That time again (Workstation-build)

[emer]

Fitting greetings for appropriate time and regions, I happen to be in the need of suggestions (and guidance) to build my next computer. Strange thing to find in a thread in these parts, no?

 

What I see in my dreams (and wallet's nightmares) is a stable (and quick) workhorse for hours on end spent in Photoshop and other applications in the Adobe Suite.

 

So, I'll do my best not to make a fool of myself, and structure my request after the sticky's suggestion.

- Budget: 8000 - 10000:- (that's up to about 1000€ or 1220$.)
- Zip Code or Location: Sweden (so no need for deal-hunting, really.)
- Specific Use: Photoshop and akin image editing software.
- Any preferred components?: Not really, silence over performance if concerned.
- Any spare parts you can re-use?: Case, hard drive(s), monitor and peripherals.
- Overclocking your processor?: Don't dare, consumer laws tricky and I prefer a stable machine.
- Need Another Component? (Specify): Nope, got my more specific components on hand already (DAC etc.)

Other Useful Info

- Number of Monitors: 2 at the moment, plans to to make it three (at least.)
- Other Info?: GPU; I don't need a gaming one, yet I am not certain something like a Quadro would be useful for a rig like this. Help?

 

As indicative of the thread, I do not possess a computer of my own at the moment, but I'll check in with my phone when able.

[dadasmithywinkle]

Here's my list. You're right about the GPU - if you're not gaming, a Quadro will be a much better choice for editing and rendering and for some reason there's a great deal on them currently. The Xeon is a great CPU - it has the prowess of an i7 for the price of an i5. You said that you already have a case, so I didnt include one of those. As for storage, I included an SSD for gnarly boot times. 

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rQc8mG

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rQc8mG/by_merchant/

 

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($242.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($61.99 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($81.99 @ Directron) 

Memory: Mushkin Blackline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($119.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($165.98 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: PNY Quadro 5000 2.5GB Video Card  ($509.25 @ Amazon) 

Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($24.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $1207.18

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-28 10:11 EST-0500

[MeepLikesToBuildPc's]

Are you going to use more than 10 bit colour? A quadro is needed for that

[Exp]

First, let me preface this with a disclaimer: I'm a bit new to the PC building world, so I may not be considering some things, or I may be assigning too much weight to something that doesn't matter at all! Anyone is free to edit these builds if they think it would be a better fit (although please tell me what changes you'd make and why, as I'd like to learn).

 

For workstation PCs, especially those for photo editing, I'd recommend getting a good amount of RAM (8-16GB), a decent enough CPU (I'd say at least an i3, i5+ would be ideal), and enough storage to store all the photos you accumulate over time (maybe around 1-2TB would be alright for a good while, along with an SSD for speedy boot times). I'm not too certain about the Quadro, as I'd always be little reluctant to spend that much on a workstation GPU. It should allow you to edit in really high resolutions though, if that's what you're after, but that might depend on your monitors. I don't think you absolutely need to spend $1200 on it, and I could come up with some sufficient (as long as you're not doing high-resolution photo editing) options for around $650, if you'd like.

 

I've made 2 lists for this one. The first list seems a bit unorthodox, and may be a bit overboard. The CPU is about the best one you can get for the price, but it may not be worthwhile if you're not planning on OCing. The list has 16GB of DDR4 RAM, which may also be a bit much, especially if it's only for lighter workstation use. I'll admit, it does seem to be a bit of an unbalanced build between the CPU and GPU, but I don't know if you'd need a top of the line GPU for basic photo editing.

 

Build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CxPZHx

Part breakdown:

Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($346.50 at Directron, or $299.99 at MicroCenter with in-store pickup)

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.75 at OutletPC)

Gigabyte GA-X99-UD4 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($251.90 at SuperBiiz)

Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($230.98 at Newegg)

Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($119.99 at Newegg)

Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 4GB Dual-X Video Card ($177.99 at SuperBiiz)

SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 at Amazon)

Total after discounts and rebates: $1211.10

 

The second list is a bit more well-rounded, and doesn't max out your budget, with the obvious performance sacrifice. You can always replace this GPU with the Quadro, if need be. Other than the Quadro, I don't think it would really be a great idea, if you're not planning on gaming or video editing, to spend the extra money on a better GPU like the GTX 970 or 980. You also shouldn't need the i7 4790K, if you're not planning on OCing.

