New computer hardware talk advice etc

Blender Courses Talk
#1

So time to try to narrow down a set of componants.
I even think I have found a place that will build it for me by the sound of it. These configure it yourself places all seem to be, ‘only from what we have listed’ which vary by place. So not very helpful if becoming fussy! lol.

I want something 4090 based. Probably Intel 139000k ddr5 max possible. Have no use for leds inside!
Had intended founders edition 4090, but still not available yet, Not convinced of any others being worth the higher cost for 3% more out of it with overclocking messing about. Basically no overclocking wanted.
Price not a relevant restriction effectively, bar I will not pay scalpers on principle. So may have to wait longer for the founders’ edition Graphics card? Or are alternatives not the OC ones, ok?

Not water cooling, just not comfortable with it.
But cpu will need good cooling.
Platinum/gold well in hand capacity power supply.
Motherboard presumably someone’s z790?
A sound card.
DDr5 still seems only 64Bb But there is something about 2 rather than 4 or it messes up the speed. Can’t get my head around it. May be just something to ignore.

Even cases seem a nightmare to choose from! Not interested in glass see through. Seems most no longer have a place for a normal dvd drive now.

The whole thing is a nightmare. lol I guess why most just take what prebuilders offer.

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#3

To each their own i guess, if you feel its such a nightmare,
just go with a prebuilt pc which contains the cpu/gpu you want.

I personally enjoy picking parts and assembling it, so i cant imagine buying a prebuilt one.
If i had the money, id build one a year.

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#5

In my hometown is a mom and pop (well, pop anyway, mom is a nurse) shop where he will build the computer if you order the parts and bring them to him. Perhaps you should look around for something local like that. Of course, with me, there was an advantage that I grew up with the mom (high school classmate) so it wasn’t an unknown.

Yeah, DVD drives are considered “last week’s tech”, I learned when I had mine built.

You responded to this post so I guess you know, but I’ll put it as a reminder of what I ended up wtih. Dell G15 - #6 by Todd_Vance

I used several configure-it-yourself sites to get ideas, took printouts to the local guy, along with printouts of shopping carts from Newegg and Amazon, he told me what was feasible and gave me the final parts list to order.

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#6

@RustyNail Yes it probably is easier if you keep up with things all the time rather than once every seven? or so years. When younger I did build my own, but that was with win 3.1. Somehow it seemed simpler then. Less choices probably.
Yes There may come a point of giving up and taking what I can configure prebuilt. But is it irritating having some ideas but not a complete enough knowledge.

@Todd_Vance
Yes finally found a place that will probably do that for me. It is surprising how few there are now. Most are only interested in doing repairs, where they exist.
Looks like an external dvd/cd drive, which makes it an easy part!
Things keep moving on, so older builds quickly seem out of date. Though I am of the habit of buying one and then not touching it till it dies. So it is only ever up to date(ish) for a short time. Though this time I have decided to go for the best not the sensible value. Age may mean I never need another! Well perhaps one more if luck is with me. lol.

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#7

I will have a look tomorrow after ive looked around a bit online, and send you a possible setup.
Maybe it will help to point you in a direction.

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#8

I was also busy looking around for a new rig.
The best hit I got was to look for a high-end game machine.
But as NP5 said, full of less For which I do not need.

This is what I found on the Blender website itself as a workable configuration.

  • 64-bit eight core CPU
  • 32 GB RAM
  • 2560×1440 display
  • Three button mouse or pen+tablet
  • Graphics card with 8 GB RAM

But if you want to know why a CPU (modeling) or why a GPU (rendering), this article is very informative.

My current build is around 3.500,- EUR
Without a monitor, which is a difficult choice.
High vertical resolution, good color gamut … two screens, or just a big one, No need for 144hz

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#9

Yes in many ways it is an easier decision if you are budget constrained. This is perhaps the one time in my life I have made the mental decision not to be. ‘Workable’ would be no particular problem as you say a high-end gaming machine.

Already have a BenQ 4k monitor. Have an older standard one I might run as a second monitor, not having used such a set up I am unsure if I will find it useful to be looking across to a separate screen.

That site is good and I have looked at it over the last year or two. Still, its configuring page lacks the options I think I want. lol. It is also out of date now offering 3090 not 4090 in its build. Perhaps he is not updating it now?

