In dire need of a new system, so I decided to splurge ... big time!
arioch
Posts: 182
My current system is fine for web browsing and playing games, but it is, and actually has always been (at least since the introduction of iRay), woeful for 3d work and rendering. I hesitate to reveal what I'm currently running (it's pretty laughable), but for the sake of comparison to my new system, I will: i5-3570K, EVGA GTX 660Ti (3GB memory), 32GB RAM, Win7.
Since I'm currently wanting to go more "professional" (for want of a better term) with 3d rendering, I decided it's high time to upgrade my system. With the help of a seasoned hardware fanatic, this is going to be my new system:
Fractal Design Meshify C Black ATX Dark Tint Tempered Glass Mid Tower Case
ASUS TUF Gaming X570-Plus (WiFi) ATX AM4 Motherboard (on order)
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 12-Core 3.8 GHz (4.8 GHz Max Boost) CPU
ASUS GeForce RTX 2080 Super Overclocked 8G GDDR6 Dual-Fan EVO GPU (originally wanted EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Black Gaming GPU)
G.SKILL Trident Z Neo Series DDR4-3600 32GB RAM
Corsair Force MP600 PCIe Gen. 4 1TB SSD
NZXT Kraken X63 280mm AIO RGB CPU Liquid Cooler
Seasonic Focus GX-850 850W 80+ Gold Full-Modular Power Supply (on order)
Windows 10 Home
Some hardware has been tough to find lately; shops are having a hard time keeping certain items in stock - mainly the motherboard, video card, and power supply. Even my original choice for liquid cooler isn't in stock. I was able to find an available replacement for the original video card I wanted in the ASUS EVO, and the motherboard and power supply I have on backorder but should be available at the end of this month or beginning of June.
Since I've skipped many generations of hardware upgrades over the years, I'm sure to see a drastic improvement in pretty much everything I do with my PC. Loading scenes, posing, and working within Daz Studio, plus IRay rendering, should be a delight with this new system, I'm so excited!
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Comments
You will have the syndrome "Ok I have this monster PC...and now my creativity is gone, null, zero!??"
I remember I was more creative with an old Lenovo W520 than now with a beefy PC...I'm into 3D since 2006 and my only tip I can give you is being a true 3D Professional, because you will be more creative using high end systems, buying a new PC for only DazStudio is a complete waste, I'm actually learning ZBrush and Blender 2.82, too late considering my 14 years in 3D, but you will thank me later.
now, if you know this software or similar (Max, Maya, C4D), you are in the right path.
That's a real nice DAZ computer. Enjoy! :)
..crikey, I feel the same about when I was still using a duo core 4 GB DDR, (not even DDR2) memory, 32 bit Toshiba notebook Even being away for 13 hours a day, I could't wait to get back home and get to creating characters and scenes. Opened it up a while back and looked at some of the stuff I did and am amazed at some of what I accomplished under those horrific limitations (like 2GB maximum memory allocation shared graphics memory, and 1.6 GHz processor speed).
It looks like a good build, but don't spoil the ship for a ha'porth of tar, as they say. Get Windows 10 Pro, rather than Home. It's not that much extra, but it gives you more options for auto-upgrades, Cortana, etc.
I'm actually on the opposite side right now: I feel my creativity is stunted because of my system. I was super creative before iRay came around and I was doing a lot of 3Delight animation. But since iRay took over the marketplace, my system just couldn't keep up and I found myself more and more often getting frustrated.
I was initially thinking of getting a dedicated "render machine" in laptop form and keeping my current rig for all other uses, but the more research I did, the more I realized that my current rig really needed to be replaced. Plus, I felt like it was long past due for a major upgrade. Buying a prebuilt PC also restricted me from getting the actual parts I wanted, so my friend convinced me to build it myself so I could get exactly what I wanted.
I like your suggestion of branching out into other (complementary) software, too! I've checked out Blender a bit, and there are some other software suites that I'm interested in that will benefit from a more modern system.
Thanks! I can't wait to experience the benefits of such a major upgrade. My patience is being tested, though, because of the issues getting the parts in a "timely" fashion :)
Ahh, unfortunately I already got the first part of my order, which included Win10 Home. I probably should've looked into the benefits of Pro vs. Home more, but my focus was on getting the hardware I wanted.
In my experience, a better computer does not inhibit creativity. My creativity is constantly hampered because it's impossible to do what I want with an underpowered computer.
No big deal. Among a few other things Windows 10 Home supports a maximum of 128GB of RAM, while Pro supports 2TB. Probably won't make much difference.
