[ADVICE] Recommend mid-high end Graphic Design rig.

[Blucifer]

Hi ppl,

Need help on the specific specs to build a mid-high end Graphic Design desktop rig. fr scratch :

Requirements:

• Budget around 2000, excluding monitor
• Mostly using Adobe Suite for 2D/minimal 3D. Not doing heavy video editing
  
  [*] Current AMD multi core lags so badly in Illustrator that it is un-useable​
• Graphics card need to be able to support dual monitor setup (maybe dual 2560x 1440)
• Need a LAN card to connect wireless wifi at hm
• NOT for gaming
• Will not be overclocking but preferably with good cooling solution (water or silent fan). Current AMD is hot and stock fan whirring loudness driving me nuts

I did abit research online, they say prioritization is CPU>RAM>GFX? Is it correct? 32gb/64gb ram?

Any other inputs are welcomed too. Thanks in advance!

 

[ZrE0_Cha0s]

well ya pretty much that kind of flow CPU>RAM>GPU for GD.

anyway just asking these qns:
do u want to place it on the table or floor?
any color preferences?

 

[Krabs.]

big dual tower 140mm cpu cooler with fans spinning at 800-1100rpm would be silent and reliable
enough for non-overclock

 

[Blucifer]

big dual tower 140mm cpu cooler with fans spinning at 800-1100rpm would be silent and reliable
enough for non-overclock

Any recommendation for the specs?

well ya pretty much that kind of flow CPU>RAM>GPU for GD.

anyway just asking these qns:
do u want to place it on the table or floor?
any color preferences?

On table beside monitor. No color preference/aesthetic price premium necessary. Pure functional workhorse setup

 

[ZrE0_Cha0s]

well this build should be good enough (hope so ) :

Gigabyte GA-H170-D3H + i7 6700 @633
Crucial 2133Mhz 16GB (2x8GB) @110
Palit GeForce GTX 1070 Dual 8GB @555^ (Lazada SG)
CRYORIG R1 Universal Dual Tower CPU heatsink @139* (Lazada SG)
Fractal Design Define R5 Titanium ATX Casing - Window Edition @158** (Lazada SG)
OCZ Trion 480GB @179
WD Blue 1TB @72
Asus PCE AC68 @139 (Cybermind)

Total: 1985

Add on:

not sure if 16GB is enough for u, but u can always add more if u need as this mobo max 64GB.

all prices quote from PCthemes, otherwise stated.
Lazada prices inclusive of free shipping.
^use lazada app to pay using this code in final payment: KAISOO10 (10% off, max $30)
*pay with Lazada App DBS FriYAY APPYAYS / CITIBank Wild Weekend 15% off max $20 discount (for new customers)
**pay with Lazada App DBS FriYAY APPYAYS / CITIBank Wild Weekend 15% off max $20 discount (Next week)

 

[Krabs.]

if the price difference between 6700 and 6700k is reasonable , can consider the K chip even if not overclocking as the base clockspeed is higher ... less likely to choke for realtime workload

 

[RobinTeoHood]

Get a Mac

Sent from Space using GAGT

 

[Blucifer]

Get a Mac

Prefer a Windows as Mac parts are hard to upgrade part by part

if the price difference between 6700 and 6700k is reasonable , can consider the K chip even if not overclocking as the base clockspeed is higher ... less likely to choke for realtime workload

Ok, i'll look into it. any specific mobo/ system specs recommended?

well this build should be good enough (hope so ) :

Gigabyte GA-H170-D3H + i7 6700 @633
Crucial 2133Mhz 16GB (2x8GB) @110
Palit GeForce GTX 1070 Dual 8GB @555^ (Lazada SG)
CRYORIG R1 Universal Dual Tower CPU heatsink @139* (Lazada SG)
Fractal Design Define R5 Titanium ATX Casing - Window Edition @158** (Lazada SG)
OCZ Trion 480GB @179
WD Blue 1TB @72
Asus PCE AC68 @139 (Cybermind)

Total: 1985

Add on:

not sure if 16GB is enough for u, but u can always add more if u need as this mobo max 64GB.

