$1000 build for archictecture student

[inflames988]

Hey All, a friend just e-mailed me a parts list asking for advice on a new build. He's an architecture student who does alot of rendering (not sure of the exact programs - probably CAD, rhino, etc). The budget should be ~$1000 give or take. The machine will be a workstation, not a gaming machine.

Case: Thermaltake V3 Black Edition

PSU: Thermaltake TR2 500W

Motherboard: ASUS M4A88T-V EVO/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard SATA 6.0gbs
Newegg.com - ASUS M4A88T-V EVO/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz 6 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor HDT90ZFBGRBOX
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz 6 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor HDT90ZFBGRBOX

GPU: ATI 100-505606 FirePro V4800 1GB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Workstation Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814195096

RAM: Corsair XMS 8GB (2 x 4GB)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145324

SSD (boot): Crucial C300 64GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148361

HDD (storage): WD Caviar Green WD5000AADS 500GB
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Green WD5000AADS 500GB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive

OS: Win 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit

Monitors: Hanspree 21.5" LCD
Newegg.com - HANNspree By Hanns-G HF225DPB Black 21.5" 5ms Full HD WideScreen LCD Monitor w/Speakers 250 cd/m2 X-Contrast 30,000:1 (1000:1)


He wanted to know if this made sense / any of it was overkill (i.e., was a 6-core processor necessary?) I personally have not kept up with the latest processors so I don't know what would be best here - would it make more sense to go with an Intel platform for the build? Overall the parts looked to be good to me, but not sure if the rendering programs run better on specific hardware.

As a start, the only thing I see that might make sense with the current configuration would be a slightly higher wattage PSU, given that it has a powerful CPU and GPU. I also did not know anything about Hannspree monitors, I was about to recommend Dell Ultrasharps, but it seems that the Hanspree's had really great reviews on Newegg, and were better priced. Anyone know about those?

[Sourtop]

Corsair PSU - 650 W would probably be more than enough.

Intel SSD for reliability considering this is a work station.

WD Caviar Black 6 gb/s 64 mb cache for the HDD.

I don't really know anything about workstation video cards so I can't comment on that. Everything else looks fine though. Maybe someone might comment on the monitor.

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by inflames988 Hey All, a friend just e-mailed me a parts list asking for advice on a new build. He's an architecture student who does alot of rendering (not sure of the exact programs - probably CAD, rhino, etc). The budget should be ~$1000 give or take. The machine will be a workstation, not a gaming machine. Case: Thermaltake V3 Black Edition PSU: Thermaltake TR2 500W Motherboard: ASUS M4A88T-V EVO/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard SATA 6.0gbs Newegg.com - ASUS M4A88T-V EVO/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz 6 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor HDT90ZFBGRBOX Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz 6 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor HDT90ZFBGRBOX GPU: ATI 100-505606 FirePro V4800 1GB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Workstation Video Card Newegg.com - ATI 100-505606 FirePro V4800 1GB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Workstation Video Card RAM: Corsair XMS 8GB (2 x 4GB) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145324 SSD (boot): Crucial C300 64GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148361 HDD (storage): WD Caviar Green WD5000AADS 500GB Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Green WD5000AADS 500GB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive OS: Win 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit Monitors: Hanspree 21.5" LCD Newegg.com - HANNspree By Hanns-G HF225DPB Black 21.5" 5ms Full HD WideScreen LCD Monitor w/Speakers 250 cd/m2 X-Contrast 30,000:1 (1000:1) He wanted to know if this made sense / any of it was overkill (i.e., was a 6-core processor necessary?) I personally have not kept up with the latest processors so I don't know what would be best here - would it make more sense to go with an Intel platform for the build? Overall the parts looked to be good to me, but not sure if the rendering programs run better on specific hardware. As a start, the only thing I see that might make sense with the current configuration would be a slightly higher wattage PSU, given that it has a powerful CPU and GPU. I also did not know anything about Hannspree monitors, I was about to recommend Dell Ultrasharps, but it seems that the Hanspree's had really great reviews on Newegg, and were better priced. Anyone know about those?

6 Cores? Hmmm... This has been a long standing argument. Is it overkill? Perhaps it is not knowing the exact software applications you are going to use. The ones you listed, do not necessarily require a 6-core CPU. If you end up doing a lot of 3D rendering in the future, than having that CPU will cut a great deal of time (rendering) verses a dual-core CPU. You could save around $50.00 going to a quad core and put it towards a better GPU but in reality, $50.00 is not going to move you into a mid level workstation card (FirePro V5800 @ $380.00). $50.00 dollars more is not going to get you any additional memory either so I would stick with that CPU.

I would use this memory, I assume you are not planning to overclock. DDR3 1600 is not going to do anything but run at 1333.
Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
Newegg.com - Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model KVR1333D3N9K2/8G

I would not recommend that PSU you picked not that it is bad but I have not had any experience with it. Looking for known reliability, stability and efficiency. The card you picked is a great entry level workstation card but does not require a great deal of power.
Antec EarthWatts EA-500D Green 500W
Newegg.com - Antec EarthWatts EA-500D Green 500W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

I can not say anything bad about the SSD you chose because I have used one in a build and not had any problems with it. However, the size concerns me. You want to give yourself a little more room to install Windows and applications. Then use a larger WD Black or Green for data storage. So I would recommend this drive if you are inclined to use an SSD.
Intel 510 Series (Elm Crest) SSDSC2MH120A2K5 2.5" 120GB SATA III
Newegg.com - Intel 510 Series (Elm Crest) SSDSC2MH120A2K5 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

To take advantage of USB3 and SATA 6Gb/s this is the board you require. The one you picked does not support SATA 6Gb/s
ASUS M4A89GTD
Newegg.com - ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 AM3 AMD 890GX HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

I would highly recommend this monitor (HDMI)
Asus VE228H 21.5" Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD
Newegg.com - Asus VE228H 21.5" Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor w/Speakers ASCR 10,000,000:1

So in conclusion, the items I selected will pull you out of your budget. I would eliminate the SSD and go with a WD Black, better warranty and very fast. You can always add additional hard drives if storage capacity needs to be increased.
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

$1025.00, if you went with a 500 GB WD Cavair Black 6gb then you would be at budget.

[glc]

The V4800 only requires a 350 watt PSU - workstation cards in general are not anywhere near as hungry as gaming cards. The 500 watt Earthwatts would be an excellent choice. The TR2 power supplies are a pretty old design and not particularly efficient or reliable.

An Intel alternative would be an i5-2500 on a P8P67 LE.

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by glc The V4800 only requires a 350 watt PSU - workstation cards in general are not anywhere near as hungry as gaming cards. The 500 watt Earthwatts would be an excellent choice. The TR2 power supplies are a pretty old design and not particularly efficient or reliable. An Intel alternative would be an i5-2500 on a P8P67 LE.

I would have suggested the Intel alternative but you told me not to do that one time as I recall.

[glc]

Just suggesting an alternative - not promoting it. I know - that may be viewed as a fine line.

[inflames988]

thanks all - we got a more powerful PSU and intel SSD as recommended. Building once the parts arrive!