First Build, Budget Architecture/Media/Gaming

mattjostr

Honorable
Jun 13, 2012
5
0
10,510
Hey hey hey!
:wahoo: :sol:

I'm an architect and artist and looking for a sturdy rig for work and periodic gaming.
Does this build have any glaring problems? Is it stable and expandable for work? Can it be improved in the budget?
Should I seriously consider a beefier GPU?

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Approximate Purchase Date: This week or next
Budget Range: $1000-1300

System Usage from Most to Least Important:
Heavy 3d Rendering with Rhino AutoCAD Revit and Max, Fractal and Graphing Software (most important)
Graphic / Video Post Processing with Photoshop, Illustrator, Adobe Suite
Moderate Level Modeling with previously listed programs (GPU Intensive?)
Moderate Gaming / Entertainment with Diablo 3, HD Video, etc.

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers, Windows 32 Bit Home/Pro
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg
Country: Texas, United States

Parts Preferences:
CPU: Intel i7 3770, (Intel i7 2600 is a possible low alternate)
HDD: 7200RPM+ (10000RPM was recommended for Revit), 500GB+ suitable start
GPU: Radeon HD 6850 1GB GDDR5 (good performance and price according to passmark;
FirePro or Quadro card might be much better though)
Monitor: 20-24" LCD
Case: Mid Tower (2-3 HDD, front fans, good ventilation)
MOBO: Z77, USB3, SATA III, crossfire
PSU: 550w ideal, 600w for expansion
Windows 7 64-bit Upgrade

Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: Yes, Crossfire
Monitor Resolution: 2560x1600, supported by ATI Radeon HD 6850
Additional Comments: Quiet would be nice, but performance is essential.

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Here is the build pending improvement:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/a3P1

CPU Intel Core i7-3770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor $307.99
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler $32.12
Motherboard ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard $134.99
Memory Mushkin Blackline 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory $89.99
Hard Drive - -
Video Card PowerColor Radeon HD 6850 1GB Video Card $134.99
Case Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case $49.99
Power Supply Corsair 600W ATX12V Power Supply $69.99
Optical Drive Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer $16.99
Monitor Acer G235HAbd 23.0" Monitor $119.99
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) $98.99

Total: $1073.46
 
Solution
Pretty good WS/Gaming PC there! I would really recommend a six-core CPU like the 3930K for heavy rendering but with a $1300 budget, the 3930K is not mandatory.

Putting my perspective to that of a gamer/architect, here's what I chose:

MOBO: ASRock Extreme4 Z77 ATX LGA 1155 Motherboard - $134.99
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770 Ivy Bridge LGA 1155 Processor - $319.99
COOLER: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO Cooler - $34.99
GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 Graphics Card - $249.99
MEMORY: Corsair Vengeance 16GB 1600MHz C Memory - $92.99
HDD: WD Caviar Black 1TB 7200RPM 64MB Cache Hard Drive - $119.99
SSD: Corsair Force Series 3 120GB Solid State Drive - $114.99
PSU: Antec Earthwatts 650W 80PLUS Bronze Modular Power Supply - $79.99
CASE: NZXT Tempest 410...

xxG0Ld3nBuLL3tZxx

Honorable
May 28, 2012
11
0
10,520
Pretty good WS/Gaming PC there! I would really recommend a six-core CPU like the 3930K for heavy rendering but with a $1300 budget, the 3930K is not mandatory.

Putting my perspective to that of a gamer/architect, here's what I chose:

MOBO: ASRock Extreme4 Z77 ATX LGA 1155 Motherboard - $134.99
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770 Ivy Bridge LGA 1155 Processor - $319.99
COOLER: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO Cooler - $34.99
GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 Graphics Card - $249.99
MEMORY: Corsair Vengeance 16GB 1600MHz C Memory - $92.99
HDD: WD Caviar Black 1TB 7200RPM 64MB Cache Hard Drive - $119.99
SSD: Corsair Force Series 3 120GB Solid State Drive - $114.99
PSU: Antec Earthwatts 650W 80PLUS Bronze Modular Power Supply - $79.99
CASE: NZXT Tempest 410 Mid Tower Case - $69.99
OPTICAL DRIVE: ASUS 24X DVD Burner - $16.99

TOTAL: $1,234.90

The CM Hyper 212 EVO is an excellent performer. It's very quiet and will keep your processor cool with an excellent temperature of 65c and below on load.
You see the 6850 is a PCI Express 2.1, and we don't want that because your CPU and Mobo is geared for PCI Express 3.0. So the 3770 won't be worth it unless you go with a PCIE 3.0 GPU. The Caviar Black 1TB will be a great storage drive with an astounding 64MB caching. Your Corsair Force 3 will be quick as f*ck, with 500+ MB/s Write, your system will be like lightning quick.
I would like to call this build 'Powerful as tenfold supernovas'

GREETING FROM CANADA!!!!
 
Solution

mattjostr

Honorable
Jun 13, 2012
5
0
10,510
Hello Northerner!

HD 7850 is a good choice, price and compatible PCIe 3.0
smart thinking.

Good point on the i7 3930, but too costly for now.
That case is a beast.
The HDD and SSD both look great. You saved me some research.

The Earthwatts 650W looks much more appropriate and possibly efficient than the 500W I first had.
-----

edit:
I miscalculated the PSU.


THANKS
 

xxG0Ld3nBuLL3tZxx

Honorable
May 28, 2012
11
0
10,520


Your welcome! The 7850 will give you 45+ FPS on most modern games with settings on ultra. But do expect some lag spikes while you're doing AutoCAD and Photoshop. Since those programs will be a nuke to your 7850 since the 7850 is geared for gaming. But don't worry, since the spikes are not gonna happen frequenty.
 

mattjostr

Honorable
Jun 13, 2012
5
0
10,510
Alrighty

Well, here's what's coming in the mail soon.

I decided to overclock the CPU with a 3770K, 2x8 the Memory, and get a slightly cheaper SSD.
Picked up an Evo 212 earlier today as well.
Building by myself is going to save me about 15-20% of the cost and I'm getting exactly what I want, except for the GPU which is a bit of a gamble with the spectrum of programs I'll be working with and hopefully pushing to a good limit.

CPU Intel Core i7-3770K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor - $307.99
COOLER Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO Cooler - $34.99 +
MOBO ASRock Extreme4 Z77 ATX LGA 1155 Motherboard - $134.99
MEMORY GeIL EVO CORSA Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model - $104.99
SSD Mushkin Enhanced Chronos MKNSSDCR120GB 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - $95.99
GPU Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 Graphics Card - $249.99
CASE NZXT Tempest 410 Mid Tower Case - $69.99
PSU Antec Earthwatts 650W 80PLUS Bronze Modular Power Supply - $79.99
OPTICAL DRIVE Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer - $16.99
MONITOR Acer G235HAbd 23'' WideScreen LCD monitor - $140
OS Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) - $98.99

:pt1cable:
Thank you!
 

xxG0Ld3nBuLL3tZxx

Honorable
May 28, 2012
11
0
10,520
mattjostr. The 7850 will give you great results and FPS on Diablo 3. The 7850 got 51FPS on Crysis 2, of course your gonna get more FPS on Diablo 3, 75-90 FPS perhaps. A friend of mine have this card and said he got awesome and smooth framerates with other GPU intense games like Skyrim and Battlefield 3. And of course the heavy rendering part, you won't be disappointed. Of course the 7850 won't give you the maximum power you need for rendering, but it's enough to suffice your needs