Best system build for 3D Modelling, Rendering, and Animating.

[sadisticpotato]

Hello, I've been looking at what the computer really is, and do the specs mean, what are good parts for around a year, but they've mostly been gaming oriented builds. Currently, I want to have a build for myself that can handle various workloads in C4D, AE (Sometimes Photoshop and Illustrator), and maybe Autodesk Maya or 3DS Max.

The budget is $1000 including a monitor, but I don't need Windows for my father works for microsoft and he can get me a free license.

I need it to just run smoothly. I want to stress I will not be gaming in any way, so please make the build solely optimised for this.

Thank you.

 

[MeteorsRaining]

A rendering and 3D modelling oriented build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($289.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($121.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($98.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GT 730 1GB Video Card ($54.94 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: AOC I2421VWH 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($167.58 @ Newegg)
Total: $954.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-29 03:31 EST-0500

 

[sadisticpotato]

A rendering and 3D modelling oriented build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($289.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($121.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($98.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GT 730 1GB Video Card ($54.94 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: AOC I2421VWH 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($167.58 @ Newegg)
Total: $954.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-29 03:31 EST-0500

Thank you. That Graphics card is just for CUDA acceleration I believe, when it is required? I could possibly dig up a spare monitor somewhere around, and in that case should I go for the 750 Ti with the money I'd save?

 

[MeteorsRaining]

Most 3D modelling and editing/ rendering softwares can use GPU acceleration to render the scenes, thus speeding up the process. CUDA comes out to be really good for this purpose, except OpenCL (single point precision), where AMD's GPUs take the crown.

If you happen to find a spare monitor and save some money, I'd recommend going with a workstation card, which'd be better than any gaming card on the market.

 

[sadisticpotato]

Most 3D modelling and editing/ rendering softwares can use GPU acceleration to render the scenes, thus speeding up the process. CUDA comes out to be really good for this purpose, except OpenCL (single point precision), where AMD's GPUs take the crown.

If you happen to find a spare monitor and save some money, I'd recommend going with a workstation card, which'd be better than any gaming card on the market.

Thank you. Quadro K1100 maybe?

 

[snowctrl]

Most 3D modelling and editing/ rendering softwares can use GPU acceleration to render the scenes, thus speeding up the process. CUDA comes out to be really good for this purpose, except OpenCL (single point precision), where AMD's GPUs take the crown.

If you happen to find a spare monitor and save some money, I'd recommend going with a workstation card, which'd be better than any gaming card on the market.

... actually this isn't true.... 3DSmax, Maya and Cinema 4D all still rely on CPU power for rendering, unless you specifically buy a GPU based renderer. For best rendering speed you want to OC that CPU to the max, but make sure it really can run stable, cool, 24/7 (many CPUs OCed for gaming can't really cope with this)

You need a powerful GPU for modelling, to draw and update your complex 3D scenes as you work, and especially once you start animating.

By way of example, this is my 3D rig:

http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=128905

 

[snowctrl]

Most 3D modelling and editing/ rendering softwares can use GPU acceleration to render the scenes, thus speeding up the process. CUDA comes out to be really good for this purpose, except OpenCL (single point precision), where AMD's GPUs take the crown.

If you happen to find a spare monitor and save some money, I'd recommend going with a workstation card, which'd be better than any gaming card on the market.

Thank you. Quadro K1100 maybe?

I have never bothered with Quadro cards. They are far less powerful than their Geforce equivalents, but make up for it to varying degrees with drivers optimised for each program. Quadro cards are intended to be capable of running at high load 24/7 without generating excessive heat, and also have 10bit color (check on this - I haven't checked this specific card) - neither of these are things you're gonna need unless you buy a GPU renderer, in which case you'll quickly find yourself wanting something far more powerful than just a single Quadro K1100. You might decide you want 10bit color if you get into colour grading, but that's more of an editing/film-making thing than 3D and After Effects.

I would stick with a Geforce. The machine specced for you by MeteorsRaining is good for your purposes and budget.

 

[MeteorsRaining]

Actually yes, the reason I didn't include a $100 workstation card in your build was explained by snowctrl, they would be too weak to even compute complex scenes. The budget should be around $300 atleast for a workable solution, at that price double precision tech would give them an edge against GTX. Anyhow, it depends a lot on the software you use.