PC build for architecture, design and rendering

Rhino Windows Hardware
, , , ,
1

Hello!

Im pretty illiterate when it comes to PC hardware, so hoping to find some expertise on here :slight_smile:

Before doing my graduate thesis in architecture, I’ve come to the realisation that i cant be bothered with any more lags and crashes. Im running a 2020 M1 8GB Macbook at the moment, so - needless to say, things are far from ideal. Last year I worked in an office with a proper setup, and there is no way I can go back to my previous levels of frustration again. I’m aware that this means I’ll have to bite the bullet and switch to Windows. I will be using Rhino 7, V-Ray, Grasshopper, TwinMotion, Unreal Engine, ArcGIS, Adobe etc.

My budget sits somewhere between 10 000 to 18 000 NOK (about 1k to 1,8k USD)

Since this is a considerable investment, I want to get the most out of it for the future.

One thing I understand is that the RTX GeForce 4070 12GB seems like a pretty solid bet. Best performance in its price range at the moment from what i’ve read (?)

aaand thats as far as my research goes for now. (remember, illiterate!)

My question is, then, what other parts would you recommend for the kind of work i’ll be doing?

Any recommendations for Hardware combinations will be highly appreciated!!
I’m in Norway, and the best dealer for PC stuff here I think is Komplett (https://www.komplett.no/)

2

Regarding the future part, the difficulty will be the added cost of going for DDR5.

Struggling here. I have no idea about your currency, but here’s the closest I can get, keeping your GPU fixed, and considering you want to think about the future. AMD may give you better future flexibility to upgrade than Intel, and an AMD Ryzen 5600 is likely better performance at the CPU price below.

These are just my suggestions. Wait for other responses. It should only give you an idea. Others may disagree with my choices.

MSI GeForce RTX 4070 VENTUS 3X OC - 7990.00
-Ventus has no RGB, making it one of the cheapest without being Gigabyte or Zotac.
Intel Core i5-13400 - 2890.00
-CPU with 10 cores and 16 threads, can be upgraded to 14th generation when it comes out, or another 13th. This CPU is “Ok”, not the best value around, but gets closer to the budget.
WD BLACK SN770 NVMe SSD 1TB - 1090.00
-Standard, seems a logical choice, for OS, could expand with an SSD in future
Seasonic Focus GX 750, 750W PSU - 1490.00
-Middle-ground PSU, with gold rating, and modular. Will easily tolerate a 13700K if you wanted one later.
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE - 529.00
-One of the best, if not the best air cooler on the market at the moment, and cheap! This SE model is slightly lower performance than the non-SE version
Fractal Design Focus 2 RGB TG - 1109.00
-Really cheap case, no frills, missing grommets, but easy to use and assemble. Alterantive option if you had more is a Lian Li 216 case.
ASUS PRIME Z790-P WIFI - 3079.00
-Generic motherboard, should carry through to 14th Gen Intel this year
Corsair Vengeance DDR5 5200 MHz 32 GB - 1789.00
-Good brand, no RGB so a lower cost option to get to 32 GB of RAM

TOTAL: 19966.00 (I think)

My advice is that you really need to shop somewhere else. Some of the prices are okay, but that 4070 cost is far too high. And that CPU air cooler is 20% too expensive.

Are you building your own computer? If you are going to ask someone to build it, you will really struggle to get a 4070 in your budget.

As for this forum, there will be users with more knowledge than me, I was just trying variations around my own system.

3

Thank you for the response!
Planning on having someone else build it, I think.

Do you think I’ll be better off with something cheaper than a 4070?
Which one would be the next best thing, but still good for V-Ray and Rhino?

The only thing i would be using Unreal for is Cesium, to be fair…
can this also be done one something lighter?

4

Hmmm. I can’t say. Partly, because I really struggle to advocate for an ecosystem with one GPU vendor. However, in the case of V-Ray, that is the choice.

The 40 series has persistently shown value that isn’t great throughout the range. The two receptions of somewhat better value (distinctively “ok”) are the 4060 and 4070 non-Ti versions.

However, one advantage of some GPU renderers, including Vray, is that you can use two or more simultaneously. If you are struggling for instant expense, you could go for a 4060, and then after a few months if you can, either sell it and upgrade OR add a second GPU to the other PCI-e slot (if you have the slots in your case).

In reality, you shouldn’t ever be better off by having the lower MSRP item(?).

Purely personally, I think I’d wait a little, do my preliminary work on whatever hardware you have, and save a bit longer for a 4070.

Unless a friend builds it for little, you could pay a high premium for having it custom built.

I was actually in a similar position. My $1400 worth of parts turned into $2000 if it were built by someone else. That seemed quite common too.