3ds Max designing and rendering what PC?

Krzysztof_11

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Dear All,
my wife is doing some interior design projects in 3ds max (with V-Ray). We decided to build her a new PC so her work will go more smoothly. I was thinking about:
- Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2 GHz
- Gigabyte GeForce® GTX 1070 G1 Gaming, 8GB
- Motherboard MSI Z270-A PRO
- Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x8GB 2400MHz DDR4 Intel XMP 2.0 (I will double it up asap)
- SSD Intel 600p series M.2 PCIe 256GB
- HDD Seagate BarraCuda 2TB 64MB 7200

What do you think about this configuration? Shall I look for some better CPU and cut the GPU? Or did 3ds max will still use the GPU so it still has to be good?
Also is it possible to use M.2 SSD on Windows 7 or shall I stick to some SATA SSD like Samsung EVO 850?
I will be very grateful for any answers :)
 

Supahos

Expert
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Technically kaby lake doesn't support win 7 so I'd actually suggest a 6700k/z170 setup save a few bucks and unless you were planning an oc above 4.7 there won't be any difference. 3d stuff is still more dependent on the GPU. A 1070 is kind of the sweet spot it a whole lot better than a 1060 and not a ton worse than a 1080 in times. Looks like a solid build make sure you get a solid power supply. EVGA supernova g2/3 or anything gold rated from seasonic or xfx. 550w would be plenty
 

Krzysztof_11

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Thanks a lot!
I was thinking that the newer technology = the better ;) Also even though I am not thinking about oc yet I thought that it's better to have 4200 MHz than 4000 but I'm a noob and I don't really know the differences as you. So the 6th generation will do allright?

Yeah I that's why I decided for 600 W Chieftec :)
 


Krzysztof_11,

The i7-7700K is a very good choice for 3D modeling. The CPU's single-thread performance is the important factor and the i7-7700K has the 2nd highest Passmark Single Thread Mark of 2600. For comparison, the E5-1660 v2 I use for 3D modeling has the second highest Xeon E5 Single Thread Mark at 2077.

However, for VRay rendering, core count can be more important and the i7-7700K is a 4-core /8-thread processor. It's possible to run the VRay RT engine in GPU mode, and that is very fast, but in my view, GPU rendering quality is inferior to CPU rendering. This is seen in GPU renderings as rainbowed color gradients, raw edges, lack of subtlety in shadow transitions, "lifeless" reflections and water, and to me a slight general sense of artificiality. This is especially important in interiors as the views are close to the objects and there are multiple lighting sources.

CPU rendering is however, very processor intensive. Because of this, since 2010 or so, I've had separate systems for modeling and CPU rendering. a few days I tried a CPU VRay test rendering (3180 X2160) on a 152MB Sketchup model on the modeling system with a Xeon E5-1660 V2 6-core@3.7 /4.0GHz /32GB of RAM/ Quadro K4200 4GB and it failed twice. The rendering system: 2X Xeon E5-2690 8-core#2.9/3.8GHz /64GB/Quadro K2200 + Tesla M2090 ran all 32threads at 100% and finished in 10min 30secs. the key was that the rendering processes was using 37GB of RAM- the 32GB E5-1660 V2 system didn't have enough.

This is not to say that the renderings being run on the proposed system will need a 32-thread system only that they will definitely have to be GPU-based and 16GB is the absolute starter RAM set- if possible, start out with 32GB of RAM. If carefully set up, GPU renderings can be acceptable quality.

If the rendering is to be GPU-based, then the GTX 1070 is an extremely fast GPU and very good value. I use Quadros for the viewport support and higher anti-aliasing, multiple lighting sources, 30-bit color, and etc. For a content creation workstation, you might consider the upcoming- next month- Quadro P2000 5GB which runs at about GTX 780 speeds. That will cost something under $500. Yes, it is quite a bit slower than a GTX, but the difference in rendering time of single images may be very little. I tried the identical Sketchup/VRay RT GPU rendering (30MB model on the E5-1660 v2 /Quadro K4200 and it was perhaps 1:30 faster than the CPU version. GPU rendering really excels in video /animations where there are thousands of frames. If there is to be video editing /processing then by all means the GTX 1070 is a great one.