all prices quote from PCthemes, otherwise stated.
Lazada prices inclusive of free shipping.
^use lazada app to pay using this code in final payment: KAISOO10 (10% off, max $30)
*pay with Lazada App DBS FriYAY APPYAYS / CITIBank Wild Weekend 15% off max $20 discount (for new customers)
**pay with Lazada App DBS FriYAY APPYAYS / CITIBank Wild Weekend 15% off max $20 discount (Next week)

Thanks ALOT for the recommendation. just to understand more:

- Earlier you mentioned GFX not as impt then how come u reco. a 8gb one instead of 2/4gb? that price quite steep leh, just trying to make sure its sth i require since gfx prices drop fast

- the ATX casing does not come with any fans or Power supply right? have to buy both separately? how many W this setup wld require?

- Asus PCE AC68, just based on the pricing it seems to be on the top end of such cards? saw alot of cheaper pci-e cards, can u share why u think this is a good choice?

-Think 32gb too little Was thinking I may need 64gb instead of 32gb. What your take on it?

 

[mypillowtalks]

Does your adobe software recommend any graphics card(such as nvidia quadro)? Some software can take advantage of that for rendering etc, and may take the load off the processor

I heard from others that higher amount of cache in the cpu helps, and also faster rams.

Sent from Tefal Delice OF-2731 Smart-WiFi Convection Oven using GAGT

 

[ZrE0_Cha0s]

Thanks ALOT for the recommendation. just to understand more:

- Earlier you mentioned GFX not as impt then how come u reco. a 8gb one instead of 2/4gb? that price quite steep leh, just trying to make sure its sth i require since gfx prices drop fast

- the ATX casing does not come with any fans or Power supply right? have to buy both separately? how many W this setup wld require?

- Asus PCE AC68, just based on the pricing it seems to be on the top end of such cards? saw alot of cheaper pci-e cards, can u share why u think this is a good choice?

-Think 32gb too little Was thinking I may need 64gb instead of 32gb. What your take on it?

well i choose that gpu after looking at your monitor requirement dual 1440p monitor, but im not sure will the GTX 1060 will run well or not. (i know u are not running any games but its the workload and the monitor u running.)
but anyway u can consider GTX 1060 6GB not sure if 3GB is still fine.

ah my bad i forgot to include it. u can consider SF ledex 550W sliver

well i choose this is because of it best performance, but performance to price ratio is on the low side, but if u really dun mind mid end can consider PCE AC66 card still good in performance.

anyway whats the router and isp plans u sign up? if 300 mbps can consider much lower end card like PCE AC56

 

[jedi5diah]

get MBP lol...

from a fellow gfx

 

[Blucifer]

Does your adobe software recommend any graphics card(such as nvidia quadro)? Some software can take advantage of that for rendering etc, and may take the load off the processor

I heard from others that higher amount of cache in the cpu helps, and also faster rams.

Thanks for input.

I'm abit skeptical on the official GFX requirements as they tend to understate it to increase adoption. My current desktop using GTX 660 2gb, but it still lags v badly once file layers get complex.

From Adobe Illustrator's official specs:
- To use GPU Performance: NVIDIA video adapter listed below (medium/high-end recommended); 1 GB of VRAM (2 GB recommended);
- Quadro K Series/6xxx/5xxx/4xxx/2xxx/2xxxD/6xx/GeForce GTX Series (4xx, 5xx, 6xx, 7xx, Titan)

get MBP lol...

from a fellow gfx

MBP = MacBook Pro right? Prefer Windows as I like to tweak stuff and such plus current Macbook's price performance ratio is less ideal.

you don't face any lag with working with illustrator and photoshop with many layers and effects? What are your MBP specs?

well i choose that gpu after looking at your monitor requirement dual 1440p monitor, but im not sure will the GTX 1060 will run well or not. (i know u are not running any games but its the workload and the monitor u running.)
but anyway u can consider GTX 1060 6GB not sure if 3GB is still fine.

ah my bad i forgot to include it. u can consider SF ledex 550W sliver

well i choose this is because of it best performance, but performance to price ratio is on the low side, but if u really dun mind mid end can consider PCE AC66 card still good in performance.

anyway whats the router and isp plans u sign up? if 300 mbps can consider much lower end card like PCE AC56

Thanks for further sharing, I learn alot from your posts.

