So it’s the dreaded time for a new computer. I have a vista machine and had a new hard drive installed (window 10) but the graphics card keeps crashing my computer.and I can’t fit a new one in my desktop case So I’m looking for a desktop something kinda affordable that will do the job… seen the new mini computers and was wondering if they’ll work? do we have to use a nividia rtx graphics card? looking for any suggestions that could help with my decision …also thinking about a refurbished one but haven’t found one with the nividia rxt card…
A “mini” computer is (well you might find one on sale or whatever but…) going to be more expensive than an equivalent ordinary system, it’s like a laptop, and will probably perform a little worse because of less cooling. If you’re on a budget, just look for the best “gaming” computer with the highest-end Nvidia graphics you can find and preferably more than 16GB ram.
Both AMD and Intel are introducing new CPU ranges this Autumn (Fall). Nvidia and AMD are introducing new graphics cards. If you buy anything now, make sure you get a good markdown - you’re helping the dealer clear his shelves of old stock in readiness…
Yeah those are “cute” but not for actual 3D work. Intel Integrated Graphics are junk, it might “work” for certain definitions of “work” but the minimum spec is an actual video card, it cannot be officially recommended.
I wouldn’t buy any PC now as new specs are coming out.
I wouldn’t buy any ITX or mini-ATX PC because they are overpriced and performance will be frequently capped due to thermal threshold.
In all seriousness, Building a custom PC won’t take you more than a couple of hours, I suggest against mini-PC but I’d recommend something around mini-ITX, AMD 7000 series is due to be released this September, also intel’s raptor lake likely going to be released before black Friday.
Below are my suggestions.
1- AMD Ryzen 5 7500x or 7800x with a compatible AOI cooler.
2- Either a new RTX 4070 or the current 3080 (there are some good price cuts happening right now)
3- 64 GB of Ram
4- a Good PCIE4 NVME Drive.
I’d recommend against Prebuilt PC especially Mac-mini formfactor but you still can build a well performing PC like the one below:
MJOLNIR | Pre-order (thor-zone.com)
I did a big mistake when I bought a custom prebuilt PC from Dell, the inner components where cheaper and I spent $600 more than building it myself, also waited for the order to be prepared and ship much longer.
By building a PC yourself you can guarantee the below:
1- Getting a top-quality Power Supply with at least 10 years of Warranty
2- Getting a much better cooling system, Butter Fans or better all in one liquid cooling.
3- Easily swappable components (in case of maintenance). you don’t need to ship your entire PC incase of a RAM failure.
If you know what you are doing. I could maybe do it in an hour with neat and tidy cable management and stuff.
I’ve lately become a fan of quiet, compact, mighty mini computers.
Any Recommendations? Otherthan Mac Studio.
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No. 
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C’mon guys, before getting carried away with speccing out solutions, let’s hear from the OP about what they need.
For example, interest in a mini pc might suggest a lack of space.
What do they use Rhino for (designing a garden shed doesn’t require the ooph needed to reverse engineer giant point clouds)?
Do they render daily, once in a blue moon or never?
What other software will they want to run and how much?
Do they work to tight deadlines or a relaxed schedule?
Is there a price ceiling to which their circumstances constrain them?
Regards
Jeremy
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Hello all and thank everyone so far…sorry I didn’t think to list my needs my needs are… running rhino making small jewelry models, a little rendering not much, running camtasia and rhino at the same time to make videos, two screens, a desktop not laptop!,and running chitubox to create my 3d printer file, maybe $1200 but I think I might have to jump it up a little, I was told building your own would probably cost more then buying one?.
Thanks for mentioning what I failed to mention…but I just did on my post thanks!
