CGTalk - New PC set-up for Photoshop + Zbrush

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Argon18

12-27-2012, 10:10 PM

Hello!

In a couple of weeks I'm going to buy a new PC + monitor.
This PC is meant to be just for work 80% Photoshop (painting), 15% zBrush(high-res character modeling) and 5% Maya(Vray renders)

I have read a lot of reviews on the different components, that's how I have chosen them but if you know about this stuff and have any idea or thought please share it. Its a lot of money and I want it to be well spent.

Specifications:
cpu: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5Ghz Box Socket =285€ / 377$
mobo: Asus P8Z77-V Deluxe =219€ / 290$
ram:G.Skill RipjawsZ DDR3 2400 PC3-19200 16GB 4X4GB CL10 =130€ / 172$
hdd: Samsung 840 Pro SSD Series 128GB SATA3 Basic Kit =134€ / 177$
case: NZXT H2 Classic Series Negra =93€ / 123$
cpu fan: Noctua NH-U12P SE2 = 60€ / 79$
psu: Be Quiet Pure Power L8 CM 730W Modular =87€ / 115$
monitor: Dell UltraSharp U2412M 24" LED IPS =249€ / 329$
Total = 1257.00 € / 1664.00 $
dvd+keyboard+mouse.

The laptop I currently have will be for gaming, movies, internet, etc..
I will use the laptop(through WiFi) or external hard drives to save finished works. Meaning that the 128GB hdd is enough to have windows + zBrush + Photoshop + current project files.

The case, power supply and CPU fan are chosen to be as quiet as possible. Bearing quality but not going crazy with the price.

WiFi, sound card and graphic card are integrated into the mother board.
Here is my main doubt.
My idea is to get a quadro 2000 and an Ultrasharp PremierColor monitor (or similar) in 6 months or so. Around ( 1000€ / 1324$ more )
Meanwhile my options about the gpu are 3.
1-Live with the hd4000 integrated in the cpu until I can upgrade it.
2-get a quadro 600 for 173€ / 229$
3-or equivalent gtx for same price... GTX 650 Ti DirectCU II OC 1GB GDDR5 164€ / 217$

The hdd and ram I think I got it right from the reviews I read.
But for the motherboard I read a lot of mixed reviews so I'm confused the brand I can chose from are Asus, Asrock, Gigabyte and Msi

If you could share your thoughts I would be very grateful :love:

tswalk

12-28-2012, 02:15 PM

unfortunately it looks like Adobe still has not "certified" the GTX6xx series for use with photoshop CS6...

http://www.nvidia.com/docs/IO/121765/adobe-hardware-performance-white-paper-2012-06-27.pdf

seems that they (mostly nvidia) are really pushing the Quadro for professional work... but I (and many others on a tight budget) work with the consumer geforce cards just fine. It did look like that AE works with the 680 though.

as for Zbrush... from my understanding, it is very heavily CPU dependent. I could not find in my own research, any GPU benefits with the software at all... but, I still have to learn it, so I don't know.

AJ1

12-28-2012, 06:45 PM

Hey man,

If your not planing on overclocking, the stock CPU cooler that comes with the 3770K should be plenty.

16GB of RAM can fill up pretty quickly in PS, so it might be a good idea to start with 2-8GB sticks to leave yourself room to upgrade.

-AJ

Argon18

12-28-2012, 08:43 PM

tswalk: Yes. I think that photoshop as well as zbrush relay on cpu and ram that's why I think the integrated hd4000 should be enough. So I can save some cash for a future update of a quadro + true color monitor.

AJ1: Thank you. I didn't know it comes with the fan. I cut some euros there ;)
Agree with the ram 2x8 thing... It was my first thought but from this vendor If I want 2x8 it changes to Trident instead of Ripjaws (if I want to keep the 2400 19200 numbers)
I read they are basically the same but most of the people prefered Ripjaws...

Overclock.net poll says Asus Maximus V is best motherboard and Fractal Define R4 best silent case so I switched to those on the setup.

so far:
cpu: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5Ghz Box Socket 1155
mobo: Asus Maximus V Formula
ram: G.Skill Trident X DDR3 2400 PC3-19200 16GB 2x8GB CL10
hdd: Samsung 840 Pro SSD Series 128GB SATA3 Basic Kit
case: Fractal Define R4 Black Pearl
psu: Be Quiet Pure Power L8 CM 730W Modular
monitor: Dell UltraSharp U2412M 24" LED IPS

tswalk

12-29-2012, 12:38 AM

i can understand that... but i think you may be disappointed with the HD 4000.. just looking at quick performance/value measures it is really bad.

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/video_lookup.php?gpu=Intel+HD+4000

here's more data that may have some relevance for you when it comes time to upgrade the GPU:

http://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Adobe-Photoshop-CS6-GPU-Acceleration-161

I'ld be interested to know once you get the system running, how the HD 4000 performs for you though.

CKPinson

12-29-2012, 04:07 AM

Intel HD 4000 is crap which is the main reason i avoided fujitsu or lenovo sketch tablets for serious work.

Wouldn't go with the quadro 2000- try at least for the 4000 or even the k5000 if you can afford it. the 2000 is only 128 bit which i believe will impact performance at large scale scenes more so than a 256 bit card such as the 4000.

http://www.nvidia.com/content/PDF/product-comparison/Product_Comparison_Oct_2012.pdf

vizion

01-06-2013, 07:55 PM

You do not need a quadro for either ps or zbrush. You are paying a premium for name, not only a minimal guaranteed performance with it. If I were you, I would look at both alternative gaming cards from Amd and nvidia.
I run an Evga GTX 670 ftw with cs6 and zbrush, and have had no issues in daily usage for the past few months. My roommate is running a Gigabyte 7970 windforce card, and he uses Softimage/mudbox/modo/cs6 with no problems. I know his card is better for softimage than mine, but I don't use that software, so I'm content with the gtx.