Looking to build a new general purpose workstation. Please critique and advise

[jeffma414]

All,

Looking to build a new general purpose workstation for our office. We only really build a new one every 6-7 years. The old one served us well, but we have decided to donate it and build a new one. Please see answer to questions below:

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
This is our workstation, so we will be using it for video analysis, other software engineering tasks. Some rendering, and modeling. Some people usually launch some sort of job (C code) on it that can take close to a week to finish. Other times it just sits around doing "normal" day to day office stuff

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
$600 (but willing to push to $700 if some ridiculous performance can be gained).

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
USA; I live near a Microcenter

5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.
Intel

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD, DVD drive

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
Currently no.

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?
1920 x 1200

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Note that it is usually not cost or time effective to choose your build more than a month before you actually plan to be using it.
By the end of the month

X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?
No, I have a Windows license

Here is my crack at it, and my reasons for picking them:

1. CPU + Mobo: 4770K + MSI Z87-G41 (Microcenter: $365.68 after tax)
For our needs I think the 4770 is the way to go -- we can take advantage of the hyperthreading and the deal looks good on microcenter. Should we opt for the AsRock mobo instead? I think its $50 more?

2. RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 1600 (Newegg: $118.99)
Seems like a good deal/brand, idk

3. PSU: CORSAIR CXM series CX500M 500W (Newegg: $39.99)
Seems like a good deal for a modular one for a brand I know; also keeps the option open if someone has an itch to do some CUDA down the road

4. Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 (Newegg: $82.49)
The office I am in is usually pretty hot, and this case has 3 fans, and looks good, so I thought it would be good for cooling (please advise).

5. Cooler: Hyper 212 EVO (Microcenter: $31.79)
Like I said, I won't be overclocking, but we often launch jobs that run for a week at a time, so I thought maybe a cooler will help keep the temps in check (please advise).


Total: $638.94 (would ideally like to bring this down by ~$40; maybe some deals this month)

Thanks much all!

 

[Torn Mind]

Do you prefer big cases like mid towers or shorter Micro ATX ones?

 

[jeffma414]

Do you prefer big cases like mid towers or shorter Micro ATX ones?

Don't care as long as it:
Stays cool (i.e., has good and silent fans; my office is often quite warm)
Has good cable management
Doesn't look terrible, but looks aren't everything

Keep in mind that the mobo I selected with the combo is ATX...

Thanks!

 

[mfenn]

Standard disclaimer: Do you really want to build a PC for work? As in, do you want to be the one responsible for maintaining it when it breaks?

What you have looks fine. An easy way to shave $30 off the price is to get a non-overclocking board like the GA-B85M-D3H. I picked that board because it's the least expensive 1150 mobo with 4 DIMM slots that MC carries.

 

[jeffma414]

Standard disclaimer: Do you really want to build a PC for work? As in, do you want to be the one responsible for maintaining it when it breaks?

What you have looks fine. An easy way to shave $30 off the price is to get a non-overclocking board like the GA-B85M-D3H. I picked that board because it's the least expensive 1150 mobo with 4 DIMM slots that MC carries.

Thanks a lot mfenn!

1. I'm already responsible for maintaining all the workstations for work; I don't mind it actually, beats other people doing a half-ass job with putting it together.

2. Are you sure that mobo is good with the combo. From what I can tell, there is no CPU+Mobo combo deal I can get with that mobo. I'm referring to this webpage: http://www.microcenter.com/site/brands/intel-processor-bundles.aspx

Thanks again!

 

[mfenn]

Thanks a lot mfenn!

1. I'm already responsible for maintaining all the workstations for work; I don't mind it actually, beats other people doing a half-ass job with putting it together.

2. Are you sure that mobo is good with the combo. From what I can tell, there is no CPU+Mobo combo deal I can get with that mobo. I'm referring to this webpage: http://www.microcenter.com/site/brands/intel-processor-bundles.aspx

Thanks again!

The way it works is that any compatible (read: LGA 1150) motherboard is eligible for a discount. The master list is on their flyer.

 

[Torn Mind]

Microcenter's cart automatically deducts the discount from the motherboard price. However, it seems that many boards only have a $30 discount instead of the $50 on the advertised page. It still comes out less than the MSI combo.

 

[jeffma414]

The way it works is that any compatible (read: LGA 1150) motherboard is eligible for a discount. The master list is on their flyer.

Microcenter's cart automatically deducts the discount from the motherboard price. However, it seems that many boards only have a $30 discount instead of the $50 on the advertised page. It still comes out less than the MSI combo.

