Forever alone filmmaking hardware recommendations November 2012

After writing my last post and mentioning some hardware that really doesn't fit in the budget of a forever alone filmmaker I thought I should look over current hardware offering and recommend my picks based on past experience...

If you wanted to put together an M dot Strange style one man micro 3d studio today this is what I would get... if you find this post 3 months+ from the date I posted it than its probably already out of date... but here's my picks...
For a budget performance workstation I'd go with this (click for larger image)

I made We Are The Strange (2007) with a Shuttle and I made Heart String Marionette(2012) with a Shuttle as well... they are not perfect but for a quick barebones build and a solid machine I'd go with a Shuttle- always check the reviews though as some systems are plagued... and the other parts aren't the fastest or "best" these are just the components I chose because I think they provide the best price/performance/stability for a one man army cg animator

So workstation = $1600.00
Cinebench CPU Score= 7.91

For a budget render node I'd go with this... 4 of them if you can swing it...

I used four In Win based render nodes on Heart String Marionette and I didn't have one problem! I replaced the stock fans with Noctua's though... but yeh this box gives you a price/performance ratio! Chose the SSD as their quieter and draw less power.

So render node: $500.00
Cinebench CPU score= 6.32 (Can push it to around 7.0 - 8.0 w/Overclocking)

For all the Mac users out there- to get a Mac Mini to match this score you would have to configure it with a 2.6ghz i7 and 8gb ram which would drive the price of the Mac Mini up to $999 

If you want to replicate the type of setup I had when I made Heart String Marionette you'd get that Shuttle workstation and four of these render nodes.... these machines and much more powerful than what I have now but it cost about the same when I bought mine.

So yeh this recommendation will be out of date in 3-6 months but if you're thinking about buying some stuff in the VERY near future these are my picks! ^_^

Brought to you by professional weirdo M dot Strange.