I’ve just got into blender, like literally two days ago, and I’m really enjoying it.
However I have a very old iMac and literally I feel like working in slow motion, so I took 6 hours to do something that was meant to take 3.
Rendering takes ages, but even worse is if I’m in paint texture mode or other modalities it’s almost impossible to use.
I still managed to create something, but it’s frustrating.
I don’t want to spend too much money because it’s a new thing for me and I’m not sure I’m gonna actually pursue this interest, but I want to give it a fair shot a buy a low budget PC to work in blender without getting so frustrated.
I don’t think I’ll create big animations or anything too complicated, I actually just want to create very minimal and abstract stuff ( just objects floating in colourful space ). Imagine an abstract painting but in 3D, I think they were quite in trend last year actually but I don’t know what the style is called.
Anyway, I can’t build a PC because I literally don’t know where to start, so I’d need something that is decent and already made.
Of course I’m gonna buy refurbished/use if I wanna spend such little money (under 300)
Hi Chi_Ara, welcome to the forums, and to Blender!
Where are you located? Shipping can greatly affect pricing, and the option of personal delivery will depend on distance.
Also, what are your current specs? I have an unused system that might be a decent upgrade for the budget you mention, but more details would be needed.
Hi!
Thanks for your message,
I live in UK,
My current computer is an iMac early 2009, processor is 2.66 gh Intel core 2 duo, memory is 4gb 1067 MHz ddr3, nvida GeForce 9400 256 mb
Ah, too bad! I’m in the US, and this thing would be crazy expensive to ship (big case, pretty heavy).
Aside from that, it’s a PC I built back around '09 and the specs are comparable to your current system. While it runs Blender fine (esp. 2.79), the graphics card struggles with Eevee in 2.8x. So you’d be better off with something else, I’m sure.
Good luck in your search, and I look forward to seeing what you create.
Note that the video author is building the system right around the launch of the parts while using a older gen motherboard, most of those boards when bought new should now be pre-updated.
If you can find a whole build from a trustworthy source, go for it!
But I’m here to tell you that DIY PC building has become a lot easier compared to the '90s or even the noughties.
The specific CPU the author of the video uses is newer than the mother board he uses, though the socket is compatible the uefi/bios needed updating, but the stock of boards should have been updated by the manufacturers by now, if so there’s usually a sticker on the box that acknowledges it. Saying something like ryzen 3000 ready:
OK, here’s the best I could do as a parts list for under 300£ and it doesn’t include external peripherals such as a monitor or mouse and a keyboard. Just the bare minimum for a computer itself.
Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
Total
£288.60
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-28 02:15 BST+0100
However this is more to give you an idea of what at the bare minimum you need to be getting, if you manage to find a better priced case used for an example, go for it.
Best might be to join a online community such as forums.overclockers.co.uk for an example since there will be a lot of very experienced pc builders who know the UK shops better. They also have a whole category dedicated for new builders to be able to ask questions.
It’s always good to double check and get second opinions on a part before you actually go ahead with the purchase, whether used or new.
Heres a video of someone reviewing that same case and putting a build together in it. Now he includes a dedicated GPU which the above list doesn’t, but it shows that you can add a better GPU into there in the future.
I honestly wish budget cases had been that good back in the day when I first started building my own PCs. For the price its a pretty great one. Only wish the front panel was a little more open for better air flow, but that is something someone with a drill could probably fix pretty easily if it ever turns out to be an issue. Shouldn’t really be necessary though.
Last but not least, I’ll leave a build guide video that shows in detail how to build a system. Even though they aren’t building the exact same system, it covers most of what you need to know.
Also if you have any questions don’t be afraid to ask here and I’ll answer as soon as I can.
Shouldn’t really be necessary though.