Great, thanks guys!

I don't want to skimp on quality though. Like I said, we don't upgrade for 6-7 yrs, so I rather pay a little more for quality. To that end, do you guys think the MSI I chose is good enough? Are the other parts good too? Especially given the fact that the room is not well-cooled and the CPU is often under load for extended periods of time.

Thanks!

 

[Torn Mind]

I'm of the opinion that the manufacturing process is unlikely to discriminate between a $70 board or a $200 one. I would speculate the difference is for mainly for the features and maybe some profit margin. Of course, there are some companies who do have a shoddier manufacturing process, such as Foxconn or ECS, but those are not recommended here.

The fact is that failure modes for motherboard hardware be due to a defect in the circuit board itself, a defect in one of the electronic components, a defect in the soldering, or any combination of the above. For most electronic components, there is very little for the end user to tell which is longer lasting. One exception that a user can control is capacitor selection. Solid state caps or Japanese caps tend to have less instances of defects and have a longer expected lifetime.

The other thing to consider is the stability of the motherboard BIOS, but they usually should be issue-free. MSI has some issues with updating the board BIOS, but it's unlikely you'll ever have to do that.

I seems unlikely that you will be doing any overclocking, so I would suggest getting a Cooler Master Hyper TX3. A lower performer than its Hyper 212 Evo cousin, but it still should be better than stock.

The Corsair Carbide 300R is only $49.99 before tax at Microcenter. http://www.microcenter.com/product/...d-Tower_ATX_Gaming_Computer_Case__-_(Open_Box)

For the PSU, I'd suggest going with a Seasonic G-360 or Rosewill Capstone-450. They have better capacitors, so you can rest a bit easier.

 

[paul878]

The thing with building a pc for work is that if the motherboard go bad you going to have to RMA it. That will take a month or more, can you afford to have that kind of down time? 2 years from now you not going to be able to find the exact replacement motherboard.

My recommendation is to buy a pc form dell or hp and add in stuff that you need.
You Ass is cover in all department. Think it through carefully, this is work, not you hobby.

 

[mfenn]

I'm of the opinion that the manufacturing process is unlikely to discriminate between a $70 board or a $200 one. I would speculate the difference is for mainly for the features and maybe some profit margin. Of course, there are some companies who do have a shoddier manufacturing process, such as Foxconn or ECS, but those are not recommended here.

The fact is that failure modes for motherboard hardware be due to a defect in the circuit board itself, a defect in one of the electronic components, a defect in the soldering, or any combination of the above. For most electronic components, there is very little for the end user to tell which is longer lasting. One exception that a user can control is capacitor selection. Solid state caps or Japanese caps tend to have less instances of defects and have a longer expected lifetime.

:thumbsup: This was basically going to be my exact answer.

 

[jeffma414]

:thumbsup: This was basically going to be my exact answer.

Ok, thanks so far guys!

I've been re-thinking this a little bit.

1. Since I won't be overclocking, should I go with the non-K 4770 instead? It's $30 cheaper, and I can probably also get a slightly cheaper mobo?

2. If I end up going the 4770 and a mATX mobo , should I change my case to the arc mini (instead of midi)? Will the smaller case be able to do effective cooling provided that the workstation is always on (I'll still get the hyper EVO)?

Thanks!

 

[Torn Mind]

K chips actually lack a few features the non-K ones have. Of course, you probably won't notice TSX-NI or vPro technology, but you'll have them.

Xeon E3 1245 v3 is actually slightly cheaper than the i7 4770 and offers the exact same clockspeed and has an IGP. Here's a comparison: http://ark.intel.com/compare/75464,75462,77656,75123,75122

Most complaints about Haswell's heat comes from temps record while overclocking, not at stock. The CPU getting a cooler like the 212 EVO will likely have difficult eclipsing 55 degrees even in a "hot" room. I ran an Ivy Bridge system with a 3770K, 3rd party Zalman Cooler, and Intel Burn Test with ambient temps around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Temps recorded with it were not an issue until around 4.3-4.4 GHz. That's when it started going around 99+ degrees Celsius. At stock, it ran cool as a cucumber in a Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced case, which has not-so-great cooling.


I would think Fractal Design cases should all be "good enough" for a system running just an IGP. That Mini was made with the intent of pulling in the "higher end" crowd, so it should handle systems with a powerful discrete graphics card. The superior case cooling will mostly give some "wind" for the other parts of the motherboard and hard drives.