Building PC for 3D modeling sister, need parts checked and suggestions for motherboard/power supply

hopeandhaley · Sep 8, 2016

PCPartPicker list: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/6j4qRG

Purpose of computer:
I want to build a new computer for my sister so I can have her old one. The one she currently uses was built 4 years ago with the help of a family friend, who picked out the parts for that build and all 3 of us built it together (it cost about $1,300). So technically, this is my 2nd build but picking parts is intimidating and I'm not getting help from that friend this time. Some of the parts I picked are the same as that build, but I can adjust if they are outdated/incorrect.

My sister uses the computer for 3D modeling (DAZ, Autocad, Blender, SketchUp, Vue, Marvelous Designer...) and 2D art programs (Photoshop, After Effects...), but as a hobby she likes to download and test A LOT of extra art/3D software.

Needs:
- Enough memory for the hundreds of art files, textures, extra 3D software, 3D model collection (we have 2 external harddrives, but she fills things up fast)
- 2 graphics cards for SLI for fast rendering (need motherboard that supports SLI and enough power)

Location: USA

Gaming performance: Only play FFXIV but will try other MMOs in the future, simply want the shadows to not look angular. Want to use DirectX 11 at least. Not interested in overclocking.
Budget: Somewhere around $1,000-$1,500. Can spend more if needed, but want to be reasonable about this purchase.

Need help with: I did not choose 1) a motherboard, 2) a Network Interface Card, or 3) a power supply, because I am confused about which ones are compatible. Do I need a network interface card if I have a wireless network adapter? Some motherboards have Wi-Fi built in, so that makes it more complicated to me.

Can someone please check the items I have so far and tell me if they are wrong or unreasonable or if there are better options?

bambiboom · Sep 9, 2016

hopeandhaley :

hopeandhaley,

Very generous of you to arrange an improved system for your sister.

for these very demanding uses and given the budget and to simplify the process, my suggestion is to buy a used workstation designed for these applications and upgrade it. The workstation type recommended is based on the Xeon E5 which in v2 versions supports up to 12-core processors and 768GB of RAM. These systems also have 40 PCIe lanes so, multiple graphics cards, PCIe SSD;s and RAID controllers are accommodated. Best of all is that these are highly depreciated so you can buy a system with a $2,000 CPU rated to run continuously for 19 years plus the motherboard, RAM, case, and power supply fro a fraction of the CPU cost alone. All the fussy decisions are made and with the right selection, you only need to plug in the graphics cards and drives. These systems are also designed to be as quiet as possible.

For example:

HP Z420 Workstation 2.90GHz 8 Core E5-2690 32GB RAM No HDD No OS sold for $614.88 or offer

The processor is the Xeon E5-2690 which is an 8-core @ 2.9 /3.8GHz, and cost $2.050 new.

Passmark CPU Ratings:

_____________ CPU Rating:___ Single Thread Mark

AMD FX-6350 ___ 6953 _________ 1477
Xeon E5-2690___14383 _________ 1878

A strong single -thread performance is necessary in 3D CAD modeling and there is an increasing number of programs with multi-threading, especially rendering / video processing so 3D animation, so a processor with 8-cores and atill a strong single-thread performance is ideal.

And with LGA2011 this can still be improved. For example. in two years change the CPU to:

Xeon E5-2687w v2___16633 _______ 2059

That is 8-core @ 3.4 /4.0Ghz and a single threaded rating of 2059 is in the category of high performance gaming processors. Those were $2,340 new, currently about $1,000 used. In a couple of years the price may be more $600 or so.

To the system above add:

___ PNY Quadro M2000 VCQM2000-PB 4GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 Workstation Video Card > $432

OR>

___ MSI GeForce GTX 1070 DirectX 12 GTX 1070 GAMING X 8G 8GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready __SLI Support ATX Video Card > $450

___ Samsung 850 Evo 500GB for OS /Programs/ active projects about $160

___ Western Digital Black 2TB , about $120 for libraries and storage

And the soundcard of choice

System: about $650 with shipping
GPU: $450
Drives: $ 300
Soundcard and speakers: about $75

__________________________________________
TOTAL = about $1,500

My preference for animation and high end graphic design is the Quadro as the anti-aliasing is better when there are heavy textures and there is 10-bit color correction. The M2000 is a recent release and outperforms the Quadro K4200 that I use which cost over $800 new. The GTX 1070 is a fantastic value though for 3D modeling navigation and of course one of the top games performers.

