YO PC FOLKS! Need some help. (PC Building for College)

[DudeistBelieve]

Budgeting out all my problems for this college I want to go to. I require a new computer because my Laptop (aside from not being powerful enough) has numerous hardware/software issues. This computer would be primarily for 3D Animation and visual effects however I wouldn't be against it also being a gaming rig since it's likely to be the only computer I'll be using for the next decade. Ideal budget between 500-1,000 dollars max

How much in your estimate, would it take for me to get the bare minimum the school says:

Nvidia Graphics card. (OpenCL and CUDA capable)
Intel CPU, (the more cores the better)
Minimal 16GB of RAM.
Minimal 1TB of hard drive space.
Adequate ventilation and cooling.
We primarily use Windows as our OS of choice, although Mac OS X is an option, your hardware will need to meet specific requirements as well. Please note, certain software and plugins in this industry are OS specific.

I'm really not that big of a Mac guy, especially if the school is telling me windows.

 

[Hoplon]

okay, good news is none of that is really very exotic, open CL is an open standard and CUDA capable means any Nvidia card made in the last 4 or so years (correct me if i am wrong) since it's the underlying tech for all their cards.

$500 isn't impossible, $1000 would just make have better quality parts in a better case. Course you will also need a monitor and any peripherals you don't already have (keyboard, mouse etc) and a copy of windows.

Since I'm not in the US i can't recommend where to get parts from, i only have hearsay.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

okay, good news is none of that is really very exotic, open CL is an open standard and CUDA capable means any Nvidia card made in the last 4 or so years (correct me if i am wrong) since it's the underlying tech for all their cards.

$500 isn't impossible, $1000 would just make have better quality parts in a better case. Course you will also need a monitor and any peripherals you don't already have (keyboard, mouse etc) and a copy of windows.

Since I'm not in the US i can't recommend where to get parts from, i only have hearsay.

Suppose I was paying to have it built for me? I suppose I could build the thing myself though. I'm not intimidated by it anymore, it's just the money.... which if this is all going on my credit card I may as well go crazy and build something that'll last a decade.

 

[EvilRoy]

I guess just to throw in my 2c, rendering animation is probably one of the few places where ram really, really matters. You should invest in good quality, high speed RAM - its possible to go overboard, but realistically if you keep the computer for long enough it will eventually get used.

I would also suggest a gold rated higher quality PSU as well. If the PSU goes on you, it carries the danger of permanently damaging anything connected to it.

The hard drive is kind of a meh thing. You probably want one with a nice high read/write speed, but frankly you can just buy as many of them as you need to meet storage needs as you go. I run my OS off of a 128 solid state for the high read/write, and store on a couple much slower HDD to save scratch (also, single platter slower read/write HDD tend to last a bit longer since they pull less power and produce less heat - only a little though).

Edit:

Unfortunatley I don't have too much time to help with a build for you, but taking a look at logical increments, I would suggest something around the "Superb" entry.

Based on that:
You can probably lower the graphics card quite a bit - Maybe to the GTX 750 for about 100 dollars less

The processor, if its supposed to be intel, should be switched to at least an i5-4570 for 50 or 60 bucks more - the motherboard needs to be confirmed to still work with this, can't check it on the phone for some reason.

Ram needs to be upped, probably for around 100 bucks more.

The PSU wattage should be confirmed, but corsair is the safer choice brand-wise. Weaker graphics card means less power draw, so you may be able to downgrade to a lower wattage, cheaper PSU.

All told, with downgrades and upgrades to match your specific needs I would estimate around 800 dollars for it

 

[Albino Boo]

You should have posted in advice forum. You are going to have a hard time trying to get a machine that will last for 10 years on $1000 budget, its going to be closer to $1400.

Someone asked the same question here http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/538.851723-Need-to-build-a-computer-for-gaming-and-game-design-animation

You can downgrade the gfx card a bit to save some money and swap for gtx 750

 

[DSP_Zulu]

okay, good news is none of that is really very exotic, open CL is an open standard and CUDA capable means any Nvidia card made in the last 4 or so years (correct me if i am wrong) since it's the underlying tech for all their cards.