 

Build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PKdZHx

Part breakdown:

Intel Core i7-4790 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($286.88 at OutletPC)

Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($126.98 at Newegg)

G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($117.00 at Newegg)

Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($119.99 at Newegg)

PowerColor Radeon R9 280X 3GB TurboDuo Video Card ($234.99 at Newegg)

EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 at Newegg)

Total after discounts and rebates: $965.83

 

The way I see it, there are many "right" ways to go about this build, but if your budget is tight, I wouldn't spend $1200 if you don't have to. Again, just let me know if you'd like to see any cheaper options. Also, both builds should be enough to support 3-4 monitors. They both need the case, hard disk, and monitors you have though.

 - Exp

[emer]

Whoa, thanks so much for the quick replies. Will try and shape up a worthy one myself via my tablet.

(...) For workstation PCs, especially those for photo editing (...) 

I've made 2 lists for this one. (...)

 Thanks for the two lists, I'm so happy you took the time to make an alternative!

Here's my list. You're right about the GPU - if you're not gaming, a Quadro will be a much better choice for editing and rendering and for some reason there's a great deal on them currently.(...)

Thanks to you as well for this list!

Maybe I ought to have clarified that I already own an SSD and a raptor drive from a previous build, to save (a few pennies, especially as they're getting cheaper) time to include them in the list.

I have read up a little about xeons, and noticed a few decently priced ones here in Sweden. Seems it begs for a closer look.

However, I'm still not entirely sold on Quadro, mainly because I'd have little use of its specialised rendering features, which would serve me little.

And...

Are you going to use more than 10 bit colour? A quadro is needed for that

My current monitor (a Dell U3014) is reported to handle up to 10 bit, and very few monitors (even accounting my particular fancy for colour reproduction causing very loose restraints on my wallet) can handle beyond that, ensuring reasons to acquire a Quadro holds little merit.

Regardless, I will spend tomorrow reading through your lists more closely and also tailor them to the supply and prices ruling here.

[dadasmithywinkle]

Whoa, thanks so much for the quick replies. Will try and shape up a worthy one myself via my tablet.

 Thanks for the two lists, I'm so happy you took the time to make an alternative!

Thanks to you as well for this list!

Maybe I ought to have clarified that I already own an SSD and a raptor drive from a previous build, to save (a few pennies, especially as they're getting cheaper) time to include them in the list.

I have read up a little about xeons, and noticed a few decently priced ones here in Sweden. Seems it begs for a closer look.

However, I'm still not entirely sold on Quadro, mainly because I'd have little use of its specialised rendering features, which would serve me little.

And...

My current monitor (a Dell U3014) is reported to handle up to 10 bit, and very few monitors (even accounting my particular fancy for colour reproduction causing very loose restraints on my wallet) can handle beyond that, ensuring reasons to acquire a Quadro holds little merit.

Regardless, I will spend tomorrow reading through your lists more closely and also tailor them to the supply and prices ruling here.

If a quadro isn't winning you over, then get a GTX 960/970. Many editing suites use CUDA acceleration and can take advantage of normal GeForce cards.

[Exp]

 Thanks for the two lists, I'm so happy you took the time to make an alternative!

 

No problem! Glad I can help! Let me know if you'd like a cheaper alternative as well. A good amount of the expense for photo editing PCs comes from the monitors and any SSDs, so you can probably spend less than the $1200 on the other components. The second of my lists is probably a more reasonable high-end build, whereas the first has some really (perhaps too much so) high-end parts, which may not make it a "balanced" system. Something in the $650-$850 range should be more on the middle range of these types of PCs (although a PC in that range may not run 3+ monitors as well), and any less than that could still probably run Photoshop itself alright, just not at the same time as many other applications. Here are Photoshop CC 2014's minimum system requirements for Windows (all 3 lists exceed these):

• Intel® Pentium® 4 or AMD Athlon® 64 processor (2 GHz or faster)
• Microsoft® Windows® 7 with Service Pack 1, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1
• 2 GB of RAM (8 GB recommended)
• 2 GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on removable flash storage devices)
• 1024x768 display (1280x800 recommended) with 16-bit color and 512 MB of VRAM (1 GB recommended)**
• OpenGL 2.0–capable system
• Internet connection and registration are necessary for required software activation, validation of subscriptions, and access to online services.*

