Boxx 4500 Series Help

[Ice Czar]

ditch the quad core as not really the best return on investment (added performance vs cost)
ditch the XP64 bit and run Linux you need to learn eventually and it will give you a leg up in the market when leaving school, buy Linux 3D aps now rather than later, you can mount Windows as a virtual machine if you must use legacy applications

http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/install_suse.html
http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/vmware_server_and_windows_in_linux.html

this isnt that hard and there are reasons Linux is employed for serious rendering
get a really good power supply a PC Power & Cooling (http://www.pcpowercooling.com/products/power_supplies/high-performance/) and a good UPS with the money you save
cheap insurance and learn about ESD precuations (get a wrist strap and a grounded mat)

[imashination]

ditch the quad core as not really the best return on investment (added performance vs cost)
ditch the XP64 bit and run Linux you need to learn eventually and it will give you a leg up in the market when leaving school, buy Linux 3D aps now rather than later, you can mount Windows as a virtual machine if you must use legacy applications

Lol!, the most horrific advice ive ever read and that includes all the nvidia vs ati, intel vs amd fanboys.

If and when he gets into a large film studio and has to use a linux machine, it will take the best part of half an hour to work out how to use the front end and file managers of choice, then he will be using any regular win/osx/linux 3d app. Forcing someone to jump through the hoops of installing, configuring and maintaining a linux box wont give him the slightest advantage in any 3d job. There are no linux-only 3d apps which he can obtain on which to practice. Im surprised you didnt tell the poor guy to ditch max & photoshop and use blender+gimp.

Dont spend a large amount on a quad core machine for learning, its a terrible waste of money and it will only give you bad working habits later on. Stick with a bog standard win xp 32 installation and a decently priced dual core cpu. You wont be rendering any scenes which require >3 gigs of ram, which is the only reason you would pick a 64bit os. If you go with winxp 64 youll be stuffed for device drivers and just keep hitting incompatabilities, all for the sake of being able to use an amount of ram which you dont own.

Other than that the rest of the specs are fine, as you say youre bringing over some existing hd space.

[cynik6]

So I reconfigured the Boxx comp after the advice:
Intel® Core 2 Duo Processor E6700 (2.67GHz) (Dual-Core)
2GB DDR2 800 (2 DIMMS)
NVIDIA Quadro FX 1500 256MB Pro Video Edition
120GB 7,200rpm SATA 8MB Cache
18x Dual Layer DVD±RW Writer
Windows XP Professional Edition SP2

I got the total down to $2,973.00.

I really don't feel like using Linux right now. I'm returning a copy of 3ds Max to my friend and purchasing my own, plus I have a plethora of other programs that I have already purchased for Win. Maybe in the future.

[penguinsrequiem]

i also had the same dliemma of trying to buy a new computer. i looked at Dell and BOXXTECH, but decided to go ahead and purchase from newegg.

i went with

processor: qx6700
motherboard: DP965lt (considering upgrading to D975XBX2)
Hard Drive: WD Raptor 150 Gb @ 10,000 rpm (have 3 other hds @ 7200 laying around)
Power Supply: XCLIO STABLEPOWER 850W
Memory: 4 Gigs (4x1Gig) Corsair DDR2 800
Tower: ThermalTake Tsunami VA3000BWA


for $2,429

im pretty happy with this set up and it is substantially cheaper than BOXX or Dell. if you can, and, if you are willing, i would say go with newegg and build your own.

[Ice Czar]

Lol!, the most horrific advice ive ever read and that includes all the nvidia vs ati, intel vs amd fanboys.

1. you agreed with half my advice (quads perf vs cost)

2. we can assume he already know Windows and having Linux under his belt does have advantages. Its not the front end its the back end. All things being equal (which they never are) its a plus. Its not like we are talking about building and configing his own Kernal these days. An immediate employment followed by building a gradual indepth familarity with a full blown GUI Linux ap like Suse isnt a big step. But unlike Windows the incremental upgrade path of the OS itself has advantages, provided the software your investing in now is on that platform. Is it better to speak 1 language or 2?

3. you can still run Windows, VMware Player & Server are free to mention a few.


aint a fanboy, run both,
know W2K(3) really really well and regret not starting on Linux sooner.

But the most serious part of my advice was securing High Quality Power
dont skimp ;)

a UPS pampers your Power Supply Unit
a Good PSU pampers your VRM (Voltage Regulation Modual the PSU on your mobo)
it pampers your CPU(s) and RAM so they live to a ripe old age and retire to your rendering farm.

then of course a stand alone license of XP Pro runs $130 or so vs Free for Open Suse
or put another way 2 semesters worth of Top Ramen :p

[Ed Caracappa]

cynik6,

Call me and I'll make sure you get what you need.

Ed

[cynik6]

Just wanted to say thanks for all the help, especially Ed. I got the system in super fast time, faster than the original ship date. This machine is awesome!

[Ice Czar]

LOL

tell us about your trick new Boxx ;)

and some PICs too

[cynik6]

Lemme get these HDDs installed and then I'll snap some shots and post them. So far, its awesome. I'm able to keep 3ds max7 and photoshop running at the same time without having a drop in performance.

[CGTalk Moderation]

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.