Need advise for the choice of three systems

[changluu]

Hi everyone,

 

Before this post, I have read many posts about Xeon or i7, as well as Quard or GTX.

And I narrow it down to the three systems below. (They are not the latest generation since they are both from dell outlet. But, much cheaper though.)

 

1: Alienware Aurora R4 Desktop

 

Processor: Intel Core 3rd Generation i7-3930K Processor

Windows 7 Ultimate

1TB 7200 rpm SATA 6Gb/s Hard Drive

16 GB DDR3 Memory (4X4GB) 1600MHz

4 GB GDDR5 GTX 690

1 year Warranty

875w

 

$1659 (after tax)

 

2. Precision T7600

 

Processor: Dual Intel Xeon Six Core E5-2630 Processor

1TB 7200 rpm SATA 6Gb/s Hard Drive

8GB, 1600MHz, DDR3 RDIMM ECC 4 DIMM (4x2GB)

3GB nVIDIA Quadro K4000

1300W Tower

 

$ 1684 (after tax)

 

3. Precision T3600

 

Processor:Intel Xeon E5-1607 Processor

1TB 7200 rpm SATA 6Gb/s Hard Drive

16GB, 1600MHz, DDR3 None-ECC 4 DIMM (4x4GB)

3GB nVIDIA Quadro K4000

625W Tower

 

$900 (after tax)

 

Mostly, I will use this computer for Rhino, adobe PS, AI, AE, and probably 3D max and MAYA. Occasionally playing games.

 

My monitor is Dell u3014 and u2413. So, take the 10bit color into concern. and also for the dual monitor 2560x1600 and 1920x1200. I am afraid single Quard K4000 would not be enough, is it? (for both 3D software and games)

 

So, for the system 1 and 2, my question is for the money, should I go with single cpu i7 3930k or dual cpu Xeon 2630. Which one perform better? And also Quard K4000 or GTX 690? As you can see, The alienware and T7600 almost have the same price. Which one is the better choice? But, if i go with T7600, I would problem add more RAM which will be extra cost. Can I just add 4x8gb RAM on top of the original 4x2gb RAM?

 

For System 3, I will change the CPU to either E5-1650 or E5 1650 v2, which will hit the warranty.

[numerobis]

None of the three...

 

All 3 systems are not really well balanced in my opinion - maybe the first would be the best choice out of these three, but this graphics card is nonsense for a workstation because everything beside GPU rendering and gaming will only use one of the two GTX680 chips on the card. And for GPU rendering you will have a very limited amount of VRAM, because 4GB RAM means 2GB for each GPU.

The second system config is a bad joke... two very low clocked hexa cores with only 2.3GHz (very low single thread performance with 2,8GH turbo clock)), 4x2GB RAM (WTF?!?) and a massively oversized PSU... unless you plan to plug in two or three more graphics cards.

Multithread (rendering) performance will be the best on this system, maybe almost 50% faster than the first system. But the system should have at least 8 identical RAM sticks (4 for each CPU)to be able to run in quad channel mode.

 

The third one is clearly the weakest system with 4 cores @3GHz without turbo and hyperthreading...

And all three systems lack a SSD. I really wouldn't build a workstation today without a good SSD! And i would say at least 16GB RAM, a CPU with at least 4 cores + hyperthreading (better 6) and close to 4GHz single core turbo.

I can't say much about GPUs for Rhino, but since it is still OpenGL based i would think a Quadro would be the better choice, but i don't know.

So, if you want to take one of these three systems, i would say the first one, but with another video card and a SSD for Win and programs.

Edited January 26, 2014 by numerobis

[changluu]

Thank you for your reply.

 

So I think I would choose between the first and second.

 

for either one, I would add a 840 evo or pro 256GB ssd.

 

For the first one, I aware that I will probably only use one of the two chips most of the time. But, the price of the system with 690 is not too much expensive than the one with 680. So, I thought maybe it is better to get a 690 for the occasional games and GPU rendering.

 

And for the second, I will add more RAM myself, but the price would be higher than the first one.

 

But, still, I need to choose between 2xe5-2630 and i7 3930k. And Quard k4000 or GTX 690.

[RyderSK]

Why are you so interested in the pre-build Dell stations ? They aren't well priced even within outlet, the correct price where these can be good option is when you get direct dealer price, but as end-buyer, you're not saving anything.

Just do some simple e-shop math, and you will find out you can even built it with identical components slightly cheaper, and this doesn't take into account that you would get higher quality aftermarket parts (PSU, motherboard,etc..)

 

The odd builds are because 1st is pure gaming machine, and the 2nd and 4rd are kinda "professional" grade if you do some science oriented stuff (hence the choice for low-clocked xeons and Quadro).

 

Don't settle with compromises and build a proper workstations ground up by yourself. It's so easy nowadays, and you don't sacrifice anything, there is no warranty problems, no chance of things don't being compatible in 99perc.,etc. It doesn't even require courage, it should be the number 1 choice to go.

[changluu]

I have thought about it. But after some researches, I found that buying from outlet is actually the same or slightly cheaper than DIY. Although it is hard to find the right machine without sacrifice anything. ( In my research, All of the prices based on amazon. is it the right price to look at? )

 

For example, the K4000 itself is around $720, but the 3rd system is only $900. I mean if I really need a K4000, then go with 2nd or 3rd will probably not a bad choice. For 2xE5-2630, I think it might do a better job than 3930k in terms of CPU rendering. And dual E5-2630 with k4000 is already around $1900.

 

Then, I was thinking of buying a pre-build machine from dell and slightly upgrade it. So, those three are the base machine.

 

I do not know much about computer before and I do need a new system before our next semester. So, I think this might be a easy way to go.

[Dimitris Tolios]

Well, the 2P one is the best value, tje 3930K will be the overall faster one, but I would recomend double-checking the pricing...seems too low to have a K4000 in...

Personally I cannot find any of those in Dell Outlet atm, and those I find are priced higher.

[changluu]

Thanks for the advise!

 

The price is correct since I have already purchased both of them. And I will return one of them. In Dell outlet, the pricing is a little weird. It takes some time to find the good price with right computer specs. for example, few days ago, I found there was a worksatation ,with E5-2650 K5000 video card, and 64GB ECC RAM, available for only about $2300. But, I didn't make the purchase sine it is a little out of my budget, and I need to buy another cpu to make it works as it supposes to be. Then, the next day, I realized it is real a good deal, but I couldn't find.

 

Anyway, do you think I should take the 2P one and add more RAM and an SSD in? Can I keep the original 4X2GB RAM and add more? Or it is better to get rid of them and add 16GB or 32GB identical RAM? And also I just took a look at your Biog. It's awesome by the way. You mention that combine k4000 and 2xgtx680 in one system. How can you do that? SLI Quardro and GTX? ( still regret I did not get the K5000 one, it seems perform much better than k4000 and can handle both professional softwares and games.)

[numerobis]

Can I keep the original 4X2GB RAM and add more? Or it is better to get rid of them and add 16GB or 32GB identical RAM?

As i wrote above - as far as i know - you need at least 8 identical sticks to run them in quad channel mode. So 4x8GB + 4x2GB should only work in dual channel if you mix them up.