Desktop Advice for Architectural Visualisation

[sk101]

Hi all,

I hope I am posting this in the correct section, I am a complete newbie when it comes to new build PC's so I'm looking for some advice with regards to which pre-built desktop or bespoke configuration would be best suited for my needs.

I currently do quite a bit of 3D work and architectural visualisation for my studies frequently using 3dsmax, Vray, Cinema 4d, Photoshop, Autocad and Sketchup but to name a few. My current Desktop is starting to struggle (its 4 years old) and I'm looking to replace it with something that can handle quite a bit of multi-tasking and would speed up my rendering times when using Vray & 3dsmax. I'd be looking for a Nvidia card (due to software compatibility) as I've always used Nvidia and never had any issues. My budget is around £900 but I could potentially stretch to £1000 if it made a huge difference in terms of performance.

Any advice on a robust specification for a PC build or a recommendation on a pre-built unit would be greatly appreciated.

[Narcotics]

Case
COOLERMASTER CM690 MKII ADVANCED CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-3770 (3.4GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® P8Z77-M: MICRO-ATX, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs, ATI®CrossFireX
Memory (RAM)
16GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (4 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 550 Ti - DVI, HDMI, VGA - 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
128GB KINGSTON V200 SSD, SATA 6 Gb (300MB/R, 190MB/W) (Special Offer)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
450W Quiet 80 PLUS Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
Processor Cooling
SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE INTEL CPU COOLER (£19)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £935.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes...pc/HuA66MFAvt/

[sk101]

Narcotics,

Many thanks I've looked at the build and looks great, one question, and probably a stupid one given my inexperience at fresh builds. Why is there two hard-drives in the build? One at 128Gb and the other at 1TB, I understand the need for the 1 TB but am I correct in assuming the other (128gb Kingston) is for installing the operating system?

Additionally would I see a merked improvement in performance if I were to change the graphics card to the 2Gb GTX 560? I might be able to stretch to just over £1000 and I'm wanting to future-proof it as much as possible so I dont need to upgrade for another few years.

many thanks once again in advance.

[keynes]

One at 128Gb and the other at 1TB, I understand the need for the 1 TB but am I correct in assuming the other (128gb Kingston) is for installing the operating system?

The SSD could also be used as a scratch disk for Adobe and/or load other applications faster.

Additionally would I see a merked improvement in performance if I were to change the graphics card to the 2Gb GTX 560?

The GTX 560 1gb and 2gb have the same cuda cores and clock speed, higher Vram should benefit photoshop with 3D workflow.

[Narcotics]

The SSD could also be used as a scratch disk for Adobe and/or load other applications faster.

The GTX 560 1gb and 2gb have the same cuda cores and clock speed, I don't think it will bring any benefits to you unless you are planning to use more than 1 monitor.

^

[sk101]

Ruben,

many thanks for the explanation, So how should I increase the Vram? Or would that be a result of upgrading to the 2gb?

Excuse the dumb questions, I'm a nweby to new-builds and my very small brain is easily confused !

[keynes]

Ruben,

many thanks for the explanation, So how should I increase the Vram? Or would that be a result of upgrading to the 2gb?

Excuse the dumb questions, I'm a nweby to new-builds and my very small brain is easily confused !

Morning,
The GTX 560 2gb has 2gb Vram.
http://www.colortrails.com/2012/04/3...-cs6-extended/

[steaky360]

Ruben,

many thanks for the explanation, So how should I increase the Vram? Or would that be a result of upgrading to the 2gb?

Excuse the dumb questions, I'm a nweby to new-builds and my very small brain is easily confused !

EDIT: Also, as Ruben said

You got it - The 1gb/2gb bit in the card description is the Vram available on the graphics cards (i.e. the 2gb 560 has 2gb Vram). Once you have bought the card I don't think you can increase the Vram available.

[sk101]

Steaky/Ruben,

Many many thanks, thats answered my questions. I guess its worth stumping up the extra for the 2gb 560 then, hopefully I'll see the difference on working in larger models in 3dsmax and vray and and improvgement in render times, not to mention photoshop being a bit quicker. Additionally it'll hopefully mean I wont have to upgrade the PC for a few years fingers crossed.

Many thanks again.

[sk101]

Dear All,

many thanks for the previous responses 9which were some time ago) since posting I unfortunately lost my position in a practice I was working with hence the cash got spent on necessities.

The good news is I am back working again and have built up enough saving to once again re-invest in a new desktop for frequently using 3dsmax, Vray, Photoshop /Illustrator, Autocad but to name a few. My current Desktop is starting to struggle (its 4 years old) and I'm looking to replace it with something that can handle quite a bit of multi-tasking and would speed up my rendering times when using Vray & 3dsmax. I'd be looking for a Nvidia card (due to software compatibility) as I've always used Nvidia and never had any issues. My budget is around £900 but I could potentially stretch to £1000 if it made a huge difference in terms of performance.

I was wondering if anything had changed in terms of the previous reccommendations new chips/cards etc or massive price drops? Many thanks in advance.