Build advice: £7-900 workstation

[wombles]

This is only my second build - advice really appreciated. I'd like a fast, quietish MINI-ITX workstation for number crunching data sets (machine learning using matlab and c) initially, with the option of investigating overclocking when I get time. It must allow adding a moderate graphics card at a future date, since it may go to other family members eventually. Budget £7-900. My current thoughts:

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

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i74790k) | £256.99 @ Ebuyer
**CPU Cooler** | [Zalman CNPS2X CPU Cooler](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/zalman-cpu-cooler-cnps2x) | £19.38 @ CCL Computers
**Motherboard** | [Asus Z97I-PLUS Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-z97iplus) | £109.26 @ Aria PC
**Memory** | [Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-memory-ct2kit102464ba160b) | £110.34 @ Amazon UK
**Storage** | [Samsung 840 EVO 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te500bw) | £179.99 @ Aria PC
**Case** | [Corsair 250D Mini ITX Tower Case](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-cc9011047ww) | £64.99 @ Amazon UK
**Optical Drive** | [Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/lite-on-optical-drive-ihas124-04) | £11.88 @ Amazon UK
**Other**| FSP Raider 550W Quiet PSU, 80+ Bronze | £49.37
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | £802.20 LESS SAMSUNG EVO ALREADY OWNED = 622.21

I have HDDs, monitor etc on hand. I think the above gives me upgrade options:

1. Add moderate graphics card. Will the 550W FSP Raider PSU be sufficient for this? (Suggestions for midrange cards which would work with 550W would be helpful.)
2. Switch to Corsair H100i for exploring overclocking.
3. Switch to M.2 SSD (e.g. Samsung XP941) as faster boot drive (albeit at pcie x 2, not pcie x4 on this motherboard, if I have understood m.2 correctly - I may be confused)

Questions: Do the initial design and upgrade options make sense? Would another PSU be more suitable (I'd like something quiet)? Should I choose better memory and if so, why?

Thanks very much - all help appreciated as I'm still learning.

 

[Andrew Buck]

You forgot the GPU. Otherwise, that is perfect. For rendering, though, you may want 2133 MHz CL9 RAM.

 

[wombles]

Thanks for the fast response. I didn't think I needed a graphics card to start with if I wasn't gaming - my current mini-itx build doesn't use one but perhaps I'm assuming the ASUS Z97i-PLUS mobo above handles more than it does. Am I mistaken?

If you've got suggestions as to a mid-range graphics card which would work well with your memory suggestion, that would be really helpful. (Hope this isn't too vague a question, but it's hard to be specific given my level of ignorance - I had thought I could research graphics cards later, as the mobo apparently takes full-sized cards.) I'd been thinking of a mid-range card adequate for keeping visiting family gamers happy - it doesn't need to be the latest and greatest.

Thanks again.

 

[Andrew Buck]

Thanks for the fast response. I didn't think I needed a graphics card to start with if I wasn't gaming - my current mini-itx build doesn't use one but perhaps I'm assuming the ASUS Z97i-PLUS mobo above handles more than it does. Am I mistaken?

If you've got suggestions as to a mid-range graphics card which would work well with your memory suggestion, that would be really helpful. (Hope this isn't too vague a question, but it's hard to be specific given my level of ignorance - I had thought I could research graphics cards later, as the mobo apparently takes full-sized cards.) I'd been thinking of a mid-range card adequate for keeping visiting family gamers happy - it doesn't need to be the latest and greatest.

Thanks again.

For a good value GPU, you could go with the GTX 760 or Radeon R9 280 from MSI. They are good cards, and pretty cheap, too. As for the RAM, some Corsair Dominator RAM might suit you well. Take a look at this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233401&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID= I hope it fits your budget!

 

[wombles]

Thanks for the fast response. I didn't think I needed a graphics card to start with if I wasn't gaming - my current mini-itx build doesn't use one but perhaps I'm assuming the ASUS Z97i-PLUS mobo above handles more than it does. Am I mistaken?

If you've got suggestions as to a mid-range graphics card which would work well with your memory suggestion, that would be really helpful. (Hope this isn't too vague a question, but it's hard to be specific given my level of ignorance - I had thought I could research graphics cards later, as the mobo apparently takes full-sized cards.) I'd been thinking of a mid-range card adequate for keeping visiting family gamers happy - it doesn't need to be the latest and greatest.

Thanks again.

For a good value GPU, you could go with the GTX 760 or Radeon R9 280 from MSI. They are good cards, and pretty cheap, too. As for the RAM, some Corsair Dominator RAM might suit you well. Take a look at this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233401&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID= I hope it fits your budget!

Thanks v much for these suggestions - they look about the right price range, so that's very helpful. Can anyone answer the question above about whether I can run the "initial build" without the graphics card? I thought I could, as I won't be gaming, but am now wondering if I've made a newbie error. (I was hoping to spread my expenditure out a bit.)

 

[Andrew Buck]

Thanks for the fast response. I didn't think I needed a graphics card to start with if I wasn't gaming - my current mini-itx build doesn't use one but perhaps I'm assuming the ASUS Z97i-PLUS mobo above handles more than it does. Am I mistaken?

If you've got suggestions as to a mid-range graphics card which would work well with your memory suggestion, that would be really helpful. (Hope this isn't too vague a question, but it's hard to be specific given my level of ignorance - I had thought I could research graphics cards later, as the mobo apparently takes full-sized cards.) I'd been thinking of a mid-range card adequate for keeping visiting family gamers happy - it doesn't need to be the latest and greatest.

Thanks again.

For a good value GPU, you could go with the GTX 760 or Radeon R9 280 from MSI. They are good cards, and pretty cheap, too. As for the RAM, some Corsair Dominator RAM might suit you well. Take a look at this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233401&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID= I hope it fits your budget!

Thanks v much for these suggestions - they look about the right price range, so that's very helpful. Can anyone answer the question above about whether I can run the "initial build" without the graphics card? I thought I could, as I won't be gaming, but am now wondering if I've made a newbie error. (I was hoping to spread my expenditure out a bit.)

Yes, you could. It would work fine with Intel HD 4600, but not necessarily the most effective.