Expert: Andre Hickman - 10/2/2008

Question
hello sir,I am priyan,I decide to get pc for 3d & editing work so could you prefer which mother board & processor,graphic card,how much affort RAM ?
priyan

Answer
Hey Priyan,

There are no definite answers on that, because most of that depends on budget.  I will say this though, I wouldn't go with the system minimums for the software, but don't think you need the maximums either.  

With today's technology, I would definitely be looking at a dual-core processor. I would also try to max out my ram on the machine, or at least have 2-3gb of ram.  With graphics, you don't need some HI-END workstation graphics card.  You will be fine with an ATI X-series or NVidia card, the same cards that you get for gaming computers.  For starters, look to pay around $160 U.S. retail for one, at least, unless you find it on sale. I'd be looking for one with at least 512mb onbaord if it is an AGP-slot card, and if you have a board with a PCI-E slot, you can find cards with 1gb or more onboard memory for real cheap (even cheaper than what I said you should spend.)

I would look at packages on www.tigerdirect.com  to get an idea of what you can make happen in your budget.  You'll be surprised.  Make sure that you focus on processor speed and memory as your first priorities.

I'm not here to spec out machines, and there are so many options available. Go with what you can afford, and don't believe the hype on having to have the most expensive to be the best.  For years (up until about 2 years ago), I did my animations on a Pentium 3, 1ghz processor, with 786mb of memory.  It took me longer to render, but I still get work based on some of those graphics.

Cheers,
Andre