Entry Level 3D printer?

A Computer Guy · Jun 25, 2020

Looking to explore something new in September. Any recommendations for entry level 3d printer with a startup cost under $500 (printer and materials) with satisfactory quality?
Please share your experiences. Good, bad, and the ugly. Maybe a picture of your creations.

sam_86314 · Jun 25, 2020

I use an Anet A8. It set me back around $180 back in August 2018.

Assembly is tricky and it takes some adjustment to get good prints, but it's extremely upgradable.

I briefly worked for a 3D printing company, and they trained us on these printers, so I had some experience with it already.

I print exclusively with PLA, so I don't know how it does with ABS or PETG.

Caring1 · Jun 25, 2020

Try asking in here.

TPU 3D Printing Club

Anyone here have a 3D printer? Share your stuff! I'll add to this post and organize it as time goes on. A couple months ago I picked up a Qidi Tech X-One 2 printer for 400 bucks. It was cheap, but it had really good ratings on Amazon. Other than premature bearing failure (cheap...

www.techpowerup.com

sam_86314 · Jun 25, 2020

Caring1 said:
Try asking in here.

TPU 3D Printing Club

Anyone here have a 3D printer? Share your stuff! I'll add to this post and organize it as time goes on. A couple months ago I picked up a Qidi Tech X-One 2 printer for 400 bucks. It was cheap, but it had really good ratings on Amazon. Other than premature bearing failure (cheap...

www.techpowerup.com

I mean, @Durvelle27 and I have pretty much taken over that thread, and he has a variant of the A8.

A Computer Guy · Jun 25, 2020

sam_86314 said:
I mean, @Durvelle27 and I have pretty much taken over that thread, and he has a variant of the A8.

Thanks I'll take a look.

Boris_s · Aug 4, 2020

My Monoprice Voxel arrived 2 months ago and I spent some time installing and calibrating it. The first print was not bad and I decided to start right away with something more complicated.

Choosing this 3D model for the first serious print was my mistake of course, as I realized later.

The results are terrible, I am no longer even sure that this model can be printed at all because of its very complex geometry and texture. Three failed attempts, but I still hope for success.

AOne · Aug 4, 2020

Check Ender 3 or some of its clones. I use Alfawise U30 pro.

Durvelle27 · Aug 4, 2020

I use a Tronxy 802

sam_86314 · Aug 4, 2020

Boris_s said:
My Monoprice Voxel arrived 2 months ago and I spent some time installing and calibrating it. The first print was not bad and I decided to start right away with something more complicated.

Choosing this 3D model for the first serious print was my mistake of course, as I realized later.

The results are terrible, I am no longer even sure that this model can be printed at all because of its very complex geometry and texture. Three failed attempts, but I still hope for success.

You'll definitely need supports to print that. Just know that supports can be a PITA to remove.

System Name	Not a thread ripper but pretty good.
Processor	Ryzen 9 5950x
Motherboard	ASRock X570 Taichi (revision 1.06, BIOS/UEFI version P5.50)
Cooling	EK-Quantum Velocity, EK-Quantum Reflection PC-O11, EK-CoolStream PE 360, XSPC TX360
Memory	Micron DDR4-3200 ECC Unbuffered Memory (4 sticks, 128GB, 18ASF4G72AZ-3G2F1)
Video Card(s)	XFX Radeon RX 5700 & EK-Quantum Vector Radeon RX 5700 +XT & Backplate
Storage	Samsung 2TB 980 PRO 2TB Gen4x4 NVMe, 2 x Samsung 2TB 970 EVO Plus Gen3x4 NVMe
Display(s)	2 x 4K LG 27UL600-W (and HUANUO Dual Monitor Mount)
Case	Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic Black (original model)
Power Supply	Corsair RM750x
Mouse	Logitech M575
Keyboard	Corsair Strafe RGB MK.2
Software	Windows 10 Professional (64bit)
Benchmark Scores	Typical for non-overclocked CPU.

