New Ultimate Monster PC: Already started picking parts. Would like help finishing.

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Undercover_Man

[H]ard Surgeon
Joined
Jan 17, 2010
Messages
1,314
  1. What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
  2. What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
  3. Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
  4. What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
  5. If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
  6. Will you be overclocking?
  7. What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
  8. When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
  9. What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
  10. Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

  1. Gaming, editing, max quality steaming/recording, multi-monitor, 3D, Oculus,
  2. No limit. Taxes/shipping not included
  3. Hot Springs, AR, USA
  4. All main parts (Case/PSU/GPU/RAM/MOBO/HDD/SSD/m.2 mSATA/Keyboard/Mouse/What did I miss?) Monitors/Speakers/Software not included
  5. 100% new system
  6. No/Minimal initial O/C. Might not fully O/C later as this is too pricey to risk damage.
  7. No monitor chosen. 1920x1080/2560x1080/2560x1440/3440x1440/3840x2160 Will have 2-3 monitors. I'm liking the Acer XR341CKA.
  8. Hopeful time frame is between 1.5-3.5 months
  9. Have not caught up in new mobo tech. At the top of my head: Crossfire/SLI, USB 3.0, SATA 6Gb/s
  10. Will most likely go with Win10 64bit to take advantage of new DirectX.

What do I want to do with my PC?
Video/Photo/3D editing/rendering for social media sharing. Highest quality Twitch streaming. Highest quality game recording. Oculus. Ultra nightmare maxed to the max gaming. Multiple monitors (2-3). Eventual dual/triple/quad GPU.

I do not know if I need all the storage drives or just a mixture of them: mSATA, HDD, SSD. I would like to have the OS and other essential programs housed separately from lesser used/unimportant programs/data. I would also like to have a specific drive with ONLY extremely important data (photo/video/archived stuff) mirrored (or something) to another drive for safety (If the apartment/house catches fire or tornado is spotted, I can grab the one hard drive with everything else being replaceable data.. I'll use a separate drive for non-essential games and programs. Why do I not want the non-essential stuff also on my irreplaceable mirrored drive system? Because I tend to be a data hoarder and keep uncompressed files, old archived data, and lots of full HD photos/videos/audio files when editing.

Since this is going to be expensive and I do not have much experience with liquid cooling, I'd like to use fan cooling only unless there is some simple closed system cooling thing for a part. Like I mentioned before, I plan on doing minimal OCing and that's a maybe and most likely not right away.

Have a new job that's gonna give me mega bucks. Have a second job too. Can FINALLY build a new PC!!!!! If I need to delay a month or so to take advantage of newly released hardware, suggest away. I'll consider delays to avoid hardware about to become obsolete/major upgraded.

I've put together a partial list of hardware. Been a decade since my last build.

Judge Me:
Case: Corsair Obsidian Series 900D
PSU: Corsair Titanium 1500W AX1500i
MOBO: EVGA X99 mATX / ASUS X99 RAMPAGE V EXTREME / EVGA X99 CLASSIFIED
mSATA: Samsung SSD 850 EVO M.2 (250GB) / Intel? Crucial? Plextor? ADATA? Micron?
CPU: Intel Core i7- 5820K / 5930K / 5960X
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN ASUS Black Edition / <--- EVGA version /
RAM: 16GB Corsair/G.Skill (Will upgrade lots later)
HDD: Seagate or Western Digital.
SSD: Samsung or SanDisk. Should I consider anything else?
CPU Heatsink: Noctua?
Fans: No clue

Missing anything? Thoughts? Suggestions?
 
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For backup and the safety of your data, you're better off just backing up to an external hard drive. That's far safer than having a RAID 1 array alone.

As for CPU cooling, considering the nature of this build, I'd actually recommend going CLC. Once you get above the $80 to $90+ mark, you're really better off with a CLC from a price to cooling standpoint. I recommend looking at the Corsair H100i GTX CLC.

As for the motherboard, PSU, CPU, and case (not a big fan of the 900D actually), that's actually dependent on how serious you are about SLI, Tri-SLI, or Quad-SLI. The more GPUs you add, the more expensive the rest of the system must be to compensate. So a regular SLI setup is going to be a lot cheaper than a quad-SLI in just the costs for the motherboard, PSU, CPU, and case alone as require totally different parts.

