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Need to upgrade my pc to Workstation

Jonbolt

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Hey Everyone.

I need some help on upgrading my pc.
I intend to use my pc as a workstation pc. Ill be running Revit, Lumion(possibly) V-Ray, Twinmotion and other rendering programs.

These are my current pc specs.
Intel Core i7-3770 @3.40GHz 3.09GHZ
Ram: 12GB
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H
GPU: Nvidia Quadro K2000
Hard drive: ST3000DM001-1CH166 ATA Device
Power Supply: Huntkey Green Power 550W LW-6550HG.

I want to run 2 monitors.

This is what i would need to run Lumion: Graphics Card scoring a G3DMark of 10,000 or higher with 6 GB or more, Ram 16 GB or more, NVME m.2 Hard Drive or similar.


I know this may cost me some bucks but I really need to upgrade my pc if any of these programs want to run smoothly.
I am happy with secondhand goods in good condition.
Just need to know how much this is going to cost me so I can start saving.
@tman can vouch me for me on a personal side.

Solid advice with links/phone numbers/ companies would be good. I used to know a lot about this stuff, very rusty, so please be clear and helpful.

Thanks
Jon
 
Hi @Jonbolt

I have never worked with these programs before but I do know they are really demanding on your machine.

I see you mentioned AutoDesk (Revit) and I would say get at least 32GB of RAM,

The experts here on the forum with the first-hand experience in those programs will help you out better.
 
is it predominantly cpu/ram or gpu dependant?

You could look at slightly older server components to build a cheap workstation as an alternative

I run the following as my home office PC:

2 x Xeon E5-2680V2 (10 core/20 thread ea = 20 core/40 thread total)
128GB DDR3 ECC registered ram
Intel dual 2011 server board
2 x SSD in Raid 0 (Hardware Raid)
Asus Strix GTX1070

was really inexpensive to build due to the depreciation of old server stuff
 
It's very GPU and RAM dependant. My CPU seems to be ok, but could probably do with an upgrade as well. All the benchmark sites i visit seem to rank my pc rather low.
 
+1 on what @Enigma said - I am running his sloppy seconds and cannot be happier (working on it today).

Build details over here:
 
OK cool, so that is an option. After looking at your post, dude I'm clueless with component specs and names. Like I'm a dumbass. Haven't dealt with these things in 15 years. Always got a person to upgrade for me. So maybe you could assist me with this please? I need layman's terms. Haha.
 
+1 on what @Enigma said - I am running his sloppy seconds and cannot be happier (working on it today).

Build details over here:

sloppy seconds...hahahaha! bit unfair to call it that though, it is an awesome bit of kit you got there
 
OK cool, so that is an option. After looking at your post, dude I'm clueless with component specs and names. Like I'm a dumbass. Haven't dealt with these things in 15 years. Always got a person to upgrade for me. So maybe you could assist me with this please? I need layman's terms. Haha.
You can drop either of us a PM if you want to ask for advice - I will try and help if I can. I mostly do these kind of builds in order to learn something and have fun (hobby).

sloppy seconds...hahahaha! bit unfair to call it that though, it is an awesome bit of kit you got there
TBH its great - the Z8 board you have is the better option for compatibility.
 
let me know if you have any benchmarks you want me to run for comparative purposes. Like Valheru said, we happy to assist with sourcing parts etc if this is a route you are looking to go down
 
TBH its great - the Z8 board you have is the better option for compatibility.

z9pa-d8
awesome if you wanna build in standard ATX form factor,,not the cheapest though but what is these days
 
"As opposed to multi-threaded tasks that benefit from more CPU cores, Lumion workflows benefit from increased CPU frequency." - Link
This link says that you don't need a whole lot of cores for Lumion specifically, but rather faster cores. So the Xeons suggested earlier will not be best for Lumion. Lumion's own website references CPUMark single-threaded scores for recommended specs as well.

You would need to decide which software you are going to use the most, and build your workstation according to that. Some software want as many cores as they can get, some want as much RAM as they can get, some want as fast cores as they can get, etc, etc.

I have no experience with any of the software you mentioned though, so take this with some salt.
 
So the Xeons suggested earlier will not be best for Lumion. Lumion's own website references CPUMark single-threaded scores for recommended specs as well.
My love for the Xeons are borne from price vs performance - some of the work I do just love more cores and RAM, some love clockspeed. So yes the workstation does lose out in some workloads but considering that I built mine for less than the price of a TRX motherboard (yes, just a motherboard) I have achieved my personal objective in this instance.

