I would spend more for an I7 processor and get a more basic graphics card. 25 gig ssd might be kind of small. dont forget a good fan/cooling system and case, motherboard and cost of new OS.

On another note, you're going to spend a lot of time learning software you wont use much. Learn sketchup and vray, maybe rhino, know how to navigate revit maybe and of course cad. Spend more time learning plants and drawing. Just my unsolicited advice.

do landscape architects use computers?  You can probably get by with some colored pencils and a tree stencil.  

Hi Larchinect,

Thank you for your advise, I really appreciate it. And just some questions out of the original topic, what software would you recommend the best for 3d modelling and rendering for LA? and how important is presentable hand-drawing in the industry? (I have not started working in the field yet)

If by any chance you or other people who are reading this know good combination of components to buy (specific model names) please let me know too! 

We use two Wacom Cintiqs in our office for drawing, concept design. We dont use circle templates anymore, instead we use photoshop. We use vray and sketchup for most of our modeling/rendering and occasionally rhino, but havent been able to justify the need for the added modeling capability in most of our smallish projects, but it is a great tool. I think revit isnt close to ready for site design/landscape and max is great if you want to specialize in modeling complex environments or convoluting your workflow. I think its a mistake common in the architecture field to learn 7 million different programs and not know any one well or how to express an idea quickly. It all boils downt to where you want to work and your professional goals. We are a tiny upstart business so most of our projects are tiny, but you find good design wherever you can, the details. Tools like max and revit would be ridiculous in our workflow, but drawing on a cintiq is ideal--fast, digital, iterative. Learn autocad well, sketchup, and maybe rhino, certainly photoshop. Illustrator and indesign have their uses, but in a limited capacity in our profession so dont bog yourself down there. 

I just built a machine for our office with:

asus z97x mobo

zotac gtx970 

16 gb ram

I7 4.0ghz processor

120gb ssd and 1tb hdd

in a nzxt case with aftermarket fans. windows 7 pro.

Its all we need and then some for everything from photoshop to rhino to the occasional lumion render.

Thank you so much for your response, I have a lot to learn from you!

The components listed are good stuff,  I will definitely build one like yours when I'm confident with building computers. (plus when I save enough money!)

This is a list of what I found that suits my budget at the moment, please feel free to comment on their functionality:

- Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply

- MSI A88X-G45 GAMING ATX FM2+ Motherboard

- Seagate ST2000DM001 Storage

- Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory

- MSI Radeon R9 270 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card

- AMD A8-7600 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor

- Case is not decided yet...

And to anyone reading, you are the most welcome to comment on my choice too, I really need advices on this!

i'd recommend an entry level firepro or quadro card- it's going to be cheaper than a gaming card and much better for 3d modeling so you can still manage to work with a complex model. 16gb of ram minimum. i7 if you're planning to do any rendering, otherwise i5 is ok. I think you can go with the i5 and use a cloud-based rendering service or the school's computers for that to save some money. definitely get a ssd for the system disk. honestly though you should think about getting a light laptop instead. there's really no need to build a computer unless you're going to a very digital oriented school and even then it's not necessary.

The specs you have listed are not quite enough for that machine to run well. You can hardly build a good enough computer for your budget. If $800 is truly your budget, I recommend you check out newegg, dell, HP, amazon, etc and keep an eye out for towers. You need an Intel i5 or better, a 2gb graphics card or better, and preferably an ssd or hybrid drive. Win 7 or 8 will come with it. Don't worry about how much RAM it has - you are going to replace it with 32gb as soon as you get it. Said tower should last you 4+ years and be very reliable.

The person is not going to need 32GB. Waste of money on a small budget, 16GB is maximum for their likely needs.

Get a i5-4690K and forget the video card for now. Most everything listed in single-threaded and the rendering times won't matter that much if this is the beginning stages of an education. So in AUD, the i5 and a motherboard would total around $450. Set apart $250 for the case, SSD, and PSU. Forget that AMD crap, you'll live in regret everyday.

That leaves $300 for a video card, which gets a nice mid-range option. But you can hold off on this for awhile and use the integrated as it'll cover most of the programs listed just fine.

They sell Windows licenses for $20 on reddit, get one of those.

Forgot the RAM. That wipes away the GPU budget. 

you can definitely build a nice starter machine for 800, probably would need to go i5, but that will be fine, can get a1gb graphics card for under 100 bucks. My old reliable office desktop that Ive run for over four years is running a 2.8ghz i7 1 gb geforce card and 16gb ram still runs everything fine from rhino to lumion. 

are you putting the machine in studio? laptop will come in handy more in school. we have an office laptop dell 15z with i7 2.8ghz  16 gb ram and geforce card we bought new online for around 1300 a couple years ago still going strong runs cad, rhino, vray and sketchup photoshop, etc fine.

Thanks all for your response!

There's a general comment about recommending Intel build and light laptop:

I found that AMD A8 7600 has equivalent functionality to i5 in my research, can anyone explain how Intel is better than AMD in my case?

As for light laptop, I'm using one at the moment (which is getting old and slow), also I prefer having a desktop at home for efficiency and convenience.

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After reading all comments, I probably will invest on hybrid/ssd, and downgrade my gaming card. Will post a new list of my final decision when I have one for you guys to check.

AMD is just below Intel's i3 so if you insist on cutting corners, get that instead and save the hundred or so for something else. The A-series' only real draw is low budget gaming but the programs you intend to use demand CPU performance.

If you can't afford much better, keep on saving unless you want a dud.