$500 isn't impossible, $1000 would just make have better quality parts in a better case. Course you will also need a monitor and any peripherals you don't already have (keyboard, mouse etc) and a copy of windows.

Since I'm not in the US i can't recommend where to get parts from, i only have hearsay.

Suppose I was paying to have it built for me? I suppose I could build the thing myself though. I'm not intimidated by it anymore, it's just the money.... which if this is all going on my credit card I may as well go crazy and build something that'll last a decade.

That isn't going to happen for 1,000$. It wont even happen for the 1,400$ the guy above quotes, really.

If you're doing 3D work, you need as much GPU (CUDA) muscle as you can get, coupled with a pretty beefy CPU. There is a reason professional workstations that do video are tens of thousands of dollars. Even a semi-pro workstation with decent performance is probably going to land in the ~2,000$ range pretty easily.

 

[clippen05]

Well I don't know if you have one by you, but Microcenter is the cheapest PC parts supplier around by by far. If I was to use them and newegg to make a build, you could get a great computer for $900 that will last. This is what I put together on short notice.

Processor: Intel i5-4690k -Microcenter -$199.99; If you want to go cheaper than you can save $20 by getting the i5-4670k

Motherboard: MSI H97-E35 matx -Microcenter -$39.99 with purchase of processor; note, you can get a much cheaper motherboard up to being free with the purchase of the processor, but this would be the cheapest one I would recommend.

Graphics Card: Asus R9280X -Newegg -$309.99 with a $20 mail in rebate; If you want something cheaper I would recommend going for a R280 or Nvidia GTX 760. They would save you around $50-60

RAM: 16gb DDR3 1600 Ballistix -Microcenter -$159.99 with a $20 mail-in rebate; Again, if you want cheaper you could get just 8gb or RAM.

HDD: Toshiba 1TB 7200RPM 3.5" hardrive -Microcenter -$49.99; This one I can personally attest for. While many people would recommend you get an SSD, I think that forgoing it for a better GPU is much more important. While Toshiba is not considered one of the big HDD makers, I own this exact same harddrive myself and have amazing loading speeds and have had no trouble with it since purchase. But if you really want to go with a more reputable brand, just get a 1TB WD.

Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 -Microcenter -$39.99; Simply a pretty good, inexpensive case. Has room for more drives should you desire aswell as fan slots for cooling if you would want it.

Power Supply: Corsair CS Series CS550M - Microcenter - $74.99 with a $20 mail-in rebate. I personally use a Thermaltake in my latest build, which is cheaper but known for less reliability then Corsair, one the the most reputable PSU makers. So again, there's options there.

OS: Windows 8.1 - Newegg - $99.99 While many people like to hate on Windows 8, I really like it. It is faster than Windows 7 in bootup as well as after boot. And if you are bothered by the whole tablet interface, you can download third party software to rid it or wait for Microsoft as they are planning on adding more desktop interfaces. Lastly, Windows 7 support is ending in 2015, so in terms of security, windows 8 is the better bet. I would recommend a Linux distribution, but I'd imagine the software that you are going to use for school requires Windows so...

Total Price: $914.93 before tax after mail-in rebates. So I strayed a little over my $900 target but remember, you can still cut costs from here and have an amazing system. The first place to cut down would be GPU, as it is a bit overpowered compared to the rest of these parts, but I seriously think that investing in a good GPU is essential to future-proofing. Cutting back to only 8gb of RAM would also save you at least $70, but if you interested in animation and other stuff, it might not be a good idea. I should note, I didn't include a crossfire or SLI capable motherboard, because I don't think that most people want to do it and I personally don't think its that great a value. If it was something that interested you however, you could easily find a capable mobo. I also didn't include a Optical Drive because they are really really unnecessary in modern times. I didn't include one in my latest build and I haven't found myself missing it once. But if you did want to include one they are REALLY cheap.

