New configuration advice needed

[jadrankokerekovic]

Hi, and first let me say this is great forum with bunch of great infos, thanks for that!

I'm currently working in architectural office on outdated pc and boss asked me to build (not too expensive configuration - ofcourse). I'm working in Rhino+vray, photoshop and autocad on dual monitors and the plan is to transfer from rhino to 3ds max+vray(cause of all the extra options with 3ds max, plugins etc). So according to this I made configuration that fits in budget which is 1400 euro tops. I'm not so much computer expert so if someone can see there is something wrong here please let me know.

Thanks in advance!

-Asus Z97-A mobo

-INTEL Core i7-4790 (3.60GHz, 1MB, 8MB, 84W, 1150) Box, INTEL HD Graphics 4600

- Noctua NH-D14 cooler, 120mm, 6 heatpipe, Intel,

-Kingston DDR3 RAM 1600MHz 8GB, KVR16N11/8

-SSD Samsung 250GB 840 EVO Basic

-Gainward nVidia GeForce GTX750Ti, PCI-e, 2Gb GDDR5/128bit, 1085(1163)/2750MHz, mini HDMI/Dual-link DVI-D/VGA

-750W Corsair Builder Series CX750M, Modular Power Supply, EU Version

-Case Fractal Design Define R4 Black Pearl

I have some old hdds for storage etc so there's no need of that

[Nikolaos M]

Go for the i7 4790K instead, even if you don't intend to overclock your cpu in the future. 4790K has a better performance out of the box (x40 stock multi with a turbo boost of 4.4GHz).

You could also get a cheaper motherboard, but of course Z97-A is a great choice for any use (you could save some bucks with a GA Z97X-UD3).

Also, you could choose a cheaper cpu cooler for a non-overclocked 4790K. If low noise is a top priority, go for Noctua again. See NH-U12S. Great performance, a true noise killer, smaller and shorter than the D14 and for a good price, I' d say.

For this kind of use, I would suggest at least 16gb of RAM. 8gbs are a minimum these days, and the latest software tends to use more and more of it.

Choose RAM with a frequency between 1866 and 2133. Not a huge difference from the standard 1600MHz (insignificant, I would say), but you can find them for the same price these days. So why not? With a single click inside the BIOS you can have them running as specified. G.Skill is a good choice I think.

I would definitely pick a different power supply. At first, you don't realy need a 750W psu for a built like this (750Ti needs less than 70W). You can choose a 550-650W psu. CX is not the best series of Corsair's psus. AX's are really good and RM's are fine when silent operation is a must. There are many other reliable psus inside this range of wattage. See something among these brands: Antec, Super Flower, Be Quiet, Cooler Master V series etc.

 

And finnaly, the case is a solid choise. And very quiet too.

 

Hope this helped a little.

Edited November 19, 2014 by nikolaosm

[jadrankokerekovic]

Thanks for quick answer, I will go for i7 4790K and because quiet system is also important I will definitely check for those other PSUs. I forgot to wrote next to ram - x4. I want to get 32gb right away. Only I'm little bit confused about the ram choice. I've checked Asus list of approved ram vendors and if I go for the one that says 1x 8gb stick, and buy 4 of those theprice is around 300 euro, but if I search forthe one that has 4x8gb=32 in their list, the price of that ram is around 420 euro? The one they approved for 8gb wont work if I get just the same one x4? Thanks again!

[Nikolaos M]

Thanks for quick answer, I will go for i7 4790K and because quiet system is also important I will definitely check for those other PSUs. I forgot to wrote next to ram - x4. I want to get 32gb right away. Only I'm little bit confused about the ram choice. I've checked Asus list of approved ram vendors and if I go for the one that says 1x 8gb stick, and buy 4 of those theprice is around 300 euro, but if I search forthe one that has 4x8gb=32 in their list, the price of that ram is around 420 euro? The one they approved for 8gb wont work if I get just the same one x4? Thanks again!

 

I suggest you go for a quad kit (4x8gb), if you intend to buy 32gb of RAM. The reason is that a quad kit comes out of the factory checked and confirmed to work properly as a set of dimms. If you choose to buy 4 separate modules of 8gb, there is always a possibility (minor, but it exists) to run into incompatibility between the modules, even if the modules "seem" exactly the same. Newer versions of the same RAM sometimes have slightly different components. That's why RAM always comes out in kits of 2, 3, 4 etc.

 

As for the compatibility list, don't worry. It's imposible for the motherboard manufacturers to check all RAM kits for compatibility. Choose the memory that is best for your system and forget about these lists. 99.9% you' ll be fine.

[jadrankokerekovic]

I see, I wasnt aware of that...Thanks!

[Stephen Thomas]

MSI just announced a cashback deal on x99 and z97 boards when bought with Intel processor. Worth a look if you are not set on the Asus board. http://game.msi.com/special/cashback

[jadrankokerekovic]

Thanks, but it looks Croatia is not included in the list

[jadrankokerekovic]

One more thing, I've got offer for Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660 at roughly same price as GTX750TI? Would 660 be better choice? Thanks

[Nikolaos M]

One more thing, I've got offer for Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660 at roughly same price as GTX750TI? Would 660 be better choice? Thanks

 

I think it's better for you to go for a 750Ti. Newer in architecture, far better in compute and just fine in OpenGL viewports as I see.

 

+ You 'll have lower consumption overall. A 750Ti typically needs a 450W psu. Go for a 550-650W just in case you decide to make an upgrade in a couple of years, or put one more 750Ti in your system.

[jadrankokerekovic]

I see, thanks again!

[jadrankokerekovic]

The pc built by these suggestions is working great:) Now another pc is being built for my office, and is going to be basically the same configuration. Theres just one thing, the guy thats building pc for office recommended new Nvidia Quadro K420 1GB DDR3/128-bit, would that card for some reason outperform gtx750ti?

Thanks again!

[RyderSK]

guy thats building pc for office recommended new Nvidia Quadro K420 1GB DDR3/128-bit, would that card for some reason outperform gtx750ti?

 

K420 is roughly 4 times slower than 750Ti, it's entry level Kepler equivalent of GT720 with 192 slow cores, slow memory bandwidth,...just slow everything. It's good for Paint and playing minesweeper.

Regarding Quadro driver and its "professional" status I think nobody has energy to discuss it, it's been outlined 20 times during past year in this forum. Three words: Useless marketing drivel.

 

You got one talented guy in that office ;- )

 

Anyway, if possible, you might update the parts to their current versions. 840-->850; Define R4--->Define R5; Nothing spectacular, but since it's for the same price and both are still being sold, why not.

[jadrankokerekovic]

Yes, I thought, by all specifications, 750 is better, but to be sure wanted to check if I'm missing something:) Thanks!!