$300 Build for a Friend

[NerdNinja]

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/LifehackerPC/saved/nHYCmG

 

So this is the build my friend sent to me, It seems good but I'm wondering if there's a better option.

 

So he isn't a big gamer, but he'll be doing a lot of 3d modeling and rendering. And that's pretty much it. ummm... Just try to keep it under 300 USD.

 

Thanks!

[Amazingasian]

It will be painfully slow when modeling and rendering.  I'd try to find used parts in your area.  

[Atmos]

oh lord... 300 dollars is not enough for a new system. substitute for used parts in your area, you. could probably build something much better.

[CJ Chua]

Scrapyard war will help you. The first season is definitely the one you wanna get

[Aytex]

craigslist?

[GDRRiley]

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/LifehackerPC/saved/nHYCmG

 

So this is the build my friend sent to me, It seems good but I'm wondering if there's a better option.

 

So he isn't a big gamer, but he'll be doing a lot of 3d modeling and rendering. And that's pretty much it. ummm... Just try to keep it under 300 USD.

 

Thanks!

Will never work

[d3sl91]

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/LifehackerPC/saved/nHYCmG

 

So this is the build my friend sent to me, It seems good but I'm wondering if there's a better option.

 

So he isn't a big gamer, but he'll be doing a lot of 3d modeling and rendering. And that's pretty much it. ummm... Just try to keep it under 300 USD.

 

Thanks!

That build is fine, $300 doesnt get you much.

 

He should be made aware that, for some better 3D modeling and rendering, unless He liked spending almost as much time rendering as he does making... He should be spending close to that whole budget on just the CPU. 

[AdiosToreador]

Hello there, I'm the friend mentioned by the OP. That list of parts is just a base that I'm operating from, I was just looking for some insight into if there are any major upgrades that the community recommends.

[d3sl91]

Hello there, I'm the friend mentioned by the OP. That list of parts is just a base that I'm operating from, I was just looking for some insight into if there are any major upgrades that the community recommends.

What is your total budget, and, what types of 3D rendering will you be doing?

[Mew]

I'd try to aim for one of Dell's outlet deals that they have from time to time. You can usually score a system with 4790, 8-16gb ram, 1-2tb hdd, sometimes discrete graphics (gt 730) that can do cuda, all for around $500. 

[AdiosToreador]

What is your total budget, and, what types of 3D rendering will you be doing?

My ideal budget is under $450 USD, and mostly work with Unity, Maya, and Sketchup.

[jimakos234]

My ideal budget is under $450 USD, and mostly work with Unity, Maya, and Sketchup.

What about this build? This 6 core will help at rendering paired with a 750ti (it is not that great  for gaming tho, but it will also get the job done)

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor  ($98.89 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($66.89 @ OutletPC)

Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($41.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($45.89 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card  ($121.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Case: Deepcool TESSERACT SW ATX Mid Tower Case  ($29.99 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($49.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $455.63

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-14 08:38 EDT-0400

[Redicat]

http://www.delidded.com/lga-771-to-775-adapter/ 

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3wgcpg

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3wgcpg/by_merchant/

 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($19.98 @ OutletPC) 

Other:  X5450 ($25.00)

Other: P45 overclocking board ($80.00)

Total: $124.98

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-14 09:15 EDT-0400

[Djole123]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-4130 3.8GHz Quad-Core OEM/Tray Processor ($59.99 @ SuperBiiz)

CPU Cooler: Masscool 5T568S1H3 33.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($8.89 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($44.89 @ OutletPC)

Memory: Panram Ninja Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.33 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: MSI GeForce GT 610 2GB Video Card ($37.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Case: Logisys CS301BK ATX Mid Tower Case w/480W Power Supply ($29.99 @ Directron)

Total: $302.07

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-14 13:01 EDT-0400

[AdiosToreador]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-4130 3.8GHz Quad-Core OEM/Tray Processor ($59.99 @ SuperBiiz)

CPU Cooler: Masscool 5T568S1H3 33.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($8.89 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($44.89 @ OutletPC)

Memory: Panram Ninja Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.33 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: MSI GeForce GT 610 2GB Video Card ($37.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Case: Logisys CS301BK ATX Mid Tower Case w/480W Power Supply ($29.99 @ Directron)

Total: $302.07

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-14 13:01 EDT-0400

This looks perfect, thanks so much!

[EllieThePurpleFuzzy]

You'd be as well as picking up to a Older Xeon Workstation (Maybe go for a X5650 one) and sticking a GTX 560 or something in it to be fair.

[Streetguru]

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/LifehackerPC/saved/nHYCmG

He just won't have a case for a while, you could get a really cheap power supply, but it'll catch fire sooner or later, with this one he can add a decent GPU down the road

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ZdpkMp

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ZdpkMp/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD FX-8320E 3.2GHz 8-Core Processor  ($125.99 @ NCIX US)

Motherboard: ASRock 970M PRO3 Micro ATX AM3+/AM3 Motherboard  ($63.89 @ OutletPC)

Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($36.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 750GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($34.99 @ Amazon)

Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 5450 1GB Video Card  ($27.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($45.82 @ Amazon)

Total: $335.67

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-14 23:49 EDT-0400

[Prysin]

oh lord... 300 dollars is not enough for a new system. substitute for used parts in your area, you. could probably build something much better.

for a 1080p 30FPS APU setup it is just about enough.

ive built such systems before. If you do it right, you can easily get 30FPS with medium or high settings in most games short of AAA games, which you have to use low settings, maybe a few settings at medium.

[NerdNinja]

for a 1080p 30FPS APU setup it is just about enough.

ive built such systems before. If you do it right, you can easily get 30FPS with medium or high settings in most games short of AAA games, which you have to use low settings, maybe a few settings at medium.

 

He's not Gaming. This is a Modeling/Rendering build....

[Prysin]

He's not Gaming. This is a Modeling/Rendering build....

the AMD APUs can use the intergrated graphics to accelerate modeling programs such as 3DSmax, Maya and a few others (not sure about Blender though).

 

For strong, cheap, rendering, i would go with a FX 8320e though. It is VERY capable CPU when it comes to budget rendering.

[Guest trucker2]

I would go with the 7870 just cause the cpu cooler is so much better. My 7850k at stock was just amazing with the star wars beta. I am so looking forward to buying that game.

If oc'ing I would go with the 88 chipset, If not, for max savings I went with the 68 chipset.

Would go with 2133 or 2400 ram, depending on price and MB choice.

PSU....Find a used one laying around or go whole hog and get the PSU of your dreams. The reason I say that is cause the 78xx will run on anything with 200 watts and an atx connecton. You don't want to find a great deal on an R9 390 and realize the 50 buck PSU you bought a year ago won't handle it. I have run mine on an ole Liteon 220 watt unit and an enermax 450 PSU that came with an ugly case I bought years ago. Everything about it says its a POS but it works great.

Best of luck with whatever you choose.