$1800 Gaming/Architecture build, July 2015, Canada

[fooball]

Hey,

My friend is looking to get a gaming/workstation pc. He is going to be learning some architecture, and needs something good to run the programs. He will also be playing games on it 70% of the time, possibly more, if his interests change. He already has a 765m laptop, so the desktop should try to have a significantly better gpu.
The programs he will be using are "AutoCAD, Rhino, Adobe (from research, I'm guessing it's Illustrator and Autocad architecture, but IDK)". He doesn't know much more about that.
Workstation gpus look far too overpriced here. eg. quadro k4000 = $878, 980ti = $795. From what I read, Rhino supports gaming cards quite well. I'm quite worried that some programs will not work with a gaming card though. So gaming gpu or workstation gpu?

My current build I'm looking at (in spoilers):

Spoiler

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($366.25 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($123.75 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Team Vulcan 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($113.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($199.99 @ Memory Express)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card ($795.69 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Memory Express)
Power Supply: Thermaltake SMART 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N15 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($11.99 @ NCIX)
Case Fan: Cooler Master SickleFlow 69.7 CFM 120mm Fan ($6.45 @ DirectCanada)
Case Fan: Cooler Master SickleFlow 69.7 CFM 120mm Fan ($6.45 @ DirectCanada)
Monitor: Asus VX228H 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($174.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Keyboard: Razer DeathStalker Wired Gaming Keyboard ($71.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Total: $1981.50
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-18 03:34 EDT-0400

To minimize time, heres the information template:

Approximate Purchase Date: [strike]hopefully within a week.[/strike] ~August 19th

Budget Range: ~$1900 Canadian dollars with monitor, speakers. Before Rebates; After Shipping. Quite flexible.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming (~70%), Architecture/design, and probably normal web browsing+ homework.

Are you buying a monitor: Yes, preferably with built in speakers


Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Any Canadian website on pcpartpicker is fine, I can get free shipping to store for NCIX.com and can pick up from Memoryexpress.com

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Parts Preferences: Wants a low profile (preferably chicklet) keyboard, the razer deathstalker. mATX may be better if not overclocking. <500gb ssd unless reason not to, as friend currently uses 300gb of his 512gb ssd in his laptop. i7 gives a more premium feel and more bragging rights. 😀

Overclocking: I don't think it's needed, but depends on price.

SLI or Crossfire: Looking at the 980ti's value, probably not.

Your Monitor Resolution: At least 1080p.

Additional Comments: Will leave $100 out for friend to choose a case. Architecture programs: AutoCAD, Rhino, Adobe. Probably won't be upgrading, because in time, dorm rooms will be a restriction. I'm thinking of leaving $200 out just for a quadro k620, just in case he actually needs a pro card.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Learning architecture and playing games; he wants a desktop.
Sorry for long post. I hope I didn't leave anything out. Thanks in advance for any help!!!

 

[spentshells]

Now is not a good time to build a high end system. New intel chips are being announced very shortly.

 

[datguy20]

I'd say something along the lines of this. But if you really want a 980 ti then go with this one. The reference design on the 980 ti can get quite hot.

 

[fooball]

Now is not a good time to build a high end system. New intel chips are being announced very shortly.

Didn't know about that! Hopefully the new i7s will cost below $400 😀
Oh wait, the motherboards are not gonna be cheap -_-
I have moved the date of purchase to late august. Should I stop on this thread and make a new one when that time comes?

I'd say something along the lines of this. But if you really want a 980 ti then go with this one. The reference design on the 980 ti can get quite hot.

What are the advantages of getting 980 over a 980 ti? Plus that psu is super expensive. Do I really need it?

And also, should I spend less on the motherboard if my friend probably won't overclock?
One last thing: would you suggest getting some parts (eg. case or ssd) before others (3 weeks before), if the parts are on sale?

 

[datguy20]

If you're only doing 1080p, the GTX 980 is plenty to max games out. I see the 980 ti as more of a GPU for higher resolutions and/or 144hz screens.

Yes you can spend less on a mobo if you're not overclocking, but don't cheap out and buy a five dollar board. Something like http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-h97mpro4 would save you a little, but won't fail either.

The PSU is so expensive because it's not a low quality one. Read this http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

Buying stuff while on sale might save you money, as long as you don't end up spending more because of multiple shipping fees. Up to you.