[Xvelocity]

An updated list is located in Post #11.

I am currently assisting an online friend with, what I consider to be, an enormous waste of money.

With that said, the person is completely comfortable (beyond financially stable) with the price range and everything I've done to cut down has been met with resistance. I say all this to avoid the obvious instructions to taper down this build. It's not happening. (Not being rude in the slightest, just wanted to get that out there.)

The person does a lot of heavy calculations for his work and while this is a gaming computer, it also a work computer. Large scale modeling, macro-economic calculations, CAD, etc.

This is my initial build while just talking to him. It's not final in the least but I did want to get the review of others.

My current uncertainties lie in the cooling selection against upgrading to the far more expensive 3960k or 3970k. Whether the motherboard is the best possible selection. If the GeForce Titan would be more appropriate for modeling against the 690 (my knowledge of the Titan is beyond limited at the moment). Or if two 680s, three 680s, or three 670s would be the better route. Everything else I feel relatively comfortable with.

I have came to these forums before and received some excellent criticisms in builds that I found invaluable. I am hoping lightning can strike again here with this build. I thank anyone in advance for their criticisms and recommendations.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($499.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($32.98 @ Amazon)
Thermal Compound: Prolimatech PK-3 Nano Aluminum High-Grade 1.5g Thermal Paste
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth X79 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($325.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Mushkin Redline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($132.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Redline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($132.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($157.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($449.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 690 4GB Video Card ($984.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced ATX Full Tower Case ($171.10 @ TigerDirect)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 760W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($168.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($179.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VN247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($177.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VN247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($177.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($279.00 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Das Keyboard Model S Ultimate Silent Wired Standard Keyboard ($127.94 @ Adorama)
Total: $4020.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-27 03:43 EST-0500)

 

[Alatar]

That CPU cooler will barely keep the CPU cool at stock, SB-E chips run quite hot and I would recommend a H80 or something similar at the very least for some overclocking headroom.

Sabertooth boards in general are a waste of money unless you really like the look. Most of the features can be found on normal asus boards, they don't offer better performance or overclockability and if you really wish to OC a lot and get the best BIOS you should opt fot the rampage IV extreme/formula.

The 690 is not a good solution for CAD work at all, depending a bit on the program your best bet there would be 7970s/7990 or a Titan.

 

[AlaskaFox]

agreed with the above poster.. if they are willing to spend that much money on hardware, why cheap out on a 30$ cooler?

go with watercooling for sure, overclock it n jazz

(also ps, i thought that was an IB-e, not SB-e altar??)

 

[Alatar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlaskaFox

agreed with the above poster.. if they are willing to spend that much money on hardware, why cheap out on a 30$ cooler?

go with watercooling for sure, overclock it n jazz

(also ps, i thought that was an IB-e, not SB-e altar??)

For normal use (not hobbyist overclocking etc.) I think high end AIO loops are enough. You'll get a nice 4.6 clock or something pretty easily.

And the 3820, 3930K, 3960X and 3970X are all SB-E. IB-E is just coming in Q3.

 

[oats2012]

Thoughts:

1. Titan should be better for calcs and such as it has a larger amount of ram and is basically a watered down pro level workstation chip in it. From what I understand it is not quite as fast as 690 (almost) but for people doing exactly what your describing its the best choice for single gpu solution. multiple 680's might edge it out but id say the extra vram to drive those monitors in games is a massive bonus and check box for the titan

2. the case and cooling really need to be changed in my opinion. haf 932 was great case few years back but there is much better now. nzxt switch 810, corsair c70, fractal r4, etc. in that price range truly anything other than the haf 932 is better. fractal, corsair would be my picks personally but the nzxt is exceptionally well reviewed as well

3. The cooling!!!! 212 evo is great cooler....for a $1000 rig, not a pro workstation. of air cooling is the way he wants to go then put "ol reliable" NHD14 noctua on it and the thing will be good to go. very easy to install, its what i run and love it. If water cooling for an overclock or intensive calc sessions. h100i or nzxt kraken x60. Those are simple all in ones that wont add much to budget but give great headroom for heat. i left off custom watercooling since its expensive and likely not interested for a workstation pc for someone who is having a friend spec it (won't wanna do much upkeep on the loop is my assumption)

4. might look into gigabyte 2011 boards high end as ive heard they overclock better and also may have more features (but honestly prolly neck and neck with the asus and they make fine boards)

Nzxt switch 810 mattte black with kraken x60 in the roof, titan easily vissible throught he window (with upgrade to sli possible easily and would scale well) I think that would be a classy beast workstation that he'd enjoy for years to come. I'd honestly wanna know what he could do short of super computing that would tax that machine. also 3930k is just fine! anything higher than that is epeen and not worth it, put the money into more performance elsewhere in cards or drives/storage

hope that helps!!

 

[AlaskaFox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alatar

For normal use (not hobbyist overclocking etc.) I think high end AIO loops are enough. You'll get a nice 4.6 clock or something pretty easily.

