New workstation build for cgi and rendering

If you are going to start with that motherboard, you need to pick from these CPUs -- https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/X99DELUXE/HelpDesk_CPU/
I believe the CPU you picked is NOT a V3 version and is not on the supported list.

I would get a 250GB SSD. It will improve everything.

You picked a SAS drive, I don't think that motherboard supports SAS disks.

You didn't change your CPU. The one you picked is not compatible with either motherboard. You need a V3 CPU. Look at Intel's website -- http://ark.intel.com/products/64591/Intel-Xeon-Processor-E5-2640-15M-Cache-2_50-GHz-7_20-GTs-Intel-QPI for that CPU. Notice that it is a DDR3 CPU not a DDR4.

The disk drive should be OK.

That will work with the second motherboard. I don't know why it doesn't show up as supported on the first motherboard...

I am a little skeptical about Linux, but you didn't say what software you are using. So much visual software is Windows or Mac that I am surprised on the Linux choice. Have you used Linux enough that you are comfortable with it?

The CPU you are choosing is capable of running in a dual socket motherboard. You are paying extra for that but are using a single socket motherboard. You could potentially save cash by using an E5-1xxx V3 CPU. They are not dual socket compatible. Study the supported CPU list like I linked to on the one motherboard and if you want detailed specs for a specific CPU go to http://ark.intel.com/ and put in the model info.

I don't think the Xeon E5 is a v3 CPU.

Andrew,

For your uses, in my view, the current best cost / performance platform is a workstation is a Xeon E5-1600- series v3 on an X99 motherboard, with a Quadro GPU in the case of Autodesk, Adobe, and Dessualt (Solidworks , Catia) visualization applications or a Firepro if it's scientific/ calculation-based. the performance pririity should be for the workstation use, but this means that the game experience also should be reasonably good as well. When the use is mostly 3D modeling, CPU speed becomes a priority over number of cores. If rendering is the priority the balance may be better with slightly reduced clock speed but more cores/ threads. In any event, using an E5-2600 -series is not cost efficient as there is cost in having the dual CPU version. If you're using GPU-based rendering, fewer and faster cores are better, but rendering is one of the limited applications that can use every core.

With this is mind, here is a idea for a system that should have good performance for the cost for your uses;

BambiBoom PixelCannon Cadamodarendergrapharific iWork TurboBlast ExtremeSignature SuperModel 8000 ®©$$™®£™©™_ 8.9.15

1. CPU: Intel Xeon E5-1650 v3 Six-Core Processor 3.5 / 3.8GHz 0GT/s 15MB LGA 2011-v3 CPU > £614 (Amazon.uk)

http://ark.intel.com/products/82765/Intel-Xeon-Processor-E5-1650-v3-15M-Cache-3_50-GHz

http://www.amazon.com/XEON-E5-1650V3-6C-3-5G-15MB/dp/B00MU045JU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411580728&sr=8-1&keywords=E5-1650+v3

2. Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU cooler > £26.05 Scan.UK

3. Motherboard: Asus X99-E WS, Intel X99, S 2011-3, DDR4, SATA III 6Gb/s, SATA RAID, PCIe 3.0 (x16), CEB> (£391. Scan.UK)

____ http://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-x99-e-ws-intel-x99-s-2011-3-ddr4-sata-iii-6gb-s-sata-raid-pcie-30-%28x16%29-ceb

4. Crucial 32GB (4 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM ECC DDR4 2133 (PC4-17000) Server Memory Model CT2K8G4RFS4213 > £276 Scan.UK)(£69 ea)

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/8gb-crucial-ddr4-server-memory-pc4-17000-%282133%29-288-pins-ecc-unbuffered-cas-15-12v

5. GPU: PNY Quadro K4200 VCQK4200-PB 4GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Workstation Video Card > > £792 ( Scan.UK)

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/pny-nvidia-quadro-k4200-4gb-workstation-pcie-graphics-card-with-2xdp-dvi-plus-2-years-extended-warra

6. Samsung M.2 (2280) 850 EVO 500GB SATA SSD Solid State Drive> $113 (OS, applications, working files) > $186 > £150 (Scan.UK)

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/500gb-samsung-850-evo-m2-%282280%29-ssd-sata3-6gb-s-samsung-mgx-3d-v-nand-read-540mb-s-write-500mb-s-97k

7. WD BLACK SERIES WD1003FZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive> $75 (£57.18 Scan UK) (Files, Backup, System Image)

8. CORSAIR HX Series HX750 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI CrossFire 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply New 4th Gen CPU Certified Haswell Ready £119.70 (Scan.UK)

9. Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE 24X SATA DVD±RW Internal Drive w/o Software (Black) SH-224DB $17.99