An M.2 drive is in general a good idea, and I use one- Samsung SM951 256GB in the E5-2690 rendering system for the OS/programs and the projects run off a Samsung 850 Evo 250GB. It would probably be faster to contain the active projects on the M.2. On the E5-1660 v2 system, the drive is an Intel 730 480GB SATA SSD with a partition that contains all files. In practice I don't really notice any speed difference between the two SSD's. I've casually timed certain processes with a stopwatch and the system starting on M.2 is about 8 sec.faster, opening a large file is about 4 secs. faster, saving that file is perhaps 8-10 secs faster, and so on. This has to be that the CPU is throttling the M.2 speed. An all SSD system would be different.

The brilliance of M.2 is in large file transfers, but as I use WD Black and Seagate ES.3 drives , the M.2 transfer speed is wasted as the mech.l hard drives can't write at 1/10th M.2 speeds - a bit better with large media files. The M.2 looks great in benchmarks- the E5-2690 has scored 13460 on Passmark whereas the Intel 730 is 4794, but I've yet to really "feel" M.2 is any faster and you might consider instead having a Samsung 850 Evo 500GB and create a 150GB OS/ Programs partition and 350GB for all files. All the files I've created since 1993- about 30,000 images, 1,400 CAD drawings, 400 3D CAD models, 22,000 documents fit in 72GB.

For stability, don't overclock.

Cheers,

BambiBoom

CAD / 3D Modeling / Graphic Design:

HP z420 (2015) (Rev 3) > 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 + Logitech z2300 2.1 speakers > 600W PSU> > Windows 7 Professional 64-bit >> 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 3) 2X Xeon E5-2690 (8-core @ 2.9 / 3.8GHz) / 64GB DDR3-1600 ECC reg) / Quadro K2200 (4GB) + Tesla M2090 (6GB) / HP Z Turbo Drive (256GB) + Samsung 850 Evo 250GB + Seagate Constellation ES.3 (1TB) / Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium PCIe sound card + Logitech z313 2.1 speakers / 800W / Windows 7 Professional 64-bit > > HP 2711x (27" 1980 X 1080)
[ Passmark System Rating= 5675 / CPU= 22625 / 2D= 815 / 3D = 3580 / Mem = 2522 / Disk = 12640 ] 9.25.16
[ Cinebench R15: OpenGL= 119.23 fps / CPU = 2209 cb / Single core 130 cb / MP Ratio 16.84x] 10.31.16

 

Krzysztof_11

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Feb 23, 2017
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Thanks so much. Yeah I pick some decent one, I hope :)
Could you please make one more thing a little bit more clear for me? I'm sorry if you answer it in your previous post but I have to be sure I understand right. My wife is mostly doing designs of flats in 3ds max, there are no animations in there, Isn't the gtx 1070 to strong for it? I don't want to spend money on gear that will not be used by the PC if I can spend more on a CPU instead. I'm extremely sorry of my lack of knowledge. That's why I'm ere looking for help ;) If you could simply explain me how the GPU works in modeling in Max I will be very grateful. I know that rendering is basing on CPU and RAM (if it;s normal render not unbiased), but as far as I understand the GPU is also somehow involved, right?

 

Krzysztof_11

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BambiBoom
Thank you very much! I hope I understand everything right :)
As Supahos sugest I think I'll stick to older generation of CPU because of Windows 7 that I think I won't be changing any soon.
Unfortunetly we can not afford separate workstations for rendering and designing also Xeon and Quadro machine will be to expensive I think (if I'm wrong correct me please) :(
Although the change for my beloved wife shall be superior even though. Now she is working on Dell notebook with:
- i7 3610 QM with integrated GPU GeForce 650M
- 12 GB RAM
The thing I'm afraid the most as I wrote in other answer is if the 3ds max will make a use of such strong GPU as gtx 1070? If it occures that it's not in use because all of the work is done by RAM and CPU maybe it will be better to rethink my set. I don't know unfortunetly how exactly 3ds max is working and don't want spend money on thing that won't work. I rather buy better CPU and more RAM or SSD. My wife is not doing any animations so I don't know what GPU will be best. I'm sorry for my lacks of knowledge.
About M.2 I heard that it is also not compatible for Windows 7 is it right?
Once more thank you for your help :)
 


Krzysztof_11,

Sorry, the explanation was a bit complicated. My intention was to say:

1. That the i7-7700K is very good for 3Ds modeling, but not so good for CPU rendering. The i7-6700K is also very good. The Passmark Single Thread Mark for the i7-7700K is 2600- the best and the i7-6700K is 2350- also excellent.

