New computer, Need help :p

[Nbax]

I've 2000€ to spend on a new computer but a friend of mine told me it's better to build one.
If I bought one it would be much easier for me but I could buy one appropriate to my needs.

I should probably tell you what I need to do in my computer.
I work with cinema 4D (a 3D design/animation program) So it should render my models and animations pretty fast. Probably a good cpu?
I know that my pc has 2 cpu's and have seen people with like 6+. This results in a much shorter render time (3x less)

Could some one help me or send me a link to a good website on this subject?

Thanks

[shadowfax]

I wouldn't build a computer if you don't know exactly what you are doing. Otherwise I would just buy one from dell or something so you have support.

[wstein]

Originally Posted by shadowfax

I wouldn't build a computer if you don't know exactly what you are doing. Otherwise I would just buy one from dell or something so you have support.

I agree in general, there is a lot to know and a lot to screw up. Buying a completed system is also often cheaper. If you don’t know much about the internals of a system then go with a name brand. If you think you know a lot about the internals of computers, get your local PC store to build you a custom unit, they will steer you towards what you need.

For a graphics heavy program spend your money on a multicore CPU (at least 4) and lots of memory (at least 8GB), and a buff video card. Be careful about the CPU socket and MAX memory limitations, even though you think you would have enough via the suggested minimums. I can tell you from experience, you WILL want more and the limitations on these are not negotiable. You can always add a bigger disk or 2nd display later.

[Ruben Cordeiro]

It depends on where you live: United states? Canada? Europe?

For your use, I would definitely recomend the followig CPU: intel i7 2600k

I can't give you a full recomendation, as I don't know which site to advise you. You can order the assembly of the computer, I've ordered a built computer and I don't regret it.

Give me some more info so that I can help you.

[Nbax]

I live in Portugal (Europe)
What kind of information do you need?
~Thanks for your help

[Nbax]

Originally Posted by wstein

I agree in general, there is a lot to know and a lot to screw up. Buying a completed system is also often cheaper. If you don’t know much about the internals of a system then go with a name brand. If you think you know a lot about the internals of computers, get your local PC store to build you a custom unit, they will steer you towards what you need.

For a graphics heavy program spend your money on a multicore CPU (at least 4) and lots of memory (at least 8GB), and a buff video card. Be careful about the CPU socket and MAX memory limitations, even though you think you would have enough via the suggested minimums. I can tell you from experience, you WILL want more and the limitations on these are not negotiable. You can always add a bigger disk or 2nd display later.

Thanks. I'll probably get my local PC store to build me a custom unit

[Ruben Cordeiro]

Originally Posted by Nbax

I live in Portugal (Europe)
What kind of information do you need?
~Thanks for your help

Também sou Português

I would recommend you alientech.pt if you live near Porto or pcdiga if you live near lisbon.

Here's a full setup in alientech.pt:

case: NZXT Phantom Preta AlienTech - Beyond Expectations

cpu: CPU Intel 1155 i7 2600K 3,40GHz 8MB Box AlienTech - Beyond Expectations

motherboard: Asus P8P67 Deluxe Rev. B3 AlienTech - Beyond Expectations

RAM: Kingston HyperX PC3-14400 8GB CL9 (2x4GB) DDR3 AlienTech - Beyond Expectations

power source: XFX PRO750W Core Edition AlienTech - Beyond Expectations

cpu cooler: Scythe Mugen 2 Rev.B SCMG-2100 AlienTech - Beyond Expectations

HARD DRIVE: Western Digital Caviar Black 1.5TB 7200RPM 64MB SATAIII 3.5" AlienTech - Beyond Expectations

dvd drive: LG GH22NS70 Sata Black Bulk AlienTech - Beyond Expectations

If you want to game: Asus GeForce GTX560 DirectCU II TOP 1GB GDDR5 PCI-E AlienTech - Beyond Expectations

or

Asus GeForce GTX580 DirectCU II 1536MB GDDR5 PCI-E AlienTech - Beyond Expectations

any questions?

[Lil Chris]

There's currently driver issues with the gtx5 series (I have the evga gtx560 ti model). I'm sure they'll fix it at some point. It's only with the newest drivers and it still works, just occasionally you might get a driver has crashed error, but it seems to recover. Just thought I'd mention it though...

[Nbax]

Originally Posted by Ruben Cordeiro

Também sou Português

I would recommend you alientech.pt if you live near Porto or pcdiga if you live near lisbon.

