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 Xeofreestyler Belgium. July 07 2012 11:24. Posts 6354 | Profile Blog # |
... a monster within budget, that is.
I've finally decided to get off my ass and start gathering the necessary components for a decent pc for my work/hobbies. I'm a pretty slow upgrader, so I'm willing to put in around 1 to 1.5k euros, depending on how well the extra money is worth it. I'm kind of a noob and just going on what I'm reading in different places, checking the resources thread here and asking people. Would be kind if someone could comment on the build I have so far and tell me about potential problems/bottlenecks/bad value/etc...
So, like I said: graphic design. This means I usually run multiple instances of Adobe Suite and use them quite intensively at the same time. (photoshop, illustrator, indesign, flash, after effects,...)
I also use 3D rendering software and write my own apps that generate real-time 2D & 3D opengl graphics.
Other uses for this pc will be gaming (to a lesser degree), making music with Ableton Live, XTREME MULTITASKING, basic stuff,...
I wanna get an SSD to host my booting sector and workspace (design progs and files im currently working on)
Dual monitors is a must for me. I will be investing in new ones soon but for now I'll be keeping the ones I have. The new ones will probably be a bit bigger than the current (21" and 19", might just swap the 19" for a 23" at first) I understand that this affects my need for GPU ram? Definitely gonna get at least one full HD screen.
Graphics card
3 options I'm considering- which one would fit my needs best while being pretty in the bang/buck ratio department?
-NVIDIA GeForce GTX670
-Geforce GTX 560
-Ati Radeon HD7870
Processor
Intel Core i5 3570K Quad-Core (3.40GHz)
Cache: 6MB
Chipset: Intel Z77
ram
8GB (2x4GB) PC12800 DDR3 SDRAM
(thinking of 2x8 too, but perhaps I can just buy extra at a later date only if it would seem really necessary)
harddisks
2TB SATA 7200rpm
128gb SATA600 Samsung 830
supply
650W
case
Corsair Carbide 500R
This build costs about 1300eur with the GTX670. Bit less with the other gpus. Any criticisms, comments, suggestions, help,... welcome ! |
| | Im the juggernaut, bitch. |
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| ShoCkeyy July 07 2012 11:40. Posts 3416 | Profile Blog # |
Buy a Mac. No seriously, I'm a web developer and macs are just more simpler when it comes to designing, and for the price you're saying, you can get the cheapest iMac for about $1100 USD which is like 900+ euros?
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/imac/select
They're designed to run 10000+ plus programs and have one of the best displays for design.
...Incoming flames.Last edit: 2012-07-07 11:44:05 |
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| Chairman Ray Canada. July 07 2012 11:43. Posts 7634 | Profile Blog # |
| Everything looks good so far. I totally recommend the gtx 670. Have you selected your motherboard yet? You need a z77 for your ivy bridge processor. |
| | You can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish. |
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| awakenx United States. July 07 2012 11:44. Posts 324 | Profile # |
| I'm not sure how well the new Nvidia and AMD cards fare with CAD... I heard that the Kepler cores don't perform as well as the Fermi cores of the previous generation; although GTX 670 is a huge jump from 560. I'm not that great with desktop cards as I'm more familiar with laptop hardware, |
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| Infernal_dream United States. July 07 2012 11:44. Posts 1833 | Profile # |
On July 07 2012 11:40 ShoCkeyy wrote:Buy a Mac. No seriously, I'm a web developer and macs are just more simpler when it comes to designing, and for the price you're saying, you can get the cheapest iMac for about $1100 USD which is like 900+ euros? http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/imac/selectThey're designed to run 10000+ plus programs and have one of the best displays for design. ...Incoming flames.
Yeah...no. If you want to use the mac platform then just load it up on your HDD. Please don't buy a mac. What you've got so far is a pretty good build though. |
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| Chairman Ray Canada. July 07 2012 11:51. Posts 7634 | Profile Blog # |
On July 07 2012 11:40 ShoCkeyy wrote:Buy a Mac. No seriously, I'm a web developer and macs are just more simpler when it comes to designing, and for the price you're saying, you can get the cheapest iMac for about $1100 USD which is like 900+ euros? http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/imac/selectThey're designed to run 10000+ plus programs and have one of the best displays for design. ...Incoming flames.
