build for productivity, $1200 INTEL

[Carl Abraham]

UPDATE: After all your recommendations , this is my final build

Spoiler

ps. I already have the SSD , HDD and Case

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($242.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($109.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($70.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($87.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP610 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP610 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Red 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Red 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card ($189.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master HAF XB EVO ATX Desktop Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Cooler Master VSM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($92.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1224.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-12 18:03 EDT-0400

Hi All,

Im building a work-pc with a budget of $1000 - $1200.

Mostly used for web-app design and development and some video recording and editing - ie. photoshop, illustrator, pdfs, multiple programming IDEs, database scrappers, multiple browsers etc running simultaneously.
Using 3 monitors at 1920x1080 , 2560x1440, 1920x1080 respectively. (would like to upgrade to 4k monitors in the future)

The aim is to build a machine that can stay on almost all the time. We're using the pc 20 -22 hours. at times we dont shut it down for days.

Storage config:
2x 256GB SDD in RAID 0
2x 2TB HDD in RAID 1


This is what i've thought of - would appreciate if someone would have a look and let me know if this is the best way to go about it

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kbW4WZ

 

[Rhezner]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dTXyzy
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dTXyzy/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($237.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($51.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($82.67 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card ($164.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $934.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-09 09:15 EDT-0400

This will actually do MUCH better than an amd build and the parts are higher quality in general

The PSU you picked is pretty low quality and i would not trusti it to run for that many hours, this PSU is a quality unit manufactured by super flower.

The bx100 is definitely a better ssd than the adata one

The seagate barracuda is a faster hdd that is a good model.

here is a 4790k which is basically this xeon that is clocked .6ghz higher AMD CPUs are pretty terrible and outdated for the things you need.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDVcpAhegWs

any questions?

 

[Carl Abraham]

Thankyou for the list.

I picked the AMD because I read that even though it has only 4 'true' cores, its much better performance to cost ratio for multi-threading? Maybe i was misinformed?

Doesnt the CS750m have an 80+ gold certification? The one you suggested has a bronze certification - if im not wrong that is its efficiency ?So wouldnt the gold certification be better?

I already have the SSDs, HDDs and Case from the old pc - so i'd like to keep that

 

[Rhezner]

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

here is a list that will give you a general idea of the quality of a PSU. Not all PSUs are created equally and you can see the cs series is tier 3, It also has a reputation for failure. The rating is about efficiency, not quality but 80+ bronze and 80+ gold are actually only a few % different as far as efficiency. The neo eco is manufactured by seasonic which is well known for their quality units.

Here is a summary of what 80+ rating means
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/80_Plus

The amd fx series may have 8 physical cores but they are really weak comparied witha xeon or a 4690k, The xeon is hyperthreaded and as you can see from the build i linked the 4790k (an overclocked xeon) absolutely destroys the 9590 and the 8350. The xeon would do better in basically every application as the 8320 is an outdated Processor.

here is a comparison with an i7 that is basically a xeon with 6 higher clock:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDVcpAhegWs

as you can see the 4790k devastates and the xeon would absolutely do the same thing and consume WAY less power while doing it saving your business a decent bit of money in the long run.

An overclocked fx 8320@5ghz would consume about 100 watts more power on load than a xeon and be LESS powerful in basically every application, It is just not a great idea.

 

[Carl Abraham]

Could you suggest a better motherboard within my budget? Will any LGA 1150 socket board work or does it explicitly need to say 'supports xeon processors' ?

I'd like
support for 32gb RAM - 1600mhz
atleast 2 pcie 16 slots (so i can upgrade to 2 graphics cards later on)
onboard audio should be atleast 7.1
3 - 4 6GB/s sata III connectors (more the better)
usb3.0
preferably atx form factor


EDIT: Also, would just like to confirm -
1) is 750W enough for this rig? or is it an overkill?
2) Will by graphics card support my 3 monitors? (no gaming)

 

[bambiboom]

Hi All,

Im building a work-pc with a budget of $1000 - $1200.

Mostly used for web-app design and development and some video recording and editing - ie. photoshop, illustrator, pdfs, multiple programming IDEs, database scrappers, multiple browsers etc running simultaneously.
Using 3 monitors at 1920x1080 , 2560x1440, 1920x1080 respectively. (would like to upgrade to 4k monitors in the future)

The aim is to build a machine that can stay on almost all the time. We're using the pc 20 -22 hours. at times we dont shut it down for days.