So how far do you really want to go with the GPUS? Can you afford to buy multiple GPUs at once?
 
Hmm... I'm actually building a similar build as we speak, so maybe I can share my experience with you, and we can bounce ideas.

You are on the right track thinking of going X99, BUT I would advise to go with EVGA over Asus. Asus's warranty issues are making headlines, so if you want an Asus board: you roll the dice. I personally chose the Asrock X99 WS. But the EVGA and MSI products were a close call.

Also, the 5960X would be an awesome part for rendering, etc. but you have to ask yourself if its worth the extra cash. Its over double the price of the 5820K, but its not over double the performance. I personally snagged a RIDICULOUS deal on a Xeon ES chip, so I can't really advise either of these processors: if you are a gambling man: check Ebay for Xeon ES CPUs, as you have a good chance of getting an unlocked multiplier.

Video Cards: I would go with dual 980 Tis. I personally have 2 Titan X cards, but the circumstances were different. I got one for free and I got a killer deal on the second from a member of Hardforum. Overall, I payed the same as 2x 980 TIs, the Titans will only be about 10% faster. So you aren't missing out on much with 980Tis. I would not advise going more than 2 GPUs. so don't worry about going tri, or quad-SLI, the scaling factor does not equate to much. This also means you can grab a slightly lower-wattage PSU...

For PSU, I'm going to go with the Corsair RM 1000i, I don't see enough advantage over this one to grab the AX series, and two 980Tis with a slew of drives and an OC'd 8-core chip would not draw over 900w, so you're fine with a 1000w PSU.

RAM: as much as you can afford. Rendering programs NEED RAM. if you are looking to buy yesterday, I can't offer any advice, but I can offer you some info: the new skylake CPUs are coming out Soon™, and that means all the major manufacturers are pumping out more cost-effective DDR4. With Ram and Rendering/productivity work the rule is More Ram>Faster Ram. If the choice is between 64gb 2133 versus 32gb 4000, kick yourself and then choose the 64gb kit. No speed improvement is going to make the RAM faster than a bank twice the size. 2133 is all you need.

Case: your preference. I'm set on the Phanteks offerings, but this is a highly personal choice.

SSDs: Samsung is the way to go. I can't really bring myself to buy anything else. I would suggest grabbing at least 500GB og SSD storage, as you want to have tons of space for your editing programs and data-hungry games like GTA or Skyrim.

Everything else is a toss-up. I'm going custom Water and OC'ing the balls off of my equipment, so a lot of my budget is going into WC Equipment. If you arent going to OC much, a Noctua or even Cooler Master cooler is fine. Hell, The Hyper 212 is the perfect solution to a non-OC'd 5960x.

Edit:

Word of advice: Avoid Seagate Drives like your life depends on it.

Having worked in the computer industry for a while now, I can tell you first hand: no bullshit, no anecdotes and no brand loyalty: Seagate drives die at an order of magnitude faster than any other brand. Its not hidden knowledge, either.

Yes, they used to be the best, 10 years ago. Yes, all the major OEMs (including the one I work for) stuff their systems with Seagate drives. No, that does not mean they are good at all. ANY other brand is better. This is public knowledge, do some googling.
 
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Dangman said:
So how far do you really want to go with the GPUS? Can you afford to buy multiple GPUs at once?
Click to expand...

I can only afford 1 GPU in the beginning. I will upgrade to 2 GPU's about 4-6 months later. Then Tri/Quad 6-12 months after initial build if my job goes well.
 
KazeoHin said:
For PSU, I'm going to go with the Corsair RM 1000i, I don't see enough advantage over this one to grab the AX series, and two 980Tis with a slew of drives and an OC'd 8-core chip would not draw over 900w, so you're fine with a 1000w PSU.
Click to expand...

Wanted to comment on this before I go to sleep: I personally would not go with the Corsair RM series. At least not until HardOCP reviews the newer ones. Corsair's higher wattage PSUs haven't exactly demonstrated solid price to performance:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2015...gital_atx_power_supply_review/10#.VcG17_lViko
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2014/10/20/corsair_hx1000i_1000w_power_supply_review/#.VcG3a_lVikp

IIRC, the HX is suppose to be above the RM in terms of quality and performance ranking by Corsair.

