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Started By
Message
looking for a cheap pc build/buy
Posted on 9/21/14 at 2:33 am
Posted on 9/21/14 at 2:33 am
I would mostly be using the computer for music and 3d modeling software, but would like it to be able to run games like the total war franchise and Skyrim. I don't want to spend more than $400. I already have the monitor, mouse, and keyboard. Will hang up and listen.
2
Posted on 9/21/14 at 8:35 am to kingbob
Gaming board
Posted on 9/21/14 at 11:33 am to kingbob
I can help you later this afternoon.
Edit: what 3d modeling software specifically
Edit: what 3d modeling software specifically
This post was edited on 9/21/14 at 11:56 am
Posted on 9/21/14 at 2:05 pm to ILikeLSUToo
Autodesk Revit and AutoCad. 3DS Max, photoshop, and adobe will also be used to some extent
Posted on 9/21/14 at 2:52 pm to ILikeLSUToo
(no message)
This post was edited on 8/8/20 at 10:59 am
Posted on 9/21/14 at 3:10 pm to kingbob
I don't know how heavily into 3D modeling you are, but $400 is on the low side even for one or the other (3D modeling vs. Gaming). The problem is Revit is almost entirely CPU-dependent, and same goes for autocad. What a good GPU will get you is smoother real-time manipulation/rotation of the models, but $400 isn't going to get you to that point anyway. Building it yourself may help, because anything off the shelf prebuilt is not going to cut it for this.
Even worse, it's tough to decide between multi-threaded performance or single-core power, because Revit can use multiple threads in many tasks, and autocad mostly favors single-core performance. However, Skyrim also favors single-core performance, and not everything in Revit is multi-threaded, so if I were to build something in your budget with your usage in mind, it'd have to be single-thread focused.
Here's what I came up with. I can't really think of a better balance here of single-core performance, GPU acceleration, and gaming for this budget. It's $427.90 after rebates/promos. You could knock it down to $400 by going with the R9-260X instead of the GTX 750 Ti. Both will run Skyrim at high/ultra quite well at 1080P, and Total War Rome 2 at high-ish settings. The 750 Ti pulls ahead most of the time, though.
PCPartPicker part list: LINK
Price breakdown by merchant: LINK /
CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-D PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($23.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $427.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-21 15:59 EDT-0400
Even worse, it's tough to decide between multi-threaded performance or single-core power, because Revit can use multiple threads in many tasks, and autocad mostly favors single-core performance. However, Skyrim also favors single-core performance, and not everything in Revit is multi-threaded, so if I were to build something in your budget with your usage in mind, it'd have to be single-thread focused.
Here's what I came up with. I can't really think of a better balance here of single-core performance, GPU acceleration, and gaming for this budget. It's $427.90 after rebates/promos. You could knock it down to $400 by going with the R9-260X instead of the GTX 750 Ti. Both will run Skyrim at high/ultra quite well at 1080P, and Total War Rome 2 at high-ish settings. The 750 Ti pulls ahead most of the time, though.
PCPartPicker part list: LINK
Price breakdown by merchant: LINK /
CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-D PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($23.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $427.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-21 15:59 EDT-0400
This post was edited on 9/21/14 at 3:12 pm
Posted on 9/21/14 at 3:45 pm to ILikeLSUToo
Damn, that was exactly what i wanted to know! I've never physically built a pc before. Do you live in the br area? I would be interested in someone helping me build it.
Do you think such a build would also work for music recording?
Do you think such a build would also work for music recording?
Posted on 9/21/14 at 4:17 pm to kingbob
quote:
Do you think such a build would also work for music recording?
You'll get best results with a good audio interface like the Presonus Audiobox or Firestudio Mobile. You can record through your regular "line in" port, but you need to send "line out" (often called "tape deck" or "control room" on mixers) into it.
If you're starting from scratch as far as equipment is concerned, consider purchasing a Blue Yeti Pro as a model you can scale up to run in stereo with a mixer down the line, but straight into USB the day you buy it. You can get it cheaper by going the USB-only route, and if you never plan to scale up your studio at all, it's a fine option.
Posted on 9/21/14 at 4:28 pm to Hopeful Doc
That was also increadibly helpful!
Posted on 9/21/14 at 4:29 pm to kingbob
quote:
Do you live in the br area? I would be interested in someone helping me build it.
Yes, Greenwell Springs area. My house is not really a wife-approved venue for PC building right now (lots of boxes and clutter for old baby stuff, etc. we are going to be donating or selling). If you live reasonably close, I wouldn't have a problem helping out. I've also walked people through complete builds via Skype, if you have a webcam.
Posted on 9/21/14 at 4:34 pm to ILikeLSUToo
I live in baton rouge in the garden district, close enough?
Posted on 9/21/14 at 5:11 pm to ILikeLSUToo
That would replace the current hard drive in the build, correct? I'd also need to get an external hard drive to get all of the files i want off of my nearly 6 year old lenovo laptop.
This post was edited on 9/21/14 at 5:28 pm
Posted on 9/21/14 at 7:04 pm to kingbob
No, it would be in addition to the hard drive. The idea is to install the OS, programs, and one or two games (Skyrim is a good candidate) on the SSD, and then all of your media files (documents, videos, pics, music) and downloads would be stored on the hard drive.
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