Alexx Posted June 14, 2005 Report Share Posted June 14, 2005 Hayo, well my computer is getting pretty crappy and old now, so i'm replacing it. I basically just need new main internals, so motherboard, processor, ram, HD, and graphics card. This computer is used 100% for work, Photoshop, Painter, and 3d rendering. I never game or do anything else on it (i have a sperate machine for that), so the spec has to squeeze max photoshop / maya perforance for the price. I'll be runnin XP pro, since thats what all my software is for. I have about £450-£500 max, but i'd rather stay under if possible. Any ideas on possible specs? I havn't payed much attention to hardware for a couple of years now, so I don't know whats around and what prices. Any links, possible specs are much appreciated. Idealy I'd like lots of ram, lots of storage, resonable processor (best suited) and a graphics card that will handle maya well, but no need to game on it. Cheers Guys :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtbiker Posted June 14, 2005 Report Share Posted June 14, 2005 You'll be wanting a pentium with HT for the sort of stuff you're doing. Plenty of RAM (at least 1gb) probably go for Crucial for a good balance between quality and price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexx Posted June 14, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2005 Any specifics on that? there are too many damn models! Will HT make a difference? And I was thinking about the 2gb RAM mark, Alias Image Studio is pretty heavy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tank_rider Posted June 14, 2005 Report Share Posted June 14, 2005 I'd definately say go for a P4 with hyperthreading (HT) as it effectively splits the processor in two. Increasing numbers of programs are being written for multiple cored or hyperthreading CPU's and those that arent, max out one of the virtual cores allowing you to still do other things with the remaining virtual core, this is handy if you are doing heavy rendering but still want to be able to use your PC, say for photoshop. Ideally you would want to go for an opteron or xeon workstation processor but they would more than likely be out of your budget, or compramise you system due to having to downfrade other componants. In terms of RAM, i would go for the lowest CL rating you can get, whilst this isnt as critical to system performance as with AMD based systems it shows a good quality stick of RAM. 2 x 1Gb sticks of CL2, or CL2.5 RAM would be good for normal DDR, CL3 would be good for DDR2. Unfortunately i don't know much about P4 systems so my advice is pretty limited. Give the bit-tech.net forum a look, as there are lots of very knowlegeable people on there. For hard drives the important thing to consider is the amount of cache, and the speed (rpm). A western digital raptor spinning at 10,000 rpm would be good for your programs and operating system whilst a 7200 rpm sata hard drive with a large amount (8Mb+) cache is what you would want to be looking for in terms of storage. Check out the P4 bundles on www.overclockers.co.uk as they represent good value and usually a nicely balanced system. For graphics, i don't have a clue what would be best for use with maya, probably a workstation nVidia Quadra series or matrox card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexx Posted June 14, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2005 Ok, thats very helpfull, I'll head over to bit-tech for some info too :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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