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#10

Since you said you wanted one;
-Nvidia RTX 4090

You seemed set on Intel so then indeed;
-Intel Core i9-13900K / Intel Core i9-13900KF

With that CPU/GPU, probably just go overkill on the MB too;
-ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero

For RAM it supports up to DDR5 5600MHz, so something like this would be nice;
-Corsair DOMINATOR PLATINUM RGB DDR5 5600MHz

1600 is probably overkill, but i can definetly recommend the Corsair xxxi PSU’s
(personally i’d go with a minum of 1000w if you want to pick some other PSU)
-Corsair AX1600i

You want air cooler, so then i would go for this;
-Noctua NH-D15 Chromax Black

As SSD i always prefer to go Samsung, seems 980 is the way to go atm;
-Samsung 980 Pro NVMe PCIe M.2 2TB

If you download often then you probably want to add some HDD('s)
since you dont want to do that on SSD’s

For case i would go for some Corsair/Coolermaster Bigtower from which you like the looks,
they are great cases with good airflow, and witht he 4090 you probably want to go bigtower.

Also once you tasted more than 1 screen, you will never want to go back.

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#11

Do consider water cooling… I’ve seen some 4090 with water cooling. 4090 is very loud beast. The noise levels get really annoying after a while.

The one you will get with motherboard should be more than enough unless you are doing some professional audio processing.

Yea, avoid glass, I got glass side and would gladly exchange it for solid one. And DVD… I don’t remember when I even last time saw one :sweat_smile:

Even with prebuilds it’s a nightmare :sweat_smile:. But overall having a choice is good :smiley:

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#12

@RustyNail That is brilliant thank you!

It is so helpful to see what another person with knowledge of it all would do.

Just heard of 13900KS :slight_smile:

The motherboard was a real mystery to me. I am most unlikely to do overclocking, so had wondered if I needed that top Strix brand one. It is helpful to see you went for it anyway.

The power supply I had seen the 1600 come out and yes it would be overkill but… Last two computers the PS died at some point for each, so a good quality one with plenty in hand so presumably less stressed, was a possibility I had under consideration given the power demands of these latest chips etc.

Coolers I had even more no idea so a recommendation is very useful.

SSD was what I had imagined, I have no idea as to any brand differences, so again having a recommendation is helpful.
Probably 2 and a HD seems to be the recommended set up. Space always fills up. The current one is juggling stuff off onto a MyBook. Yet when bought it seemed like a lot of overcapacity lol. Don’t download but do take some photos and they add up, not being the tidy sort who deletes anything.

Can’t see a case called that, knew of the Coolermaster brand so looked on their site and thought this looked ok? Even has a place for a dvd drive in the usual place. Less fancy lights than most, plain simple with good airflow as a supposed feature. I also like full towers, always used to have them in the old days until recently only these midi ones seem offered by prebuilders.
https://www.corsair.com/uk/en/Categories/Products/Cases/Obsidian-Series™-750D-Airflow-Edition-Full-Tower-ATX-Case/p/CC-9011078-WW#tab-tech-specs

@bOBaN Boban, I get what you mean but most seem to have gone with air cooling, even if I can’t get the founders edition. Also saw a review of a water cooled one recently and GN were saying yes rubber hoses are better but they perish, the alternative type crack. lol. Or some such thing about the tubing lasting about three years generally. As I am a buy it and do not open it again sort, I think water cooling may need more attention than I am likely to give it.

Sound card is sort of, I always have had one.

DVD drive yes I get that too! Though I kept a floppy drive for ages after I ever used one ‘just in case’. So something to read cds seems ok to have in there.
The little stuff like these I am less bothered about.

Glass seems near unavoidable, The one I have just looked at seems minimal glass and flashing leds…

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#13

Yea the motherboard is very overkill, top of the line and expensive as hell.
You can go some steps lower, especially if you dont go overclocking.

i saw people run like 850w PSU with a 4090 without problems, i would take at least 1kw,
i just fell in love with the corsair PSU, since you can monitor them in the app: in/output.

Cooler is just one of the best choices if you dont want watercooling, not much to choose there.

Corsair obsidian is a great case, easy to work with, a lot of space, good airflow.

I agree for normal use the onboard audio is pretty great on nearly any MB,
no need for a separate audiocard tbh.

Nearly every case has a clear side, but if you dont go wild on RGB, you wont see much,
apart from some MB lights. The RAM i recommended also had RGB,
you can either turn it off in the app, or go for other, im just very satisfied with Corsair RAM.

I dont have a DVD drive in a single pc i built last years,
i just bought a USB-DVD drive for those “just in case” situations, works perfectly.

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#15

Just checked out your post on new computer hardware. Thanks for starting this convo! It’s always exciting diving into the world of tech upgrades. SSDs are like the turbo boosters for your system, right? I’ve had my eye on upgrading mine, and those ones at https://starla.uk/product-category/storage/ssd-solid-state-drives/ look pretty sleek. Speeding up load times and enhancing overall performance? Count me in!

As for the topic, I believe investing in quality hardware is crucial for any serious gamer or developer. It’s like building a strong foundation for a house—you want it to be sturdy and reliable. Plus, with technology advancing so rapidly, staying up-to-date can make a world of difference in your productivity and gaming experience.

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