Eezo Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I'm looking to build a new work station machine that will also be used for rendering still images. This is the build I've come up with. It's coming in at just over £3000 so I would very much appreciate some feedback on the setup before I spend the money, Fractal Design Titanium Grey Computer Case · 1000W Modular 80 Plus Gold Silent PSU · 2 x Intel Xeon 6 Core, 2.4GHz,15MB Processors · 2 x Corsair H80 Hydro Coolers · 32GB Crucial DDR4, ECC Registered RAM · Asus Z10 Motherboard · Quadro K4200 Graphics Card · 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive Read 550MB/s, Write 520MB/s, 85000 IOPS NCQ · 2TB 7200rpm 64MB Cache Hard Drive · DVD-RW Drive · Microsoft Windows 7 Pro 64-bit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyderSK Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 You don't write exact Xeon, although only one fits your description, E5 26820 v3 for which you can find benchmark and comparison here (link) In short, it's not a good choice, as it might merely reach up to overclocked i7 5960X in rendering but fall behind in most single-threaded tasks. As general rule of thumb, cost/performance wise, 2p Xeon systems have sweatspot far higher in model ranks (2670+ v3) where they outmatch 1p i7 workstations. So I suggest you to rethink your choices. Either go far higher in budget if you're after 2p Xeon builds, or strife towards i7 5960X build. {not very important, but since I have 8 fractal design Define cases, 7 of which are black, and one of them Titanium gray, which I bought first, because it looked good on picture,...it doesn't look good at all in real, it's quite...cheap. I suggest going full-Black} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyderSK Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Judging by the way you formulated your build (descriptions instead of names), is this by any chance some pre-made offering ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eezo Posted January 14, 2015 Author Share Posted January 14, 2015 Thanks for your input Juraj. I have a friend who owns a computer shop and he's recommend these specs to me based on by brief to him. I'm awaiting his reply on the exact xeon in the build but Judging by what you have said I may have to think about an i7 system as unfortunately there is just no more budget for a better xeon. I appreciate the input, I'm open to all suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyderSK Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 He gave you pretty fair/correct price, but chose the build on common knowledge (Xeons and Quadro are "workstation grade", but that doesn't really mean much for us at all), but it's better to match actual practical needs. (the bellow is same as your build, but with actual parts name) 2x Xeon E5 2620 v3 = 2x£320 = £640 Asus Z10PE-D8 WS = £390 Corsair RM Series RM1000 80 Plus Gold 1000W = £150 Crucial CL15 ECC Reg 4x8GB= £350 (but also possible to buy as 2x(2x8) when it's only £320) 240GB SSD (Crucial or Kingston match) = 2TB (almost any) = Quadro K4200 (depends on brand)= ~£700-£800 Fractal Define XL R2= £90 Corsair H80i = 2x£70 DVD-RW drive = ~£30 Windows 7 Proffesional OEM= £75 Building costs= ~£100-£200 Total= Well, exactly 3k. //quick suggestion: Low-end Xeons for top-end i7 5960X if you're after the best available CPU rendering performance. If not, you can even settle for less (5820K), but you do seem to have the budget for this. Your multi-threaded rendering performance will stay, but your single-threaded will increase due higher single-core clock (esp. in turbo mode). Needless Quadro series can be swapped for GTX, where the current high-end sweatspot is GTX970. Unless you're in calibrated post-production (think VFX) pipeline or scientific field (or very nieche CAD software) there is almost no advantage of going Quadro today. This point can be further debated but I simply suggest to trust :- ). 1000W PSU would be completely out of line even for above Xeon build, which would actually require about 450W. If you decide to swap for i7 5960X>X970, 750W would be reasonable choice to keep both running at full draw (including overclock). This alone will save at least 30perc. of your budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikolaos M Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 (edited) PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant CPU: Intel Core i7-5960X 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor (£797.94 @ Scan.co.uk) CPU Cooler: Corsair H105 73.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£82.15 @ Amazon UK) Motherboard: Asus X99-PRO ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard (£234.82 @ More Computers) Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (£345.79 @ Amazon UK) Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£79.00 @ Amazon UK) Storage: Western Digital Red 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive (£71.52 @ Aria PC) Storage: Western Digital Red 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive (£71.52 @ Aria PC) Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card (£274.98 @ Amazon UK) Case: NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£89.94 @ Scan.co.uk) Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£87.99 @ Amazon UK) Total: £2135.65 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-15 07:45 GMT+0000 If dvd-rw is really needed in the front panel, you can see this case http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcadefr5bk. I have the NZXT H440 and I am really happy with it. Quiet