New Build for CAD/Gaming

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hardyaf

Honorable
Apr 24, 2013
9
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10,515
Hello,

I am working on a new build to double as my CAD/CAM station for my company (MasterCAM), and use it for new games (Killing Floor 2, Battlefield 4, etc). I have assembled what I think is a good build, but am looking for some feedback on potential bottlenecks, part quality, etc. I am also looking to trim a little bit of money (hoping for $150-$200ish total savings) while still being able to function as an effective CAD/CAM machine.

Here is my current build:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fBhR99

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($217.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($94.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 12GB (3 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Mushkin Chronos 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Constellation ES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.95 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($330.99 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case ($129.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($52.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($19.39 @ Amazon)

(I know the HDD is less than what pc-part picker says, but I was able to find it much much cheaper than there, so I changed that price)

Thanks for the help!
 
Solution
g-unit1111
First off there's no reason you should consider an Antec 900 because it's such an old case. It has no cable management and the hard drives are really difficult to remove. You also don't want to buy a Z87 motherboard. Also keep in mind that there's new Intel tech coming within this week. The i7-6700K looks very promising as do the new Z170 motherboards.

I would do something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC12DX_BK 68.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($102.99 @ SuperBiiz)...
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Jul 27, 2011
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Don't purchase a Corsair CX for that build - those are not good units. Also that RAM is older triple channel RAM meant for long discontinued X58 systems. You need 8GB or 16GB dual channel DDR3, preferably a speed that's 1866 or above. That's a pretty decent system, you can probably do better for your budget - what is it?
 
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

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Oct 30, 2004
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Fortunately.... CAD and gaming like the same things... however, Quadro based cards are recommended
https://www.mastercam.com/en-us/Support/System-Requirements...more later.

1. CAD likes threads ..... you MasterCAM recommends and i7 .... I'd suggest therefore 4790k
2. Your board does not support triple channel memory, no Z97 board does, go for 16 GB (2 x 8GB) as recommended by MasterCAM.
3. CAD loves fast / low CAS memory and today it often doesn't cost much more than 1600 ... today's not one of those weeks, but the 1866 below is a good buy

2400 CAS 10 - $120
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f32400c10d16gtx

2133 CAS 9 - $117
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/mushkin-memory-997121f

1866 CAS 9 - $96
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f31866c9d16gxm

4. The SSD will serve well for what is on the SSD but the CAD drawings on the HD not at all.... we use the Seagate hybrids and they rick for AutoCAD ($98)
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st2000dx001

5. Again, I am not familiar with MasterCAM, AutoCAD 2D / 3D rocks on GeForce cards but from the MasterCAM system requirements page, it seems it likes CUDA / Open GL. You will note that GeForce Radeon cards do very poorly in Open GL in AutoDesk Maya. Solidworks doesn't even run, ProEngineer seems similar to what you are doing and GeForce / Radeon are a fail there also.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-workstation-graphics-card,3493-8.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-workstation-graphics-card,3493-13.html

I'd discuss this w/ your application vendor before proceeding.

6. I'd look at the Enthoo Pro over the 750D to save a little money

7. The CX Power Supply is to be avoided. The HCG 750 is far better $60 (10.0 build quality / 9.5 performance) and it will do SLI
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-hcg750m
 
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hardyaf

Honorable
Apr 24, 2013
9
1
10,515
Thanks for your responses. I have taken your considerations, and want to get opinion on the update. One note, after some reading and help, it looks like a modern NVIDIA card will perform fine, so I am deciding to forgo the quadro card to get a slightly better set-up for personal use. Anyway, as before, I would love feedback again. I think I encompassed most of the suggestions from before. I am right up against my budget, so please keep that in mind.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dv86f7
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dv86f7/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($328.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-Pro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($80.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($102.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($102.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($119.99 @ Micro Center)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0 Video Card ($329.98 @ NCIX US)
Case: Antec Nine Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case ($85.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Antec HCG M 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1341.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-03 19:59 EDT-0400


http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dv86f7

Thanks for the help!


Also, pc-partpicker gave this disclaimer "Some Intel Z87 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Haswell Refresh CPUs". Some googling on this forum says I should be okay I believe, but just wanted to make sure?
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator
Jul 27, 2011
42,545
821
104,940
First off there's no reason you should consider an Antec 900 because it's such an old case. It has no cable management and the hard drives are really difficult to remove. You also don't want to buy a Z87 motherboard. Also keep in mind that there's new Intel tech coming within this week. The i7-6700K looks very promising as do the new Z170 motherboards.

I would do something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC12DX_BK 68.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($102.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($342.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($117.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Directron)
Other: Intel Core i7-6700K ($349.99)
Other: Asrock Z170 Extreme 6 ($149.99)
Total: $1419.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-04 01:36 EDT-0400
 
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