Build Advice Help with a build for a local school ?

[SSlipknot]

I need help figuring out a build for a classroom for students to use for game design.

Here is the software they will be using:
- Unity
- Godot Engine
- Blender

I only need the computer build and monitors as we have the rest of the stuff needed.

The school doesn't have a set budget but would like to keep it around $1,000 if possible.

Let me know if you need anymore info!

 

[punkncat]

I just looked up the minimum PC requirements for all three of these and from what I can tell Unity and GoDot would run on a potato with a monitor attached and Blender isn't very much higher. In this, it would probably be best just to build as high end a CPU you can find, alongside a very good quality PSU. I would also consider purchasing a case that has the ability to be locked and/or "wired" down.

Of note- obviously, I don't know what school, or whether they are a part of a larger system but if they are they likely have an IT department and may also have a contract with someone such as Dell or HP to meet their hardware needs.

 

[SSlipknot]

I just looked up the minimum PC requirements for all three of these and from what I can tell Unity and GoDot would run on a potato with a monitor attached and Blender isn't very much higher. In this, it would probably be best just to build as high end a CPU you can find, alongside a very good quality PSU. I would also consider purchasing a case that has the ability to be locked and/or "wired" down.

Of note- obviously, I don't know what school, or whether they are a part of a larger system but if they are they likely have an IT department and may also have a contract with someone such as Dell or HP to meet their hardware needs.

School doesn't have any contracts with anyone on this stuff. Thank you for reaching out I really appreciate it. Do you think on this we should go with Intel or AMD?

As of the Locked down cases we won't need it since we have camera placed in view on where the pcs would be.

 

[punkncat]

I mention the lockable cases simply due to security as well as theft. You don't want a situation where just anyone can open the case and install hardware inside, remove hardware inside, and such as that. It wouldn't take much for a couple of people to block the view from camera(s) in order to perform "malicious" acts (as it were).

If you do choose to go with AMD/AM5 you will have to price out DDR5. AM4 has a lot of good budget options for the performance and use DDR4. With Intel 12-14th gen, they have options both ways on memory.

 

[helper800]

I just looked up the minimum PC requirements for all three of these and from what I can tell Unity and GoDot would run on a potato with a monitor attached and Blender isn't very much higher. In this, it would probably be best just to build as high end a CPU you can find, alongside a very good quality PSU. I would also consider purchasing a case that has the ability to be locked and/or "wired" down.

Of note- obviously, I don't know what school, or whether they are a part of a larger system but if they are they likely have an IT department and may also have a contract with someone such as Dell or HP to meet their hardware needs.

Unity, at the least, needs a decent enough graphics card or you will get terrible FPS in the editor.

I need help figuring out a build for a classroom for students to use for game design.

Here is the software they will be using.
- Unity
- Godot Engine
- Blender

I only need the computer build and monitors as we have the rest of the stuff needed.

The school doesn't have a set budget but would like to keep it around $1,000 if possible.

Let me know if you need anymore info!

I would personally do something like this, though it can be done cheaper, this provides a decent enough CPU and GPU to do anything required while remaining cool. What do you believe the storage requirements are? Is 2tb too much or just enough?

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13500 2.5 GHz 14-Core Processor ($226.99 @ Best Buy)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit EVO 69 CFM CPU Cooler ($42.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B760-P WIFI DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Acer Predator GM7000 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($124.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: ASRock Radeon RX6700XT PGD 12GO Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card ($339.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Focus 2 ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RM750e (2023) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $1129.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-02-07 11:51 EST-0500

 

[punkncat]

Unity, at the least, needs a decent enough graphics card or you will get terrible FPS in the editor.

I had looked here: https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/system-requirements.html

As you can see, the minimum spec is pretty much any half-modern and operational PC at this point. Very low.
As with anything, even surfing, the experience can be quite different based on what you are using for capable hardware to do so.

 

[helper800]

I had looked here: https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/system-requirements.html

As you can see, the minimum spec is pretty much any half-modern and operational PC at this point. Very low.
As with anything, even surfing, the experience can be quite different based on what you are using for capable hardware to do so.

I do not need to look at that link because I have first hand experience with Unity, you need a decent GPU and CPU.

 

[SSlipknot]

Unity, at the least, needs a decent enough graphics card or you will get terrible FPS in the editor.

I would personally do something like this, though it can be done cheaper, this provides a decent enough CPU and GPU to do anything required while remaining cool. What do you believe the storage requirements are? Is 2tb too much or just enough?

