Need to build a new PC (Advice wanted)

Hey,

Its been a while since I've cruised around these forums. My current PC is aging and needs to be replaced, its had a good run but its just not cutting it anymore. I'm looking for a new desktop PC its main uses would be rendering, maybe some games and film/video editing. I don't want to spend too much because I would only use the PC a few times a week, I'm mainly on the go and using my laptop.

A few requirements of my new PC are listed below, but I would like to get all your opinions on what you think would be best. I've been out of the PC hardware scene for a few years and my knowledge is more than lacking.

- 6 Core Intel CPU instead of 4 Core would be best for rendering I assume so I'm leaning towards LGA 2011, but open to opinions.
- Ill need a minimum of 16GB RAM, and need to be upgradable to at least 48, preferably higher.
- GPU has to be Nvidia/Geforce, ATI is great but often has driver issues in much of the software I use.
- SSD for the main hard drive, obviously.

I appreciate any advice given.
Thanks.

*Not sure if this thread belongs here or in General Hardware. Sorry.

Budget?

Id prefer the lower end of the spectrum but 1200-2500 is the range. Ideally Id like to settle for no more than 1800. Less I spend on the box the more I can put towards a new IPS Monitor.

If the programs you use make use of multiple cores why not go with a cheaper 8 core AMD?

pinky33 said:

If the programs you use make use of multiple cores why not go with a cheaper 8 core AMD?

Click to expand...

Aside from the fact that the system needs to be "upgradable to at least 48"GB of ram, and no AMD octo outside of Opterons can do that, because a "cheaper 8 core AMD" system wouldn't be any cheaper at all. Here's why:

The octos are space heaters, requiring good cooling to run at modest frequencies (an 8320 left at stock can't compete with a current i5 in anything but heavily threaded tasks, and even then only by the skin on it's teeth), and great to excellent cooling for decent frequencies.

The octos are also power hogs, they require no less than a $120 ASUS M5A99FX Pro board to run at stock with reliability. And that doesn't include the FX9xxx series CPUs, that are even more power hungry. You're talking the $180 Sabertooth 990FX to get anything much more than stock out of any of the FX CPUs. If you really want to push it, the $200 Crosshair is the only board to consider.

AMD: CPU @ $150 minimum + board @ $120 minimum + $100 H100i minimum (even that can't do much) = $370 minimum.
Intel: CPU (i5 4690k) @ $240 + board (ASRock Z97m Pro4) @ $85 + Hyper 212 Evo @ $35 = $360 + more powerful per-clock performance and the ability to overclock much further.

The i5 system doesn't support more than 32GB of memory either though. As a matter of fact, without getting into server hardware, X99 is the only current platform that does support more than 32GB of ram, so all of this is irrelevant. X99 is the only option here.

This is where I would be sitting. Add in a $100 or less case, and you have yourself a solid system at ~$1800 for your usage needs.