Architecture Graduate Student's 1st Build w/ I7 2600k

[Elskunk]

Approximate Purchase Date: within the next week or two

Budget Range: < $1,000 Before / After Rebates: $X,XXXX before rebate, as long as final < $1,000

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Architectural Design Only, No Games! Revit 2012, Photoshop CS5, 3d Max for Rendering, AutoCad 2012

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com; will consider others if pricing is better obviously

Country: St. Louis, MO, USA (Yes, there is a Microcenter here)

Parts Preferences: None, except an Intel processor.

Overclocking: Not required

SLI or Crossfire: No SLI/Crossfire (No need for it)

Monitor Resolution: (2) 1920x1080 monitors now, possibly (2) 1920x1200 monitors in the future

Additional Comments: Here is a list of parts I have compiled using Newegg.com exclusively. I have selected these products based on price mainly and the very limited knowledge I have about their compatibility. This will be my first build and the will be learning as I assemble the tower mostly from advice on forums. Thanks in advance.

Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GH…………………………………..................................$306.39, after tax from Microcenter
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354587

ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67……………………....................................$94.99, open-box
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157229R

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600….........…$80.00, after 10%
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231429

COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1………………………………………………..................…….$49.99, after rebates
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233

WD Caviar Blue WD7500AALX 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s…..............$89.99, after rebates
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136768

OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-60G 2.5" 60GB SATA III SSD……………………………….............…$75.00, after rebates
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227725

OCZ ZS Series 550W 80PLUS Bronze High Performance Power Supply………….............$54.99, after rebates
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341047

EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti……………………………………...........................….$119.99, after rebates
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130625

SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner……………………………………………………………..............................…..$15.99, no rebates or savings
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151244


Total price after rebates: $887.33 + $3.87 shipping = $891.20, gives me some money for headphones, mouse, etc.

If alternates are better suited for my build please let me know. I know the 2600k will be good for working with multiple applications simultaneously via Hyper-threading. I don’t need a Quadro or workstation GPU. The 2012 releases of the applications I will be using only utilize 12gb of Memory max.

Thanks

 

[e56imfg]

Replace the mobo with the Z68. It has SSD caching which can greatly improve loading times.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131790

Use this PSU. It's a bit expensive but it's extremely well made.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=1g3al9xkobzry
Here is a list of recommended PSUs.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/322966-28-list-recommended-psus

Oh, I just noticed how you're not going to OC so you're better off getting a non-K 2600.

Ivy Bridge is coming out in April which has a huge performance gain in business apps.

Why don't you want a Quadro or Firepro cards? Some of the cheap ones can do a lot better than a 550 Ti (which is meant for gaming)

 

[Elskunk]

e56imfg.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I swapped the 2600k for a 2600, given that I won't be O.C. (duh, I should have realized that earlier)

Changed the PSU to CORSAIR Builder Series CX500, will this be enough juice?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

I mentioned not wanting a Quadro, due to the high price and have heard that most Architecture Firms can't afford them so they just use a gaming card in lieu of a workstation card.

I don't think this 256mb workstation card will out preform a 1gb gaming card (Which is the only thing I can afford with dual-Dvi).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133275

 

[e56imfg]

The requirement for a 550 Ti is 400w so even this will satisfy.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182066
or this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182202

I don't recommend the Corsair CX series because they emit a weird high pitched whine.

I don't know to much about Quadro or Firepro but I'm pretty sure that piece of crap can't out perform the 550 Ti.

 

[hella-d]

Quadros Are Better For Architectural And 3D Modeling Stuff And Actually You Could Grab A Consumer Card And Flash It With The Quadro Equivalent BIOS So Do Some Research.

Your Decision On Newegg Will Likely Give You Better Selections And Pricing (Even Counting Shipping, Saving You Money Or Even Helping You Get An Even Spunkier Build) If You Dont Mind The Wait, SO Good Choice There But There Are Some Exceptions.

 

[g-unit1111]

e56imfg.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I swapped the 2600k for a 2600, given that I won't be O.C. (duh, I should have realized that earlier)

Changed the PSU to CORSAIR Builder Series CX500, will this be enough juice?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

I mentioned not wanting a Quadro, due to the high price and have heard that most Architecture Firms can't afford them so they just use a gaming card in lieu of a workstation card.

I don't think this 256mb workstation card will out preform a 1gb gaming card (Which is the only thing I can afford with dual-Dvi).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133275

If you're not going to be doing any gaming on this build you might want to consider a Xeon E3-1220 and an Asus workstation board, something like this:
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115084
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131725

 

[Pezcore27]

If you are doing the 2600K from Microcenter, buy your motherboard there too. I grabbed my 2500k and GA-Z68XP-UD3 there and got 60 bucks off the MB.

Same goes for the 2600K and 2700K I believe.

 

[Rockdpm]

Yea no OC'ing, get te 2600. Also as for the GPU panic everyone is having. Get a Radeon 6950. Think about it. Its has tons more Streaming Processor's that will be a 100X better than a 550 ti

 

[xtremegamer2da-max]

get these parts

intel i7 2600k
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070
amd radon hd 6950
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125385
asus p67 mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131702
sony 24x optical drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118067
hitachi deskstar 500gb hhd
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145531
8g kingston ram
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139984
600w power supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817822013
notcua nh-d14 cpu cooling system
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018

 

[cbrunnem]

If you are planning on getting a 550th you might as well not get it. Hd3000 graphics are just as good for this stuff. Anything at or above a 570 then you will get the advantage in Cuda. Most programs won't use cuda if you have less then a 570.

 

[Pezcore27]

I use a 2500k and a 550ti in my computer, and it is used a lot for AutoCAD 2012, Bently Plant V8i, Solidworks, and Photoshop CS2. The onboard graphics can do almost the same job as the 550ti will, but do have a problem with rendering shadows. I got my 550ti as a gift from my wife (i didn't want to sleep on the couch so I told her it was the best card she could have bought...), otherwise I probably would have gotten something better.

 

[Elskunk]

Best answer selected by Elskunk.