$2300 working/gaming build

[TheCheeseling]

but I can't get the money to buy in one lump sum D:

 

[Eureka]

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.

Yeah, that's definitely not the way to do it. You want to have everything together so you can build it at once. Not to mention, prices change and new items come out, so if it's done in half a year parts may not be the best choice anymore.

What's best to do, if you want to start buying, is to get the bare minimum now (CPU, RAM, SSD, mobo, GPU, PSU) just to have a working computer first. Then you can expand as you need with more drives, RAM, etc. Otherwise, save up your money and buy it all at once later.

The drives are probably a best buy now, just because they don't depreciate as quickly and you can start using it on your current machine, but nothing else.

 

[Sleepingforest]

How are you getting the money, and why can't it be saved up for six months until you can buy all together? How much do you have now? We can advise you on a course of action (likely, saving up for six months so you can get Haswell and spend as a whole then).

 

[Puppies04]

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.

Buy the GPU, mobo and CPU last then because haswell will be out by then and it will blur the line between 6 core SB-E and 4 core mainstream builds even more.

Better yet, instead of buying tech that is going to be old by the time you eventually get the system together just put the money away in a savings account until you have enough for the build. You risk ending up with a slower rig for the same money the other way.

 

[TheCheeseling]

the most I can get is $1000 per month... so I can push 2 months in.... would that work?

 

[Puppies04]

the most I can get is $1000 per month... so I can push 2 months in.... would that work?

2 Months is a bit different from the "half a year" you said before.

Haswell will be out in 2-3 months but I believe it will only be the mobile parts to start with and the desktop parts will follow at a later stage. Either way you should save your money until you have enough for the full build. Things change all the time and you will either save yourself a few $ or be able to build a faster system if you wait.

If you really have $ burning a hole in your pocket then buy the PSU, case, dvd drive etc and leave the cpu gpu mobo etc until the last minute.

 

[TheCheeseling]

ok, sorry about that. But I just found out that I will be able to buy all of the parts. I'll post the photos when I get the pieces and put it all together.


Thanks Guys! your all a big help.

 

[mfenn]

but I can't get the money to buy in one lump sum D:

Sure you can. There are these things called savings accounts.

Since you're not going to have a functional computer for 6 months anyway, you might as well save your money and buy it all then. That way, your money will go further!

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

If the output material is vital I would build around a machine that uses ECC memory

 

[TheCheeseling]

and like I said before... I got the money (from a savings account) and I will post photos soon... very soon... I hope

 

[TheCheeseling]

If the output material is vital I would build around a machine that uses ECC memory

the output material isn't vital enough to spend extra money on ECC memory. its mostly just rendering videos, which if they have an error I can always run again.

 

[TheCheeseling]

so, final update on the build

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Blgv
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Blgv/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Blgv/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($499.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock X79 Extreme6 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($189.99 @ Newegg)
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 ($99.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.95 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($363.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Eleven Hundred ATX Full Tower Case ($112.98 @ Newegg)
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 ($16.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Full (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $2003.78
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-04 21:02 EST-0500)

 

[Sleepingforest]

I keep saying this: you need Windows 8 Pro to use more than 16GB of RAM. Also, RAMdisks are typically not worth the cost. I'd much rather have 256GB of SDD than an extra 32GB oF RAM. Your PSU is way too strong for a single video card setup (500W is more in line with what you need). The Noctua DH14 generally outperforms any prebuilt loops like the H100i in both temperatures and noise level and costs less than the top end. Your programs better be able to scale well up to 6 cores/12 threads, or you're wasting about $200 on the CPU/mobo.

When I see builds like this, it makes me think,"damn, the marketing guys of MOAR RAM and WE NEED MOAR POWAH got another one."

 

[T_Yamamoto]

64gb ram and ONLY A STINKIN 670 2GB?

 

[Ken g6]

I keep saying this: you need Windows 8 Pro to use more than 16GB of RAM.

That's incorrect. The memory limit for Win8 non-Pro is 128GB.

When you have enough RAM, you're fine. When you don't, an SSD helps but it's not the same. 3D modeling is one of those things that needs a lot of RAM.

I generally agree with Sleepingforest on the PSU and the cooler, although the 3930K can draw an awful lot of power, especially overclocked. I'd suggest keeping the PSU and looking for an AMD 7970 instead of the nVidia card. If you're using Adobe CS6 it can use it as well as it could use the 670.

 

[Sleepingforest]

Whoops. I guess I just assumed Win8 worked like Win7 in terms of SKU feature sets.

 

[TheCheeseling]

ok thanks guys... you think that a 7970 will do better even though After Effects supports Cuda Cores to increase performance?

 

[TheCheeseling]

do any of you guys know of any good cases under $100? the only one I can think of is the Antec Eleven Hundred


Edit: never mind, i'm going to go with this http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-case-rc902xbkkn1 I like how small it is... does it have good airflow?

 

[lehtv]

Corsair C70
CM HAF 922
Lian Li A05-FNB
CM 690 II
Corsair 400R
CM Storm Scout 2
Lian Li K62

 

[TheCheeseling]

Corsair C70
CM HAF 922
Lian Li A05-FNB
CM 690 II
Corsair 400R
CM Storm Scout 2
Lian Li K62

awesome... I like the first one. i'll go with that

 

[mfenn]

When you have enough RAM, you're fine. When you don't, an SSD helps but it's not the same. 3D modeling is one of those things that needs a lot of RAM.

I generally agree with Sleepingforest on the PSU and the cooler, although the 3930K can draw an awful lot of power, especially overclocked. I'd suggest keeping the PSU and looking for an AMD 7970 instead of the nVidia card. If you're using Adobe CS6 it can use it as well as it could use the 670.

Agree on these points. I don't think the OP has really established that he can actually take advantage of all that RAM. I've seen hyper-detailed models of nuclear submarines that use less for both geometry and analysis, let along geometry itself.

 

[TheCheeseling]

we'll i'm going to be using the RAM for rendering, 3dwork, game servers, RAMdisks, and maybe a lot of that stuff at the same time... I'm going to be rendering multiple scenes at the same time by using three different 3d programs. I think i'll just stick with the 64Gbs

 

[bradcollins]

Save up until you can afford it. If you buy it all when you have the cash you'll probably find it is only $2000 and might get faster components such as a new model of SSD or something.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

we'll i'm going to be using the RAM for rendering, 3dwork, game servers, RAMdisks, and maybe a lot of that stuff at the same time... I'm going to be rendering multiple scenes at the same time by using three different 3d programs. I think i'll just stick with the 64Gbs

I seriously doubt you'll need more than 32. I'd rather spend that money on a ssd scratch disk(s)

 

[TheCheeseling]

actually I was thinking of using the RAMdisk for the scratch disk... I have a program that creates on start-up and saves an image at shutdown. and it would be insanely fast