Office Computer for Boss

[thegenix]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Office computer for a contractor. He will be using it for regular office tasks as well as some CAD. He uses Chief Architect for CAD mostly.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

$500

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

USA

4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US, please post a link to the vendor you'll be buying from.
We can't be expected to scour the internet on your behalf, chasing down deals in your specific country... Again, help us, help YOU.

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.

I'd prefer Intel but not completely opposed to AMD.

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

Monitors

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

No overclocking

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

Most likely 1080p.

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.

ASAP

10. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?

Do not need monitor, mouse, keyboard or any software.

 

[Ken g6]

Do you already have a purchase and/or support contract with somebody like Dell?

On Newegg, this looks like the best pre-built option. But there's no room in the budget to add an SSD, which would help office tasks.

 

[thegenix]

I was hoping I didn't have to go the pre-built route. I think piecing my own together would let me be more creative with the budget. I was mostly stuck on if I should go with the new Sandylake or stick to a Haswell. Could also go AMD of course.

I would like to have a SSD. Only other necessary item would be multiple video outputs (for multiple monitors).

If I could get some guidance (or opinions) on which type of processor to go with, I should be able to throw something together and see what you all think. Don't want anyone to have to do all the work for me.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I was hoping I didn't have to go the pre-built route. I think piecing my own together would let me be more creative with the budget. I was mostly stuck on if I should go with the new Sandylake or stick to a Haswell. Could also go AMD of course.

I would like to have a SSD. Only other necessary item would be multiple video outputs (for multiple monitors).

If I could get some guidance (or opinions) on which type of processor to go with, I should be able to throw something together and see what you all think. Don't want anyone to have to do all the work for me.

For low-budget ($500 is low budget) builds, a pre-build will usually be competitive price-wise (if you include the cost of a windows license) and have warranty support, etc., which is nice for businesses.

Otherwise, something like this would be a perfectly adequate office PC.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vZhjzy

Looks like the newer CPUs are still a few bucks more than the Haswells, and I'm assuming your $500 is a hard limit.

 

[saratoga172]

If you're building for a boss and want to buy parts and assemble can I ask what your business is? I build for myself all the time but would never go that route for business at all. Reason being is support, ease of setup and that fact everything is ready once we receive it. All my team has to do is load software (re-image), test and deploy. And did I mention hardware support warranty.

 

[thegenix]

For low-budget ($500 is low budget) builds, a pre-build will usually be competitive price-wise (if you include the cost of a windows license) and have warranty support, etc., which is nice for businesses.

Otherwise, something like this would be a perfectly adequate office PC.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vZhjzy

Looks like the newer CPUs are still a few bucks more than the Haswells, and I'm assuming your $500 is a hard limit.

Thanks for the suggestion. He doesn't need a Windows license included in this price. That's why I figured going pre-built was a bit of a waste. Either way I will look into both options.

If you're building for a boss and want to buy parts and assemble can I ask what your business is? I build for myself all the time but would never go that route for business at all. Reason being is support, ease of setup and that fact everything is ready once we receive it. All my team has to do is load software (re-image), test and deploy. And did I mention hardware support warranty.

We do construction. My boss is also my cousin and we are pretty close. I have been doing the "IT" in the office for years now.

 

[fourdegrees11]

i7 w/ 16gb ram

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/M397xr

Could drop to 8gb to bring it under $500

 

[mvbighead]

This doesn't seem like an office type setting where he'll be re-imaging with a standard image that is used on dozens of systems. In that sense, a custom build seems appropriate.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/c2c47P
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/c2c47P/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B150M Pro4S Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($88.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($37.97 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $519.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-27 09:51 EDT-0400

Skylake build, plenty of CPU/Memory for CAD. Extra 2 slots for additional memory if needed. (Could drop to 8GB to start and add more later if required to get under budget.)

SSD is a must, IMO, for any build these days. No sense going i7 and sticking with spinning disk. Drop the DVD drive if you don't need it, or buy a USB one to use as needed.

 

[Charlie98]

Nice build, mv... I was thinking prebuild, too, but not after that.

