I want to build my own pc that can handle playing games such as Dota 2 and Wow but is also capable running solidworks or Pro E as well. I'm still an engineering student and very likely won't do any rendering or huge assemblies. So my question is what kind of gpu/cpu am I looking for? Would a gaming graphics card that would allow me to use 3d software programs? Also what would be a good graphics card for running dota 2 or WoW that's in my price range which is stated below. I understand there will probably be longer load times than desired but I'm more focused on mild gaming. I'm looking to spend 500-700 dollars total for the whole computer itself.
Minimal Gaming/3d software PC
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Forgotten031511
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Since you will be doing rendering, solidworks, and gaming...I would go with an i7-4790k CPU. If you were just gaming I would say the i5-4690k. The only difference, besides the clock speed, is Hyper-Threading. The i5 have true Quad-Core and no Hyper-Threading while the i7's have the true Quad-Core with Hyper-Threading. Most games do not utilize the Hyper-Threading but solidworks and other programs like that do. So the i7 in your situation is a better idea, but if you need to save $100 on the CPU the i5 will work fine as well.
As for the GPU, right now I recommend nothing other than the GTX 970. If you game in 4K, the SLI GTX 970. The GTX 980 is a great card, but as far as cost-to-performance ratio goes, the GTX 970 is better. Also, GTX 970's in SLI are cheaper and perform better than a single GTX 980.
What all do you need for your computer, everything? If so, $500-$700 is quite a low budget. The CPU/GPU combo I suggested is $500 alone and that does not include a PSU, RAM, Motherboard, SSD, Case, Monitor, etc.
As for the GPU, right now I recommend nothing other than the GTX 970. If you game in 4K, the SLI GTX 970. The GTX 980 is a great card, but as far as cost-to-performance ratio goes, the GTX 970 is better. Also, GTX 970's in SLI are cheaper and perform better than a single GTX 980.
What all do you need for your computer, everything? If so, $500-$700 is quite a low budget. The CPU/GPU combo I suggested is $500 alone and that does not include a PSU, RAM, Motherboard, SSD, Case, Monitor, etc.
Forgotten031511
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turbopixel
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May I introduce Intel Xeon 1230v3?
+ it have the power of i7
+ hyper-threading
+ price point similar to i5
- no overclocking
- no internal graphics unit (you will buy a graphics card anyway)
@Forgotten031511
It does not matter, if it is designed for servers. The differences are listed and Xeon is very good for gaming and video editing and such too. I use it since more than a year for gaming. Search the web for all those discussions.
Forgotten031511
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May I quote the description of the Xeon 1230v3 "Intel® Xeon® Processor E3-1200 v3 Product Family (Small Business Servers)"
Source: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116906
turbopixel
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@Forgotten031511
Again, search for the web. A description is meaningless. The facts are open and I listed the differences. You should decide based on these facts. May I quote myself? "I use it since more than a year for gaming." So, can you give a reason NOT to use a Xeon in a gaming machine?
Again, search for the web. A description is meaningless. The facts are open and I listed the differences. You should decide based on these facts. May I quote myself? "I use it since more than a year for gaming." So, can you give a reason NOT to use a Xeon in a gaming machine?
utgotye
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Same socket, essentially the same processor except with lower base and turbo clocks and no integrated graphics (which he isn't going to use anyway). Lower power as well. If you aren't going to overclock, it's the obvious choice since it's basically the same chip with the parts the people don't need/use taken out and $100 cheaper.
The only reason it wasn't common before, say back with Core2 was that they were different sockets. The Core2 series used LGA775 while the Xeons used LGA771. Modders help alleviate that issue but it never caught on like it has with the LGA1150 chips.
Forgotten031511
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I never said the Xeon couldn't be used for gaming, I simply shared Xeon's are designed for servers. Is this not true?
Forgotten031511
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Yes, this CPU will work even though it is designed for a Server. Here are some benchmarks if you want to see how it compares to the i7-4790k and i5-4690k I suggested: https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+E3-1231+v3+%40+3.40GHz&id=2246
The i7-4790k got much higher benchmarks, while the i5-4690k got slightly less. This again comes down to the cores and hyper-threading as Xeon's are server based and made for more multi-tasking.
