Starter Workstation Build

[Jason Werthman]

Building a PC to run 3D modeling programs like solidworks, did my research and came up with this,
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/3F3mqk
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/3F3mqk/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Best Buy)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-E/USB3.1 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($60.74 @ Amazon)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PNY Quadro K2200 4GB Video Card ($359.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($85.95 @ Amazon)
Total: $1059.61

Anyone out there more knowledgeable than me have some input on parts here? Looked into the quadro cards as best I can and the K2200 was verified/certified on the solidworks website, I think I could cut the cost down a bit by going with a 2GB version that was also certified but using a card with only 2 gigs of VRAM in this day seems wrong... Thanks in advance for any responses.

 

[13thmonkey]

please don't get a CX PSU. they won't go the distance on high loads.

 

[Jason Werthman]

What would you suggest using? The estimated wattage is only 251, did not know Corsair had PSU issues.

 

[Mr Kagouris]

It's not brand or wattage that's the issue, it's the PSU itself. Corsair makes some really good PSUs, and some not-so-good ones. A CX is a really good cheap replacement for a dead PSU in an office PC or some such use, but not for workstations or gaming rigs.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-E/USB3.1 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($122.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($60.74 @ Amazon)
Storage: OCZ TRION 150 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($39.95 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PNY Quadro K2200 4GB Video Card ($359.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($58.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($85.95 @ Amazon)
Total: $1068.58

Xeon offers hyperthreading, you'll get much better performance with it.

Adata SP550 SSDs aren't particularly good (the random reads and response times are quite horrendous), you'll be much better served by an OCZ Trion 150 which doesn't cost that much more.

 

[13thmonkey]

What would you suggest using? The estimated wattage is only 251, did not know Corsair had PSU issues.

Because it could be running full speed for hours on end, I'm concerned about the CX, OK for browsing, not so good under load. Look at the PSU sticky under the components section, and pick tier 3 or better. You can't go wrong with a seasonic though.

 

[13thmonkey]

It's not brand or wattage that's the issue, it's the PSU itself. Corsair makes some really good PSUs, and some not-so-good ones. A CX is a really good cheap replacement for a dead PSU in an office PC or some such use, but not for workstations or gaming rigs.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-E/USB3.1 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($122.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($60.74 @ Amazon)
Storage: OCZ TRION 150 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($39.95 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PNY Quadro K2200 4GB Video Card ($359.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($58.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($85.95 @ Amazon)
Total: $1068.58

Xeon offers hyperthreading, you'll get much better performance with it.

Adata SP550 SSDs aren't particularly good (the random reads and response times are quite horrendous), you'll be much better served by an OCZ Trion 150 which doesn't cost that much more.

What he said

 

[Jason Werthman]

Thank you, probably going with that, the Xeon is probably a much better choice for the work load, did not know those existed in this price range.

Editing this here, does that Xeon come with a CPU cooler and is it reasonably quiet or is it the turbo jet stock style?

 

[Mr Kagouris]

Well, it's the Intel stock cooler on an 80W TDP chip, so might be a good idea to throw in any kind of aftermarket cooler in there as well if you want to spend the money

The E3 Xeons aren't like their E5 cousins which are the multi-core beasts you probably know. The E3s are basically i7s without an integrated graphics chip but with ECC RAM support. They can save you some money compared to an i7, and they are popular for lower-end machines (keep in mind that "low end" is very different for workstations than it is for regular or gaming PCs) that must not fail because they still get ECC RAM support.

The cheaper E3 Xeons unfortunately don't even have hyperthreading (model 1230 or higher features hyperthreading) though.

 

[Jason Werthman]

Awesome, thanks. Will probably have those parts ordered in a couple days.