New Build, Need Opinions Please!!

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Evmo25

Honorable
Oct 13, 2013
28
0
10,530
Hi,

I want to build a system primarily used for CAD work. I am currently at University and I need a computer that can handle Rhino, Sketchup and Keyshot with ease. There is a chance I will need it to run programs like 3ds Max and Autodesk Alias in the future so It would be good if it was well suited to those as well. My budget is £900. I don't want to overclock. I want the computer to be compact so I want it to be a mini ATX or ITX build.
The build as it stands-

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£198.71 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Asus H81I-PLUS Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard (£49.99 @ Novatech)
Memory: Corsair XMS 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£49.68 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£79.50 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card: PNY Quadro K620 2GB Video Card (£150.74 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Fractal Design Node 304 (White) Mini ITX Tower Case (£54.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£49.79 @ Aria PC)
Monitor: Dell U2414H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor (£177.54 @ Aria PC)
Total: £810.94
(operating system extra £50)

I am looking for particular advice regarding the graphics card; should I get the K620 or the GTX 760 or something completely else? I would also much appreciate any suggestions and opinions or experience regarding the other parts as I am still a little unsure on some of them. I have never done an ITX build before so would also be grateful for any advice or tips on that.

Many Thanks.
 
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sadams04

sadams04

Splendid
Nov 23, 2010
4,711
1
26,960
You are on the right track, but have a few issues...

CPU - Good choice for a non-overclocking setup. It is basically the i7 without turbo mode. You could also scale back with the i5-4460 which keeps the four cores, but skips the hyper threading.
MB - H81 will have issues with the Haswell Refresh CPU until you can do a BIOS update. Best to just go with a H97 board up front. The board below includes WiFi and Bluetooth.
MEM - A single memory module will have you running in single channel mode. Less than ideal... Install modules in pairs.
GPU - You should be good-to-go with the GTX 760 (or 960 / 660 for that matter). The K620 would be a step down.
CASE - Changed to the Elite 130 for provisions for an optical drive and still ITX form factor.
PSU - No CX line from Corsair. Look first toward XFX or Seasonic, then Antec or EVGA (B2 or SuperNova).
MONITOR - Kept IPS and LED at 1080, but went with a cheaper unit.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£198.71 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard (£95.64 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£97.55 @ CCL Computers)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£79.50 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card (£169.14 @ Aria PC)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case (£38.12 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£48.98 @ Novatech)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.19 @ Aria PC)
Monitor: ViewSonic VA2349S 60Hz 23.0" Monitor (£109.99 @ Ebuyer)
Total: £847.82
 
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learningbitbybit

learningbitbybit

Reputable
Jan 15, 2015
994
0
5,660
An i5 processor to tackle multiple tasks at once. a H97 board not capable for overclocking but compatible with your CPU. 16 GB RAM to help with the editing. Upgraded the graphics card for a boost in details. Changed the PSU. Don't use Corsair PSUs, they die when under a lot of stress. Kept your monitor for IPS, size.

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/cNLXpg
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/cNLXpg/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£143.94 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£68.36 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£102.77 @ More Computers)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£42.97 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB HAWK Video Card (£152.72 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1300 MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£32.98 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£48.98 @ Novatech)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£73.95 @ Amazon UK)
Monitor: Dell U2414H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor (£177.54 @ Aria PC)
Total: £844.21
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-10 19:25 GMT+0000
 
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Evmo25

Honorable
Oct 13, 2013
28
0
10,530


Many thanks for the suggestions, very helpful. I have a few questions though- The motherboard is quite a bit more expensive is it really worth that extra money for the H97? How well with the GTX 960 perform in the CAD applications with regard to drivers etc.?

Thanks again
 
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Evmo25

Honorable
Oct 13, 2013
28
0
10,530


Cheers, could you recommend some good PSU's that are semi or fully modular, that would work well in my system, and wont break the budget? Thank for the advice about the duel channel memory, I will either do 4x8GB or 2x8GB

Thanks.
 
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sora

Splendid
Oct 30, 2013
7,812
0
31,460



An XFX 550W/650W power supply or Seasonic 520W/620W power supply shall both do well with your system and it will not be too expensive at all.
 
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