# PC CPU,Motherboard,RAM upgrade for 3D render - advice request



## Vigil (Aug 28, 2016)

Hi,
I'm using my PC mainly for 3D modelling in Autodesk Maya, rendering using mental ray, animation and Adobe Photoshop. When rendering, the CPU use goes up to 100% and I can hear my cooler fan speeding up and getting annoyingly noisy. I want to upgrade so that the models and animations will render faster in mental ray. Right now, it's very slow. A 800x600 frame composed of a few simple polygons and materials takes about 15 seconds to render.
I don't do overclocking and I'm looking for a new processor, motherboard and RAM. 

My current system:
Power supply: Superflower Leadex GOLD 650W Modular 80 Plus Gold
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97P-D3
Processor: Intel Core i7 4790 Quad Core (Haswell, Socket 1150)
+ Cooling: Deepcool Lucifer
RAM memory: TeamGroup Elite Black 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TPKD316G1600HC11DC01)
Main storage: 5x SanDisk Extreme PRO SSD 480 GB Sata III 2.5 Inch
1x Seagate ST6000NM0024 Enterprise 6 TB
Graphics card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 Gaming Edition 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card
OS: Windows 7 Pro, will not upgrade to 10.

After refreshing my knowledge for two days and browsing through components in online stores, this is what I came up with:
Socket LGA 1151 kit
Processor option:
£398.99 Intel Core i7 7700k 4.9 Ghz Kaby Lake https://www.overclockers.co.uk/inte...a1151-pre-binned-processor-oem-cp-632-in.html
?: I've seen on the web that this won't work with Windows7 but a friend of mine bought a kaby lake CPU and he can still use Windows7. I assume that this will work fine then?

Motherboard option:
?: There are different chipsets available for LGA1151, how do I know which one to pick?

£244.99 Gigabyte GA-Z270x https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...cket-1151-ddr4-atx-motherboard-mb-55c-gi.html
+: 8 SATA connectors make it ideal for my planned 6 SSD, 1 HDD, 1 DVD drives.
+: Support for QuadGPU SLI & 2-way SLI just in case I wanted to get two cards. I assume that If I wanted two GPUs, I can use the two bottom PCI-E slots to leave space for my network card on the very top PCI slot?
+: DDR4
+: I assume that 2 devices connected to 1 USB 3.1 gen 2 port through a hub will work as fast as if they were connected to 2 USB 3.1 gen 1 ports?
-: It supports only up to 2400 MHz RAM or up to 4000 "O.C." but I have no idea what this OC means. Does it have to be a 2400 overclocked up to 4000 or would it be able the utilize an actual 4000 MHz?
?: 2x M.2 and 1x U.2 connectors. I've never seen them before but after reading about it on ASUS website I think that this is sort of faster type of storage? Would it be worth buying a M.2 or U.2 SSD for system/applications?

£239.99 Asus ROG Maximus IX hero https://www.overclockers.co.uk/asus...cket-1151-ddr4-atx-motherboard-mb-68q-as.html
+: Enough USB ports.
+: Enough room for two GPUs and a network card.
+: 2x M.2 sockets although I'm not sure how useful this could be yet.
+: DDR4 4133 ram support. I hope I don't need to overclock anything and just buy 4133 memory for that?

I decided to only look for a processor and motherboards this time because I'm not even sure if these would be the best choices. I'll look for RAM after finding a good processor+motherboard. I can spend no more than £1000 for the processor, motherboard and RAM total.

I've never upgraded my processor alone. I upgrade roughly every 2.5 years and I've upgraded both the motherboard and processor every time. Therefore I think that for how long a socket type will remain popular isn't relevant. I'm most likely to get a new motherboard next time anyway. Or are they not worth upgrading as much as other components?

Apart from LGA1151 there are also 2066 and 2011-V3 which I'm considering but I have no idea which one would be the best. Though there seem to be a much better choice of processors for 2011-V3 socket.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Hi and Welcome to TSF!

Your current setup should be good enough for some reasonable rendering. Are you sure the system isn't over heating?

An i7-7700K is a pointless upgrade if you don't plan on overclocking it. You'd be wasting money for features you won't use.

Why are you against Windows 10?


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## satrow (Feb 4, 2012)

Moving to LGA1151 would be a big cost for too little improvement, you'd need to get more cores, assuming your software will use them, so 2011-V3 would give a significant CPU performance boost - but at a very high cost.

Switching to an octa-core AMD Ryzen 7 would be a much better bang per buck ratio - but MS has a block via Windows Update for using it on W7, even if you could find W7 drivers.

AMD's history indicates that the majority of their CPU sockets are much longer-lived than Intel's.


