Mobo, CPU, cooler and RAM under £300 for a workstation.

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harryisepicv202

Apr 8, 2018
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Hi! At the moment I have an i7 4790 and 8gb ram. The problem is I do a lot of video editing, virtualisation etc so my 8gb ram and only 8 threads really is pushing it. This is why I would like to buy a Xeon E5-2680 v1 (8c/16t)(£120)a generic x79 mobo (£85) and 32 gb of ddr3 ecc ram (£80). I’m going with a Xeon processor because they are super good value for money and they allow ecc memory and ecc memory is super cheap epecially with the crazy prices of ram right now. I also do some light gaming on the side as well with my aging gtx 760 that still serves me well. My question is: can I get any better performance with my £300 budget? I also have a 450 watt psu.

Update: I forgot to mention that I’m thinking of getting the coolermaster hyper 212x as my cooler.
 
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If you're wondering about performance and performance only...then yes, this is most likely the best value you'll get. If I were you, I would invest some money in a 1600 from AMD, better to go for a newer platform and make a MAJOR upgrade down the line, but the decision is yours to make.
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profoundnoah

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May 12, 2015
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I have many questions. 1. Is this upgrade urgent? If not, I greatly urge waiting to save up more money. While the Xeon route is very appealing initially, you need to remember that you'd be investing in an OLD platform, which eventually would need to be replaced either way. Another thing to consider is that the majority of hardware that would work with the Xeon V1 would be USED, thus shortening its lifespan even further. 2. Where are you gathering all these prices from? Do you have CERTIFIED marketplace users selling WORKING parts, or are they less reputable. Buying used comes with its own risks. To be quite frank, you'll see more of an improvement investing in another 8 GB of RAM than you would investing in this entire system. Spend that money on getting a higher wattage PSU, preferably from EVGA or SeaSonic.
 
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asoroka

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Apr 19, 2009
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You would be better off looking at a new Ryzen platform.

Old second hand parts may be great value, but you can't rely on them not failing. if this system is critical to your business, stay away from old parts
 
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harryisepicv202

Apr 8, 2018
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1. I don’t have that much money to spend on new hardware, that is why I’m thinking of going the used route. Also, I can always upgrade to ivybridge in the future. (Ivybridge Xeons haven’t even been discontinued yet).
2. I’m buying my Xeon from a company that gives a 1 year warranty so I will be safe from anything going bad.
3. I’m mainly buying from reputable (97%+) eBay listers and from Amazon themselves.
4. I’m not about to spend £60 on a stick of 8 gb ram when I can buy 32gb for £80 and I really do need the extra threads. My question was ‘can I get any better performance within my budget?’ not tech advice. Thanks.
 
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asoroka

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Apr 19, 2009
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You seem to have done your homework..

Pay attention to your cooling, the Xeon is a 115W processor and will need a decent heatsink and fan. your i7 is an 84W part so your existing HS may not be good enough.

The down side of all this heat is going to be a noisy system if you are not careful.

Also will the motherboard fit in your existing case?
 
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profoundnoah

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If you're wondering about performance and performance only...then yes, this is most likely the best value you'll get. If I were you, I would invest some money in a 1600 from AMD, better to go for a newer platform and make a MAJOR upgrade down the line, but the decision is yours to make.
 
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harryisepicv202

Apr 8, 2018
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The Xeon I'm buying is the E5-2680 so it is a 130 watt CPU. I am buying another cooler for it anyways as my lga 1150 cooler is not compatible with with lga 2011. I'm also making sure I stay away from server coolers as I know they are extremely loud and yes the mobo will fit as it is standard mATX.

 
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asoroka

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In that case you seem to have covered off on all the major things.

You will probably not do much better and as you say the RAM is a good price, even if it is slow by today's standards.

You will get better single core performance out of an i7, but as you need the multi core performance.

As long as you are happy it will meet your requirements, in terms of performance, then go for it.

I mean have you checked performance benchmarks.
 
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