and very well designed, it can also support up to 360mm AIO radiator. The R5 is probably the quietest case in the market right now, but it can support AIO coolers on top only if you remove 2 or 3 of the noise blocking parts that are placed there by default. The 5960X can be well oc'ed but as I see in various reviews, it can run really hot above 4.2-4.3GHz. The Corsair H105 is a solid choice right now, but I would probably wait the H110i to come out first. It is said to be more efficient and more quiet than its predecessors. If you want a 500gb ssd see this one http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-internal-hard-drive-ct512mx100ssd1 or this one http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/sandisk-internal-hard-drive-sdssdhii480gg25 Edited January 15, 2015 by nikolaosm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eezo Posted January 15, 2015 Author Share Posted January 15, 2015 OK so the exact Xeon is the E5-2620 so I think based on whats been said in this thread that it's definitely not the best build for me. @Nikolaos M - That looks like a decent build and is well within budget, I've also been suggested another build as follows that's similar, what do you guys think of that? Specifically I'm not sure if the extra money on the graphics card in this build is worth it over the one in your spec? The Ram is also a similar price so not sure on that either. http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/Z7cxNG Intel Core i7-5960X 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor - £797.94 Corsair H110 94.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler - £91.33 MSI X99S SLI Plus ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard - £164.36 G.Skill Value 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory - £340.55 Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive - £139.50 Seagate SV35.5 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive - £68.62 MSI GeForce GTX 980 4GB Twin Frozr Video Card - 429.99 Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case - £118.79 Corsair Builder 750W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply - £64.74 Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer - £10.46 Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) - £72.35 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyderSK Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 It's similar, the one suggested to you is more "gamery" oriented, if it can even be described as that, as that's where Corsair/G-SKill/MSI/etc.. brands are more popular due to quality/price. 980 vs 970, well you didn't write specifically which apps take preference, but 980 would be good choice only in case you were (primarily) interested in GPU rendering (even than 4GB version would be unlucky choice, better to wait for the 8GB), or were heavy after real-time use (Unreal engine 4, Lumion,etc..) or simply very dedicated gamer ;- ) Samsung 850 Pro is the best choice on the market, with best performance and longevity available, but comes at cost (as you can see it's almost twice as costly compared to Crucial in above build). But imho the cost is warranted and worth it at this level of budget. As cheap (and some even good looking) as MSI boards are, there are reasons why Asus is preferred, with better average faulty-rate, more user-friendly and mature UEFI interface. Unless you're interested in on-board Wi-fi, tri/quad GPU SLI, and 15+ USB.3 ports, "basic" Asus-X99 is reasonable choice. Here is quick comparison: Asus X99-S = X99 + Wi-fi Asus X99-Pro = X99 + 1 additional PCI-Express slot Asus X99-Deluxe = S + Pro Bronze PSU is bit underwhelming for 2000+ workstation, esp. one intended for stable workload 24/7 for few years. Gold (Corsair HX- made by Seasonic) or Platinum (Corsair AX- also made by Seasonic) is better choice, or going just directly Seasonic has imho always been best choice. There is no advantage to having Corsair, unless you love the brand for some reason (they also have some special warranty in US but that is moot for us) Seagate might not be the best brand for Harddisks due to reliability. Might not affect you, but why risk it. WD is safer choice. The above mentioned build has WD 'Red' with 5400 RPM. There is also 'Red Pro' with 7200 RPM, which is the standard speed, and would suggest it instead. Both are primarily NAS disks, intended for 24/7 use, and you might be perfectly content with 'Black', which might be slightly faster. G.Skill value vs Crucial Ballistix Sport = They are both budget oriented ram (despite the high DDR4 price), not much of difference, choose based on sympathy. G.Skill might have the single ugliest heatsink on market, but the budget version have none, making it visually bearable. Both will serve well. Case- Choose on brand sympathy/ looks/ acoustics. Fractal Define R5 looks imho much better than Corsair/NZXT combined but ultimately, all will serve you well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eezo Posted January 15, 2015 Author Share Posted January 15, 2015 OK with regards to the software, I'll be running 3ds max and rendering with Vray 3.0 not RT so I think I'm correct in thinking I won't be using GPU rendering in which case there is no point going for the extra spend on the 980 and I should stick with the 970, unless you think I should be considering something else entirely? I'll go with an ASUS board, I've skimped on this before and regretted it. Just read a couple of reviews on the Seagate drives and I think I will go with RD Reds as they do seem more stable. Not sure on the case, will have to give this some thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyderSK Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 Just that you won't think you're making some sort of compromise in true sense, 970 is still high-end, not middle-cass GPU :- ) It's just not the very creme of the crop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Thomas Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 As a note on software/OS, I would go for Windows 8.1 over Windows 7 given that Microsoft will stop supporting it soon and looks like upgrade to Windows 10 will be free from 8.1 as well. I recently moved to 8.1 when I built my new rig and haven't ran into any issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eezo Posted January 15, 2015 Author Share Posted January 15, 2015 OK so I think I've settled on this configuration, taking into account everything mentioned above. What do you think? I may just order the parts and build it myself, I built a system about 3 years ago and I can't see it's changed much since then so that saves me a little money. [PCPartPicker part list](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/dgmxNG) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/dgmxNG/by_merchant/) Type|Item|Price :----|:----|:---- **CPU** | [intel Core i7-5960X 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80648i75960x) | £797.94 @ Scan.co.uk **CPU Cooler** | [Corsair H105 73.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-cpu-cooler-cw9060016ww) | £82.15 @ Amazon UK **Motherboard** | [Asus X99-PRO ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-x99pro) | £234.82 @ More Computers **Memory** | [Crucial Ballistix Sport 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-memory-bls4k8g4d240fsa) | £345.79 @ Amazon UK **Storage** | [samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7ke256bw) | £139.50 @ Scan.co.uk **Storage** | [Western Digital Red 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd20efrx) | £71.52 @ Aria PC **Storage** | [Western Digital Red 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd20efrx) | £71.52 @ Aria PC **Video Card** | [Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvn970wf3oc4gd) | £274.98 @ Amazon UK **Case** | [Fractal Design Define R5 ATX Mid Tower Case](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcadefr5bk) | £74.23 @ CCL Computers **Power Supply** | [EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-220g20750xr) | £87.99 @ Amazon UK **Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-wn700615) | £72.35 @ Aria PC | | **Total** | Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | £2252.79 | Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-15 15:18 GMT+0000 | Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyderSK Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 Why did you keep the regular RED disk ? It's 5400RPM speed, i.e very slow. Either go for RED Pro or Black, which is the fastest. The reason for keeping two of them is Raid0 ? Self-building will be fine for you, if anything, it's getting easier each year :- ) [mostly..some air coolers can be pain...] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eezo Posted January 15, 2015 Author Share Posted January 15, 2015 An oversight on my part. This should be better, didn't go for the black but I think Red should be sufficient. I'm very pleased with it, a lot less spend than the first quote and after a fair bit of research today I think it's going to serve me a lot better. [PCPartPicker part list](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/xZyxNG) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/xZyxNG/by_merchant/) Type|Item|Price :----|:----|:---- **CPU** | [intel Core i7-5960X 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80648i75960x) | £797.94 @ Scan.co.uk **CPU Cooler** | [Corsair H105 73.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-cpu-cooler-cw9060016ww) | £82.15 @ Amazon UK **Motherboard** | [Asus X99-PRO ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-x99pro) | £234.82 @ More Computers **Memory** | [Crucial Ballistix Sport 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-memory-bls4k8g4d240fsa) | £345.79 @ Amazon UK **Storage** | [samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7ke256bw) | £139.50 @ Scan.co.uk **Storage** | [Western Digital Red Pro 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd2001ffsx) | £107.00 @ Amazon UK **Storage** | [Western Digital Red Pro 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd2001ffsx) | £107.00 @ Amazon UK **Video Card** | [Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvn970wf3oc4gd) | £274.98 @ Amazon UK **Case** | [Fractal Design Define R5 ATX Mid Tower Case](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcadefr5bk) | £74.23 @ CCL Computers **Power Supply** | [EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-220g20750xr) | £87.99 @ Amazon UK **Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-wn700615) | £72.35 @ Aria PC | | **Total** | Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | £2323.75 | Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-15 16:52 GMT+0000 | Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikolaos M Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 The two WD 2TB reds were recommended by me for a raid 1 configuration, i.e. for storing and securing data. Of course, TS's budget allows "faster" choices. Imo, 850 Pro is too overpriced for its real use performance. Ok, I know 5 years of warranty sound better than 3 in general, but this is not the main issue with ssds (imo again). They are way more reliable than hdds. The differences between Asus A, Pro and Deluxe are not traced only in features like wi-fi, more pcie slots etc. Pro and Deluxe have better mosfet and chipset cooling than the plain A, thus they are more optimized for oc'ing a beast like 5960X (the same thing goes for their Z97 equivalents). If oc is not a top priority, any entry-level board would do fine. As for the case, take a look here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y62-ce8TBko. I think it's a basic but informative comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyderSK Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 I would argue their mosfet+chipset cooling isn't drastically different, as practical reviews shown no real difference in overclocking (as long as proper airflow is maintaned over both) . 