Hey all, a friend of mine is looking to build a new PC and asked for my help. Normally, not a problem, but with the budget he has set, I'm having extreme trouble. He has a 700 CAD budget.
The good news is that he isn't looking for a gaming machine. However, he will be using Photoshop, Maya, 3DSMax, Zbrush, that kind of stuff. He's looking to be able to keep this thing for a couple of years at least, so I don't want to get him something super out dated.
He was looking into an i3 540, and despite the release of Sandy Bridge, I agree with him (The Sandy Bridge i3s don't come out until 20/02, and he needs the rig asap). I'm too much of a gamer though, as my first choice of motherboards ends up being the Maximus III Gene (well, it was really the Sabertooth 55i, but since they are the same price from my local store, yeah...). He really doesn't need something that high end, though I'm having trouble recommending anything cheaper really, as they seem just that to me. Cheap.
For PSU and Case, I'm looking into the NZXT Lexa S, and a Corsair VX 550.
One thing I would like to have high on the priority list is 8 GB of RAM.
I also don't know what graphics card to get (normally I'd suggest a GTX 460 as I'm a huge fan of its Performance/Price ratio, but that is massively out of his budget, and overkill in general for his rig).
Any help?
The good news is that he isn't looking for a gaming machine. However, he will be using Photoshop, Maya, 3DSMax, Zbrush, that kind of stuff. He's looking to be able to keep this thing for a couple of years at least, so I don't want to get him something super out dated.
He was looking into an i3 540, and despite the release of Sandy Bridge, I agree with him (The Sandy Bridge i3s don't come out until 20/02, and he needs the rig asap). I'm too much of a gamer though, as my first choice of motherboards ends up being the Maximus III Gene (well, it was really the Sabertooth 55i, but since they are the same price from my local store, yeah...). He really doesn't need something that high end, though I'm having trouble recommending anything cheaper really, as they seem just that to me. Cheap.
For PSU and Case, I'm looking into the NZXT Lexa S, and a Corsair VX 550.
One thing I would like to have high on the priority list is 8 GB of RAM.
I also don't know what graphics card to get (normally I'd suggest a GTX 460 as I'm a huge fan of its Performance/Price ratio, but that is massively out of his budget, and overkill in general for his rig).
Any help?
