Question Fastest non-gaming business build

[sjpdallas]

Hi all!

I'm looking for input on a build. There are too many resources available and my fear is I've missed the obvious place to look.

As per the sticky post:

* The system is for a FAST business build.
* I only need the chassis. No monitors/keyboard/mouse/etc.
* I would love to copy a build that has already been shown to work well.
* I'm open to a pre-built, but I find that many focus on gaming.
* I want almost instantaneous response from:
* window moves (IMHO, only need a reasonable graphics card... no gaming)
* fast application open/close (Fast disk and RAM)
* fast disk operations (fast disk)
* fast with many business apps open simultaneously (Word/Excel/Browsers)
* Should be extremely fast now --> acceptably fast in 3 years)

* Specifically:
* This is NOT a gaming computer
* No RGB
* Smaller rather than larger case (given cooling below)
* Quiet and cool and reliable (may mean larger case)
* Fastest base level components preferred
* NVME PCIe 4 SSD (along with components that will support that)
* Fastest ram support at default speed (I think DDR4-3200)
* Intel CPU with fast single thread performance
* Better single threaded performance vs than many threads
* Mobo that supports this.
* High quality power supply (open to gold/plat)
* Will need to be able to drive 3 monitors:
* two are business class dell monitors (not extreme resolution)
* One is a larger 1080p high def tv on the wall
* Open to 4K in the future with upgraded monitors

* The max budget is $2500, but I think that is high.

* I will be getting two to three of the same system soon.

* I'm in the US and would be purchasing the items in the US with USD.

* Brand Preference is Intel CPU. Not sure how Ryzen single thread performs.

* I like Samsung SSDs, but not married to them.

* I WILL NOT planning on overclocking. I need stable/cool/quiet out of the box.

* Would prefer standard cooling vs water cooling. Thoughts?

* It will run Windows 10 Pro / Windows 11. I'll need to purchase.

I've found these components, but would like recommendations on completing the system.

Gigabyte Z590 AORUS Elite AX
Patriot Viper Steel DDR4-4400 (2 x 8GB)
Intel i7-11700K
Samsung 980 Pro (2 TB)
Graphics to support three monitors (need help here)
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8GB
Other... remember snappy window drags but non-gaming.

Need recommendations on:
Cooling
chassis
power

Open to a complete rethink of all components as long as they provide the fast PCIe 4.0/RAM/single-thread performance.

Anybody know of a pre-built that focuses on FAST non-gaming business (but not AutoCAD workstation)?

Anybody know of an custom build (that I can copy) that is known to work well?

Thanks in advance,

- Steve

 

[OlyAR15]

What, exactly, do you mean by fast business computer? If all you are running are MS Office or similar programs, any recent PC can run those just fine. Maybe list your current PC specs and explain how it is not currently meeting your needs. Otherwise, any PC, even laptops, are fast business computers. Unless you are doing something more specialized like video editing, 3D rendering, or large image manipulation, or are planning on designing the next space shuttle, I'm not sure why any of the basic desktops you can buy won't fit your needs.

 

[sjpdallas]

What, exactly, do you mean by fast business computer? If all you are running are MS Office or similar programs, any recent PC can run those just fine. Maybe list your current PC specs and explain how it is not currently meeting your needs. Otherwise, any PC, even laptops, are fast business computers. Unless you are doing something more specialized like video editing, 3D rendering, or large image manipulation, or are planning on designing the next space shuttle, I'm not sure why any of the basic desktops you can buy won't fit your needs.

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I do appreciate this. I'm not really up for a debate on what I need vs what I want. Ford makes a Fiesta, Chevy makes a Corvette, and McLaren makes a 765LT Spider. All are fast enough to get from point A to Point B in heavy traffic. However, there is a set of people who are willing to get the McLaren. I tried to give a good list of what I wanted. I'm trying to design a Corvette business desktop (I don't want the McLaren version). I want features that I've not found in the Dell/HP/Lenovo camp. In particular, FAST single threaded performance, PCIe 4.0 through and through (including NVMe SSD), Fastest non-overclocked dual rank RAM, USB 3.2 (USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 ) ports, etc all for DYI price. It is what i WANT, not what I need.

 

[OlyAR15]

So, why bother asking? Just buy whatever you like. It's not like it will make any difference.

 

[sjpdallas]

I seem to have offended you in some manner.

I am not the expert on the absolute latest gen of items. Builds can get tricky. That is why I asked questions and mentioned that I am open to other hardware approaches. I was hoping to get advise on Cooling/Power/Chassis. I also mentioned that I'm open to rethinking my selections if a better build could be designed.

I thought I was very clear in my write up. I'm unclear on why I have to explain why I want this. I'd just like to design the best system that I can reasonably build and I wanted input from those who know more than me. Why do you need justification on why I wish to build versus buy an HP/Dell? I just like building my computers. If I am going to build a system, i wish to solicit the advise of folks who know more than me. This is what I WANT to do.

I have apparently posted in the wrong group.