Here's a full setup in alientech.pt:

case: NZXT Phantom Preta AlienTech - Beyond Expectations

cpu: CPU Intel 1155 i7 2600K 3,40GHz 8MB Box AlienTech - Beyond Expectations

motherboard: Asus P8P67 Deluxe Rev. B3 AlienTech - Beyond Expectations

RAM: Kingston HyperX PC3-14400 8GB CL9 (2x4GB) DDR3 AlienTech - Beyond Expectations

power source: XFX PRO750W Core Edition AlienTech - Beyond Expectations

cpu cooler: Scythe Mugen 2 Rev.B SCMG-2100 AlienTech - Beyond Expectations

HARD DRIVE: Western Digital Caviar Black 1.5TB 7200RPM 64MB SATAIII 3.5" AlienTech - Beyond Expectations

dvd drive: LG GH22NS70 Sata Black Bulk AlienTech - Beyond Expectations

If you want to game: Asus GeForce GTX560 DirectCU II TOP 1GB GDDR5 PCI-E AlienTech - Beyond Expectations

or

Asus GeForce GTX580 DirectCU II 1536MB GDDR5 PCI-E AlienTech - Beyond Expectations

any questions?

Yes I do live in porto
Obrigado

[Ruben Cordeiro]

I don't know if you need a monitor, keyboard and mouse, but the pc I recommended you costs ~ 1300-1500

You have at least 500 euros to spend.

I would recommend this monitor:

LG W2442PE LCD 24" AlienTech - Beyond Expectations Excelent price/quality ratio

As for the keyboard and mouse, it's all about taste, if you want to save money go with logitech.

[Nbax]

I have a mouse, keyboard is needed.
No problem tho the keyboard is the easy part :P

[NoJobRob]

If you buy a computer, consider Asus. They make quality. Think about getting a gaming computer too, they're built for power...

For your needs I'd definitely go with the Intel Core i7 processor, and at least 6 gigs of DDR3 RAM, maybe even 8, and make sure you can expand if you want to. I don't know much about mother boards or graphics cards though, so I'll leave that for someone more wise than I in such matters.

[Nbax]

Originally Posted by NoJobRob

If you buy a computer, consider Asus. They make quality. Think about getting a gaming computer too, they're built for power...

For your needs I'd definitely go with the Intel Core i7 processor, and at least 6 gigs of DDR3 RAM, maybe even 8, and make sure you can expand if you want to. I don't know much about mother boards or graphics cards though, so I'll leave that for someone more wise than I in such matters.

How do I make sure I can expand it?

[NoJobRob]

Originally Posted by Nbax

How do I make sure I can expand it?

By expand I mean, make sure the motherboard and graphics card (if that's a factor too ???) is able to utilize more RAM if you decide you need/want it. The manufacturer will know the max amount of RAM the motherboard can handle. If it were me wanting to buy a sickeningly powerful computer, I'd make sure the motherboard could handle 16 gigs, or more if they even make them that way yet. Reason being is that as software becomes more robust and resource demanding, being able to upgrade your computer will be far cheaper in the long run than buying a new one every few years. Plus it's just cool and fun to have. 24 gigs might seem ridiculous right now, but in 5 years it might be standard. Who knows? I remember when my Dad bought a pc back in the 90's that had a 4 gig hard drive, and everyone thought that it was way over the top and unnecessary, but if you fast forward to the early 2000's, 20 gigs became standard. LOL And now a computer with a 20 gig hard drive is pretty much worthless. Basically what I'm getting at is, if you build or buy an awesome and expandable machine, you'll be able to use it longer than just settling for a mid-grade, soon-to-be-obsolete machine. Computer technology advances so quickly that it really is worth it to go with quality so you don't get left behind in the dust, at least in my opinion anyway... Others might have a different opinion and that's fine, it just boils down to what YOU want and what works for YOU.

[Andrew Brunelle]

When you say build a computer, do you mean physically build or build online? I built a computer online on hp.com 3 years ago and it worked out great. I know nothing about physically building a computer, but I'm sure there are others that do. 2000 pounds is quite a lot to spend on a computer, so be sure to get quality. I got mine for around $600 US and it is still running damn good. But eventually I'll have to buy another one, and I'll research it. I'll research what the best computer is for what I want to do with it, which is basically browse the web and make sure all the programs I have are compatible.

[Ruben Cordeiro]

Originally Posted by Nbax

How do I make sure I can expand it?

Don't worry, with the configuration I recommended you, you get 8 Gb of RAM in two sticks. The motherboard has 4 slots, so, for the future, if you want to expand the memory to 16 Gb you just buy another pair of sticks (the same model) and slap them into the two remaining slots.

It's easy as that, you can buy them already, there's nothing wrong with that.

[Nbax]

Oh ok I get it now. I'll check out the already built pcs for sale