800$ build. Need opinions. Non gaming

[AnguGraphics]

So I am debating on building this PC. It's is not meant for gaming hence there is no graphics card. I left it for myself as a possible future upgrade but it is not a necessity for me.
I am a graphics artist and I work with blender, Photoshop and I also do programing so I am requesting your opinion whether this system is good and do I need the graphics card straight away. If you want you can also post your suggested builds. I would have gone with a 1k build but I am thinking of buying a Chromebook as the portable device for me(also could use some suggestions on a 200-300$ budget).

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/QX3RsJ) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/QX3RsJ/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80662i76700k) | $338.99 @ SuperBiiz
**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2) | $24.89 @ OutletPC
**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte GA-Z170N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz170nwifi) | $114.99 @ Newegg
**Memory** | [G.Skill Aegis 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2400 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f42400c15d32gis) | $109.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [PNY CS1311 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/pny-internal-hard-drive-ssd7cs1311240rb) | $59.99 @ Amazon
**Case** | [Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ITX Mini ITX Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/phanteks-case-phes215pbk) | $65.98 @ Newegg
**Power Supply** | [Corsair RMx 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cp9020090na) | $61.00 @ Newegg
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $835.83
| Mail-in rebates | -$60.00
| **Total** | **$775.83**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2016-05-26 13:12 EDT-0400 |

 

[RCFProd]

Some good choices but not sure at all about CPU. Maybe Xeon from last chipset (Haswell) will give way more bang for buck performance with such tasks, and that in combination with a GTX 750 Ti desktop graphics card which should come in handy with graphics rendering.

 

[Kevern_11]

This looks pretty good for the uses, a GPU will definetely help but I guess isn't needed right off the bat. Id recommend a GTX 1060 or 1070 when it comes out.

 

[apk24]

Looks pretty solid. I might consider making room for mechanical storage, 240GB fills up pretty fast.

 

[apk24]

Some good choices but not sure at all about CPU. Maybe Xeon from last chipset (Haswell) will give way more bang for buck performance with such tasks, and that in combination with a GTX 750 Ti desktop graphics card which should come in handy with graphics rendering.

While going X99 would help, its pretty expensive in ITX. Mobos go 200+ even if an E5-2609V3 or V4 are only 300ish. Though if overclocking isn't a concern, going E3-12XXV5 could save a few bucks and lead to a longer life.

 

[Kevern_11]

He doesn't mean X99, haswell xeon's can go on h97 boards, all they are essentially is a locked i7 with no iGPU

 

[apk24]

He doesn't mean X99, haswell xeon's can go on h97 boards, all they are essentially is a locked i7 with no iGPU

If that's the case, E3-12xxV5 are out, and they are skylake based. Though performance wise, they are the same as the skylake locked i7s

 

[AnguGraphics]

Looks pretty solid. I might consider making room for mechanical storage, 240GB fills up pretty fast.

I do understand that, but I am not that kind of guy who fills it up instantly.
I currently have a laptop with 2.5 mechanical 640gb drive and it is currently holding 180gb worth of files that 20% are not neccessary and could be deleted.

 

[AnguGraphics]

Some good choices but not sure at all about CPU. Maybe Xeon from last chipset (Haswell) will give way more bang for buck performance with such tasks, and that in combination with a GTX 750 Ti desktop graphics card which should come in handy with graphics rendering.

You mean something like this
https://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80662e31275v5

 

[apk24]

Some good choices but not sure at all about CPU. Maybe Xeon from last chipset (Haswell) will give way more bang for buck performance with such tasks, and that in combination with a GTX 750 Ti desktop graphics card which should come in handy with graphics rendering.

You mean something like this
https://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80662e31275v5

Right product line, wrong generation. I think he was talking about the E3-12xxV3 and V4 chips (like these: http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/cpu/#k=24&s=26). Which are last gen chips slated for workstation and server use. The one you selected is the current gen one. they are all basically the same as an i7 from their generation but not consumer oriented and have a longer lifetime and a few more server/workstation type feature support.

 

[AnguGraphics]

Some good choices but not sure at all about CPU. Maybe Xeon from last chipset (Haswell) will give way more bang for buck performance with such tasks, and that in combination with a GTX 750 Ti desktop graphics card which should come in handy with graphics rendering.

You mean something like this
https://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80662e31275v5

Right product line, wrong generation. I think he was talking about the E3-12xxV3 and V4 chips (like these: http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/cpu/#k=24&s=26). Which are last gen chips slated for workstation and server use. The one you selected is the current gen one. they are all basically the same as an i7 from their generation but not consumer oriented and have a longer lifetime and a few more server/workstation type feature support.

Now comes the tricky part then. Some of them don't have a Integrated graphics. So that means I would have to include a GX-card aswell.

 

[RCFProd]

That was my initial suggestion though, you'll save so much money with Xeon that you can easily add a desktop graphics card which you are actually going to need I think with graphics, if you are as enthusiastic as you say you are.

 

[apk24]

Personally, if going with a locked platform, I don't see what advantages Haswell Xeon can offer overa non K Skylake i7. Yes, you save a few bucks, but the platforms are vastly different and the Skylake platform has much better connectivity than Haswell.

H97 and H170 motherboards cost about the same, and H110 motherboards cost half that. So, here Haswell vs Skylake, I'd give advantage skylake since H170 has better featureset than H97.
Consider: http://ark.intel.com/compare/90595,82010,90590

Skylake i7-6700 (not K) vs Haswell E3-1230v3 is a $60 difference in favor of the E3
However, consider:

• 
  ■the i7-6700 is clocked higher than the e3-1230, and Skylake is slightly faster than Haswell to begin with
  ■the possibility of 64GB ram when it is needed (as rendering might in the next few years)
  ■faster memory (granted this is negligible)
  ■an iGPU that's rated to be pretty close to most ~$50-70 range discrete GPUs available. Including encoders and decoders for the latest codecs and support for DX12 and OpenCL(consider Intel 530 vs GT 740 or R7 250 on http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html)
  ■ the E3-1230V3 is marked End Of Life, the i7-6700 was just released last year

If it is possible to wait, I might wait for the Skylake chips with Iris pro graphics to drop in a few weeks (specs are already released). I would bet that those offer the best bang for buck in terms of rendering on a budget.

 

[apk24]

If you don't care about overclocking, I would recommend the following modifications to your system:

i7-6700 instead of i7-6700k
an h170 motherboard instead of z170
dropping the CPU cooler since it isn't necessary if not overclocking as the i7-6700 comes with one
(Also swapped out the PSU but that's a minor change)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($297.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($112.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: PNY CS1311 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ITX Mini ITX Tower Case ($75.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $735.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-26 14:36 EDT-0400

With the money shaved off, you could go for a fancier case if you wished, or a bigger/better SSD.