Would be great if we can have the new 10900K's here already, rumour suggests they will be the new all-round king, taking over from the 9900K.
 
"As opposed to multi-threaded tasks that benefit from more CPU cores, Lumion workflows benefit from increased CPU frequency." - Link
This link says that you don't need a whole lot of cores for Lumion specifically, but rather faster cores. So the Xeons suggested earlier will not be best for Lumion. Lumion's own website references CPUMark single-threaded scores for recommended specs as well.

You would need to decide which software you are going to use the most, and build your workstation according to that. Some software want as many cores as they can get, some want as much RAM as they can get, some want as fast cores as they can get, etc, etc.

I have no experience with any of the software you mentioned though, so take this with some salt.
you are correct, hence my question around what the programs favour
 
alternately, maybe 4 x 8gb DDR3 and a GTX1070 second hand might do the trick for you as well (that would be like R4.5 ~ R5k and you can offset this by selling your quadro and existing ram)

pretty sure you could boost your 3770 to 3.9ghz too using the all core boost option in bios
 
you are correct, hence my question around what the programs favour
Yes, sorry. Should have said what is "mentioned" and not "suggested". The Xeon systems on carb are suuuper cheap and I would love to get one, but the programs I use also favour clockspeed.
 
My love for the Xeons are borne from price vs performance - some of the work I do just love more cores and RAM, some love clockspeed. So yes the workstation does lose out in some workloads but considering that I built mine for less than the price of a TRX motherboard (yes, just a motherboard) I have achieved my personal objective in this instance.

Would be great if we can have the new 10900K's here already, rumour suggests they will be the new all-round king, taking over from the 9900K.
Please give me first dibs when you decide to sell. Pretty please
 
Please give me first dibs when you decide to sell. Pretty please
I will let you know if I do - much depends on the next few months (if I get a new work PC or not).
 
So when it comes to running SSD Raid I would really think about it properly, if for redundancy by all means if for performance you may want to take into consideration the fact that SATA is pretty quickly limited from a throughput perspective. The most gain is already there from the SSD, RAID 0 wont make much of a difference in single workstation performance.
 
Howzit guy!

Interesting thread..im assuming you're in the Architecture field.
Im an architect and also looking to build a new PC. There are many ways to skin this cat..it all comes down to budget.
Personally I think xeon processors and workstation graphics are hugely overkill. But if your budget allows, theres no harm in considering.

However in my experience, a Ryzen 9 3900x or equivalent, with a suitable motherboard, 32gb ram, an SSD and a RTX 2070 Super, will be more than enough to handle Revit, VRay and Lumion with ease, as well as futureproof your workstation.

Im interested to hear what the experts on here have to say.
Good luck!
 
Ok....

So im going to need the following:

4 x 8GB DDR3 1600 MHz (to max out my motherboard RAM capacity)
Geforce GTX 1070 or 1080.
And a SSD Hardrive.

So If you awesome people can help me out with some pricing or parts that would be awesome.
I think ill stick with my current pc for now instead of building a new one. Just don't have the cash for that.
My CPU is fine for now. When I get a job and more money ill throw in a new system.

@tauseef, I am studying Architecture but doing a little 3D work on the side. Still building my skills up.
 
Lumion requires a strong GPU paired with a single thread CPU with a high clock
Revit requires a fair CPU with multi threading capabality, as it is responsible for the modelling aspect.
when running live sync (the most awesome feature), the system will draw on the RAM extensively.

As we are always broke while studying architecture, upgrading the GPU, SSD and RAM is the perfect approach!
 
Geforce GTX 1070 or 1080.
Not the greatest card, but it is a 3 fan model so cooling is pretty decent (I have one)

And a SSD Hardrive.
Some options for SSDs - in this list I would take the Samsung 850 (DRAM cache drive)

DDR3 ram is slim pickings
 
Not the greatest card, but it is a 3 fan model so cooling is pretty decent (I have one)


Some options for SSDs - in this list I would take the Samsung 850 (DRAM cache drive)
Only problem with this is that I ahve already used 1TB of my hard drive, so will need something bigger than that, or more of them.

