$2300 working/gaming build

[TheCheeseling]

will this build be good for using programs like After Effects, premier pro, 3dsmax, and playing games like Starcraft 2 and BF3?
i'm also planning on creating a RAMDisk and OC the CPU to something like 4.8Ghz

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Alxk

CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($499.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 SE2011 CPU Cooler ($80.76 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Big Bang - XPower II XL ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($299.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($73.74 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($73.74 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($73.74 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($73.74 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Galaxy GeForce GTX 660 Ti 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($304.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Galaxy GeForce GTX 660 Ti 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($304.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Eleven Hundred ATX Full Tower Case ($99.43 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 850W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($122.75 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Full (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $2444.81

Thanks!

 

[Sleepingforest]

Here's the first problem: it's an X79 build. You could get 85% of the performance for around 55% of the price with an i7. You are in SLI when it's not really necessary, and you used cards with a crippled memory buswidth. You got 64GB of RAM for a RAMdisk, but RAMdisks are honestly a pain and are extremely volatile because it's not very permanent storage--furthermore, you need at least Win7/8 Pro to use more than 16GB of RAM. You got two cheap, lower speed SSDs which honestly aren't even that good of a per-GB deal. One larger SSD is not only easier to deal with but also lasts longer and performs better due to the way SSDs work. Your PSU is way overpowered for what you actually need (even 2 670s in SLI only need around 750W). With that in mind, here's a far better build for the money you're spending:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Silver Arrow CPU Cooler ($69.70 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Biostar TZ77A ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($105.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Crucial M4 512GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($382.45 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($124.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($319.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Arctic White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Dell U2713HM 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($649.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $2365.05
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-29 19:00 EST-0500)

It still has a healthy amount of CPU and GPU power, but a quieter case, more SSD and HDD space, and a 1440p monitor. If you don't need the monitor, you can SLI 670s instead, since the PSU can take it.

 

[TheCheeseling]

but I need the 6 cores D:

I'm going to be doing intense... like super intense 3d artwork... you think that a quad core should do it?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Sleepingforest]

Okay, how intense is it exactly? Tell me how your last computer. did. If you really think you need the power, I can figure out a more cost effective strategy with an i7-3930K--you have several spots of wastefulness within your original build (PSU, motherboard).

 

[RaistlinZ]

Does your 3d software properly even use 6 cores? Does it natively support SLI? I would think a Quadro would be better suited for 3D animation anyway.

If you're willing to spend $300 on a motherboard and $500.00 on a CPU, you could probably build a dual Xeon workstation instead.

 

[Ken g6]

Look at the 3DS benches in AnandTech Bench. Yes, the 3930K wins some, but not by much. And the 3770K wins the majority of them.

Plus, [thread=2207869]I wouldn't expect[/thread] either CPU to get to 4.8GHz, though the 3770K might if you de-lid it and use a good TIM.

 

[TheCheeseling]

OK, I changed the build to this

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/AlXd

 

[Sleepingforest]

It's a bit better, but your priorities and spending are still a bit off. Can you say exactly what programs you're using, and whether they even support 6 cores/12 threads? If they don't (or even a majority don't) then a 3770K is a far better choice. Similarly, you're better off with a workstation GPU, since their drivers have been thoroughly tested for stability and compatibility.

Also, you still need Windows 7/8 Pro to utilize any more than 16GB of RAM.

Finally, just a helpful hint: there's an option in the upper right-hand corner that says "BBCode Markup," right next to the button that says "Plain Text" (which you seem to have used). That option will create a pre-formatted build to be copy/pasted into the forum like this:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($80.77 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Biostar TZ77A ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($105.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Plextor M5S Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Plextor M5S Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: PNY Quadro 4000 2GB Video Card ($703.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Antec Eleven Hundred ATX Full Tower Case ($99.43 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $2075.09
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-29 20:37 EST-0500)

This build offers an SSD dedicated to being stratch storage (which Adobe, for example, recommends) and another for the OS, frequently used programs, and games (128GB is definitely not enough). It also switches to a workstation GPU and a more appropriately specc'd PSU.

 

[Eureka]

As an aside, if you're going to use those two SSDs, wouldn't these be better?

Samsung 840 250GB @ $150: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820147189

And I hope you really need that Quadro! I noticed you also wanted to play games on it... which means it will run terribly (like a 550 Ti). Unless you need workstation-grade quality, a 670 or 680 will be faster in games and in rendering, and I believe Adobe just added support for 6xx chips.

 

[Sleepingforest]

I would agree with your recommendation of the 840s, but they are TLC based and thus less durable, which is a fairly important feature for a scratch disk. I do agree somewhat with you graphics card assessment, but I think the OP is primarily doing graphics work, and until he gives a specific list of programs in his workflow, I'm going to recommend the safe option.

 

[RaistlinZ]

As an aside, I just want to say I'm jealous and wish I had $2,500 to blow on a new rig myself, heh.

 

[mfenn]

It's a bit better, but your priorities and spending are still a bit off. Can you say exactly what programs you're using, and whether they even support 6 cores/12 threads? If they don't (or even a majority don't) then a 3770K is a far better choice. Similarly, you're better off with a workstation GPU, since their drivers have been thoroughly tested for stability and compatibility.

Also, you still need Windows 7/8 Pro to utilize any more than 16GB of RAM.

Finally, just a helpful hint: there's an option in the upper right-hand corner that says "BBCode Markup," right next to the button that says "Plain Text" (which you seem to have used). That option will create a pre-formatted build to be copy/pasted into the forum like this:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($80.77 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Biostar TZ77A ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($105.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Plextor M5S Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Plextor M5S Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: PNY Quadro 4000 2GB Video Card ($703.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Antec Eleven Hundred ATX Full Tower Case ($99.43 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $2075.09
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-29 20:37 EST-0500)

This build offers an SSD dedicated to being stratch storage (which Adobe, for example, recommends) and another for the OS, frequently used programs, and games (128GB is definitely not enough). It also switches to a workstation GPU and a more appropriately specc'd PSU.

