Hardware Spec Question

[steelers05]

Hey guys. I know there may be a few forums like cgarchitect that are more appropriate for this question, but I am more familiar and comfortable with everyone on here and the SU forum so I figured I would ask....

I was unfortunately let go from the architecture firm I was working at so now I am looking to start doing my own thing with visualization/graphics. A problem I am having though is that I always depended on our tech guy at the office for taking care of all the computer hardware stuff and now I am in the market for buying a new computer to get up and running and I really dont know what to look for in my price range. I am looking to spend about $1500, + or - a little bit, on just the computer. Forget about all the accessories like a monitor and such. My primary focus is to be able to run 3ds max efficiently with vray (assuming anything that can handle that, can handle Sketchup) along with all the adobe programs (photoshop, flash, after effects, etc...). I am looking for a quad core or better, 64 bit, machine, but the real question comes in how much RAM I should/could get at that price range and what type of video card? And is there any other pieces i should consider that I may not be mentioning?

I feel bad asking these questions, because I know there are numerous threads out there regarding similar topics, but a lot that I see there is really foreign to me because I dont really deal with this sort of thing on a regular basis and I would just be spinning in circles.

I mean, is my price range even reasonable to get a decent machine? Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance guys.

-steelers05

[crazygreg]

Re: Hardware Spec Question

Hi Steelers

Check out the dell outlet website, you can find some good machine for pretty decent prices : http://outlet.us.dell.com
a precision T5500 with at least 1 quad core Xeon should be good to start, two is better though, 4gb of ram to start is good too, install at least XP 64bit to allow the OS to use the 4gb, 32 bit system only recognize arround 3gb.
Regarding the video card, you can eather be lucky and find one pc on the outlet with a good card (FX1800 or over), or buy one with a shitty NVS295 or FX580 and upgrade it with a consumer one like a Geforce GTX or so (which provide really good performances), or check out ebay for quadro fx3500 which are still pretty good.

Hope this help!

G

[steelers05]

Re: Hardware Spec Question

Greg,

Lots of help...thank you. I really appreciate it. I am looking all over for different options, and these suggestions will really help.

[dkendig]

Re: Hardware Spec Question

In my opinion, if you spend over $1,000 on a computer, you just wasted some money, but at least you're on the safe side.

The graphics card won't matter when it comes to rendering, but it is used to display the model, so it's important in that aspect.

The more processor cores you have, the more buckets you'll have at render time, but then again, keep in mind that you can also use DR, and getting a low power render farm together can be cheaper than getting the bleeding edge of technology sometimes. You can easily build a brand new dual core machine for under $500, and I assume they're out there for that price from various retailers such as Dell.

Ram is extremely cheap these days, so I'd say get as much as the most powerful and ram intensive software you're using will utilize. Video editing definitely benefits from having lots of ram, V-Ray's not going to use more than 2-3gb though, as crazygreg mentioned.

All in all, I know I can build a computer from parts on NewEgg that will do the job just fine for about $800. So if you're paying much more than that, either you need a lot more power than I assumed from your original post, or you overpaid.

[steelers05]

Re: Hardware Spec Question

DKEN: I see what your saying about all these aspects...I think my biggest concern and issue in my previous office computer was the graphics card. I use sketchup for most all of my modeling and then I would either use vray to render quick projects or take it into to 3d max for the more complex projects. As a result 3ds max has become increasingly popular in my workflow and I did run into issues with display. I know I am not going to get the greatest video card, but I need to be able to run 3ds max, after effects, and all on dual monitors. I think the suggestions you guys have made, have really helped narrow down my decisions, but the graphics/video card is where I am getting hung up. I have heard good things about nvidia working with autodesk products, but i really dont know the best route. Oh, I also want to prepare for vray real time, because that really seems to be picking up steam. Thanks for the info bud...it really helps a lot.

[aclark]

Re: Hardware Spec Question

If your using max I would definitely vote for a robust graphics card.....especially if you ever want to use real time rendering calculations

[dkendig]

Re: Hardware Spec Question

Yeah, really if you're that concerned about Max working at top performance, I don't know that this forum is really the best place to ask for specs. You might have better luck looking around cgsociety.org or some place that discusses that product to see what others use. Or you can always just check with Autodesk:

Features vs. Graphics Hardware Compatibility:
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet...12&id=14636173

3ds Max 9.0 Qualifications:
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet...12&id=14636157

If you're concerned about compatibility with SU, check out their hardware requirements too:
http://sketchup.google.com/support/b...n&answer=36208

It's important to just check all of the software's requirements before you start asking questions. Some people might argue that ATI is the brand to get, while others prefer NVidia. They both do a decent job, but opinion doesn't really factor in to the decision. If you use SU, it looks like Google is telling people to stay away from ATI if you use SU7:

SketchUp's performance relies heavily the graphics card driver and it's ability to support OpenGL 1.5 or higher. Historically, people have seen problems with ATI Radeon cards and Intel based cards with SketchUp. We don't recommend using these graphics cards with SketchUp at this time.

BTW, all of these answers were found in under 2 minutes by using Google, and searching for "3D Studio Max Recommended Hardware" and "SketchUp Recommended Hardware". There's no answer faster than the one that already exists. Sorry to wave the Google card, but in this particular case, I think it's extremely important to check all facts with the manufacturer before basing your purchase on people's opinions.

[steelers05]

Re: Hardware Spec Question

Tahnks DKEN, the SU tip is awesome. I will continue snooping around to find out more info and hopefully have some input on this topic.