Spec a build: i7

Xandos

Xandos

Xandos

Associate
Joined
19 Aug 2006
Posts
596
Hey guys, I find myself needing to build a new PC for 3d Animation/Rendering...

As everything I do (almost) supports multi-threading, an i7 seems the logical choice. I have an i7 920D overclocked to nearly 4ghz as my work machine, which works pretty nice. I'm thinking of a similar build but not to sure on recent progress, and just how cheaply one can put together an i7 box.

I'm sort of thinking of leaving out the SSD unless there's a really cheap option - as I'm mostly after CPU grunt. Is it worth going for sandybridge (baring in mind I'm one of the few users that would actually push the system)?

So what's my best bet do you think? Some guidance would be appreciated...
 
Well if you are building a new build then Sandy Bridge makes the most sense. (you can then upgrade to ivy bridge in the future as they are the same socket I believe)

I finished my build recently (which isnt sandy bridge) in my sig and that cost me about £1200 and I already had a GTX470 to plonk in, but wish I had gone Sandy as triple RAM channel doesnt make much difference from a gaming POV.

Most who go for the i7's seem to go for the i7 2600K, but I have never OC'd one to comment.

GL and pics when you finish :)
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the reply... I guess I should mention that I'm on a fairly shoestring budget... Hoping not to spend any more than £600 really... Though I suppose these days that might be a touch too light...
 
Yay for Sandy. 2600K, decent motherboard (P67 / Z68), 8GB/16GB DDR3 1600mhz, third party cooler (Silver Arrow, Antec Kuhler), overclock to 4.4GHz. That will ace anything. £500. £400 by cutting corners.

Do you need the extra gubbins? If you need the whole lot, then I suggest 2500K.


Intel Core i7-2600K 3.40GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor £254.99
Asrock Z68 Extreme4 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £144.98
Corsair Vengeance Blue 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B) £68.39
Thermalright Silver Arrow CPU Cooler (Socket LGA1366/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA775/AM2/AM3) £50.99
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £9.50
Total : £530.75
 
olivier renault said:
Yay for Sandy. 2600K, decent motherboard (P67 / Z68), 8GB/16GB DDR3 1600mhz, third party cooler (Silver Arrow, Antec Kuhler), overclock to 4.4GHz. That will ace anything. £500. £400 by cutting corners.

Do you need the extra gubbins? If you need the whole lot, then I suggest 2500K.


Intel Core i7-2600K 3.40GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor £254.99
Asrock Z68 Extreme4 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £144.98
Corsair Vengeance Blue 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B) £68.39
Thermalright Silver Arrow CPU Cooler (Socket LGA1366/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA775/AM2/AM3) £50.99
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £9.50
Total : £530.75
Click to expand...


The OP said he is doing 3D animation, and so I would have thought that you would need a decent GPU for that sort of stuff.
 
Well I paid quite a lot for my RAM and H70 Cooler and Motherboard, things you dont need to spend so much on, so £600 would definetly cut it.

Also if you dont need a new case that can save you a few £.

Plus you are going to need a good GPU, Quadro FX range from Nvidia are more designed for 3d/Animation than the Geforce range designed for games.
 
Thanks for replies.

Actually, GPU isn't that much of a big deal... Not to the extent of it being worth getting a top end gaming card (or god forbid, Quadro). Maybe this will change once companies start writing good GPU renderers!

I don't have any of the gubbins (case,psu anyway), as my old computer still needs to remain a full computer, as it will become a render slave/secondary workstation.
 
Yes SBridge is the perfect solution for CAD/Design/3D environment, so spend as much as you can on the CPU, you can get away with average mobos, a decent OC will most likely be achieved but nothing OTT, aftermarket cooler may be a must though.
 
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor £173.99
OcUK GeForce GTX 460 OC 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £109.99
Asrock Z68 PRO3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £105.98
Corsair XMS3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX8GX3M2A1600C9) £62.39
BeQuiet Pure Power L7 530W '80 Plus' Power Supply £44.99
Antec 100 One Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case - Black £43.99
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (WD5000AAKX) £29.99
Corsair A50 High-Performance CPU Cooler (Socket AM2/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £28.99
OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.99
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £12.50
Total : £630.30

Well, it's not a i7... PSU will do, but personnally I'd put in a Antec 620W.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom