Kunal 18 June 2011 08:01 AM
Processor- i7 2600k
Motherboard- Asus P8Z68V
Memory- Corsair DD3 16 GB
Cabinet- Cooler master 690
Power Supply- Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 600W
Graphics card- GTX 560 ti
OS- Win 7 Professional x64
Monitor- 1280*1024 ( reusing from my old system for now)
HDD- 2 X WD Caviar Black 1 TB SATA Hard Drives 6GB/s (WD1002FAEX)
--CPU--
i7 2600k is a good choice. Yes, the i9XX series may have a bit of advantage on rendering but for the price, forget it.
--MoBo--
P8Z68V is a good one. But I’d avoid SSD caching for stability/reliability issues. As a standard rule for your working environment: Always try to minimize risk. Having SSD caching requires more components involved in the action and then, you will have at least 2 elements prone to fail anytime instead of one. It would be faster of course, but there is that bit of higher risk. I’d go with a single 120+ GB SSD for the Operating System and Programs.
Maybe you’d be tempted to forget Z68 and go P67 because possibly you won’t be making use of all Z68’s features but please, steer clear from P67 for now. Too many random issues and power loop startup problems.
Also, use Overclocking sparingly.. ;-)
--GPU--
When it comes to making a choice for multiple software platform but mostly rendering and 3DS Max on a budget, one has to forget two things: The Quadro line and anything that’s not Nvidia.
Keep in mind that for 3DS Max the rendering is, to this day, handled by the CPU and System Memory while the GPU carries on the viewport display. In this case, ANY model that will “consume” 1GB of GPU memory on the display won’t discriminate if it’s a Quadro or GeForce or Tarzan’s mother in law. And if for some reason you get a model that eats up 2GB of GPU memory, the same principle applies, but to keep you on the safe track, 2GB is definitely a big plus. I’d go with the GTX 560ti 2GB GPU.
--PSU--
Spare no expense on the quality for this item. See if you can get an 80 Plus (at least bronze) and raise power to at least 650 watts for the possible expansion of second GPU.
The difference between standard, 80+, 80+ Bronze, ...Gold and others is finally your Electric consumption and bill. If you put a PSU to work at it’s top efficiency or more, it will draw more from the outlet. Browse for “PSU calculator” online and you will find some interactive pages on which you can input your configuration and it will advise you on the total wattage you may need.
Notes:
You didn’t mention the type of memory.. check if it’s possible to go with 1600 if you are quite familiar with Overclocking and plan to do so.
Keep your case cool and your CPU cooler.
If you finally choose to go with the 2GB GTX 560ti, check a dual fan model. (don’t know if there are single fan models TBH)
Finally, go with a case that has REAL dust filters that are washable like the nylon/plastic mesh ones. For some particular reason, I hate foam cheapo dust collectors. Cooler Master cases are great but there’s that tiny spot right there, where it hurts.
Good Luck!
| 
