Building a Computer for Rendering 3d Graphics

T

tampac66

New Member
HI everyone,

My laptop just isnt cutting it anymore for rending with 3dsMAX and Vray. I am considering building a computer to use for school/work that is geared to perform well with Revit Architecture 2011 and 3dsMax (Rendering).

Most of the rendering i do is just images, but every once in a while i do animated walk-throughs as well.

I dont have a strict budget but i would like to stay between 550-800$ including a monitor. I realize that this is not going to be the best computer ever, but i just need something that will perform well for a moderate price.

Also, OS should not be included in the price, but i would still like to be pointed toward which OS will work better for my needs. I can get windows, vista or Win7 through my school for very cheap.
 
I leave you $160 - 180 to choose your the monitor you want
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.458444
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.466460
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.470529
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102873
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231190

G.SKILL 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333
OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP + LITE-ON DVD Writer
Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB + Rosewill CHALLENGER Case

ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 + AMD Phenom II X4 955
SAPPHIRE 100283-3L 5770 1GB

Or althernatively Phenom IIx6 1055T + GTS 250 1GB. I am not sure which one faster for rendering
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.470531
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150478
 
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For rendering, your gonna want a decent amount of CPU power. This is what i would do at that price.
Case+HDD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.458444

Mobo+CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.470531

Optical Drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118040

PSU+Memory:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.469099

GPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187112

That will put you at a total of $710.92

And your gonna want windows 7 64bit.
 
I know this a terribly stupid question, but im not very knowledgeable on the subject of building computers.

Does everything come with all of the cords/connectors you need to build it?

And also, how do i know which parts are compitable with each other?:confused:
 
tampac66 said:
I know this a terribly stupid question, but im not very knowledgeable on the subject of building computers.
Only stupid questions are those not asked;)

Does everything come with all of the cords/connectors you need to build it
Yes. The only thing you will need is a phillips head screwdriver, and (not even totally necessary as it can be done by hand) a pair of needlenose pliers to put the standoffs in.

And also, how do i know which parts are compitable with each other?:confused:

I'd explain it but ill put it simply. The motherboard must be the same socket as the CPU, and the motherboard must also have listed bios support for the processor. For memory, if a motherboard uses DDR3 memory you will need to buy DDR3 memory. Basically, if you follow our suggestions or post what you are planning to get before you buy, we can ensure that whatever parts you purchase are compatible.
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Answers are the non bolded lines above.

Also, this is a good guide of how to put a computer together:
http://www.computerforum.com/104641-how-build-computer-step-step-photos.html
 
For 3d Graphics rendering, how important is RAM? Is it worth it to get more than 4gb? Also, what is different about DDR3, as opposed to DDR2?
 
tampac66 said:
For 3d Graphics rendering, how important is RAM? Is it worth it to get more than 4gb? Also, what is different about DDR3, as opposed to DDR2?
Click to expand...

DDR3 has higher clockrates, AM3 is ddr3 only, you would need an AM2+ motherboard in order to use DDR2, and DDR2 is more or less becoming EOL.

For 3d rendering, getting two kits of memory is not a bad idea, 8gb could help when rendering larger scenes.
 
bomberboysk said:
DDR3 has higher clockrates, AM3 is ddr3 only, you would need an AM2+ motherboard in order to use DDR2, and DDR2 is more or less becoming EOL.

For 3d rendering, getting two kits of memory is not a bad idea, 8gb could help when rendering larger scenes.
Click to expand...

So the MOBO has 4 slots, so if i needed more ram i could always pay another 100 down the road and add 4 more gigs right?

I dont know if you would know this, but how is RAM effected when rendering? If i go to task manager -> Performance, and watch available memory when rendering a scene it drops dramatically. Is this ram?

^^
If that is correct then basically the amount of data that can be handled durring a render is subject to how much ram i have, while the actual render speed is limited by the processor?




I am curious, how much render time would change from my current computer to the one you listed above.

For instance, on my laptop, that has
Intel Dual Core 2.00GHz Processor
2 GB of ram
Nvidia GeForce Go 528MB

Are we talking ~2x as fast? ~3x? ~4x?


The reason i ask such a theoretical question is that i really want/need a new computer but i have to weigh how much difference it will/could make to the amount of money it costs. I dont want to spend 700$ if its only going to shave 5 min off of a 2 hour render ya know?


Your help is much appreciated.
Thanks
 
Well, using the build list i posted as an example, you would have triple the amount of cores at a higher clockspeed, and depending on whether its a core duo or core 2 duo, a more effecient per clock architecture. So theoretically your looking at less than one third the time to render a scene, even less if the program is GPU accelerated. Not to mention you could overclock that CPU relatively easily, 3.4Ghz is relatively easy to get with a 1055T and it would cut down render times even more.

