advice on 3D rendering build

[darth_insanity]

Approximate Purchase Date: probably around end of August
Budget Range: $900-$1100 After Rebates; Before Shipping
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Autodesk Maya(3D modeling, rendering, animation), video and sound editing, gaming
Are you buying a monitor: No
Do you need to buy OS: Yes
Location: Rochester, NY USA
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: No
Your Monitor Resolution: 1600x1200
Additional Comments: preferably quiet and not too big. I'm a college student and need to be able to store or ship it easily. Will be used with Autodesk Maya and the Adobe Production Premium Suite
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My laptop can't keep up with rendering anymore.

Here is what I've put together so far. I'm looking for feedback/recommendations.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7QmKK8
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7QmKK8/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($248.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($18.24 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.79 @ Mwave)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 650 1GB Video Card ($98.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $908.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-21 16:58 EDT-0400

 

[tiny voices]

You REALLY want a better GPU if you plan to do any real gaming.

PSU is not great. Stick with Antec, XFX, Seasonic.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

You want a higher quality PSU, stronger GPU, and current OS for a build with your requirements IMO.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($248.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.99 @ Mwave)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($144.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($80.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270X 2GB DirectCU II Video Card ($192.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($86.83 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1089.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-21 17:19 EDT-0400

 

[schau314]

Since gaming is his last concern I think this is a great build. Good job insanity!

Now I have a couple questions. Why do you want an aftermarket cpu cooler if you are not overclocking the processor. IF it is for normal use or just to temperatures down I think the stock cooler will be sufficient. That cooler is actually louder than stock.

Since you are a college student their are special education discount for operating systems you should look into.

Also the xfx 550w is a better power supply for the price than the corsiar. Don't count on mir.

 

[darth_insanity]

Since gaming is his last concern I think this is a great build. Good job insanity!

Now I have a couple questions. Why do you want an aftermarket cpu cooler if you are not overclocking the processor. IF it is for normal use or just to temperatures down I think the stock cooler will be sufficient. That cooler is actually louder than stock.

Honestly, I've never built my own PC before so I just assumed that the cooler needed to be bought separately from the CPU. Thanks for the tip.

I've replaced the PSU on my list with the xfx 550w as well. Since people are saying that a better GPU might be a good idea what about the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 750? I've been having trouble deciding on a video card that balances performance with the cost.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

I would check out this Best Graphics Cards For The Money: July 2014 list.

 

[schau314]

I think the gtx 750 is good but at 1 gb it may not hold up the best. The r7 260x is a little better. I do not know if the extra graphics will help in any rendering though.

 

[schau314]

Also check out that student discount for the os if you are already in college or have an edu address.