Storage config:
2x 256GB SDD in RAID 0
2x 2TB HDD in RAID 1


This is what i've thought of - would appreciate if someone would have a look and let me know if this is the best way to go about it

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kbW4WZ

Carl Abraham,

The system parameters you're listing, loads and constant running are more in the line of servers. The suggestion is a bit unconventional but I think would have the reliability and versatility you require but with a much more favorable cost / benefit ratio than building. I would suggest that instead of building that for a similar price, a better approach, having better performance and higher reliability,is to upgrade a Dell Precision T7500. This is selected as it's built with server-like components for ultra-reliability under constant use, the ability to use two CPU's and a lot of RAM, and importantly, the performance is to current range of very good while the components are all fully depreciated- you can buy a $1,600 Xeon from the excellent X5600 series for $250. I believe that upgrading is also faster and easier than ordering and assembling every component- you only plug in the CPU's, RAM, GPU, and drives.

In any event, it is essential to use ECC error correcting RAM as in long running problems for example protein folding a single bit error is magnified by extrapolation and days of processing is wasted.. These systems can use dual 6-core CPU's up to the Xeon X5690 (6-core @ 3.47 / 3.73GHz) and the T7500 can accommodate up to 192GB of ECC RAM. You can imagine that the advantage of 12 cores / 24 threads running simultaneously at 3.47GHz and at the double precision accuracy required is assured by the ECC RAM, is going to produce more accurate results, reliability, and especially, the 24 threads is 2X the 8 core maximum of an LGA1150 system. These systems are based on server technology (T5500: 875W and T7500: 1100W power supplies) and running without errors in that mode.I have had three used Precisions and used them for five years without a single failure.

About four months ago I bought a Precision T5500 for $190 including shipping:

Dell Precision T5500 (2011) (Original): Xeon E5620 quad core @ 2.4 / 2.6 GHz > 6GB DDR3 ECC Reg 1333 > Quadro FX 580 (512MB) > Dell PERC 6/i SAS /SATA controller > Seagate Cheetah 15K 146GB > Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
[ Passmark system rating = 1479 / CPU = 4067 / 2D= 520 / 3D= 311 / Mem= 1473 / Disk= 1208]

The condition was excellent and the system performed reasonably well on the Xeon E5620.

I purchased:

Xeon X5680 (6-core @ 3.33 / 3.6GHz) $200
24GB PC3-10090R RAM (DDR3-1333 ECC registered) $120
Windows 7 Professional : $0 (Dell sent me a replacement OS disk at no charge to load the original software. This is activated by the COA serial number on the system)

> and I had from a previous upgrade of another system:

Quadro 4000 (2GB): value $250
Samsung 840 250GB SSD : value $80
WD RE4 1TB (SATA II) value : $40

So, the total purchase of new parts, plus the value of used parts = $880

And the performance was very good:

Dell Precision T5500 (2011) (Revision 1) > Xeon X5680 six -core @ 3.33 / 3.6GHz, 24GB DDR3 ECC 1333 > Quadro 4000 (2GB ) > Samsung 840 250GB / WD RE4 Enterprise 1TB > M-Audio 192 sound card > Linksys WMP600N PCI WiFi > Windows 7 Professional 64> HP 2711x (1920 X 1080)

[ Passmark system rating = 3339 / CPU = 9347 / 2D= 684 / 3D= 2030 / Mem= 1871 / Disk= 2234]

This system had the best performance of a single CPU T5500 in Passmark of 199 systems tested

Subsequently, I upgraded my main system and last week the Quadro K2200 from that system was exchanged to the T5500:

With Quadro K2200 (4GB (Current configuration): [ Passmark system rating = 3490 / CPU = 9178 / 2D= 685 / 3D= 3566 / Mem= 1865 / Disk= 2122] [Cinebench 15 > CPU = 772 OpenGL= 99.72 FPS]

And I tested the new Quadro K4200 (4GB) in the T5500:
[ Passmark system rating = 3585 / CPU = 9346 / 2D= 683 / 3D= 4708 / Mem= 1850 / Disk= 2202]

One of the limitations of this kind of system, besides the RAM speed of 1333MHz is the SATA II 3GB/s disk system and I've purchased for $60 a Dell PERC H310 SAS / SATA 6GB/s RAID controller. I'll use the WD Black 1TB from my main system and add a second new one for RAID 1.

To add a 2nd CPU requires a CPU /Memory /Fan riser - $100-$120, another X5680 ($200) and I can populate the three RAM slots on the riser with the original 3X 2GB RAM that arrived with the system. The risers for the T7500 are more common and actually less expensive and have 6 RAM slots.

My recommendation for your use is to consider buying a Precision T7500 with a lower end CPU, ensuring the overall condition and the presence of the OS COA.

Then purchase:

1. A CPU /Memory /Fan riser if not present

2. 2X Xeon X5690 ( 6-core @ 3.47 / 3.73 GHz) (About $250 each)- When buying, contemplate the fact the original cost was $1660 each.

3. As much RAM as is affordable. TheT7500 has 12 slots on the motherboard and 6 on the riser. The X58 chipset uses triple memory, so buy in sets of 3 modules. If the budget is a problem buy 3X 8GB and place in them in the proper sequence and use whatever arrived in the system to fill other slots. There must be at least one module in the riser board.

