Computers & Electronics

Building enthusiast PC, expert help needed...

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  • Dec 25th, 2012 11:14 am
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Newbie
Nov 24, 2012
37 posts
13 upvotes
Toronto

Building enthusiast PC, expert help needed...

Hi guys and gals,

I am trying to put together a descent build, dedicated to 3D modeling/rendering and other CPU/GPU-heavy tasks. I haven't build a computer in 2-3 years, and I have lost touch with the latest gear and manufacturer reputation. After spent some time educating myself, I came up with the following wish list: (i will need your opinion on deals/places to buy, since best price/performance ratio is more important to me than raw power/high $$$$ option...)

CPU: Core i7-3770 (any variant, as long is on sale/deal) (260$ at CC couple of weeks ago)
MB: no idea, looking at Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z for 49$ after rebate at CC, but looks like OOS. good deal needed...
SSD: need good size/price/performance ratio, basically the best-buy option
HD: WD Red 3TB for 150$, or any good deal...
GPU: set on GTX 660Ti 2GB DDR5 (or similar, no ATI please), also need a good deal/brand/price on this one...
RAM: 32G, reliable, good deal.
PSU: please recommend, good deal needed
CASE: please recommend, dito. Looks not so important...

Also, do you guys recommend getting components today/this week, or wait after boxing day? I have never bought computer around the boxing week, so I have no idea how things are progressing these days deals-wise. There was a thread that I was looking at, and I cannot find now, basically one member following the prices and making best-buy builds. Can someone help with that?

Many thanks,
megafly
10 replies
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Nov 4, 2008
7675 posts
10978 upvotes
Scarbs
My thoughts:
1) The 3770K can OC to around 4.5GHz with a decent cooler, while the 3770 cant OC at all. I'll let you decide if you want that.
2) You'll want a Z77 mobo, which has native USB3, PCI-E 3.0 and a few other things
3) The xfx 750 psu is an RFD favorite, $65 AR.
4) SSD - samsung/intel/corsair neutron/plextor/crucial/ocz vertex4 tend to be more reliable

Parts are usually very cheap during boxing day, but the caveats are that 1) you're gonna have to line up for the good deals, and 2) there might be a limit on how many things you can purchase

I'll let george__ and the others take it from here.
Newbie
Nov 24, 2012
37 posts
13 upvotes
Toronto
thanks aeba,

I am not interested in OCking for now... When rendering, 10-20% increase in time is less important for me than the system stability, which means less crashing when multiple CPU/RAM hogging applications are opened... Good thought on the chipset, that makes sense, especially for time-proofing the build. This should last at least couple of years, if not more...

As for the waiting and limits, I would prefer to purchase online, or CanadaComputers (close where I live), and I only buying one build, so I don't care about the limit :)
Deal Expert
User avatar
Jul 22, 2006
22438 posts
3065 upvotes
if you are dealing with 3D modeling - doesn't it make sense to buy a nVidia Quadro or AMD FireGL card? <-- But if this isn't professional work, don't worry about it

Motherboard - you can get by with a H77 or B75 motherboard from Gigabyte or ASUS
Newbie
Nov 24, 2012
37 posts
13 upvotes
Toronto
Hi george__,

Actually, I was working in the office on a lower end Quadro 2000, and was not impressed... from my personal experience, and also, from what I have read online, mid-to-high end enthusiast card will do similar job at large scenes handling, as well as RT render in Vray and similar engines. The difference in price is not worth for me...

If you know a good deals happening right now on the hardware mentioned before, including the mobo's, by all means, please mention/link. Since price/performance is a must for me at this moment, Id rather go for a better deal, than the highest end product.

many thanks
Member
Feb 21, 2012
461 posts
79 upvotes
NEWMARKET
Don't get a WD Red. These are mechanically similar to WD Greens (~5200-5900RPM) which means that they're very slow, and the WD Red firmware is made for RAID configuration. Go for WD Blue or WD Black because they are 7200RPM. If you aren't overclocking your CPU then just get the cheapest motherboard that is compatible with your CPU (in this case LGA 1155 socket) and has the best reviews.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.as ... 6813157335
Deal Expert
User avatar
Jul 22, 2006
22438 posts
3065 upvotes
Here's a idea... Ram might be overkill

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($289.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H77-DS3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($94.99 @ Canada Computers)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($165.00 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($129.99 @ Canada Computers)
Storage: Intel 330 Series 180GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($149.82 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($349.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $1249.77
Newbie
Nov 24, 2012
37 posts
13 upvotes
Toronto
george__ wrote: Here's a idea... Ram might be overkill
Well it usually is, but I've had 3DMAX scenes that loaded 11-12 Gigs of RAM, and unless you work on a machine with more than that, it takes forever, writing into and out of the HD's scratch drive. It works fine if you have more ram than the scene though. Since the scaled down option from 32 is 16 Gigs, that would be cutting it close, so I want to make sure I'll have enough RAM...

I think CC had a better deal on that CPU for Black Friday, so I'll wait for them to come out with the flyer.

Yeah, good notice on the hard drive, spandexninja, I might go with the Green. The SSD will take care of the speed. I had the WD Black, it is fast, but noisy, and I have to research the WD blue.

I will try and keep the price below 1000$, shaving off of some components, and hopefully the CC flyer will be out soon for their Boxing day sale.

Any good/affordable case for this PC?
Deal Addict
Sep 10, 2004
2907 posts
924 upvotes
Toronto
Since Boxing Day/week prices are not up yet,

Suggestions for SSD:
Intel 330, 335 and 520 series.
Samsung 830 & 840 Pro series.

For reference, around Black Friday,
Intel 330 series 180GB was $99.99? and the 240GB was $139.99?
Newbie
Nov 24, 2012
37 posts
13 upvotes
Toronto
Oh well... after seeing the CC boxing day/week flyer, no hope for good deals on the components there... the Black Friday was better. Lesson learned for next year...

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