2. As either of the i7's have 4-cores, the rendering will need to be VRay RT GPU-enabled so as to render on the GPU.

The GTX will be extremely fast- very good for animation /video editing also.

In my opinion, GPU rendering quality is not quite as good, but with careful setup it is certainly acceptable in professional use.

3. M.2 is very fast, but in day-to-day use, a larger, conventional SATA SSD is more useful- the OS/programs, and projects on one drive. That is to say: buy a 500GB SATA SATA instead of a 250GB M.2 and keep the old projects and libraries on the mechanical HD.

4. For stability and system reliability, do not overclock.

I also refused to upgrade to Windows 10 and several friends who are designers were unhappy with Windows 10 and changed back. The situation is probably better now and with new hardware, just fine, but I don't like to have to learn a new OS and don't care for the new features of the interface.

Cheers,

BambiBoom
 

Krzysztof_11

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BambiBoom

Your explenation was perfect. Maybe my answer was not very precise :)
I'll try to improve it.

Summarasing. If my wife is working in AutoCAD (making blueprints there) and 3ds max just for making 3d models of flats and then rendering them (without making any animation/video or other "moving" things ;) ) did she really need any GPU apart from integreted one? Adding that she is using standard Vray not a RT one.
I'll be completely honest with you. Unfortunetly my wife knows less about computers than I do (and obviously I know nearly nothing about CAD software) so I have to prepare a machine that will work for her without making any changes in software (like changing the Vray to Vray RT).
Converting to USD let's say that i have about 1500$ to make it. I know it's very little for a decent machine although that's the max I can do.
So the proper questions are:
1. According to the informations I provide (about how my wife uses CAD programmes) did we need seperate GPU?
2. If yes could you please tell my how the GPU works in 3ds max if NOT making animations or RT renders?
3. If not could you please help me to prepare a new set for this kind of working I tried to discribe?
4. Are there any additional informations I can provide you to help you me with this issue? Like some data about the projects my wife is doing? As I said I know nearly nothing about working in CAS although I can check or ask my wife about some more specific informations, that maybe could help you?
5. Or am I stupid and didn't understand that you mean that with the i7 of my choice my wife will have to use Vray RT to make renders any good? :)

Once more I am extremely grateful for your patience and all the help you are giving me. I am trying to learn as fast as I can though some things are still black magic for me :)
 

ahoj__

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Hey,
I bought my mom an i3 6100 + 8gb 2133mhz + SSD awhile ago and it handles Blender very smooth but rendering just takes its time
I myself use an i7 5820k (with 32gb ram) so therefore I have to stick to a dedicated GPU (which I prefere any time) and the gtx960 4gb handles fine but I am upgrading to the gtx1070 right now as I'd like to give GPU rendering a try

edit: I'd also look into a 144hz monitor, as its really great to work all day long with those - 60hz give me headache within an hour whereas I've never had a problem with my 144hz one and I sold the 60hz on instantly the first day I tried 144hz
 

Krzysztof_11

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ahoj__
Thanks!
You said you "stick to dedicated GPU and gtx 960" does this GPU affects anyhow on your work or is it just for some other stuff you do? I still does not understand at full how does GPU affects on work if you don't do animations/video or GPU rendering. I assume that you need some graphics just to hold the viewport performance, but it does not to be suach beast as gtx 1070, right?

 


Krzysztof_11,

Computer rendering is quite amazing and amazingly complicated. For me rendering options are the most difficult system equations: software + hardware + speed + quality.

