New build for programming on Linux and gaming/graphic design/3D modelling on Windows

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mk527

mk527

Honorable
Aug 6, 2012
5
0
10,510
Hello, this is my first build, I based it on the pcpartpicker $1000 gaming build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£174.99 @ Ebuyer)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12P SE2 54.4 CFM CPU Cooler (£47.30 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£77.88 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£122.78 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£146.99 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX Video Card (£262.99 @ Ebuyer)
Case: Corsair 350D Window MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£70.50 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£49.93 @ CCL Computers)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS30 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer (£38.83 @ Ebuyer)
Monitor: Asus PB278Q 27.0" Monitor (£405.58 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1397.77
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-22 20:57 BST+0100

My requirements are:


    ■ graphic design/3D modelling (windows): So lots of RAM/powerful graphics and CPU so I can have lots of programs open and running at the same time.
    ■ programming (linux): I want a large screen (can fit lots of code on it) that is high-res (so the fonts look sweet). I'd like it to be quiet so I chose an SSD and what looks like a quiet CPU cooler.


I'm not planning on buying it all at once, my plan is:


    ■ Buy everything except monitor, graphics card, CPU cooler
    ■ Build it using a friends' old GeForce GTX 560 Ti
    ■ Buy the monitor around christmas/new year
    ■ Buy the graphics card mid-2015


I guess the GTX 560 will be a bottle-neck for performance initially but since I'll be upgrading I want to get parts (esp Power Supply I guess?( that would work with the GTX 970. Overkill in the meantime is fine.

I also have the following questions:


    ■ Did I choose the memory alright? It looks like it can be kindof complicated to make it match really well with other parts. I wanted 16GB and also, since I have a see-through side-panel I thought it would look better to get some flashy design even though I read that's mostly pointless.
    ■ What do you think of the CPU cooler? I also heard the 212 EVO is good but pcpartpicker thinks the one I chose is quieter. I might overclock the CPU after I get my graphics card.


Any advice would be much appreciated!
 
Solution
logainofhades
For 3d modeling, you really want, i7's/Xeon E3, multithreaded performance. I would go with something more like this. Also that ram you chose is too tall to work with that cooler. No need for aftermarket cooling with this build, but you can add it if you want something better/quieter.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (£179.94 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£65.50 @ Aria PC)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£114.86 @ More Computers)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£146.99 @ Aria PC)...
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logainofhades

logainofhades

Titan
Moderator
Apr 27, 2009
37,607
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143,290
For 3d modeling, you really want, i7's/Xeon E3, multithreaded performance. I would go with something more like this. Also that ram you chose is too tall to work with that cooler. No need for aftermarket cooling with this build, but you can add it if you want something better/quieter.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (£179.94 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£65.50 @ Aria PC)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£114.86 @ More Computers)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£146.99 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX Video Card (£262.99 @ Ebuyer)
Case: Corsair 350D Window MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£70.50 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£61.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS30 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer (£38.83 @ Ebuyer)
Monitor: Dell U2713HM 60Hz 27.0" Monitor (£399.99 @ Ebuyer)
Total: £1341.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-22 21:08 BST+0100
 
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Solution
mk527

mk527

Honorable
Aug 6, 2012
5
0
10,510
Thanks for the quick reply! Okay, I'll look into the i7 then, I read that many applications aren't yet multithreaded so it doesn't make much difference except for video compression and so on. Also, how did you figure out the RAM was too tall? If pcpartpicker says it's compatible does that mean much?
 
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logainofhades

logainofhades

Titan
Moderator
Apr 27, 2009
37,607
3,278
143,290
Tall heatsinks interfere with big aftermarket coolers. PCpartpicker is nice, but it isn't perfect. 3D modeling software is multithreaded just as much as video compression software, usually. I know where I work, our design engineers that use Solidworks, Catia and some others, all have i7's/Xeon based rigs. The 1231v3 is basically an i7 4770 without the integrated graphics.
 
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mk527

mk527

Honorable
Aug 6, 2012
5
0
10,510
Thanks for your useful. I had a look a the datasheets(XeonE3-1230 v3, i5-4690K)for each and I noted the following


    ■ Xeon has hyperthreading and has up to 8 threads, whereas the i5 has 4 threads (as you said).
    ■ The Xeon as has a larger L3 cache (8MB) compared to 4MB for the i5.
    ■ Under 'Memory Types' both processors list DDR3-1333/1600, does this mean that the memory you suggested, which is DDR3-1866 is not compatible/optimal? Perhaps I should pick some DDR3-1600 RAM?


So I'll switch to the Xeon then :)

You also suggested a alternative motherboard with a H97 socket which isn't overclockable, I guess this isn't really a problem for me. Finally, what is the reason for the 650W power supply, is it safer/more reliable to go for a larger one than the 600W one I chose?
 
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