Need recs for workstation computer ~$500

[bovinda]

Hey all, building a computer to be used as a workstation for a family member. I usually mid- to higher-end gaming rigs for myself, so any input on this type of build is appreciated.

Budget: ~$500-600

Function: Office work, including data and number crunching, manipulating and processing Adobe CS files (e.g. In Design, Photoshop, etc.); multi-display output capability (at least two, preferably 3 displays) for multi-tasking; this will NOT be used for gaming

Things that ARE important: speed, stability

Things that are NOT important: sound/quietness, power consumption, physical size, appearance, massive storage (100-200 GB is fine)

I will be buying the parts in the U.S. (Los Angeles), and I live near a Microcenter if it helps.

Here are the pieces I need help with:

CPU: ?
Mobo: ?
RAM: ?
Vid Card: ?
HD : ?
PSU: ?
Case: ?
OS - Win 7 Pro 64, already have
Keyboard, Mouse - already have
Optical - already have

Thanks for any and all input!

 

[bovinda]

bump

 

[Ken g6]

OK, I'll take a crack at this:

CPU: i5 3470 $190
Mobo: BioStar B75 $62 AR
RAM: PNY 8GB $45
SSD : Samsung 840 250GB $167
PSU: Corsair CX430 V2 $35 AR
Case: NZXT Source 210 $40
Total: $539

The mobo and onboard graphics should support 3 monitors, if one uses VGA, one DVI and one HDMI. But there is room in the budget for a low-end video card if you need one. It would help to know if this is Adobe CS6, or some earlier version.

If you don't get the video card, you might want faster RAM and a possibly more reliable Crucial M4 SSD.

 

[bovinda]

Thanks Ken, that's helpful. It would probably be Adobe CS6 or whatever is newest. I think a distinct video card would probably be good if you or anyone has any suggestions. It doesn't have to be 3 displays necessarily if that adds a significant amount.

 

[DominionSeraph]

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0408926
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0388577

i5 3570k + mobo for $200.

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0385182
16GB DDR3 $77

http://www.adorama.com/SSG7TD250BW.html
250GB Samsung 840 $150

Case and PSU above are good.

Vid card for multi-display... :hmm:
I just don't know enough about Adobe's suite (OpenCL vs CUDA compatibility) or whether you're going to get any use out of GPU acceleration.
Note that if GPU compute is needed, there's a GTX 570 at Microcenter for $150 after rebate with dual DVI and a mini HDMI, so you should be good for outputs there.. You'll need something a little more beefy than that CX430, though.

 

[bovinda]

These are great recs as well...I'll definitely go with the Microcenter CPU and Mobo deal, something like that is exactly what I was looking for. I'll keep looking for suggestions for video cards as well; I don't know what would be best for this situation yet.

Thanks for the recs so far!

 

[Hubb1e]

You can't drive 3 monitors from Intel integrated graphics even if you have 3 outputs. Only AMD's and I think Nvidia's newest cards can do that. This was the big deal about Eyefinity. The rest of them max out at 2 displays. I'm pretty sure you can install a video card and run 2 displays from the video card, and one from the Intel integrated but someone with more knowledge about that will have to chime in to confirm that.

 

[Essence_of_War]

I think Intel says that you can support 3 displays:

Intel's Rundown on the Core i5-3570K

From the graphics specifications:

# of Displays Supported 3

 

[TheStu]

You can't drive 3 monitors from Intel integrated graphics even if you have 3 outputs. Only AMD's and I think Nvidia's newest cards can do that. This was the big deal about Eyefinity. The rest of them max out at 2 displays. I'm pretty sure you can install a video card and run 2 displays from the video card, and one from the Intel integrated but someone with more knowledge about that will have to chime in to confirm that.

My understanding is that it is an issue with the interface. A card may have dual DVI, HDMI and mDP, but you can only use 2 of the DVI/HDMI interfaces at once. The mDP is on a separate 'line' if you will, and so can be used. That's how eyefinity works, you hook up DVI, DVI, mDP.

 

[kevinsbane]

You can't drive 3 monitors from Intel integrated graphics even if you have 3 outputs. Only AMD's and I think Nvidia's newest cards can do that. This was the big deal about Eyefinity. The rest of them max out at 2 displays. I'm pretty sure you can install a video card and run 2 displays from the video card, and one from the Intel integrated but someone with more knowledge about that will have to chime in to confirm that.

Sandy Bridge's HD 2000 and HD 3000 can't drive 3 displays, but Ivy Bridge's HD 2500 and HD 4000 can drive 3 displays - if the motherboard implements them.

 

[ElFenix]

does the family member already have a backup solution? cuz there's no way i would trust any media, let alone an SSD, with mission critical files.

 

[mfenn]

Sandy Bridge's HD 2000 and HD 3000 can't drive 3 displays, but Ivy Bridge's HD 2500 and HD 4000 can drive 3 displays - if the motherboard implements them.

Yep, as long as one of the displays is DP (or DVI with an ACTIVE DP adapter).

 

[bovinda]

does the family member already have a backup solution? cuz there's no way i would trust any media, let alone an SSD, with mission critical files.

They have a slow, old laptop that they can back files up to. I was thinking of putting a cheap mechanical drive in this computer as well to back things up to periodically, so at least the data would be on two HDDs.

Quick question though...aren't the SSDs pretty reliable? You make it sound like SSDs are second choice for reliability. Is that the case (because I honestly don't know )?

 

[DominionSeraph]

Quick question though...aren't the SSDs pretty reliable? You make it sound like SSDs are second choice for reliability. Is that the case (because I honestly don't know )?

Sometimes they decide that they'd really rather be a blank drive. They also have a tendency to brick.
Even where a SSD's failure rate would be statistically equal to a hard drive, a hard drive will often give you enough warning of imminent failure that you have a chance to get some if not all of your data off it before it completely goes. With a SSD it's pretty much just gone. So while you wouldn't want to use either without a backup solution, the hard drive's going to be a little safer.