An Architect is looking to build a hard working PC

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mclamb

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Dec 8, 2016
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Hello All,

I'm looking to build a serious desktop PC that can last five years or more to do some big renders, complicated CAD/REVIT drawings, and a little gaming.

I was debating if I should purchase the iMac but I have always been aware that i can do much more with less if I tried to build my own computer. So I guess my max budget will be the iMac's price of $4000.

I would need my PC to use:
Revit
Rhinoceros 3D
Grasshopper (a parametric software that uses a ton of memory sometimes)
ArcGIS (a geographic mapping program that also eats a ton of memory)
Sketchup
AutoCAD
V-Ray (rendering program that performs better with more cores)
Maxwell Rendering
3DS Max
Unreal Engine
All Adobe Products (Aftereffects currently slows my current laptop the most)

Ideally it would be great to run some of these programs simultaneously.

Two monitors would be great so any recommendation for monitors and video card is much appreciated.

Thanks again for the time anyone spends to give their suggestion. It'll be a great help.

Best,
MClamb
 
Solution


I wouldn't use an iMac for doing any serious CAD / Arch Desktop work. The thing about the iMacs is that they are crazy expensive and you can't upgrade them because of forced obsolescence. Even that Mac Pro thing they have is a joke compared to what a workstation you can get that you would build yourself is. I would check out a couple of different configurations. I...
Thoughts on the setup below?

CPU - 16 cores with hyperthreading (32 processing threads) at 2.1GHz base clock, and 3.0GHz turbo, will chew up any CPU processing you throw at it.
CPU COOLERS - A bit of overkill, but will have no issues keeping your temps low when at load.
MEM - Quad channel memory with the LGA2011 platform so each CPU needs a set of four matching modules, then those modules need to match. 8 slots taken and 8 slots open for an upgrade down the road.
SSD - Doesn't get much better than the Sandisk Extreme Pro lineup or the Samsung Pro lineup.
HD - Simple storage here... mirror the drives for redundancy. In case one were to fail, your data would still be in tact.
GPU - The quadro below will have optimized drivers for your apps. The GTX 1070 would likely be just as good and would see better gaming results...
PSU - XFX, Seasonic or the EVGA G2 lineup. Light reading => www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html
MONITORS - Dual 28" 4k displays.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E5-2620 V4 2.1GHz 8-Core Processor ($407.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU: Intel Xeon E5-2620 V4 2.1GHz 8-Core Processor ($407.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9x65 33.8 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.95 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9x65 33.8 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.95 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Supermicro MBD-X10DRI-O EATX Dual-CPU LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($400.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 32GB (4 x 8GB) Registered DDR4-2133 Memory ($209.82 @ Jet)
Memory: Crucial 32GB (4 x 8GB) Registered DDR4-2133 Memory ($209.82 @ Jet)
Storage: Sandisk Extreme Pro 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($209.00 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.78 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.78 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PNY Quadro K4200 4GB Video Card ($758.16 @ Jet)
Case: Corsair 330R Titanium Edition ATX Mid Tower Case ($91.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G-750 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($93.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($46.88 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.58 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus PB287Q 28.0" 3840x2160 60Hz Monitor ($397.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: Asus PB287Q 28.0" 3840x2160 60Hz Monitor ($397.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $3914.64
 


MClamb,

I'm an architect / industrial designer using many of the same programs: AutoCad, Revit, 3ds, Rhino, Sketchup, Vray, and Adobr CS6. Instead of Arc/GIS ( which I would love to have) I'm using Wolfram Mathematica which has similar hardware demands.

This is a bit difficult as everything needs to be high performance. As you have programs that are CPU, GPU, RAM, and disk intensive, and given the precision required and large datasets for the BIM side of Revit and Arc/Gis, the system needs to have a good capability in every subsystem.