2011-3 and Entry level sort of don't go together, but I am fine with either. I myself buy Deluxe because of dual-nics, just not fan of going straight for them for no reason. The Pro is good choice. Pretty good video. If he still wants optical drive, then this is not much of choice. For silent and sleek(non-gamery) workstation, the Define imho came out as winner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikolaos M Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 I never said that these 3 mobos oc in a different manner or that their oc'ing potential vary (besides, they have identical vrm phase control). It's their oc "stamina" (heat dissipation of their mosfet/chipset) that would theoretically differ. Some motherboards are more optimized for enduring high oc's, some others are more "entry level" (this term should be comprehended relative to the socket that we are talking about). Ex. Asrock X99-Extreme4, or Gigabyte X99-UD3 are entry level X99 motherboards and there is nothing wrong about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyderSK Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 I never said that these 3 mobos oc in a different manner or that their oc'ing potential vary (besides, they have identical vrm phase control). It's their oc "stamina" (heat dissipation of their mosfet/chipset) We understood each other perfectly, this is play with words. I am aware of the additional heatsink, just commented it made practically no difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikolaos M Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 (edited) We understood each other perfectly, this is play with words. I am aware of the additional heatsink, just commented it made practically no difference. It wasn't my intention to play with words. Maybe, I didn't understand exactly what you meant. Sorry anyways. Edited January 16, 2015 by nikolaosm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyderSK Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 No need to apologize for something :- D Now I am confused about what I said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadkaiser Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 on a side note whats with the GPU there's no point in having that unless ur gaming or using Vray RT......... Just get 5 cases of beer + some old second hand graphics eg HD 7970, GTX 660 card or maybe the cpu will have enough power for VP.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikolaos M Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 With a budget of 3000£ the question is: why not a gtx 970? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyderSK Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 on a side note whats with the GPU there's no point in having that unless ur gaming or using Vray RT This. With a budget why not The PC will morally last 3-4 years for its job (and effectively easily double that), reasonably priced high-end card (like 970) will help to build very universal workstation for its whole lifetime. Who's to say he won't be doubling in any real-time stuff eventually ? Trying to play some games.. ? Speed-up animation compositions and videos in Adobe apps (AE, Premiere,etc..). If he was 100perc. sure he wouldn't (or wouldn't give it any priority), he could save and go for much cheaper and still excellent 750Ti. But he would save 5perc. of his overall budget, which arguably isn't much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadkaiser Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 With a budget of 3000£ the question is: why not a gtx 970? why not get two?? ....... because your never going to use it! 3000£ might seem like a lot now but it will disappear fast.... Other recommendation would be! 1. Thats a pretty small SSD I personally would at least go 512gb or Raid 0 2. That cpu cooler will not give a very good OC if ur planning on doing that how about atleast a 360 rad! 3. If you actually want this to last 3-4 years save 1000£ of ur 3k budget and get a new cpu and MB in 2 years...... where talking skylake 12 cores in 2 years 4. whats your monitor setup? - this could justify a GTX 970 think HDMI, DP ect how many ports do you need and what do need!! 5. If you don't have a monitor yet http://accessories.ap.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=hk&l=en&s=bsd&cs=hkbsd1&sku=210-AEBV thats what i would get! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
numerobis Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 GTX 960 / 960 TI will be announced next week and hopefully released soon... i'm waiting for a TI with 4GB. http://videocardz.com/54329/nvidia-geforce-gtx-960-confirmed-specifications-and-launch-date Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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