Planning on getting a new computer.....

I expect to have around $500.00 USD available to spend and want to have Ubuntu Linux installed. (Been using ubuntu for the past 5 years.)
I want to use it for working with Blender.

That being more or less the extent of my requirements. Anybody have suggestions for hardware to consider? :eyebrowlift:

Thanks in advance

I would recommend a system with at least an Intel Dual or Quad Core in it and at least 5 or 6 GB or RAM. The hard drive should be at least 1 Terabyte. As far as video card go for NVIDIA.

For $500 you might have to find a good used computer.

As dieri points out, a computer with multiple cores, 6GB of ram, 1 terabyte hard drive, and an NVidia card is nice but you might not be able to afford all that. I’d look for a core 2 or a quad core, 2GB+ RAM, 200GB+ hard drive, and I too would stick with NVidia. Consider spending a little cash on a second monitor and a drawing tablet too.

If you might have more money to spend in the future on this machine, make sure to find out how much RAM the motherboard can take. In fact, make sure the computer comes with a reputable motherboard that is reviewed well. You don’t want to end up with a motherboard that can only take 2GB of RAM, for instance.

Get yourself a quad and big hard drive - stick with 4GB ram. You should be able to find one like that on classifieds type sites or ebay, and/or refurbished from stores like Best Buy if you’re in the US (and/or Futureshop in Canada).
I got a quad core on Kijiji just over a year ago with a 22" screen for $400, as the guy was moving and had a laptop. So deals are possible.

For Blender, pretty much any video card will work - I’ve used ati and nvidia without problems. Depends on your workflow and how ubuntu and video drivers are going these days (It’s been a couple years since I ran ubuntu)

If you want new, and are willing to save a few more bucks, and are OK with cheaper (but still good) AMD - Go with this. This is all from newegg.com

-AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Item #:N82E16819103727
$159.99

-COOLER MASTER Elite RC-310-OWR460 Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window Item #:N82E16811119218 (includes 460W power supply, which is more than enough for the system even with 4 sticks ram, extra sound card, overclocked cpu to 4GHz, and two 120mm fans).
$69.99

-LG DVD±RW SuperMulti Drive Black SATA Model GH22NS50B Item #:N82E16827136216
$15.99

-Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive Item #:N82E16822148395 (note - FAST performing hard drive)
$49.99

-ASUS GeForce GTS 450 (Fermi) ENGTS450 DirectCU TOP/DI/1GD5 Video Card Item #:N82E16814121394
$15.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$139.99

-G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Item #:N82E16820231166
$84.99

-ASRock K10N78D ATX AMD Motherboard Item #:N82E16813157210

$49.99
Grand Total:
$570.93 (minus the 15 rebate)

note - all components were selected based on both price and rating/reviews.

Well my pc in my specs cost me £800 to build but I would seriously recommend the amd phenom II 1055t, it overclocks likea a beast and has 6 cores.

actually, there are Best Buys here in Canada too, and I’ve heard that the prices are often lower than Future Shop’s…I’m actually planning on going to Best Buy for the first time someday soon, though it’s not for anything computer-related, more along the lines of Wii-related, hahaha :stuck_out_tongue: Anyway, I often go to Future Shop or Wal-Mart for computer stuff, they usually have a good selection (especially FS). Don’t ask about my own setup though, it’s hardly a good example - I have a 1.8GHz dual-core Toshiba Satellite with 3GBs of RAM, with a stupid on-board gfx-card by Intel :frowning: The gfx card is the biggest problem by far, and then the fact that because it’s a laptop it’s less powerful than a tower with the same specs, or even sometimes a PC physically less powerful. Once tried sculpting at Level 7 on a PC with Vista and 1GB of RAM (yes, it’s quite slow) and it was super-fluid. I can barely manage Level 5 on this one.

@SoggyCornflake : best of luck with your computer-upgrade! :smiley: I’ve heard it can be kinda tough to find the perfect one, such as the trade-offs between CPU & RAM…

I do highly recommend buying “used” (or “surplus”) computers. As a matter of fact, nearly all of the computers I have ever bought, have been bought in just this way.

“New computers” are very much like “new cars,” only eversomuchmoreso. They are sold in retail stores for considerable markups, based entirely on the “GollyGeeWow factor,” and as soon as the existence of “next year’s models” even start to be suggested, their market value drops like a stone as retailers scramble to be rid of them.

Meanwhile: factory-authorized resellers take … “gently used” stock (e.g. stuff that was sitting in a store as a demo), or “never sold” stock, and refurbish it as necessary and sell it to you for a fraction of the original cost with exactly the same warranty that the equipment always had.

And then, there are the “lease cars.” They’re barely used, “barely broken-in good,” but they were leased and now the lease term is up. Once again, you buy 'em “with 39,999 miles on 'em and a 150,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty,” and you get the thing for a tiny fraction of what the original sucke… I mean, the original purchaser… paid for exactly the same thing.

Okay, okay, call me “cheap.” I admit it. Yes, I buy my cars this way, too. And I have never found a “new to me” car that wasn’t “new to me.” But over the past twenty years I’m sure I’ve saved well over $100,000 this way.