X99 Build for 3D Modelling and Rendering

Hey there,

So I'm interested in building a new system, as my current laptop is reaching it's end-life. I'm working in the architectural field, so that means long hours of cad design, 3d modelling, rendering, post-production.

The software that I'll be using, if it matters in some aspects, are:
Autocad
Revit
Rhino(ceros) + Grasshopper
3DS Max + Vray
Adobe CC ( PS, AI, ID)

I managed to make a list of parts, which I'll post below.
If anyone has any better ideas and suggestions both for performance and cost reduction, what is overkill and where I should invest more, etc.

Intel Core i7 5820K 3.3GHz (€490)
Corsair Vengeance LPX Black 32GB DDR4 2400MHz CL14 Quad Channel Kit (€410)
GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 980 OC WindForce 3X 4GB DDR5 256-bit (€670)
ASUS X99-DELUXE USB 3.1 (€458)
SSD Kingston HyperX Savage 240GB SATA-III 2.5 inch (€136)
Corsair Hydro H100i (€120)
Corsair Obsidian Series 750D Full Tower Case (€172)
3x Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM, 140mm, 3000rpm (3x€29)
2x Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 PWM, 120mm, 3000rpm (2x€27)
Corsair RM Series RM850 (€180)
Total: €2777

Now this doesn't take in account any discounts at the time, so the actual price is about €2500, going even lower if I would've searched for the best prices online. I do realise that some parts are too expensive, like the 980 which I'm not entirely sure I would need, compared to the 970.
If I could get as close as possible to the €2000 mark, but without major sacrifices in performance, that would be awesome. If not, €2300 is top budget.

Cheers

Jealous. Watch out how you push that card with rendering. Titan would be a better realm of safety. Not from experience, but something I ran across on youtube worth looking into. It's a lot of stress for a Geforce card.

No Quadro or FirePro? Those tend to be better for CAD and similar products. And possibly ECC RAM?

Sorry, these suggestions are making it more expensive.

Unfortunately, both the Titan and the pro cards are way too expensive, even the 980 is a bit out of my price range... Would've gotten a 780ti if they were still around in shops.

Otherwise, how would that fair in general? I am interested in overclocking, so I'm wondering whether to go with air or aio water cooling for the cpu?

You could swap the case for an R5. And if the 980s out of reach you could get a 290.

I was thinking about the R5, that's my second option for the case. I checked out the 290x, specifically one from saphire with 8gb. While it does have better specs all around than the 980, from what benchmarks i've seen it come second. Even after the 970. (gpuboss.com or something).

So really dunno which one to choose.

I build a similar system for a similar workflow, and I could not be happier!

The only difference is that i focused on GPU rendering - Vray RT.
5930k + Asus X99-e WS -- for more PCI lanes (CPU render speed practically equal to 5820k)
GTX980 + Quadro K2200 -- rendering + viewport

And the little Quadro (rebranded GTX750ti) can hold it's own in viewport performance against the 980, it's only about a third slower - depending on the driver version... (they can both run on the latest GeForce versions...)
But on that budget i would definitely suggest a GTX 970, based on SPECapc And u can upgrade latter on :)
Sure wish that there would be more test like this out there...

But i do have my eye on the FirePro W7100, on paper it would eat both k2200 (k4200) and 980.
So if your willing to risk it go for the AMD ;)

And u don't need such a powerfull PSU (unless u'r planing much upgrades), go for quality - HXi, Platinum
My HXi850 runs everything overclocked just fine :)

That was most enlightning, thank you. I guess I'm gonna start with a 970, to keep close to budget and maybe i'll add a quadro in the future.

@human the rm850 has 850w just like the hxi850.

Anyway, thank you all for the tips.

Glad to be of help :-)

As for the power supply, it's not the power but the quality of it. The RM series is 80+ gold - 90% efficient, the HXi is 80+ platinum - 92%.


And I like to think of the power supply as the heart of a PC, the electricity the blood, if those are bad all of u'r components suffer... So for the sake of u'r investment, importants and longevity don't cheap out on the PSU!

Besides with two 970 (u can't have more due to CPU limitations, even two might be bottlenecked in certion situations) u will use max 650W, so getting an Hx750i for €155 won't hurt u'r budget or components :-)
http://www.heise.de/preisvergleich/corsair-professional-series-hx750i-750w-atx-2-4-cp-9020072-eu-a1145508.html
http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

Oh I see now, cheers for that.
One more note, as the gtx 980 ti was just released/shown to the world and thus the 980 is going to get a bit cheaper (at some point soon) .... a 980 upgrade over the 970 is the obvious choice right?

