Industrial design firm

[miaelizabethd13]

I am looking to start an industrial design company. I will be using adobe, 3ds max, CAD, revit, v-ray, etc. I have done my best with what I think we'll be a great starter workstation from cyberpowerpc, please let me know how it looks.
*BASE_PRICE: [+1289]
BLKFRISALE1: CYBERPOWERPC Skorpion K1 Mechnical Gaming Keyboard w/ Kontact Blue Switches and Programmable Blue LED Lighting [+0]
BLUETOOTH: None
CABLE: None
CARE1: Ultra Enhanced Packaging Solution - Protect Your Dream System During Transit [+19]
CAS: Phanteks Enthoo Pro M ATX Mid-Tower Gaming Case w/ USB 3.0, Side-Panel Window [+48] (Titanium Green)
CASUPGRADE: None
CC: None
CD: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)
CD2: None
COOLANT: None
CPU: Intel® Core™ Processor i7-6700K 4.00GHZ 8MB Intel Smart Cache LGA1151 (Skylake)
CS_FAN: Maximum Airflow with 140mm Enermax TB Silence UCTB14 140mm Performance Cooling with Low Noise Profile Fan [+39]
DOCKINGSTATION: None
ENGRAVING: None
FA_HDD: None
FAN: Asetek 550LC 120mm Liquid Cooling CPU Cooler - Extreme Cooling Performance (Single Standard 120MM Fan)
FLASHMEDIA: None
FREEBIE_CU: None
FREEBIE_HD: None
HD_M2PCIE: None
HD_M2SATA: 120GB (1x120GB) SAMSUNG 850 EVO M.2 SATA 6Gb/s SSD - 540MB/s Read & 500MB/s Write [+82] (Single Drive)
HDD: 512GB SanDisk X400 SATA III 6Gb/s SSD - 540MB/s Read & 520MB/s Write [-35] (Single Drive)
HDD2: None
HEADSET: None
HS_HANGER: None
IUSB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
KEYBOARD: None
MEMORY: 16GB (8GBx2) DDR4/2800MHz Dual Channel Memory [+69] (Corsair Vengeance LPX)
MONITOR: * 24" Widescreen 1920x1080 ASUS VS247H-P 1080P (23.6" Viewable) 2ms LED Backlight, DVI, HDMI Input [+169] (Single Monitor)
MOPAD: None
MOTHERBOARD: ASUS Z170-PRO GAMING ATX w/ USB 3.1, 3 PCIe x16, 3 PCIe x1, 1 SATA Express, 4 SATA3, 1 Ultra M.2 [+7]
MOUSE: CyberpowerPC Standard 4000 DPI with Weight System Optical Gaming Mouse
NETWORK: Intel EXPI9301CTBLK Network Adapter 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps PCI-Express [+34]
NOISEREDUCE1: Anti-Vibration Fan Mounts [+9]
OS: Windows 7 Professional [+31] (64-bit Edition)
OVERCLOCK: No Overclocking
POWERSUPPLY: 1,000 Watts - Standard 80 Plus Gold Power Supply [+16]
PRO_WIRING: None
RUSH: Standard Process Time: Ship within 7 to 12 Business Day
SECURITY: None
SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR [3 Year Labor, 1 Year Parts] LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT + ONE (1) YEAR SHIPPING SERVICE PLAN [+10]
SLI_BRIDGE: Standard SLI/Crossfire Bridge
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
SPEAKERS: None
TEMP: None
TUNING: None
TVRC: None
USBHD: None
USBX: None
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 2GB GDDR5 PCIe 3.0 x16 Video Card (Maxwell) [-100] (Dual Card (SLI) [+101])
WNC: TP-LINK Archer T8E AC1750 Wireless Dual Band PCI Express Card [+69]
WTV: None
_PRICE: (+1857)

THANKS

 

[Outlander_04]

It will be far easier if you pcpartpicker.com and build your own computer
and either publish a link or use the BB code to publish a list that way
You can have that computer for about half that price if you are prepared to assemble it yourself

 

[Darkbreeze]

Agreed. I'd avoid CyberpowerPC and iBuyPowerPC. You'll end up with a hunk of overpriced garbage and little to no product support when something goes wrong. Plus, as mentioned, you can build it yourself for a WHOLE lot less money. And, that build is completely wrong for what you're wanting to do, which is entirely slanted towards a workstation rather than a relatively low end gaming machine like what is configured above with that underpowered graphics card.


http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/323621-31-cyberpower-warning


http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2654541/cyber-power-success.html


http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/334926-31-cyberpower-review


http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/387498-31-digital-storm-power-cyberpower-alienware

 

[bambiboom]

miaelizabethd13,

In my view, the system should be oriented towards the most demanding program, which in this example are Revit and 3ds. These strongly suggest workstation hardware, specifically Xeon E5, ECC RAM, and because Autodesk and Adobe are both CUDA accelerated, a Quadro graphics card is a very good fit.