 

[TheLastFeeder]

CUDA capable means any Nvidia card made in the last 4 or so years (correct me if i am wrong) since it's the underlying tech for all their cards.

CUDA capable means any Nvidia card from the 8000 series and up. So 8 years.

 

[DSP_Zulu]

Well I don't know if you have one by you, but Microcenter is the cheapest PC parts supplier around by by far. If I was to use them and newegg to make a build, you could get a great computer for $900 that will last. This is what I put together on short notice.

Processor: Intel i5-4690k -Microcenter -$199.99; If you want to go cheaper than you can save $20 by getting the i5-4670k

Motherboard: MSI H97-E35 matx -Microcenter -$39.99 with purchase of processor; note, you can get a much cheaper motherboard up to being free with the purchase of the processor, but this would be the cheapest one I would recommend.

Graphics Card: Asus R9280X -Newegg -$309.99 with a $20 mail in rebate; If you want something cheaper I would recommend going for a R280 or Nvidia GTX 760. They would save you around $50-60

RAM: 16gb DDR3 1600 Ballistix -Microcenter -$159.99 with a $20 mail-in rebate; Again, if you want cheaper you could get just 8gb or RAM.

HDD: Toshiba 1TB 7200RPM 3.5" hardrive -Microcenter -$49.99; This one I can personally attest for. While many people would recommend you get an SSD, I think that forgoing it for a better GPU is much more important. While Toshiba is not considered one of the big HDD makers, I own this exact same harddrive myself and have amazing loading speeds and have had no trouble with it since purchase. But if you really want to go with a more reputable brand, just get a 1TB WD.

Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 -Microcenter -$39.99; Simply a pretty good, inexpensive case. Has room for more drives should you desire aswell as fan slots for cooling if you would want it.

Power Supply: Corsair CS Series CS550M - Microcenter - $74.99 with a $20 mail-in rebate. I personally use a Thermaltake in my latest build, which is cheaper but known for less reliability then Corsair, one the the most reputable PSU makers. So again, there's options there.

OS: Windows 8.1 - Newegg - $99.99 While many people like to hate on Windows 8, I really like it. It is faster than Windows 7 in bootup as well as after boot. And if you are bothered by the whole tablet interface, you can download third party software to rid it or wait for Microsoft as they are planning on adding more desktop interfaces. Lastly, Windows 7 support is ending in 2015, so in terms of security, windows 8 is the better bet. I would recommend a Linux distribution, but I'd imagine the software that you are going to use for school requires Windows so...

Total Price: $914.93 before tax after mail-in rebates. So I strayed a little over my $900 target but remember, you can still cut costs from here and have an amazing system. The first place to cut down would be GPU, as it is a bit overpowered compared to the rest of these parts, but I seriously think that investing in a good GPU is essential to future-proofing. Cutting back to only 8gb of RAM would also save you at least $70, but if you interested in animation and other stuff, it might not be a good idea. I should note, I didn't include a crossfire or SLI capable motherboard, because I don't think that most people want to do it and I personally don't think its that great a value. If it was something that interested you however, you could easily find a capable mobo. I also didn't include a Optical Drive because they are really really unnecessary in modern times. I didn't include one in my latest build and I haven't found myself missing it once. But if you did want to include one they are REALLY cheap.

This is a pretty capable rig, but it's not going to blow anyone's doors off for 3D and VFX work. You'll still be waiting hours for a render in most cases. For day to day use and gaming, it will rock the house pretty solidly. I can recommend some differences in build (you can get a good 80+ certified PSU that will more than do you for 50$ at Microcenter...) and, while i agree that Microcenter is the best place to buy parts... it is the WORST place to buy a GPU, as they are always MSRP -OR HIGHER- unless they are "on sale" It's kinda strange, really, given that they are well below MSRP on pretty much every other type of part, but do yourself a favor and order the GPU somewhere else.

