Upgrading Desktop for 3D Visualization - Need Advice

T

tampac66

New Member
Hi all,

I built a computer about 4 years ago for 3D rendering and i'm starting to feel like my system isn't performing as well as it used to and im looking to invest in a few upgrades. The Goal is to get maximum performance when rendering in Austodesk 3DS Max/Vray and Revit.

My current build is:
-AMD Phenom II X6 1055T
-Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
-ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 AM3 AMD 870 Mobo
-Antec NeoECO C NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
-SPARKLE SXX460768D5NM GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 768MB
-ASUS VH198T Black 19" 5ms LED Backlight LCD Monitor

Im mainly looking to upgrade the CPU, possibly the video card, and anything else that you guys think might be the limiting factor in my system.

I am looking at investing in a Intel Core i7-4930K Ivy Bridge-E 3.4GHz Processor. I think the extra cores will make a significant difference in render time. I'll probably try and take the old processor and make a render node for distributed rendering down the line.

Im also looking at upgrading my video card to a EVGA 03G-P4-2667-KR GeForce GTX 660 FTW. I dont know how much of an upgrade this is, but I have been getting strange artifacts and random driver failures when playing certain games, so I think it may be time to get a new one anyway.

My main questions are:
-Unless im mistaken, Intel CPUs wont work with AMD Mobo's. So, is there any Intel Mobo that you would recommend?
-Is my PSU good enough for this setup?
-Are there any other components that might be bottle-necking my system?

Thanks in advance for any help!!!
 
Your PSU is good enough, but how old is it?

A good board would be a Gigabyte X79-UD3.

Get a 660Ti or 760, not a 660, if possible.
 
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Yeah, the 4930K is going to be a big upgrade from a Phenom II X6, you'll like that. :)

Graphics card wise, I wouldn't bother with the 660 Ti anymore. I didn't even really recommend them when they came out about 14 months ago, let alone now.

A 760 would be fine for rendering, or look at a 770 maybe. Both faster than the 460 which you have now.

The PSU is OK - you could probably get away with it but if you start overclocking the i7 (it's unlocked and overclocks well, so why not - get aftermarket cooling if need be) and any graphics cards, I'd be tempted to get something a bit beefier. Maybe look at some 600W or 650W units.
 
I know for a fact a 780 and 3960X can run on a goos, new 500W PSU. It's the age of the PSU that matters in this case. A 760 and 3930K will be fine with 500W with overclocking but I would only use a PSU under 3 years old if it is going through that load if you have the money to get a new one.
 
When a 600W is only a tiny bit more expensive and you've got hardware this expensive, I'd suggest you get the 600W unit.
 
Well, the problem is, I already have the 520W, so it's basically free. :)

But I see your point, I'll look into purchasing a better one. Is there any particular brand of PSU that I should look at? Or any that I should avoid?
 
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Well I'm sure a 520 will be OK, but you may want to look at getting something a bit more powerful down the line perhaps.

Antec's decent. I like Corsair, OCZ, XFX, Seasonic, Silverstone etc. Any one of those.
 
It's mostly because I wouldn't put a 3 year old PSU under this sort of load if you can get a new one. Go for a CX600M. And, do you have a Microcenter near you?
 
PCunicorn said:
It's mostly because I wouldn't put a 3 year old PSU under this sort of load if you can get a new one. Go for a CX600M. And, do you have a Microcenter near you?
Click to expand...

Ive never heard of that.. but it doesnt look like there's one around here. I'll check out the cx600m.
 
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