Forgotten031511
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GTX 970 is the best card for cost-to-performance ratio right now in my opinion. I did lots of research before upgrading my system and love my choice with the GTX 970. They run for about $320 on average: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125684&cm_re=gtx_970-_-14-125-684-_-Product
turbopixel
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The Nvidia GTX 970 is the sweet spot in my opinion, for the money, power and future. Gigabyte and MSi made very popular ones. You have to check if your wallet is enough. If not, then the next best thing would be GTX 960 to me. I would stick with Nvidia, and that says someone after 5 or 6 year with an AMD/ATI card. I had some problems (yes its subjective) and read a lot in the forums and webs. This is a personal suggestion with my personal experience.
For the cpu part, do you overclock? Depending on that, the choice of mainboard will be important too. With some mainboards you can't overclock. That is fine, if you take the Xeon, as you can't overclock it. Some games are very cpu demanding too and the newer games does make use of hyper threading. For the future, your cpu should have hyper threading, in example with I7 or Xeon.
And it does not matter if something was made for Servers. Servers have special needs, some of them very useful for desktop users too. In other areas of the IT, some Server features are just premium because of the higher qualities.
My current system is a combination of Xeon 1230v3 (you can safely take the 1231v3, its newer version and slightly faster) and a MSI GTX 970 Gaming G4. I even plan to add another 970 later next year or so.
Edit: About solidworks I don't know. But WoW and Dota 2 should not be very graphics card demanding games. I also assume you are playing at 1080p (full hd). In this case the GTX 960 should be enough, but if you can afford it, I still recommend you take the GTX 970. But not in cost of the cpu. If you take the Xeon, you have to watch for a supported mainboard.
This is what I got too:
$259.99
Intel Xeon E3-1231V3 Haswell 3.4GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1150 80W BX80646E31231V3 Server Processor - Newegg.com - http://is.gd/MDgcwe
$349.99
MSI GTX 970 GAMING 4G GeForce GTX 970 4GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support G-SYNC Support Video Card - Newegg.com - http://is.gd/fFdQ7N
$89.99
GIGABYTE GA-H97-D3H LGA 1150 Intel H97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - Newegg.com - http://is.gd/4ePUAy
And here the list of supported cpus for this mainboard (click CPU Support List): GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket 1150 - GA-H97-D3H (rev. 1.0) - http://is.gd/wDW9kA
For the cpu part, do you overclock? Depending on that, the choice of mainboard will be important too. With some mainboards you can't overclock. That is fine, if you take the Xeon, as you can't overclock it. Some games are very cpu demanding too and the newer games does make use of hyper threading. For the future, your cpu should have hyper threading, in example with I7 or Xeon.
And it does not matter if something was made for Servers. Servers have special needs, some of them very useful for desktop users too. In other areas of the IT, some Server features are just premium because of the higher qualities.
My current system is a combination of Xeon 1230v3 (you can safely take the 1231v3, its newer version and slightly faster) and a MSI GTX 970 Gaming G4. I even plan to add another 970 later next year or so.
Edit: About solidworks I don't know. But WoW and Dota 2 should not be very graphics card demanding games. I also assume you are playing at 1080p (full hd). In this case the GTX 960 should be enough, but if you can afford it, I still recommend you take the GTX 970. But not in cost of the cpu. If you take the Xeon, you have to watch for a supported mainboard.
This is what I got too:
$259.99
Intel Xeon E3-1231V3 Haswell 3.4GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1150 80W BX80646E31231V3 Server Processor - Newegg.com - http://is.gd/MDgcwe
$349.99
MSI GTX 970 GAMING 4G GeForce GTX 970 4GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support G-SYNC Support Video Card - Newegg.com - http://is.gd/fFdQ7N
$89.99
GIGABYTE GA-H97-D3H LGA 1150 Intel H97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - Newegg.com - http://is.gd/4ePUAy
And here the list of supported cpus for this mainboard (click CPU Support List): GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket 1150 - GA-H97-D3H (rev. 1.0) - http://is.gd/wDW9kA
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