This could be done for a bit less with a used GPU, but I think it's worth stretching a bit to have the system remain useful a longer time. Being able to keep a system even one year longer without additional cost is quite a bit cheaper in the long term. As the system is already highly depreciated, the resale is a higher proportion of your cost.

Alternative Base System: This project could also be done for a bit more using an HP z620. That has the advantage of being able to later add a second processor. See the listing of the z620 at the bottom of the post. That system was purchased fro $270 (it had cosmetic damage) and two E5-2690's, the 2nd CPU riser, +32GB RAM, HP Z Turbo drive, set of replacement case plastic parts, a Quadro K2200 and WD RE4 brought from another system for about $1,400 total. That was/ is a quite fussy project though, but is currently the highest rated z620 on Passmark, so results can be good.

I have two HP z420's for about three years and both have been 100% reliable and second only to the HP z620 in terms of being the quitetest system I've had.

So, an alternative to researching, ordering, assembling, wiring, configuring, and testing from parts.

Cheers,

BambiBoom

CAD / 3D Modeling / Graphic Design:

HP z420 (2015) > Xeon E5-1660 v2 (6-core @ 3.7 / 4.0GHz) / 32GB DDR3 -1866 ECC RAM / Quadro K4200 (4GB) / Samsung SM951 M.2 256GB AHCI + Intel 730 480GB (9SSDSC2BP480G4R5) + Western Digital Black WD1003FZEX 1TB> M-Audio 192 sound card > 600W PSU> > Windows 7 Professional 64-bit > Logitech z2300 speakers > 2X Dell Ultrasharp U2715H (2560 X 1440)
[ Passmark Rating = 5581 > CPU= 14046 / 2D= 838 / 3D= 4694 / Mem= 2777 / Disk= 11559] [6.12.16]

Analysis / Simulation / Rendering:

HP z620 (2012) (Rev 2) 2X Xeon E5-2690 (8-core @ 2.9 /3.8GHz) / 40GB DDR3-1600 ECC) / Quadro K2200 (4GB) / HP Z Turbo Drive (256GB) / 800W > Windows 7 Professional 64-bit > HP 2711x (27" 1980 X 1080)
[ Passmark System Rating= 5281 / CPU= 19777 / 2D= 741 / 3D = 3887/ Mem =2290 / Disk = 13426 ] 9.2.16

g-unit1111 · Sep 9, 2016

bambiboom :

Why are you so fixated on buying a 3 year old used workstation and going Frankenstein on it? You do realize that in the time it takes to do this, you could just as easily buy and build a new system with entirely new components right? New workstation hardware does exist, and you will get a longer lifespan out of it than if you tried to do that. You could build this in half the time it takes to do that:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1245 V5 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($283.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X150-PLUS WS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($139.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill TridentZ Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PNY Quadro M2000 4GB Video Card ($429.39 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks ECLIPSE P400S ATX Mid Tower Case ($87.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12G 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($83.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit ($129.94 @ Amazon)
Total: $1440.23
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-09 12:13 EDT-0400

That is less than the Franken PC you are recommending - with a Windows 10 Pro license - with all new hardware and the same GPU you recommend, with a new Xeon E3-1245 and DDR4 RAM. And check out some of the comments on that workstation you recommend - half the people who buy them say that they have experienced serious problems with some of the components.