Rendering works in two ways:

1. CPU Rendering: Programs that use the main processor to make the billions of calculations of the positions of particles and polygons that have attributes of color, transparency,and so on. CPU rendering does this by using the cores and threads to make the calculations. Some programs of this kind, such a Solidworks, used to design machines very precisely, can use all the cores on the system- the more cores the better. Other programs are not as efficient and can effectively use a few cores, and Adobe CS /CC programs like Photoshop don't improve speed after using more than 5-6 cores or 10-12 threads as CPU cores ( Intel) have two data streams that sort of fill in the gaps in the stream.

2. GPU Rendering: CPU rendering is in general considered to produce superior image quality, but using a limited number of cores- even at 4Ghz makes it run at a modest pace. GPU rendering uses the cores in the graphics card to make the calculation and although those may be running at 1.6GHz, there can be thousands in a single GPU. that, coupled with the very fast video memory means a GPU can really move the calculations along much faster. This is critical in animation and video processes as there may 24 frames- 24 renderings for every second. These processes are made for speed and there is in a sense a "good enough" attitude to the image as the viewer sees it for so short a time and motion and the persistence of vision blends the images. GPU's are so fast they can do this process at 60 frames per second and more in video games.

With content creation projects, I prefer CPU rendering and put together a system with 16 cores /32 threads to do it. However, VRay includes the choice of the method. Selecting VRay RT- which means "real time" > "Enable RT GPU" will render on the graphic card. In my use, the time is similar- the 32 CPU threads at 3.6Ghz work about as quickly as the 640 Quadro K2200 + Tesla M2090 512 + 1,052 CUDA cores. A GTX such as the 1070 though has 1,920 cores, faster video memory and a lower level of precision- the "good enough" approach so that would be very much faster.

To do 3D modeling, it's necessary to use a dedicated graphics card, though the Intel Hd 630 integrated graphics is really much better than one expects. The 2D performance is really good. The top Passmark 2D score is 1220 on an i7-7700K system. If the work were entirely 2D CAD and graphic design that would be fine. However, 3Ds Max will not work as quickly as the top HD 630 score is 1527, again on i7-7700K. Actually, a few years, a 3D score over 1500 would be reasonable. I still have a Dell Precision T5400 from 2009 and the Quadro FX 4800 1.5Gb that cost $1,300 new has a 3D score of 1097. For comparison, a GTX 1070 has an average Passmark 3D score of 10956. Regardless, a system running 3Ds will need a reasonably strong dedicated graphics card.

I think very good results are possible by using the i7-7700K speed for 3D modeling and a GTX for GPU rendering. The VRay for 3Ds does have the RT GPU option and the 3Ds IRay can use both CPU and GPU. Mental Ray however is CPU only. The i7-7700K has such a high clock speed, the results on the CPU even though it's a 4-core would be worth trying.

Cheers,

BambiBoom

 

Krzysztof_11

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BambiBoom,

Now I think I'm starting to get your point (hopefully) :)
If I understand correct the build with GTX 1070 and i7 6700K is reasonable if my wife will do GPU rendering. And if she would like to stick to CPU rendering than she will have to workstation with 16cores/32threads (so 2x Xeon I suppose) and even having these 2 monsters she will still need to have some decent graphic card?
Am I finally getting something right and learned something?

Btw. you are extremely efficient teacher, once more many, many thanks :)

 


 

Krzysztof_11

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Dear BambiBoom,
I think we are heading to a solution of my problem :)
Yeah I double check the prices of 8 and 6 core intel i7 and with suiting motherboard it will completely devastate my budget unfortunetly :)
Is it also a solution if I buy a PC of my choice but hold on with buying the graphic card so we can see if the GTX is really needed? Than if my wife will said it's ok I could spend some more money instantly on RAM and bigger SSD. Theoreticaly now she is working without any GPU. You know my biggest fear is of buying something she won't be even using (although I could play some sweet details in Witcher 3 :p ).
There is also another option that she wil be able to do things she didn't even imagine the computer can handle...
I know. I will check the sizes of her projects and ask about rendering time etc. Gather all the data I can and if it won't be a problem for you I will write them down here, so maybe you could tell me on the examples how the modeling/rendering things can change. I hope I am not asking for too much :)
Also I will ask her at what points does her 3ds max broke in modeling/rendering. Maybe that will also be some kind of a clue.