What you've essentially asked for is "whats the best general use computer i can get for 1,000$ or so" - because "i need a computer that will really perform at 3D rendering and VFX for 1,000$" isn't even a thing. Good 3D/VFX performance is accomplished by high-end parts. But for 1,000$ you can get a very decent system that will last you 4-6 years no problem (and maybe longer if you upgrade the GPU(s) down the line) that will perform extremely well in day to day tasks and do as well as it possibly can at 3D work, given the caveat that it isn't in the price range of a truly "good" 3D/VFX workstation computer.

 

[Hoplon]

Yeah could do that, there are even reputable vendors that will let you customise the system if you don't feel up to it. It is more, they add at least a 20% premium but you do have recourse if anything happens to it.

 

[EvilRoy]

Snip

What you've essentially asked for is "whats the best general use computer i can get for 1,000$ or so" - because "i need a computer that will really perform at 3D rendering and VFX for 1,000$" isn't even a thing. Good 3D/VFX performance is accomplished by high-end parts. But for 1,000$ you can get a very decent system that will last you 4-6 years no problem (and maybe longer if you upgrade the GPU(s) down the line) that will perform extremely well in day to day tasks and do as well as it possibly can at 3D work, given the caveat that it isn't in the price range of a truly "good" 3D/VFX workstation computer.

Keep in mind though, this is only for school. I agree that a decade-lifetime PC is not going to happen for $1000, but the typical undergrad degree is 4 years, so this should be plenty to start.

I admit that I know very little about the work situation for most 3D animators, but I would assume that if a company hires you, they would provide some sort of workstation for you to animate at - seems like it would be ridiculous to expect someone to take out a loan to buy a computer to be able to work. From a student perspective, this should be enough to get the degree, and then as a private use general computer it should last a few more years at least.

 

[DSP_Zulu]

Agreed. Most places will provide a workstation, unless you're working as a 1099/freelancer (an increasingly common thing these days, so they dont have to pay taxes on you or provide you with healthcare). I do have a good friend who just finished his animation degree and basically had to finance his own workstation (he spent around ~3500 on a hex-core Xeon E5 v2 and dual workstation GPUs) so he could freelance, but if you get hired into a pro h ouse, yes, theyll have a machine for you.

I just didn't want the guy to (mistakenly) think he'd be getting a powerhouse 3D/VFX computer for 1,000$. He WILL get a very powerful general use/gaming PC for that money, though. My own gaming PC only cost about 1,100, and that was because i built into an (expensive-ish) mITX/SFF enthusiast case and had to order a special SFF PSU and a particular brand of GPU to fit the case. That rig runs every game ive thrown at it other than Metro (which is notoriously brutal) on max settings at 1080p.

So, yeah, 1,000$ will get you a great computer. It will be -usable- for 3D work/VFX work, but it will be a LOT slower than a "good" 3D/VFX machine, where the CPU's *alone* can run you 2k.

My personal recomendations:

Get the best i7 you can afford on your budget. With the release of the newer "v2" Haswell CPUs, the "older" 4770K is now being discounted and is still a monster of a CPU. Why an i7 over an i5? Rendering loves CPU. i5's are quad-core with NO Hyperthreading, and i7s have Hyperthreading, which, while not exactly making them 8-core, provides *significant* performance boosts to heavily multithreaded apps like rendering and VFX suites. The i7 will be worth every dollar over the i5, even if it is clocked slightly slower.

Get the best GPU you can for your dollar. The GTX 760 is a solid performer and can often be found under 200$.

Dont overbuy on the case or PSU, particularly the PSU. A lot of video cards will say "requires 700W PSU" or some nonsense on them - the reason they print that is because they cant be sure you have a good PSU so they want a lot of overhead. My entire system (i7 4770K, GTX 760 OC, 16GB of RAM, HDD, etc) only actually pulls about ~280 watts at full draw. A good 80+ rated PSU in the 400-450W range will actually power any system short of a GTX Titan, and is often cheaper than a non-80+ 700w+ PSU. You can get a good 500w 80+ gold rated PSU for 50$ if you shop around and it will do you -just- fine.

Get as much RAM as you can, but remember that 16GB will do you fine for now and if you get a MoBo with 4 DIMM slots, you can always add another 16 pretty cheaply down the road when you have the money.