DDR3 ram is slim pickings
DDR3 ram is slim pickings
Ya i see so, will find them somehow, not too worried about that.


Only problem with this is that I ahve already used 1TB of my hard drive, so will need something bigger than that, or more of them.
 
Hi Jon

*Quick disclaimer
When I say Lumion I mean all the rendering programs, they are quite similar. I, however, have the most experience with lumion.

I use those two regularly, and you have it spot on at the moment. It's your GPU and a bit of system memory. Your CPU is perfect. Two screens is no problem either and with this set up you can have lumion or twin motion open on one screen and revit open on the other with a live model link between the two.


Here are my suggested upgrades. Ranked in order of importance.

SSD
This is a type of hard drive and you need one, its the best upgrade you can make. Everything will load faster from revit models to windows booting up. You want windows on it, revit and Lumion. So try to get a 512Gig drive, if not a 250 gig one can fit those things too but there is less room to grow. You don't need a fancy M.2 Nvme one as that would require a new motherboard. Your motherboard has one Sata 6 port and so just be sure to plug it in that one when you get it. You can easily transfer your files (Windows, Lumion Revit ect.) onto it when you get it.

GPU
This is probably the most costly one but will be a big help and allow you to use twin motion or lumion properly without the stuttering you probably getting now. I'd get a GPU with lots of ram as that makes Lumion much smoother. Not sure what you are looking to spend or what size projects you are working on. But a 1080 ti runs lumion very nicely. If you are looking to spend less then look towards cards with at 6-8 gigs of ram, you cant go too wrong. 1070 1080 1080ti, 2070, 2070 super are the ideal options though. When you get it, make sure to unplug the Quadro and put this in its PCIE slot as you only have 1 16X slot to make full use of the card.

RAM
In terms of system memory, 32 gigs would go a long way but I think anything over 20 would be good. Your Motherboard is DDR 3 and so when buying more ram make sure it's DDR 3 and not DDR 4. Look inside your case to see how many free ram slots you have and work from there.

Of course, you can redo the whole PC too but that's really not cost-efficient or necessary.
Shout if you need any more info or help!

Good Luck!
 
Only problem with this is that I ahve already used 1TB of my hard drive, so will need something bigger than that, or more of them.

You Just need the SSD for windows and your programs, you can keep your project files on the HDD that you already have.
 
DDR3 ram is slim pickings
Ya i see so, will find them somehow, not too worried about that.
I saw these "complete" / matched ones, but they green RAM:
 
Hi Jon

*Quick disclaimer
When I say Lumion I mean all the rendering programs, they are quite similar. I, however, have the most experience with lumion.

I use those two regularly, and you have it spot on at the moment. It's your GPU and a bit of system memory. Your CPU is perfect. Two screens is no problem either and with this set up you can have lumion or twin motion open on one screen and revit open on the other with a live model link between the two.


Here are my suggested upgrades. Ranked in order of importance.

SSD
This is a type of hard drive and you need one, its the best upgrade you can make. Everything will load faster from revit models to windows booting up. You want windows on it, revit and Lumion. So try to get a 512Gig drive, if not a 250 gig one can fit those things too but there is less room to grow. You don't need a fancy M.2 Nvme one as that would require a new motherboard. Your motherboard has one Sata 6 port and so just be sure to plug it in that one when you get it. You can easily transfer your files (Windows, Lumion Revit ect.) onto it when you get it.

GPU
This is probably the most costly one but will be a big help and allow you to use twin motion or lumion properly without the stuttering you probably getting now. I'd get a GPU with lots of ram as that makes Lumion much smoother. Not sure what you are looking to spend or what size projects you are working on. But a 1080 ti runs lumion very nicely. If you are looking to spend less then look towards cards with at 6-8 gigs of ram, you cant go too wrong. 1070 1080 1080ti, 2070, 2070 super are the ideal options though. When you get it, make sure to unplug the Quadro and put this in its PCIE slot as you only have 1 16X slot to make full use of the card.

RAM
In terms of system memory, 32 gigs would go a long way but I think anything over 20 would be good. Your Motherboard is DDR 3 and so when buying more ram make sure it's DDR 3 and not DDR 4. Look inside your case to see how many free ram slots you have and work from there.

Of course, you can redo the whole PC too but that's really not cost-efficient or necessary.
Shout if you need any more info or help!

Good Luck!

Thanks so much. This really does help me.
 

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