Another thing to consider is the operating system you'd be using, and if that is part of the $1200 budget. Windows is always good, but they cost around $100, and would probably need an antivirus (if you plan on web browsing). Alternatives would also be Linux or a Hackintosh (I don't have any experience with Hackintoshs, but I know they are against Apple's TOS and require very specific parts). I don't have too much experience with Linux, but I use Linux Mint on my secondary PC, and I find it to be a bit more polished than Windows. The downsides would be applications' compatibility (but there are many free, open-source alternatives like Gimp and LibreOffice) and ease of use (Linux Mint is pretty intuitive, though). Gimp in particular isn't as extensive or intuitive as Photoshop, but it could save you a couple bucks. I think Linux is worth considering, and I could try to answer questions you might have about the OS.

 

 

If a quadro isn't winning you over, then get a GTX 960/970. Many editing suites use CUDA acceleration and can take advantage of normal GeForce cards.

 

That's a very good point! I still think the R9 270X and 280X cards I listed would perform well, but going the Nvidia route should be better. I revised my second list with this in mind, and there's still room for a $100 Windows OS, if that's the direction you'd want to go in. I'm not sure how big your SSD and Raptor drive are, so I included a 2TB Seagate Barracuda HDD, just in case. That can be removed, if you have enough storage space already.

 

Build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Px6GwP

Differences:

Swapped out the 280X with: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($349.99 at Amazon)

Swapped out the SSD with: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($75.65 at OutletPC)

Total after discounts and mail-in rebates: $1036.49

 - Exp

[dadasmithywinkle]

That's a very good point! I still think the R9 270X and 280X cards I listed would perform well, but going the Nvidia route should be better. I revised my second list with this in mind, and there's still room for a $100 Windows OS, if that's the direction you'd want to go in. I'm not sure how big your SSD and Raptor drive are, so I included a 2TB Seagate Barracuda HDD, just in case. That can be removed, if you have enough storage space already.

 

Build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Px6GwP

Differences:

Swapped out the 280X with: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($349.99 at Amazon)

Swapped out the SSD with: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($75.65 at OutletPC)

Total after discounts and mail-in rebates: $1036.49

 - Exp

Make one more change - go with a Xeon E3-1230v3. It's price of an i5 with the power of an i7. 

[Exp]

Make one more change - go with a Xeon E3-1230v3. It's price of an i5 with the power of an i7. 

I'm not too familiar with the Xeons, but from the quick research I've done on the i7 4790 and the Xeon E3-1230v3, I can tell that the Xeon is definitely a better cost/performance model. However, the i7 4790 seems to score a little bit better on benchmarks. If there is room in the budget, I'd still say go with the i7, but if you'd like to save the $50 without too much of a performance decrease, the Xeon is a great option!

[wpan2002]

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/hgZVHx

 

Great Little Bit Overbut say cool good for Direct X 12 strong and can do CUDA also 32GB of RAM

 

AMD 8-Core CPU 4.7 GHZ No Overclock needed

 

GTX 980 great people like Nvidia ...

[emer]

If a quadro isn't winning you over, then get a GTX 960/970. Many editing suites use CUDA acceleration and can take advantage of normal GeForce cards.

Yes, I read a few articles about how CS6 (which is what I got license for) can make use of CUDA for accelerating. The cost to performance ratio compared between Quadro and geforce card is clearly to the geforce's advantage.

 

No problem! Glad I can help! Let me know if you'd like a cheaper alternative as well. (...)

 - Exp

Sweet, I will most likely keep running CS6 (as noted above) and OS is not needed to be accounted for (got licenses there as well.)

 

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/hgZVHx

 

Great Little Bit Overbut say cool good for Direct X 12 strong and can do CUDA also 32GB of RAM

 

AMD 8-Core CPU 4.7 GHZ No Overclock needed

 

GTX 980 great people like Nvidia ...

Ah, the first AMD-build, thank you very much.

Sadly, going 32GB straight away kills my budget (that is to say, DDR4 is quite expensive here still.)

