Hi all,

I wish to either upgrade my current desktop PC or have a new custom PC built. This is obviously to enhance performance when working with Bryce v5.5 and other 3D applications that I have (DAZ Studio, zBrush, Poser, Vue 5 Esprit, Carrara 5, Hexagon, Wings3D, Blender).

Any propeller-heads out there can give me advice on what genre of motherboard, or what type or how much RAM I should use to achieve this ?

I'll be posting a similar message in a couple of other forums, so I hope a bit of "cross-posting" is OK......

 thanks and regards,
Andrew

It depends largely on your budget. 

If you're looking to get the best, a nice Dual Core AMD processor would work beautifully with 3d Applications.  What type and how much ram will depend on what motherboard you're going to get, and, again, how much you're willing to spend.  I've got my "Dream Machine" saved on Newegg - It's not like I'll ever have the money to buy it, but here's what it looks like.

CASE   
Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Aluminum/Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Model #: VA8000BWS
    $149.99          
Chose this because it looks nice, has plenty of room, and cools well.  (Keeping your case cool is #1 priority, especially when doing those long renders!)
   
MOTHERBOARD
ASUS A8N5X Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard
Model #: A8N5X
    $78.99          

PROCESSOR
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Toledo 2000MHz HT Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA4400CDBOX
Model #: ADA4400CDBOX
    $460.00          
   
VIDEO CARD   
SAPPHIRE 100106-RD Radeon X850XT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card
Model #: 100106-RD
        $169.00
Not top of the line, but you don't really need a top of the line video card for 3d applications, unless you're doing animation.
   
POWER SUPPLY
Xion PowerReal XON-600F14T-201 ATX12V V.2.01 600W Power Supply
Model #: XON-600F14T-201
    $99.99           
   
Several other things, such as hard drives, DVD burners, etc. 

For ram, I already have 3GB of Corsair XMS Platinum that would just transfer over.

The whole rig, not including peripherals like monitor, keyboard, etc, would end up costing me about $1700.  Keep in mind, these are all just my personal picks, they may not be the best choices for you.  They're also a few weeks old, and you know how that goes in computing.  Just a few ideas.  :)

-DR-

Looks like a good choice of components. If you have Hex2 installed, you know that you will need a real good video card to make the most use of it.

It's well worth spending a bit extra to get name-brand products.  Established companies have a checkable history behind them, and generally better support.  Also, don't be skimpy with your power supply, you want to have enough grunt to be able to run everything at once (processor(s), video cards, multiple hard drives, cooling fans etc).

and don't skimp on fans, either. Unless you're 'making a statement', you can probably get by with generic cases (the water-cooled ones just raise the eyebrow on me..like a cop, I only see systems when they're misbehaving..;)

If you're transferring equipment from the old PC to the new one (yeah, I'm that cheap..;) make sure you get BIOS settings, drivers, resolutions, drivers, Operating systems  settings (like device manager, etc), and drivers..oh, did I mention to get the drivers?..;)

Good luck with the new system, and have fun.

thats not cheap but smart pakled.

Andrew, what you're gonna buy depends on what you already have and going to move to the new computer. so, what video card do you have and what processor do you have? Rendering performance is dependent mostly on your processor. Will your old processor satisfy the new needs? Probably not. Count on a new processor then. Note the word mostly in the first line of the second paragraph. RAM also plays a role in rendering, but it's not as direct as with processor. That is, if you don't have enough RAM, a part of your scene will reside in the virtual memory on your disk and that will slow down the rendering. In general, more RAM, the bigger your scene can be and more comfortably you can work. Graphic card will play a (significant) role in rendering the Open GL view/preview - important in Studio, Vue and Hexagon. As far as I know, Nvidia still holds an edge over ATI in that regard. My new computer (four months old) has the following specs, and the prices I paid then: - processor: AMD 64 3800+ (didn't have money for a dual core 4400+ which was around $700 here) - $400 - motherboard: Epox 9NPA+ Ultra - Socket 939, Nforce4 chipset, integrated LAN and audio, SATA - $140 - RAM: Kingston 2GB 3200 DDR in 4 x 512 MB modules, cause the bigger, 1GB, modules are still mostly slower than the smaller ones, and if not, then more expensive - $220 - video: Nvidia 6600GT, 128 MB RAM - $220 - disk: 200 GB SATA Maxtor 7200 RPM - $110 - Case: RaidMax Scorpio 868WB, a gaming case with a see-through side, but it comes with three fans of its own - $50 - Power Supply: Enermax EG485AX - 480W, two fans - $130 plus a dual layer DVD burner and a DVD-ROM. All in all, something like $1500 without a mouse, a keyboard and a monitor. I've been running Bryce, Cinema, Rhino, Vue Infinite, ZBrush, Photoshop on it without a single problem. The speed is quite nice.

