My New Build - The Debate of Debates

[Zodicus]

Ok first off, my pc ain't too shabby right now - see sig. When I started construction on this thing back in March I envisioned a machine to absolutely max graphics in ALL games I currently play. I also wanted to machine to do transcoding, Cad modeling, video editing and some 3d rendering (I am currently exploring 3d rendering but not much experience) Also for the machine I want a high end liquid cooling system, good airflow, good hard drive space, very good overclocking for benching and near silence! I currently plan on recycling parts from my current pc into a transcode server that I will have running in my closet so transcoding no longer needs to be built into the main machine.


I have been on newegg and frozencpu for months now planning my new build. What I am sure of is I want a 6 core intel so that narrows down my socket to 2011. The ram I already have (see sig) I am dead set on a 900D for my case. I know this is not required but I like knowing exactly what is going on with my pc at all times at a quick glance. I am eyeballing a couple of ultra wide LG 29's in portrait mode (1 off to each side) for monitoring software such as flow pressure, flow rates, temps, fan control, yadda yadda yadda. In the center I am looking at 4 Asus 144hz 24" monitors for surround and recycling the rest of my 3 24" asus 60hz for extended displays. That gives me a total of 8 monitors.

Here is what I have to work with. I can spend roughly $1500 - 2000 a month on this build. I plan on building a little each month until this pc is fully operational. Cost limit? I'd like to keep it under 7k. Cheaper is preferable but not required.

These are the parts I currently own and are not required for the new build.

EVGA GTX 780SC Edition.
G.Skill Trident X 32GB (F3-2400C10Q-32GTX)
*3 ASUS VS248H-P
OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-256G 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC






This is what I would like from the community. This is an open ended build. I want to start up a serious debate pertaining to my particular needs, wants and dreams right here in this thread. As the build progresses I will do another thread for a build log as in depth as I can be. Winter time is here boys! For a land surveyor that means a lot less time out in the field and more time in the garage making toys!


Gentlemen - Have fun!


Build Parts List

Case | Corsair Obsidian Series 900D CC-9011022-WW Black Aluminum ATX Super Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139019

Motherboard | ASUS Rampage IV Black Edition LGA 2011 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188131
OR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132053

CPU | Intel Core i7-4930K Ivy Bridge-E 3.4GHz LGA 2011 130W Six-Core Desktop Processor BX80633i74930K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116939

Memory (purchased)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231590

SSD ( 1 Purchased, 1 more needed ) | OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-256G 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227792


PSU | CORSAIR AXi series AX1200i 1200W Digital ATX12V v2.31 and EPS 2.92 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply New 4th Gen CPU Certified Haswell Ready | $339.99 +shp
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139039


GPU (1 owned, 1 or 2 more needed) |

EVGA ACX Cooler 03G-P4-2784-KR GeForce GTX 780 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support Video Card | 1st $725.26 @ Fry's
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130918


Cooling System

 

[kyij]

Just to clarify, are you more looking at a desktop computer setup, or do you want to just get a server rack and be able to add on from there.

 

[Zodicus]

This particular build will be in the corsair 900D which is a eatx full tower. I am building a 36u rack next summer to replace my aging power edge in my closet. Currently i have all my network equipment in there a d 16 cat6 gigabit ports in the wall. I am also running a 120v ac duplex outlet or multiples for my future server needs. Ill post pics of that later when i get home.

 

[kyij]

Well I love (and I am sure many other do to) to put together theoretical builds with that kind of limit. But you have a parts list and it already includes the GPU, which is obviously where the budget can really get spent. Though you current card will max things I am sure, it just sadly would be hard to now get to the $7k mark - given you do not buy outrageous things like 4 video cards, and 10 ssd's..

Also to clarify, would you be wanting to spend $7000 to an addon of the parts you already have or $7000 - parts you already have.

 

[Zodicus]

I am planning on recycling these components to a desktop server for the time being until i get my dual xeon box built. Only parts that is currently in the machine that is definately going into the new machine is the 256gb vertex 4, gtx 780( ill have 3 total) and the gskill 32 gb kit. Other than that it can be all new parts

 

[kyij]

The parts list of remaining parts (except for rads, blocks, resiviours, pumps, etc).

What I believe the final product would be like (case would have total of 4 rads).

Though this list did not include any extra drives as I am unsure of your storage needs.

 

[EarthDog]

I like the build above (first link) with some changes:

I would avoid the X79 Classified and get the new Dark instead...

I would also avoid a 1.3KW PSU.. There is no need for that with two 780s. 900W+ would be plenty even with overclocking.

I cannot access the "final product link"

Not sure if 2 780's can run 8 displays? No clue how you plan on gaming on 4 monitors with a bezel smack dab in the middle. No FPS games I take it (I swear I have deja vue, LOL!).

 

[kyij]

I like the build above (first link) with some changes:

I would avoid the X79 Classified and get the new Dark instead...

I would also avoid a 1.3KW PSU.. There is no need for that with two 780s. 900W+ would be plenty even with overclocking.

I cannot access the "final product link"

Not sure if 2 780's can run 8 displays? No clue how you plan on gaming on 4 monitors with a bezel smack dab in the middle. No FPS games I take it (I swear I have deja vue, LOL!).

He wants 3 graphics cards, I tried making a list for the extra needed parts as he already has one.

 

[EarthDog]

Ok, glad you can make heads or tails of this build... I can't seem to!

