[amtgreen]

I want to buy/build a computer primarily for 3d animation and secondary for games. Could you please help me with some advice?

For animation I will be using Blender, capable of multi-threading. I am not really concerned of rendering times, although it is an issue; what I want is my human-like rigged characters to move smoothly in the 3d view port, without the pc moving slowly - I need the PC to instantly record and display a change I make in the character's body (arm move/leg move/torso move etc), and as synchronised as possible for lip-sync.

From time to time I would like to play some games (sports category), at a decent level (not a hard-core gamer).

Other needs: a powerfull system that consumes power as little as possible, and that lasts for at least 5 years

I found the following desktop specs. I believe they will suit my needs but I need an expert opinion.

Intel Core i5-750. 2.66Ghz, 4.8GT/s, s.1156, 8MB, 45nm
Motherboard: Gigabyte P55-UD3
Video card: NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT, GDDR3, 512 MB, 256 bit
Memory: Kingston DDR3/1333MHz 4GB
Hard Disk: HDD Samsung SATA2 7200 pmr SpinPoint F2 Eco Green Series
Power Supply: 480W

After doing some research I found that:
Blender is more compatible with Intel and NVIDIA. So:
- I chose Intel and a quad core processor to take full advantage of Blender capabilty of multi-threading. core i7 is way out of my budget. After reading some benchmarks i5 showed less power consumption than Core2Quads.

- on NVIDIA site I found that Quadro video cards apply to graphics/CAD applications but they are too expensive, and not really ment for games as well. The GeForce 9800 seems to suit my both needs and doesn't need more than 480 W power supply.
My questions are: is it to old to take in consideration, should i go for geforce GTX or GTS series, or save up for quadro? Is 512 MB enough?

- i really don't know about the hard disk. I want 500 gb maximum and 7200 prm, probably 16/32 buffer. What is best: Western Digital, Samsung, Seagate or others. For similar hard disk (price and performance) a PRO fact would be less noise.

Smaller problems:
a) What monitor to buy, 17'' or 19''? even if bigger is "cool" I am used to a 17'' CRT that displays 1024x768 and I like how things look, so I won't get something bigger that 19''. Should i go for Analog LCD or Digital LCD and what brand.

b) what OS to use. I'm thinking 64 bits and considering 4 options. Which is best:
1. Dual boot: Windows XP Pro 64 - Linux (Ubuntu Studio)
2. Dual boot: Windows 7 - 64bit - Linux (Ubuntu Studio)
3. One OS partion - Linux (Ubuntu Studio)
4. One OS partion - Windows 7 or XP

c) If this is a good desktop for my needs and I can afford it, should I wait for other intel proccesors that will go mainstream at the same price of core i5 let's say in january/february next year?

Thank you for your time (you probably had to spend some while reading this )

[BG-0]

9800 GT is quite old, not powerful, but not that bad either. GTS250 would be the next step up: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814261051 Don't know how they do in Blender, but I wouldn't worry.
Instead of Kingston RAM, I'd recommend this G. Skill kit. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231193 Faster, shouldn't cost more than the Kingston Value RAM.
You won't want an "Eco" drive for your boot disk. The power consumption difference is too minimal to make any difference anywhere, and you get a slower drive. Seagate Barracuda 7200.12s are quite fast, affordable and very quiet.
A "480W" power supply is most probably not going to be enough for your system. A quality power supply outputting 450-500 W of actual power (~36-40 A on the 12 V rails) is easily enough. Link to site where you can buy, I'll point you to a good one that's enough for your system and has a high efficiency, will decrease power consumption. (note that getting a 600W power supply can greatly cut your power consumption compared to a 450 W power supply, even if they're on par at quality. The power supplies operate most efficiently at around 65-80% of their max load.)
Samsung and Dell have very good quality monitors, Acer, Asus, LG have many very decent monitors for a more affordable price. All brands make poor monitors too. Read reviews.

I would recommend Win7+Ubuntu for OS... ~60-80 GB for the Win7 installation partition, some storage partition and/or game/program installation partitions... Plus how much your Linux installation takes as well as the programs and storage for it... If you're not sure you really need to work on Linux, you might want to leave that out, 500 GB is pretty limited.

[Ecf1]

The setup you picked out would be perfectly fine with what you want to do. However, go with brand names on the psu and the case.

Go with the gtx series, but you aren't limited to that brand.

I have heard about many tech professionals HATING seagate and western digital because of the failure rate. I have never had problems with them, but just in case, go with samsung.
An ssd would be the least noisy, but lowest price/storage.

Go with what your comfortable with. If a 17" monitor is what you like, then go with it. I try to get a monitor that has a good reputation as a computer manufacturer, or a tv one. I'd pick sony or phillips first.

If you can utilize linux to the fullest, do a dual boot. Otherwise, just stick with windows 7 (professional or ultimate) 64bit.

The next intel cores that are going to be released (or so I hear) is the core i9s. They won't drive down prices that quickly as they too will be quite costly. I say build now while you can find some deals.

These opinions are just mine, I am a hobbyist, and not technically a professional.

[Mosquito555]

Originally Posted by Ecf1

I have heard about many tech professionals HATING seagate and western digital because of the failure rate. I have never had problems with them, but just in case, go with samsung.

That's not quite true. If you hear about failed WD or Seagate drives more often it's because these companies hold the greatest market share, not because their drives are of lower quality.

Samsung on the other hand isn't that popular yet. It's obvious that their drives' reported failures will be less since they sell less units compared to WD and Seagate.

I hope you get my point.

But anyway, I'd go for a Samsung spinpoint f3 anyway if I was you. Not because this drive is of superior quality but because it's fast and runs almost silent according to various reviews.

[amtgreen]

Thank you for the fast responses. The inputs on the video card, memory and power supply are really helpful. I will take them in consideration. The GTS250 was on my list so was the Seagate Barracuda. I was wondering about the power supply but now I feel more comfortable making the right decisions.