 

[OlyAR15]

That's because you completely misconstrued the intent of my post. I never asked you to justify why you wanted a fast PC. I was merely trying to figure out if there was something that you were running beyond the normal office apps that might need specific hardware. Because office type apps don't require significant computing powers these days. That is why there aren't a lot of pre-builds focusing on office PCs: Everything is a fast office PC, even laptops.

To continue with the car analogy: You want a Corvette even though you are planning on driving at the speed limit. Then you start asking about upgrading the brakes and the suspension and the engine for better performance. My answer would be the same: it doesn't matter what you add because you will never drive the car hard enough for the upgrades to make a difference. Same here: It really doesn't matter what cooling or case you get, because your CPU and GPU will never be stressed enough to get much beyond idle.

 

[UsandThem]

Just when I thought I'd seen all of the different kind of builds over 20 years here, I have to say this whole potential build for Word, Excel, and browsing is definitely a first for me.

Pricier DDR4-4400 RAM set only to run to at maximum DDR4-3200 speeds?
Water cooling to run Word, Excel, and some internet browsing?
A $1k GPU just to power a few monitors at 1080P?

A $400 prebuilt (as long as it had a decent SSD and at least 8GB of RAM) would provide the same real-world performance as this projected $2500 build. I mean it's your money, but it seems like such a waste to me.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

A $400 prebuilt (as long as it had a decent SSD and at least 8GB of RAM) would provide the same real-world performance as this projected $2500 build. I mean it's your money, but it seems like such a waste to me.

Agree.

If you -had- to spec out a completely overkill custom office PC as a thought experiment, I think I'd do a Ryzen 5700G-based build. With a decent tower cooler for minimum noise. I'd bump to 16GB of memory since RAM is so cheap, and likely to get even cheaper. Probably use an ASUS Pro B550M-C/CSM for the dual DisplayPorts. Your choice of case and PSU. Coupled with a 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD such a system should handle everything up to and including 4K video editing no problem.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Agree.

If you -had- to spec out a completely overkill custom office PC as a thought experiment, I think I'd do a Ryzen 5700G-based build. With a decent tower cooler for minimum noise. I'd bump to 16GB of memory since RAM is so cheap, and likely to get even cheaper. Probably use an ASUS Pro B550M-C/CSM for the dual DisplayPorts. Your choice of case and PSU. Coupled with a 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD such a system should handle everything up to and including 4K video editing no problem.

5700G is PCIe 3.0 though.

As to the build: Ryzen 5900X+X570S+GTX 1650+ 32GB 3600 would be my pick.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

5700G is PCIe 3.0 though.

Keep forgetting that.

 

[UsandThem]

As to the build: Ryzen 5900X+X570S+GTX 1650+ 32GB 3600 would be my pick.

Now a entry level CPU like the Ryzen 5900X would be good when using a program like Word, Excel would need the extra push of a 12900K and storage like Intel's Optane 905P, as Excel is known to be a lot more demanding with all of those taxing formulas.

I'm still undecided on what CPU would be the best for internet browsing though..........maybe a Ryzen 5950X would be enough?

 

[mikeymikec]

A $400 prebuilt (as long as it had a decent SSD and at least 8GB of RAM) would provide the same real-world performance as this projected $2500 build. I mean it's your money, but it seems like such a waste to me.

Depending on how important uptime is, I'd be inclined to RAID1 a couple of low-capacity, decent quality SSDs just in case (which would need a better mobo so H570 chipset), but yeah even a 10-series i3 is kinda overkill for standard office apps usage.

 

[UsandThem]

Depending on how important uptime is, I'd be inclined to RAID1 a couple of low-capacity, decent quality SSDs just in case (which would need a better mobo so H570 chipset), but yeah even a 10-series i3 is kinda overkill for standard office apps usage.

But an i3 CPU isn't the "fastest non-gaming business build" is it?

* I will be getting two to three of the same system soon.

I just noticed this line. Hopefully this user isn't the "IT department" of a small company, telling the owners that Bethel, Ruth, and Margaret all need water cooled Threadripper builds for Word and Excel.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

I just noticed this line. Hopefully this user isn't the "IT department" of a small company, telling the owners that Bethel, Ruth, and Margaret all need water cooled Threadripper builds for Word and Excel.

You need Epyc for Excel at least. Not less then 64C/128T will do. Accompanied by 2TB RAM...

...I'm only half kidding...

 

[DAPUNISHER]

This thread feels like Intel stealth marketing. 1 post in 5yrs, shows up wanting the best IPC/single thread, but then pimps Intel. For office work no less. Isn't that the lame tactic Intel used for benchmarks because they were getting bodied in all the usual stuff like Cinebench? I guess Cinebench will matter again now that 12th looks to be good at it. Hint: Gonna need some serious cooling to juice that 11700K for "fastest single thread performance" while staying cool and quiet. Which ironically, was an AMD thing spelled Cool'n'Quiet. And the Better single threaded performance vs than many threads = LULZ. AMD has that too. You have to toss that cool and quiet friendly, performance per watt, out the window, to even be competitive in most workloads.