This really needs a dual Xeon system to provide a good basis for CPU rendering and so that there are enough PCie lanes for full dual GPU performance. However, Adobe programs are not fond of dual CPU's and several CS6 programs sort of peak effiiciency at 5-6 core utilization- e.g. After Effects. Premiere has gone back and forth with multi-threading and supposedly that feature is back. My suggestion would be to consider double GPU Xeon E5-2600 v2 used workstation with two GPU's- possibly one Quadro and one Tesla GPU coprocessor.

HP Z820 Workstation Intel Xeon E5-2643V2 3.5GHz 16GB RAM 500GB HDD Quadro K4000 > $1,395

That is using a Xeon E5-2643 v2 which is 6-core @ 3.5 /3.8GHz. that provides a good single-thread performance and many of the operation in the software mentioned - 3D modeling always, rely on the single-threaded function. Add a second E5-2643 v2 for $700-800 (it was $1,550 new) - which requires a second fan heatsink,, add ram to have 64GB, change the GPU to Quadro M4000 and look around for a good value on a used Tesla K8-8GB + 2,880 CUDA cores, often $400-600. With a good SSD- $200 and a storage drive that's something like $1,400 + 800 + 70 (heatsink) + 200 (RAM) 750 (M4000) + $500 (K8) = about $3,800- 4,000. Capability in all departments should be very good.

Otherwise, I could see a single 8-core on an X99 motherboard, very fast M.2 main drive,and then the 64GB RAM and two GPU's, but if the CPU rendering is running purely on the physical cores, the dual Xeon configuration will have advantages and a longer future. As that would be all new LGA2011-3 the specification within he budget can not keep pace with a used system and components.

This would take some study and refinement to really optimize for all the various programs and modes of operation, but a dual Xeon platform is preferable as it is more expandable.

I've had six used workstations (HP z and Dell Precision T) and purchased probably 8 or 10 used CPU's since 2009 and not had a single failure nor any data loss. They're reliable and of course, upgrading is much easier than researching, ordering, assembling, wiring. configuring, and testing from all components.

Cheers,

BambiBoom

CAD / 3D Modeling / Graphic Design:

HP z420 (2015) (Rev 3) > Xeon E5-1660 v2 (6-core @ 3.7 / 4.0GHz) / 32GB DDR3 -1866 ECC RAM / Quadro K4200 (4GB) / Samsung SM951 M.2 256GB AHCI + Intel 730 480GB (9SSDSC2BP480G4R5) + Western Digital Black WD1003FZEX 1TB> M-Audio 192 sound card > 600W PSU> > Windows 7 Professional 64-bit > Logitech z2300 speakers > 2X Dell Ultrasharp U2715H (2560 X 1440)
[ Passmark Rating = 5581 > CPU= 14046 / 2D= 838 / 3D= 4694 / Mem= 2777 / Disk= 11559] [6.12.16]

Analysis / Simulation / Rendering:

HP z620 (2012) (Rev 3) 2X Xeon E5-2690 (8-core @ 2.9 / 3.8GHz) / 64GB DDR3-1600 ECC reg) / Quadro K2200 (4GB) + Tesla M2090 (6GB) / HP Z Turbo Drive (256GB) + Seagate Constellation ES.3 (1TB) / 800W > Windows 7 Professional 64-bit > HP 2711x (27" 1980 X 1080)
[ Passmark System Rating= 5675 / CPU= 22625 / 2D= 815 / 3D = 3580 / Mem = 2522 / Disk = 12640 ] 9.25.16
 


I wouldn't use an iMac for doing any serious CAD / Arch Desktop work. The thing about the iMacs is that they are crazy expensive and you can't upgrade them because of forced obsolescence. Even that Mac Pro thing they have is a joke compared to what a workstation you can get that you would build yourself is. I would check out a couple of different configurations. I don't think a 12 core would be necessary. 6 or 8 at least but the more cores you go the more expensive it gets. The first would run Intel's top of the line i7-6900K:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6900K 3.2GHz 8-Core Processor ($1058.11 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG A80 128.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($135.81 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus X99-A II ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($248.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill TridentZ Series 64GB (4 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($479.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill TridentZ Series 64GB (4 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($479.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($183.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($118.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PNY Quadro K4200 4GB Video Card ($764.51 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks ECLIPSE P400S ATX Mid Tower Case ($85.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($105.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $3662.33
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-08 14:31 EST-0500

