Pure rendering machine for £500-600

[lakedude]

Technically top fans provide better ventilation do to the chimney effect (hot air rises) but I like a case you can put junk on top of.

Your modern parts are not going to generate all that much heat so I wouldn't worry too much about it one way or another.

The 660 is going to pull at most 140 watts and the CPU's TDP is an 80 watt part. That is significant enough to require decent ventilation but not enough to need an extreme cooling solution. I've got a similar setup with front and back fans, none on top and it is fine.

When I was running a 6 core chip with 3x video cards I used a case that had a huge top fan and it still caught on fire!

 

[lakedude]

You might look at one of the Cooler Master Hyper 212 cooling solutions to keep that CPU nice and cool...

http://www.anandtech.com/show/2366

 

[brisk]

Technically top fans provide better ventilation do to the chimney effect (hot air rises) but I like a case you can put junk on top of.

Your modern parts are not going to generate all that much heat so I wouldn't worry too much about it one way or another.

The 660 is going to pull at most 140 watts and the CPU's TDP is an 80 watt part. That is significant enough to require decent ventilation but not enough to need an extreme cooling solution. I've got a similar setup with front and back fans, none on top and it is fine.

When I was running a 6 core chip with 3x video cards I used a case that had a huge top fan and it still caught on fire!

Can't decide between NZXT Source 210 Elite or cooler master k280

 

[Dubb]

Some clarification:

Vray has several different processing methods. Vray RT is the 'real time' technology that uses the GPU to show what is basically a render preview that updates in real time.

Most folks use RT to check lighting and materials, then use one of the non-RT options for the final render.

A "pure rendering" box probably does not need a GPU for RT.

 

[lakedude]

Can't decide between NZXT Source 210 Elite or cooler master k280

Both have one USB 3 port on the front and both have a ton of room for hard drives if you ever want to make a storage system. The "look" of the CM would have appealed to me more when I was younger.

One of my friends has an NZXT case and he really likes it. Can't go wrong either way IMHO but what do I know?

 

[mfenn]

Both have one USB 3 port on the front and both have a ton of room for hard drives if you ever want to make a storage system. The "look" of the CM would have appealed to me more when I was younger.

One of my friends has an NZXT case and he really likes it. Can't go wrong either way IMHO but what do I know?

:thumbsup: I would go for he Source 210 Elite because it has less of a "gamer" aesthetic. But really, go with whichever you like the looks of the best.

 

[brisk]

Some clarification:

Vray has several different processing methods. Vray RT is the 'real time' technology that uses the GPU to show what is basically a render preview that updates in real time.

Most folks use RT to check lighting and materials, then use one of the non-RT options for the final render.

A "pure rendering" box probably does not need a GPU for RT.

Okay so, Real time rendering isn't essential. It's a handy feature to have but doesn't need to work perfectly, so I'm thinking is the GPU I have overrkill for what I just said (So I can spend some more on a better CPU?)

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2FPUT

 

[mfenn]

Okay so, Real time rendering isn't essential. It's a handy feature to have but doesn't need to work perfectly, so I'm thinking is the GPU I have overrkill for what I just said (So I can spend some more on a better CPU?)

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2FPUT

The thing is that you're pretty much at the top of the heap as far as affordable CPUs goes. The next logical increment would be the i7 4930K, but that costs 420 quid, not leaving enough budget for the rest of the PC.

You can certainly drop the GPU down to a GT 640 or something like that to save some cash overall though.

 

[brisk]

The thing is that you're pretty much at the top of the heap as far as affordable CPUs goes. The next logical increment would be the i7 4930K, but that costs 420 quid, not leaving enough budget for the rest of the PC.

You can certainly drop the GPU down to a GT 640 or something like that to save some cash overall though.

Ok thanks

 

[brisk]

Still working on this, trying to scrimp any money I can.

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2QXn1

I'm thinking of docking the memory down to 8gb? Not sure if that's smart idea. This is the idea of the kind of renders my friend wants to do:

http://imgur.com/kGN36Ze

Regarding displays. 24 inch. BenzQ one is 133 quid, Asus one is 150. Any difference?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824014345

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236102

 

[mfenn]

You can save a little on the RAM by going with this Crucial kit for £110.

The monitors are both extremely similar, so between the two I would get the one that costs less. However, I wouldn't buy either for this job. Instead, I'd get an IPS monitor like this LG24EA53V-P for £138.

 

[Bubbleawsome]

I'm a bit late, but I run the source 210 elite and set it up like this.
I have a 140mm fan taking in air on the side panel to the gpu.
The CPU then takes that air and takes it through the NXZT t40 I have mounted top to bottom, and out the 2x140mm fans on top.
Even with my gtx 770 dumping 200w into the CPU neither ever passes 70c. It's a great case/cooler combo.

 

[brisk]

Okay cool thanks.