Undercover_Man said:
I can only afford 1 GPU in the beginning. I will upgrade to 2 GPU's about 4-6 months later. Then Tri/Quad 6-12 months after initial build if my job goes well.
Click to expand...

So SLI it is then. It's pretty foolhardy to plan a setup for Tri or Quad SLI if you're not 100% sure that it's going to happen. Not to mention that with such a long lead time, the already low cost-effectiveness with Tri and quad are exacerbated.
 
Dangman said:
Wanted to comment on this before I go to sleep: I personally would not go with the Corsair RM series. At least not until HardOCP reviews the newer ones. Corsair's higher wattage PSUs haven't exactly demonstrated solid price to performance:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2015...gital_atx_power_supply_review/10#.VcG17_lViko
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2014/10/20/corsair_hx1000i_1000w_power_supply_review/#.VcG3a_lVikp

IIRC, the HX is suppose to be above the RM in terms of quality and performance ranking by Corsair.
Click to expand...

Very interesting. Though, to note: both those PSUs passed the brutal [H] Testing. The RMi series has tested quite well outside of HardOCP, but I agree with you: my opinion would be swayed by a [H] review. The RM1000i is cheaper than the HX or AX versions, and from what I understand, you don't get much for the step up in price. This may be why the higher-end PSUs tested like they did. if the RMi has the same build quality, but is just lacking the newest 80Plus certs, it may be a better value! who knows.

What would you suggest for a 1000w PSU around the same price as the RMi?
 
I will share my limited case experience.

About 5 years ago, I bought a Silverstone Fortress FT02. I'm still using it multiple builds later and I still love it just as much. It's heavy as balls but it is friggin' quality. The interior panels are lined with damping material and every piece is solid and machined with good tolerances.

But there are lots of quality cases out there and I'm sure the Corsairs are no different. The thing about the big Silverstone cases is the way the motherboard is rotated 90 degrees. What's usually the back of the case becomes the top, so that all of the motherboard connectors are easily visible and accessible. There's a perforated metal cover that goes over the connector area, giving you a solid top when you're not hooking stuff up. When you want to plug or unplug things, you just pull off the cover and do your thing, which is way easier, in my opinion, than dragging the whole box out and/or crawling around behind it.

The access is nice, but the vertical alignment is really something to consider if you plan on putting multiple GPUs into your system. For starters, it aligns the video cards vertically, which means you can blow cooling air bottom to top (using the 3 giant fans that line the bottom of the case) to take advantage of natural convection. It also allows your graphics cards to "hang" from the top of the case, which prevents them from torquing your motherboard through the slots.

I don't know if any of the subsequent Fortress cases (I think they're up to FT05 now) are better or worse than my FT02. But I do think they're worth taking a look at for your build.
 
KazeoHin said:
Very interesting. Though, to note: both those PSUs passed the brutal [H] Testing. The RMi series has tested quite well outside of HardOCP, but I agree with you: my opinion would be swayed by a [H] review. The RM1000i is cheaper than the HX or AX versions, and from what I understand, you don't get much for the step up in price. This may be why the higher-end PSUs tested like they did. if the RMi has the same build quality, but is just lacking the newest 80Plus certs, it may be a better value! who knows.
Click to expand...
I don't think they'll be the same build quality: The AX1500 was built by Flextronics, the HX1000 was built by CWT and the first generation of RM series PSUs were built by Chicony.
KazeoHin said:
What would you suggest for a 1000w PSU around the same price as the RMi?
Click to expand...
If you can buy ASAP (that means you too Undercover_Man), I'd definitely recommend the eVGA SuperNova 1300 G2 1300W PSU:
$190 - EVGA SuperNOVA 1300 G2 1300W Modular PSU

This is no doubt in my mind that the above eVGA is better than all of the Corsair PSUs mentioned so far:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2014...00_g2_1300w_power_supply_review/#.VcK8H_lViko
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=349
RevMen said:
I don't know if any of the subsequent Fortress cases (I think they're up to FT05 now) are better or worse than my FT02. But I do think they're worth taking a look at for your build.
Click to expand...
In some ways, the newer Fortress ATX cases (one of the Fortress is a mITX case actually) are worse than the FT02 in terms of cooling and/or storage ability. In other ways, the FT02 is worse than the latest FT05, namely price and weight. It looks like Silverstone is finally phasing out the FT02 judging from the lack of stock on Newegg and the price gouging for existing FT02 stock on Amazon.com

