Advice wanted for new workstation build - 4790k vs 5820k plus recycled parts

[Greg Davis]

I am having trouble deciding which route to take for a new workstation build...was hoping to get some opinions/advice to help sway me one way or the other. My work consists of Autocad 2015, PS CC, Sketchup 2015, Vray 2.0...and also dabble in other Adobe apps...lately AfterEffects, and want to get into 3Dsmax. I do a lot of 2d drafting, 3d modeling, color rendering in photoshop, vray rendering is sporadic…although I’m trying to sell it more and more.

 

This is my current machine (started out as a Lenovo k450 which I’ve been upgrading the past 2 years):

 

Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor

Asus B85M-G Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard

PNY XLR8 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory

Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (came with MOBO)

2x Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive

Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

PNY GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card

XFX XTR 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply

 

 

I plan on using some of the parts from the above machine for my new workstation...either a 4790k or 5820k setup. Then add the original parts back into the K450 to use for a little home office pc.

 

I was set on building a 4790k 'modeler' with a slight overclock to use as my main workstation and also using it for rendering for a while until I saved up money to build a 5820k 'renderer'. I'm ready to buy parts now, but I'm hesitant...I'm thinking it might be a good idea to just build a 5820k (OC'd to 4.4) for my main workstation, which I'll also be able to render on much faster in the meantime, then start building cheaper render nodes in the future as funds become available.

 

 

New Build Options:

Intel® - Core™ i7-4790K 4.0GHz

Noctua NH-D15

ASUS Z97-A/USB 3.1

2x Crucial - 16GB Kit (8GBx2), Ballistix 240-Pin DIMM, DDR3 PC3-12800 Memory (or whatever 32GB is on sale when I go to buy..crucial/Kingston/G.skill)

Samsung - 850 EVO 500GB Internal Serial ATA Solid State Drive

Fractal Design - Define R5

Windows 10 Pro

 

Or

 

INTEL Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz Processor

Noctua NH-D15

ASUS X99-A/USB 3.1

2x G.SKILL Ripjaws 4 Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) (or whatever 32GB is on sale when I go to buy..crucial/Kingston/G.skill)

Samsung - 850 EVO 250GB Internal Serial ATA Solid State Drive

Fractal Design - Define R5

Windows 10 Pro

 

 

Parts used out of old machine for new build:

Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive

Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

PNY GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card

XFX XTR 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply

 

 

I’m trying to keep budget for new parts as close to $1000 as possible…..upgrading and adding on as funds become available…eg, adding more ssd’s and adding another 32GB of RAM if going the 2011-v3 route. I know the 4790k vs 5820k issue gets debated a lot, but I’m keen to what everybody has to say about my particular situation. Thanks!

[joelmcwilliam]

Your current machine looks fine. It just needs a more powerfull cpu. How about a (used) i7 4790?

 

http://uk.hardware.info/productinfo/benchmarks/3/processors?specId=11427&tcId=324

http://forums.cgarchitect.com/79521-one-gtx-970-980-980ti-titan-x-vray-rt-viewport-2.html

 

And if you buy a new machine the 5820k will give you more value for money.

Edited December 26, 2015 by joelmcwilliam