Neverless I am extremely happy that I put my question here on this forum and learn so much from you. I am truely grateful!
 

ahoj__

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Yes, at that time mostly for the other stuff, but as I am upgrading to the gtx1070 now, I'd also like to give gpu renderings a try - a mates gtx1080 renders movies and music nearby as fast as his i7 6950x (not to mention the i7 6950x is fast enough to live stream x264 codec while gaming, and thus making an second PC for the stream itself obsolete)
however, I would've upgrade to the gtx1060 6gb anyways - its a decent card like its predecessor gtx960 4gb

I tried to find some trustworthy Blender (3ds max, maya, etc) benchmarks with the new Kaby Lake for you, but I can't find them anymore... if I remember correctly - in a given scenario - the i7 7700k was about 10seconds slower than the i7 5820k.
If your wife ain't a professional (especially with tight time limitations) like me, she actually could wait those few seconds (or minutes in very complex situations) it takes longer - aswell as compared to faster setups - but you better get atleast an true quad core i5

edit: my setup
Intel i7 5820k (corsair 240mm watercooling v2 in the front in a corsair 88r case)
EVGA Micro2
Gskill 32gb (4x8) 3000Mhz
PNY gtx960 4gb reference (got an awesome deal on a unused Inno3D gtx1070 FE)
be quiet 630w purepower modular
samsung evo850 500gb
Benq XL2411 144hz monitor
> CPU+RAM still at stock clocks; handled everything I've thrown at it very fine so far :)
 

baha_timimi

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The best way is waiting for Ryzen 71800X new AMD CPU. Its performance meet i7-6900k with lower TDP which is 95w compared to 140w for i7-6900k.
For GPU go with an used GTX 980Ti which support iray for 3DMax.....
 


Krzysztof_11,


In these circumstances, the answer might be to upgrade a used workstation:

HP Z420 WORKSTATION Hexa Six 6 CORE XEON E5-1650 V2 3.50GHz/32GB/1Tb/Win 7 Q> sold for $537.89 (2 Dec 16)

This is based on the Xeon E5-1650 v2 > 6-core @ 3.6 / 3.9GHz, which on Passmark has a CPU Mark of 12560 and single thread performance of 1915- not too bad for a 6-core Xeon. Then there is the 32GB of RAM = perfect.

Add to that system a Quadro P2000 5GB - released next month for about $450, a Samsung 850 Evo for $180 + WD Black 2TB for $122

The upcoming Quadro P2000 5GB - has been tested to have performance exceeding the Quadro M4000 8GB and would be a GPU useful for quite large complex projects. I'm certainly going to buy one.

System: $540
GPU: $450
Drive 1: 180
Drive 2: $122
_____________________

TOTAL= about $1,200

I have two z420's purchased "open box" that have been extremely quiet and in three years have been 100% reliable.


Which is not pushing the budget.

With the residual $300 budget, buy two 24" monitors. When using programs such as 3Ds, there are other programs running- AutoCad, Photoshop, Browser, and etc, plus all the floating menus can be placed on the second monitor. I use two 27" and typically run 4 or 5 programs at once. There are quite good 24" monitors in the $120-$150 for example: BenQ GL2460HM Black 24" TN 2ms (GTG) LCD/LED Monitor, 250 cd/m2 DCR 12,000,000:1 (1,000:1) $260 ($130 each) and there other good monitors by ASUS and Samsung under $150. It's best to see monitors in person if possible.

I have two z420's that have been extremely quiet and in three years have been 100% reliable.

The news is even better as you don't have to build anything- just plug in the drives and GPU, clone the HD from the current system and in two hours from opening the box- back to work. Better yet, HP provides a site with all the manuals and drivers in one place plus a forum if there are questions.


Cheers,

BambiBoom



 

Krzysztof_11

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Dear BambiBoom,
that's a nice proposition although I've made some research on my marketplace. The workstation you propose is in my country 1500$+ and unfortunetly in Poland (where I live) used PC are very often in terrible condition and if somebody is selling used hardware it's because it's nearly dying. Unfortunetly we don't have a culture of work where you upgrade gear just to have it better but when it's absolutely necessary. That's the reason I think I will not risk buying used workstation. Although thank you very much for this tip :)

The info's about monitors are priceless. I will definitely go that way!