 

[DSP_Zulu]

A quickie build i threw together while waiting here at the Doc's office: (Microcenter unless otherwise stated - however, keep in mind you actually have to go in-store and buy them in person to get these prices)

CPU: Core i7 4770K - 259$
MoBo: Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3 - 109$
- 30$ off on the CPU/MoBo combo in-store.
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB DDR3-1600 - 139$
PSU: Corsair Builder Series 80+ Bronze 430W PSU - 50$
Case: Thermaltake V3 Black Edition - 40$
DVD Drive - 20$ for an OEM LG DVD-DL-RW
HDD: you can get multiple 1TB drives for 50$ from a bunch of different suppliers.
GPU: The rest of your budget (somewhere other than Microcenter)

This comes out to 670 pre-GPU. If you have to buy an OS (you may be able to use your existing WIndows 7 serial if you have one to avoid this) add about ~40-100$ - your school will probably be able to get you an OEM copy of Windows of your choice for cheap. Around here, most of the colleges get it for students (one copy a y ear) for 20$.

It's a full-size ATX motherboard, with plenty of expansion possible in the future and 4 RAM slots. You can add another 16GB no problem any time in the future. It also fully supports overclocking, meaning if you have the know-how and want to, you can overclock the machine later to keep it up to speed at least a little (though you'd definitely want to add aftermarket CPU cooling at that point - Haswell runs hot when you OC)

For 20$ more you can step up to the next Motherboard that supports SLI/Crossfire for multi-GPU support down the road, though for my experience, since you're on something of a budget, spending more on a better single-card solution will be better, so i wouldnt bother.

If you can stretch your budget to ~1200, finding a GTX 780 on sale would do you -extremely- well, but you should still be able to find a factory overclocked GTX 770 and keep it under 1k. (Edit: if you can stretch to 1200, NewEgg has a GTX 780 Superclocked for less than 500, which would keep you at around 1200 and provide a MASSIVE performance boost over a GTX 760 or stock-clocked 770, especially for CUDA performance)

 

[Mr.Savage]

As others have said, with only a 1k budget, it probably won't be super ideal for what you need it for, but it'll be a helluva lot better than what you have now, and it'll be a monster gaming rig as a bonus.


So to the point, I would recommend NOT getting a i7 4770K Intel CPU. Reason being, you can get a Xeon 1230 v2 Intel CPU for about $229 from newegg. Whilst it's labeled as a server CPU, it's actually just a i7 4770 without the crappy onboard GPU, and it'll work in any LGA 1155 Motherboard just like a regular 4770. It's the best bang for your buck Intel CPU on the market currently.
Another bonus is since you don't have the onboard GPU, it uses less power, and in turn, creates less heat!

The ONLY reason to get an actual 4770K is if you're really into overclocking, and even then I don't think the gains justify the price.

So now you can use that $100 saved on the CPU for other, better quality components.

I'd also HIGHLY recommend the Coolermaster HAF 912 as your case of choice. It has the best airflow design for the money, in my opinion.

Here's a build that I would personally recommend: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/k7ykWZ

However, I don't know what a good GPU is for VFX and such, but I figure you'd want one with a lot of memory, so I chose a GTX 770 with 4GB of RAM. If you don't need that much GPU memory, you could switch that out for a cheaper 770 like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125463&cm_re=gtx-_-14-125-463-_-Product and get the price to around $1000 even.

Or, if you can live with even less CUDA cores, you could go down to a 760 or 750 Ti and get the price to about $800

Also, unless you can get this rig built for you for free, or something low like $20, build it yourself.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I have a lot of work ahead of me.

I will toats be building a machine with as much ram as I can afford.

Snip

What you've essentially asked for is "whats the best general use computer i can get for 1,000$ or so" - because "i need a computer that will really perform at 3D rendering and VFX for 1,000$" isn't even a thing. Good 3D/VFX performance is accomplished by high-end parts. But for 1,000$ you can get a very decent system that will last you 4-6 years no problem (and maybe longer if you upgrade the GPU(s) down the line) that will perform extremely well in day to day tasks and do as well as it possibly can at 3D work, given the caveat that it isn't in the price range of a truly "good" 3D/VFX workstation computer.

