Budget 3D Game Development Workstation

[SilverWolf9000]

Approximate Purchase Date: Around Christmas this year (I'll have enough money saved up by then.

Budget Range: $1700

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Unity 3D, CAD, Visual C# Express 2010, Video Editing, Music Composing

Parts Not Required: OS, Mouse, Keyboard

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: NewEgg Amazon Microcenter

Country: United States

Parts Preferences: Silent Midtower Case with NO FLASHYNESS and Intel processor and a triple monitor setup. I would prefer to mount the monitors on a stand, but it is not necessary.

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe in the future

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080+

Additional Comments: I will (HOPEFULLY) be upgrading this little guy in the future, so perhaps leave some room for upgrades?

Quick Edit: I am open to a different monitor solution if needed. I cannot afford more because I need the money for a graphics tablet.
Quick Edit 2: I really need to learn to finalize everything, don't I? Yeesh...

 

[Eximo]

Well, best advice would be to come back 4 months or so. Prices will be different then. (Actually you should aim for having your money by Black Friday to really get some good prices)

That said. an i7-4770 or 4770k, 16GB of ram, and a mid-range Nvidia quadro card would a reasonable core to the system for professional workload. If you want a more generalized machine there are a few gaming graphics cards that are adequate for heavy rendering jobs.
If you want to go Xeon for the processor, you are going to add a lot to the bottom line.

 

[SilverWolf9000]

Well, best advice would be to come back 4 months or so. Prices will be different then. (Actually you should aim for having your money by Black Friday to really get some good prices)

That said. an i7-4770 or 4770k, 16GB of ram, and a mid-range Nvidia quadro card would a reasonable core to the system for professional workload. If you want a more generalized machine there are a few gaming graphics cards that are adequate for heavy rendering jobs.
If you want to go Xeon for the processor, you are going to add a lot to the bottom line.

If I could only have it on Black Friday. Sadly, I am kind of relying on a bit of Christmas money to get me through to the end. I could tone it down if it is needed.

 

[opponentmule2]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gLhz
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gLhz/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gLhz/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($119.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($92.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.61 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1220.51
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-14 23:27 EDT-0400)

Here you go buddy. Sorry, but i can't fit a GTX 770 in with that budget.

If you're willing to pay 70-80$ more, you can get a Gigabyte Windforce GTX 770, which will perform a bit better. But the 7970 should still be a very good GPU.

This should give you a lot of room for upgrading as well bro. The 750W can handle a crossfire if needed, and the case is very big, very nice and roomy case.

 

[SilverWolf9000]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gLhz
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gLhz/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gLhz/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($119.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($92.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.61 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1220.51
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-14 23:27 EDT-0400)

Here you go buddy. Sorry, but i can't fit a GTX 770 in with that budget.

If you're willing to pay 70-80$ more, you can get a Gigabyte Windforce GTX 770, which will perform a bit better. But the 7970 should still be a very good GPU.

This should give you a lot of room for upgrading as well bro. The 750W can handle a crossfire if needed, and the case is very big, very nice and roomy case.

Not bad, Not bad. However, I still need a monitor setup of AT LEAST 2... If not three...

New Edit: Expanding my budget to $1700, my full range. I can stick with a cheaper Wacom tablet for a while Remember, 2-3 Monitors included

 

[opponentmule2]

The 7970 is the best GPU you can get for this price range dude. You'll definitely be able to power 2-3 monitors for just editing. However, i don't think it has enough juice to power 2-3 monitors on a very high demanding game. You'll need a SLI for high demanding modern games.

Make sure to take advantage of some of the deals i pointed out, the sales are ending soon, and some of them such as the PSU is a very good deal.

 

[SilverWolf9000]

The 7970 is the best GPU you can get for this price range dude. You'll definitely be able to power 2-3 monitors for just editing. However, i don't think it has enough juice to power 2-3 monitors on a very high demanding game. You'll need a SLI for high demanding modern games.

Make sure to take advantage of some of the deals i pointed out, the sales are ending soon, and some of them such as the PSU is a very good deal.

Sorry for making last minute edits... 😛 I need the monitors included. As long as they are 1080p, that's fine.

 

[opponentmule2]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gLBY
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gLBY/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gLBY/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($119.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($92.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.61 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1790.48
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-14 23:43 EDT-0400)

This is the best i think that you can do for this price tag, sorry but i went over a little. That Asus monitor is the cheapest monitor i can find that's pretty good.

I think you'll get the most for your money with this build at this price tag You can of course upgrade to a Asus 239p-h or a 249p-h. That'll of course give you the IPS monitor, however that'll cost 30-40$ more per monitor, and the 238p-h is already a pretty decent monitor.

 

[SilverWolf9000]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gLBY
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gLBY/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gLBY/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($119.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($92.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.61 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1790.48
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-14 23:43 EDT-0400)

This is the best i think that you can do for this price tag, sorry but i went over a little. That Asus monitor is the cheapest monitor i can find that's pretty good.

I think you'll get the most for your money with this build at this price tag You can of course upgrade to a Asus 239p-h or a 249p-h. That'll of course give you the IPS monitor, however that'll cost 30-40$ more per monitor, and the 238p-h is already a pretty decent monitor.

Oooh I like that list very much... However, one SMALL question: The Crossfire Radeons. Would they do enough for programs like Sony Vegas, Adobe Premiere, Adobe Photoshop, and 3ds Max? Or would it be more sensible to place a workstation GPU in the setup?

By the way, I think I have seen the 4770k cheaper at Microcenter 😛

 

[opponentmule2]

As for the Adobe and other heavy professional video editing support, i'm not sure as i'm not a professional myself. (I think it would because it's a high end GPU) However, the crossfire 7970 will certainly have enough power to put good FPS on the two monitors, even when running the latest modern games.

It should be a very solid build and you'll be able to take advantage of almost $300 in savings to the awesome deals!

Edit: I don't think microcenter will be able to beat that $100 off MOBO + CPU combo though. But if you've access to microcenter for a cheaper price, by all means go ahead, more savings for you.

 

[SilverWolf9000]

As for the Adobe and other heavy professional video editing support, i'm not sure as i'm not a professional myself. (I think it would because it's a high end GPU) However, the crossfire 7970 will certainly have enough power to put good FPS on the two monitors, even when running the latest modern games.

It should be a very solid build and you'll be able to take advantage of almost $300 in savings to the awesome deals!

Edit: I don't think microcenter will be able to beat that $100 off MOBO + CPU combo though. But if you've access to microcenter for a cheaper price, by all means go ahead, more savings for you.

Thank you for your help friend! I will search around the list you gave me for the best prices and baduum! All set! Thanks!

 

[opponentmule2]

No problem!

Good luck with this build Hopefully you can get this beast running soon.

Remember that some of the deals expire real soon such as the great PSU deal! Be sure to take advantage of them so you won't have to spend more out of your pocket later.

 

[SilverWolf9000]

No problem!

Good luck with this build Hopefully you can get this beast running soon.

Remember that some of the deals expire real soon such as the great PSU deal! Be sure to take advantage of them so you won't have to spend more out of your pocket later.

I'll do my best!