Just one more question.
I am so sorry if I look like a moron asking the same thing many times but stil I think I haven't received answer or maybe because of my English I didn't understand it.
Is it possible to work on a PC that has only integrated GPU? In this case I would buy more RAM and stronger SSD and have some money saved for next shopping.
If buying graphic card will have sense only for GPU rendering, I will pass. But if decent GPU is improving the work not only when rendering I will take it without any doubts.
Once more I'm sorry if you explained it and I didn't understand.
 


Hej! kolego! Krzysztof_11,

The place in Europe to buy used workstations is Germany or the UK, but I understand the situation. We can see some quite abused stuff here- kicked around in an office and run at 100% for five years,..

It would have been a help to know that the system was for Poland as the prices are quite different.

3Ds needs a quite strong dedicated GPU to make 3D models. The integrated graphics is very good for 2D, but for 3D modeling and rendering, a dedicated card is necessary. The models are difficult because of the computing power needed to position the textures, which are made of millions of tiny triangles. Reflections are also complicated to calculate.

King Danzer had a good idea when mentioning the new AMD Ryzen series processors. Only today I made a parts list for myself using the 3.6/4.0 GHz 1800X Ryzen as the single thread performance is excellent- probably better than almost any 8-core ever made so CPU rendering should be very good. They are a fantastic bargain, performing better than Intel 8-cores that cost over 3X as much. The $500, 1800X is said to outperform the i7-6950X that costs $1,750.

Here's an idea for a system using the Ryzen 7 1700X 8-core @ 3.0 /3.7GHz and still has a strong 6GB GTX 1060. The cost is $1,250 US. I don't know the cost proportion for Poland but perhaps it might still work under the equivalent of $1,600. The GTX could be changed to a GTX 1060 3GB or even a GTX 1050 to save money. The case might be less expensive also, but I like to have a workstation be as quiet as possible.

Ryzen 7 1700X Workstation: "The Warsaw Concerto"_25.2.17

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD RYZEN 7 1700 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($329.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: ASUS PRIME B350-PLUS AM4 AMD ATX Motherboard ($99.99)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master MasterAir Pro 3 28.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($97.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Blue 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB WINDFORCE OC 6G Video Card ($234.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Suppressor F31 ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($68.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($17.88 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit ($128.31 @ OutletPC)

____________________________________
Total= $1252.98

All new and should be useful for years without upgrading.

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-25 17:45 EST-0500

Do zobaczenia później!,

BambiBoom



 

Krzysztof_11

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Krzysiek,

Yes, 32GB is much better. Further, I would suggest having 2X 16GB so in the future the memory may be increased to 64GB. The Ryzen 7's are dual channel rather 4-channel as are i7's. That means that having two RAM modules for Ryzen 7 still makes a complete memory channel.

I also like the 850 Evo 500GB- very fast. In my HP z420 I originally had an Intel 730 480GB as the main drive. This had a 200GB partition for the C: Windows and Programs, and the other partition has 240GB and contains all the files. This has worked out very well. The HP z620 has a 256GB M.2 PCIe SSD (HP Z Turbo Drive) whihc is amazingly fast, but the files are kept on a Samsung 850 Evo 250 GB. The drive system is only as fast as the slowest one, so a single larger drive is better.

AMD should know if the stock CPU cooler is good enough and should be if it is not overclocked. But, see:>

AMD Ryzen 7 1700 When Overclocked To 4GHz Can Even Outmatch Ryzen 7 1800X In Performance


> and think of a powerful cooler for $50 as making the 1700 work as well as the 1800X which in the US costs +$170. I don't like the idea of overclocking a workstation but it has become common. Even if you didn't overclock, if the system slowed down a bit as programs and projects get larger, then the better cooler could allow a kind of instant upgrade without additional cost.

I'm almost sorry to say that I too am excited by the Ryzen 7 series. For one thing, it's difficult to believe such a cost /performance advance is possible in one step and for another, it's difficult to give up thinking of Xeons as the center of the Universe for the last 12 years!

Cheers,

BambiBoom
 

Krzysztof_11

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