GraySilencer · Sep 9, 2016

This X99 Xeon build would be great for this purpose. AM3+ is dead and SLI is not needed right now, but the board does support SLI and you have a multitude of CPU upgrade options for the future.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E5-1620 V3 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($287.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 612 Ver.2 44.2 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler ($38.00 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock X99 Extreme3 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($168.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX300 275GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($68.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Desktop HDD 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($115.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: PNY Quadro M2000 4GB Video Card ($435.98 @ PCM)
Case: Corsair Graphite Series 230T Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($92.19 @ Amazon)
Total: $1487.10
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-09 17:45 EDT-0400

hopeandhaley · Sep 9, 2016

g-unit1111 :

Thank you all for taking the time to look at my post and suggest solutions, I really appreciate it.
I'm far from an expert at picking parts, so I had to look at the suggestions side by side. I have some questions based on what I saw, I need help understanding.

I am only comparing g-unit1111 and GraySilencer's picks to mine (which is laughable, but I'm trying to learn). (I don't think I'm interested in using a premade computer like bambiboom suggested.)

CPU: Both 4 cores, the one I picked is 6 core. (Isn't 6 core better?)

CPU cooler: Basically, the only difference was air flow (which I don't know how to read) and RPM. "CRYORIG H7 Tower Cooler For AMD/Intel CPU" was faster, but it can only be used with AMD or Intel?

Motherboard: My weakness at understanding. "ASRock X99 Extreme3 ATX LGA2011-3" supports SLI.

Memory: Simply picking 2 or 4 sticks of memory to save space.

Storage: From my understanding, both of you suggested a solid state drive AND an internal hard drive, but you only need 1. Solid state drives are more expensive but have a longer life. Correct?

Video card: I wanted 2 cards for SLI, but both of you suggested 1. What if I used two of the GeForce GTX 1060 with 6GB?

Case: Dunno if it matters that much which I pick. My sister's current build uses the "Rosewill THOR V2-W ATX Full Tower Case" so I thought it would be less intimidating if I was used to it opening that model.

Power supply: Only difference was wattage. Not sure how to calculate which is sufficient or overkill based on the parts.

Operating system: Shouldn't Home be enough? This site http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/feature/windows/windows-10-home-vs-windows-10-pro-uk-difference-3618710/ said the differences, but they seem like stuff I won't use exept for the RAM amount. Should I be concerned about it?

GraySilencer · Sep 9, 2016

hopeandhaley :

CPU: Even Intel's Dual Cores can beat's AMD's 6 core CPU's most of the time - AMD is way behind Intel in terms of IPC (instructions per clock) The Xeon will absolutely crush the FX-6350. The Xeon E3-1245 v5 has 8 threads which make it act like a 8-core CPU.

CPU cooler: The Hyper 612 has six heatpipes and is very quiet which is why I picked it. The CRYORIG H7 only has three.

Motherboard: For a high end socket 2011-V3 X99 system, it's all most people need at a budget price.

Memory: I went with four sticks for quad-channel memory support. X99 systems work faster with four stick of RAM, but you can use two for most other types of builds (like Socket 1151 that only uses dual-channel RAM).

Storage: Typically yes, but, I recommend installing Windows and frequently used programs on the SSD, and storing files and installing "less used programs" on the Hard Drive.

Video Card: Quadro's are better for rendering and modeling than GeForce cards. Geforce cards are more designed for gaming but not rendering and modeling.

Case: The 230T is easy to work with and has good cooling right out of the box. It's really a good value.

Power supply: I wanted to make sure you had enough headroom for future upgrades. The system will only use how much power it needs at any given time, so it won't be consuming 750W at all times.

Operating system: Nah, Home should be fine. You very likely won't need Pro.

g-unit1111 · Sep 9, 2016

hopeandhaley :

Yeah that is not a route that is usually suggested. Especially when you look at the fine print and realize that these systems aren't perfect. And a lot of them have ridiculously high fail rates. I would also say that seller of those workstations is highly suspect. If they don't have a RMA policy don't buy.

CPU: Both 4 cores, the one I picked is 6 core. (Isn't 6 core better?)

That's not necessarily true. It entirely depends on what you want to do with it. For most Autodesk applications and Solidworks you don't need a hex core CPU. If you're using rendering programs that might come in handy but even Sketchup doesn't use four cores.