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## storm5510 (Mar 26, 2009)

Vigil said:


> ...Intel Core i7 7700k 4.9 Ghz Kaby Lake...


I don't know if it is a good idea to push a CPU to this level if it is really not designed for it. It's base frequency is 4.2 GHz and max is 4.5 GHz. It's going to produce a lot of heat. You would probably need a high capacity liquid cooling system.


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## Vigil (Aug 28, 2016)

Thanks a lot for the replies :smile:


Masterchiefxx17 said:


> Are you sure the system isn't over heating?


I would assume that no. It does the same when playing games like latest Deus Ex or Mass Effect Andromeda. I have a large CPU cooler, too. Is there an accurate but free software which would allow me to check the temperatures?


Masterchiefxx17 said:


> An i7-7700K is a pointless upgrade (..) Why are you against Windows 10?


I tried getting used to it but couldn't. And I've read a lot of posts on the internet about the privacy and data security issues. I do store confidential client/business information on my computer and I don't want to risk anything about them leaking to Microsoft and then to the 3rd parties. We do the same thing at work. Our IT department downgrades all of our new machines to Windows 7.


satrow said:


> Moving to LGA1151 would be a big cost for too little improvement (..) 2011-V3 would give a significant CPU performance boost - but at a very high cost.


How about socket 2066 then?


storm5510 said:


> I don't know if it is a good idea to push a CPU to this level if it is really not designed for it.


I think you're right. I'd rather not take a risk getting a pre-overclocked CPU.

Considering this and the above this is my new choice below:
https://www.scan.co.uk/products/msi...-m2-3-way-sli-crossfire-dual-intel-gbe-usb-31
https://www.scan.co.uk/products/int...d-36ghz-43ghz-turbo-11mb-28-lane-140w-cpu-oem
Do you think that'll improve performance at least 2x (After adding some RAM, of course) ?


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

> And I've read a lot of posts on the internet about the privacy and data security issues. I do store confidential client/business information on my computer and I don't want to risk anything about them leaking to Microsoft and then to the 3rd parties. We do the same thing at work. Our IT department downgrades all of our new machines to Windows 7.


That sounds like paranoia and reading some incorrect articles on the internet. There are thousands of companies, including the one I work for, that use Windows 10 with their important company data on them. Even a doctors office I visited recently was running Windows 10.

Your work may be downgrading to Windows 7, because they are not yet ready for Windows 10. I would recommend you upgrade to Windows 10 and ignore the ridiculous posts on the subject.



> Considering this and the above this is my new choice below:
> https://www.scan.co.uk/products/msi-...tel-gbe-usb-31
> https://www.scan.co.uk/products/inte...e-140w-cpu-oem
> Do you think that'll improve performance at least 2x (After adding some RAM, of course) ?


You will be paying for a processor that you won't use all the features of. Again, the AMD proc would be better bang for the buck.

To answer your question, yes, it would provide more processing power.


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## Vigil (Aug 28, 2016)

You're probably right that it is paranoia. I did try using Windows 10 on my laptop for a month in the distant past. However apart from having to get used to a different interface, I will just never feel comfortable with the telemetry in the system and lack of control of it. I think it'd be better with the enterprise edition but at this moment I can't really find that one.

I know that I'm stubborn and I'm sorry. I actually really want to use 10. But I'm just too worried. Maybe its because of reading dystopian futuristic stories in the past or work being stolen/copied. I really hope I can still "wait these worries out" by just getting different components.

I'd rather spend some extra for an intel, at least for now. There are many studio computers which use xeons, but I'm not sure what they're used for exactly. Would a Xeon processor be more suitable?

By not using all of the features, what kind of features do you have in mind? The ones listed below the processor on that website?


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

I won't continue to mention it then, but I believe you should use Windows 10 and turn off anything you don't like.

As for the Xeon comment, a Xeon processor is typically used for servers. You wouldn't need it for your usage.


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## satrow (Feb 4, 2012)

1-2CPU Xeons are also commonly used for workstations:



> Intel® Xeon® Processor E3 Family
> 
> HD and UHD video transcoding
> Entry workstation performance
> ...


(There's also been an ongoing trend for socket 775 users to extend the working life of their rigs by converting socket 771 Xeons from the ex-server s/h market.)

In the recent past (2010~2015), the Xeon E3's (1-CPU only) were quite popular for consumer DIY builds, being almost as powerful as the 'equivalent' i7's and could be used in the same 'boards, could use more RAM (and ECC Memory), were more efficient, and could sometimes be found at quite advantageous prices. 

With more recent E3's, Intel has blocked easy consumer use by disallowing them to run on consumer 'boards, C-series chipsets are now required.