10. Corsair Obsidian 750D Large Tower Case Black with Side Window No PSU > £124.50 Scan UK)

____ http://www.scan.co.uk/products/corsair-obsidian-750d-black-full-tower-case-aluminium-steel-with-side-window-3x140mm-fans-usb-30-e-a

11. Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit w/ SP1 (1-Pack, DVD), OEM MSFQC04649 > $138.99 (£119.70 Scan U.K)

________________________________________________________

TOTAL = £2690

Cheers,

BambiBoom

1. HP z420 (2015) > Xeon E5-1660 v2 six-core @ 3.7 / 4.0GHz > 32GB DDR3 ECC 1866 RAM > Quadro K4200 (4GB) > Intel 730 480GB (9SSDSC2BP480G4R5) > Western Digital Black WD1003FZEX 1TB> M-Audio 192 sound card > 600W PSU> Logitech z2300 > Linksys AE3000 USB WiFi > 2X Dell Ultrasharp U2715H (2560 X 1440) > Windows 7 Professional 64 >
[ Passmark Rating = 5064 > CPU= 13989 / 2D= 819 / 3D= 4596 / Mem= 2772 / Disk= 4555] [Cinebench R15 > CPU = 1014 OpenGL= 126.59 FPS] 7.8.15

2. Dell Precision T5500 (2011) > Xeon X5680 six -core @ 3.33 / 3.6GHz, 24GB DDR3 ECC 1333 > Quadro K2200 (4GB ) > Samsung 840 250GB / WD RE4 Enterprise 1TB > M-Audio 192 sound card > Linksys WMP600N PCI WiFi > 875W PSU > Windows 7 Professional 64> HP 2711x (1920 X 1080)
[ Passmark system rating = 3490 / CPU = 9178 / 2D= 685 / 3D= 3566 / Mem= 1865 / Disk= 2122] [Cinebench 15 > CPU = 772 OpenGL= 99.72 FPS] 7.8.15

Karribu,

There is a lot of good logic in using the E5-1650 as in all the series has been consistently probably the best bargain in Xeons from a cost /benefit standpoint. The E5-2600 series are essential for very high performance / high capacity multiithreaded applications, but there are complication in their design and configuration to allow them to be used in pairs so they are necessarily more expensive for the same core count / clock speed.

Your list is very good, and I like your choice for the case- I trend to like very stodgy industrial-looking cases. You might look into the noise-producing aspects of this kind of case as the fan arrangement may put fans on the front panel. That's one advantage of proprietary systems in that they use somewhat interior, remote-mounted, shrouded fans to control noise. The HP z420 I use is almost undetectable running and even the 2011 Dell Pecision T5500 is reasonably quiet.

GPU selection: the most difficult choice of all:

The choice of GPU at this level is always difficult, becaase the software is all over the map in terms of optimization. Some programmes like Solidworks will hardly run on a GTX. This is an older review - 2013, but very telling as regards GTX vs. Quadro / Firepro:

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

> and in this chart of Maya perofrmance, a $175 Firepro V3900 works far better than a $1,000 Titan. This is due to the OpenGL perormance of workstation cards- as compared to OpenCL and Direct X whihc emphasize in effect image quantity - FPS in games- to the image quality which has to do with finishing rendering every frame. When effects processing in video, a GTX will take a "good enough" approach to the rendering to try and blast it through faster. There is also the important question of viewport support in programs like 3ds and Maya and GTX are terrible trying to do it. in it. I tried a GTX 285 which had the same 512-bit GPU as a Quadro FX5800 (4GB) and I never had a useable rendering from it, -it would crash 90% into the work, or it had a rain of tiny black lines, bizarre shadows and so on. I bought a Quadro FX4800 (1.5GB) and all was solved. In Solidworks not only did the viewports almost not work- took forever to regen, I needed to snap a tangent to a torus, and at x8 anti-aliasing, it could not display the proper points. I ran a Solidworks driver with x128 anti-aliasing and besides the viewports becoming synchronized, I could do any object snap accurately and of course renderings at higher resolutions level are fantastic as the textures look integrated into smooth, curved forms rather than sort of ragged mats sitting on top on polygons.

Quadros are expensive, but for professional visualization work, especially using Autodesk, Adobe, Dessault (Solidworks /Catia) I think a Xeon > ECC RAM > Quadro is essential. If you're doing more calculation orietned work, then Firepro. I found with the recent purchase of a Quadro K4200(4GB) that at that level, they can do any visualisations at suitable speed.

