56 replies to this topic

[somescarygirl]

The more I read the better the firegl 3600 seems for maya. I just found this too.
http://adcom.webmerc...4400;b:623;pl:1

http://adcom.webmerc...4400;b:623;pl:1

Edited by somescarygirl, 30 March 2009 - 02:41 AM.

[somescarygirl]

And this...maybe I should stop reading so much lol
http://www.tomshardw...ion,1995-5.html

http://www.tomshardw...ion,1995-9.html

Edited by somescarygirl, 30 March 2009 - 02:49 AM.

[somescarygirl]

It seems like the FireGL V3600 maybe better for what I'm doing but the Quadro FX 570 seems better than the Quadro FX1400.

[jephree]

Well you've found some fairly detailed reviews there. Not much I can add. The FireGL line looks like the best in that price range but I have no personal experience with this type of card. I run multiple 8800GTX in Sli for gaming. The closest I come to any CAD app is Google SketchUp.

[somescarygirl]

Thanks for all the feed back I think I may be set on the firegl 3600 its the cheapest and the only one of the 3 I'm looking at that maya specifically notes as qualified for their software. At someone point I want to get a real workstation cards but even the lower end of those would be my entire budget right now. I am still unsure on the whole ram issue because I've heard so many things. What do you suggest?

[jephree]

I suggest you pick a motherboard first. Most boards will have a QVL which although not definite still makes your choice easier. RAM compatibility and performance is very unique to different boards. In general I will say you want DDR2 1066 unless you choose to go to DDR3. Depends on the board you choose.

[somescarygirl]

I think I'm going to go with this: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813128359

Seems like a good choice for the price, but now that I am going with the firegl I could spend up to an extra $50 on the motherboard or on another component? What do you think?

[jephree]

Here is the Gigabyte page on that board:

http://www.gigabyte....me=GA-EP45-UD3R

Memory

1. 4 x 1.8V DDR2 DIMM sockets supporting up to 16 GB of system memory
2. Dual channel memory architecture
3. Support for DDR2 1366+*/1066/800/667 MHz memory modules

* Refer to Memory Support List for more information.

Here is their basic QVL:

http://www.gigabyte....a-ep45-ud3r.pdf

I am suggesting DDR2 1066 as well as 2 x 2GB. I should say I suggest matching your RAM speed to the CPU which I believe we had at 1066. Also if you are not overclocking then we need to stick with 1.8V sticks.

When I plug all this into Newegg they only return one find:

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820148249

Here is the Crucial site: http://www.crucial.com/

Verify using the Crucial Memory Advisor tool.

[somescarygirl]

New build-
Case:$50 either way
I kind of likes this case better and its the same price. Do you think its any better or worse than the coolmaster I was looking at before.
Sunbeam Silent Storm IC-SS-SVBK Black/Silver Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Pasted from http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811166030

Power supply:$85 or $65
I have a little extra money so I was thinking a nicer power supply that would still work if I upgraded the system later down the line or do you think to 550W is fine?
CORSAIR 550w VX Series 12v ATX 80 Plus Certified Power Supply
Pasted from http://www.amazon.co...il/-/B000WU2FGK
or
CORSAIR 750w TX Series 80 Plus Certified Power Supply
Pasted from http://www.amazon.co...p;s=electronics

Motherboard:$100
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Pasted from http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813128359

Processor:$233
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
Pasted from http://accessories.u...f0fp19485c0s558

Ram:$20
CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
Pasted from http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820145184

Video Card:$142
Firegl V3600 256MB (This is the same card right?)
Pasted from http://www.amazon.co...ag=cnet-1423-20

Hard Drive:$130
Seagate Barracuda ES.2 ST3750330NS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Pasted from http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822148295

DVD:$27
ASUS Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE 22X DVD Burner with LightScribe - Retail
Pasted from http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827135192

At the end of it all with rebates and the more expensive power supply my total comes to $787. I still have an extra 20-50 to spend. Should I get better ram or anything or just leave it at that?

[jephree]

Looks good. I would go with the RAM I posted but that is simply my preference. It certainly does not match the deal you posted and the performance would probably be similar. You will note your RAM is 1.9V and the motherboard default is 1.8V. This is so close that it probably does not matter but you might need a 1.8V stick to boot the board and change the BIOS to 1.9V. Again as this is so close it might not matter. If you had 2.0V or higher you would definitely need a 1.8V to boot and change the BIOS. Contrary to the other forum you are posting to I think Seagate is better than WDD but you are simply getting personal opinions now. That other guy probably had a bad Seagate or two whereas I have had too many bad WDD. I don't want to get involved with cross posting forums so I won't look at that other one again. I will just mention when you are dealing with problems it is widely discouraged in the forum world to cross post topics but as in this case you are just shopping for opinions I guess it is not a big deal. It would be nice however for all parties involved to know that this topic is active on multiple forums.

[somescarygirl]

Yea after reading through some reviews I decided on the seagate because it just seemed more reliable. I just started using forums really, but thanks for the tip. I didn't realize that you weren't supposed to do that, but I guess it makes sense not to have 5 different people from 5 different forums all helping you on one thing. Thanks for all your help and advice!

[jephree]

No problem. Let us know if we can help further.