Journal #8226

Posted 10 years ago2013-08-21 14:55:32 UTC
It has been 4 years since I last upgraded my computer, and now it is not efficient enough to work with programs such as Maya and Max anymore.

I have been using a "ASUS P5Q SE" motherboard with "Intel Core Quad CPU @2.83GHz " and also with a 3326MB of RAM. Yes, they are quite old, they still work perfectly, just not very efficient.

I recently won a "Asus Geforce GTX 650Ti" from a video game competition. So I decided to go for a complete new PC. However, I'm not sure where to start and I'm not familiar with new type of motherboards and CPUs. What type of motherboard and CPU would you suggest to go with the new GPU? Or how powerful hardware are you using for your CPU-heavy software?

5 Comments

Commented 10 years ago2013-08-21 16:01:13 UTC Comment #48671
Intel Core i5-4670, 3.40GHz (Haswell architecture, Socket 1150)

I'm not sure if you could switch off somehow the main GPU on a desktop and rely on the integrated solution in the Haswell processor( which is quite powerful). On laptops you can do this though.

Be sure to get at least 8gb of RAM.

[EDIT] Or you could get the AMD FX X8 8350 (4ghz, 8 cores), which is apparently better and at a slightly lower price than the i5-4670. link.
Commented 10 years ago2013-08-21 20:18:55 UTC Comment #48672
Do not get AMD CPU. The newest processors are huge shit.
And as for i5/i7 3000/4000 models, the difference in performance isn't that huge, if you can get an i7 for the price, go for it.

Integrated GPUs are not a solution for gamers. You simply can not compare the two. But the graphics card you won is pretty OK.
The p5q motherboard you have supports Intel Core 2 Extreme, which has an CPU that is almost as powerful as Intel i5 750.

As much as 8GB of RAM is cool, i don't think you need more than that at in any job you may attempt (unless you use memory heavy applications).

Personally, I would go for intel i7 3770k if i dont have the money for the newest i7 class. An Gigabyte motherboard and an Nvidia GPU. SSD is a great addition too.

Tell us whats your budget.
Commented 10 years ago2013-08-21 23:34:38 UTC Comment #48668
Thanks for the information.
After a bit of searching, I was thinking of going for i7 as well. Since I won the GPU and some new keyboard and mouse, I do have the power to buy it at the moment.

That is true, P5Q is pretty good still and supports Intel Core 2 but however it is not compatible with the new GPUs, such as the "Asus Geforce GTX 650Ti" I have right now.

8GB of RAM seems reasonable, the old RAMs I am currently using are out of stock, replacing them is very costly. And the new RAMs are also not compatible with P5Q.

The good part is, after replacing them all. I might actually have a another PC at my disposal, I'll probably use it as a tiny render farm :P

Anyone rendering in Maya or Vray and such? What type of CPU and GPU are you guys using?
Commented 10 years ago2013-08-22 02:41:48 UTC Comment #48670
I'm a Maya user and my current setup has an i7 4770K and an Ati (AMD) Raeon 6950. The GPU for me isn't used for rendering so I forked out some money to focus on the CPU seeing as that's where all the rendering takes place.

As for RAM I could only afford 8GB which is reasonable for smaller rendering projects but if you're doing large scale, high resolution renders and will have multiple intensive programs open 16GB would be ideal.
Commented 10 years ago2013-08-22 13:54:31 UTC Comment #48669
I can attest for the AMD FX X8 8350. I have that processor and it chews through anything you would ever need.

Definitely get a Solid-State Hard drive, and plenty of cooling for the processor.

""""
Do not get AMD CPU. The newest processors are huge shit
""""
@Stojkens Why??

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