gaming plus its not bad at all for rendering. What do you think? And maybe help me change the CPU for something more powerful without OC if im saving in the cooling and motherboard? Thanks again!

8

maybe like this? Combining all of the ideas http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3lxVL

9

I've heard great things about the Xeon E3-1230V3 as it's the same as the 4770k but saves you $100, then you can put that money into 16 gigs of RAM. 

Other than that, looks good to me.