[SOLVED] A reliable and quick non gaming build

[yetty]

Hello,

I want to build a replacement PC for my home business that produces large-format art-prints. The PC is used in a compact office for many hours every day of the year and I seem to keep them for about 5 years. My old PC uses an i3-3225 and it now feels slow when processing with ArcSoft Scan-n-Stitch and some GIMP functions, also Windows 7 will soon be unsupported.

So I’m seeking reliability, quietness and quicker processing of the images, each is lossless with size ~300-400MB. For the monitor, I’ll reuse my HP Z24 with 4k resolution via the Display Port. I am optimistic that integrated graphics will be sufficient. No overclocking and I might try a mild under-volt if available. The budget is whatever is sensible. I’ve tried to pick parts that support cool running and longevity. I’d really appreciate your comments on this proposed build: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/tB6p8M

CPU: i5-9600K
COOLER: Noctua NH-L12S
MOTHERBOARD: MSI B360M Mortar
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX (2×8GB) DDR4-3200
STORAGE (system): Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500GB M.2 NVMe
STORAGE (data): Samsung 860 Evo 2TB M.2 SATA
WI-FI ADAPTER: Asus PCE-AC68
CASE: Silverstone ML03B
CASE FANS: Noctua NF-A8 x4
PSU: be quiet! Straight Power 11 450W
OS: Windows 10

UK PC Partpicker estimated wattage: 219 watts

CPU: It seems the AMD 3400G is considered an excellent all-rounder, the Intel i5-9600k has a faster CPU and the rival Ryzen 3600 is best for multiple processes [but needs a GPU]. The power consumption and cost of a 9600k or 3600 build are very similar. As a non gamer would the Ryzen 3600 performance be noticeable? This has been the choice I have been most uncertain about. In the end I’ve picked the i5-9600k as this involves fewer parts so less to go wrong, reliability trumping performance.

COOLER: A consistent class leader in the low profile sub 70mm height category for both noise and cooling performance.

MOTHERBOARD: The micro-ATX form factor matches my preferred case and is relatively compact, hopefully without being component cramming. Filtering of boards began by looking at the processor VRM as these can be a heat stress point. I looked at available mainstream mATX boards with decent Vcore & Vsoc VRM design (mosfet quality/ phase count / heat-sinking / tested review temps). The choices were sparse after filtering for Display Port output / USB3 Gen2 capability / dual front M.2 sockets.

RAM: Reputable brand and low-profile to go under the cooler. I’m not sure if 3200MHz is the optimum speed for this build?

STORAGE: In the past I’ve found that separate physical drives for system and data storage make fixing of drive problems far easier. I hope the M.2 SSDs will give reliable quiet operation with an easier and tidy build. The system SSD is generously sized to aid TBW longevity on the NVME only M.2 socket. The data SSD is selected as a SATA type, as I understand SATA tends to run cooler. Both M.2 SSDs have class leading TBW ratings.

WI-FI ADAPTER: I know very little about these and picked quickly based on some online reviews. My broadband connection is 8 megabit ADSL but soon to be upgraded to 80 megabit fibre.

CASE: An identical replacement for the existing case that physically fits nicely in my work room about 3 feet from my desk seat. I’ll change the front USB3 Gen1 socket panel to USB3 Gen2 using a Silverstone upgrade kit, this will give faster back-ups.

CASE FANS: The ML03B case supports fitting a line of four 80mm fans along the right-hand side. I’ll set some or all of the four fans to run continuously at minimum speed to always keep the internal air moving whilst hopefully staying quiet. Would the best arrangement be to run the side fans as intake, with mesh filters, and the Noctua cooler fan as exhaust through the top lid vent?

PSU: Omitting an optical drive means the ML03B can house a full depth ATX format PSU. PC Partpicker predicts a 219W power consumption though this may seldom occur. Finding a high-quality low-power ATX PSU without known issues was tricky. Two contenders are the ‘BitFenix Whisper M 450W’ and the ‘be quiet! Straight Power 11 450W’. Both appear well reviewed, gold efficiency, fully modular, 160mm depth, similar price and continuous fans [that I like]. Although the BitFenix has a 2 years longer warranty of 7 years, the Straight Power 11 uses a renowned fan, possibly more sophisticated fan sensing, a less bulky ATX motherboard plug and single sleeved cable bundles.

Thank you for reading, hope some of this makes sense and please do share any thoughts.

 

[Eximo]

Intel CPU with onboard graphics
AMD APU with significant onboard graphics
Intel or AMD with discrete graphics

With either of the first two, you can always add a GPU later.

3rd Gen AMD is very efficient power wise. Smallest process node available on the market essentially. Also newer tech than Intel's continual re-hashing of Skylake. Intel's CPUs can run faster on a per-core basis, but the i5 only has six cores/six threads. 3600, had six cores twelve threads. So should have a little more throughput in the end on non-gaming tasks. At least as long as they can be parallel.