Best Buy could set you up My HP has been really reliable 5 years old and NO signs of wear. A comperable AMD might be faster though. If you're into games a fast processor 2.4g or better 2g ram a good video card at least 128m memory. ATI and nVidea are the video card equivalents of  the ford and chevy  in the long ago.  My HP has an Asus motherboard which has worked out well. hard drives maxtor - period. sound cards sound blaster please.. nrtwork cards nlink. cd/dvd  rom drives dont know what to tell ya except use nero software for any whiting tasks. On cpus make sure you're not getting an overclocked unit but see if you can get one capable of that same with the video card.

Good luck and don't spend too much. Many times you can find a good stock unit that will meet your needs.

Just be careful with some of the proprietry brands, they can have odd sized cases (meaning replacing power supply/mobo is a bitch) or a lack of expansion slots.  However, I think things have gotten better in the last few years, and it will probably be significantly cheaper to buy off-the-shelf.

I'd definitely go the way of dual core, even if apps can't make use of it, it means that you can use the rest of your computer more fluidly while rendering.

You can get a lower end dual core and simply overclock it, remember that. (after market cooling)

As far as motherboards go, DFI is always a good brand.   Asrock is cheap if you'd rather go that route.

Memory - Go with 2 gigs or more if you're overclocking and want to run your ram 1:1 you're going to have to get a high speed ram (500 - 600). 

If you want to replace your hard drive there's a couple of routes you can go.   Raid 1 IDE or SATA isn't a bad idea if you get a motherboard with a good controller.  You can also go with raptors or even raided raptors, although the price difference makes the raid 1 Ide's or satas a much better deal.   (you can get 2x 200 gig drives for around $150 nowadays)

If you're not gaming a video card won't matter so long as it can render the open gl portions of your apps.   Obviously you could go with a fireGL if you want to waste money, but I'd recommend a PCIE ati x700 or something along those lines.

My setup is as follows, but I definitely wish I went with dual core:
Asrock Dual-sata 939 board
AMD Opteron @ 3 Ghz
2gb Redline XP4000
Radeon X850 XT-PE
2x 250G seagates

The whole thing is cooled by two watercooling loops, one pump / radiator for the northbridge and video card, and a second pump/rad for the processor.  Works well enough.

Hmph... You'd be lucky to get one 200 gig hard drive for $150 over here :(

Are you talking Aussie or American? Cause what with the proximity of Taiwan and China, I'd expect the prices over there to be lower. What's AU$150 in American dollars ... something like $110, right? That's basically what I paid for my 200GB hard disk.

Watch www.slickdeals.com for cheap hard drives.

Erlik - roughly that.

Quote - Hmph... You'd be lucky to get one 200 gig hard drive for $150 over here :(

You can say that again..

I get the impression that there are tarriffs involved. But then I saw something over to the Code Project Insider which might change your mind about Chinese computer goods - it appears that the U.S. govt has pulled some computers they bought from China for fear they might contain hardware versions of spyware. My take on it is that it is nothing substancial just rumor - so far. Stay tuned into that one. 

It doesn't say anything about the chinese parts, only about the paranoia/point-grabbing in a pre-election year. Whoever came up with that one is apparently trying to scare US govt into dropping the Lenovo deal. As they say, "follow the money," so it will be interesting to see - if they really drop the deal - who's gonna benefit from it. Basically, any computer you might buy most probably contains parts made in China.