My First Computer Build:
3D Workstation

Web page author W. David Hoisington, Ph.D.
This web page is about my efforts in custom designing a computer system that would specifically meet the needs of a 3D artist and a college professor.  As this was a new field of investigation there was a lot to learn.  It took me 6 months and some mistakes along the way.  There were financial constraints on the project, thus the aim was to build something that could be upgraded with new technology in the future.  The focus was on 3D graphics and a combination of form and function that looks nice on top of the desk.
Last Updated: April, 2010

Photo 1 shows an overall shot of the entire system.  The front of the computer has a see-through acrylic door that has been modified to let in air.

The case is the NZXT Appollo, a mid sized case chosen to sit on top of the desk.

The desk arrangement is set to decrease mouse strain and eye strain.

Photo 2 shows the computer system with the front bay door open.

There are three 120mm fans, two of them with blue lights that are complimented by the blue lights that come with the case, the cpu cooler and the motherboard.  All three fans are on a fan controller which alows for the fans to be turned down during low use and up during max usage.

There is a media card reader for moving over photo/video files.

Photo 3 shows the interior, and most of the major components.  Special attention has been paid to air flow because of the "hot" modern components in the system.  This is not a "gaming" system although it would function OK as one. 

The graphics card is the EVGA GTX 275, which will work fine for most 3D work and it is not as expensive as the Quadro.  I do not use Maya, Lightwave or 3ds max which are enhanced by the Quadro series graphics cards.

The expensive parts are the motherboard, the processor and the cpu cooler - but that is where most 3D work is managed, along with the RAM (system has 8 GB DDR3).

CPU - AMD Phenom II 965 BE

Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-790fxtA-UD5 (which has SATA 3 and USB 3 capability)

CPU Cooler - Coolit Freezone Elite: it has been modified with a 40 mm fan mounted on the cooling block and a high intensity PWM exhaust fan which is adjustable for max load on the cpu and can be made quiet on low load.

Some Information : 

The cpu temperature is 17 degrees C on idle and 35 degrees on max load (which is very cool for this "hot" system).
                                   
The gpu temperature is 38 degrees C on idle and 60 degrees on max load.

A 50 million polygon picture can be rendered using Vue 7-Extreme in under 4 minutes.

Dust filters are applied in several places (dust is dangerous to computers).  The system is pretty quiet, particularly on load load, but not silent. 

To see the work results of this system visit:
Thanks to Mathew Martin for his help in building this computer.
Night time photo showing the blue accent lighting on the bottom front, and the lights behind the front acryllic door - including the fan control panel. Also shown are the lights on the side panel from two fans and the cpu cooler. The 3d mouse is at the bottom with its blue ring.
A computer can function well and look great!
and
I post this web page to share my entry into a new domain of knowledge, to share this accomplishment with my friends, and to offer a design to others who may want a quality 3D workstation at a reasonable price.
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