No need to expect flames. Macs are great! However the iMacs on that page don't fit the requirements of the OP or are outside the budget. The 6770M is not adequate for any sort of higher end graphical work. |
| | You can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish. |
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| Xeofreestyler Belgium. July 07 2012 11:54. Posts 6354 | Profile Blog # |
Lol. Yeah I'm a graphic designer so believe me when I say I've been in contact with macs. The system certainly looks good and works well for some people... But I am not one of those people, I'll just leave it at that.
Yep, selected Z77 for motherboard. Cant wait to run this baby. Any opinions on the ram? 2x8 worth getting? |
| | Im the juggernaut, bitch. |
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| Everuler Singapore. July 07 2012 12:23. Posts 26 | Profile # |
| Oh well, I do prints and I got a Mac and PC, for the PC I actually spend more because of the seriously expensive good quality monitor dual setup as using Window can be quite a bitch for designing. You don't need seriously expensive processing hardware, just good quality monitor that is comparable to Mac with lots of memory and storage. But still, I will recommend the PC more than the Mac despite the user unfriendliness, it has a much more smoother experience and that dual monitor really help out tons. |
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| MisterFred United States. July 07 2012 12:43. Posts 1846 | Profile # |
Get an i7-3770k, the hyperthreading will probably be worth it to you.
Definitely overclock.
You may want a 7950 over the other GPU choices, depending on pricing, as the AMD offerings have stronger computer support than the Nvidia this generation around. All the GPUs you're considering will be fine (or overkill) in terms of gaming at reasonable settings. If you like high or near maxxed in everything, the choice may matter more.
650 watt supply is more than you need for an intel system + 1 gpu. You can probably go with an XFX core 450w or a be quiet! 430.
More specific than that, you probably want to fill out the questionaire in the OP of the Computer Build Resource Thread and post there.Last edit: 2012-07-07 12:44:55 |
| | "The victor? Not the highest scoring, nor the best strategist, nor the best tactitian. The victor was he that was closest to the Tao of FFA." -.Praetor |
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| Chairman Ray Canada. July 07 2012 12:48. Posts 7634 | Profile Blog # |
| I would say 2x8gb ram is definitely worth getting for your needs. Adobe products will eat up a lot of ram. 2x8gb ram isn't that overpriced anymore, so you'll be able to fit it in your budget. |
| | You can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish. |
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| Holy_AT Austria. July 07 2012 16:13. Posts 705 | Profile # |
I am a PC fan, but I agree with one of the previous posters that you should probably get a mac if you are really using this pc hardcore graphics desgn or web design etc.
The real geeks will point at you and scream designer and run away in terror ! |
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| Boblhead United States. July 07 2012 16:59. Posts 2560 | Profile # |
@OP
3770k is obviously better for 3d/ photoshop and other WS applications. your going to want to overclock so a nice AIO water cooler is best bet for keeping your CPU as cool as possible. H80 or H100
gtx 670 is better overall but costs $100 more than the 7870, personal preference here but I would take the faster card.
like said above a 650watt power supply is a lot for the system, you can get away with a nice 500watt.
it would be better to get a 4x4gb kit if you want 16gb which for rendering is nice not only because they are roughly $10-20 less than 2x8gb kits
total i got roughly 1150 euros on a build with same case/ssd/hdd size w/o windows (would you need it?)
the most expensive part of the build would be the monitors, there are many options.Obviously if you had a bigger budget IPS would be the way to go. But Some Nice 24" LED backlid monitors for a decent one are like $200-400 each. But you said your keeping your old ones until you get more money, so another time :D
as for people saying you need a mac i find it funny. Your only paying for the name, its bs in my book. 2k euros is the standard price for the mac pros and that comes with a ati 5770 and a quad core xeon..... |
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| HomeWorld Romania. July 07 2012 17:51. Posts 569 | Profile # |
On July 07 2012 11:54 Xeofreestyler wrote:
Lol. Yeah I'm a graphic designer so believe me when I say I've been in contact with macs. The system certainly looks good and works well for some people... But I am not one of those people, I'll just leave it at that.
