$4500 Workstation build for Maya Production

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klhsx1

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Hey guys, I am doing a build for a workstation that will be used for 3D modeling, animating, rendering, in maya, nuke, and houdini. In the next year or two I will be doing deep learning and AI neural network training.


I will start off with the build I came up with and I would like some pros and cons, and alternative build options. Went with hp workstation last time, had a bad experience with upgrade limitations due to boot blocker bios on Hp z420 not allowing me to upgrade to V2 CPU 's . So this time want to avoid a workstation altogeter and go with more gaming type components.

CPU
Intel Core i7-8700K Coffee Lake 6-Core/12-Thread Processor
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=4_1210_65&item_id=112829

Cooler
Noctua CPU Cooler NH-D15
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=8_129&item_id=097118

Mobo
GIGABYTE Z370 AORUS Gaming 7 LGA 1151
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=26_1207_1206_1514&item_id=115061

Memory
Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2x16GB)
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=24_311_1326&item_id=096123

Graphics
EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti SC2 GAMING 11G
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=43_1200_557_559&item_id=105617

Storage
Samsung 960 Pro M.2 NVMe PCI-E 1TB Solid State Drive
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=179_1229_1296&item_id=101469

PSU
CORSAIR RMx Series RM850x 80 PLUS Gold Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=33_1238_442&item_id=119737

Enclosure
Fractal Design Define R5 Black Mid Tower Case
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=6_112&item_id=076255

Display
ASUS PB278Q, 27" Widescreen PLS/IPS Professional Monitor x 2
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_1195_700_1104&item_id=053988





this system was suggested by the lab technician at my school. I reduced the hard drive, and increased the ram, changed power supply to evga with more power for same price.



Here is the system I proppose

Cooler Master Devastator 2 Cherry Stem KB and Mouse combo with back light - Red(SGB-3031-KKMF1-US) 1 $39.88 $39.88
Intel Core i7-8700K Coffee Lake 6-Core/12-Thread Processor | Socket LGA 1151, 3.7 GHz Base/ 4.7 GHz Max Turbo Frequency | 95W Gen8 Retail Boxed Unlocked (BX80684I78700K) | (Compatible with 300 series chipset motherboard Only) 1 $479.00 $479.00
Noctua CPU Cooler NH-D15 Intel Socket 2011-0//2011-3/1156/1155/1150/1151 AMD AM2/2+/3/3+/FM1/2/2+ 140mm 12V Retail 1 $141.99 $141.99
GIGABYTE Z370 AORUS Gaming 7 LGA 1151 (8th Gen CPU Only) Intel Z370 |DDR4, PCIe 3.0, 3x M.2/NVMe, USB 3.1 Type C, HDMI, DP | Killer LAN RGB Fusion LED, ATX Motherboard 1 $269.00 $269.00
Samsung 960 EVO M.2 NVMe PCI-E 1TB Solid State Drive, Read:3,200 MB/s, Write:1,900 MB/s (MZ-V6E1T0BW) 1 $554.00 $554.00
EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 G1+, 80 Plus Gold 1000W, Fully Modular, FDB Fan, 10 Year Warranty, Includes Power ON Self Tester, Power Supply (120-GP-1000-X1) 1 $209.00 $209.00
Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 2400MHz CL16 Memory Kit - Black (CMK32GX4M2A2400C16) 2 $469.00 $938.00
Fractal Design Define R5 Black Mid Tower Case (FD-CA-DEF-R5-BK) 1 $149.99 $149.99
EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti SC2 GAMING 11GB (11G-P4-6593-KR) | 1556MHz Base/ 1670MHz Boost, PCI-E 3.0, iCX Cooler | DVI-D, 1x HDMI, 3x DP, RGB LED Lighting 1 $1,029.00 $1,029.00
Subtotal: $3,809.86
OES/ADF/EHF: $0.75
HST: $495.38
Grand Total: $4,305.99



Lastly , I am interested in this cougar case, but I am worried about something falling in these open gaps, and My place is really dusy with no air circulation.

https://www.amazon.ca/Cougar-CONQUER-ATX-Gaming-Case/dp/B0759PNHX8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1528377944&sr=8-1&keywords=cougar+conquer&dpID=41h4DZ6LXxL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch




I just saw this ram and its almost same price but 3200mhz instead of 2400 , but its ripjaws v instead of corsair vengence, same latency, so I should get this I think

https://m.canadacomputers.com/product.php?id=099478
G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 3200MHz CL16 Dual Channel Memory Kit 1.35V (F4-3200C16D-32GVK)

Our Price:$479.00


thanks for you help in designing my dream system!
 