And the second would run a Xeon:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E5-2630 V4 2.2GHz 10-Core Processor ($678.15 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG A80 128.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($135.81 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus X99-A II ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($248.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill TridentZ Series 64GB (4 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($479.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill TridentZ Series 64GB (4 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($479.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($183.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($118.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PNY Quadro K4200 4GB Video Card ($764.51 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks ECLIPSE P400S ATX Mid Tower Case ($85.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($105.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $3282.37
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-08 14:33 EST-0500
 
Solution
Not sure that 128gb of ram it necessary, but here it is anyway.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6900K 3.2GHz 8-Core Processor ($1044.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG A80 128.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($123.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock X99 Taichi ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($219.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 128GB (8 x 16GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($689.90 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX300 525GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($124.89 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar NAS 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar NAS 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Core V31 ATX Mid Tower Case ($62.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ B&H)
Other: PNY Video Graphics Cards VCQM4000-PB ($764.42 @ B&H)
Total: $3411.04
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-08 15:28 EST-0500
 
Hi Everyone,

Thank you all for the comments 7 years ago. I hope everyone made it through Covid OK.

Back in 2016 I went with the following:

SUPERMICRO MBD-X10DRI Extended ATX Server Motherboard Dual LGA 2011 R3 Intel C612

Two (2) Intel Xeon E5-2620 v4 Eight-Core Broadwell Processor 2.1GHz 8.0GT/s 20MB LGA 2011-3 CPU w/o Fan, Retail

Corsair Obsidian Case

64 GB of RAM

Noctua Fans

GM850 Watt Power Supply Segotep

And I recently put in the 3080 RTX geoforce.

This worked great for 7 years. Started my own architecture practice. It works pretty well with Blender, Revit, Twinmotion, Games, and Unreal Engine.

But of course I’d like to do more. There’s a lot of situations where I walk through two or three Twinmotion or Revit models with clients and engineers.

I think I’m ready to create a monster - maybe about $8,000 - $10,000 budget. What would you recommend? Do I keep any of the parts I currently have? Or get all new?

I started doing VR for my designs. I’d like the PC Build to be able to do ultra graphic settings in Twinmotion. And kill and any 4K gaming.

Thanks again for all your suggestions.
 
Hi Everyone,

Thank you all for the comments 7 years ago. I hope everyone made it through Covid OK.

Back in 2016 I went with the following:

SUPERMICRO MBD-X10DRI Extended ATX Server Motherboard Dual LGA 2011 R3 Intel C612

Two (2) Intel Xeon E5-2620 v4 Eight-Core Broadwell Processor 2.1GHz 8.0GT/s 20MB LGA 2011-3 CPU w/o Fan, Retail

Corsair Obsidian Case

64 GB of RAM

Noctua Fans

GM850 Watt Power Supply Segotep

And I recently put in the 3080 RTX geoforce.

This worked great for 7 years. Started my own architecture practice. It works pretty well with Blender, Revit, Twinmotion, Games, and Unreal Engine.

But of course I’d like to do more. There’s a lot of situations where I walk through two or three Twinmotion or Revit models with clients and engineers.

I think I’m ready to create a monster - maybe about $8,000 - $10,000 budget. What would you recommend? Do I keep any of the parts I currently have? Or get all new?

I started doing VR for my designs. I’d like the PC Build to be able to do ultra graphic settings in Twinmotion. And kill and any 4K gaming.

Thanks again for all your suggestions.
Ideally, you'd start a whole new thread for your proposed system.

As noted, this one is 7 years old.
People and times have changed.
 
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