4. An LSI 9260-8i SAS/ SATA RAID controller (About $100-$120)

5. An SSD of 480 to 512GB. I recommend Intel 730 or Samsung 850 EVO . This will have a partition for the OS and applications, and another partition for the working files. (About $250)

6. 2X 2TB WD Black or Seagate ES.3 Constellation Enterprise HDD.

7. Perhaps you have a graphics card. If not, for monitor output : Quadro FX 3800 (1GB)

If you need more computing power, consider a used Tesla GPU co-processing unit. These can be quite inexpensive and were made to accelerate NAMD and MATLAB applications.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Graphics-Video-Cards-/27386/i.h...

This seems complex and wise and patient shopping is required, but overall, I think it is an easier task to upgrade a working system- which may done gradually- you could start with a single CPU with 24GB RAM and add the 2nd CPU and more RAM later. The system could be run with one HD without the RAID card and so on. When I bought the T5500, I might've loaded Windows and my applications and used it as it arrived, upgrading as each new part arrived. This is still an easier tack than researching, ordering, assembling, configuring, and testing a new system from components and the performance results and reliability can be excellent.

Cheers,

BambiBoom


HP z420 (2015) > Xeon E5-1660 v2 six-core @ 3.7 / 4.0GHz > 32GB DDR3 ECC 1866 RAM > Quadro K4200 (4GB) > Intel 730 480GB (9SSDSC2BP480G4R5) > Western Digital Black WD1003FZEX 1TB> M-Audio 192 sound card > Logitech z2300 > Linksys AE3000 USB WiFi > 2X Dell Ultrasharp U2715H (2560 X 1440) > Windows 7 Professional 64 > [ Passmark Rating = 5064 > CPU= 13989 / 2D= 819 / 3D= 4596 / Mem= 2772 / Disk= 4555] [Cinebench R15 > CPU = 1014 OpenGL= 126.59 FPS] 7.8.15

Pending upgrade: HP /LSI 9212-4i PCIe SAS /SATA HBA RAID controller, 2X Seagate Constellation ES.3 1TB (RAID 1)

 

[Carl Abraham]

Thanks bambiboom for the really detailed solution.. But i think thats an overkill for what I need the pc for.. not to mention that goes above the budget when I include the rest of the parts.

Still looking for a motherboard for the xeon processor though.. Will this work for the xeon? it doesnt really say it supports xeon processors on the specs, but the socket is the same. Will it work?

motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130784
CPU:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117316

 

[Rhezner]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rVtkt6

This motherboard will be a bit better as far as longevity goes because it has more heatsinks, And yes any lga 1150 MOBO will work.

 

[Carl Abraham]

Thankyou so much.This is my final build - based on availability and your suggestions

ps. I already have the SSD , HDD and Case

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($242.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($109.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($70.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($87.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP610 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP610 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Red 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Red 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card ($184.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master HAF XB EVO ATX Desktop Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Cooler Master VSM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($92.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1219.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-12 17:51 EDT-0400

 

[Rhezner]

DONT get an h100i with a xeon, you cant even overclock a xeon and it runs fairly cool anyways, a 212 evo will keep it in 100% good temps on full load.

 

[Carl Abraham]

DONT get an h100i with a xeon, you cant even overclock a xeon and it runs fairly cool anyways, a 212 evo will keep it in 100% good temps on full load.

Ah , but the case is such that the h100i fits perfectly. Also from the reviews I saw for this case, watercooling is recommended. I know this might be an overkill, but i think it looks really good in the case as well. So its more of an aesthetic thing

 

[Rhezner]

don't get that PSU, I didn't look before but i just realized that the PSU you picked is pretty bad, get the one in my build as the one you picked is not reliable and is known to fail.

Just warning you, it is basically useless on this CPU other than aesthetic reasons, I guess it would be nice if you upgrade your PC, But this case definitely does not require water cooling

 

[Carl Abraham]

don't get that PSU, I didn't look before but i just realized that the PSU you picked is pretty bad, get the one in my build as the one you picked is not reliable and is known to fail.

Just warning you, it is basically useless on this CPU other than aesthetic reasons, I guess it would be nice if you upgrade your PC, But this case definitely does not require water cooling

I switched the Corsair one with the Cooler Master 650W based on the thread you linked me to (http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html).
Its rated as the tier-two there if im not mistaken?
Also This jonnyguru review rates it pretty high.. am i missing something?

The EVGA one you suggested isnt available here - and shipping it from newegg to where I live costs a bomb!

 

[Rhezner]

Oh sorry i was thinking of the corsair vs which is tier 4 sorry D:

 

[Carl Abraham]

Thanks for your help. Much appreciated.

I'll be buying these parts over the next few weeks 😀