Hydro cooling vs Air cooling on the cpu?

But otherwise, as soon as I get all the money together, that's going to be my build. ^_^

If u'r willing to speed the money on a 980 go for it ;-)
But I doubt u'll get much viewport benefit, since most of these applications still heavily rely on non multithreated cpu operations.
Rather invest in a double SSD, one for wins and programs the other for assets, since the loading times in our business are a b***.

And the motherboard... Nothing against top of the line Asus, have one myself, but an ASROCK X99 Extreme3 (€250) has basically the same functions and is just as well engineered (if not better). Unless u have u'r eye on something special with the deluxe? Maybe the A, S or PRO?

I got the Fractal Kelvin and I kinda regret it :-/ the pump is loud! And water in a computer still feels unnatural... U can't go wrong with a giantass Noctua.

The RAM, take the cheapest with a lifetime warranty, frequencies and radiators don't do much.

Final build: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/XNbYYJ

I know I could further cut costs on the mobo and cooler/fans, but would much rather have a cold case for a few extra pennies that a flaming disaster.

I already have a mouse and keyboard, but no monitor... I'll do some intensive research for one, but if you have any suggestions, and preferably one that doesn't cost half as much as the whole system but is still pretty to look at. I will be staring at it for hours on end, it HAS to be a pleasant sight. I dont know much about response times, the lower the better obviously, but does it really matter that much?

thanks

Don't use GPUBOSS. It's terrible. At higher resolutions when something can use more than 4gb of vram the 290x reigns king.

Basicly the build that topic starter has trow'd together looks totaly fine to me.
However the Asus X99 Deluxe might be a bit expensive for the needs.
Ofc its a great motherboard, but if you dont need wifi per see, then there are also cheaper boards where you might look at.

Ofc going with the X99 Deluxe will be totaly fine, but its a bit expensive for my taste.

I use the Dell UltraSharp U2713HM IPS 2560x1440, it's getting a bit old but still does a great job! And i got i new one for €430!! But it's discontinued so it's getting expensive...
Don't worry about response time, it's much more important in video games, look for IPS that has great color reproduction, viewing angles... Kinda guide and an old one

Sarcasem I would suggest u (actually) go in a (physical) store and look at them :)

Just curious, why haven't you gone for the DH-15, when it's £10 cheaper...

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhd15

I bought a new x99 system 2 weeks ago and went for this. This is the system I went with in case you are interested..

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/LKGCP6

I think you could probably spend a little less on the RAM and the motherboard and go for a Titan X instead. Also you'll be doing yourself justice by getting a >900 watt power supply. Everything else looks good though.

@human fair point, no point in looking online at spec sheets without actually seeing the product up close.

@poshgeordie switched the d14 for the new d15, had no clue about it. cheers for that. also saw a linus tech tips video about it, if you're interested

@ktfjulien what would be the point of spending an extra £500+ to get a titan, which is totally out of my budget anyway, spend extra on a psu with all that wattage and on top of everything reducing the ram? mind you this is not meant for gaming, if ever only on occasions, but mainly for work. under a very strict budget.

Well, I guess the Titan may not be worth it but I still think your RAM is a little over the top though.And if your willing to drop $3000+ on a PC i assume you have money to upgrade sooner than later?

I recommend this GPU and power supply. Check out the clock on it. And the power supply is just a Corsair 1000W 80+ Bronze.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4CBKQ7

P.S. In your original post you said Euros but you replied to me in Pounds.

believe me, the amount of things i put in a max scene or the document sizes in photoshop, or hell even switching from ps to ai to in when doing a presentation board, those will be the times when i will be needing that ram. sure i migbt be abke to save a few exrra pounds/euros by getting 2133 or 2400 hz, but not enough to actually make a difference overall.
regarding the 980, sure, id love that, but only after the 980 ti is properly released and if the prices drop by the time i actually buy the parts. otherwise it is too expensive to begin with.
also, just because im willing to drop $3000 on a new build doesnt mean im going to upgrade that soon. quite the opposite, im trying to squeeze out the most performance at the best price when i buy the pc, as i wouldnt be upgrading for at least the next two years.
in the original post i used euros because it is my currency. i then used pounds because i will be moving to the uk and possibly acquiring everything there. also no pcpartpicker for my country.
Lastly, please explain to me why you decided to use a 1000w psu?