90K+ 3 Desktops with i5 13600K+ Z690 + RX6400 + 32GB Ram

[scarletwitch]

Hi all,
I am looking to build 3 desktops with the following same specifications:

1	CPU	i5 13600K
2	CPU Fan	Deepcool AK400
3	MoBo	Gigabyte Z690 UD DDR4 V2 Intel Motherboard
4	GPU	Asus DUAL Radeon RX 6400 4 GB Video Card
5	SSD	Western Digital SN770 SSD 1TB
7	RAM	Adata XPG Gammix D30 8GB (8GBX1) DDR4 3200MHz *4
8	PSU	Gigabyte P750GM 750 W 80+ Gold
9	Case	Nzxt H510i (Matte Black)
10	Monitor	Benq GW2780

I am getting these new individuals built for about Rs. 1.04L, so 3 for Rs.3.14L. These are online prices combined from EasyShoppi, MD Computers, Amazon and ITDepot. I haven't tried Nehru place yet.

I am still a bit confused between Gigabyte Z690 UD and MSI PRO Z690P. Am not into Mobos so don't really know if the 5K difference is worth it.

Does anybody find any issue with the rig or can help me source some of the products?
I'd be using this for AutoCAD and occasional Revit and would be using it for at least 5+ years.

Best,

 

[n1r0]

That build will be :fire:

I mean it quite literally though, Gigabyte PSUs are known to explode/catch fire. Avoid them at all cost

Apart from that a matched pair of 16GB sticks will probably be cheaper and/or easier to find than a 4 pack of 8 gigs. Also lets you add more sticks if required later

Unless you're actually planning to OC, you can drop down to a H670 board and add another SSD or faster RAM for that money

 

[scarletwitch]

Interesting, I've been using Gigabyte Aorus 850M for more than a year now for a rendering rig which does nothing but max+corona rendering and it has been nothing but a pleasure to me.
I've also been using Gigabyte P650 for Lumion rendering which has rendered Full HD 60FPS videos for weeks. Been 1.5 years since I got this. Again, 0 problems.

Do you have any other PSU in mind with a similar budget?
The reason for breaking it down to 4x8Gb sticks is that occasionally RAM goes bad and this way, I can work on 3/4th RAM while the RMA process is going on rather than 1/2. But I understand your point. I'll find a nice 2x16GB set.

Not planning to OC. I'll look into Asus PRIME H670-PLUS D4.


Really appreciate your feedback.

 

[DestGod]

Hi all,
I am looking to build 3 desktops with the following same specifications:

1	CPU	i5 13600K
2	CPU Fan	Deepcool AK400
3	MoBo	Gigabyte Z690 UD DDR4 V2 Intel Motherboard
4	GPU	Asus DUAL Radeon RX 6400 4 GB Video Card
5	SSD	Western Digital SN770 SSD 1TB
7	RAM	Adata XPG Gammix D30 8GB (8GBX1) DDR4 3200MHz *4
8	PSU	Gigabyte P750GM 750 W 80+ Gold
9	Case	Nzxt H510i (Matte Black)
10	Monitor	Benq GW2780

I am getting these new individuals built for about Rs. 1.04L, so 3 for Rs.3.14L. These are online prices combined from EasyShoppi, MD Computers, Amazon and ITDepot. I haven't tried Nehru place yet.

I am still a bit confused between Gigabyte Z690 UD and MSI PRO Z690P. Am not into Mobos so don't really know if the 5K difference is worth it.

Does anybody find any issue with the rig or can help me source some of the products?
I'd be using this for AutoCAD and occasional Revit and would be using it for at least 5+ years.

Best,

You've got a very very very very very (I could go on forever, but I'll stop) big GPU problem. The RX 6400 is one of the weakest GPUs on the market right now. To prove how terrible it is, it's even worse then entry level GPUs that launched about 6 years back. Yes, its that terrible.
I've checked some system requirement for AutoCad, its mostly mixed. But ideally, I'd say that a good GPU and a good CPU is necessary.

