Recommended Spec

Recommended Graphic Artist System Spec

Jared Bouck — Fri, 02 May 2008 17:43:00 GMT

Graphic arts systems need lots of stuff to make those pretty pictures. Multiple monitor types can help for color checks and for viewing references while you work. Oodles of ram work nicely with a powerful CPU to run demanding programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, Painter, Quark, and others. Fast file reading and writing speed is also nice. No serious graphics machine is complete without a nice stylus for refined image work. Adding a mac sticker allow a designer to pretend they are on a Mac, but they are optional.

Component	Component Description	Vendor	Price	Qty	Total
Case	Thermaltake Armor VA8003BWS	Newegg	170	1	170
Motherboard	ASUS P5K-E LGA 775 Intel P35	Newegg	139	1	139
CPU	Intel Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz Quad-Core	Newegg	220	1	220
Ram	Crucial Ballistix 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 1066	Newegg	37	4	148
DVD-Rom	LITE-ON IDE DVD-ROM	Newegg	17	1	17
Floppy Drive	SAMSUNG Floppy Drive	Newegg	7	1	7
Hard Drive	Seagate 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s	Newegg	55	4	220
Videocard	EVGA 256-P2-N445-LX GeForce 7300GT	Newegg	55	2	110
Sound Card	Onboard	Newegg	0	1	0
Network Card	Gigabit Onboard	Newegg	0	1	0
Keyboard	Microsoft Natural 4000 Black	Newegg	35	1	35
Mouse	Logitech MX518 Optical Mouse	Newegg	40	1	40
Monitor	ViewSonic Pro Series VP950b Black 19"	Newegg	340	3	1020
Mouse Pad	XTRAC XTRAC ZOOM V2 Mouse Pad	Newegg	11	1	11
Speakers	SENNHEISER DJs HD202 Circumaural	Newegg	25	1	25
Powersupply	CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W	Newegg	130	1	130
Other

Overview:
Est System Cost: $2292.00
Submitted By: Jared Bouck
Submit Date: 5/5/2008
Complexity to Assemble: Very Experienced
Software Configuration and Optimization: Level 10 Geek
Estimated Productive Life Span: 2 years

Recommended 3D Artist System Spec

Jared Bouck — Fri, 02 May 2008 17:43:00 GMT

3D animation systems need as many pipes as they can cram onto that video card. Specialized video cards usually don’t support the latest visual effects for games, but boy can they push those polygons through the pipeline. 3d work can push the best CPU to its max with high poly scenes and test renders so look for a good CPU and lots of ram and fast hard drives to prevent bottlenecks.

Component	Component Description	Vendor	Price	Qty	Total
Case	Thermaltake Armor VA8003BWS	Newegg	170	1	170
Motherboard	ASUS DSGC-DW Dual LGA 771	Newegg	400	1	400
CPU	Intel Xeon L5320 1.86GHz Quad	Newegg	360	2	720
Ram	WINTEC 2GB ECC Fully Buffered	Newegg	81	2	162
DVD-Rom	LITE-ON IDE DVD-ROM	Newegg	17	1	17
Floppy Drive	SAMSUNG Floppy Drive	Newegg	7	1	7
Hard Drive	Seagate 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s	Newegg	55	4	220
Videocard	EVGA 256-P2-N445-LX GeForce 7300GT	Newegg	55	2	110
Sound Card	Onboard	Newegg	0	1	0
Network Card	Gigabit Onboard	Newegg	0	1	0
Keyboard	Microsoft Natural 4000 Black	Newegg	35	1	35
Mouse	Logitech MX518 Optical Mouse	Newegg	40	1	40
Monitor	ViewSonic Graphic Series VG1930wm Wide	Newegg	250	3	750
Mouse Pad	XTRAC XTRAC ZOOM V2 Mouse Pad	Newegg	11	1	11
Speakers	SENNHEISER DJs HD202 Circumaural	Newegg	25	1	25
Powersupply	CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W	Newegg	130	1	130

Overview:
Est System Cost: $2772.00
Submitted By: Jared Bouck
Submit Date: 5/5/2008
Complexity to Assemble: Very Experienced
Software Configuration and Optimization: Level 10 Geek
Estimated Productive Life Span: 2 years

Recommended Developer System Spec

Jared Bouck — Fri, 02 May 2008 16:34:00 GMT

Software development systems are designed to facilitate efficiency. Multiple monitors have been shown to dramatically improve efficiency for software development. Fast CPUs help speed up builds, and lots of ram will help with many software development tasks and multitasking. Gigabit ethernet connections will speed up loading large projects over a network. Last, and sadly often overlooked for those poor decrepit programmers is ergonomics. Can we include a nice Herman Miller chair in these specs?

Component	Component Description	Vendor	Price	Qty	Total
Case	Thermaltake Armor VA8003BWS	Newegg	170	1	170
Motherboard	ASUS P5K-E LGA 775 Intel P35	Newegg	139	1	139
CPU	Intel Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz Quad-Core	Newegg	220	1	220
Ram	Crucial Ballistix 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 1066	Newegg	37	4	148
DVD-Rom	LITE-ON IDE DVD-ROM	Newegg	17	1	17
Floppy Drive	SAMSUNG Floppy Drive	Newegg	7	1	7
Hard Drive	Seagate 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s	Newegg	55	4	220
Videocard	EVGA 256-P2-N445-LX GeForce 7300GT	Newegg	55	2	110
Sound Card	Onboard	Newegg	0	1	0
Network Card	Gigabit Onboard	Newegg	0	1	0
Keyboard	Microsoft Natural 4000 Black	Newegg	35	1	35
Mouse	Logitech MX518 Optical Mouse	Newegg	40	1	40
Monitor	Acer AL1916WAbd Black 19" Widescreen	Newegg	180	3	540
Mouse Pad	XTRAC XTRAC ZOOM V2 Mouse Pad	Newegg	11	1	11
Speakers	SENNHEISER DJs HD202 Circumaural	Newegg	25	1	25
Powersupply	CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W	Newegg	130	1	130
Other

Overview:
Est System Cost: $1812.00
Submitted By: Jared Bouck
Submit Date: 5/5/2008
Complexity to Assemble: Very Experienced
Software Configuration and Optimization: Level 10 Geek
Estimated Productive Life Span: 2 years