I just found out my friend doesn't need mental real time v ray, just pure end result rendering so he doesn't really need a decent graphics card? So can you recommend a card that will just let you view stuff in 3ds max okay and be able to output a full hd resolution?

 

[mfenn]

Okay cool thanks.

I just found out my friend doesn't need mental real time v ray, just pure end result rendering so he doesn't really need a decent graphics card? So can you recommend a card that will just let you view stuff in 3ds max okay and be able to output a full hd resolution?

The GT 640 is about as low as you can do in terms of discrete cards that are worth anything. Switching over to a Xeon with IGP or an i7 4770 would eat up a good chunk of the savings. Intel's driver compatibility with pro apps isn't the best, so I would stick with the GT 640.

 

[brisk]

The GT 640 is about as low as you can do in terms of discrete cards that are worth anything. Switching over to a Xeon with IGP or an i7 4770 would eat up a good chunk of the savings. Intel's driver compatibility with pro apps isn't the best, so I would stick with the GT 640.

Okay cool and what about 8gb vs 16gb vs 32gb of ram?

 

[mfenn]

Okay cool and what about 8gb vs 16gb vs 32gb of ram?

Completely depends on the RAM needs of your friend's models. If they only need 8GB, then getting any more would be a waste. How much are they using now?

 

[brisk]

Okay thanks,

Last question I think. So do I need to buy any extra fans for NZXT
Source 210 Elite (Black)?

Or are there any cheap fans which are silent but still good?

Also I can't find out the noise of the stock Intel Xeon E3-1240V3 fan.

 

[Bubbleawsome]

Okay thanks,

Last question I think. So do I need to buy any extra fans for NZXT
Source 210 Elite (Black)?

Or are there any cheap fans which are silent but still good?

No. I'm dumping ~300w into the same case and with the rear running 100% and my t40 cooler it maxed at 70c CPU, 65 gpu. I recommend setting up an intake 140mm on the side, another 120/140mm on the bottom if it isn't carpet (mine is.) and either 1 or 2 140mm out takes on top. Then line the CPU cooler with the air up/down. I've hear the corsair sp series is amazing, but they aren't cheap.

 

[mfenn]

Okay thanks,

Last question I think. So do I need to buy any extra fans for NZXT
Source 210 Elite (Black)?

Or are there any cheap fans which are silent but still good?

Also I can't find out the noise of the stock Intel Xeon E3-1240V3 fan.

There is no such thing as a silent fan. I think the word you are looking for is "quiet" or "inaudible". Anyway, no you won't need any extra fans for a PC that uses as little power as this one.

As for noise, the Intel stock cooler is fairly low under load. You can get a quieter aftermarket HSF like the Freezer i30, but obviously that adds cost.

 

[brisk]

There is no such thing as a silent fan. I think the word you are looking for is "quiet" or "inaudible". Anyway, no you won't need any extra fans for a PC that uses as little power as this one.

As for noise, the Intel stock cooler is fairly low under load. You can get a quieter aftermarket HSF like the Freezer i30, but obviously that adds cost.

So I'll get a fan for my CPU.

With the cae I get a 120 and a 140. Where should these go?

Bubbl recomended I stick the 140 on the side of the case and a 120 on top sucking out?

 

[mfenn]

So I'll get a fan for my CPU.

With the cae I get a 120 and a 140. Where should these go?

Bubbl recomended I stick the 140 on the side of the case and a 120 on top sucking out?

I would recommend sticking with the stock fan locations on the Source 210. You're not building some super hot PC which needs a bunch of fans or unconventional fan locations.

 

[TheThirdMan]

Some clarification:

Vray has several different processing methods. Vray RT is the 'real time' technology that uses the GPU to show what is basically a render preview that updates in real time.

Most folks use RT to check lighting and materials, then use one of the non-RT options for the final render.

A "pure rendering" box probably does not need a GPU for RT.

Remember, vray RT doesn't support all Vray features. You can do some preview renders using vray advanced (the normal vray) by lowering the settings and resolution and it'll render pretty quick depending on the scene content.

For the GPU, it'll only be for viewport performance. If you're just modelling stuff from scratch for small scenes, you can get a low end one and be fine.

the build you've chosen looks great though.

 

[brisk]

Remember, vray RT doesn't support all Vray features. You can do some preview renders using vray advanced (the normal vray) by lowering the settings and resolution and it'll render pretty quick depending on the scene content.

For the GPU, it'll only be for viewport performance. If you're just modelling stuff from scratch for small scenes, you can get a low end one and be fine.

the build you've chosen looks great though.

My friend will be designing minor interiors so stuff will be getting complex, not sure if the GT 640 is still over powered or not.

 

[TheThirdMan]

My friend will be designing minor interiors so stuff will be getting complex, not sure if the GT 640 is still over powered or not.

Max handles its native geometry really well. If he's using imported geometry (from an architect for example), it might be worth upgrading to a quadro at a later time (k2000 etc).