Do you know if your applications/tasks can be GPU accelerated? Might make more sense to get a lighter processor and a mid-range GPU to do the heavy lifting, if possible.

GIMP looks like it supports OpenCL so an AMD GPU, even the APU, might produce interesting results. Not sure about ArcSoft products, new one to me, but might be worth shooting them that question.

I would say any K class CPU is overkill, drop back to the locked i5 if nothing else, or go for a locked i7. i7-8700 would be a decent compromise. Without an unlocked motherboard, the K doesn't do you much. Doesn't look like overclocking is all that necessary.

I'll not gainsay you on the storage. Expensive choices, but nothing wrong with them.

 

[yetty]

Eximo, thank you for taking the time to reply.

It seems that everyday is a school day! I hadn’t come across OpenCL but then my last build was 2014! After reading a little about OpenCL this seems an elegant way of accessing loads of additional processing capability. It’s interesting that GIMP (and OpenOffice) use OpenCL. Your reply has taken away some the fog and will help with my choices and that I appreciate.

I’ll ask ArcSoft about OpenCP support but have doubts as I suspect it is unsupported, now in its 10th year, no longer retailed and only bundled with the likes of Epson scanners. If need be, there’s are plenty of other image stitching products such as Microsoft ICE and Hugin. I’m flexible so can experiment with a few. Generalising, at least I know all the software will be quicker any new build!

My current thoughts are that I may be a little disappointed by the 3400G even with its APU supporting OpenCL. This leaves the option of going with older Intel with an iGPU (optional GPU), or, just jump in deep with the more modern / power efficient Ryzen 3600 with a mid-range GPU. The 3600 will also be more future proofed. (My shortlisted AMD GPU motherboard is the MSI B450M Mortar Max with strong VRM and dual M.2)


I know little about GPU cards, but I think it would need to be AMD Radeon / low-profile to suit my case / quiet / with a Display Port connection. Do any of the graphics cards provide better reliability than others?

For instance, is this a decent choice: ?
AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 2GB Low Profile Workstation Graphics Card
https://www.scan.co.uk/products/2gb...z-boost-512-streams-125tflops-sp-7802gflops-d

Again many thanks for your input.

 

[Eximo]

OpenCL is about that old. Also CUDA processing from Nvidia, which is also over ten years old at this point.

WX2100 is a small GPU, effectively older and slower than the onboard APU of the Ryzen 2200G and 3200G. There are many low-profile GPUs out there, even some that don't require a heat sink, but their performance is similar to their power output. AMD is pretty lax when it comes to differentiating their workstation vs standard GPUs, so they pretty much do the same things. Nvidia artificially restricts their cards through the driver to create market segmentation. Hardware wise you will have the option of ECC memory on the GPUs, and larger memory amounts on the larger cards.

Best to check through your potential software options to see what is supported.

Reliability when it comes to GPUs is hard to gauge. The board partners take GPUs and memory chips and affix them to their boards. Only real differentiation is power design and cooling. Better cooling and power design the longer it should theoretically last, however, nothing says even a poor one can't last ten years. Fans are really the only moving parts and can wear out certainly. Blower style fans are more like laptop parts than desktop parts, axially cooled cards can have very high quality fans or basic fans depending on the price point. Ball bearing fans are typically considered the longest lasting. Branding with Fluid (Hydro Dynamic, Fluid Dynamic, etc) are fancy sleeve type bearings. Unlabeled are usually straight sleeve type, the cheapest form of bearing.

If you stick with the name brands like ASUS, MSI, Sapphire you should come out okay.

 

[yetty]

Thank you, the messages have helped to defog my thoughts and I’ve finally decided on my build route. I’m going to start with a Ryzen 3400G build and I’ll see if it's enough.

If the 3400G isn't enough, swapping out the CPU for a Ryzen 3600 with a GPU card would be straightforward. The PSU / Cooler / Motherboard / RAM should all have enough headroom for a more powerful arrangement. Using this route gives upgrade flexibility and uses the more modern AMD platform.

ArcSoft responded to my query regarding OpenCL support of Scan-n-Stitch, but with an unhelpful proforma message … program is no longer maintained or updated... Much as suspected but at least there are more modern alternatives, so no worries.

I’ve changed the 2TB SSD (data) from M.2 to 2.5” format, found for a more reasonable £239 and at a major retailer, thank you. So, finally the parts ordered are:

CPU: Ryzen 3400G
COOLER: Noctua NH-L12S
MOTHERBOARD: MSI B450M Mortar Max
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX (2×8GB) DDR4-3200
STORAGE (system): Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500GB M.2 NVMe
STORAGE (data): Samsung 860 Evo 2TB 2.5” SATA
WI-FI ADAPTER: Asus PCE-AC68
CASE: Silverstone ML03B
CASE FANS: Noctua NF-A8 x4
PSU: be quiet! Straight Power 11 450W

Fingers crossed and thanks again for the support.

 

[Eximo]

Looks good. Good luck with it.

And you aren't stuck, 16 core CPUs launched today and you can drop in a faster GPU at any time.