[SOLVED] Upgrade Advice for 2010 PC build - 3D Graphics software focus

mikegallagher

Distinguished
Feb 5, 2011
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I built a PC in 2010 to use primarily for 2d and 3d graphics - Adobe, Autodesk, Blender etc.

Goal: Is it possible to upgrade this PC to use for 3d image development and high resolution 2d rendering only. - no animation or games.

Answers to questions template:

Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: this week

Budget Range: (e.g.: 600-800) Before / After Rebates; Before / After Shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: (3d graphic software - Blender, 3DS Max, Maya, etc. - image development - no animation or gaming)

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: (graphics card, CPU?, mobo?)

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: (e.g.: newegg.com, amazon.com, ncix.com)

Location: Orange County California

Parts Preferences: - currently have intel cpu and nVidia gpu

Overclocking: Yes / No / Maybe? Not sure.

SLI or Crossfire: Yes / No / Maybe? Not sure.

Your Monitor Resolution: (2560 x 1440 x 59 hertz)

Additional Comments: (I would like a quiet PC. See above)

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: (current raphic card does not support latest 3d software. Only interested in image development and high resolution 2d rendering of created 3d images)


PC Build 2010 -

Case:
Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced - High Air Flow Full Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0 and All-Black Interior

CPU:
Intel Core i7-960 Bloomfield Quad-Core 3.2 GHz LGA 1366 130W BX80601960 Desktop Processor

Motherboard:
ASUS Sabertooth X58 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Memory:
24 total 2x - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 12GB (3 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9T-12GBRL

GPU:
PNY Quadro 4000 VCQ4000-PB 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Workstation Video Card

Power Supply:
SeaSonic X Series X-850 (SS-850KM3 Active PFC F3) 850W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply New 4th Gen CPU Certified Haswell Ready

Cooler:
Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler

Is this even possible. Thanks!
 
Solution
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($166.89 @ Walmart)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Best Buy)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6 GB TUF GAMING OC Video Card ($229.99 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: Antec Earthwatts Gold Pro 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($99.84 @ Amazon)
Total: $726.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-06-08 15:43 EDT-0400


PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen...
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($166.89 @ Walmart)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Best Buy)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6 GB TUF GAMING OC Video Card ($229.99 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: Antec Earthwatts Gold Pro 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($99.84 @ Amazon)
Total: $726.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-06-08 15:43 EDT-0400


PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($274.49 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Best Buy)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4 GB OC Video Card ($159.99 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: Antec Earthwatts Gold Pro 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($99.84 @ Amazon)
Total: $764.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-06-08 15:44 EDT-0400


If you can afford the extra $35 I would do this build:
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($274.49 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Best Buy)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6 GB TUF GAMING OC Video Card ($229.99 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: Antec Earthwatts Gold Pro 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($99.84 @ Amazon)
Total: $834.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-06-08 15:45 EDT-0400


All of these assume you will reuse your drives and case.
 
Solution
If you need an SSD you would do something like this:
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($166.89 @ Walmart)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Best Buy)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4 GB OC Video Card ($159.99 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: Antec Earthwatts Gold Pro 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($99.84 @ Amazon)
Total: $796.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-06-08 15:47 EDT-0400
 

mikegallagher

Distinguished
Feb 5, 2011
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18,510
With the old build (2010) is it possible to just add the Asus GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6 GB TUF GAMING OC Video Card ($229.99 @ Best Buy) and get substantial improvement without changing out anything else - or am I on a fool's errand? Can I assume that because the old graphics card (PNY Quadro 4000 VCQ4000-PB 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Workstation Video Card) is of no value to today's 3d applications a new compatible graphics card might offer significant improvement in creating 3d graphics. I'm sure I'm probably missing something! I appreciate all the info. Thanks
 
With the old build (2010) is it possible to just add the Asus GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6 GB TUF GAMING OC Video Card ($229.99 @ Best Buy) and get substantial improvement without changing out anything else - or am I on a fool's errand? Can I assume that because the old graphics card (PNY Quadro 4000 VCQ4000-PB 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Workstation Video Card) is of no value to today's 3d applications a new compatible graphics card might offer significant improvement in creating 3d graphics. I'm sure I'm probably missing something! I appreciate all the info. Thanks
In theory it will work, but I don't know if that GPU needs a UEFI BIOS. Your motherboard doesn't have UEFI. In the long run there isn't a very good reason to only upgrade the GPU on that old system. Just on CPU performance you will increase your per core performance by a good 50% all while halving the TDP. Your PSU, while a high quality, is 8 years old at this point and has lived a good life; I wouldn't use in a new system.
 
The MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard is sold out nationwide. Should I wait? Or is there an alternate to consider? Yhx
There are a couple alternatives.
PCPartPicker Part List

Motherboard: ASRock B450M/AC Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($98.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $98.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-06-09 13:16 EDT-0400

PCPartPicker Part List

Motherboard: MSI MPG X570 GAMING PLUS ATX AM4 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $169.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-06-09 13:17 EDT-0400

Alternatively the B550 motherboards are going to be released in another week or so. Waiting for those to be released might be worth while.
 
The new B550 motherboards will be out next week. I would suggest this route vs the B450's.

I upgraded from my i7 960 x58 platform late last year to an AMD Ryzen build. Massive difference between the two.

The i7 960 is still going strong but it is pretty long in the tooth. Time for some fresh gear and really fast performance!
 