My tactic the last several years is to find workstations that are being sold as "new other" and upgrade as necessary. As an example for your uses:

DELL PRECISION T5810 E5-1650 6-CORE 2TB HD 32GB 4GB K4200 W8P 3YR DELL WNTY > $1875

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DELL-PRECISION-T5810-E5-1650-6-CORE-2TB-HD-32GB-4GB-K4200-W8P-3YR-DELL-WNTY-/151983852731?hash=item2362f18cbb:g:r58AAOSwcwhVRR5z

This is a system cased on the Xeon E5-1650 v3 which is a 6-core @ 3.5 /3.8GHz:

http://ark.intel.com/products/82765/Intel-Xeon-Processor-E5-1650-v3-15M-Cache-3_50-GHz

And having 6-cores/12 threads is an advantage in rendering. The 3.8GHz turbo speed is very good for modeling and processing Revit BIM information. The Quadro K4200 4GB GPU is really excellent. I've used one for about 8 months in AutoCad, Solidworks, 3ds, Sketchup, and Adobe CS6 for architecture and industrial design and the results are excellent.

The example system above is being sold in the same way as I bought an HP z420, still in the box with a warranty and the specification is such that it could be put into use right away. Then as work is underway, adjustments to the data storage, more RAM and so on can be made with simple plug in changes without much interruption to work.

I don't advise building a system in this instance if you can buy a system of such a good specification, so nearly a ready to use, that was designed for the use, and with a warranty.

If you are more adventurous, the other approach I like is to buy a dual Xeon workstation one generation back and change the CPU's, GPU, and drives. For example:

Dell Precision T7600 Barebones w/ PERC H310 No Heatsinks No CPU No RAM No HDD > $510 or offer

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Precision-T7600-Barebones-w-PERC-H310-No-Heatsinks-No-CPU-No-RAM-No-HDD-/172033689307?hash=item280e01c6db:g:aioAAOSwa-dWs4VL

That particular system has a PERC H310 RAID controller which is a very high quality and fast controller. I added one to Precision T55000 and it changed the Passmark disk score from 1940 to 2649, And to this is added a pair of used Xeon E5-2680 8-core @ 2.7 /3.5GHz ($400 /pair), 64GB ECC 1600 ($260), a used Quadro K4200 ($500), 500GB SSD ($170), and storage drive ($120) so on. That totals about $2,000 which provides 16 cores /32 threads at 3.5GHz for modeling and 2.7GHz for rendering and simulation /animation, 64GB of RAM a very high specification GPU, and a very expandable, fast disk subsystem.

There are of course, high quality used systems:

HP Z420 Workstation E5-1660v2 3.7GHz 6 Cores/12 Threads, 32GB, 512GB+128GB SSD > sold for $850 (1.15.16)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-Z420-Workstation-E5-1660v2-3-7GHz-6-Cores-12-Threads-32GB-512GB-128GB-SSD-/191777757628?hash=item2ca6d859bc%3Ag%3AJ6sAAOSwvt1WSQ4D&nma=true&si=DZm2ioN9uWGXn6%252FFb5nK3PBq8f8%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

This is similar to the system I use for modeling, with a Xeon E5-1660 v2 6-core @ 3.7 /4.0GHz, one of the highest clock speeds for any Xeon. that one is inexpensive enough that a Quadro M4000 (8GB) GPU could be added ($860) which has spectacular performance in Solidworks. I have two z420's and they are the quietest computers I've ever had. The M4000 is good enough that you could transfer it to your next system three or four years from now.

There will be no warranty with the "barebones" or used approach, but all the workstations I've used on the last seven years (Dell Precision 390, T5400, T5500, T3500 and HP z420 4-core and z420 6-core) have been either the "new other" or upgraded older generation and I've never had a single component failure.

