General Upgrade - Occasional Engineering Workstation

[WhiteKnight]

I'm looking to upgrade my ~3.5 year old desktop and while I once once intimately in tune with the latest and greatest innovations in the PC world, I have sadly become completely out of touch in the last few years and I could use some guidance.

I'm currently running a Core i5-750 stock at 2.67 GHz, 2x2 GB G.Skill DDR3, ASRock P55 LGA 1156, and a Radeon HD 4800 1 GB.

1. I will use this PC for general computing tasks like browsing (20+ tabs open), word processing, blah blah blah, plus occasional but important tasks including video and photo editing and engineering analysis and design (MATLAB, Octave, AutoCAD, Solidworks, etc.). I don't game any more, but it's always nice to keep the dream alive...

2. I'm looking to spend around $1000 US.

3. I'll be buying in the US.

4. N/A

5. No fanboyism, I just want the best for my money.

6. I have an OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W that can be reused if necessary as well as a few SATA storage drives.

7. I'll probably be running at stock speeds. I've overclocked in the past but frankly I just don't take the time these days to get into the nitty gritty like I used to.

8. I'm open to monitor suggestions outside of the PC build budget. Right now I run a 22" 16:10 at 1680x1050 next to a 19" 4:3 at 1280x1024. I'm considering going to a single 27-30" but I'm not sure yet.

9. I'm looking to build now but if waiting a few weeks puts me in better position with the Haswell release then I'm happy to do that - no rush.

X. I'll be running Win7 on this machine but I already have a copy.

 

[mfenn]

Check out this build:

i5 4570 $210
ASRock H87 Pro4 $88
Crucial DDR3 1600 8GB x2 $98
GTX 660 2GB $188 AR
Samsung 840 120GB $110
Reuse storage HDDs $0
XFX Core 550W $60 AR
Reuse case? $0
Total: $754 AR

That leaves $250 for a monitor. That will get you a 27" 1080p IPS panel like this LG, but doesn't quite reach into the realm of 2560-wide panels.

 

[WhiteKnight]

Thanks, mfenn. If, as I was considering, I separate the cost of the monitor from the build how would that affect your recommendations? Would your latest mid-range build post be a good place to start?

Additionally, if I decide to spend the extra funds for a 2560 27" screen, what would you recommend? I've heard good things about the Dell U2713HM.

 

[mfenn]

If you remove the cost of the monitor from the equation, I would get something like my $1000k build except keep the GTX 660 and change the CPU to the i7 4770.

As for monitor, the U2713HM is top notch and I recommend it.

 

[magomago]

Does your PC feel slow at all during engineering tasks? If you put in more ram, and upgraded to a nice videocard...you'd probably be just fine, and still be able to get a nice 30" monitor.
With what you got
If your PC feels slow to you in your key programs, and they are all CPU bound, then my advice is worthless

 

[WhiteKnight]

After doing a bunch of reading, I've put together this build based heavily on on mfenn's mid-range thread.

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G43 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($163.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($164.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $961.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-10 10:05 EDT-0400)

I'm still a little undecided on the graphics card. I've read a lot of conflicting information on 7850 vs 660 vs 650Ti. mfenn suggested a 660 in his first reply to this thread but the price has jumped back up quite a bit. Can anyone offer some more insight regarding my intended uses?

 

[Cerb]

Not buying at Microcenter, and not overclocking:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130697
^ Same board, but without the Z chipset tax (no overclocking allowed)

PSU:
CX430M: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139049
^ Cheap after rebate, and a good PSU

The more powerful PSUs are really needed for overclocking, and power-hungry high-performance video cards. Your system will probably only barely peak above 250W, and might even stay under that.

If you're not overclocking, the included CPU cooler will do the job just fine.

Spend more on an i7/E3, or save and go with the i5? From what I can find:
MATLAB and Octave are both helped and hindered, depending on what's being done, by HT, w/ SB and IB CPUs.
AutoCAD I know won't do any better w/ HT.
Solidworks won't be slower, but the gains appear to vary from <1% to like 30%, depending on task at hand.
Is that worth the extra cost? I don't know. But, if you think it might be, the MSI H87-G43 does officially support for the current Xeons (they don't list all the models, but I've never been burned by a simple speed grade not being supported). With none being a slam-dunk for HT, I would just save the money, or maybe get a fancy trackball or something with it, instead .