First, my recommendation for the CPU would be the i5 13500. It's got the same core count as the i5 13600K, but each of the core clocks are lower than the 13600k. However, there won't be a major difference in performance between the 2, but the 13500 costs nearly 6k lesser.

Also, the AK400 is not enough to cool the 13600k. It can draw upto 160w. It won't always draw this much, but too keep things on the safer side, I'd suggest at least a dual tower cooler.

Also, if overclocking is not a priority, you can save some money and downgrade the motherboard to a B660. Or the Z690 UD is a good option as well.
And yeah, the PSU is fire hazard.
This is what I'd I suggest-

i5 13500- 24k
Deepcool AK400- 2.3k (should be fine for a 13500)
RX 6600- 21k
WD SN570 1TB- 6.3k
MSI B660 PRO A-14.5k (make sure its BIOS is updated to support 13th gen. Ask the vendor for this)
2x16GB 3600 C18-8.3k
Deepcool PM650D- 4.9k
Case- Deepcool CC560- 3.8k (i'm guessing that the NZXT was for aesthetics. Well, it's an overpriced case, and this one gets the job done for cheaper and with better airflow.)

Interesting, I've been using Gigabyte Aorus 850M for more than a year now for a rendering rig which does nothing but max+corona rendering and it has been nothing but a pleasure to me.

Their units under the Aorus branding were good. But the units under the normal Gigabyte branding, they were just terrible.

 

[n1r0]

Interesting, I've been using Gigabyte Aorus 850M for more than a year now for a rendering rig which does nothing but max+corona rendering and it has been nothing but a pleasure to me.
I've also been using Gigabyte P650 for Lumion rendering which has rendered Full HD 60FPS videos for weeks. Been 1.5 years since I got this. Again, 0 problems.

The P750GM you mentioned is the culprit. You can google "Gigabyte PSU explode" and see the number of such incidents yourself. I almost bought one a few months ago, before I saw this QC issue.

Here's GN's video about the issue:

Do you have any other PSU in mind with a similar budget?

Any Gold 80+ will do except Gigabyte lol. For reference, I got my friend an Adata XPG Core Reactor 850W modular which has been performing well. You can't really go wrong with any of the big name brands. My Corsair 850W has been chugging for 10+ years now.

Not planning to OC. I'll look into Asus PRIME H670-PLUS D4

That's what I have! 3 NVMe slots is nice to have.

 

[scarletwitch]

I've checked some system requirement for AutoCad, its mostly mixed. But ideally, I'd say that a good GPU and a good CPU is necessary.

First, my recommendation for the CPU would be the i5 13500. It's got the same core count as the i5 13600K, but each of the core clocks are lower than the 13600k. However, there won't be a major difference in performance between the 2, but the 13500 costs nearly 6k lesser.

Autodesk apps mostly function on a single core. So, the highest single-core speed is really important for them. Multi-core is useful for some functions but single-core mostly. So, that's why am happy with 13600K.

I totally understand the feedback for the GPU. It was either this or GeForce GTX 1650 4GB. I really don't want to invest in a graphic card for these 3 rigs. They'll be working on AutoCAD+Revit sometimes but mostly on AutoCAD. I have separate rigs for rendering which have RTX 3090. So, don't need mid-level GPUs. Only need the best bang for the buck under 13K to suffice these apps. Any other recommendation you've got for me?

Also, the AK400 is not enough to cool the 13600k. It can draw upto 160w. It won't always draw this much, but too keep things on the safer side, I'd suggest at least a dual tower cooler.

If I end up downgrading the MoBo, I'll simply just get a nice Noctua NH-U9S or something. I LOVE their NH-D15 for my rendering rigs. I guess, that'd be great. Right?