I consider it mental gymnastics, to go 11th gen Intel i7 or i9. Also, I am the Russian judge, and you ain't Russian. I will elaborate (no one asked, but I go on) 11700K is functionally all the platform has in it. Or you could be smarter an buy 10th gen. Where as AM4 is STILL not dead, since the new 3D cache version is coming. But yeah man, build on a power hungry, dead socket, that is the worst flagship launch in ages. If you are a heavy overclocker that digs it, cool, more power to you (See what I did there?) It's like a hotrod, gas mileage means nothing for those cats.

Micron says DDR5 will be a 50-60 percent markup, and the leaked pricing for 12th gen is high. The boards are looking expensive too. Going to be terrible bang for buck me thinks. Going DDR4 with 12th seems like a another bad value. But we will have to see how well it does with fast DDR4 v whatever 5 specs we end up seeing it tested against.

Good news is, we should be able to grab used Z590 boards for cheap here soon. Since you have to shed boards like a winter coat with Intel.

 

[UsandThem]

I'm not sure if it's a shill post based on what I've seen, so right now I would just classify it as one of the more bizarre "build my PC" ideas I've seen in a while.

Basically their computer use scenario could easily run on dual core Atom potato with a SSD, so it's unusual to read what they already concluded is necessary to be "fast".

I've seen posts where users are building/buying a budget computer for their older family members to use for things like internet, Word, and Excel, and none of them declared DDR4-4400, an Intel 11700k, PCIe 4.0 SSDs, a $1k GPU, and water cooling was necessary.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I've seen posts where users are building/buying a budget computer for their older family members to use for things like internet, Word, and Excel, and none of them declared DDR4-4400, an Intel 11700k, PCIe 4.0 SSDs, a $1k GPU, and water cooling was necessary.

 

[OlyAR15]

Basically their computer use scenario could easily run on dual core Atom potato with a SSD, so it's unusual to read what they already concluded is necessary to be "fast".

That's why I asked him to list the specs of his current system. I suspect he's coming from a really old system. The fact that one of his criteria is fast window moves suggests that his system is ancient. 2D graphics speed has been a non-issue for years, even with iGPUs. In fact, I can't even remember the last time I read a graphics card review where they bothered to test 2D graphics. It seems that the OP is completely unaware of recent hardware.

 

[burninatortech4]

Anything Intel Gen 11 (i7) and above, 32GB of fast, low latency ram, and an Nvidia t600 or similar should be fine.

How about this?

CPU: Intel Core i9-11700K 3.6 GHz 10-Core Processor ($349.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z590M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL14 Memory ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($371.93 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define Mini C TG MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($113.21 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Silverstone Strider Platinum 850 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($164.99 @ Amazon)
GPU: VCNT600-PB, Graphic Card, NVIDIA Quadro T600 Retail Box ($319.99 @ Amazon)

Total: $1714.99


Checks most of your boxes (no RGB, fast single thread, quiet, expandability while staying small, overkill PSU for future expansion).

 

[Arkaign]

Anything Intel Gen 11 (i7) and above, 32GB of fast, low latency ram, and an Nvidia t600 or similar should be fine.

How about this?

CPU: Intel Core i9-11700K 3.6 GHz 10-Core Processor ($349.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z590M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL14 Memory ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($371.93 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define Mini C TG MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($113.21 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Silverstone Strider Platinum 850 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($164.99 @ Amazon)
GPU: VCNT600-PB, Graphic Card, NVIDIA Quadro T600 Retail Box ($319.99 @ Amazon)

Total: $1714.99


Checks most of your boxes (no RGB, fast single thread, quiet, expandability while staying small, overkill PSU for future expansion).

Not too shabby, yet the GPU does nothing for the business crowd these days. The AMD APUs and Intel IGP are both more than good enough even for a pair of 4k outputs without lagging (for 2d and video playback).

Swap the 11700 for the 12700k
Swap to Z690 DDR4
Skip the GPU
Use savings for a DH15 Chromax (virtually silent operation for sub 200w usage)
Step up slightly to mid Tower case (same width, slightly taller, makes dealing with the big Noctua a little less finicky)

It will be faster overall both in single and multi core loads for around the same total or very slightly less. I did see silicon power 32GB DDR4 packs at Amazon the other day for $95/ea, not sure if still in stock and on sale.

11700K is 8C/16T
12700K is 8C/16T + 4 e-Cores (8x ~5Ghz Main HT cores +4x ~4Ghz Skylake performance and super low power usage, to handle background nuisance threads etc). Also more officially referred to as a 12C/20T CPU, but it helps to know how it breaks down to reach those totals.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

LOL, why reply? OP took their ball and went home. If it wasn't shilling, it was the most eccentric ramblings on a build I have read in ages.

 

[Arkaign]

LOL, why reply? OP took their ball and went home. If it wasn't shilling, it was the most eccentric ramblings on a build I have read in ages.

True that. Still, never know when someone else might come upon the thread and be curious about it.