Game Studio Build

[Jay021]

Hey folks. I need your help/opinions/advice again! Here's the situation... We are starting up a game studio and I've been asked to plan (and eventually build) the PCs we will be using.

 

Some details... The team is mixed of programmers, 3D modellers, animators, and UI artists. I'm trying to create a standard build that will work for everyone but I know that might not be ideal.

 

The programmers basically just need to be able to run the game at highest settings. We are using Unity Engine, and lets assume that highest settings means something like BF4 Ultra 1080p ~60fps (or something).

 

The artists need to be able to create content in the various programs they use (ZBrush, 3ds Max, Maya, Photoshop). They will not need to run the game, at least not often and not on highest settings. We are not creating video/cinematics on site, so I'm not too worried about rendering. I am not an artist and therefore don't know extensively about the requirements/pipeline that is used. The artists on the team don't have much opinion to offer about hardware requirements.

 

Theres going to be around 30 of these machines all running in close proximity of eachother, so they need to be as silent as possible. Also, its an office so no LEDs and preferrably no windowed cases. We will be running a NAS, so no need for a lot of local storage on the machines. They need to be reliable and last atleast 3-4 years. I have a $2000 budget (I took the liberty of assuming it doesn't necessarily include shipping/taxes).

 

I'm not married to any of these parts, they just need to be fast enough to run the required programs with good efficiency/ minimal downtime. The only thing I've specifically been instructed to get is 2550x1440 monitors. I do plan on running a basic overclock where applicable.

 

One thing I'm not sure about is the requirement of a Quadro card. Would the artists that are working in max/maya get a real performance boost out of a Quadro card over a GTX. Also, I know 30 isn't considered "bulk", but in your expeirence is there a way to get discounts on parts when ordering these quantites rather than going through new egg and the like.

 

So... Am I looking something over? Can I get better bang for my buck? Really interested to hear feedback. Thanks for you time!!

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($354.98 @ Newegg Canada)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H50 57.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($72.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Motherboard: Asus Z97M-PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($139.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($169.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($128.32 @ TigerDirect Canada)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($434.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Cougar MG100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($39.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($57.98 @ Amazon Canada)
Monitor: Asus PB278Q 27.0" Monitor  ($529.00 @ Canada Computers)
Case Fan: Rosewill Hyperborea 57.5 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($12.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Case Fan: Rosewill Hyperborea 57.5 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($12.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Keyboard: Rosewill RIKB-11002 Wired Slim Keyboard  ($26.59 @ Newegg Canada)
Mouse: Gigabyte GM-M6800 Wired Optical Mouse  ($14.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $1995.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-01 00:53 EDT-0400

[Clyne]

Get a cooler master hyper 212 evo, it's much cheaper. The performance is about the same as a corsair h50 but its air cooled and a bit noiser.

[Clyne]

Get a cooler master hyper 212 evo, it's much cheaper. The performance is about the same as a corsair h50 but its air cooled and a bit noiser.

Also get a mid tower case or a full tower case because with a matx case, it will be hard to fit your gpu and do cable management. Don't get a evga 600b power supply because with a low end tier, you will hear coil whines and not last as long you will hope so get a evga g2 750w which is fully modular and 80 plus gold.