 

Still, to summarize, X99 and thus DDR4 is the (most popular) way to go. Major question that remains is whether I'll go Xeon or i7. Knowing Xeon is targeted for perhaps a clientèle a step or so above my head is only good - it gives me room to grow.

[Exp]

Still, to summarize, X99 and thus DDR4 is the (most popular) way to go. Major question that remains is whether I'll go Xeon or i7. Knowing Xeon is targeted for perhaps a clientèle a step or so above my head is only good - it gives me room to grow

Xeons are server and workstation-grade hardware, so you can't really go wrong with it in this case. They work exceptionally well with more than 1 processor (as in servers), and can take advantage of the cache and cores of the other CPUs. I don't know how well they work when they're the only CPU, but I'd imagine it's similar to the i7s, like dadasmithywinkle was saying. The i7 has integrated graphics, but it looks like you'll be getting a dedicated GPU anyway, so that shouldn't matter too much. The Xeon E3-1230v3 and the i7 4790 both have hyperthreading, which is a definite plus. The i7 is more consumer-grade hardware, so it may work better when it's the only CPU, but they both should do the job easily. Here's a link to the CPU benchmark chart I use, if it helps you make the decision: link.

 

About the X99 and DDR4, here's my attempt at a more "balanced" build with those things, but it's difficult to fit all the cutting-edge hardware in the budget. The list fits, just barely, in the budget without the HDD. I'm not sure if the i7 5820K would be worthwhile if you're not going to overclock it. Regardless, this is probably the most your budget can handle, considering the case, monitor, peripherals, and storage are taken care of. It's also worth keeping in mind the recently surfaced memory problems with the GTX 970. There should be a driver update that fixes it though, if I understand correctly. It still should be one of the better cards for the price.

 

Build: http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/

Part breakdown:

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($346.50 at Directron)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.75 at OutletPC)

Motherboard: ASRock X99 Extreme4 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($176.98 at Newegg)

Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($188.99 at SuperBiiz)

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($349.99 at B&H)

PSU: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 at Newegg)

Total after rebates and discounts: $1141.20

 

I hope I'm not giving you too much to think about. I think regardless of which build you choose, it will be able to handle most things you throw at it!

 - Exp

[emer]

So, I have now on my own compiled a list of parts (that given access and cost) fit my budget and requirements:

 

CPU: Intel Xeon E5-1620 V3 3.5GHz
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Advanced C1
Motherboard: MSI X99S SLI
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (4 x 4GB) (DDR4 PC21300/2666MHz)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 960 2GB
Power Supply: Corsair RM 850W
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS30

 

Reasoning:

X99 to make it future-proof, that meant DDR4 which sadly is about 30-55% more expensive here than elsewhere.

I went Xeon, as there's more of them than i7 for X99 over here, better prices as well.

The board, because of 8 ram slots (for future upgrade to 32gb out of 128gb max.) Sadly it doesn't do ECC, but with no plans for server-operations, I find it of little concern.

CPU cooler because it's quiet, and from what I have read, performs well.

Memory, 2666MHz because when I do upgrade, I'd like to focus on mainly quantity. So set the bar somewhat high.

GPU, for once Swedish prices did not differ much from the American ones. It's in the range of what I need and can afford.

PSU, I went a little over-board, but with a stack of HDDs (7 of them) and with a former storage capacity of little over 12TB, I find it a safe choice. Also a fan of Corsair PSUs.

Optical drive, I actually need BD as I own several movies (yes, in physical form) and an even cheaper DVD reader wouldn't be of use.

 

I own monitors already, as well as OS, SSD and peripherals. (Just to clarify.)

 

What I'd love now is input only in regard to performance.

Based on the prices automatically generated by pcpartpicker, I'm saddened by the vast gap that is the American prices and the Swedish ones (to the advantage of American prices.)

 

So, purely based on performance, what could be swapped? Prices can not be trusted outright, but all suggestions are welcome.

 

PS.

All in all, my own shopping list ended at 12 273:- total (which is 1,483.68$.)

[Exp]

Oh wow. I didn't realize how expensive parts were over there. If you have a friend in America, I wonder if it's cheaper to have them order it, then ship it to you. Flat-rate shipping is pretty cheap, and from America to Sweeden, it's around $70 for a large or medium box. Maybe sites like eBay are an option as well (although you obviously have to be careful with that).