:thumbsup: This is nice. If you're going to be gaming a lot, you'd be better off with a GTX 670 though. The Quadro is intentionally gimped in DirectX.

OP, 64GB is a really awkward amount of memory to use as a ramdisk. It's big enough to be expensive, but too small to really be useful on a project that would "need" a ramdisk in the first place. I would forget about it and just go with 16-32 GB.

 

[TheCheeseling]

Thank you all!
I was sleeping the whole time you all were talking and have come up with some answers and questions.

A:
1.i'm going to be using Adobe After Effects CS6 and Adobe Premier Pro CS6 which i'm pretty sure does support 6 cores or 12 with hypertreading and up to 128GB of RAM

2. i'm using 3dsmax, Maya, and cinema 4d for the 3d artwork.

3. i'm playing games like Starcraft II, Black Ops II, and Battle Field III. I would also like to be able to record all of them on high at 60FPS


Q:

1. I would like to keep some space for upgrading... so should I get the 750 Watt PSU?



here's the new specs...

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Asfc

CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($499.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 SE2011 CPU Cooler ($80.76 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock X79 Extreme6 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Silverline 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($154.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Mushkin Silverline 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($154.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: A-Data XPG SX900 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Galaxy GeForce GTX 670 4GB Video Card ($419.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Eleven Hundred ATX Full Tower Case ($99.43 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Full (64-bit) ($80.00 @ Newegg)
Total: $2177.07

 

[Eureka]

Looking much better. The 6-core is definitely desirable if you are going to use those programs, and also for recording games.

I don't believe you need the 4gb version of the 670. My knowledge ends with gaming, but gaming on one card negates the bonus of having 4gb. At least on that end, you can save with a 2gb version. I don't know if recording or graphics requires the extra vram.

Everything else looks good. You can get Windows 8 cheaper as an upgrade, and it will install on a clean drive.

 

[Sleepingforest]

It's looking good aside from 2 problems: to use more than 16GB of RAM, you need Windows 7 or 8 Pro. Unless you're at an extremely high resolution (more than 1200p), don't bother with the 4GB 670, as it may be slower than the 2GB version.

For serious graphics work, you may want a larger scratch disk that has more durability than the Samsung 840 (the 840 is also crippled under certain workloads). You may also want more than 64GB for you OS and games (256GB is ideal; games are 20-40GB these days, an OS is 30GB at least, not to mention the size of updates and other programs you want, and the fact that SSDs are best left 25% empty for the best performance. 64GB won't cut it anymore).

 

[TheCheeseling]

got it actually i found this link for the RAM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_8_editions#Comparison_chart

I was thinking that the a-data would be the scratch disk and I changed the samsung to a Plextor M5S Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk


sound good?

i'm going to be using three monitors... should i stick with the GTX670 4GB then?

 

[Eureka]

It's looking good aside from 2 problems: to use more than 16GB of RAM, you need Windows 7 or 8 Pro. Unless you're at an extremely high resolution (more than 1200p), don't bother with the 4GB 670, as it may be slower than the 2GB version.

For serious graphics work, you may want a larger scratch disk that has more durability than the Samsung 840 (the 840 is also crippled under certain workloads). You may also want more than 64GB for you OS and games (256GB is ideal; games are 20-40GB these days, an OS is 30GB at least, not to mention the size of updates and other programs you want, and the fact that SSDs are best left 25% empty for the best performance. 64GB won't cut it anymore).

I would use the 840 as the OS/game drive, and TLC isn't nearly as bad as you think it is. It's faster than most other SSDs (even the non-Pro version), and under normal usage it'll last longer than the computer will stay relevant (probably a good 10 years). As for a scratch disk, that's another game entirely.

Are you gaming across all three monitors, or just one? If one, just go with the 2GB version. If all three, you're going to need at least 2 670 4GB versions.

 

[TheCheeseling]

ya just gaming on one. so i'll just stick with the 2GBGTX and go back to the 840 for the OS/Games

If i use photoshop, After Effects, and premier pro that all require a scratch disk... do i need a new disk for each program? or can I set all there directories to the same disk.


does the PNY GTX670 work well? is that brand reliable for the GTX670?

Thanks

 

[Sleepingforest]

A scratch disk (or partition), according to Adobe, should be separate from the files you're working on, and off the disk Windows uses for virtual memory. The last two bits of advice offered on their page (RAID'd and regularly defragmented) don't really apply to SSDs. You should be fine with a small 64GB SSD as the scratch disk for all editing.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Small 64gb for scratch will be fine. Stick with the 4gb version of the 670. You'll only need 16gb ram. No need for more.

 

[TheCheeseling]

ok thank you all

I think I got it from here... do I have to do anything to end the thread?

 

[lehtv]

No just leave it, threads are only closed by moderators if there is a need to prohibit further discussion

 

[Eureka]

ok thank you all

I think I got it from here... do I have to do anything to end the thread?

Buy the parts, build it, and show us pictures.

 

[TheCheeseling]

ok, i'll post the pictures here if the thread doesn't get closed.

it might be in half a year through... I have it set up so I buy one part every 2 weeks.

I'll post pictures every time I get a new part... i'm going to assemble it as I go.

 

[Sleepingforest]

Woah. What if you get a faulty part or they stop selling an old generation, or the old generation is totally outclassed? Buying over half a year is the wrong way to do this.