Any Help Would Be Appreciated

[Linda]

Hi
I am looking for advise on what to purchase.

My current pc is a Precision T7500 and is approx. 3 1/2 years old and I feel it is starting to show its age.
I would like a spec from pcspecialist that can handle 3d software such as Autodesk Max ZBrush 3dCoat Photoshop iClone etc.
Below is the spec of my current pc and would like to improve on it


Precision T7500 Westmere : Standard Base Mini-Tower

Processor : One Intel Xeon X5650(2.66GHz,6.4GT/s,12MB,6C)-Memory runs at 1333MHz

Resource DVD : Precision T7500 Diagnostics and Drivers
Memory : 24GB(6x4GB)1333MHz DDR3 ECC RDIMM Requires 64 Bit OS

Hard Drive : 1.5TB (7200RPM) Serial ATA II with NCQ and 32MB DataBurst Cache
Raid Controller : Not Included Perc6i Internal Controller Card
Raid Controller : C1 All SATA Hard Drives, NON-RAID for 1 Hard Drive
Windows Live for Window7
Optical Software : PowerDVD Software for Vista Home Premium and Ultimate, WIN7 Home
Premium, Pro or Ultimate

Optical Drive : 16X DVD-ROM Drive and 16X DVD+/-RW Drive
Optical Drive : Roxio Creator 10.3 Software
Security : Chassis Intrusion Switch

Graphics : 2 GB GDDR5 NVIDIA Quadro 4000 - 2 DP, 1 DVI(1 DP-DVI, 1 DVI-VGA
adapter)(MRGA17H)

Audio : Creative SoundBlaster Xfi Titanium Music Card (PCIe card)

Mice : Dell Optical (Not Wireless), Scroll USB (3 buttons scroll) Black Mouse
Keyboard : UK/Irish (QWERTY) Dell Standard Quietkey USB Keyboard Black
Operating System : English Genuine Windows 7 Professional (64Bit OS)
OS Media : MUI Windows 7 Professional (64Bit OS) Resource DVD
Software : English Microsoft Office 2010 Home and Business (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook,
One Note)

Operating System Recovery Dell Backup and Recovery Manager for Windows 7
Additional Software : Virtual PC Win 7 Professional with XP Mode


As you can see it is a quadro card but would consider a GTX card with a good spec. Another thing is that my pc is in the Conservatory so a good cooling system would be useful.

I have looked and looked at all the things that you do but I do not have the knowledge to know what would be the right combination.
My maximum budget would be £3,500 give or take a few pounds.

Edit I would like to stick with Windows 7 Pro.

Thanks Linda

 

[Pleb]

If you have £3.5K to spend I'd go for this:

Case
COOLERMASTER COSMOS SE GAMING TOWER (Windowed)
Free Item
CM Storm Pitch Gaming Headset
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Eight Core Processor Extreme i7-5960X (3.0GHz) 20MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® X99-S: ATX, HSW-E CPU, USB 3.0, SATA 6 GB/s
Memory (RAM)
64GB CRUCIAL DDR4 2133MHz (8 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 980 - 1 DVI, 1 HDMI, 3 DP - 3D Vision Ready
2nd Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 980 - 1 DVI, 1 HDMI, 3 DP - 3D Vision Ready
1st Hard Disk
240GB KINGSTON HYPERX 3K SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 555MB/sR | 510MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
6TB WD CAVIAR GREEN WD60EZRX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET (£139)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler (£29)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£109)
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL

However this might be a bit unbalanced but I'm sure someone else on here might have a better suggestion. This is probably overkill for what you want!

 

[Linda]

Hi Pleb
Thanks for the reply.
Don't think I would need a gaming headset as I don't do games I make stuff that could be used in games.

As regards overkill I would not have a clue that's why I have asked for help.

 

[Pleb]

The headset comes free with the case. Well for a lot less you could get this:

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE R4 BLACK PEARL QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Six Core Processor i7-5820K (3.3GHz) 15MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® X99-S: ATX, HSW-E CPU, USB 3.0, SATA 6 GB/s
Memory (RAM)
32GB CRUCIAL DDR4 2133MHz (4 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 980 - 1 DVI, 1 HDMI, 3 DP - 3D Vision Ready
1st Hard Disk
240GB KINGSTON HYPERX 3K SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 555MB/sR | 510MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
4TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD4003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET (£79)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler (£29)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£109)
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL

That comes to under £2k and again would be more than sufficient to do 3D modelling and Image editing.