And the 3820, 3930K, 3960X and 3970X are all SB-E. IB-E is just coming in Q3.

ah, i got confused cause the model numbers start with 3.

my experience with intel is limited

 

[xd9denz]

ok so this thing is very beast if that's his budget ha.... how about this dude http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Gjfy

almost $4000 and still there is a $1000 that you can spend on a 27" size 1440 resolution korean monitor.... 3 monitors for me is nothing compare on a single 27" monitor ...

 

[itzhoovEr]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Gjtp

Not sure about the monitors since he'll be doing CAD and what not. Pretty sure he'd rather go with some IPS panels?

 

[xnuw]

Spoiler: $5000 sim~build

cpu Intel Core i7-3930K Sandy Bridge-E 3.2GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 2011 130W Six-Core Desktop Processor BX80619i73930K ~ $570 f/s

hsf Thermaltake WATER2.0 Pro Closed-Loop All In One Liquid CPU Cooler Dual 120mm PWM Fans 120x49mm Radiator CLW0216 ~ $ 99-30MIR = $69 f/s

pcb ASUS Sabertooth X79 LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard ~ $330 f/s

ram G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL10Q-32GBZL ~ $195 f/s

ssd Samsung 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD512BW 2.5" 512GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) ~ $480 f/s

hdd Western Digital WD Black WD2002FAEX 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive ~ $175 f/s

psu SeaSonic X-SERIES X-1050 1050W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply ~ $205+12ship-20mir ~ $197

gpu SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100351-6GVXSR Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 6GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card ~ $580 f/s

gpu SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100351-6GVXSR Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 6GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card ~ $580 f/s

atx NZXT Phantom 820 CA-PH820-G1 Gunmetal Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case ~ $230 f/s

odd ASUS Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 12X DVD-RAM 8X BD-ROM 8MB Cache SATA Blu-ray Burner BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS ~ $80-20 ~ $60 f/s

mon Dell UltraSharp U2412M Black IPS Panel 24" 8ms Pivot, Swivel & Height Adjustable LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor 1920x1200p ~ $ 330+9 = $339 x 3 no ~ $ 1,017 shipped (3 monitor)

kbm RAZER Blackwidow Ultimate 2013 RZ03-00381900-R3U1 Black USB Wired Elite Mechanical Gaming Keyboard ~ $133 shipped

mse RAZER DeathAdder Black Edition RZ01-00152400-R3M1 Black 5 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical 3500 dpi Mouse ~ $45+$4 = $49 shipped

pad RAZER Goliathus Gaming Mouse Mat - Fragged Speed Edition - Standard M ~ $20+3 = $23 shipped

spk Logitech Z506 75 watts RMS 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers ~ $100 f/s

OS Microsoft Windows 8 Professional 64-bit (Full Version) - OEM ~ $140 f/s

Total ~ $4,928 after rebate ($70) $4,998 shipped

Here's my try, kept the cpu + mobo + ssd, same as your original, change everything else, hope you like it, with such a beast never skip on a powersupply.

 

[Xvelocity]

I just snagged a break from work and came back to this thread. You guys are amazing. I'll be pouring over these posts and modify my list later this afternoon. Thank you all very much for the advice. Hopefully you'll be back for round two later!

 

[Xvelocity]

After reviewing some items and talking to my friend again, I feel I did myself (and you all) a disservice by listing his maximum budget. I think 5,000 was more of a "please don't go over this" more than a "take it to the limit" kind of request. Somewhere in the $4,000 ± ~$300 seems to lie his true comfort. The idea of multiple Titans sounds appealing but I'm not sure it can be managed within this new budget frame.

I am interested in the performance of two 7970s versus a single Titan but with the caveat that I am somewhat leery about the 7970s. My friend and I are apart of a high end raiding guild in World of Warcraft and I've now had three people in the guild get the 7970 and have to return it due to horrible performance with Blizzard games. To be fair, the criticism I have heard is from bad design from Blizzard but that doesn't change the fact that I'm a little worried to recommend it. Times do change however and I'm willing to accept it if those problems have been rectified.

With regards to the few recommendations with Windows 8, I chose Windows 7 because of proprietary software his company uses that does not work well with Windows 8 just yet.

I am interested if I could save some money without a performance loss in the storage area (with regards to the Western Digital, not the Samsung SSD.) He is looking for a 7200 RPM storage device with ≥ 2 TB of storage. xd9denz referenced the Seagate Barracuda 3TB 7200.

He mentioned CAD for the sake of modeling reference but I'm not sure he actually utilizes it. He also makes no mention of the need for an IPS monitor (which he is familiar with from his work) so that is why I have excluded them.

Here is my updated list. I tried to heed the advice given. I still feel iffy on a couple items but I wanted to show my modified work based on everyone's recommendations.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / 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: Asus P9X79 PRO ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($315.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($212.36 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($157.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($449.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX Titan 6GB Video Card ($1005.91 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Switch 810 (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($165.98 @ Outlet PC)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 760W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($168.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($179.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VN247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($189.00 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VN247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($189.00 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($279.00 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Das Keyboard Model S Ultimate Silent Wired Standard Keyboard ($127.94 @ Adorama)
Total: $4062.08
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-27 11:56 EST-0500)

 

[tian105]

4k build, no sound card?