Cheers,

BambiBoom

Modeling:

1. HP z420 (2015) > Xeon E5-1660 v2 (6-core @ 3.7 / 4.0GHz) > 32GB DDR3 1866 ECC RAM > Quadro K4200 (4GB) > 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 = 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)

Rendering:

2. Dell Precision T5500 (2011) (Revised) > 2X Xeon X5680 (6 -core @ 3.33 / 3.6GHz), 48GB DDR3 1333 ECC Reg. > Quadro K2200 (4GB ) > PERC H310 / Samsung 840 250GB / WD RE4 Enterprise 1TB > M-Audio 192 sound card > 875W PSU > Windows 7 Professional 64> HP 2711x (27", 1920 X 1080)
[ Passmark system rating = 3844 / CPU = 15047 / 2D= 662 / 3D= 3500 / Mem= 1785 / Disk= 2649] (12.30.15)

 

[USAFRet]

Soooo many things wrong with that cyberpower.

PSU - unknown make/model
PCI-E LAN card - Why? That is built into the motherboard
Not nearly enough drive space for this use
"Ultra Enhanced Packaging Solution" - really?
Why a WiFi adapter?
Not enough RAM for the stated use (IMHO)
Monitor? I have 2 of those. They are good, but for a pro workstation, I'd go with something else.

Bottom line, this is not an industrial design workstation, but rather a badly configured gaming PC. Throw in the shady warranty situation and business practices from Cyberpower, and this is a non-starter.

The other thing you didn't mention was all the rest you'll need for "an industrial design company". Servers, backup, etc, etc.

 

[g-unit1111]

For $2K for a GTX 950? You're getting ripped off there big time. A workstation rig should at least have a Xeon and a Fire Pro W series or Quaddro K series graphics card which can be easily done for the same price tag.

I would do something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1270 V5 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Universal 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X150-PLUS WS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($168.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($181.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($119.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: AMD FirePro W7000 4GB Video Card ($618.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($63.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro Full (32/64-bit) ($199.99 @ B&H)
Total: $1895.75
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-02 11:07 EST-0500

 

[miaelizabethd13]

Thanks all for the advice, appreciate it

 

[Darkbreeze]

No offense to the author, because while he has the appropriate intent, there is much that's questionable in there. Still, you've recieved the gist of the bottom line when it comes to prebuilt systems. I always, ALWAYS, advise, if you're going to buy a prebuilt system, get one from one of the manufacturers like Dell, HP, ASUS, etc., because they always support their products, rarely have quality assurance issues like custom building vendors do and often need little more than a better power supply and graphics card to become viable.

They'll lack the features offered by an aftermarket motherboard and case, but if you absolutely have to have it prebuilt, you've a much safer path that way and if it's not an enthusiast or gaming machine, it's doubtful you'll have to make many changes anyhow if you order what you really need from the start. If it's an enthusiast or gaming machine, build it yourself, period.

 

[miaelizabethd13]

For $2K for a GTX 950? You're getting ripped off there big time. A workstation rig should at least have a Xeon and a Fire Pro W series or Quaddro K series graphics card which can be easily done for the same price tag.

I would do something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1270 V5 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Universal 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X150-PLUS WS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($168.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($181.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($119.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: AMD FirePro W7000 4GB Video Card ($618.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($63.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro Full (32/64-bit) ($199.99 @ B&H)
Total: $1895.75
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-02 11:07 EST-0500

Why windows 10? I have literally heard nothing but terrible things about windows 10.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Then you must be reading old news. Windows 10, just like EVERY single Windows release, had a slew of troubles at the beginning, but there is no problem with it now. Aside from some overblown privacy issues, which are in reality not even nearly as intrusive as Google is with Android or Apple is with it's OS, Windows 10 is undoubtedly edging out Windows 8 in terms of reliability and stability.

The only real problem is a lack of support for some older hardware and applications, but that fault lies with the manufacturers/developers of those products since they refuse to develop Win10 drivers for products they consider to be End of Life (EOL), not any fault of Microsoft's. Plus, there are more and more game and application releases every month that are clearly stated to not be compatible with any version of Windows older than 10.

Going forward, I'm sure that's a trend that will continue and almost all hardware being developed and released now and in at least the next couple of years will be unlikely to support anything older than Windows 8. Most hardware manufacturers are indicating they'll only support drivers for Windows 10 and Linux going forward.