Keep in mind though, this is only for school. I agree that a decade-lifetime PC is not going to happen for $1000, but the typical undergrad degree is 4 years, so this should be plenty to start.

I admit that I know very little about the work situation for most 3D animators, but I would assume that if a company hires you, they would provide some sort of workstation for you to animate at - seems like it would be ridiculous to expect someone to take out a loan to buy a computer to be able to work. From a student perspective, this should be enough to get the degree, and then as a private use general computer it should last a few more years at least.

Actually the program I'm looking at is one year and then your ready for a job.

At most I can spend 2,000 dollars if I end up maxing out the credit card. Really don't want to do that, but this is also likely the last PC i'll be buying for at least 7-8 years until I'm on my feet settled. I only say I want something gaming capable as well because it's it's extremely fucking unlikely I will be able to afford any consoles in the near future, but this purchase has to be met.

 

[DSP_Zulu]

So to the point, I would recommend NOT getting a i7 4770K Intel CPU. Reason being, you can get a Xeon 1230 v2 Intel CPU for about $229 from newegg. Whilst it's labeled as a server CPU, it's actually just a i7 4770 without the crappy onboard GPU, and it'll work in any LGA 1155 Motherboard just like a regular 4770.

Unless you cant get into a Microcenter (there may not be one nearby you and the prices are generally for in-store pickup only) i would recommend against this. The 4770K at Microcenter is only 20$ more expensive in-store, and is current-generation - the Xeon 1230 v2 is Ivy Bridge and an older socket (Socket 1155) that is already discontinued. The 4770K is current-generation (Haswell) and the new socket - socket 1150. More future proofing. And cheaper motherboards - socket 1155 motherboards are at a bit of premium because only 2-3 are still in manufacture to support replacements.

It's the best bang for your buck Intel CPU on the market currently.
Another bonus is since you don't have the onboard GPU, it uses less power, and in turn, creates less heat!

The ONLY reason to get an actual 4770K is if you're really into overclocking, and even then I don't think the gains justify the price.

So now you can use that $100 saved on the CPU for other, better quality components.

Again, this only applies if you can't get into a Microcenter... because the i7 is almost 80 bucks cheaper at Microcenter by default. For whatever reason, they are WAY below MSRP on Intel CPUs and always have been. It's even better if you catch sales - when i built my rig, the 4770K was on sale for 189$.

Given your stated needs, i'd say your best bet is to make the best base-rig you can (if you can honestly afford to go to 2k, consider going to a Socket-2011 Six-core CPU) and stick to a high-midrange GPU for now, as it is something you can upgrade later. If you are -sure- you wont be able to upgrade any parts at all later, then go as high-end on the GPU as y ou can afford right now. For 3D/VFX you want as many CUDA cores and as much VRAM as possible.

Also, if your credit is "decent" you can get a credit card at Microcenter. My wife and i have one, and on purchases over a certain dollar value (250$?) you get one-year same-as-cash. So, no interest at all if you pay it off in 12 months, which is a lot easier to do if you're not paying half of each payment as interest.

Ill post a 2k build a little later that will be a little more oriented towards 3D/VFX.

 

[DSP_Zulu]

Mostly, my recommendations stay the same, swapping out the following parts:

CPU: Core i7 4930K - 529$ (in store at Microcenter) - this is a Six-Core CPU with Hyperthreading that overclocks very well.
MoBo: Gigabyte GA-X79-UP4 - 244$ (in store at Microcenter) - supports 8 RAM slots, quad-channel memory, and 4-way SLI or Crossfire for some real future-proofing.
GPU: EVGA Superclocked GTX 780 3GB - 509$ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130917) - NewEgg. Lots of fast CUDA cores.