Due to what the user does for work, 16GB RAM isn't enough. For this type of work you need 32GB is the typical.

While the CX550m isn't a bad PSU, the semi-modular don't have as good of build quality as non-modular and that is a budget PSU. For a system that is going be online 8+ hours a day and running at a bit higher power draw, the added efficiency of 80+ Gold will recover the difference in cost in 1-2 years. All while being quieter and having higher quality components.

At $228 there is little to no reason to get the i5 when the competing Ryzen 3600/X are $167 & $229 respectively. Heck at $229 there is little reason to get the 3600X. The 3600 has a 700MHz higher base clock and boost clock only 100MHz lower, but 10% higher IPC. All while costing $60 less. The 3600X has a 900MHz higher base clock and 100MHz higher boost clock.

For all of $10 you can get the 1650 Super that is much faster than the 1650.
 

gamenadez

Commendable
Feb 17, 2018
378
51
1,790
If only your goal is for rendering only

Goal: Is it possible to upgrade this PC to use for 3d image development and high resolution 2d rendering only. - no animation or games..

The only thing you need to upgrade.
1.) Motherboard - ASROCK B450M 71$
2.) CPU - Ryzen 5 2600 145$
3.) RAM - 16GB (2x8GB) 80$ or Corsair 32GB (2x16GB) 150$. But I dont think you need 32GB RAM for rendering.
4.) GPU - 1650 Super 190$
-------------------
486$ + Free Shipping on amazon :O You dont need HD since your old one has one? or maybe SSD. You dont need NVME unless you dont have time to wait for your windows os to load and saving your files.. NVME make your work faster to load stuff and save stuff on rendering. But if you can wait for 2-3 seconds its all good with SSD.

That about it. For Rendering, Blender, CAD that the cheapest.. Dont go for High End CPU as your purpose is for rendering..
 
Last edited:
If only your goal is for rendering only

Goal: Is it possible to upgrade this PC to use for 3d image development and high resolution 2d rendering only. - no animation or games..

The only thing you need to upgrade.
1.) Motherboard - ASROCK B450M 71$
2.) CPU - Ryzen 5 2600 145$
3.) RAM - 16GB (2x8GB) 80$ or Corsair 32GB (2x16GB) 150$. But I dont think you need 32GB RAM for rendering.
4.) GPU - 1650 Super 190$
-------------------
486$ + Free Shipping on amazon :O You dont need HD since your old one has one? or maybe SSD. You dont need NVME unless you dont have time to wait for your windows os to load and saving your files.. NVME make your work faster to load stuff and save stuff on rendering. But if you can wait for 2-3 seconds its all good with SSD.

That about it. For Rendering, Blender, CAD that the cheapest.. Dont go for High End CPU as your purpose is for rendering..
Blender System Requirements
Recommended
  • 64-bit quad core CPU
  • 16 GB RAM
  • Full HD display
  • Three button mouse or pen+tablet
  • Graphics card with 4 GB RAM
Optimal
  • 64-bit eight core CPU
  • 32 GB RAM
  • Full HD displays
  • Three button mouse and pen+tablet
  • Graphics card with +12 GB RAM
Of the rendering software that you use, Blender has the highest system requirements. Going with an 8 core CPU, 32GBRAM, & 4/6GB VRAM GPU will be a mix of Optimal & Recommended systems. If only going with the 6 core, spending the extra $20 on the Ryzen 3600 would be what I would do. You will get 15-20% more performance per core for 14% more cost.
For SSD the difference in cost between the cheapest good SATA SSD & budget NVMe is minimal. And the cheapest high end NVMe has a $20 price difference.
PCPartPicker Part List

Storage: Crucial MX500 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($114.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Western Digital Blue 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($114.44 @ Amazon)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($112.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $602.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-06-09 15:34 EDT-0400
 

gamenadez

Commendable
Feb 17, 2018
378
51
1,790
Blender System Requirements
Recommended
  • 64-bit quad core CPU
  • 16 GB RAM
  • Full HD display
  • Three button mouse or pen+tablet
  • Graphics card with 4 GB RAM
Optimal
  • 64-bit eight core CPU
  • 32 GB RAM
  • Full HD displays
  • Three button mouse and pen+tablet
  • Graphics card with +12 GB RAM
Of the rendering software that you use, Blender has the highest system requirements. Going with an 8 core CPU, 32GBRAM, & 4/6GB VRAM GPU will be a mix of Optimal & Recommended systems. If only going with the 6 core, spending the extra $20 on the Ryzen 3600 would be what I would do. You will get 15-20% more performance per core for 14% more cost.
For SSD the difference in cost between the cheapest good SATA SSD & budget NVMe is minimal. And the cheapest high end NVMe has a $20 price difference.
PCPartPicker Part List

Storage: Crucial MX500 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($114.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Western Digital Blue 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($114.44 @ Amazon)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($112.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $602.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-06-09 15:34 EDT-0400

I was going for Ryzen 3600. But they are all Out of Stock.

https://blenderartists.org/t/16gb-to-32gb-ram/581920

The only huge difference between 16-32GB if you using "Adobe After Effects" with disabled Disk Cache.. Most Rendering are the same with 1-3 seconds difference between them, which is not noticeable.

But if you have a GPU Accceleration enabled & Disk Cache Enabled on MX500 its called Momentum Cache. There no difference between 16 or 32GB on Adobe After Effects.