Building rendering system..Need help

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Dot50Cal

Regular
Im helping a relative of mine build a new PC so he can work at home. He will be running Pro Engineer where he works with 3D models. The IT guy has set some fairly broad specs. They are as follows:

PCi Express Motherboard
512MB Video Card (Can be consumer level -- PCIe)
At least 1 gig DDR ram
AMD Processor

I have a pretty broad knowledge of hardware but its been a while since I looked into the latest and greatest.

That isnt to say that he needs a top end system, rather the opposite. Something that fits within the specs above, but is relatively cheap. His current PC is junk and takes hours since every time he has to adjust the camera it re-renders the whole scene.

If anyone can make some suggestions I would be very thankful!
 
does the vid card has to be good?. on the lower end there's 7600GS 512MB (who knows, would that enough for his pro stuff? might give it a try), else you jump to 7950GT.

the RAM : definitely two gigs, it's more affordable now.
mothetboard : whatever cheap and good
good PSU (fortron green 400W or other)
X2 3600+ or 3800+
 
Cant you ask for more detailed specs and give a price range? because this isnt that helpfull. AMD cpu could mean anything from a 3200+ to AMD's fastest cpu's. 512mb gfx could also mean the 512mb equvilant of a fx5200.

I dont know the program he's using but as far as my experiance with 3dsm goes you want the fastest cpu you can find if it comes down to rendering and for the modeling itself the faster your gpu the better. So if I where you i'd check the budget and pretty much focus on the cpu and gpu. RAM isnt that expensive so 1gb more or less shouldnt really matter for the price.
 
Any reason he "needs" an AMD CPU other than the IT guys just doesn't like Intel?

It looks like they recommend ATI for Pro Engineer, but that could just be marketing.

http://ati.amd.com/products/workstation/ptc.html

I think budget will have a lot to do with your choice. The more you spend, the more efficient your friend can work. You may not think it matters a lot, but all of small times of waiting add up.

Unfortunately, I could not find any recommended specs on the manufacturer's website.
 
i know pro engineer has a 64bit version dont know if its faster though
i would sugeest emailing them with some questions and look for some benchmarks to see if its worth getting a pro gfx card
 
Coming from someone who just bought a socket 939 Opteron... there is absolutely NO reason not to buy a Core 2 Duo these days. unless you're strict about overclocking, your mobo will only be about 10-20% more expensive, DDR2 RAM will be cheaper and the cheapest C2Ds (~$150 USD) are pretty blazingly fast. You could go cheapy and futureproof somewhat for only $275 + video card, or spend $300ish and overclock by 50% or more, or go all out and have a top-of-the-line rendering PC... as for workstation cards, sorry, not my thing, can't help you. ;)
 
Update it to a new socket (AM2 or LGA775, depends on AMD/Intel) and then of course switch a different processor. A AM2 and X2 3800+ combination would be great and not cost much more, actually it would be right about the same cost once you remove the heatsink (Thermaltake? Give me a break...) and either simply use stock (suggested unless the person wants very quiet) or go with a cheaper yet better solution. You would also be able to double the memory amount to 2GB for around $40~$50 more, I would say its worth it personally but depending on budget requirements...

I would also suggest getting a larger hard drive, won't cost much and then possibly looking at a better power supply. While Thermaltake top end PSU are not nearly as bad as they use to be, I still do not trust their bottom rung equipment.
 
All he uses the PC for is this application, theres no need for more than 80 gigs. RAM specs are in line with Pro Engineer as is the CPU. I dont feel the need to change anything else on this as like I said, he doesnt play games or do anything else on the PC besides work, email, browsing.
 
Do as you like, but I have to back up Skyring on most of his points. I just spent $90 USD on a 320 GB hard drive (Seagate, so it was slightly more expensive than average). Also, if you're going to pay a small fortune for a cpu cooler, make it a Thermalright, or some Zalman or such if you want a silent cooler. Or just scrap the cooler (since you're obviously not overclocking -- it appears you've forgotten to buy a motherboard?) and go stock... that cooler just seems like it stands out as an odd place to spend extra cash. You've got a nice cheap computer there, otherwise. :)
 
CPU is OEM, IIRC it doesnt include a cooler. I had an abit motherboard in, not sure what happened..Will have to check on that.
 
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