New build for around $1000

[dmcfc]

Approximate Purchase Date: this month

Budget Range: Around U$1000 could be more if really necessary - before rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: architecture programs, photoshop

Are you buying a monitor: No

Do you need to buy OS: No

Location: Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Although, I will be able to buy the parts in the US on the next couple weeks, so pricing and links to websites like newegg are useful.

Parts Preferences: Intel

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: I'm building this computer for my sister, she's an architect and will only use this computer for lumion, archicad, autocad, photoshop, revit. I'm into gaming and don't know exactly what her computer will need the most; that's why I'm asking for help. Also I've been out of this computer building world for a couple years.

 

[dmcfc]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/cJq2Bm

I'd like to get some feedback on this components I'm looking at and how that build would turn out..

 

[zeyuanfu]

This would probably the best you can get for around 960$ with room for shipping:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($252.29 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($67.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Vulcan ORANGE 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($135.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.49 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($349.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $966.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-16 19:34 EST-0500

 

[dmcfc]

How is a desktop CPU(like i7) usage for those kind of applications compared to a server one(xeon)? Aren't those programs more memory and cpu hungry then gpu? Is it worth spending that much for the video card in this scenario ?

 

[zeyuanfu]

A ''server'' CPU is actually a workstation CPU. Essentially, any Xeon (except for a few, like the E3-1240V3) is like a locked Core i7 without the integrated graphics, so they perform the same while running cooler and draw less power. They're also cheaper. For example, the Xeon E3-1231V3 costs 50$ less than an i7-4790 (I think).
The GPU can be used to accelerate editing/rendering programs (although the 970 isn't fully supported as an acceleration device yet) and the 970 is a future-proof card that will keep you going for at least 3-5 years.

 

[dmcfc]

Oh i see..just like the phenom ii x3 720 was a locked x4 955 at it's time..it's been a while since i've looked up this stuff. Now that you pointed it up I actually really liked the suggestion. thanks! one last question, how close will the power consumption get to the limitis of the psu you chose? Should I get a more powerful one just to be safe?

 

[zeyuanfu]

If you're not SLIing, you should be okay until the PSU breaks.