Motherboard: My weakness at understanding. "ASRock X99 Extreme3 ATX LGA2011-3" supports SLI.

SLI means you can run more than one GPU if you're so inclined. Asrock makes some solid boards, and they generally have one of the more user friendly BIOSes around. Asus, Gigabyte and MSI all make solid boards as well, and I have used all of those manufacturers.

Memory: Simply picking 2 or 4 sticks of memory to save space.

No, that is incorrect. On a dual channel system (Z170 / C202) you want 2 sticks, on a quad channel system (X99) you want 4 sticks or 8 sticks. You don't want to compromise on RAM to "save space". Whoever told you that doesn't know what they are talking about.

CPU cooler: Basically, the only difference was air flow (which I don't know how to read) and RPM. "CRYORIG H7 Tower Cooler For AMD/Intel CPU" was faster, but it can only be used with AMD or Intel?

Most coolers come with mounts for Intel and AMD. But for a workstation you definitely want to go Intel because AMD is at the end of the line and has no upgrade path other than a processor that is known for instability and power and cooling issues (the FX-9590). For a workstation you want Intel - preferably a quad core Xeon or hex core i7.

Storage: From my understanding, both of you suggested a solid state drive AND an internal hard drive, but you only need 1. Solid state drives are more expensive but have a longer life. Correct?

No that's not true. Whoever told you that, again doesn't know what they are talking about. You can have one SSD or one HD, but if you run just a 250GB SSD you will run out of space quickly. If you run just a mechanical HD you will be bogged down by slow performance. Having both and saving all your large files on the HD gives you the SSD performance with the space of an HD.

Video card: I wanted 2 cards for SLI, but both of you suggested 1. What if I used two of the GeForce GTX 1060 with 6GB?

That's more of a gaming card than a workstation card. The workstation cards are better when you have to have extremely close and detailed redraws, which those can handle that the gaming cards can't. SLI generally isn't a good idea to start with unless you can go top of the line (we are talking 1080 or Titan X here). It's always better to have one stronger card than two weaker ones.

Case: Dunno if it matters that much which I pick. My sister's current build uses the "Rosewill THOR V2-W ATX Full Tower Case" so I thought it would be less intimidating if I was used to it opening that model.

That's one of my least favorite case choices. It's one of the most overrated on the market. For the price of that case you can definitely get much, much better. It's an ugly, heavy monstrosity that is outdated and there's much better cases that cost less and look better. The Phanteks Enthoo Pro or P400S are much better case choices for less money. I have an Enthoo Pro and I wouldn't get anything more or less than that, it gives you plenty of room to build in and has plenty of drive bays, and Phanteks includes all the accessories you could possibly want.

Power supply: Only difference was wattage. Not sure how to calculate which is sufficient or overkill based on the parts.

Most PSU wattage calculators on the internet are grossly inaccurate. They generally get their wattage estimates from GPU manufacturers - who often overstate their GPU wattage requirements based on poorly made PSUs. For instance even though a NVIDIA GTX 1070 only draws 180W, and most PSU wattage calculators would say it draws more than twice that. So you would get a recommendation of an 850W PSU when you really only need 550W. The only one I've seen that's semi accurate is the one on PC Part Picker. But even that doesn't necessarily reflect real world wattage use. On PSUs the key is quality - get a good one and it will last years. Get a bad one and it can blow up, or short out and take your whole system with it. The EVGA G2 is generally considered one of the best of the best in terms of quality. The Seasonic X and XFX Pro are also quality units.

Operating system: Shouldn't Home be enough? This site http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/feature/windows/windows-10-h... said the differences, but they seem like stuff I won't use exept for the RAM amount. Should I be concerned about it?

Spend the extra money for the Pro version. Trust me on a workstation you'll want the extra networking capabilities and remote desktop.

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Building PC for 3D modeling sister, need parts checked and suggestions for motherboard/power supply

hopeandhaley

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g-unit1111

bambiboom

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g-unit1111

Titan

GraySilencer

Reputable

hopeandhaley

Honorable

GraySilencer

Reputable

g-unit1111

Titan

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