PC build ~$1000
polycounter lvl 7
A couple years ago I thought it would be a great idea to buy a laptop. It wasn't. I've been on the g74sx for awhile, albeit its a great PC..laptops are just not optimal to work with or make a workstation around in any fashion. Causes me to be uncomfortable for most of my day.
So. I'm selling it and buying a tower again.
This is what I have so far http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3sM53
No optics drive because I haven't used it in years.
SSD because I've heard great things. HDD for storage of finished projects etc.
I've gone pretty high up on graphics and processor yet skimped on the ram because I figure ram would be easier to find the money to buy more or replace later.
Let me know what you think or if there's better buys for budget that are more or less focused on the 3D world. I find myself gaming a lot lot lot less than before (10minutes recorded in the past 2 weeks on steam)
I've got a monitor, keyboard, and mouse already.
I don't have much experience in PC building so it makes me nervous that I'll be using expensive parts. Should I maybe just go through a company and get a warranty as well?
So. I'm selling it and buying a tower again.
This is what I have so far http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3sM53
No optics drive because I haven't used it in years.
SSD because I've heard great things. HDD for storage of finished projects etc.
I've gone pretty high up on graphics and processor yet skimped on the ram because I figure ram would be easier to find the money to buy more or replace later.
Let me know what you think or if there's better buys for budget that are more or less focused on the 3D world. I find myself gaming a lot lot lot less than before (10minutes recorded in the past 2 weeks on steam)
I've got a monitor, keyboard, and mouse already.
I don't have much experience in PC building so it makes me nervous that I'll be using expensive parts. Should I maybe just go through a company and get a warranty as well?
Replies
Since you don't have a aftermarket cooler in your shoping cart I assume you don't want to overclock. In this case you can go with a i7 4770 (saves ~$20) or a Xeon E3 1230v3 (if you can live without the iGPU, saves ~$70) as a CPU. You also don't need a Z87 board, go with H87 (saves ~90). The thermal compound is also not nedded if you don't overclock (the stock cooler has it pre-applied, and good aftermarket coolers come with thermal compound included). Plus the arctic one is good, but I believe it's one of the conducting thermal compounds.
PSU could be enough since the CPU + GPU + SDD+ HDD together use ~330 watt under extreme load (not realy reachable under normal circumstances), and Antec has good PSUs, but I would go with 480-550 Watt.
RAM: I would at least go with 16 GByte (2*8) and Win 7 Professional (Home Premium allows only for 16 GByte). This way you can upgrade to 32 Gbyte in the future if you should need it.
Case: really good choice. It's really good - build quality wise, noise dampening and with easy to clean dust filters etc. (have it myself, hehe - without the window though). Do you like quiet PC's btw?
Maybe something like this: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3sRMa (16 GByte instead of 8, 80+ Gold Seasonic PSU, quietest GTX 760 on the market, only $10 more than your build).
It's not really that hard, but I believe nearly everyone has this feeling before building their first PC. If you want a bit more security you can get a esd strap and mat like this: http://i.imgur.com/Tf1EDHS.jpg (should be $10 to $50).
You can also watch some videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDxT8bSR3co
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea_bs5G1yYU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoryVr_7AGA
Do you mean only a prebuild pc with warranty, or a workstation with support etc.? If you're a freelancer and work entirely offsite a workstation could be a good idea.
And yes. I am much too chicken to overclock..yet...I can always add fans and thermal paste and have a go at a later time. Albeit it might require some disassemble. I just don't have the finances to mess up ATM!
I do have a couple questions though..
Mobo: I wanted this computer to be upgrade able without having to get a new mobo, so if I wanted two graphics cards I would have to get a new mobo with the H87 yes? is there a midway between the Z87 and H87 that supports SLI?
What is an iGPU? I am guessing its a graphics card built in? If I plan to have off-board graphics does it matter that i have one anyway?
I am guessing the -.1Ghz from 4770k->4770 isn't a big deal
I hear that hyper threading is better for heavier workloads, which I'd think 3D renders and such were? Or will the Xeon still keep up without skipping a beat?
MoBo: yes, you would need a new MoBo if you want to use SLI/Crossfire in the future. H87 is for people that don't want to overclock their CPUs and don't want to use SLI/Crossfire. In this case the board you picked is the right way to go. Z87 is for Overclocking and SLI/Crossfire.
iGPU: yes, that's correct. iGPU stands for integrated grapics proccessing unit. If you use a dedicated GPU you don't really need an iGPU. But it can have some uses even with a dedicated GPU. For example if your dedicated GPU should ever have a malfunction you can just use the iGPU until you get a new dedicated GPU (never really had a malfunctioning GPU myself since the 90s, but it's nice to know you have a backup if you don't have a cheap card lying around). They can also be handy if you use virtualization and want to play The Witcher, Crysis 3, Civilization or whatever in a virtual machine or use your graphics card for calculations inside the VM. In this case you can use pci passthrough and pass your card to the VM, and the iGPU displays the host system.
100 mhz: yeah, you will not really see a difference.
Xeon: the Xeon has Hyperthreading. It's basically a i7 4770 (with 100mhz less clockspeed and a deactivated iGPU). Xeon E3 CPUs are intended for workstations/small servers - they are selected for stability/longevity and have some extra features like ECC support (should not be important to you), but otherwise they are the same as an i7. The 1230v3 is an ideal candidat for an budget build, but if you can afford it go with the 4770.
Please keep in mind that you need the i7 4770K if you want the possibility to overlock your CPU in the future.
The i7 4770 (without K) and the Xeon E3 1230v3 can't be overclocked. Okay, some mainboards have the ability to set them to their highest turbo, which means they become 3,7 ghz CPU's, but that's not real overclocking like you can do with K-CPU's.