HP z420 (2015) > Xeon E5-1660 v2 six-core @ 3.7 / 4.0GHz > 32GB DDR3 ECC 1866 RAM > Quadro K4200 (4GB) > Intel 730 480GB (9SSDSC2BP480G4R5) > Western Digital Black WD1003FZEX 1TB> M-Audio 192 sound card > 600W PSU> Logitech z2300 > Linksys AE3000 USB WiFi > 2X Dell Ultrasharp U2715H (2560 X 1440) > Windows 7 Professional 64 >
[ Passmark Rating = 5064 > CPU= 13989 / 2D= 819 / 3D= 4596 / Mem= 2772 / Disk= 4555] [Cinebench R15 > CPU = 1014 OpenGL= 126.59 FPS] 7.8.15

With Quadro K2200:
[ Passmark Rating = 4918 > CPU= 13941 / 2D= 823 / 3D= 3463 / Mem= 2668 / Disk= 4764]

> and the results on Passmark, which I believe is somewhat weighted to gaming grpahicsand comparing the 3D results, the Quadro K4200 is comparable to a GTX 760- not a screamer in comparison to a GTX 980, but reasonable. The Cinebench results which include OpenGL at 126 FPS is very encouraging.

In the end, my idea is to choose the GPU for the largest possible project in the most demanding programme and if there will ever be an OpenGL and/ or viewport programme on he system, it needs a Quadro or Firepro.

Sorry to ramble on so, but there are quite a number of PCr users that, having not used prefessional visualisation prgrammes, seem to consider workstation GPU's a kind of marketing trick to steal from unsuspecting consumers, when in reality, content creation hardware is quite different from that for content consumption.
_____________________________

And, sorry to bring this up so late in a long post, but I might mention one other option to have a very high cost /performance level of system:

DELL PRECISION T7610 Barebone Workstation ! Build your own System !! > £226.23

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DELL-PRECISION-T7610-Barebone-Workstation-Build-your-own-System-/321567999837?hash=item4adef2475d

This system will support dual Xeon E5-2600 v2series. Besides being a extremely low cost for a case, motherboard, CPU cooler, and 1300W PSU- costing less than the motherboard alone- you only need to plug in the CPU, RAM, GPU, and drives.

Start with one, used E5-2600 v2, for example, an E5-2667 v2 ( 8-core @ 3.3 /4.0GHz) :

http://ark.intel.com/products/75273

Intel Xeon E5-2667 v2 (#2011-96) 3.3GHz 25MB 8GT/s SR19W LGA2011 CPU Processor > £969.52
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Intel-Xeon-E5-2667-v2-2011-96-3-3GHz-25MB-8GT-s-SR19W-LGA2011-CPU-Processor-/291484021229?hash=item43ddcd31ed

> Yes, very expensive, but notice the clock speed, the number of cores, and the ability to add second one in future. After this £1300 expenditure, you need only add the RAM, GPU, and drives .

(4X ) 8GB SK Hynix 2Rx8 PC3-14900E DDR3 1866 ECC Server Memory RAM HMT41GU7AFR8C-RD > £129 (£32.29 each)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/8GB-SK-Hynix-2Rx8-PC3-14900E-DDR3-1866-ECC-Server-Memory-RAM-HMT41GU7AFR8C-RD-/231625596849?hash=item35edf61fb1

> and :

1X Nvidia Quadro K5200 8GB GPU Monitor Graphics Card > £826.71
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1X-Nvidia-Quadro-K5200-8GB-GPU-Monitor-Graphics-Card-/181818608931?hash=item2a553bcd23

> and

Samsung 850 EVO 500GB 2.5 Inch SATA3 SSD/Solid State Drive > £145.02 (Scan UK)
Western Digital WD3003FZEX 3TB Black SATA 3 Performance Hard Drive - HDD > £126.36 (scan UK)


£226.23
£120 (guessing shipping of T7610 US to UK)
£969.52
£826.71
£145.02
£126.36
______________________
£2415

And you thereby have an 8-core /16 thread @ 3.3 /4.0GHZ / 32GB, Quadro K5200 (8GB)(The T7610 can use 3! of these / 500GB SSD, 3TB HD / 1300W system, and within the budget. This should be a quiet and ultra-reliable system with a surprising amount of support user manual, driver, etc. from one site- Dell.com. I've upraded three used Dell Precisions (390, T5400, and T5500) over the past five years and not one failure of any parts. Later you can add a second CPU (16-cores / 32 threads) or two more GPU's and up to 512GB of RAM. This method also saves some time as you're only plugging a few components into slots rather than ordering and assembling every part. Best of all, you can use this system for three years and it should be worth probably 80% or more of your investment becuawe the components have all been already subsantially depreciated.

Well, just a thought,...

Cheers,

BambiBoom