 

[WhiteKnight]

Thanks, Cerb. I neglected to mention, I do have access to a local Microcenter. Also, regarding the power supply, I have 2-3 HDDs that I'll be reusing from my current rig. Does that affect your recommendation at all?

 

[Cerb]

Thanks, Cerb. I neglected to mention, I do have access to a local Microcenter. Also, regarding the power supply, I have 2-3 HDDs that I'll be reusing from my current rig. Does that affect your recommendation at all?

10W/HDD should do the job, for figuring that out, and accounting for higher-power older drives, particularly WD Raptor and Black series. Your CPU is going to be 84W or less, and video card 130W or less. Another 30W to account for drives and motherboard losses, and you're still not going to break 300W.

Without increasing voltage and clock speeds, or going with much more power hungry video, even that 430W should have ~150W headroom. If you're worried a bit, maybe get a 500W.

 

[mfenn]

Thanks, Cerb. I neglected to mention, I do have access to a local Microcenter. Also, regarding the power supply, I have 2-3 HDDs that I'll be reusing from my current rig. Does that affect your recommendation at all?

Agree with Cerb regarding the PSU.

As for having a MicroCenter available, their bundle deals means that you should get the i5 4670K, even if you have no intention of overclocking. The i5 4670K + MSI Z87-G41 comes out to $270 versus $350 for what you specced out at Newegg. You should also get the RAM at MC, because you can get 16GB of DDR3 1600 for $90 when you buy it with the CPU.

 

[WhiteKnight]

Agree with Cerb regarding the PSU.

As for having a MicroCenter available, their bundle deals means that you should get the i5 4670K, even if you have no intention of overclocking. The i5 4670K + MSI Z87-G41 comes out to $270 versus $350 for what you specced out at Newegg. You should also get the RAM at MC, because you can get 16GB of DDR3 1600 for $90 when you buy it with the CPU.

Noted. However, since I'm not planning to OC am I kissing out on anything by going with a 4670K that, other than OC capability, lacks some of the features of the vanilla 4670? I'm not planning on doing any VM stuff so is that all moot?

 

[mfenn]

Noted. However, since I'm not planning to OC am I kissing out on anything by going with a 4670K that, other than OC capability, lacks some of the features of the vanilla 4670? I'm not planning on doing any VM stuff so is that all moot?

Kissing out? I dunno what you do normally do with your CPUs, but I would not recommend kissing them! :awe:

You lose VT-d on the K series, but that does not matter for desktops anyway since you don't have the appropriate peripheral devices to take advantage of it. You still get VT-x, which are the normal VM extensions.

 

[Cerb]

Noted. However, since I'm not planning to OC am I kissing out on anything by going with a 4670K that, other than OC capability, lacks some of the features of the vanilla 4670? I'm not planning on doing any VM stuff so is that all moot?

TSX, but I doubt the sorts of programs you're running will have any use for that, until it starts becoming supported across the board, which will probably take 5-10 years. So, basically, no.

 

[WhiteKnight]

Got it. Any additional thoughts on the video card?

 

[Cerb]

Haswell is still too new to say one way or the other without trying it, and it's a major hardware change from the SB and IB IGPs. IMO, give the IGP a shot, and if fails (only the Xeon's drivers are getting certified, but are they actually that different?), or is too slow, get a Quadro (K600/K2000/K2000D), forsaking games, or Geforce (650 Ti BOOST/660/660 Ti), to keep good gaming performance for the money.

 

[WhiteKnight]

Thanks guys. mfenn, how do you find these Microcenter deals so easily? I was able to locate them with the links you provided but they don't come up through PCPartPicker and even the individual product pages at Microcenter don't seem to mention them.

 

[mfenn]

Thanks guys. mfenn, how do you find these Microcenter deals so easily? I was able to locate them with the links you provided but they don't come up through PCPartPicker and even the individual product pages at Microcenter don't seem to mention them.

MicroCenter is old school, and you need to look at their weekly catalog to find the good deals.