New Computer - Part 1 (Intel or AMD)

NEWEST NOTE (4-23-12)
I have stopped this series (sort of before it even got going) because the architecture and components I was focusing on are now a bit out dated. Please continue to read the new posts and follow the series I will start labeled SCAD RIG to catch up n the new PC I plan to build for my MFA.

 NOTE: I know less about hardware than I do software. I know enough to get by, and that is where the interactivity of this series of blog posts will come in. If you see something that you laugh at, don't flame me... just guide me as I would guide you if you needed to know something I did. I am not an expert computer builder so please do your own research and follow the advice of others as well and make an educated decision on your own.

When I was in my first year of college as a 3D animator back in the late 90's I had the pleasure of designing my first computer with the help of a reseller online. It was a Quantex brand computer... and unlike the Rain Man "Quantas never crashed..." quote, this computer crashed. Often. Perhaps it was Windows 95? perhaps it was the software loaded? Who knows. What I did know was that I outgrew the specs on that computer really fast.

I still have the spec sheet on it as I knew it would be fun to look at someday. It was printed on a dot matrix computer though so it is a bit faded. From what I could make out (and remember) the main specs of the machine were as follows:

300Mhz P2
32mb of RAM
8mb video card
8GB of hard drive space
56.6 dial up modem
and a 17" CRT monitor...

All for just over $2,000

Times sure have changed! Here it is in 2011, nearly 15 years later and I'd like to build a new machine. I figured I could create recurring blog on this site detailing my personal experience designing and building my new computer. I know there is a lot of research out there but I thought it may be fun to document my findings and share with the masses my personal choice. Not to mention grown and learn from the feedback that may be offered in return.

First things first: In designing the computer I want to set out knowing what I want the computer to be able to do and handle. I could get away with the basics if I was going to surf the web and write a book on the machine... but as you all know, this is NOT the kind of tower I want to design. What do I want to do with this computer? Well being a gamer and designer I need the computer to handle a lot of high end graphics. Let me make a list of the games/software that may be running at any time on the machine, most often, 3 or four of them open at once:

• A high end image/vector/video editing program (PS, IL, FL, AE, PR, ID...)
• 3DS Max, Mudbox, Maya, and UDK
• Possibly Unity or Torque
• Office suite (excell, word blah blah blah)
• A variety of smaller programs such as a browser window, notepad editor, mail client, AVG antivirus...

As for games, well I use the PS3 a lot for that now, but i am very interested in Dungeon Seige III and possibly From Dust... at least at first glance. but both of those would run easily with any system I set up to design/develop so lets focus on the 3D modeling/rendering and video editing capabilities of the machine.

AMD or INTEL?
As I embark on the first of many MAJOR decision of this new build, I will have to rely on what I can find/read online. My intuition tells me to go with an Intel chip. From what I have read they handle graphics a lot better. Am I wrong? This is where the feedback from the blog readers comes in. I was looking at the Core i7 2600K, "Sandy Bridge" (I'm thinking waiting for the Ivy bridge may be expensive, and Time consuming... thoughts there?). I noticed the 2600K and upon reading further the "K" means it is unlocked and you can overclock it, right? Though I have never over clocked a computer before, I think it sounds like an interesting idea and would certainly be interested in trying it. So for $15 - $20 bucks or so, I'll keep the "K" there and leave the option available.

The Intel chips are a bit pricier, but budget is secondary to a good, stable build. Oh... and speaking of budget. Don't get me wrong. I don't have thousands to drop on this computer so I will try to keep my entire budget to under $1000, leaving room for expansion over the next few years.

Intel Core i7 Quad Core 2600K 3.4GHz:
New Egg: $314.99 (link)
Tiger Direct: $314.99 (link)

Total budget in: $314.00

So now that I know I will be going with the Intel chip my next post will review some of the motherboard options. Before I close though, I'd love the feedback from the masses on i3, i5, and i7. Knowing what I'm doing should I even look at the i3/i5 processors? I'm pretty set on the i7 Quad core. If I have the cash I'd go for the hex.. but that may be too much muscle for the price right now.

Thoughts?

-C
Chad is an Adjunct Faculty member teaching video game design in Boston, MA. His school web site is http://www.phlume.com/EDU. He can be reached for comment there.