Question Need help selecting new PC for Blender 3.1

[The Worker]

Hello, I specialize in animation and art, and I have very little knowledge of PC parts and pricing. I am seeking advice for purchasing a custom-built PC that will be used for Blender 3.1.

• 64-bit eight core CPU
• 32 GB RAM
• 2560×1440 display
• Graphics card with 8 GB RAM

I have a quote from Dell for a Precision 3650 Tower with this included:

• 11th Generation Intel Core i7-11700, 16 MB Cache, 8 Core, 2.5 GHz to 4.9 GHz
• 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 UDIMM non-ECC Memory
• 512GB PCIe NVMe(TM) Gen4 M.2 SSD
• Nvidia T1000 8GB, 8GB, 4 mDP to DP adapter
• 8x DVD+/-RW 9.5mm Optical Disk Drive
• 3yrs Prosupport Plus Service Warranty

The price is $1,720.67--- is this a good deal? Is there a better way to get the PC I need? I appreciate any advice!!! Thank you!

 

[Lafong]

That video card retails for about 325.

The memory near 100

Maybe 70 for the drive

About 340 for the CPU?

Optical drive ?? under 50 somewhere

Total 800 to 850?

Plus case, unknown motherboard, unknown power supply; under 400?

Maybe 1200 total?

No monitor?

I don't like it, but I'm assuming you must buy a pre-built rather than build it yourself.

I'd think you would certainly want a 12000 series CPU rather than 11000 if going with Intel.

I have no idea if your parts are suitable for Blender.

 

[The Worker]

Thank you. I am thinking about building it myself now that you suggest it. Do you have any suggestions on how to begin?

 

[helper800]

Thank you. I am thinking about building it myself now that you suggest it. Do you have any suggestions on how to begin?

Here is a start as you called it.

Here is a build with a pretty good monitor for color coverage, brightness, 2560x1440, viewing angles, and its 32 inch size. The monitor can obviously be changed.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-12700F 2.1 GHz 12-Core Processor ($312.96 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B660 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($189.99 @ B&H)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce RTX 3070 LHR 8 GB DUAL OC V2 Video Card ($579.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 215 ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G6 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: MSI Optix MPG321QRF-QD 32.0" 2560x1440 175 Hz Monitor ($444.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $2077.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-06-27 02:43 EDT-0400

 

[Why_Me]

Here's a money saver for Helper's build up above.

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813144528
MSI MAG B660M BAZOOKA DDR4 $139.99

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B660M-BAZOOKA-DDR4

 

[helper800]

Here's a money saver for Helper's build up above.

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813144528
MSI MAG B660M BAZOOKA DDR4 $139.99

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B660M-BAZOOKA-DDR4

I figured better motherboard with more features is better for a longer term build in this case.

 

[Lafong]

Thank you. I am thinking about building it myself now that you suggest it. Do you have any suggestions on how to begin?

Where are you?

Do you want to buy parts from any particular source?

You will be using Blender 90% of the time the PC is running? Or 20%?

Is it fair to say that performance on anything other than Blender is of little importance?

Do you have any idea how much TOTAL storage you would need? Windows takes up maybe 30 GB.

What is your absolute limit on cost, including monitor and a Windows license if needed?

 

[The Worker]

I am in the US.

I want to buy parts from the best possible and most reputable vendor.

I will be using the PC for Blender, Krita, possibly audio editing softwares. Blender could end up being an 80%. There will be a lot of rendering, video editing.

I want Krita or Photoshop to perform well but they need much less power than Blender so should not be an issue. I'll be using the internet as well.

I was thinking of running the internet in a virtual machine, could this prevent the possibility of a virus/malware getting onto my main computer?

Not sure how much storage i would need. I guess I will start with 512 GB SSD, although I'd prefer 1 TB.

Limit on budget for PC is $1700. It's not an absolute limit but that is my current number. I am probably going to get a CRT monitor unless I can find a good "eyesafe", low-blue light LCD.

 

[helper800]

I am in the US.

I want to buy parts from the best possible and most reputable vendor.

I will be using the PC for Blender, Krita, possibly audio editing softwares. Blender could end up being an 80%. There will be a lot of rendering, video editing.

I want Krita or Photoshop to perform well but they need much less power than Blender so should not be an issue. I'll be using the internet as well.

I was thinking of running the internet in a virtual machine, could this prevent the possibility of a virus/malware getting onto my main computer?

Not sure how much storage i would need. I guess I will start with 512 GB SSD, although I'd prefer 1 TB.

Limit on budget for PC is $1700. It's not an absolute limit but that is my current number. I am probably going to get a CRT monitor unless I can find a good "eyesafe", low-blue light LCD.

Here is site page for the monitor and it mentions low-blue light as a feature.