Hi folks!

This is the kind of question that comes up several times a year. Therefore, I apologize in advance for any tedious repetitions. However, given the rapid changes in technology and prices, the question seems justified:

I will have around 1,000-  Euros at hand to build a new rendering computer. What advice can the pros give for such an undertaking?

Here are mypreferences: I have two very little kids who love to press the power button after 20 hours of rendering. Therefore,it has to be a case that can be closed and locked with no buttons exposed.Okay, no biggie.

What else? I need as much ram as possible and as much CPU power as possible. Therefore it has to be a 64 bit platform. I run Vue 6 infinite and Poser 6 (32 bit).

So what to do? Intel or AMD? Dual Core or Quad Core? How much RAM? 8? 16? (WOOOOOAAAHH ;) ) And what kind of graphics card? Maybe I will want to play a top notch first person shooter on it in 1 or 2 years. And what does that all cost?

Thanks in advance for your input!

What advice can the pros give for such an undertaking?

Well I wouldn't know what they'd say but I can give you my specs which are similar also to Silverblades!

Vista Ultimate 64, Intel Quad Q6600, 8Gig RAM, Asus P5K-E mobo, Nvidia 8600GT graphics,
2 x 250Gig HD's in Raid 1 array, Antec 900 gaming case [super cool].

Now I got that about a year ago and it was expensive and things have already moved on, the Q6600 has been bettered and you can get a better one for the same price as I paid for that 12 months ago. The Nvidia card could maybe go to an 8800. I don't believe you need more than 8 Gig of RAM and I'm not sure you could yet anyway, most mobos only have 4 slots so you'd need 4Gig sticks to go the 16 and a 4Gig stick if they're available would be astronomically priced!!
That's my effort for you!!

Thanks for the advice, thefixer!

What do you think such a system actually costs?

Any advice on ventilation systems? My machine is in the living room, I need something silent.

Intel Intel!

And a Q6700 overclocked beyond 3 jiggaherz =D

Well that's my rigg and I'm very satisfied with this. Q67 is your thing if you wanna overclock. Incase not, then get one of the newer 45nm models, which is the Q9x series, they consume less power, produce less heat but are not so OCworthy.

Funnily, the stock coolers of both the old and I think the new ones aswell are very silent and effective, especially in a closed case. Since I got it I can hear my HDDs singing =(
And if you wanna work much with lots of Ecos (grass trees etc.) get 4gigabytes of RAM! I almost always exceed 2gb when I'm running something else nearby.

Lookoo: The Antec 900 gaming case that I use [and silverblade] has 3 fans and all are super quiet. You wouldn't know it was on and mine is in the same room as the TV!!
It's a real top case!!

I have the Antec P182 and the switch on and reset button are behind a door that can be locked. That would be a handy feature for your kids.

Also, I have a Q9450 Intel Quad core CPU, the successor of the Q6600. Its stock clock speed is 2.66 Mhz and I have overclocked it to 3.2 Mhz with no problem (so far). It stays reasonably cold thanks to a good CPU fan.

I have detailed my setup on a post on my website : http://www.virtual-lands-3d.com/A-computer-for-3d.html
It is slightly more expensive than your budget (1500 €), but you may reduce the price by choosing less expensive components (GeForce 8600, DVD Burner instead of the Blue Ray, Q6600 CPU instead of the Q9450).

agrees with thefixer ;)

if you have a HIPER power supply unit, they are super quiet, by the way.
and a long lead to the motherboard is needed with the Antec case, Hiper PSUs have that on many of them

Thanks a lot for the kind advice!

Concerning noise, what do you guys think about liquid cooling systems?

They are for show mostly.

Not keen, I'm scared of leaks!!

Liquid cooling system do work but not as well as you might think, and if you are getting the full cooling system setup, it will eat way into your budget.

I use a Thermaltake Soprano case, it comes with 3 quiet fans and has a lockable door, I also use an FSP 750W powersupply, it is quite quiet and a really good brand so is reliable.

I had lots of problems with Vista 64, mainly codecs, trying to find 64 bit codecs is a nightmare so if you are planning on doing any animation make sure you factor this in. I reverted back to Vista 32 bit. I have 3GB of ram and can load scenes with billions of polys with no problems.

Jon