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13500 2.5 GHz 14-Core Processor ($226.99 @ Best Buy)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit EVO 69 CFM CPU Cooler ($42.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B760-P WIFI DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Acer Predator GM7000 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($124.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: ASRock Radeon RX6700XT PGD 12GO Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card ($339.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Focus 2 ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RM750e (2023) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $1129.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-02-07 11:51 EST-0500

Thank you for this! 1tb would probably be enough!

 

[NorbertPlays]

Unity, at the least, needs a decent enough graphics card or you will get terrible FPS in the editor.

Depending on what you're doing in Blender it can also massively benefit from a (mostly Nvidia) GPU; not so much of an issue if it's just being used for modelling to export to a game engine, but if it ever gets used for rendering a GPU can mean the difference between minutes and hours!

 

[helper800]

Depending on what you're doing in Blender it can also massively benefit from a (mostly Nvidia) GPU; not so much of an issue if it's just being used for modelling to export to a game engine, but if it ever gets used for rendering a GPU can mean the difference between minutes and hours!

You are right, I assumed it would not be used for rendering.

To the op, do you plan to do blender renders? If so an Nvidia GPU may be a better option. Let us know.

 

[artk2219]

Here is an AM5 option right around your budget, you may need to update the bios first before you can use the 8500g, if you dont want to take that risk you could always sub in a Ryzen 5 7600 for only $20 more. I figured the G model gave you an iGPU to play with as well. You also dont necessarily need the CPU cooler, but it'll do a much better job than the bundled cooler that comes with the CPU. I also picked the Gamemax M60 case because its all steel and has a mesh side panel vs glass since kids are kids and glass breaks. I've worked with it a couple of times, and its a decent case, easy enough to work in, no front intake but both side panels are mesh so it has good airflow. It is also lockable, if you look in the back you'll see a little loop that will let you attach a lock. I added some fans since it only comes with 1 but you could always source fans from elsewhere.

[PCPartPicker Part List](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/B39Yh3)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [AMD Ryzen 5 8500G 4.1 GHz 6-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/y3XV3C/amd-ryzen-5-8500g-41-ghz-6-core-processor-100-100000931box) | $179.00 @ B&H
**CPU Cooler** | [Thermalright Assassin X 120 Refined SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/q6H7YJ/thermalright-assassin-x-120-refined-se-6617-cfm-cpu-cooler-ax120-se-d3) | $17.89 @ Amazon
**Motherboard** | [ASRock B650M Pro RS Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/FcbRsY/asrock-b650m-pro-rs-micro-atx-am5-motherboard-b650m-pro-rs) | $129.99 @ Newegg
**Memory** | [Crucial Pro 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-5600 CL46 Memory](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/3L9wrH/crucial-pro-32-gb-2-x-16-gb-ddr5-5600-cl46-memory-cp2k16g56c46u5) | $98.99 @ Amazon
**Storage** | [Crucial P3 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/yGZ9TW/crucial-p3-plus-2-tb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-ct2000p3pssd8) | $114.99 @ Amazon
**Video Card** | [ASRock Radeon RX6700XT PGD 12GO Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/rcqPxr/asrock-radeon-rx-6700-xt-12-gb-phantom-gaming-d-oc-video-card-rx6700xt-pgd-12go) | $339.99 @ Newegg
**Case** | [GameMax M60 MicroATX Mid Tower Case](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Msytt6/gamemax-m60-microatx-mid-tower-case-m60-black) | $45.97 @ Newegg
**Power Supply** | [Corsair RM750e (2023) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/YRJp99/corsair-rm750e-2023-750-w-80-gold-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-cp-9020262-na) | $84.99 @ Best Buy
**Case Fan** | [Thermalright TL-C12C X3 66.17 CFM 120 mm Fans 3-Pack](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/JmfnTW/thermalright-tl-c12c-x3-6617-cfm-120-mm-fans-3-pack-tl-c12c-x3-d6) | $11.90 @ Amazon
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| **Total** | **$1023.71**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2024-02-07 16:03 EST-0500 |

 

[Lucky_SLS]

If you want to have an Nvidia GPU:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600KF 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor ($183.89 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($33.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z690 Extreme ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Silicon Power GAMING 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($56.97 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sabrent Rocket 4.0 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($69.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X 12G GeForce RTX 3060 12GB 12 GB Video Card ($289.39 @ Newegg)
Case: GameMax MeshBox Pro ATX Mid Tower Case ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 - TT Premium Edition 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 56.3 CFM 120 mm Fans 5-Pack ($24.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $941.11
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-02-08 05:49 EST-0500