The RAM, case, and most other parts i listed you can keep. This will put you close to 2k, but it will run RINGS around the i7 4770K/GTX 760 or 770 rig. The Six-core i7s (really just re-branded Xeon Ivy Bridge-E part) perform like monsters for video editing.

 

[Frezzato]

Suppose I was paying to have it built for me? I suppose I could build the thing myself though. I'm not intimidated by it anymore, it's just the money.... which if this is all going on my credit card I may as well go crazy and build something that'll last a decade.

Forgive me. I know you're not a kid, and I don't know about your work or money situation, but I think you should go to this page [http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/credit-cards/credit-card-payoff-calculator.aspx] first and fill out the payment calculator, before buying anything, and think carefully about your purchases. Consider what you think you need versus what they recommended. It's a delicate balance, and I think you should think carefully about spending a couple grand to save you a few minutes rendering time, versus potentially years of monthly credit card payments.

I like Albino Boo's advice, which generally runs along buying a quality motherboard and PSU. I can understand wanting to just go "all in" with components, but, just like the URL says, I think it makes sense to go in 'logical increments'.

Hardware changes. Prices drop. Don't think you can easily drop $2,000 for a new PC and easily pay it off instantly.

 

[Mr.Savage]

Unless you cant get into a Microcenter (there may not be one nearby you and the prices are generally for in-store pickup only) i would recommend against this. The 4770K at Microcenter is only 20$ more expensive in-store, and is current-generation - the Xeon 1230 v2 is Ivy Bridge and an older socket (Socket 1155) that is already discontinued. The 4770K is current-generation (Haswell) and the new socket - socket 1150. More future proofing. And cheaper motherboards - socket 1155 motherboards are at a bit of premium because only 2-3 are still in manufacture to support replacements.


Again, this only applies if you can't get into a Microcenter... because the i7 is almost 80 bucks cheaper at Microcenter by default. For whatever reason, they are WAY below MSRP on Intel CPUs and always have been. It's even better if you catch sales - when i built my rig, the 4770K was on sale for 189$.

Wow, that's a damn good deal. I've never been to a Microcenter myself (And the closest one would still be a haul for me..). So yeah, totally agree with that. If you live near one, that's the best option for the money.

As for the 1155 being a dead socket, it's true, but I figured since this would be his last PC for quite some years, it wouldn't really be a detriment. Also, the Ivy Bridge version uses less power and costs less compared to the Xeon 1230 V3 (Haswell Version), so the only advantage would be the ability to upgrade.

 

[DSP_Zulu]

Suppose I was paying to have it built for me? I suppose I could build the thing myself though. I'm not intimidated by it anymore, it's just the money.... which if this is all going on my credit card I may as well go crazy and build something that'll last a decade.

Forgive me. I know you're not a kid, and I don't know about your work or money situation, but I think you should go to this page [http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/credit-cards/credit-card-payoff-calculator.aspx] first and fill out the payment calculator, before buying anything, and think carefully about your purchases. Consider what you think you need versus what they recommended. It's a delicate balance, and I think you should think carefully about spending a couple grand to save you a few minutes rendering time, versus potentially years of monthly credit card payments.

Or, you can opt to not be silly and make payments that are more than interest-only, or, like i said, get a credit line that is same-as cash. Some go to 24 months. 2 grand, without most of the payment being interest, is about ~90$ a month on a 24 month same as cash. And, dont knock shaving minutes off of rendering time. In a single week, that can add up to 6-10 man-hours saved; when you're doing freelance work, that can be the difference between doing another complete job each week, and potentially making hundreds of dollars.

I like Albino Boo's advice, which generally runs along buying a quality motherboard and PSU. I can understand wanting to just go "all in" with components, but, just like the URL says, I think it makes sense to go in 'logical increments'.

Hardware changes. Prices drop. Don't think you can easily drop $2,000 for a new PC and easily pay it off instantly.

Instantly? No, but neither should he run in fear of the credit boogeyman if he knows how to shop around for the best deals. I haven't paid interest on a credit card in 15 years. It isn't exactly hard.