System Name	Space Heater MKIV
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Motherboard	ASRock B550 Taichi
Cooling	Noctua NH-U14S, 3x Noctua NF-A14s
Memory	2x32GB Teamgroup T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4-3600 C18 1.35V
Video Card(s)	PowerColor RX 6800 XT Red Devil (2150MHz, 240W PL)
Storage	2TB WD SN850X, 4x1TB Crucial MX500 (striped array), LG WH16NS40 BD-RE
Display(s)	Dell S3422DWG (34" 3440x1440 144Hz)
Case	Phanteks Enthoo Pro M
Audio Device(s)	Edifier R1700BT, Samson SR850
Power Supply	Corsair RM850x, CyberPower CST135XLU
Mouse	Logitech MX Master 3
Keyboard	Glorious GMMK 2 96%
Software	Windows 10 LTSC 2021, Linux Mint

System Name	Black Box
Processor	Intel Xeon E3-1260L v5
Motherboard	MSI E3 KRAIT Gaming v5
Cooling	Tt tower + 120mm Tt fan
Memory	G.Skill 16GB 3600 C18
Video Card(s)	Asus GTX 970 Mini
Storage	Kingston A2000 512Gb NVME
Display(s)	AOC 24" Freesync 1m.s. 75Hz
Case	Corsair 450D High Air Flow.
Audio Device(s)	No need.
Power Supply	FSP Aurum 650W
Mouse	Yes
Keyboard	Of course
Software	W10 Pro 64 bit

System Name	Space Heater MKIV
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Motherboard	ASRock B550 Taichi
Cooling	Noctua NH-U14S, 3x Noctua NF-A14s
Memory	2x32GB Teamgroup T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4-3600 C18 1.35V
Video Card(s)	PowerColor RX 6800 XT Red Devil (2150MHz, 240W PL)
Storage	2TB WD SN850X, 4x1TB Crucial MX500 (striped array), LG WH16NS40 BD-RE
Display(s)	Dell S3422DWG (34" 3440x1440 144Hz)
Case	Phanteks Enthoo Pro M
Audio Device(s)	Edifier R1700BT, Samson SR850
Power Supply	Corsair RM850x, CyberPower CST135XLU
Mouse	Logitech MX Master 3
Keyboard	Glorious GMMK 2 96%
Software	Windows 10 LTSC 2021, Linux Mint

System Name	Not a thread ripper but pretty good.
Processor	Ryzen 9 5950x
Motherboard	ASRock X570 Taichi (revision 1.06, BIOS/UEFI version P5.50)
Cooling	EK-Quantum Velocity, EK-Quantum Reflection PC-O11, EK-CoolStream PE 360, XSPC TX360
Memory	Micron DDR4-3200 ECC Unbuffered Memory (4 sticks, 128GB, 18ASF4G72AZ-3G2F1)
Video Card(s)	XFX Radeon RX 5700 & EK-Quantum Vector Radeon RX 5700 +XT & Backplate
Storage	Samsung 2TB 980 PRO 2TB Gen4x4 NVMe, 2 x Samsung 2TB 970 EVO Plus Gen3x4 NVMe
Display(s)	2 x 4K LG 27UL600-W (and HUANUO Dual Monitor Mount)
Case	Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic Black (original model)
Power Supply	Corsair RM750x
Mouse	Logitech M575
Keyboard	Corsair Strafe RGB MK.2
Software	Windows 10 Professional (64bit)
Benchmark Scores	Typical for non-overclocked CPU.

Entry Level 3D printer?

A Computer Guy

sam_86314

Caring1

TPU 3D Printing Club

sam_86314

TPU 3D Printing Club

A Computer Guy

Boris_s

New Member

AOne

Durvelle27

Moderator

sam_86314

System Name	Black Prometheus
Processor	\|AMD Ryzen 7 1700X
Motherboard	ASRock B550M Pro4\|MSI X370 Gaming PLUS
Cooling	Thermalright PA120 SE \| AMD Stock Cooler
Memory	G.Skill 64GB(2x32GB) 3200MHz \| 32GB(4x8GB) DDR4
Video Card(s)	\|AMD R9 290
Storage	Sandisk X300 512GB + WD Black 6TB+WD Black 6TB
Display(s)	LG Nanocell85 49" 4K 120Hz + ACER AOPEN 34" 3440x1440 144Hz
Case	DeepCool Matrexx 55 V3 w/ 6x120mm Intake + 3x120mm Exhaust
Audio Device(s)	LG Dolby Atmos 5.1
Power Supply	Corsair RMX850 Fully Modular\| EVGA 750W G2
Mouse	Logitech Trackman
Keyboard	Logitech K350
Software	Windows 10 EDU x64