1-CPU Xeon E5 builds might still be a viable option, I'm not sure, I've not chased it up. Like the E3's, previous versions had some advantages over i7's: https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Intel-CPUs-Xeon-E5-vs-Core-i7-634/

2-CPU E5's (or any multi CPU build) might be too inconsistent under some workloads to make sense in a general purpose build: https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Should-you-use-a-Dual-Xeon-for-Premiere-Pro-CC-2017-932/


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## storm5510 (Mar 26, 2009)

Vigil said:


> A 800x600 frame composed of a few simple polygons and materials takes about 15 seconds to render.


_This is going to be a bit off-topic_:

I've done some modeling before, and this depends on the complexity of your applicationn and the render options. 'Materials' can be a bottleneck in the process. I never applied them until I had all the basic shapes in place.

I'll go out on a limb here and guess your application can multithread. I've seen instances where using too many threads can actually be worse than not enough.

If your frame is a finished render, then I would not consider 15 seconds as bad!


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

Vigil said:


> You're probably right that it is paranoia. I did try using Windows 10 on my laptop for a month in the distant past. However apart from having to get used to a different interface, I will just never feel comfortable with the telemetry in the system and lack of control of it. I think it'd be better with the enterprise edition but at this moment I can't really find that one.
> 
> I know that I'm stubborn and I'm sorry. I actually really want to use 10. But I'm just too worried. Maybe its because of reading dystopian futuristic stories in the past or work being stolen/copied. I really hope I can still "wait these worries out" by just getting different components.
> 
> ...



Again I think you are going overboard with concerns about Microsoft spying in Windows 10 and you can shut down every single option they have anyway if you so desire. If you dislike the Windows 10 Start Menu as I do simply use Classic Shell as I do. 10 is faster booting and shutting down and runs so much more smoothly now than aging Windows 7 and I am with you on sticking with Intel, most reviews still find them superior in every way and I was a long time defender of AMD until the FX series did me in with noise rivaling a vacuum cleaner and instability issues and I switched to Intel and never looked back. No question though the cpu choice is personal almost like Antivirus used to be!


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## Vigil (Aug 28, 2016)

To conclude about Windows 10:
As soon as I get the enterprise edition, I'll start giving it a try and learning how to use it on a spare laptop. Once I'm completely sure and used to it, then I'll transition.

After checking how much time I usually spend on different things when using my computer I've made a small ratio to simplify:
40% modelling and animation using Autodesk Maya (at this moment)
35% Photoshop, After Effects
25% Games

I'll be studying web development and java programming soon. I'm not sure if that's going to be an important factor because level of the tasks won't go above intermediate. I also wanna give game development a try, working with Unreal Engine 4. After reading some, I know that I'd definitely prefer it over Unity.

The all above might be a strange mix but I always found myself stuck when trying to choose either digital art or programming. Still didn't make a final decision and simply going back and forth between the two. Working with digital art more often in recent months while studying programming at school.

X299 remains a choice for the motherboard.
About the Core i7 7820X: You've mentioned that it has features I won't be using. What features are they? Maybe I would want to have them after all but I'm not exactly sure what features are you on about.
I've seen a benchmark below
UserBenchmark: Intel Core i7-4790 vs i7-7700K
7700k seems to be a cheaper but significant improvement. Would it be a better choice than the 7820x ?


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

OK the 7820X is not an 1151 socket series so you know so you will need different board as well. There isn't a huge difference between the 4790K and 7700K and in fact they are rather equal but huge price difference with the 7820X and I am not quite sure if the $200+ means anything frankly.


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## Vigil (Aug 28, 2016)

I'd have to purchase a new board either way since my current board has a 1150 socket. Also, I'm currently using 4970, without K. I think that there is enough difference to upgrade to 7700k? Or is 7820x worth the higher price? I am willing to pay more for the processor as long as it's worth it.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

OK when you say 4970 is not K then the 7700K is a nice jump forwards so I don't see the need to go to the 7820X...spend it on better higher speed memory which you can do with the 1151 and go for 3000or 4100 speed you also cannot currently use on your 4970 board...then add Ssd drive for Windows and you have a smoking hot upgrade!


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## Vigil (Aug 28, 2016)

Are the below good choices? Will this motherboard work with the RAM?

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/asu...2-2-way-sli-3-way-crossfire-intel-gbe-usb-31-

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CM...id=1500318951&sr=1-190&keywords=ddr4+ram&th=1

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/int...-42ghz-45ghz-turbo-8mb-cache-1150mhz-gpu-91w-


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

All good choices and ram is perfect match as it has been tested with that board.


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## Vigil (Aug 28, 2016)

Decided to step down to 16GB. Is the memory below the same? I just want to be sure, it looks the same to me.
https://www.scan.co.uk/products/16g...-(3600)-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-18-19-19-39-xm


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

Yes same ram and fine.


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