Time for an Upgrade

[jorge aguirre]

Hello everyone,

 

I am a college student seeking advice as far as what to get for a workstation for architectural work and renderings. I use basic programs like autocad, Rhino, SketchUp, Revit and I'm getting into the heavy stuff like 3DS, VRAY and Maya. I am working at a small firm where I will be doing renderings (hopefully) and I will be transferring to a 4 year university within the next year so I wanted to get a computer that will hit the ground running for the next 5 or 6 years while I'm in school.

 

I've only owned Macs and Ive run bootcamp but it seems 6K for a Mac Pro is too much. The current iMac I have right now has a 2.7 Intel i5, 16GB RAM 1600 DDR3, NVIDIA GeForce GT640M which has worked fine for AutoCAD, Rhino, SketchUp, and Revit but it's terrible when it comes to 3DS. I would like to spend no more than 3K but if for a few hundred dollars more, I get better parts equalling better performance, I have no problem with that. I have also read about overclocking so if someone could explain what that is and how it's done, I would appreciate it since I would like to do that.

 

I'm not too big when it comes to fancy computer terms so you'll have to dumb it down for me (greatly appreciated!)

 

Anyone's advice is greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!

Edited October 14, 2015 by jorgeaguirre

[numerobis]

Budget?

 

There are basically two general options for a new system (without locking at dual processer systems).

The mainstream socket 1151 (Skylake, Z170, i5/i7 6x00, 4 cores+HT) and

the "high end" socket 2011-3 (Haswell-E, X99, i7 5xx0K, 6-8 cores+HT)

Both are now using DDR4 RAM and offer support for M.2 SSDs.

 

Without overclocking the Skylake will be clearly faster for single threaded operations (almost everything besides rendering or other calculations) because it offers higher clock rates and the newer architecture. But for all multi threaded work the Haswell-E will be faster - at least the 8-core 5960x.

 

With overclocking you can have the best of both worlds. An i7 5960X @4.0-4.2GHz will offer almost the same speed single threaded like a 6700K which runs single threaded at 4.2GHz, or even better performance @4.3-4.5GHz. Which clockrate you can reach is depending on the chip quality and your cooling (and overclocking skills).

 

I wouldn't take less than 32GB RAM. A SSD is a must at least for the system. A GTX 970 4GB offers the best price/performance at the moment IMO. And you should select a good cooler and good power supply.

Edited October 14, 2015 by numerobis

[jorge aguirre]

Thank you for the info!

 

My budget is around $3000. I say "around" because it would be ideal to keep it under that but if its a few hundred dollars over, I won't mind.

[joelmcwilliam]

First let me ask you some questions:

 

-is the budget only for the pc or do you have to buy mouse and monitor, etc

 

-is the pc mainly for modelling or rendering (do you want to cpu (processor) render or gpu (graphics card) render)

 

-where do you want to buy your stuff

 

-and overclocking will come naturally to you in time with some own research, no worry's, just get the right hardware

 

-what version of 3ds do you use

 

-what mouse do you have

 

-have you red previous post (Nikolaos M has posted some system setup in it). Might worth a look to get ideas

 

-looks of the pc of any importance for you

[Nikolaos M]

For 3K$ this what I'd build myself (for cpu rendering purposes, Vray etc):

 

[/url]PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-5960X 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($999.99 @ SuperBiiz)

CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($119.99 @ B&H)

Motherboard: Asus X99-A/USB 3.1 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($249.89 @ OutletPC)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($195.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($224.89 @ OutletPC)

Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($116.99 @ Amazon)

Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($309.99 @ NCIX US)

Case: NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ NCIX US)

Power Supply: Cooler Master VSM 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($77.99 @ Newegg)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM (64-bit) ($138.89 @ OutletPC)

Monitor: Dell U2715H 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($469.99 @ Adorama)

Total: $3004.59

 

I am really interested in seeing reviews about the new samsung 950. If it works well and performs as advertised, it'd be a solid choice for future workstations.

[padre.ayuso]

Hey Nikolaos,

Since I'm completing my build, an interesting question came up which I have not been able to figure out yet. If my CPU is an i5 V3 with 2.4 GHz, 8 cores in each mother board (dual system), a total of 32 with hyperthread turned on, do I loose more of that 2.4 GHz speed with this set up as opposed to getting a dual quad core, with 2.4 GHz? Just checking, because one could get more for his money, and based on that datum, I could get a 3.0 GHz with dual quad core and not spend more than I was spending with a dual 8 core 2.4 GHz? In other words, for test rendering purposes, which this workstation is meant to do 3D builds in VRay and then do test renderings, would it be faster and more efficient to go for the dual quad core 3.0 GHz or the dual 8 core 2.4 GHz?

[Nikolaos M]

I really didn't understand exactly the specs of your new system. You're building two discrete desktops for rendering purposes? What model is the i5 v3 you mentioned? You could start a new thread (lets not hijack this one) and mention your system's specifications in order to clear things up and get the right answers.

[padre.ayuso]

You could start a new thread (lets not hijack this one) and mention your system's specifications in order to clear things up and get the right answers.

 

Thanks Nikolaos, please see "New Rig - Question about GHz vs Cores", I really value your input.