Case- Deepcool CC560- 3.8k (i'm guessing that the NZXT was for aesthetics. Well, it's an overpriced case, and this one gets the job done for cheaper and with better airflow.)

Yeah. You got me. But it makes sense. Deepcool CC560 it is!

MSI B660 PRO A-14.5k (make sure its BIOS is updated to support 13th gen. Ask the vendor for this)

Asus PRIME H670-PLUS D4
That's what I have! 3 NVMe slots is nice to have.

Wouldn't H670 not support RAMs of higher speed than 3200? I read that I'd have to OC the RAM in order for it to be supported. Don't really know if that's advisable because Z690 supports higher speeds right out of the box.

Now am confused between these 2. I'd be only using 1 M.2 of 1TB. Rest of the storage would be done on a LAN server. Which one would you guys recommend?

The P750GM you mentioned is the culprit. You can google "Gigabyte PSU explode" and see the number of such incidents yourself. I almost bought one a few months ago, before I saw this QC issue.

Here's GN's video about the issue:

Any Gold 80+ will do except Gigabyte lol. For reference, I got my friend an Adata XPG Core Reactor 850W modular which has been performing well. You can't really go wrong with any of the big name brands. My Corsair 850W has been chugging for 10+ years now.

Woah! That's scary. PCPartpicker says that the build is only of 352W. Would I really need 850W? I thought 500-750 would be way more than I'd need. What do you think? Any recommendation for 750W?

I couldn't thank both of you enough for such a healthy and detailed feedback.

 

[DestGod]

I totally understand the feedback for the GPU. It was either this or GeForce GTX 1650 4GB. I really don't want to invest in a graphic card for these 3 rigs. They'll be working on AutoCAD+Revit sometimes but mostly on AutoCAD. I have separate rigs for rendering which have RTX 3090. So, don't need mid-level GPUs. Only need the best bang for the buck under 13K to suffice these apps. Any other recommendation you've got for me?

Used might be your option. RX 6400 is a pretty weak GPU, and it's just too scandalous to recommend. Intel Arc A380 would be your other option on a budget. True, it does have some driver issues, but most of them are sorted. Also, there's AV1 support, so if you do plan on any video editing in the future, the A380 would actually be of much better use than all (even the most powerful ones) previous gen GPUs.

If I end up downgrading the MoBo, I'll simply just get a nice Noctua NH-U9S or something. I LOVE their NH-D15 for my rendering rigs. I guess, that'd be great. Right?

Yeah NH D15 is great. However, it does have some successors. My recommendation, the Deepcool AK620. Its a great cooler thats on par with the NH D15 for about 5.3k.

Wouldn't H670 not support RAMs of higher speed than 3200? I read that I'd have to OC the RAM in order for it to be supported. Don't really know if that's advisable because Z690 supports higher speeds right out of the box.

Now am confused between these 2. I'd be only using 1 M.2 of 1TB. Rest of the storage would be done on a LAN server. Which one would you guys recommend?

Nearly all motherboards, even the highest of high end will run the memory kit at base speeds out of the box (2133 Mhz for DDR4 and 4800 Mhz for DDR5 i think). To make them run at advertised speeds, you'll have to enable XMP in the BIOS. A simple process, and both B660 and H670 have support for XMP, so dont worry.
The MSI B660 PRO A I suggested is one of the best options under 15k. It's got great VRMs and IO.

Woah! That's scary. PCPartpicker says that the build is only of 352W. Would I really need 850W? I thought 500-750 would be way more than I'd need. What do you think? Any recommendation for 750W?

650w is actually enough, since you're highest load would be the CPU, and even that would run light most of the time. Deepcool PM650D for 650w, or XPG Core Reactor for 750w.

 

[n1r0]

I LOVE their NH-D15 for my rendering rigs. I guess, that'd be great. Right?