 

[kyij]

I cannot access the "final product link"

Can you now access it now, I tested and it works. It is a youtube video, so if you have a filter it may not work.

 

[EarthDog]

Yeah, cannot see YT at work... Did you make a video of the final product?

 

[kyij]

Yeah, cannot see YT at work... Did you make a video of the final product?

No, I wish.. it is another person that used the 900D and did a whole custom water loops. He had his 3 video cards on one loop. Then another custom loop for his cpu/bridges on motherboard. So in total he had 4 rads, 2 pumps, 2 res, etc. Along with 20* 120mm fans in push/pull. It is definitely very well done. And I believe it is mentioned this was just one of the several copies he has done.

 

[Zodicus]

Ill edit parts list when i get home with working links. Im running 5 now but to do the build im talking about i need 3 780's and a smaller card capable of pushing 4 displays. Right now my 780 is pushing 3 and a smaller 650 for the other 2.

Thing outside the box dog, 3 monitors on the bottom and one on top middle for an extended cockpit view

 

[kyij]

Ill edit parts list when i get home with working links. Im running 5 now but to do the build im talking about i need 3 780's and a smaller card capable of pushing 4 displays. Right now my 780 is pushing 3 and a smaller 650 for the other 2.

Thing outside the box dog, 3 monitors on the bottom and one on top middle for an extended cockpit view

So is this for a simulator use then? Or is that just a fun thing you like to do?

 

[Zodicus]

I play flight sims and racing sims (iracing) i also play rts and mmo. Thats my main pc use. As far as storage requirements go i do not need massive hd space. Looking at 2x256 ssds and 1 512 ssd for raid 0/1. All my media will be stored remotely on a 30+ tb server. That is planned for mid 2014.

By the end of next year my entire setup will be compartmentalized. Transcoding and storage will be done remotely. This machine will be for extreme gaming, 3d rendering, cad modeling, benching with extreme gaming taking priority. I want to be able to play my flight sims on maxed graphics. I get fps drops in war thunder now on maxed settings with aa at 2x and aintiscropic filtering turned way down. I may even do 3d gaming once i get my 144hz monitors.

 

[Zodicus]

Here is what I have been eyeballing for my new build.

Case | Corsair Obsidian Series 900D CC-9011022-WW Black Aluminum ATX Super Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139019

Motherboard | ASUS Rampage IV Black Edition LGA 2011 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188131
OR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132053

CPU | Intel Core i7-4930K Ivy Bridge-E 3.4GHz LGA 2011 130W Six-Core Desktop Processor BX80633i74930K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116939

Memory (purchased)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231590

SSD ( 1 Purchased, 1 more needed ) | OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-256G 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227792


PSU | CORSAIR AXi series AX1200i 1200W Digital ATX12V v2.31 and EPS 2.92 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply New 4th Gen CPU Certified Haswell Ready
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139039

Monitors
*2 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236348

GPU (1 owned, 1 or 2 more needed) |

EVGA ACX Cooler 03G-P4-2784-KR GeForce GTX 780 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130918


I would like 2 ultra wide monitors to use in portrait off to the left and right sides to use for monitoring software, spreadsheets and 3rd party applications for Entropia (I'm a huge miner for those of you who know the game)
I also need 4 3D capable monitors with excellent color quality and low input lag. I am kind of a newbie in very good monitors so this I really could use the help. I am also going to purchase a 2nd 780 in a few weeks and see if dual SLI helps my gaming performance enough or if I need to get a third.
So yea, this is kind of what I am looking at so far. That's not even dabling into the cooling system. So far, I have the cooling system at roughly 2 grand. On a side note, the 780's have dropped 100 bucks since I got my first one.

 

[EarthDog]

Please list the part name so we do not have to click the links to see what you are talking about (links are awesome supplemental info though!.

Looks good to me. About the only questions I have is why a backup SSD? Why not save some coin and get a HDD for backups?

The 780's dropped well over $150 to $500 in the last week.

 

[Zodicus]

I'll edit the lists when I get home later tonight and probably merge it with the OP. I thought of having a 512 so I could run R0/1 but I could do an automatic backup to my NAS now that I think about it. I got 3TB of space on it. Also, I am building a 30+TB server next year so ummm, yea lol. Good idea you just knocked 300 bucks off my build

 

[kyij]

Well a raid 10 with one set of ssd's would require four ssd's at $300-600 a piece is pretty expensive.

I would also recommend the hard drive. Then just raid 0 two ssd's if you want.
If you put the regular drive with ssd's and have an auto raid config, I believe it will defeat the purpose of the write speeds too. So maybe just do one clone of the two drives to say one 1TB drive or partition a 3TB drive as they are the best $/gb that I know of.

 

[Zodicus]

Yea I am going to do just that. Set autobackup to the NAS every day or 2. As it stands I new SSD for raid0 will run me 450 when I got the exact same model for half that almost when they first launched. That's more coin I can put towards 3 780's and my 4930k. Also I found out something interesting for my build. Corsair link has modules that can be added to the system to control almost a limitless amount of fans. The video you posted of the 900D actually had 3 of them inside the box. Now I can have full software control of all my fans on my rads. If I use standard sized rads I can run push/pull on all rads but the front 280. Also I am thinking about using a dual loop. One for my gpu's and the other for my cpu. I figure I can overclock higher on the cpu that way without gpu's affecting my cpu's temps as much. Plus, a dual loop is just way cooler! (pun intended)