Urgent Help!!! PC specs

[XtremeMedia]

Hi, I have a deadline to meet and I have just been given a large amount of money to purchase a PC that can speed render aproject. i use my own personal PC to create the actual model and scene in Lightwave, but the rendering takes too long and occupies my computer. What PC should I buy? Should i build one? What specs should I look for? Any help would be much appreciated. If anyone knows any place where I could buy one and at how much it will cost. Thank you very much.

[Lamont]

The more CPU's w/memory you can get the better. Try Respower.com for rendering large projects fast (and I mean fast).

[AbnRanger]

I recently spec'ed a build for some compact, relatively inexpensive, but powerful render nodes (with onboard video...if rendering is all you'll be doing, then you don't need a monster video card).
Here's a link with all the components, minus an O.E.M copy of Windows XP (home edition is $89/ Professional $130)... at $1100, it's hard to beat. http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/WishList/wishlistCurrent.asp

[Draven]

We can't see that system.

I'll tell you straight up, that two $550 render nodes will be better than a single $1100 render node. There's no use building render nodes with the latest and greatest CPU (including dual-core CPUs), you just buy one with the best performance for the money.

[lots]

For $592 (no shipping or OS) you can get a dual core X2 with 1GB of memory. Not a bad Render node for abit more than $600. And it will be more powerful than just 1 single core system :P

And getting two will get you up to just about the price of that single system you quoted. Thats 4 CPUs for a nice small render farm.

Here are the specs:
No CD (just pass one around to install the OS :P)
Athlon64 X2 3800+ (with heatsink)
1GB DDR Corsair RAM
Geforce 6100 with onboard graphics, SATA, network
Antec case with PSU
80GB seagate (smallest HD I found from seagate on newegg :P)

[Draven]

If your renders use more than about 768 mb of RAM the second core is going to be pretty useless.