Workstation/Gaming Combo. Looking for any and all information. Budget ~$2500

msrobinson

Reputable
Jun 14, 2015
2
0
4,510
Looking to create a system in which I can freelance 3d animation in Cinema4d, as well as use the Adobe Creative Suite without much downtime/slowdown. I plan on working during the days of the weekend outside of my day job, and rendering during the night on the same system. I read that creation of content requires a powerful single core CPU, but rendering requires powerful multicore CPU. I'm not sure where the happy medium may lie.

I also plan to use this system to recreationally play pc games. I have read that quadro GPU are best for 3d/creative work, but lackluster with gaming. On the same note, something like a Nvidia 980 might be superb for gaming, but lackluster for designing/rendering. What is my best option? I've read some places that I should have 2 gpus, but I'm not sure if that was worth the money.

I'm looking to have a relatively powerful system, and I was looking at BOXX systems that were near $3000, but I don't know how efficient my money was being used. My budget is anywhere between $2000 and $3000.

I figure I'll need 2 hard drives, one SSD and one for files (even though I'm not 100% savvy on why this is necessary, something about quicker boot up/file access). And I know next to nothing about motherboard quality.

In any case, if any of you can offer advice, example builds, or any articles I should read to help inform my decision, I'd appreciate it! Thank you.
 
Solution
Ahh, I have the perfect build for you. Now before I do show you, the Quadro cards are for 3D CADCAM rendering, as well as professional 3D rendering. Okay, here it is -

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($328.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($111.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H-BK ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($167.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($204.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($257.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western...

dottorrent

Honorable
Ahh, I have the perfect build for you. Now before I do show you, the Quadro cards are for 3D CADCAM rendering, as well as professional 3D rendering. Okay, here it is -

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($328.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($111.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H-BK ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($167.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($204.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($257.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital WD Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($78.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital WD Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($78.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 4GB STRIX Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($499.19 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 4GB STRIX Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($499.19 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000G2 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($159.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $2497.07
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-14 17:21 EDT-0400

Excellent performance all round. 2 WD 2TB Green drives for storage and 2 Samsung 850 Series SSDs for fast bootup and fast program access. Plus, the motherboard has been tested for a week at full chat (overclocked CPU, multi-GPU config, RAID setups and overclocked RAM) so no worries about it randomly dying.

 
Solution

Niteesh DRANGO

Reputable
Mar 23, 2015
51
0
4,630
As you said working you will need more cores so a 6 or 8 core is needed and for gaming a powerful one is needed but the problem is your budget a 8 core processor and powerful next gen graphics will be more than your budget. So i have suggested a build.You go with an single and a powerful gpu Because less money less heat less cables more cooling.and if you need a second card you could easily upgrade to a sli no need for changing the psu.
This is the link pls check out.
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http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JqhFnQ
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bsod1

Distinguished
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($372.95 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($125.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus X99-A ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($239.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($246.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($97.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card ($649.99 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case ($139.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($127.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $2120.16
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-16 13:25 EDT-0400
 

bsod1

Distinguished
This might be overkill but is a beast anyway:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5960X 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($999.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($125.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus X99-A ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($239.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($246.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($97.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card ($649.99 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case ($139.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($127.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $2747.20
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-16 13:30 EDT-0400