 

[Linda]

Going on some of the info Pled gave me This is my first attempt at a build

Case
COOLERMASTER COSMOS SE GAMING TOWER (Windowed)
Free Item
CM Storm Pitch Gaming Headset
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Eight Core Processor Extreme i7-5960X (3.0GHz) 20MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® X99 DELUXE: ATX, HSW-E CPU, USB 3.0, SATA 6 GB/s
Memory (RAM)
32GB CRUCIAL DDR4 2133MHz (4 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 980 - 1 DVI, 1 HDMI, 3 DP - 3D Vision Ready
2nd Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 980 - 1 DVI, 1 HDMI, 3 DP - 3D Vision Ready
1st Hard Disk
480GB KINGSTON V300 SSD, SATA 6 Gb (450MB/R, 450MB/W)
2nd Hard Disk
2TB WD CAVIAR GREEN WD20EZRX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET (£139)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler (£29)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Creative Sound Blaster Zx 5.1 PCI-E Soundcard (£95)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£109)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 9 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £3,195.00 including VAT and delivery.

 

[Pleb]

That does look good but it may still be overkill. Also what kind of screen do you currently have? You've got two GPUs in there which is good for 4k but if you don't have a 4k screen then there isn't a lot of point and it would save you a lot of money. Also you probably don't need 8 cores but again it's up to you if you have the money then go for it.

However to save a bit of money here I would drop the CPU to a 6 core processor and just have the one GPU. That would free up money to get a new screen.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Also steer clear of the v300 ssd as it has major performance issues. Any of the others are fine.

 

[Pleb]

Agreed the HYPERX 3K that I suggested would be better.

 

[A314159]

Also silver warranty.

To be honest if you need a headset but don't want the one with the case get the ath m50x.

 

[Edd1e]

Above comments regarding ssds are bang on steer clear of the v300. I would also go as far as suggesting ditch the green hdd for blacks as the greens are optimised for power reduction so not best for constant media read/write processes.

As for GPU I guess it depends on the weighting in your work. I know the GTX cards are great for a lot more apps than just games these days, but I always understood the Quadro/Firepro range to be best for 3d modeling due to accuracy. If this is your bag then there is also an argument that you might want EEC Ram as well which dictates a Xeon setup, but these thoughts are from reading rather than experience (I do video not 3d animation).

Sure others with more experience in that world will chime in.

 

[Linda]

Thanks for the comments. I have just had a look at the Workstation options which would then take me the route similar to the pc I have.
This is what I have come up with.

Case
CORSAIR OBSIDIAN SERIES™ 750D FULL TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Xeon® 8-Core E5-2640V2 (2.0 GHz, 7.20 GT/s, 20M L3 Cache)
Motherboard
ASUS® P9X79 WS - SOCKET 2011, QUAD DDR3, USB 3.0, SATA 6 GB/s
Memory (RAM)
32GB KINGSTON HYPER-X FURY DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (4 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
PNY QUADRO K5200 - 8GB GDDR5, 2304 CUDA CORES, 2 x DP, 2 x DVI
1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET (£79)
Processor Cooling
Super Quiet 22dBA Triple Copper Heatpipe Intel CPU Cooler (£19)
Sound Card
Creative Sound Blaster Zx 5.1 PCI-E Soundcard (£95)
Wireless/Wired Networking
2 x ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORTS
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Firewire
1 x IEEE 1394a FIREWIRE PORT ONBOARD
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£109)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£69)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £3,552.00 including VAT and delivery.

 

[Pleb]

For your needs this is probably the best approach! :sorcerer:

 

[Linda]

I have 2 saved pc builds.

Intel x99 which has the DDR4 Ram Latest but no Video Card choice for Quadro and the Intel 2011 Workstation. Only has DDR3 Ram but has the Graphics Quadro Option.
I know this is a user forum but does anyone know if it is possible lets say to go with the Intel x99 build but have a Quadro Card. Or visa Versa Go for the 2011 Workstation with the DDR4 Ram

Or is there a reason that this is not a selectable option.

 

[SpyderTracks]

I have 2 saved pc builds.

Intel x99 which has the DDR4 Ram Latest but no Video Card choice for Quadro and the Intel 2011 Workstation. Only has DDR3 Ram but has the Graphics Quadro Option.
I know this is a user forum but does anyone know if it is possible lets say to go with the Intel x99 build but have a Quadro Card. Or visa Versa Go for the 2011 Workstation with the DDR4 Ram

Or is there a reason that this is not a selectable option.

DDR4 is dependent on the X99 chipset which is why you cant select it with the 2011 workstation. You could give PCS a call and see if they'd provide a Quadro with the X99 build, I'm sure they could.

