Choosing PC components for CAD, 3D modeling and rendering. HELP!

[olgampintoduarte]

Hi, I'm an architect and I'm building a PC for CAD and modeling/rendering.
I don't know much about compatibility of the components anda I'm on a budget of 1000 euros.


Here's my combo. What would you change? Do i need the CPU cooler? Do I need a sound card? Is it good enough? I can't invest a lot right now but I'm willing to upgrade in the future, so I need a flexible combination.

CPU: ryzen 5 1600 HEXA-CORE 3.2GHZ C/ TURBO 3.6GHZ 16MB SKTAM4

GPU: ASUS ROG GEFORCE STRIX GTX 1050 TI 4GB OC

MOTHERBOARD: MSI X370 Gaming M7 ACK

RAM: G.SKILL AEGIS 16GB (2X8GB) DDR4-3000MHZ CL16

PSU: LC-Power 460W V2.4 Semi Modular

HARD-DRIVE: any SSD of 250Gb

CASE: Fractal Meshy C

 

[imsqam]

For this build we will need to know the exact programs and versions that you will be using. Some programs use CPU rendering and some GPU and some allow hydrid. Also, will you be doing structural calculations with this? I am an engineer and I know that there is liability associated with structural calcs which needs to be addressed with the build. I did this build for someone recently and it was not what he expected.
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3612097/budget-build-3ds-max.html

We will also need to know country of purchase and any online preferred vendors you might have.

 

[olgampintoduarte]

HI! Thanks for helping me!

I'm from Portugal, and I'll be purchasing the components on this portuguese online store called PCDIGA.
I use AutoCAD and ArchiCAD daily for drawing and modeling on my Macbook Pro 13'' late 2013.
I need a new PC because I want to start rendering too, so I'll be using 3dStudio Max for that. I may try Corona and Artlantis as well, but my goal is 3DStudio Max for rendering. While rendering, I may need to change some things in the model, so i'll be modeling in 3DSM as well. I also regularly use photoshop and lightroom.
I use the latest versions of these programs, and I'll need to upgrade for the leatest version each year.
I won't need to calculate structures or any other engineering related task, I'm only going to produce images, model and render.

I don't need it to be the best computer ever built for rendering, just need something that will work for the next 4 years and that after that I'm able to upgrade cpu+gpu+ram and I'm good to go again. I just don't have the money right now to invest a lot and I really need to learn 3Dstudiomax.

The monitor of this computer will also work as my bedroom tv, where I will watch movies and tvshows. I know the specs needed for media consumption are not really a big deal, but I will get a 27'' QHD IPS monitor or if I can, a 4K monitor, so I need it to be compatible with a higher image quality.

 

[imsqam]

Forgot to ask if you need any or all of the following: Keyboard/mouse, Wifi connectivity, Monitor, OS. The build below does not include any of these so we will have downgrade some of the components to include these at the €1000 price point.

1600 was the way to go for CPU. Upped the GPU to a GTX 1060-6GB but we may need to review this. Include an SSD, 120GB is better than nothing in my opinion but a 240+ would be better. Really good PSU with enough watts to allow for upgrades in the future. All pricing is from your website, components links are below the build.

PCPartPicker part list: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/jWrQCy
Price breakdown by merchant: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/jWrQCy/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor (€189.00)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-AB350-GAMING 3 ATX AM4 Motherboard (€89.90)
Storage: Kingston - A400 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (€49.90)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€72.90)
Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB AMP! Edition Video Card (€299.90)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (€52.90)
Other: MasterBox Lite 3.1 mATX Case with DarkMirror Front Panel and External (€49.90)
Other: Ballistix Sport LT BLS2C8G4D26BFSB 16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR4 2666 MT/s (PC4-21300) DR x8 DIMM 288-Pin grau (€189.90)
Total: €994.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-01-15 18:03 CET+0100

https://www.pcdiga.com/processador-amd-ryzen-5-1600-hexa-core-3-2ghz-c-turbo-3-6ghz-16mb-sktam4
https://www.pcdiga.com/motherboard-gigabyte-ab350m-gaming-3
https://www.pcdiga.com/ssd-2-5-kingston-a400-120gb-tlc-sata
https://www.pcdiga.com/disco-rigido-3-5-seagate-barracuda-2tb-7200rpm-64mb-sata-iii
https://www.pcdiga.com/placa-grafica-zotac-geforce-gtx-1060-amp-edition-6gb
https://www.pcdiga.com/fonte-seasonic-s12ii-520w-ss-520gb
https://www.pcdiga.com/caixa-micro-atx-cooler-master-masterbox-lite-3-1-preta
https://www.pcdiga.com/memoria-ram-crucial-ballistix-16gb-2x8gb-ddr4-2666mhz-cl16-cinza

 

[olgampintoduarte]

thanks a lot for your help again!

From all the things you forgot to ask before the only thing I need is wi-fi. Bluetooth would also be nice since I have a lot of things with bluetooth connection. Do I need to change anything from your suggestions to get that? I never understood if the motherboard has to come with built in wi-fi and bluetooth or if that has nothing to do with it.
I have a monitor already, I'm gonna buy an IPS later, but for now mine will do.

 

[imsqam]

Bluetooth and/or Wifi can be found on some mobos but not all. Not common but can be found. Here is one that your vendor sells.
https://www.pcdiga.com/motherboard-asus-rog-strix-b250i-gaming

The mobo in the build has neither. I didn't really want to change the mobo to the suggested above as it is a mini-ITX form factor (read size here). At some point you may want to overclock the 1600 and the mini-ITX's are not the best for that. I would go for the increased power handling capabilities (power phases) over the connectivity feature.

To obtain connectivity we would have to add an adapter to the build. Adapters come in three basic socket types: USB, PCI-e or m.2 socket. USB is nice because you can carry it around and just plug it into any USB socket when you want to use it. Easy peasy lemon squeezy simple. PCI-e cards plug into the appropriate PCI-e socket on the motherboard just like your GPU. A lot have external antenna and thus these tend to have the best reception. m.2 cards again plug into the appropriate socket on the mobo. Not all WiFi cards have Bluetooth connectivity. But Bluetooth is easy, just a cheap USB dongle, around €10-€15, just plug them in and away they go. And yes, dongle is a word and is the word.
https://www.pcdiga.com/rede-bluetooth

Currently WiFi networks operate on one of the following bands (protocols) which are ranked here in increasing order to reflect the increase in transmission speeds: a/b/g/n/ac/ad. I run ac in my house, ad in not commonly used yet. To determine which band is appropriate here you need to know which kind of band is being broadcast by your WiFi router. Most cards can operate with multiple protocols and some operate on them all. Typically prices ranges from €10-€85.
https://www.pcdiga.com/wireless-wi-fi

I like PCI-e cards as I like strong reception but not seeing a good fit in the available choices. Thinking this m.2 is the winner as it also has BT connectivity as well.
https://www.pcdiga.com/placa-de-rede-intel-wireless-ac-8265-m-2-2230-2x2-ac-bt

So you have to tell me which WiFi band your router is broadcasting in.

 

[imsqam]

And you are most welcome