The advantage of Noctua is they will provide brackets for future sockets as well, so you can reuse it in future builds, but the AK seems more VFM

Wouldn't H670 not support RAMs of higher speed than 3200? I read that I'd have to OC the RAM in order for it to be supported. Don't really know if that's advisable because Z690 supports higher speeds right out of the box.

Officially Z690 = CPU & RAM OC
670 = RAM only, but only if using a K CPU

I am running a 12400 on a H670 with 3600MHz RAM, so go figure. Intel made this too confusing

Now am confused between these 2. I'd be only using 1 M.2 of 1TB. Rest of the storage would be done on a LAN server. Which one would you guys recommend?

If all you'll be using these rigs for is for AutoCAD where the CPU just bursts into turbo non-continously (unlike say video rendering), you could potentially go for the cheapest option in cooler, mobo & RAM. RAM speed difference won't be noticeable. But if there's a chance you might do more, your performance will be suboptimal

 

[scarletwitch]

Yeah NH D15 is great. However, it does have some successors. My recommendation, the Deepcool AK620. Its a great cooler thats on par with the NH D15 for about 5.3k.

Yes! I was already looking at DeepCool AG620. I know you recommended AK620 but AG620 is almost half price with slight difference in performance and lots of ugliness, I am okay with that as it's not a personal build. lol

Used might be your option. RX 6400 is a pretty weak GPU, and it's just too scandalous to recommend. Intel Arc A380 would be your other option on a budget. True, it does have some driver issues, but most of them are sorted. Also, there's AV1 support, so if you do plan on any video editing in the future, the A380 would actually be of much better use than all (even the most powerful ones) previous gen GPUs.

Again, I won't be doing ANY graphic intensive work on these units because I already have RTX 3070, RTX 3080Ti builds on which I do graphic and rendering work. These 3 PCs would just be for AutoCAD and Revit for which the best bang of the buck graphic card under 15K shall do easily. I'll look for GTX 1650 or GTX 1630 and obviously some nicely used one GPU if available.


So, between MSI B660 PRO A and Asus PRIME H670-PLUS D4, you're recommending B660 one? Got it!

The advantage of Noctua is they will provide brackets for future sockets as well, so you can reuse it in future builds, but the AK seems more VFM

I Agree! I am settling for DeepCool AG620.

If all you'll be using these rigs for is for AutoCAD where the CPU just bursts into turbo non-continously (unlike say video rendering), you could potentially go for the cheapest option in cooler, mobo & RAM. RAM speed difference won't be noticeable. But if there's a chance you might do more, your performance will be suboptimal

Yeah, More RAM is always better than faster RAM in our case. 3200Mhz seems more than enough.
Between the 2 boards, you're recommending the Asus one right?

This puts me in a fix. Both are recommending different boards. Haha.. But both the suggestions are way cheaper than my original selection. So, thanks a lot for that. If cheapest option is way to go then would MSI B660 PRO A be okay?
Also, is MSI PRO B660M-A okay too? That's even cheaper xD.

 

[n1r0]

Do a side by side comparison of the mobos and see if either has a must-have feature.

For your use case of no OC, single NVMe, I don't think it really matters which way you sway. Both have 4 RAM slots, which lets future expansion. The ASUS may have more USB ports if that matters

Also check the QVL for RAM on their websites and make sure you buy one of those to avoid suprises later

 

[DestGod]

Yes! I was already looking at DeepCool AG620. I know you recommended AK620 but AG620 is almost half price with slight difference in performance and lots of ugliness, I am okay with that as it's not a personal build. lol


Again, I won't be doing ANY graphic intensive work on these units because I already have RTX 3070, RTX 3080Ti builds on which I do graphic and rendering work. These 3 PCs would just be for AutoCAD and Revit for which the best bang of the buck graphic card under 15K shall do easily. I'll look for GTX 1650 or GTX 1630 and obviously some nicely used one GPU if available.


So, between MSI B660 PRO A and Asus PRIME H670-PLUS D4, you're recommending B660 one? Got it!


