Skylake or Haswell-E 6-Core Build: A gaming rig with upgrade ability for engineering workstation

Hi there, I took a quick search on Solidworks Simulation performance but couldn't find many definitive benchmarks, but here's one instance. Here are two builds for your consideration (Haswell-E and Skylake).

Build #1 (Haswell-E):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type Item Price
CPU Intel Core i7-5930K 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor $559.98 @ SuperBiiz
CPU Cooler Phanteks PH-TC14PE 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler $74.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard MSI X99S SLI Krait ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard $222.99 @ SuperBiiz
Memory Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory $109.99 @ Newegg
Storage Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive $173.29 @ OutletPC
Storage Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $47.78 @ OutletPC
Video Card EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB FTW ACX 2.0 Video Card $499.99 @ Amazon
Case Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case $115.99 @ SuperBiiz
Power Supply EVGA SuperNOVA G2 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply $99.99 @ Amazon
Optical Drive Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer $12.99 @ Newegg
Operating System Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) $91.75 @ OutletPC
Monitor Asus PB278Q 60Hz 27.0" Monitor $379.99 @ Newegg
Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
Total $2389.72
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-18 23:21 EDT-0400

Build #2 (Skylake):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type Item Price
CPU Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor $359.99 @ NCIX US
CPU Cooler Phanteks PH-TC14PE 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler $74.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard MSI Z170A KRAIT GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard $149.99 @ SuperBiiz
Memory Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory $114.99 @ B&H
Storage Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive $173.29 @ OutletPC
Storage Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $47.78 @ OutletPC
Video Card MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card $664.98 @ Newegg
Case Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case $115.99 @ SuperBiiz
Power Supply EVGA SuperNOVA G2 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply $99.99 @ Amazon
Optical Drive Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer $12.99 @ Newegg
Operating System Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) $91.75 @ OutletPC
Monitor Asus PB278Q 60Hz 27.0" Monitor $379.99 @ Newegg
Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
Total $2286.72
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-18 23:23 EDT-0400

Some build notes:

  • CPU - It boils down to whether the 5930K's extra cores / threads / cache comes out significantly ahead of the 6700K. Initial searches show the previous Haswell iteration (4790) as an excellent performer for a mainstream model, given Solidworks' concentration on single-threaded performance. However, I can't say for certain the 6700K pulls ahead of the 5930K given the relative lack of benchmarks. I think it's safe to say the 6700K is a relatively safe choice, if previous benchmarks are anything to fall back on.

  • CPU cooler - Included a white CPU cooler since you're interested in overclocking.

  • Motherboard - Probably the three relevant differences between the boards are maximum RAM (128GB vs 64GB), SATA III ports (10 vs 4), and PCIe lanes (technically CPU, but, 40 vs 16). These models are black with white accents.

  • RAM - 16GB of memory which is more than enough for any games / everyday usage. Also seems to be the recommended amount for most Solidworks users.

  • Storage - 500GB SSD and a 1TB 3.5" drive.

  • Graphics card - This is sort of tough one to fill in since Star Citizen isn't released. I think either the 980 or 980 Ti are reasonable choices for 1440p, although you could certainly go even a bit lower and wait for the 1000-series.

  • Case - The Fractal Design R5 is feature rich case with a window. I'm not sure if you're looking for black exterior and white chassis interior, as I'm not sure if that exists.

  • Power supply - Fully modular unit. Good for a single graphics card setup and any sort of overclocking. If you're interested in SLI or Crossfire, consider a larger wattage unit.

  • Monitor - 1440p IPS display.

/r/buildapcforme Thread