$2000 Workstation

[TheCheeseling]

i'm planning on buying this workstation and i'm going to be using After Effects, Cinema 4d, Photoshop, 3ds MAX, that sort of software. Is there anything that I can upgrade and get a cheaper price for? or keep the same performance and reduce the price?

Thanks


PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vovG
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vovG/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vovG/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($499.98 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($108.10 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock X79 Extreme6 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory - Quad Channel ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: OCZ RevoDrive 3 series 120GB PCI-E Solid State Disk ($227.22 @ Mac Connection)
Video Card: Galaxy GeForce GTX 670 4GB Video Card ($439.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($90.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional Gold 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($154.43 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($129.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $2112.64
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-02 12:09 EST-0500)

 

[groundrat]

Two things I can think of:
You have chosen a PCIe X1 SSD…?

It’s twice as expensive as a more mundane SATA3.0 SSD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227791

Is there a bandwidth advantage to using the PCIe X1 buss to connect a SSD versus the SATA3.0? Is there an affect on the bandwidth used for your GPU?
I dunno. Maybe someone else can tackle that.

I can’t see why so many people on the forums here don’t seem to understand that a dedicated workstation will not properly utilize a gaming GPU. Nothing wrong with the 670, it’s a fabulous GPU, but it will not properly work in a rendering environment.
It’ll work, yes, but as your file size increases you’re going to get pixilation errors that can and will give you problems.

There are two brands of workstation GPUs: FirePro (AMD) and Quadro (Nvidea). For a really good one you’re going to pay as much as you will for the rest of the system. Good news is that they crossfire and eyefinity just like gaming cards so you can get less expensive cards and combine them.

I recommend that you put a dedicated workstation card into a workstation. The only app that I know that renders in a gamer environment effectively is the Source app from Steam.

BTY workstation cards sux at gaming. It’s either or.

 

[TheCheeseling]

Ok, So I changed the SSD to a Corsair Force Series GT 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk


And the GPU to a PNY Quadro 4000 2GB Video Card


Good Idea?

 

[k1114]

You do not get pixelation errors on gaming cards. But if this is a serious workstation, then yes get a ws card.

BTW ws cards don't suck at gaming, they will perform less than a similar spec consumer card but they can still do it.

 

[g-unit1111]

Ok, So I changed the SSD to a Corsair Force Series GT 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk


And the GPU to a PNY Quadro 4000 2GB Video Card


Good Idea?

No Corsair Force is a bad idea - it's based on an outdated Sandforce controller. The Corsair Neutron would probably be better as it's based on a new controller. Better would be the OCZ Vector or the Samsung 840 Pro.

 

[bigcyco1]

Nowadays, I think every PC should include an SSD period. They’re waaaaaaaaay faster and they draw less energy, but unfortunately they do cost a significant amount more than a traditional hard drive.

Those who have some extra budget laying around, I’d definitely suggest going with a 128GB Samsung 840 Pro or 256GB Samsung 840 Pro in combination with a 2TB Seagate Barracuda. This will allow for plenty of hard drive space for storage while OS and application files may be placed on the SSD for that extra top notch performance.
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Electronics-2-5-Inch-SATA_6_0_gb-MZ-7PD256BW/dp/B009NB8WRU/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_4


Storage Drive – Seagate Barracuda 2TB
http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-ST2000DM001-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Internal/dp/B005T3GRN2/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_3
Remember when it was difficult to find a 1TB hard drive for under $100 just a couple months ago? Well, today you can easily get a 2TB Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM hard drive for only $89.99. While it’s still a tad bit above pre Thailand flood prices, the prices have gone down significantly enough that a 2TB hard drive may be a consideration for a high end video editing build. After all, for a build like this it will require tons of hard drive space. That’s a fact.

 

[TheCheeseling]

Thank you all for your help, It is greatly appreciated

 

[g-unit1111]

Nowadays, I think every PC should include an SSD period. They’re waaaaaaaaay faster and they draw less energy, but unfortunately they do cost a significant amount more than a traditional hard drive.

I agree with that but that all depends on the budget. If it's between $600 - $1000 then it would be tight fitting one in and I'd just go with a mechanical drive. If it's over $1K then absolutely without question.

 

[TheCheeseling]

oh.... we'll i'm going to be working around $2000 so I think i'll take the SSD
here I changed some stuff, will you take a look?

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vwUm
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vwUm/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vwUm/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($499.98 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($108.10 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock X79 Extreme6 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: OCZ Agility 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($98.98 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PNY Quadro 4000 2GB Video Card ($699.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($90.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: OCZ ZX 1000W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($129.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $2249.96
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-02 16:51 EST-0500)

 

[bigcyco1]

Nowadays, I think every PC should include an SSD period. They’re waaaaaaaaay faster and they draw less energy, but unfortunately they do cost a significant amount more than a traditional hard drive.

I agree with that but that all depends on the budget. If it's between $600 - $1000 then it would be tight fitting one in and I'd just go with a mechanical drive. If it's over $1K then absolutely without question.

+1 personally i would not include one in any build under 1,000 :lol:

 

[g-unit1111]

oh.... we'll i'm going to be working around $2000 so I think i'll take the SSD
here I changed some stuff, will you take a look?

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vwUm
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vwUm/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vwUm/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($499.98 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($108.10 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock X79 Extreme6 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: OCZ Agility 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($98.98 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PNY Quadro 4000 2GB Video Card ($699.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($90.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: OCZ ZX 1000W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($129.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $2249.96
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-02 16:51 EST-0500)

Go with the OCZ Vector instead - it's a far newer drive than the Agility 4 is, it's a bit more expensive but it's way faster than anything else you can get right now, it even beats the Samsung 840 Pro on most tests.

 

[bigcyco1]

Why that PSU i would get one of these much better quality http://www.amazon.com/XFX-Edition-Semi-Modular-Power-Supply/dp/B0050751YS/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_1 <--- Solid choice

http://www.amazon.com/PC-Power-Cooling-Performance-compatible/dp/B003U29C40/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_1 <--- Solid choice

 

[g-unit1111]

Why that PSU i would get one of these much better quality http://www.amazon.com/XFX-Edition-Semi-Modular-Power-Supply/dp/B0050751YS/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_1 <--- Solid choice

http://www.amazon.com/PC-Power-Cooling-Performance-compatible/dp/B003U29C40/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_1 <--- Solid choice

I have the second one and it's an excellent supply, I can definitely vouch for it.

 

[TheCheeseling]

Thanks, So I changed it agian.

Should I get a Workstation card or a gaming card that has more VRAM?