Building computer for 3d modelling

[elemek]

Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: within next two weeks.

Budget Range: Around $2000

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Modelling and game development, rendering, programming, gaming, general use

Are you buying a monitor: Already purchased a UP2716D



Parts to Upgrade: Building new system from scratch, except reusing an SSD.

Do you need to buy OS: No


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I'd be happy if I could order everything from NewEgg and/or Amazon, but not so much that I'd spend a lot of extra money for the convenience

Location: City, State/Region, Country - Garland Tx, United States

Parts Preferences: Prefer NVidia and intend to get Ryzen. NVidia is negotiable, though.

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe. Only if it were the best option in my budget

Your Monitor Resolution:
Additional Comments: Maya, Unity, ZBrush, Photoshop, Unreal, Max, likely others. Occasionally, I actually still have time to play games.
I'm really not sure on which motherboard to get, or which graphics card. I'm waiting for the price to drop for the 1080s, so don't intend to pay the full amount. If need be, can get everything else and use my GTX 760 if they're going to take a few weeks to drop.


And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Computer for school.Current one is fine for gaming but not for modelling.

Include a list of any parts you have already selected with descriptively labeled links for parts.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD RYZEN 7 1800X 3.6GHz 8-Core Processor ($498.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($82.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus CROSSHAIR VI HERO ATX AM4 Motherboard ($254.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill TridentZ Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($284.97 @ Jet)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1080 8GB STRIX Video Card ($678.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($118.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic PRIME 650W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($142.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Dell UP2716D 27.0" 2560x1440 60Hz Monitor (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $2062.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-03-03 23:21 EST-0500

 

[azaran]

In Toms review that went up yesterday, depending on the rendering app, Ryzen did really well against the Core i7-6900K. But oddly a lot of the content creation tests actually favored the i7-7700K. Before settling on the Ryzen, I'd read through the review and see how well the i7-7700k and the Ryzen 1800X did for the specific tests on software you plan on using.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-ryzen-7-1800x-cpu,4951.html

 

[elemek]

Maya was one of the ones that the Intel won in, but if that's because the software is optimized to benefit an intel, is it likely that an update will allow it to take advantage of a Ryzen, and it'll catch up? That'd be betting on something that might not happen, though. Thanks for the link, will definitely consider both options. Though anything will be better than the i5 4670 I currently have.

 

[azaran]

Yeah unfortunately it's going to be a crap shoot for a few months while everyone either optimizes for Ryzen or decides ignores it. Also we're still half a year away from a full product release. If you were building today, I'd be hard pressed to argue for Ryzen unless you knew for sure you'd be using the programs that it rocked Intel on. Otherwise you'd save money and gain performance on 99% of your apps by going with an i7-7700K. If this is a build for later this year, just keep checking in on how Ryzen is maturing, and who's putting out a quality board (since no one but the review sites has one in their hands yet).

Also as for the video card, wait till the 1080ti comes out. It'll likely make some price adjustments throughout the lineups.

 

[bjornl]

I have a similar mix and a similar prioritization.
I like all the parts.
The 1800x should be good for rendering and heavy multi-tasking even if it is not ideal for gaming.
I'd suggest the r5 case without the window (it is quieter).
For coolers, I have a slight preference for the nearly identical looking and nearly identically priced Noctua d15
Your motherboard is one of many recently announced 370. Should be fine. I have a current bias against Asus because the last two motherboards (including my current expensive 2011-v3 showed up with flaws/bugs significant enough that I replaced both.

For my render/modeler/coding/gaming hybrid I went with the i7-5930k instead. Only 6 cores, but a ready overclocker with a good cooler. I think this one is going to hit 10-15% higher clock rates than the 1800x (based on early reviews) and get slightly more done per clock cycle as well. So even though I have a 25% lower core count, I think the effective performance is closer to within 10% and it is better at gaming. If I were to build with the same goals today, I think I'd go with the 1800x

I found two monitors better than one. I found 27/28 inch monitors to a bit small for work.

I strongly suspect that the 1080 will drop more once the TI's come out. I prefer Nvidia here because I think CUDA seems better supported than OpenCL.

If you can wait on buying the PC, I would. The issue is that there are so few reviews out on AM4 motherboards and not much detailed analysis of the ryzen cpus (although they look promising at rendering). Not super long, just long enough to make sure you get good info not just "ride the wave of marketing". It might well end up being that my 5930k solution rather than being slightly slower, might be slightly faster for your workflow. The cost would be about the same.

 

[Dan_136]

-Do you do this for a living? I really like your build. 32GB of RAM is a lot, but you probably know better than me how much memory your applications use.
-You are the perfect use case for Ryzen, It won't beat the i7-7700k in gaming or single threaded performance, but will make a HUGE difference for your rendering/content creation.
-The maya note is talking about real time rendering or something. Doing Non-Realtime CPU renders the Ryzen should kill the i7-7700k with the software as is.
-Like you said wait on the GPU, that price is basically what a 1080Ti is going to be, and the 1080Ti would give you much better performance. 1080 should work great on your monitor, If you have to pay more than $500 for it you might want to think about the Ti. Also note that the new 1080 models will have slightly faster RAM.