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profoundnoah

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Overall, that's a VERY good build for maya, puget systems has a great guide on componentry depending on your work scenario: https://www.pugetsystems.com/recommended/Recommended-Systems-for-Autodesk-Maya-165/Hardware-Recommendations , they also have a built-in configurator towards the bottom of the article. I would not advise the Cougar case, since it does have a few design flaws, and it is quite big. I'd go for something more along the lines of the Meshify TG from Fractal. You can check out full, in depth reviews here at HWC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53WyXFKunps for the Conquer and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s32Nw6WoGo for the Meshify C. You might also want to check out this BenQ monitor, should free up some space in your budget if need be: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/YZn2FT/benq-monitor-gw2765ht

Also, do note the Conquer REQUIRES ASSEMBLY, which is a bit annoying imo. The pros of the build would be an excellent single-core performance processor, which is great for most use cases in maya, and a strong GPU for GAME rendering. As far as support is concerned, you MAY get a better experience with a Quadro GPU, but again I'd refer you to the Puget Article as my knowledge of Quadros is limited. The cons, however, would be that there may be a BIT more performance to be had in heavily multi-threaded applications with AMD's 2700X, really just depends on your work case. Also, stick with the 3200 Mhz RAM, just ensure that it's on the Qualified Vendors List of your selected board. Your PSU is at an unreasonably high wattage, I'd go for an 850W unit of the same capacity unless you plan on running an UNREASONABLY specced setup in the near future. 850 Can handle multiple GPUs just fine, look into a SeaSonic PSU if you want the highest quality...
 
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logainofhades

logainofhades

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For more multithreaded tasks, the 2700x is probably going to be a better option. EVGA G1 PSU's are not very good. You can use PCpartpicker to shop around for the best prices. Makes it easier to see everything in one place. Kinda like this.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7GHz 8-Core Processor ($409.99 @ Memory Express)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - R1 Universal 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($118.75 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: ASRock - X470 Master SLI/AC ATX AM4 Motherboard ($203.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($432.00 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Pro 1.0TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($619.99 @ PC-Canada)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Mini Video Card ($929.99 @ Mike's Computer Shop)
Case: Fractal Design - Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($161.99 @ PC-Canada)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($127.99 @ PC-Canada)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($117.75 @ Vuugo)
Monitor: Asus - ROG SWIFT PG278Q 27.0" 2560x1440 144Hz Monitor ($1049.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Total: $4221.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-06-07 16:55 EDT-0400
 
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profoundnoah

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It does not HAVE to be on the QVL per se, but you're WAY better off just running with a qualified kit, it's a lot easier to rule that possibility out when troubleshooting. More of an issue with Ryzen boards than intel, but still just better to have in general.
 
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klhsx1

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wow thats decent savings, especially considering I dont need a monitor ( i use a TV, never could justify monitor prices,and there so small)

But the single core performance is king today, as most of the stuff that could be done with more cores, will be done with GPU now, I don't see the point in more cores anymore for most softwares I am using.

Maya, nuke, houdini, Vray rendering, redshift rendering
 
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klhsx1

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I was going to wait for the new GTX cards, but they have pushed back the release date again. So I will just get the 1080TI and upgrade later.

I was set on the Titan V but then the reports of the failures and inconsistent results when running simulations, I decided to avoid that card.

The fastest renderers use GPU not CPU so it makes sense to put stock in the GPU for rendering. Redshift is GPU based, Neural networks training is GPU based.

I already have a 1080, was wondering if I can use that in this machine, or if I should just keep my other machine and have two computers.

Any idea when new intels new CPUS are coming?
 
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klhsx1

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ok next question,

should I get the 960 1tb from samsung, or should I get the 970 pro. How much of a difference will there be? what is the bottleneck in this system? CPU or hard drive?

they are advertising 30 % faster write speed, will this be a reality? or jjust a spec on paper?

 
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profoundnoah

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It is more than likely a reality, but only in certain applications. However, you must ask yourself how much you will notice the difference. The 960 Pro is incredibly fast, so you'll already be getting a fantastic loading speed. I'd stick with the 960 pro.
 
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klhsx1

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I actually orderd the 960, not the pro, its 469$, the 960 pro is 600$

970 prois curently 800$
but is going on sale for $640 in a week or two.

I kind of need the machine right away cause im 6 weeks out from finishing computer animation degree.

 
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klhsx1

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I have one 1080ti coming with the machine, and I already have a 1080, so I will be using two gpu to render with vray, I am thinking the faster hard drive will be needed to match up but not really sure.
 
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