RAM is the "available memory", correct. If you do not have enough free memory you will notice slowdowns while rendering. I have rendered some relatively large sketchup files just fine using 4gb of ram and kerkythea as a renderer(its a free program, i can't afford 3dsmax and such) however.
 
bomberboysk said:
Well, using the build list i posted as an example, you would have triple the amount of cores at a higher clockspeed, and depending on whether its a core duo or core 2 duo, a more effecient per clock architecture. So theoretically your looking at less than one third the time to render a scene, even less if the program is GPU accelerated. Not to mention you could overclock that CPU relatively easily, 3.4Ghz is relatively easy to get with a 1055T and it would cut down render times even more.

RAM is the "available memory", correct. If you do not have enough free memory you will notice slowdowns while rendering. I have rendered some relatively large sketchup files just fine using 4gb of ram and kerkythea as a renderer(its a free program, i can't afford 3dsmax and such) however.
Click to expand...

I cant afford 3dsmax either. I use a free educational version i get through my school. =).


Sorry to keep asking so many questions but i just want to be sure before buying....

Why AMD and not Intel? I dont know enough about either one to really have a favorite so im just curious. AMD seems to have lower prices in general, i figure there has to be some reason why? Right?



Also, as far as the video card goes, i think im missing something. I always thought you judged GPUs on their memory size (768mb on the sparkle), but after looking on Newegg, i saw a bunch of vid cards that were 1gb and were WAY cheaper.

I noticed the sparkle video card has GDDR5 Mem type. What exactly does that mean?


Again,
Thanks.
 
tampac66 said:
I cant afford 3dsmax either. I use a free educational version i get through my school. =).


Sorry to keep asking so many questions but i just want to be sure before buying....

Why AMD and not Intel? I dont know enough about either one to really have a favorite so im just curious. AMD seems to have lower prices in general, i figure there has to be some reason why? Right?



Also, as far as the video card goes, i think im missing something. I always thought you judged GPUs on their memory size (768mb on the sparkle), but after looking on Newegg, i saw a bunch of vid cards that were 1gb and were WAY cheaper.

I noticed the sparkle video card has GDDR5 Mem type. What exactly does that mean?


Again,
Thanks.
Click to expand...
AMD right now is cheaper for higher performance in a rig that will make use of multithreaded applications, as that hex core processor beats out the i7 920 that is $100 more in applications that will make use of all six cores, such as 3dsmax. AMD has pretty much always produced a product available at a cheaper price point than intel. Intel knows that there are people that will buy their products no matter how much they charge. Also, as far as direct comparison AMD products clock for clock are slower than the intel i5/i7, however having a hex core processor makes up for that by having 50% more cores.

Memory size means nothing on a GPU compared to what the GPU core is, the average consumer things "OMG 1GB it must be good", when in reality the card can be not powerful whatsoever. The GPU core is what matters, even an old 8800gts 320mb will beat out most of those cheap cards with "1gb" of memory. Think of it has having 8gb of RAM, but then having an old Pentium 4 processor, not gonna help you out much. GDDR5 is just the type of memory that is used on the cards, its quite alot higher clockrate than older GDDR3 was.
 
Thanks!

You obviously know a ton about this stuff, so if i do buy it (hopefully i will) ill probably just take your word for it and build exactly what you suggested.

So if i buy the parts you listed, all i need is a monitor and im good to go? No cords? How do i get drivers for these things? Just online or do they come with them? The Guide you posted mentioned something about thermal glue for the heat sink. Is that something i should get as well? Or is it unnecessary?]


Ill stop bugging you with questions soon i promise!
I just feel like i'm in over my head a bit and i want to make sure i actually end up with a functioning computer. :)
 
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tampac66 said:
Thanks!

You obviously know a ton about this stuff, so if i do buy it (hopefully i will) ill probably just take your word for it and build exactly what you suggested.

So if i buy the parts you listed, all i need is a monitor and im good to go? No cords? How do i get drivers for these things? Just online or do they come with them? The Guide you posted mentioned something about thermal glue for the heat sink. Is that something i should get as well? Or is it unnecessary?]


Ill stop bugging you with questions soon i promise!
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Yeah, pretty much all you would need is a display, as well as an OS, and input devices (keyboard/mouse).

For displays, take a look at asus's offerings, this is a great display for the price:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236072

Unless you are looking for something larger, in which case this is also a great display:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824116442

The heatsink will have thermal paste preapplied to it from the factory, so you shouldnt need any extra.
 
tampac66 said:
Hey,

Someone Suggested this video card instead of the Sparkle one.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&AID=10446076&PID=3946032&SID=skim2305X575088

Is that one going to preform better or should i stick with the sparkle.
If theres not going to me much measurable difference id rather stick with the sparkle and save 30$. =)

Thanks.
Click to expand...

That card will perform better has it has a larger number of ROPs and a larger memory bus width. I would go with evga over gigabyte though:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130565
 
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