For over 2 decades, people tell you need a beast of machine to do CAD and Rendering. But this is simply not true anymore. Sure, I would not count on integrated graphics or cheapest components in general, but medium specs are totally sufficient in 2022 for most work. Unfortunately, components are more expensive than their actual value, which is due to this nice inflation and artificially made crisis on anything, but you might find a used component, if a new one is not affordable. And a computer is more than the usual 4 suspects (CPU/GPU/RAM/Storage). Don’t forget, as a designer, you are usually spending many hours a day in front of a computer. So anything which helps you to keep healthy is as important as raw power. I would also consider maintenance costs. You might not want to run 2 high-end gcards with 2x 4k screens 247, when energy prices are increasing…
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Completely useless comment. Everybody knows that. But what one does not always know is that these solutions may suffice when working on common-sized projects.
Nobody knows everything - that’s why this forum is full of kind-hearted people, politely helping each other out.
-Jakob
Then fine.
Buy a computer with an unrecommended GPU and go for it.
Just don’t come back here and complain about how slow it is for the features that don’t work as expected.
Everyone’s needs are a little different.
You get to choose what hardware you want to use.
You also assume the responsibility for it if and when it does not perform to your expectations.
No.
Your rendering software might take advantage of that, but they were able to take advantage of GPU power even years before RTX came. A non-RTX gpu is fine.
“RTX” is much more often used as a marketing gimmick … people now want it without knowing what it is. Good marketing from Nvidia.
Depends.
It’s true if you prefer to have someone else having the responsibility of the pc running, warranty, assistance etc etc etc. Sometime people prefer to rely on others instead of wasting a lot of time to try alone. It indeed make sense.
Instead, if you know the field a little and are able to do some “do it myself”, custom builds are good.
If we strictly talk about [Raw power] / [Components costs] , a custom builded PC almost always win.
The sweet spot for current and past Ryzen CPUs are the *600X ones …
I recently bought an used AMD 6700XT GPU for 350€. The equivalent 3070 would have costed me more than twice giving the same performance. Let’s try to remember not only Nvidia exists.
Anyway that’s a monster PC specs. 64GB ram? 
And those components are not on sale yet…
It seems you could even decently satisfy your needs with the specs of an average workstation from 2010… (I use one daily with 600MB rhino files. Not fast, but not even that much slow.)
New CPUs and GPUs are coming, current ones will become cheaper. Sure.
GPU prices are still crazy. A big part of your budget is likely to end on the GPU alone.
If you can’t wait to see how the market change with the new comings, here my suggestions for a cheap but effective build:
CPU: Ryzen 5600X or Intel 12600K
The Intel one have a cheap integrated GPU. With motherboard and cooler cost, Intel system is probably 1.7x more expensive but also 1.3x more powerful. You get what you pay.
5600X included cooler can be ok. I’d try it and check temperatures before buying a dedicated cooler.
Depends on the case airflow. You might have luck/unluck…
RAM: 2x8GB DDR4 (avoid DDR5 for now)
For your tasks 16GB can still be plenty. If you later understand you need more (unlikely) you can add another 2x8GB.
Motherboard: a mATX or ATX form factor motherboard with 4 DDR4 slots.
Simply don’t spend more than 200€. Over that price you get features meant for hard overclocking and other uncommon uses… you won’t need that. (and you can still OC on 130+€ mobos)
SSD: minimum 250GB, for storage HDD are still good. (Remember to backup!)
NVMe ssd are the fastest, but you can opt to cheap down a bit with a SATA ssd and the difference is hardly noticeable… imho. Especially for your context.
GPU: I suggest used hardware here. 3060 or 6600XT … try to cheap it out…
Talking about GPU would require a whole thread on its own…
(graphic cards from 5+ years ago like a Nvidia 1060 or an AMD RX 580 would be totally plenty for you)
… this is just an opinion.
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This is a very good one! Practically, you should always make sure to have a fast C partition with more than 150 GB, better 250 GB. This is because you likely install something in the default installation folder and many apps also install other tools, all on C often “hidden” in your AppData. After a while, not only Windows grows, but also your application caches. Nothing is more annoying as the need to clean up when being under a deadline. I had to this way too often, and on my buisness laptop I even having trouble with 200 GB…
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