Need Help With Building New PC!

[Zeus_1]

Hey guys I need help to build a PC for a friend, it's for his university work, he's going to use programs such as Adobe (Don't exactly know which one) and a 3D modelling program so I guess its going to be CPU intensive, he won't need a graphics card as he won't be gaming. Price range between £500-700 the lower the better.

Parts needed -
Case
Motherboard
CPU
RAM
HDD
SSD
PSU

Monitor

I would really appreciate the help thanks

 

[Ralston18]

First you need to obtain firm requirements: I.e., Find out what he is going to use the computer for and what programs are going to be run.

Second, look up the recommended system requirements for those programs. Generally those requirements are enough to let the program function at some level of performance. There are minimal requirements and recommended requirements. Minimal requirements may meet the budget (price range) but not the full performance requirements.

Start with the ideal system (fulfills all requirements - software and performance) and ignore for now, the pricing. Use two or three online parts-picker websites and assemble some systems that you know will meet his university working requirements.

3D modeling may require a graphics card - or at least the software may recommend one.

Once you have the hardware identified then you can start one narrowing things down to get within budget.

Or realize (for him) that the budget is too low for the necessary system. Then go from there.

 

[unclebun]

There are a few guidelines I can derive from your description of what he's going to do. First, given that he's running Adobe software and a 3D modeling program, choose an Intel processor. The software he's using is optimized for Intel processors, and not AMD, so the best performance will come with Intel processors. An i7-7700K is about $350 on this side of the pond, so that's a significant chunk of the budget for the top choice. Using that cpu will probably go over the budget, so consider dropping back a bit on that if you have to save money. Don't waste money on a gaming-oriented motherboard. Just choose a solid, reliable business model. Choose a 2x8GB set of RAM, and consider a 250-500GB SSD for the main drive. The 3D modeling software will run better with a graphics card. so find out what the software is and check with its manufacturer to see what will work best. A $100 gaming card is often sufficient, but a workstation card is optimal (and more expensive usually).

For the OS, see if his school has a licensing program that can save big $$$.