EDIT you probably know this already, but just in case: if you want to use SLI/Crossfire later the 550 PSU is not enough.
Yeah, but replacing the PSU is one of the cheapest options to replace if I want to SLI link later on. (Which I will, I am power hungry)
I think I am all set here.. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3t0jD
Went with the Xeon because I wouldn't know how to use the Igpu anyway
Comes out to $1198.39
Which isn't too bad, bit over budget.. but I am picky. My laptop has highish specs already so I'd only want to go up if I was moving to a desktop. Which I am getting a lot better for cheaper too. (Though it is 3ish years old now)
I am excited and nervous at the same time, Will definitely continue to watch a lot of setup videos.
Would there be a way to check if everything would fit in the case? Albeit I don't have any doubts that it will all fit, I just want to be sure ~
PSU: The Seasonic 750 is only $40 more and would be enough for 2 760s in SLI + CPU overclocking (even the 650 should be enough, it can deliver over 600w on the 12v rail alone). But you can certainly go with the 550 first and buy a new one later - especially if you should want to go for a quiet system.
Xeon: since you might want to overclock in the future I would bite the bullet and go with the 4770K. It's $70 more now (only $20 if you have micro center nearby and can pick it up in the store), but if you should later decide to overclock you would need to buy a complete new CPU if you go with the non K-Version/the Xeon. Since Intel prices are relativly stable this could be $200+. Of course you could sell your (then) "old" CPU, but keep in mind that Xeons are not well known outside of tech savy people. This could reduce the resale value.
Just remember that you need to discharge yourself before you start working on your pc and don't rush things and you will be fine.
None I know off, but I myself have a really large heatsink - Thermalright HR-02 Macho Rev.A - in the case and have no problems: http://i.imgur.com/pAhupZs.jpg (not shot by me but it's the define r4 and thermalright hr-02 macho)
Here is the stock cooler for comparison: http://i.imgur.com/ar6tBKF.jpg
The case allows for ATX-Mobo's, your MoBo is ATX -> check
The case allows for GPU's with up to ~11,5 inch / 295mm in length (without the drive cages even for ~17 inch / 430mm), your card is only ~10 inch / 260mm -> check
I've also got 16gb ram.
Nothing is over-clocked, it's kinda fast enough already most of the time. I might get round to it at some stage but the performance you get for your £££ these days is so good vs say 5-10yrs ago where an over-clock was really noticeable outside of benchmarking apps.
For nearly everything this combo is fine. Yes yes, more expensive ~ faster, but there is a point of negligible returns.
At my previous work I had Xeon yadda yadda and fancy Quadro, ECC ram and usually when I fired up the same projects on my own computer the speed was just as good if not faster.
I also have SSD for system and scratch disk and swap file (one for each), which helps make things nice and fast. You can often pick up 64gb ssd drives cheap and if it's only ever got swap/scratch type data on there then if it fails no issue.
It speeds up things a lot to put swap file onto SSD too, and reduces stress on the main SSD with the system, the one you're more likely to not want to fail randomly.
My cheap 'unreliable' super high rated speed spec OCZ swap file SSD has lasted longer than a dedicated WD Raptor mechanical drive that I used to use for this job too.
I'd say you will be happy with that spec machine.
I'd not worry with SLi upgrade paths either. Probably best to invest in a GPU upgrade at the time you have the funds available.
Otherwise you might be paying worse £/bang ratio for a matching 760 at the time, and also paying more for the PSU now in preparation for that time.
I've been tempted by a laptop a lot but in the end you still need a big screen or two, and a mouse, to make them half useful for a workstation. Suddenly you're back at a desk with peripherals, wires all over, mouse, keyboard etc, and you may as well just own a proper tower again.
Cheers
Dave
For SLI, you're not going to see a performance benefit in a lot of apps. Games, and game engines, or GPU based renderers like Marmoset Toolbag yes, but max, maya, zbrush, etc, no. So its better to buy one good GPU now instead of paying extra money to maybe buy another mid-range gpu later. For instance, just get a 770 now and be done with it, that card will last you 2, probably 3 years, and you will see the performance benefit from the start, all by simply diverting the extra money you would pay for a fancy motherboard etc.
Plus, by the time you would want to do SLI, you can just pick up a new video card in a few years that is twice as fast for the same price or less than you'll pay for the one you buy today.
Build your system for what you want it to do today, not what you'll maybe perhaps do later, because that maybe perhaps never comes for most people.
I'll also add that when that time comes to use it, whatever you have will be outdated and there will be something more powerful available, probably for cheaper.
That is exactly the problem with my current workstation!
Ah. I think you're right here, will revise it with a new mobo
Though I don't mind the 760 vs 770/780 sine it is $100 cheaper and will be roughly the same to the extent of my use. I am excited for this and want to do it right ^.^ But Computers are expensive!
I HAVE RETURNED
I am about to order my parts and want to make sure its all good to go, So please take a look ! I am super nervous >.>
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HL28
Personally i would go for a Bulldozer + Radeon build, because of the better Price per Performance ratio, but Bulldozers are really hard to cool when used for a workstation Scenario.
I think the build you have will make you happy
Really depends on how organized you are in terms of moving content to the archive drive though.
But yeah Ill double check compatibility! I have to cancel the order on my case tomorrow, was so eager I forgot the promo code XD
Even if I still am charged shipping I am saving money.. -im an idiot.-
Ordered the SSD, Case and mobo so far. then proceeded to reorder the case with the promo code and spent awhile figuring out what I needed to do for the refund. I hit cancel literally two minutes after I ordered and new egg was like "NOPE SORRY ITS ON THE SHIPPING LINE OR SOMETHING"
NO ITS NOT ITS SUNDAY ANYWAY YOU WONT SHIP TILL TOMORROW AND RAWR GIMME MY MONEY BACK