Win 10 ,7 or 8 for a workstation using Cad, Revit and 3ds Max?

[rafman]

We are opening a small architecture studio here in Thailand and need to build a few workstations to work on Auto Cad, Revit and 3Ds Max

 

Should we install windows 10, 7 or 8?

 

I just installed win 10 home on a new laptop we are using also for cad and 3ds max and no problem so far. Had to turn off automatic updates and Defender, not so easy as it sounds.

 

Configurations:

 

CPU Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor

Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S for PC 1 - PC 2 i will use Cooler Master Seidon 120v from old computer

Mobo: ASUS H170-PRO-GAMING.

Ram: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 316GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200

VGA: ASUS STRIX GTX970-DC2OC Pc2 quadro K4000 from old computer

PSU: I need advice of how many W, 750w would be ok? what brand? bronze, gold?

SSD: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive

HDD: Western Digital Black 1TB

 

 

Thanks

[Nikolaos M]

Windows 10 here with just minor problems. There is going to be an anniversary update in 3 days, which should solve most of the problems. So, imo, go for it. And remember to update the motherboard's BIOS to the latest version.

 

Change the motherboard to an Asus Z170-A.

Don't take 3200MHz RAM. Choose something with lower frequency. 2400 should be fine.You need these machines for work, so stability is paramount.

Even a 550W psu would be fine for this setup, but take a 650W golden to have a small headroom for something bigger in the future. Choose something from among Corsair RMx, EVGA G2, Super Flower Leadex Gold, Cooler Master V series.

 

I would personally change the 970 too with a 1000 series card, the one that fits my budget, probably the 1060 6gb.

[sahiltaneja1]

Hi Nikolaos, I'm building my first PC and kinda torn between the 5820k and 6700k, which should I go for?

[Nikolaos M]

Hi Nikolaos, I'm building my first PC and kinda torn between the 5820k and 6700k, which should I go for?

 

It depends on the budget and the use you make. You could start a new thread and you'll get some proper advice if you let us know some basic stuff, like the software you're using and how much money you can spend for this rig.

[sahiltaneja1]

It depends on the budget and the use you make. You could start a new thread and you'll get some proper advice if you let us know some basic stuff, like the software you're using and how much money you can spend for this rig.

 

Yeah, I did make a thread but it din't get approve for some reason. I'm into ArchViz, so mostly be using it for Max and Vray, C4D and AE.

 

MSI X99S SLI Plus LGA 2011-v3 Intel X99

Intel Core i7-5820K Haswell-E 6-Core 3.3GHz

CORSAIR Hydro Series H100

Corsair Vengeance (2 x 8GB) DDR4 2400

ASUS STRIX GTX970-DC2OC

SAMSUNG 850 EVO 120GB SSD

WD 1TB Black HD

Corsair 650W PSU

 

on a budget, apparently.

[Nikolaos M]

It's because these are your first posts. You'll probably see your new thread in a week or so.

 

Don't buy an MSI motherboard imo. Better go for an Asus or a Gigabyte, or even an Asrock. If you are on a budget, choose something from among these three:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/4qRFf7/asus-x99-e-atx-lga2011-3-motherboard-x99-e

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/2TH48d/asrock-motherboard-x99extreme431

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/8Q648d/gigabyte-motherboard-gax99psli

Go for the 6800K processor. If you're not going to overclock your cpu, then you can pick a cheaper cpu cooler.

I don't know if you could raise you RAM amount to 32gb (it would be nice), but you should at least buy a larger ssd, a 240-256gb one. 120gb is too small and relatively more expensive (in gb/$) compared to a 250gb ssd.

I don't see a chassis in your list, but be careful to choose one that can easily house your hardware, while being cool and quiet too.

[sahiltaneja1]

 

Thank for the reply. 6800k is too expensive here, almost a 150$ diff. Also, none of the those Mobos are available here, only ASUS X99A-Pro

 

How about a 6700k and Asus Z170?