 

[DigDog]

CAD doesn't do hardware acceleration ?

 

[piasabird]

Well for business you may want to avoid a case with a top vent. Often people want to put things on top of a case. I like top vent cases because they tend to run cooler.

 

[thegenix]

This doesn't seem like an office type setting where he'll be re-imaging with a standard image that is used on dozens of systems. In that sense, a custom build seems appropriate.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/c2c47P
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/c2c47P/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B150M Pro4S Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($88.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($37.97 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $519.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-27 09:51 EDT-0400

Skylake build, plenty of CPU/Memory for CAD. Extra 2 slots for additional memory if needed. (Could drop to 8GB to start and add more later if required to get under budget.)

SSD is a must, IMO, for any build these days. No sense going i7 and sticking with spinning disk. Drop the DVD drive if you don't need it, or buy a USB one to use as needed.

This one is great. Will have to make a few tweaks but this is a great starting point. Thanks!

 

[dave_the_nerd]

CAD doesn't do hardware acceleration ?

Sure, just not for $500.

 

[thegenix]

This doesn't seem like an office type setting where he'll be re-imaging with a standard image that is used on dozens of systems. In that sense, a custom build seems appropriate.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/c2c47P
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/c2c47P/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B150M Pro4S Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($88.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($37.97 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $519.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-27 09:51 EDT-0400

Skylake build, plenty of CPU/Memory for CAD. Extra 2 slots for additional memory if needed. (Could drop to 8GB to start and add more later if required to get under budget.)

SSD is a must, IMO, for any build these days. No sense going i7 and sticking with spinning disk. Drop the DVD drive if you don't need it, or buy a USB one to use as needed.

Is the onboard graphics that come with that CPU good enough to run CAD? Or am I an idiot and CAD uses the CPU itself?

 

[DigDog]

i don't know?
i suspect CAD can too benefit from hardware acceleration (i.e. using a GPU together with the CPU for extra power), but you won't get a decent GPU for less than 200 bucks.

i'd have a talk with your boss and explain this to him,and see if he can budget $700 for the lot.

you might want to explain to him that a GPU would allowing also extra-curricullar activities ... (games)

 

[dave_the_nerd]

i don't know?
i suspect CAD can too benefit from hardware acceleration (i.e. using a GPU together with the CPU for extra power), but you won't get a decent GPU for less than 200 bucks.

This is basically true. Usually they work fine with just the CPU, but a high end consumer GPU or one of those Quadro type professional ones work better. (Driver support.)

 

[mvbighead]

Is the onboard graphics that come with that CPU good enough to run CAD? Or am I an idiot and CAD uses the CPU itself?

For the software you mentioned, it appears Intel Graphics will work:

http://www.chiefarchitect.com/products/sysreq.html

Video Card:
OpenGL 2.1 or higher
Dedicated Video Card with 512 MB memory, e.g., NVIDIA or ATI
— OR —
Integrated Graphics, e.g., Intel HD Graphics (driver needs to be 2012 or newer)

You'll probably get better performance with a dedicated card, but wouldn't hurt to try the Intel for a while and add later if required.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

For the software you mentioned, it appears Intel Graphics will work:

http://www.chiefarchitect.com/products/sysreq.html

Video Card:
OpenGL 2.1 or higher
Dedicated Video Card with 512 MB memory, e.g., NVIDIA or ATI
— OR —
Integrated Graphics, e.g., Intel HD Graphics (driver needs to be 2012 or newer)

You'll probably get better performance with a dedicated card, but wouldn't hurt to try the Intel for a while and add later if required.

Hmm, yeah, I may be getting confused with the requirements for video editing software - pretty much any card can do OpenGL.

Although a lot of not-all-that-old low-end discrete GPUs are actually slower than the latest round of IGPs...

 

[thegenix]

Thanks everyone. I believe I am going with this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($200.07 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock B150M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($80.89 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($95.21 @ Adorama)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($103.24 @ OutletPC)
Case: Xion XON-560 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($36.99 @ Directron)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.57 @ Newegg)
Total: $555.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-28 18:56 EDT-0400