If I used my computer for the same stuff as you I would be building basically the same computer. I would probably add a Samsung 960 Pro NVMe, but that can always be added later

Update: I personally wouldn't wait. ASUS has a good reputation, RYZEN is perfect for your use case, I would build it now, I think this is a great time, you will get good value for your money.

 

[azaran]

For coolers, I have a slight preference for the nearly identical looking and nearly identically priced Noctua d15

So a quick note/rant on the big air coolers like the D15 and Dark Rock Pro 3. They're great coolers, I have one, but man they're a pain in the ass to deal with if you have to move the case or get to the RAM. They also put limitations on the RAM you can go with and sometimes the case.

For instance in the OP's build, that cooler won't work in the build with that RAM. The Dark Rock Pro 3 heatsink overhangs the first two (maybe 3?) RAM slots and only has a clearance of 40mm. The Trident Z RAM is 44mm tall, which means you're not fitting it in under that cooler. The fan is adjustable, but that leaves at best the last two RAM slots as viable and unable to run in a dual channel config. The NH-D15 is slightly better with it's heatsink, allowing up to 64mm, but the fan only allows 32mm. Again, the fan is adjustable but now that NH-D15 has a height of 177mm instead of 165mm. Some cases won't allow for that (tho the R5 makes it with 3mm to spare), plus you're getting less airflow through the heatsink.

 

[azaran]

-Do you do this for a living? I really like your build. 32GB of RAM is a lot, but you probably know better than me how much memory your applications use.
-You are the perfect use case for Ryzen, It won't beat the i7-7700k in gaming or single threaded performance, but will make a HUGE difference for your rendering/content creation.
-The maya note is talking about real time rendering or something. Doing Non-Realtime CPU renders the Ryzen should kill the i7-7700k with the software as is.
-Like you said wait on the GPU, that price is basically what a 1080Ti is going to be, and the 1080Ti would give you much better performance. 1080 should work great on your monitor, If you have to pay more than $500 for it you might want to think about the Ti. Also note that the new 1080 models will have slightly faster RAM.

If I used my computer for the same stuff as you I would be building basically the same computer. I would probably add a Samsung 960 Pro NVMe, but that can always be added later

Update: I personally wouldn't wait. ASUS has a good reputation, RYZEN is perfect for your use case, I would build it now, I think this is a great time, you will get good value for your money.

It really depends on which application gets the heaviest usage. If its primarily 3D Max, then the Ryzen is great. If its primarily anything adobe, maya, solidworks, autocad, you can't justify the Ryzen in price or performance compared to the i7-7700K. That may change in a few months as people optimize for it as a lot of that is heavily optimized for Intel right now. If they don't then you're paying more for a CPU that under performs and that extra $150 could be better put to use with something like the Samsung 960 Pro NVMe you mentioned.

 

[elemek]

Note about monitors: I have very limited desk space. I'd use two monitors if I could, even if one of them is the 1080 TN I'm using now. The Intel vs Ryzen thing is really interesting; I've never been in a situation like this before, with such a gamble. I could technically wait, but I'm actively using this for multiple projects. I'm going to do some more research reading reviews and benchmarks tomorrow before I commit one way or another.

Also very good information about fans and room. I really wasn't sure what would or wouldn't fit.

 

[azaran]

Note about monitors: I have very limited desk space. I'd use two monitors if I could, even if one of them is the 1080 TN I'm using now. The Intel vs Ryzen thing is really interesting; I've never been in a situation like this before, with such a gamble. I could technically wait, but I'm actively using this for multiple projects. I'm going to do some more research reading reviews and benchmarks tomorrow before I commit one way or another.

Also very good information about fans and room. I really wasn't sure what would or wouldn't fit.

Have you looked in to monitor arms? The desk real estate they open up, and the ergonomics of them totally make them worth the time, trouble and cost. The difference it made to my neck and back when doing long projects made all the difference in the world. If you spend a lot of time in front of your screen, I'd highly recommend looking in to them. Plus once you go dual screen you can never go back.

I use dual 24in Dell IPS ultras with the Ergotron LX dual set.
http://www.ergotron.com/en-us/products/product-details/45-248#/

and Loctek has gotten some love from a number of people
https://loctek.us/product-category/monitor-mounts/

And of course Amazon has their Basics line, that look to be OEM version of some Ergotron models. Similar designs, and much less. I just cant speak to their build quality.


As for which CPU, look heavily in to the specific applications you're going to be using and how much the cost to performance works out. The big draw on the Ryzen is it straight up competes with Intels $1000 octa-core in a lot of areas. The big surprise, at least to me, was seeing that i7-7700k dominate in areas I thought a hex-core or octa-core would excel at. If a software suite can't or won't make use of more than 4 cores, there's no point in anything more than a mainsteam i7. You can then put that money in to a good NVMe SSD or a nice water cooled AIO (Nzxt Kracken X62 would go well in that case) or towards a quadro card.