As for my own case recommendations:
$100 - Phanteks Enthoo Pro Full Tower Case
$110 - Phanteks Enthoo Pro PH-ES614P_WT White Full Tower Case
$103 - Antec 1100 V2 ATX Case
$110 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case
$110 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Full Tower ATX Case
$120 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Gunmetal Black ATX Case
$120 - Corsair Obsidian Series 450D ATX Case
$136 - NZXT Phantom 530 Black Full Tower ATX Case
$140 - Corsair Obsidian Series 750D ATX Case
$140 - Corsair Graphite Series 730T ATX Case
$150 - NZXT Phantom 630 White Windowed Full Tower ATX Case
$150 - Phanteks Enthoo Luxe Full Tower Case
$158 - NZXT Phantom 630 Gunmetal Full Tower Case
$170 - Corsair Graphite Series 600T Arctc White Full Tower Case
$180 - Corsair Graphite Series 760T Black Full Tower Case
$180 - Corsair Graphite Series 760T White Full Tower Case
180 - Corsair Graphite 780T Black ATX Full Tower Case
$190 - Corsair Graphite 780T White ATX Full Tower Case
$230 - Phanteks Enthoo Primo Full Tower Case
 
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For the motherboard, stay away from the Asus and EVGA X99 boards.

Get the MSI XPower AC. I have one, and its outstanding, great overclocking board, very stable. Runs solid as a rock. Using G.Skill Ripjaws DDR4 2800 16GB memory.
 
Just don't classify it as Ultimate Monster and it will be OK, this has chance to become typical high-end rig :D. Without genuine 4K monitor, decent graphics cards and i7-5960X I would not even call it high-end :eek:.
 
Well, seeing as how a 5960X is the absolute fastest desktop CPU you can get (depending on workload) so by you saying that's the 'bare minimum' for a 'high end' rig, well, either your joking and I'm just bad at detecting humour, or you're being childish. A desktop i5 4000 series chip with an Nvidia 960 is faster than 99% of game machines that are being used today, not counting consoles. So saying a chip (5960X) that is an equivalent of 2.2x the performance of that chip and dual 980Tis, you are literally talking about a 99.995th percentile machine. I would consider that 'monster' if you ask me. Even for these forums, that's a pretty monstrous machine.

I always gauge it by the budget.

$500 = entry level machine.

$1000 = Mid-Range machine

$2000 = High-End Machine

$3000 = Enthusiast Machine

$4000+ = Monster.
 
KazeoHin said:
Well, seeing as how a 5960X is the absolute fastest desktop CPU you can get (depending on workload) so by you saying that's the 'bare minimum' for a 'high end' rig, well, either your joking and I'm just bad at detecting humour, or you're being childish. A desktop i5 4000 series chip with an Nvidia 960 is faster than 99% of game machines that are being used today, not counting consoles. So saying a chip (5960X) that is an equivalent of 2.2x the performance of that chip and dual 980Tis, you are literally talking about a 99.995th percentile machine. I would consider that 'monster' if you ask me. Even for these forums, that's a pretty monstrous machine.
I always gauge it by the budget.
$500 = entry level machine.
$1000 = Mid-Range machine
$2000 = High-End Machine
$3000 = Enthusiast Machine
$4000+ = Monster.
Click to expand...

OK, you added Enthusiast category which was not on my list. Then it is definitely high-end. Now to my enthusiast specs:

For his category of applications I would start with excellent 4K monitor, I have BenQ 32"@4K from several months and it is massaging my eyes. There are now newer and maybe better ones but BenQ had excellent price to quality ratio. After monitor I would put graphics cards with power matched for the monitor, dual 980 Ti would be best. Then X99 motherboard and 6 core processor.

Monster machine is reserved for something of my system level: start with 8-core Xeon E5-1680v3 watercooled and overclocked to 4.2 GHz, add 128GB ECC RAM, workstation class X99 mobo, terabytes of SSDs :D.
 
First off:

How did you OC that Xeon? is it an ES? I ask because that's a badass rig.

Also, the 5960X at typical OC is faster than your OC'd Xeon. They both have 8 cores, and tons of cache, but the i7 is a bit more of an OC'er. a 5930K or 5820K would be slower, for sure.
 
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