Still better than what I've got!
IIRC there is an upgrade from home to pro available. You may not have any issues with Home but if you do there should be a way to get pro without buying another full license.
I agree completely that buying a top specced beast machine to only use Daz studio, is wasteful.
I am not even installing any of the "Kiddie pool" software on my new machine.( Daz studio, Iclone etc), I will leave them on my older PC and transfer character assets ,as needed, across the network
My new PC is going to have only pro production software and windows itself will be the only "paid" software
Blender 2.8x (free alternative to Maya, Max,C4D,Modo)
Davinci Resolve (free alternative to Premier & Final cut) Davinci Fusion (free alternative Adobe After effects)
Natron compositor (free alternative to Nuke)
Krita (free alternative to Photoshop)
Good luck. LTT did a video on switching from Adobe suite to things like DaVinci. They decided the productivity cost was higher than the suibscription so they stuck with Adobe.
Those "why we switched ",videos are meaningless. IMHO.
Yes, you can do that. I started with Home, realised it was limited and upgraded to a Pro license. The install is the same - you just buy a new Pro key. I won't absolutely swear to this, but I seem to remember it cost around $25 to upgrade.
Octane for rendering... Octane... Octane... Octane..
Speaking from personal experience, that's what we all like to think in the beginning. Then you find out that time = money is the only variable equation that really matters in a professional workflow. And there are few things worse than losing time to poorly documented/supported software or the need for constant file conversions to/from "mainstream" project file formats in order to get completed project assets to the next person in the production chain in a usable form. Eg. virtually no one who uses Adobe products uses them because they like them over the alternatives. They're used because they are a known quantity among virtually all professionals - meaning that their use severely reduces lag time when going from contributer to contributer on any sort of larger project.
I was using Photoshop 3 back when the "navigator" was third party plugin
I am Fluent in illustrator indesign,Photoshop.
Alas, I am no longer in the 2D design for print business.
I am now a VFX artist/filmaker/Character animator/Daz content creator.
https://www.blendernation.com/2020/04/29/behind-the-scenes-sci-fi-armor/
I wont ever need to open someone elses Indesign layout.
I only distribute in DELIVERY FORMATS ( hi bit rate MP4 video)
My beloved, old Adobe CS suite and final cut pro are on a Really old mac that is likely near death.
I think I know enough about 2D graphic Design software to make an informed decision NOT to buy another ovepriced luxury brand Computer from little timmy cook and subscribe to Adobe's rental scheme. because of what?? ...entrenched habits??
Having Completed a 92 minute CG animated feature film Using Daz studio ,Iclone C4D& After Affects with final delivery edit done in Davinci...
I think I know enough about 3D/CG graphics and compositing software to make an informed decision about what finishing applications would make a suitable replacement for Final cut and after effects on windows 10 as I am already using those replacement apps on my current windows 10 PC
Just thought I would share my real life variables on why I am switching.
unlike the people in those Fanboi videos disguised as software reviews.
Congrats on the new machine! Enjoy running whatever you want with it and may you find that creative spark never dimmed :)
I will say the vram is gold when it comes to Iray. I went from a 6gb to 8gb vram setup and it made a big difference in how much I could render in GPU in Iray. (Doesn't hurt that there's more Cuda cores but all the cuda cores in the world aren't much help if a render drops to the CPU because of lack of vram.)
You may be 100% correct, but it is still that kind of thinking that allows incumbents to continue doing what they do. Think of a world with no Microsoft, no Apple, no Linux, no Blender... at one time, these were all underdogs where someone went against their better judgement to use, despite the consequences. It starts with one person saying "No. That's it. No longer."
Carry on, @wolf359.
....just checked and apparently you need to be online for both the subscription and perpetual licence (for the latter you can pay extra to get a USB key to work offline). I thought even with the subscription track it installed on your system and it only had to phone home now & then to check if your licence is up to date. having to work while online takes extra GPU, CPU and memory resources and you are also at the mercy of connection speed..
Also, where's the USD price? All I see is Euros
Thanks for the info you two! It's good to know that I do have a cost-effective upgrade path if I do find I need it.
Thank you!
Contratulations on the new machine. May it entice your muse.
I built myself a new computer recently too. It's much better than any of my old machines (although not as hunky as yours) but still very nice. Unfortunately, my muse has gone to sleep. Also, like my hearing aid, I'm afraid to use it for fear of wearing it out.
I remember that video. I'm a big fan of LTT. Everything they do is both entertaining and very informative
Well said.