Desktop for Architecture

R

Ryanhuddo

New Member
Hello :)

I am attempting to built a computer for my brother who is starting his masters in Architecture however; as its been about 6 yrs since I built a computer I am having drama with new tech. I was hoping to get some help on building a Desktop (intel) in order to be able to run programs such as 3DS max with high rendering demands, also the computer would have to be very responsive with multiple labour intensive programs running in the background. Further he requires allot of space (maybe 1tb).

I have also heard about slate HDDs for running the OS and priority programs so they load faster, whilst keeping saved data etc on regular HDDs? If anyone could help me out with this information it would be fantastic.

Note: I am using www.umart.com.au IOT shop for the computer, with that if anyone has the time and could help me out by referencing the parts I should buy (including HDDs, PSU, Screen (recommended on price and reliability)) that would be fantastic.

Like I said I am doing this to help my younger brother out however; I am a but behind with tech so any help I could get would be awesome.

Thanks, Ryan.
 
My current computer was built for exactly this, architectural modelling using autocad and 3DS. You'll want a very good processor and lots of RAM (I have 32gb and 29gb is used when rendering). Since graphic cards are not used in rendering, only in your viewport, a mid range one will do. Perhaps a 7850/7870 or gtx660 if you have the money. What's your total budget?
 
The link you posted doesn't work. Anyway, here's what I'd suggest

CPU: i7 3770k - $350
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H MB - $150
RAM: 2x8gb Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600MHz CL9 - $139 (You can start off with 16gb first and then add another 16gb later on if need be)
GPU: Gigabyte HD 7770 OC Edition - $120
Powersupply: Corsair CX-600M Modular - $100

That leaves you with $541 for monitor, case, hdd, keyboard and mouse which is more than enough. I will leave it to other members to recommend those items since I don't have a lot of personal experience with those parts. Oh, another thing, try to invest in a good CPU cooler since you'd want to OC while rendering. The cooler can always be added later if there's not enough fund now.
 
Have you tried looking on PC Case Gear? http://pccasegear.com/ that's where most of the Aussies on here buy their parts from. ;)

For rendering you probably want to stick with an NVIDIA card because of CUDA, so I'd probably recommend a GTX 650 Ti or a GTX 660. Unless he is gaming as well, you don't need a massively powerful graphics card.

I think you meant when you said 'slate hard drives' was SSDs - solid state drives. Yes, you can get one and install the OS and programs on it and get a big speed boost whilst keeping files and data on another hard drive. I've used 3 or 4 SSDs over the past 2 years or so, my favourite so far as been the OCZ Vertex 4, but I also liked the SanDisk Extreme. 128GB is the smallest you want to go, but it's a reasonable size and big enough.
 
spirit said:
Have you tried looking on PC Case Gear? http://pccasegear.com/ that's where most of the Aussies on here buy their parts from. ;)

For rendering you probably want to stick with an NVIDIA card because of CUDA, so I'd probably recommend a GTX 650 Ti or a GTX 660. Unless he is gaming as well, you don't need a massively powerful graphics card.
Click to expand...

As far as my experience in 3DS Max goes, GPU helps in rendering only if you use the right renderer and have the supported cards, and even then, it's not by a lot. For the most part, the most important component is CPU. Of course, get Nvidia if the budget allows. I only went with ATI because I figured getting a more expensive mid range Nvidia that provide a little more performance may not be worth it.

Edit: Just wanna add on that for a "budget" build like this, I'd say the main focus is on RAM and CPU. So before getting that extra boost from a graphic card, max out the RAM and get a good CPU cooler to OC. When rendering times go up to 20-30 hours, a 0.7ghz increase in CPU speed is gonna be much appreciated.
 
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@OP You might want to take look at some of workstation video card? Here is what I would recommend. NOTES: Avoid NVS-series.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814195109
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133354
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133482

Or you can look for another workstation graphics.

http://www.newegg.com/Professional-Graphics-Cards/SubCategory/ID-449?Order=PRICE

bm23 said:
The link you posted doesn't work. Anyway, here's what I'd suggest

CPU: i7 3770k - $350
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H MB - $150
RAM: 2x8gb Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600MHz CL9 - $139 (You can start off with 16gb first and then add another 16gb later on if need be)
GPU: Gigabyte HD 7770 OC Edition - $120
Powersupply: Corsair CX-600M Modular - $100

That leaves you with $541 for monitor, case, hdd, keyboard and mouse which is more than enough. I will leave it to other members to recommend those items since I don't have a lot of personal experience with those parts. Oh, another thing, try to invest in a good CPU cooler since you'd want to OC while rendering. The cooler can always be added later if there's not enough fund now.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't recommend a ATI 7770 because like I have it and it is not really good for AutoCAD and 3Dmax.
 
Ok thanks again for the help, this is what I have come up with (it is pushing the budget a little) but tell me what you guys think, is it all compatible together, am I missing any components and will the graphics card do the job?

Intel Core i7 3770K/3.50GHz/8MB CACHE/LGA1155 Ivy Bridge
Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H MB, Intel Z77 Chipset, Socket 1155, 4x DDR3, SATA3, mSATA, USB3.0, GbELAN,
Corsair 32GB (4x8GB) Vengeance CMZ32GX3M4X1866C10R DDR3 Red
Seagate SATA3 1TB 7200RPM 64mb Cache
Gigabyte GF GTX 650Ti OC EDITION PCI-E 3.0 1GB 128-bit DDR5, 1032/5400MHz, 2 x DVI, 1 x HDMI, 1
Acer S240HLBD 24"LED,5ms,1920x1080,100M:1,200nits,VGA/DVI/BLK
Asus DRW-24D3ST SATA 24X DVD-RW Black Retail Nero12
Casecom Seine KM-6788 Gaming Case 700W USB3.0
Logitech K270 Wireless Keyboard [Unifying Receiver]
Gigabyte GM-M6900 USB Precision Optical Gaming Mouse 3200dpi, 30G acceleration, On-the-fly DPI Switc
Microsoft Windows 8 64bit OEM(Microsoft OEM Terms&conditions apply)
 
If you can, get a Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H or a UD5H over the D3H, but if not, the D3H will be fine. :)

Case and power supply combination is bad. I'd get a Corsair Carbide 300R case or an NZXT Phantom 410 and a Corsair CX 600 power supply, that's a better case and power supply combination. It's very importatnt you get a good power supply.
 
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