 

[FailofWar125]

Corsair H100i CPU cooler?

 

[Xvelocity]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tian105

4k build, no sound card?

He is a pretty decent audiophile and already has a sound setup to implement. I guess I should have mentioned that but it is why it is not included.
Quote:

Originally Posted by FailofWar125

Corsair H100i CPU cooler?

A couple users have already made recommendations for an AIO Corsair cooler. I was already leaning towards one but I now updated the list with it. This system will not be setup for a regular watercooling setup due to his unfamiliarity.

 

[FailofWar125]

Thats what I like about their cpu coolers. You dont have to do maintenance on them

 

[BiG StroOnZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xvelocity

After reviewing some items and talking to my friend again, I feel I did myself (and you all) a disservice by listing his maximum budget. I think 5,000 was more of a "please don't go over this" more than a "take it to the limit" kind of request. Somewhere in the $4,000 ± ~$300 seems to lie his true comfort. The idea of multiple Titans sounds appealing but I'm not sure it can be managed within this new budget frame.

I am interested in the performance of two 7970s versus a single Titan but with the caveat that I am somewhat leery about the 7970s. My friend and I are apart of a high end raiding guild in World of Warcraft and I've now had three people in the guild get the 7970 and have to return it due to horrible performance with Blizzard games. To be fair, the criticism I have heard is from bad design from Blizzard but that doesn't change the fact that I'm a little worried to recommend it. Times do change however and I'm willing to accept it if those problems have been rectified.

With regards to the few recommendations with Windows 8, I chose Windows 7 because of proprietary software his company uses that does not work well with Windows 8 just yet.

I am interested if I could save some money without a performance loss in the storage area (with regards to the Western Digital, not the Samsung SSD.) He is looking for a 7200 RPM storage device with ≥ 2 TB of storage. xd9denz referenced the Seagate Barracuda 3TB 7200.

He mentioned CAD for the sake of modeling reference but I'm not sure he actually utilizes it. He also makes no mention of the need for an IPS monitor (which he is familiar with from his work) so that is why I have excluded them.

Here is my updated list. I tried to heed the advice given. I still feel iffy on a couple items but I wanted to show my modified work based on everyone's recommendations.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / 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: Asus P9X79 PRO ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($315.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($212.36 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($157.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($449.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX Titan 6GB Video Card ($1005.91 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Switch 810 (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($165.98 @ Outlet PC)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 760W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($168.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($179.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VN247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($189.00 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VN247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($189.00 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($279.00 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Das Keyboard Model S Ultimate Silent Wired Standard Keyboard ($127.94 @ Adorama)
Total: $4062.08
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-27 11:56 EST-0500)

Really like the build, looks like you should go with that. Except only one thing.

You have a Switch 810. Might as well drop the Corsair H100i and replace it with a Corsair H110 or an NZXT Kraken X60. Gives a little more performance than the H100i.

 

[Xvelocity]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BiG StroOnZ

Really like the build, looks like you should go with that. Except only one thing.

You have a Switch 810. Might as well drop the Corsair H100i and replace it with a Corsair H110 or an NZXT Kraken X60. Gives a little more performance than the H100i.

I am looking at the Swiftech H220 over the Kraken X60 and possible Corsair choices. Overall I seem to view this as the preferred choice. I'm open to criticism as always though.

 

[oats2012]

I was pretty sold on the h220 since i saw it was coming and some good reviews by linus at linus tech tips on youtube. But.....then tom from TTL (who i also think does great work) posted this review which panned it pretty hard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPfLKkyIJOI

Linus is supposed to have the video coming sometime this week reviewing the h220, he was a big fan of it at CES so I wanna see if his own results support it being a good choice. Honestly though the x60 would be my choice unless linus shows that the h220 blows it away (which i doubt) because apparently the pump on the h220 runs hot which hurts it performance a bit.

H100i should be excellent though for your friend and would save money, if looking for the extra head room x60, and h220 only if the linus results are really great (he's usually realy honest and is pretty much independent so i dont think he'd have cause to rig the review)

linus coverage thusfar of h220:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gxbXZSUje8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZgctchIQ7M

 

[Xvelocity]

I switched over to the NZXT Kraken x60. I think this is finalized outside of any last recommendation or criticisms.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($499.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X60 98.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($134.80 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus P9X79 PRO ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($315.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($212.36 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($157.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($449.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX Titan 6GB Video Card ($1005.91 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Switch 810 (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($165.98 @ Outlet PC)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 760W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($178.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($179.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VN247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($189.00 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VN247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($189.00 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($288.85 @ SuperBiiz)
Keyboard: Das Keyboard Model S Professional Wired Standard Keyboard ($127.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $4116.79
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-28 20:55 EST-0500)

 

[AlphaC]

Quote:

it also a work computer. Large scale modeling, macro-economic calculations, CAD, etc.

^ Doesn't sound like the person in question actually uses professional apps. Autodesk AutoCAD doesn't count, since it runs better on Geforce than Quadros. http://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/AutoDesk-AutoCAD-2013-GPU-Acceleration-164/

Calculations , if just using CUDA with no need for double precision are also better off on Geforce cards.