I'm probably going to run monitors Dell U2716D (2560 x 1440) & U2311H (1920 x 1080) for time being till for $$ for better secondary monitor.

Router is M1's Asus-RT-N56U, plan forgot 300mbps/1gbps, have to check again.

Biggest ticket item seem to be GFX as I can't ascertain emphasis on which part will be for my needs. e.g. Quadro vs more VRAm vs Speed vs etc

 

[ZrE0_Cha0s]

Thanks for input.

I'm abit skeptical on the official GFX requirements as they tend to understate it to increase adoption. My current desktop using GTX 660 2gb, but it still lags v badly once file layers get complex.

From Adobe Illustrator's official specs:
- To use GPU Performance: NVIDIA video adapter listed below (medium/high-end recommended); 1 GB of VRAM (2 GB recommended);
- Quadro K Series/6xxx/5xxx/4xxx/2xxx/2xxxD/6xx/GeForce GTX Series (4xx, 5xx, 6xx, 7xx, Titan)

Thanks for further sharing, I learn alot from your posts.

I'm probably going to run monitors Dell U2716D (2560 x 1440) & U2311H (1920 x 1080) for time being till for $$ for better secondary monitor.

Router is M1's Asus-RT-N56U, plan forgot 300mbps/1gbps, have to check again.

Biggest ticket item seem to be GFX as I can't ascertain emphasis on which part will be for my needs. e.g. Quadro vs more VRAm vs Speed vs etc

well for the gpu wise quadro is always the better one in terms of rendering stuff, but normal consumer type of gpu is still capable of doing the work. just that the price of the quadro to gtx is that some model can be price as high as a higher end gtx and low to a budget gtx but base on the requirement its seems like consumer grade gtx 1060 should be fine, but higher end is better.

next would prefer that u upgrade your router if can to AC type of router and u can make full use of PCE AC68u wifi capabilities, but if 300mbps can just grab PCE AC56u. (but still hope that u will upgrade your router as well)

oh ya as for the ram if u want just but higher space ram and fit into your whole mobo (can just grab those 2133/2400Mhz ram that provide 64GB kit)

 

[jedi5diah]

Thanks for input.



MBP = MacBook Pro right? Prefer Windows as I like to tweak stuff and such plus current Macbook's price performance ratio is less ideal.

you don't face any lag with working with illustrator and photoshop with many layers and effects? What are your MBP specs?

i'm using 2014 iMac, lagi poor specs but stability is 10x better than windows, slow but surely your work is done.

windows 10 is purely for my entertainment

 

[kandinsky]

Thanks for input.

I'm abit skeptical on the official GFX requirements as they tend to understate it to increase adoption. My current desktop using GTX 660 2gb, but it still lags v badly once file layers get complex.

What's your current system specs? CPU and RAM? I'm inclined to think that GPU plays a rather small part for AI usage.

This seems to be the main documented 'feature' when it comes to GPU acceleration for AI CC:

GPU performance enhancements let Illustrator pan, zoom, and scroll up to 10 times faster with 10 times higher zoom magnification (64,000%, up from 6,400%).

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/gpu-performance-preview-improvements.html

Adobe themselves doesn't even mention upgrading GPU on their tips on optimizing hardware for AI, instead they prioritize CPU + RAM + Disk.

Optimize hardware

The hardware you use affects Illustrator performance: the faster the processor or hard drive, the faster Illustrator can process information. Other hardware enhancements, such as installing additional RAM, using a multiprocessor system, or optimizing and defragmenting drives, can also improve performance. Try these techniques to optimize hardware.

Use a faster processor
The speed of your computer's central processing unit (CPU) affects the speed of Illustrator. Because Illustrator manipulates large quantities of data and performs many calculations, its speed depends on the processor's speed. Consider using a computer with a faster processor.

Install additional RAM

If Illustrator has insufficient RAM, it uses hard disk space (virtual memory, scratch disk, or both) to process information. Illustrator is fastest when it can process information in memory, without using a hard disk.