 

[miaelizabethd13]

Okay how does this look:
CPU
$334.95
Intel Xeon E3-1270 V3
CPU COOLER
$34.75 *
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
MOTHERBOARD
$325.00
Asus Sabertooth Z87
MEMORY
$134.99
G.Skill 32GB
STORAGE
$119.88
Western Digital 2TB 7200RPM
$84.88
Seagate 3TB 7200RPM
VIDEO CARD
$351.98 *
MSI GeForce GTX 970
CASE
$109.99
Corsair Vengeance C70 (Black)
POWER SUPPLY
$163.99
EVGA 1000W
OPERATING SYSTEM
$199.99
Windows 10 Pro Full (32/64-bit)
$1860.40
SUBTOTAL:
$25.00
* MAIL-IN REBATES:
$1835.40
TOTAL:

 

[Darkbreeze]

If you have the intellect required to run any kind of successful business, then you have the intellect required to assemble a PC, which any 13 can and generally does, do. I'd save the money and do it myself. If you are unable to do that, I suspect there will be problems in the days to come because assembling a PC is a heck of a lot easier than running a company.


For starters, that motherboard won't even work with that CPU. The list goes on when it comes to what is wrong with that build.


I'd do this instead, and it might actually work, at all, much less be more reliable and last a while.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1245 V5 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($289.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X150-PLUS WS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($168.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra II 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($129.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: HP FirePro W7100 8GB Video Card ($644.30 @ Mac Mall)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($98.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1723.11
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-04 14:55 EST-0500

 

[miaelizabethd13]

If you have the intellect required to run any kind of successful business, then you have the intellect required to assemble a PC, which any 13 can and generally does, do. I'd save the money and do it myself. If you are unable to do that, I suspect there will be problems in the days to come because assembling a PC is a heck of a lot easier than running a company.


For starters, that motherboard won't even work with that CPU. The list goes on when it comes to what is wrong with that build.


I'd do this instead, and it might actually work, at all, much less be more reliable and last a while.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1245 V5 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($289.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X150-PLUS WS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($168.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra II 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($129.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: HP FirePro W7100 8GB Video Card ($644.30 @ Mac Mall)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($98.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1723.11
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-04 14:55 EST-0500

Okay, thank you. How do I know which components will/will not work with other components?

 

[USAFRet]

Okay, thank you. How do I know which components will/will not work with other components?

Investigation, and asking us here.

 

[mjslakeridge]

Also, you can go to PCPartpicker.com and select compatibility check. But you are probably going to get the best advice and explanations right here on Tom's.

 

[miaelizabethd13]

Also, you can go to PCPartpicker.com and select compatibility check. But you are probably going to get the best advice and explanations right here on Tom's.

I did do the compatability check and it somehow left me with incompatible parts...

 

[miaelizabethd13]

Tried a bit harder this time, let me know what you think

Component Selection Base Promo Shipping Tax Price Where
CPU

Intel Xeon E3-1241 V3 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
$263.99 $263.99 SuperBiiz
Buy
CPU Cooler

Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler
$61.88 $61.88 OutletPC
Buy
Motherboard

Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
$139.99 $139.99 SuperBiiz
Buy
Memory

Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
$79.99 Free two-day shipping with Amazon Prime $79.99 Amazon
Buy
Add Additional Memory
Storage

Samsung 850 Pro Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive
$429.99 $429.99 NCIX US
Buy
Add Additional Storage
Video Card

EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card
$224.99 -$20.00 $204.99 NCIX US
Buy
$20.00 mail-in rebate
Add Another Video Card For 2-Way SLI
Case

Corsair Vengeance C70 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case
$109.99 FREE $109.99 Newegg
Buy
Power Supply

Corsair Professional 1200W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
$239.99 Free two-day shipping with Amazon Prime $239.99 Amazon
Buy
Optical Drive Choose An Optical Drive

 

[USAFRet]

Not enough drive space
I'd go with a 500GB SSD and 1 or 2 TB HDD

Too much PSU. Why 1200 watts?

For your use, I'd probably get more RAM. 32GB

Why the aftermarket cooler? It is good, but you're not doing any overclocking.


And....it seems you are buying this prebuilt? From where, for how much?

 

[miaelizabethd13]

I built it Using pcpartpicker. But as you can see I don't really know what I'm doing.

 

[USAFRet]

I built it Using pcpartpicker. But as you can see I don't really know what I'm doing.

The above parts list from darkbreeze is quite good.
People here have collective centuries worth of experience building these things. Individually, some have decades.

I urge you to avail yourself of their/our knowledge, especially for your first time, and for your business.

 

[kanewolf]

You need to look at the total cost also. Your software list is quite long. The total cost of LEGITIMATE copies of all that software will potentially dwarf your hardware costs.