 

[Edd1e]

x99 hex/oct core, 32GB DDR4 RAM and a Quadro K5200 would be pretty balanced I would say. As long as you have enough overhead in the PSU you could always add a second K5200 later if needed as they support SLI. As above don't see any reason why the Quadro could not be added, I would guess that it is just to create a distinction for their workstation range but a call to PCS will reveal all.

Really jealous of that system now...

 

[Linda]

Update.

I rang the 03330--- number and explained that I would like the x99 spec computer I had compiled on the site but with a Quadro K5200 card instead of the 980x2.
He honestly was not very helpful.
Firstly did not know if they stocked the Quadro K5200 (until I told him that it was an option in the workstation build.
He did not know if it would fit or work with the x99 setup.
His suggestion order the X99 without graphics cards then ring back and see if they could do it.
So he expects me to spend in excess of £3,000 + on the hope that I can get what I would really like.
I DON'T THINK SO.
So it seems I will have to look elsewhere.
Thanks to those that took the time to help with suggestions.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Update.

I rang the 03330--- number and explained that I would like the x99 spec computer I had compiled on the site but with a Quadro K5200 card instead of the 980x2.
He honestly was not very helpful.
Firstly did not know if they stocked the Quadro K5200 (until I told him that it was an option in the workstation build.
He did not know if it would fit or work with the x99 setup.
His suggestion order the X99 without graphics cards then ring back and see if they could do it.
So he expects me to spend in excess of £3,000 + on the hope that I can get what I would really like.
I DON'T THINK SO.
So it seems I will have to look elsewhere.
Thanks to those that took the time to help with suggestions.

The card is PCI-E 3.0 16x so would definitely work on the x99 chipset, no worries there.

 

[Linda]

Thanks SpyderTracks for that info.
So how come a forum user like yourself can give me the answer that a pc specialists agent could not.

I will be spending the sort of money I have mentioned but it will not be with pc specialists simply because the product knowledge of the agent a customers first line of contact left me with no confidence in them to say order it and then ring to see if we can do what you want is very unprofessional.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks SpyderTracks for that info.
So how come a forum user like yourself can give me the answer that a pc specialists agent could not.

I will be spending the sort of money I have mentioned but it will not be with pc specialists simply because the product knowledge of the agent a customers first line of contact left me with no confidence in them to say order it and then ring to see if we can do what you want is very unprofessional.

I appreciate that, not the kind of response you want. If you have the patience, try the webchat instead, you may get more help through that.

 

[Linda]

Life got in the way of updating my pc but now I am ready to order most probably tomorrow. I had a chat with Charles at pc spec today and this is the spec of computer I discussed with him.
One thing still unsure of is the case. I wanted the size as it is approx. the same as my T7500 but I wanted it quiet and he suggested the Fractal 5 a bit smaller but apparently has noise deadening.
The workstation/Computer will reside in my conservatory as does my T7500 so wanted the venting but a bit less fan noise.
Anyway enough rattling on this is the spec I am talking about.

Case
COOLERMASTER CM STORM TROOPER - GAMING ENTHUSIAST CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Eight Core Processor i7-6900K (3.3GHz) 20MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® X99-E WS: SOCKET 2011-V3, DDR4, USB 3.0, SATA 6 GB/s
Memory (RAM)
32GB HyperX SAVAGE DDR4 2666MHz (4 x 8GB Kit)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA TITAN X (The Ultimate, Pascal Edition) - DVI, HDMI, DP
1st Hard Disk
1TB Samsung 850 EVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 32MB CACHE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
EXTERNAL MEMORY CARD READER (READS MS, CF, SD, etc) (£9)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1200W PRO SERIES™ PLATINUM AX1200i DIGITAL MODULAR PSU (£239)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H80i V2 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler (£79)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card
Creative Sound Blaster Zx 5.1 PCI-E Soundcard (£116)
Wireless/Wired Networking
2 x ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORTS
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Firewire
3 Port IEEE 1394a Firewire PCI-E Card (2 x 6 pin + 1 x 4 pin) (£12)
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£109)
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
Microsoft® Office Home & Student 2016 (1 License) (£85)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Internet Explorer (Windows 7 & 8 Only)
Monitor
IIYAMA GE2488HS 24" Gaming Monitor (£121)
Keyboard & Mouse
Microsoft Comfort Curve Keyboard 3000 (£18)
Mouse
CM Storm Alcor Gaming Mouse (£29)

I have tried to select a spec that I will not need to upgrade for several years.
Any suggestions on a case would be appreciated.