Photoshop/3D modelling rig advice!

Associate
Joined
4 Jul 2010
Posts
259
I've been asked to help build a rig which will be used primarily for Photoshop and a lot of 3D modelling. I'm more familiar with gaming setups but I've got a rough idea on whats needed, so I came up with this build...

Intel Core i7-2600K 3.40GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail with FREE TrackMania 2 Canyon PC Game £259.99
(£216.66) £259.99
(£216.66)
Gigabyte Z68A-D3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £75.98
(£63.32) £75.98
(£63.32)
BeQuiet Pure Power L7 530W '80 Plus' Power Supply £45.98
(£38.32) £45.98
(£38.32)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) £44.99
(£37.49) £44.99
(£37.49)
G.Skill RipJaw 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Dual Channel Kit £34.99
(£29.16) £34.99
(£29.16)
BitFenix Merc Alpha Gaming Case - Black £32.99
(£27.49) £32.99
(£27.49)
Corsair A50 High-Performance CPU Cooler (Socket AM2/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £24.98
(£20.82) £24.98
(£20.82)
Samsung SH-S222AB/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £17.99
(£14.99) £17.99
(£14.99)
Sub Total : £448.25
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
FREE SHIPPING (DPD Next Day)
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : FREE
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £89.65
Total : £537.90

In addition he wants an SSD, 64gb prefably, anyone care to recommend one?

Also he was talking about a dedicated graphics card because he will be running a dual 24" monitor setup. For intensive 3d rendering tasks, does this makes sense? I was thinking on a cheap but good card such as the 460?

Budget is around £700~, cheaper the better really!

He dose not wan any peripherals or OS btw, Thanks!!
 
Soldato
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Location
Nottingham, UK
Hey, first post xD

Right, first off, get rid of that i7. Get the i5-2500k 3.3ghz. Cheaper and all the power you need for photoshop/3d modelling. I run an Athlon X4 640 @ 3.54ghz, no l3 cache and I'm a web designer/graphic designer and it's all the power I need.

SSD is good, but on a budget, just stick with the HDD. If he is going to play games, get a cheap 64gb SSD like this one: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-040-OC&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=910 (50gb)

For 3D modelling, get a slightly more powerful GPU. The GTX460 will bottleneck the Intel cpu by a long way. Go for the GTX560Ti. Great card and cheap at £160: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-173-OK&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=1341

Lot more powerful and will not bottleneck the i5 whatso ever.

Hope this helps.
 
Soldato
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Nottingham, UK
have a look at the crucial m4 64gb ssd.

and if its within budget stick with the 2600K.

The i7 maybe faster, but if he gets the i5, he could buy a nice case to go with it. Think about it. Not that much else power, overclocks past 4.5ghz on air cooling alone and think about how nice a case he could afford like the HAF 922.

Only point in getting a i7 is if you are going to be gaming at ridiculous resolutions on massive displays. No need.
 
Associate
OP
Joined
4 Jul 2010
Posts
259
Thanks for the advice Cinderz, If I go over budget ill probably drop to the i5 and overclock it but for now ill stick with it! The 560 is a good call, seems like a good graphics card for the price!

Crucial ssd looks exactly what i want, good price too!

BTW if i was gaming at high resolutions a proper graphics card would come in more handy than the processor wouldnt it? :confused:
 
Soldato
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Ah, it's ok. What I am here to do xD.

The i5 will do you perfectly, just save money and get it. The only difference between the i5 and i7 is that the i7 is slightly faster and not worth the money over the i5.

That SSD will do you. Just partition it. Windows on a 15gb partition and programs/games on the 35gb partition. Just makes sure that if Windows crashes, the 35gb partition won't be touched and any data saved on their will not be deleted or lost. n00b mistake, if you don't do that.

And remember, their are 2 different types of GTX560. The lower, less powerful GTX560 and the better, more powerful GTX560Ti. Always get the Ti version!
 
Associate
OP
Joined
4 Jul 2010
Posts
259
Ok thanks! Any other ideas on a graphics card because it not easy fitting it into the budget?!

Also, will a 530w be enough to power an I7/I5, dedicated graphics card + a few hard drives?
 
Soldato
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Location
telford, shropshire
BTW if i was gaming at high resolutions a proper graphics card would come in more handy than the processor wouldnt it? :confused:

yes, depending on monitor size, resolution and the games you play the 560ti (NOT gtx) should do a decent enough job.


The i5 will do you perfectly, just save money and get it. The only difference between the i5 and i7 is that the i7 is slightly faster and not worth the money over the i5.

you also lose the hyper threading of the 2600 which should be useful for the indicated prime task of 3d modelling.
 
Soldato
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Location
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I am a 3D modeller myself and I have found that a decent CPU and RAM make it all worth while. I use Maya and Mudbox and have many a time maxed out 12gb and used all 4 cores for many hours when rendering. If I could have afforded it when I upgraded, I would have got an i7. Sandybridge wasnt out when I upgraded however. In regards to the GPU, it does help to have power behind it, but I would suggest a decent CPU and RAM over a fast GPU. Obviously if your budget allows, get the best you can.

I have found my SSD helps for quickness of loading of the applications, but as my data is kept on machinical drives, there isnt a huge bonus. Again, if you can afford one, go for it. For your budget, you can get a very beasty system.
 
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