Optimize disk space

Here are a few ways to optimize disk space:
Check your hard disk for errors, defragment files, and make best use of available hard disk space by using the CHKDSK.exe and Disk Defragmenter programs. For information, see your Windows documentation or Improve performance for Windows.
Save your files to drives with faster access speeds. For example, use an internal hard drive rather than a network server (network drive) or external drive.
If you want to save a file to a network or external drive, first save the file to an internal hard drive. Then close the file and use Windows Explorer to copy it to the network or external drive. If you use CS4, you can save the file to the network using Adobe Version Cue.

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/optimize-illustrator-performance-windows.html

 

[Xeniel]

well i choose that gpu after looking at your monitor requirement dual 1440p monitor, but im not sure will the GTX 1060 will run well or not. (i know u are not running any games but its the workload and the monitor u running.)
but anyway u can consider GTX 1060 6GB not sure if 3GB is still fine.

ah my bad i forgot to include it. u can consider SF ledex 550W sliver

well i choose this is because of it best performance, but performance to price ratio is on the low side, but if u really dun mind mid end can consider PCE AC66 card still good in performance.

anyway whats the router and isp plans u sign up? if 300 mbps can consider much lower end card like PCE AC56

If 1060 cannot drive 2 x display running at 1440, I worry sia

 

[ZrE0_Cha0s]

If 1060 cannot drive 2 x display running at 1440, I worry sia

If urs can maybe can give TS some insights?

 

[xiaozozo]

should check LTT on video editing.. i think he made a comparison using Titan Xs and is true to what concept_fuel said above. GPU has diminishing return on multiple, but a good GPU will definitely help to reduce render times significantly. Though multiple GPUs does not mean timings will be halved.

 

[Blucifer]

well for the gpu wise quadro is always the better one in terms of rendering stuff, but normal consumer type of gpu is still capable of doing the work. just that the price of the quadro to gtx is that some model can be price as high as a higher end gtx and low to a budget gtx but base on the requirement its seems like consumer grade gtx 1060 should be fine, but higher end is better.
next would prefer that u upgrade your router if can to AC type of router and u can make full use of PCE AC68u wifi capabilities, but if 300mbps can just grab PCE AC56u. (but still hope that u will upgrade your router as well)
oh ya as for the ram if u want just but higher space ram and fit into your whole mobo (can just grab those 2133/2400Mhz ram that provide 64GB kit)

Thanks for all the recommendations bro, appreciate it!

What's your current system specs? CPU and RAM? I'm inclined to think that GPU plays a rather small part for AI usage.
This seems to be the main documented 'feature' when it comes to GPU acceleration for AI CC:
Adobe themselves doesn't even mention upgrading GPU on their tips on optimizing hardware for AI, instead they prioritize CPU + RAM + Disk.

Thanks for the great summary and recommendation. I’m running AMD Phenom II X65, GTX 660 2GB, RAM 8Gb/12GB I think, Samsung Evo 850 250gb. AI lags beyond usable once the layers & Effects/Filters stack up which is why I’m thinking of getting new rig, with hope it becomes useable.

Below is my suggested built.
GA-H170-D3H + i7 6700k - $665
CRYORIG C1 Top Flow CPU heatsink with 1 XT140 white frame version - $119
CORSAIR Vengeance LPX 2400 C16 2x16GB - $269
Intel 256GB series 600p M.2 PCE (OS/Apps) - $169
Samsung 850 EVO 250GB - $159
Seagate 1TB 7200/64MB x 2 setup in raid 1 (Data drive) - $68 x 2
EVGA B1 80+ Bronze Power Supply 500W - $89
Deepcool Dukase V2 Window ATX Case black or white - $79
Linksys WUSB6300 AC1200 - $95
Palit Geforce GTX 1050 StormX 2GB - $188

Thank you for the recommendation and taking the time to share the scrshots and thorough explanations. I don’t use davinci but I learnt a great deal from your explanations on the various components.

should check LTT on video editing.. i think he made a comparison using Titan Xs and is true to what concept_fuel said above. GPU has diminishing return on multiple, but a good GPU will definitely help to reduce render times significantly. Though multiple GPUs does not mean timings will be halved.

Thanks for share. I don’t do video editing except maybe play with some motion graphics in After Effects, think the video editing specialize rigs hv more GPU emphasis

@ ALL
Do you think Ram speed would make big difference? e.g. 2133/2400/2666/3000?