computer help

[GREEN_FUZZ]

I am in need of a new computer to run some of the more RAM intensive programs that I use (3ds MAX, MAYA, AutoCAD, etc.) and I not very good with hardware. I know some of you guys are pretty knowledgable about this stuff so I figured I would ask.  Someone recommended this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883147108 to me but said I would probably need another graphics card. 

1. For the price is this a decent computer? 
2. How do I know what graphics card to get?  Any recommendations?
3. Anything I need to know about actually changing out the card?

Also, I am not opposed to building a computer from scratch but I am not sure the time invested in actually researching and building it would be worth it.

Thanks in advance for any help

[oobymach]

that's a pretty nice box, 8gb ddr3 and a quad 2.6ghz (10.4ghz) on a 4ghz bus with a not bad 1gb graphics card. Unless you're designing games for high end pc's (or playing crysis on maxed out settings) you probably won't need to upgrade it. One downside I can see is there's only 1 video card slot so you can't dual or triple card it.
http://reviews.cnet.com/graphics-cards/asus-eah4350-silent-di/4507-8902_7-33370544.html

With ATI cards, the number indicates the speed, so the 4100 is bottom end and 4950 is top end. If you want to upgrade, you might also need a bigger power supply but you could probably put a 4850 in it without trouble.

Only thing that scares me is windows 7, but since xp can't handle the ram stick with that or vista, or linux, if you like writing code.

Cnet gives it a bad review, but considering the specs theres not much (besides a shitty OS and the billions of viruses that infect only it) that could slow it down.
http://review.zdnet.com/product/desktops/hp-pavilion-elite-e9220y/33777303

[WHTrunner]

Well that beats the hell out of my computer that I paid about the same for.  Well, I mean, my processor is still better, but only because I got lucky.

That's a pretty good deal for the money.  Most PC buffs will scoff at the brand, but really, that's just tied to the mobo.  But for what you wanna do, that should do nicely.  The CPU could be faster, but those modeling programs might not be as CPU intensive, so it might not matter at all.

[GREEN_FUZZ]

thanks guys, thats very helpful

I was wondering though, what is the benefit of having multiple video cards?  Is it something where 2-3 can work together, or do they still work independently?  sorry if thats a dumb question, but like I said, my hardware knowledge is shit

[oobymach]

on some motherboards you can have up to 4 working as one (good for multiple monitors or gaming on a quad hd monitor) but 4 is just overkill. If 1 card gives you 120 fps 4 would give you 480 fps in the same game, really just for pushing limits and bragging rights.

[DeadSpider]

wrong

[Params7]

For image/video processing etc you really don't want to waste money on dual'ing gfx cards. 4350 should be more than enough for that.

[WHTrunner]

I gotta go with Params on that one.  Most of the programs that make use of multiple GPU's are videogames.

Really, there are relatively few programs that can even use a GPU.  3D modelling (which you said you'd be doing) programs, and some image manipulation programs can make use of GPU's, but I haven't found a video editing or transcoding program that is optimized for them.

[oobymach]

I gotta go with Params on that one.  Most of the programs that make use of multiple GPU's are videogames.

Really, there are relatively few programs that can even use a GPU.  3D modelling (which you said you'd be doing) programs, and some image manipulation programs can make use of GPU's, but I haven't found a video editing or transcoding program that is optimized for them.

Yep, you only need multiple gpu's for gaming, and there are damn few games that could take real advantage of the extra horsepower (crysis)

[GREEN_FUZZ]

okay, good to know.  I just didn't want to end with something that was unable to be upgraded/expanded should i need to in the future.  I do know that in the future we are going to be working with the UDK (http://udk.com/) to some capacity, would you need multiple gfx cards for it?  It is one of the programs that I definitely worry about being able to run efficiently.

[oobymach]

Unreal runs on anything, but you might want a better video card anyway since developing in real time for the best machine is a huge bonus.  I would assume it uses your hardware, but I've never used it before. Hardware helps with 3d studio if you're running a fullscreen view with surfaces shown, you can poke around in real time with pretty complex scenery.

The best card you could put in it would be the 4870 x2. It outperforms pretty much everything on the market (even the newest 5850) but it's not cheap. 2gb of ddr5 ram @ 4ghz is a nice card though, but it probably needs a huge power supply since it's an x2 card. The 5800 series are almost as good and about $200 less.

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=32690&vpn=900250&manufacture=VISIONTEK#Specifications


http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/270974-33-5850-4870