 

In terms of performance, it should do quite well. My concern is that the Intel Xeon E5-1620 V3 3.5GHz scored worse (not by too much) than the Intel Xeon E5-1620 V2 3.7GHz on the benchmark I use (link). The only thing I can think of is that the V3 can fit in a X99's LGA2011-3 slot, whereas the V2 only fits in a LGA2011 socket. In this case, I'd say although the V2 may perform better, the V3 is a better fit, as it fits in the LGA2011-3 slot (and therefore should be easier to upgrade parts in the future). I honestly like the i7 5820K better (it scores over 3,000 points higher in the benchmarks), in terms of performance, and although it's only $20 more expensive here ($346.50), it may be significantly more expensive in Sweden. I should also mention that the AMD FX-9590 is at $30 below (where I live) the price of the Xeon and scores about 1000 points higher than it. I haven't heard overwhelmingly positive things about it, and I don't know too much about it myself, but it may be a decent option. The "clincher" may be the motherboards that are compatible, as they use the AM3+ socket and DDR3 RAM, which may not be as "future-proof" as the LGA2011-3.

 

The X99 chip is a good choice. I don't know much about the differences between motherboard brands, but it sounds like you have a lot of room for expansion.

 

The CPU cooler seems to be really quiet. Although CPU coolers are generally under 30dbA (about the sound of a library), this one is around 6-18dbA, which is very quiet in relation to other coolers. Good choice there, as long as it's not too expensive. I don't know if your Xeon really needs the cooler, as I believe they typically run pretty low on temps, and you're not planning on OCing it. I'm not sure, but the stock cooler may be enough. It probably wouldn't be as quiet, though.

 

RAM seems good to me. I would usually suggest a 2x8GB set instead of the 4x4GB set, but the motherboard supports quad-channel memory, so you should be good there as well. It's good that you didn't cut corners when it came to this component, as it's very important to your type of build.

 

Video card should be alright. It should provide the CUDA acceleration to any programs that could use it, and it's one of the best cards for that price anyway. It only has 2GB of VRAM, but it should still be able to run what you need alright.

 

Good PSU brand and power, as it allows for future expansion, if needed.

 

In terms of optical drives, I like the LG WH16NS40, as it allows for the writing of Blu-Ray Discs, but it's worth noting that it costs $20 more than the one you listed. If that's not of interest to you, then what you have seems good.

 

So aside from the i7 (and it sounds like the i7 is too expensive where you are), it seems like you have a really solid build. Again, it should have no problem running what you need. As long as you're sure that everything is compatible, then I give it my stamp of approval! Good luck on the build!

 - Exp

[wpan2002]

Whoa, thanks so much for the quick replies. Will try and shape up a worthy one myself via my tablet.

 Thanks for the two lists, I'm so happy you took the time to make an alternative!

Thanks to you as well for this list!

Maybe I ought to have clarified that I already own an SSD and a raptor drive from a previous build, to save (a few pennies, especially as they're getting cheaper) time to include them in the list.

I have read up a little about xeons, and noticed a few decently priced ones here in Sweden. Seems it begs for a closer look.

However, I'm still not entirely sold on Quadro, mainly because I'd have little use of its specialised rendering features, which would serve me little.

And...

My current monitor (a Dell U3014) is reported to handle up to 10 bit, and very few monitors (even accounting my particular fancy for colour reproduction causing very loose restraints on my wallet) can handle beyond that, ensuring reasons to acquire a Quadro holds little merit.

Regardless, I will spend tomorrow reading through your lists more closely and also tailor them to the supply and prices ruling here.

But its a little over but more RAM Mean if you multi-task like me while editing that is a good help 

But if you are really on a budget go down to duel channel DDR3 16GB of RAM

 

DDR4 Is Expensive and Popular but requires you for you upgrading alot but alittle over its ok dont bother just get it i can promise you in the long term it will be worth it and 

also WTF Why Would you Spend like $300 [uSD] for a MotherBoard that is just supporting DDR4 and X99 ??? and why would you spend $500 on a CPU Why would you spend like $600 on 8GB of RAM or 16GB forgot price so its great you can OVERCLOCK the DDR3 Ram and there will not be alot of diffrents