Thoughts on a new rendering machine

[rsuleyman]

Hi everyone,

First of all, sorry for yet another hardware advice post.

I'm currently using Cinema 4D and VRay and Octane on a 27" iMac to do architectural visualisation. I bought Octane a long time ago and used it for a bit on an old low-spec PC with a GTX 460 but it couldn't handle very big scenes and was too slow for my needs. Since getting this iMac I've been able to start using Octane properly and it's really come a long way over the past couple of years.

The problem is that the 2GB GTX 680MX on my iMac is a bit limiting for my work and it doesn't seem like there will be a way to use an external GPU over Thunderbolt anytime soon.

So I've put together a list of parts for a self-build computer and just wanted some thoughts/advice.

Here's the spec:

Asus P8Z77 WS Motherboard
Intel i7 3770K CPU (I plan to use the integrated HD4000 GPU to power a 27" 2560*1440 display. Looking around on this forum and on the web it seems possible using DisplayPort)
32GB Ram (the maximum the motherboard can take)
120GB Intel SSD + 3TB HDD
6GB EVGA GTX Titan Superclocked (just 1 of these to start with but space to add 3 more eventually)
Probably a 1500W PSU (not sure which one is best)
Fractal Design Define XL R2 Case (includes 3 fans. Not sure if this is enough though, especially as I add more Titans)
27" Dell U2713H LED Monitor
Windows 8

You can see the list here: http://www.scan.co.uk/savedbasket/176bc ... 729093b25a

Do you think this is a good machine? All together it comes to around £3k. It might not be the most powerful computer in terms of CPU but I can see that I'll be using VRay less and less and moving most of my work to Octane. And the 3770K can be overclocked quite a lot with the right cooling if needed.

I still have 2 Mac Mini's which I use as a mini renderfarm for VRay rendering.

So is there anything I'm missing? What would you change if it was your computer?

Any advice or recommendations will be greatly appreciated. This will be the first PC I've built myself and hopefully will last me a while.

Thanks in advance,

Rico

[bepeg4d]

hi, very good expandable set up
the only thing that sounds strange for me is the 27", from the asus site:

Integrated Graphics Processor
VGA output support : DVI port
- Supports DVI with max. resolution 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz

ciao beppe

[JeffGalloway]

bookmarked

[rsuleyman]

Well spotted beppe. I hadn't noticed that. Thanks.

It seems that the P8Z77 V-Premium supports DisplayPort output @ 2560x1440 and it's only a bit more expensive. It also has Thunderbolt, which might be useful. I'll go for this one instead.

One thing I'm not too sure about is the cooling fans. The case comes with 3x140mm fans but there's space for 7 in total. Are there any rules or guidelines when it comes to cooling? Or is it a case of just getting as much airflow as possible? Or would water cooling be better? This is my first build so I'd like to keep it simple if possible.

Thanks,

Rico

[tuts3d]

I'd say get a 512gb boot drive at least 256gb 120 is too small. After installing a few programs, you won't have enough space for temp files especially if you do a lot of Photoshop after rendering.

This was a mistake I made before so I thought I should share.

[rsuleyman]

Good advice tuts3d. Thanks. I'll go for a 512GB Samsung SSD instead.

Rico