wallz
02-08-2010, 07:47 AM
I'm currently a student at Vancouver Film School in the 3d Animation and VFX program (training to be a modeler, however) and I'm in the process of picking out and pricing all of the parts for a new workstation computer I'm building for myself, but I really only have experience building general desktop and gaming rigs. Thusly, I'm a little unsure as to workstation-specific needs as far as hardware goes.
Here is my component plan so far:
- Intel i7 920 CPU
- XFX x58i MOBO
- 6gb of OCZ Triple channel RAM
- ATI V7700 512mb GPU
- an appx. 500w PSU
The things I'm mainly unsure about are the CPU and the GPU. From what I understand, the 920 and the 870 are different socket types, with the 870 offering faster initial clock speeds, but the 920 socket type offering a broader selection of upgradeability in the future.
As for the GPU, I'm really lost. I was initially looking at some nVidia cards, but after some searching, I found this ATI card that seems to be pretty slick. My only concern is that it appears to be aging a bit. How important is GPU memory in workstation GPU's and systems?
As far as on-board RAM goes, what I've been told is that the architecture on which the i7 is built allows for multiples of 6gb of RAM to be used most effectively. I was originally going to buy 8gb, but after being told this, I reconsidered and bumped that number down to 6gb.
If someone could elaborate on any of these points for me, it would be greatly appreciated. I really don't want to order parts for something so expensive without any certainty that they will benefit my needs.
Thanks!
Here is my component plan so far:
- Intel i7 920 CPU
- XFX x58i MOBO
- 6gb of OCZ Triple channel RAM
- ATI V7700 512mb GPU
- an appx. 500w PSU
The things I'm mainly unsure about are the CPU and the GPU. From what I understand, the 920 and the 870 are different socket types, with the 870 offering faster initial clock speeds, but the 920 socket type offering a broader selection of upgradeability in the future.
As for the GPU, I'm really lost. I was initially looking at some nVidia cards, but after some searching, I found this ATI card that seems to be pretty slick. My only concern is that it appears to be aging a bit. How important is GPU memory in workstation GPU's and systems?
As far as on-board RAM goes, what I've been told is that the architecture on which the i7 is built allows for multiples of 6gb of RAM to be used most effectively. I was originally going to buy 8gb, but after being told this, I reconsidered and bumped that number down to 6gb.
If someone could elaborate on any of these points for me, it would be greatly appreciated. I really don't want to order parts for something so expensive without any certainty that they will benefit my needs.
Thanks!