Shopping for a new Work Station

[Tudor “ted” jelescu]

Here’s a few links:

https://www.boxxtech.com/

https://www.avadirect.com/

https://www.maingear.com/solutions/custom-computer-workstation.php

There’s a lot more out there- spend a few hours on Google and do some research, not only for price but customer support as well. The first link is one that many pro’s are using.

Tudor “Ted” Jelescu
Senior VFX Artist

[Christopher Cooksey]

Thank you so much. I wouldn’t have known where to start looking. I got all my specs through asking advice. I know the programs like I know how to drive. Under the hood is still Greek to me, but I’m going to learn.

Christopher (Moonlight) Cooksey
Christopher Moonlight Productions

[Andreas Sizynski]

hate to be snarky or rude, but have you ruled out building the computer yourself, or is that part of the “under the hood it’s all greek to me,” concept? 😛

An Artist interested in the past, stuck in the present.

[Christopher Cooksey]

Yeah, that’s part of it. I’ll need support on it too, if something goes wrong.

Christopher (Moonlight) Cooksey
Christopher Moonlight Productions

[Christopher Cooksey]

Also, I neglected to mention that my budget needs to stay within the ballpark of $1500 so I may not be able to get exactly what I’m looking for, but advice on a close approximation is welcome.

Christopher (Moonlight) Cooksey
Christopher Moonlight Productions

[Steve Brame]

“stay within the ballpark of $1500”

Well, don’t even look at Boxx then. They generally only make monsters. But then again, to be really, really happy with AE, you’ll really need one. The plus with one of these types of PC’s, is that your heating bill will drop. But then again the converse will apply to your cooling bill.

Steve Brame
creative illusions Productions

[Christopher Cooksey]

I have to admit, research had been a bit daunting. I went to Best Buy, just to have someone what building a computer would be like. (remember, I’m just starting to learn about what’s under the hood) They sent me a quote, to build it, but I’d have to order these parts…

$259.99 – Intel Core i7-950
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115211

$254.99 – Intel BOXDX58SO2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121470

$129.99 – CORSAIR XMS3 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145235

$199.99 – ASUS ENGTX560 DCII OC/2DI/1GD5 GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121446

$59.99 – Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 7200RPM 32MB Cache
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136795

$129.99 – Thermaltake – 850-Watt TR2 RX Power Supply – Black
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/Thermaltake+-+850-Watt+TR2+RX+Power+Supply+-+Black/8990559.p?id=1218007088315&skuId=8990559&st=thermaltake&cp=1&lp=3

$199.99 – Windows 7 Home Premium

$129.99 – Antec – Nine Hundred Two V3 Mid-Tower Case
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/Antec+-+Nine+Hundred+Two+V3+Mid-Tower+Case/1930063.p?id=1218309806408&skuId=1930063&st=antec&cp=1&lp=6

~$530 labor

I feel like I’m being taken for a ride, but I can’t be sure. $530 for labor? I could probably take a class on how to do it for that price… or maybe not? Anyway, I realize this is a lot to look at, but I thought I’d put it out there. Thanks again to everyone who has chimed in.

Christopher (Moonlight) Cooksey
Christopher Moonlight Productions