Advice for Workstation Build Under $1550

[CMobley7]

To Whom It May Concern,

I'm a graduate student in the process of selecting parts to build a workstation (my first build). Any input/advice on my selection would be greatly appreciated.

Purchase Date: 1-2 weeks
Budget: Under $1550.00
System Usage: SolidWorks, AutoDesk Inventor, Ansys, Photoshop, C++/Java Coding, Microsoft Office Suite, Internet Browsing, Movies
Gaming: No
Overclocking: Maybe in the Future
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe in the Future
CPU: Hoping to purchase the Intel Core i7-4790k for around $350 when it comes out in 2ish weeks

Parts List:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Q3VL
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Q3VL/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Q3VL/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($314.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-PRO(Wi-Fi ac) ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($213.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($104.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: AMD FirePro W5000 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 CrossFire Supported Workstation Video Card ($434.99)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $1493.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-24 13:40 EDT-0400)

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. Have a great memorial day weekend. God Bless.

Very Respectfully,
CMobley7

“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.”
-Steve Prefontaine

 

[badboyrog2]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Q9Lk
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($303.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($166.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($104.98 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Other: AMD FirePro W5000 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 CrossFire Supported Workstation Video Card ($434.99)
Total: $1527.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-24 15:48 EDT-0400)

WITH THE AMD FirePro W5000 2GB 256-bit GDDR5

 

[CMobley7]

badboyrog2,

I understand the majority of your changes and agree with them. However, what is your opinion on the quality of Asus vs ASRock? I've read and been told that ASRock is not even in the same ballpark when it comes to quality and support of Asus.

V/R,
CMobley7

 

[badboyrog2]

''However, what is your opinion on the quality of Asus vs ASRock?''
well.......asrock in the past was a real crap components manufacturer..but now its an other story ; they wanted to rebuild their reputation
and they won the fight..nowadays they built very good components and sometime better then asus on certain models
and above all they are a lot cheaper then asus

 

[CMobley7]

Badboyrog2,

True. What do you think of this set-up? It's approximately $13 more expensive than the initial set-up you suggested.

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

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($299.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Trident X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($171.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($139.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($105.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000G2 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Other: AMD FirePro W5000 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 CrossFire Supported Workstation Video Card ($424.99)
Total: $1540.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-01 00:57 EDT-0400)

 

[badboyrog2]

''What do you think of this set-up? It's approximately $13 more expensive than the initial set-up you suggested''
very good setup! go for it