Yep, selected Z77 for motherboard. Cant wait to run this baby. Any opinions on the ram? 2x8 worth getting?
For sure , ram is so cheap today, you can get 16GB at ~100 euros.
Z77 , is the natural choice; As for processor, that i5 should be more than enough, tho if you have ~100 euros to spare i7 3770K IvyBridge, 3500MHz might be good too.
For video cards, I have no clue, i would look on the interwebz and read some reviews and benchmarks.
For hdds, well those doesn't matter too much but having a SSD in the mix is indeed a good idea.
The power source is more than enough, but if you are in doubt you can go for a bigger one (in W)
PS: for the guys suggesting Macs, forgetting the fact that macs are somewhat overpriced (and even under-powered compared to OP parts selection) , you have no room for upgrades. Don't get me wrong, for some ppl who are clueless regarding building their own pc, macs might be a good investment, but in all honesty I would stay away from macs, performance/value of macs doesn't even compare to a decent custom built pc.Last edit: 2012-07-07 18:03:28 |
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 Womwomwom July 07 2012 18:41. Posts 5557 | Profile Blog # |
No room for upgrades? The Apple method of upgrading:
- Sell second hand.
- Pay a few hundred more for a completely new system.
Its not very difficult to do because Macs hold their resale value very well. The few hundred generally covers how much you would typically pay for a CPU and GPU upgrade in a typical PC. In the long run, you might actually save money simply because PCs don't particularly retain value very well, since everything is about raw performance, and PC upgrades generally require replacing everything but the chassis, PSU, and storage.
The only problem with iMacs are the abysmal GPUs. They work but they're just not very good for the resolutions they are meant to push. To be quite honest, its the only thing stopping me from getting one.
Also lol at Boblhead for mentioning the Mac Pro. Last edit: 2012-07-07 18:51:55 |
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| HomeWorld Romania. July 07 2012 18:51. Posts 569 | Profile # |
On July 07 2012 18:41 Womwomwom wrote:
No room for upgrades? The Apple method of upgrading:
- Sell second hand.
- Pay a few hundred more for a completely new system.
Its not very difficult to do because Macs hold their resale value very well.
Hell, I can say that about my car too, since there aren't any options available but to sell it and buy a new one (and we all know that cars lose ~20% value or more after the first year). Luckly we aren't dealing with cars  (or pc that leave no room from major improvement)
Heh, that few "hundreds" more makes it unfeasible (also you have to second hand sell it in the first place) |
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| Womwomwom July 07 2012 19:03. Posts 5557 | Profile Blog # |
So what's your point? If you want to do car analogies (in this case its completely stupid), Apple are the Mercedes Benz of the computer world. That is to say they don't depreciate like a rock. Why? The design is attractive for people and the screen doesn't really depreciate at all.
Depending on how patient you are, you can still pawn off Core 2 Duo Macbook Pros for around 60% of the initial price. Unless you have a really old Thinkpad with all of the bell and whistles or Sony laptop, this is simply impossible with a PC laptop. Similarly, try selling a Core 2 Duo desktop in this day and age. No one would want one.
On July 07 2012 19:11 HomeWorld wrote:
I'm not going to argue with you , but keep in mind that the OP tries to get the best for his budget (short term / long term) and macs aren't even close to that.
Instead of parroting stuff you hear from "tech experts", actually understand what you are dealing with then. Because the "value" of them is no where near as bad as you believe them to be, especially if you buy refurbished hardware.
The only problem are the GPUs in the iMacs. That's it. Last edit: 2012-07-07 19:24:01 |
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| HomeWorld Romania. July 07 2012 19:11. Posts 569 | Profile # |
| I'm not going to argue with you , but keep in mind that the OP tries to get the best for his budget (short term / long term) and macs aren't even close to that. |
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| accela Greece. July 07 2012 20:07. Posts 238 | Profile # |
| Your very first priority must be to get as much ram as you can afford. You won't need the most expensive graphics card, a mid range gpu of the current tech line will suffice so you can cut some money from there to maximize the ram |
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