 

http://www.amazon.in/Intel-6700K-LGA1151-Socket-Cache/dp/B010T6DQTQ?ie=UTF8&keywords=6700k&qid=1469968344&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.in/Asus-Z170-Pro-Gaming-MotherBoard/dp/B0126R3QPA?ie=UTF8&keywords=6700k&qid=1469968344&ref_=sr_1_3&sr=8-3

http://www.amazon.in/GIGABYTE-Gaming-GA-Z170X-Gaming-Intel-Motherboard/dp/B012N6E996/ref=sr_1_21?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1469968498&sr=1-21

 

I can upgrade the ram and SSD but I'd have to cut down costs elsewhere.

[sahiltaneja1]

Those Mobos are not available here, I only see an Asus X99-Pro and also the 6800k is a bit expensive.

 

How about these two?

 

Intel Core i7 6700K (LGA1151 Socket, 4.00 Ghz, 8MB Cache) - 6th Generation Skylake

Asus Z170 Pro Gaming - LGA1151 for 6th Generation Processor (DDR4 upto 3400MHz, USB 3.1, Intel Z170 Chipset) MotherBoard

 

with these two I can get a 970, 250SSD and 32GBram, perfectly fits my budget.

[Dimitris Tolios]

The 6700K clocks a tad faster, so it will be 10% faster than a 6800K for most "single threaded bound" operations. Pretty much anything but rendering itself. Cad exports will be that much faster, revit open/close/audits etc will be faster, and 3DS will feel the same or a tad better with the 6700K...rendering will be like 25-30% faster with the 6800K.

 

In reality 10% is not something you can really feel.

25-30% is something you can feel, but 1) comes at a price, 2) many people spend much less time rendering than they think, i.e. won't make much of a difference.

 

For those that render a lot or having "teh best" make worlds of difference

a) render nodes cannot be beaten by a single box

b) overclocking is a one-way street if you need better that what is available off-the-shelf

c) be patient & budget time realistically, people did the original Toy Story on "ancient" hardware. They estimate that the hardware used to render Finding Dory, could render the original Toy Story in real time...A movie that was rendering for 20 months on 300 circa 1995 cores. Fastest CPU of that time? Pentium Pro...shy off 63 Mflops...their 300 cores would have been

Edited August 1, 2016 by dtolios

[sahiltaneja1]

 

Thank you. One last thing..

 

I work with 10m polys and under, Is 750ti sufficient for viewport?

[Dimitris Tolios]

Thank you. One last thing..

 

I work with 10m polys and under, Is 750ti sufficient for viewport?

 

Easily, but it depends on the scene really...you can achieve 10M polys in so many ways that result in completely different files, geometry organization structures and viewport performance that it is too hard to speculate.

 

Most of the issues with handling models is in workflow, not hardware. That's what the silly Toy Story reference was heading to.

 

You need to remember:

 

• Control/Limit Polygon Count = don't model EVERYTHING (if it is not seen anywhere = don't bother, if it is seen from afar = don't detail too much etc), avoid smoothing modifiers unless necessary
  
• Use proxies/vray proxy w/ display bounding box options
  
• Use XRef - build scenes in parts and "assemble" them in a main file, instead of having 100% of the geometry in a single file.
  
• Instance/Multiscatter repetitive objects - don't just make copies.
  
• Use layers - organize redundant when working details in separate layers that you can turn off when working.
  
• Use “Adaptive Degradation” mode in viewport settings. Again, raw geometry works bad with this, grouped / instanced / linked geometry pieces work great with that option.
  

 

By being lazy and/or not systematic with the above simple workflow decisions, you can bring ANY piece of hardware to its knees. Doesn't matter how expensive. With proper organization a 750Ti, much like older and slower GPUs, can handle 10M polygon scenes easily.

 

What you cannot avoid is hitting a memory limit if you have 16GB of RAM and using high pixel output, high polygon proxies etc that allow for a relatively fluid viewport, yet blow up huge when rendering. If you are doing exteriors with lots of greenery, aerials etc, you might need 32GB as a minimum. The good news are that even mainstream CPUs like the 6700K can do 64GB RAM if needed, and 16GB sticks are cheap and readily available: I would go for 2x16GB DDR4 setup, with room for future expansion if need be. RAM Speed is practically irrelevant to rendering speed. DDR4 2133 is already plenty fast.

Edited August 5, 2016 by dtolios