I Agree! I am settling for DeepCool AG620.


Yeah, More RAM is always better than faster RAM in our case. 3200Mhz seems more than enough.
Between the 2 boards, you're recommending the Asus one right?

This puts me in a fix. Both are recommending different boards. Haha.. But both the suggestions are way cheaper than my original selection. So, thanks a lot for that. If cheapest option is way to go then would MSI B660 PRO A be okay?
Also, is MSI PRO B660M-A okay too? That's even cheaper xD.

Intel Arc A380 is under 15k, so you also consider it.
For the motherboard, the B660 has strong VRMs, so you could run your 13600K at load all day long.
The same however, cannot be said for the H670. Maximum you could use on it before throttling would be the i5 13400 probably.

 

[scarletwitch]

@DestGod , @n1r0 THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART for replying so fast and with so much depth!

Here's my updated rig:

1	CPU	i5 13600K
2	CPU Fan	DeepCool AG620
3	MoBo	MSI PRO B660-A
4	GPU	Asus DUAL Radeon RX 6400 4 GB Video Card
5	SSD	Western Digital SN770 SSD 1TB
7	RAM	G.skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2x16GB) 3600 MHz DDR4
8	PSU	Deepcool PM650D 80 Plus Gold
9	Case	Deepcool CC560 (ATX) Cabinet
10	Monitor	Benq GW2780

The only issue to resolve is the GPU. It's either MSI GeForce GTX 1650 Ventus XS 4G OCV1 or the only other contender is Intel Arc A380 but I have no idea how optimized it is for Autodesk products. There's almost nothing online for it.

You guys liking the rest of the build?

 

[DestGod]

@DestGod , @n1r0 THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART for replying so fast and with so much depth!

Here's my updated rig:

1	CPU	i5 13600K
2	CPU Fan	DeepCool AG620
3	MoBo	MSI PRO B660-A
4	GPU	Asus DUAL Radeon RX 6400 4 GB Video Card
5	SSD	Western Digital SN770 SSD 1TB
7	RAM	G.skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2x16GB) 3600 MHz DDR4
8	PSU	Deepcool PM650D 80 Plus Gold
9	Case	Deepcool CC560 (ATX) Cabinet
10	Monitor	Benq GW2780

The only issue to resolve is the GPU. It's either MSI GeForce GTX 1650 Ventus XS 4G OCV1 or the only other contender is Intel Arc A380 but I have no idea how optimized it is for Autodesk products. There's almost nothing online for it.

You guys liking the rest of the build?

Looks good. Thing is I don't know much about productivity workloads, so you can take the call on the GPU upto your comfort.

 

[scarletwitch]

Yeah, I'll probably go for the second-hand route for GPU at least. Can get 1660 Super or something for the 11K range easily instead of buying a new 1650. For my usage, anything equal and above GTX 10 series is gonna last 5+ years.

But cheers guys, will definitely share pics of the final build and tag you too for helping

 

[twinkle_1]

@DestGod , @n1r0 THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART for replying so fast and with so much depth!

Here's my updated rig:

1	CPU	i5 13600K
2	CPU Fan	DeepCool AG620
3	MoBo	MSI PRO B660-A
4	GPU	Asus DUAL Radeon RX 6400 4 GB Video Card
5	SSD	Western Digital SN770 SSD 1TB
7	RAM	G.skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2x16GB) 3600 MHz DDR4
8	PSU	Deepcool PM650D 80 Plus Gold
9	Case	Deepcool CC560 (ATX) Cabinet
10	Monitor	Benq GW2780

The only issue to resolve is the GPU. It's either MSI GeForce GTX 1650 Ventus XS 4G OCV1 or the only other contender is Intel Arc A380 but I have no idea how optimized it is for Autodesk products. There's almost nothing online for it.

You guys liking the rest of the build?

Hi Have you assembled the pc with this configuration.
If so please post the cinebench 23 score