About to do this build - Suggestions welcomed

[weaslefluff]

Goal: Build a really high end, high performance, very quiet system at stock. I actually don't do a ton of gaming or video stuff, but some Diablo and CIV V and looking at the new CIV. I just want to build something that will do everything for the next 4 to 6 years (obviously I'm an old guy with some disposable income).

The only thing in the build link that will be different is that I'm tracking down a Samsung SM951 instead of the XP941 in the build list - I just needed a place holder. Also, I already own the monitor.

Anything you would do differently (wanted faster cores than the 8 core as most of what I do isn't multi core dependent and wanted all 40 PCIe lanes)?

CPU i7-5930K 3.5GHz 6-Core
CPU Cooler Noctua NH-D14 SE2011
Mobo Asus X99-Deluxe ATX LGA2011-3
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws 16GB (4x4GB) DDR4-2666 (can add 16GB later)
Storage Samsung SM951 500GB M2 PCIe SSD
Video 2x EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0
Case Nanoxia Deep Silence 1 ATX Mid Tower
PS Antec 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Modular ATX
Optical Drive Pioneer BDR-209DBK Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer
OS MS Windows 8.1 Pro (necessary for the SM951)
Monitor LG 34UM95 34" Display

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/X6xN99

 

[escrow4]

Save $150 and get an X99 Extreme 4:

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-x99extreme4

unless you need all those slots and ports of the Deluxe, and if was getting Platinum I'd get Seasonic. I also prefer Gigabyte Windforce for GPUs. Nothing to change really.

 

[weaslefluff]

Save $150 and get an X99 Extreme 4:

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-x99extreme4

unless you need all those slots and ports of the Deluxe, and if was getting Platinum I'd get Seasonic. I also prefer Gigabyte Windforce for GPUs. Nothing to change really.

I'm not a big fan of asrock - not sure why but I just have always preferred ASUS for motherboards.

Why Seasonic over the Antec - every thing I've read about the Antec is that it's simply one of the best PSs ever built. I also considered the Corsair AX860i but settled on the Antec because the reviews are ridiculously great.

Why the Windforce over the EVGAs? I was basing my pick on the speed and the NewEgg reviews claiming how quiet they are.

Thanks for the suggestions and hopefully the responses to my questions.

 

[Ken g6]

Huh. I think that Antec is the first PSU I've seen that (Jonnyguru says) is better than a Seasonic!

There are very few companies on earth able to outdo Seasonic, and Delta is one of them.

Price isn't exactly a bargain, but you seem to be a money-is-no-object kind of guy.

The last comparison I saw Gigabyte's Windforce coolers were the quietest around, but it's been a year or two since I saw that. One other thing: fans on GPUs not-infrequently fail after a year or two. If you want this to stick around as-is for 4-6 years, 3 fans are probably better than 2.

Edit: A few more general comments: It looks like you won't be overclocking? If not, I tend to recommend a 4790K over a 5930K. You appear to agree that "most of what I do isn't multi core dependent". You can use the same cooler if you want, and fan speed and noise will be even lower. Maximum multi-threaded speed at stock would be about 80% of the 5930K, and of course single-threaded speed would be higher. The 4790K also doesn't have 40 PCIe lanes, but that really doesn't matter much unless you do heavy computing on the video cards - not gaming.

 

[phasseshifter]

in my opinion all looks ok ..as for antec pwr supp...using both those video cards u may need to go up in wattage...for the supply ... but others will recommend seasonic i found..... you may want to get more storage as time goes by.....

 

[OlyAR15]

Very similar to my build. If you aren't going to overclock (which you really should, at least to 4GHz), you don't need such an expensive CPU cooler. You can also save money on a cheaper motherboard such as the x99-A. If those video cards are based on the reference design, then they will be fine, as I found the reference cooler to be reasonably quiet.

Also, if you aren't going to overclock, you might as well stick to stock speed memory.

Finally, unless you have a specific need for a blu-Ray writer, I'd just go with a cheap dvd drive, or even skip an optical drive altogether. They are going the way of the floppy drive.

 

[weaslefluff]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions.

I may well do the one button automatic overclock but only if it doesn't make it appreciably louder. I'll definitely give it a try and hopefully it gets it to 4GHz. Same thing concerning the memory - I want the option to OC if I want. It would suck to buy all this and then be constrained because I save a few bucks on slower memory.

I looked at the Windforce on NewEgg but it's clocked lower than the EVGA and is $20 more. Obviously I don't mind spending more for better, but that doesn't seem to be the case here. Also the EVGA has generally fantastic comments about being quiet and there are no reviews for the Windforce. If someone can point me to something that indicates it a better card, I'm all for looking at it.

I do realize that the 4790K is faster, I just want the extra lanes even though I'll probably never actually use them. Overall, I'm just kind of obsessed with the Haswell-E chips.

According to the partspicker, estimated wattage is 566 so even with a mild overclock, I should be well within the limit of 850 watts.

As for the optical drive, I may just get cheap DVD or non Blu-Ray burner. That will be a game time decision on my part. I do have a large collection of CDs that I sometimes need to rip, so I want an optical drive even though it won't be used a lot. Or I could just use the external I have for my laptop. Good point on the drive - more thought required.

As for extra storage, I have an external NAS with a ton of space that I can always setup an iSCSI drive from.

Thanks again for the suggestions and I definitely look forward to seeing anything more on the Windforce cards.

 

[Charlie98]

There was a test.. I don't recall where (it may have even been here at AT) that compared a suitable ACX cooler with the Windforce... the results were the Windforce was not only quieter, but more effective.

I have a EVGA 760SC w/ACX cooler, it IS waaaay quieter than my old 560Ti, that's for sure, and EVGA builds a very nice card.... but I don't believe it is the most quietest/effective cooler setup available. Having said that, I would probably take the EVGA over the GB, but the GB would be #2 on my list (in fact, it is, when it comes time to upgrade the 760.)

 

[mfenn]

I agree that a Socket 1150 build would be an overall more cost-effective gaming rig. If you absolutely must have Haswell-E for some reason, then you should:

- Knock the board down to something more reasonable like escrow suggested.
- DDR4 is at a premium right now, so spending extra money on fancy memory makes even less sense than it usually does. Pick up a normal DDR4 2400 16GB kit for $194 and wait for prices to come down. You'll only see a performance difference in benchmarks anyway.

As for the rest of the parts:

- Understand going into this that "quiet" is relative when you start talking about SLI GPUs. Even GTX 980's are going to be clearly audible when gaming.
- Speaking of GTX 980's, they have a huge premium over the GTX 970 relative to the performance difference. You can knock about $460 off the overall price by going with a pair of GTX 970's for $330 AR ea.
- Unless you really want to say "I have a PCIe SSD," there's not a lot of practical benefit to one over a normal SATA drive like the Crucial MX100 512GB for $213. Understand that you're paying over $250 to see some benchmark numbers be higher.
- That PSU is definitely nice, but it's overpriced for the benefit you receive. A unit like the Rosewill Photon 850W for $120 would work just as well.

So in short, the build you have there is fine and will work, but you're paying a large premium to have "the best" component in each category. You could spend 30-40% less money and have a machine that is 95% as good.

 

[OlyAR15]

On the other hand, if you do have the money, GTX980 in SLI is fantastic, especially when hooked up to a ROG Swift monitor. Haven't had any issues so far, at least on the games I've played. Yeah you pay for it, but hell, you only live once.

As for quietness, the stock coolers on the reference design 980 are pretty quiet. Plus, there is always the option to go with watercooling.

 

[weaslefluff]

@mfenn - I understand that I can build something less expensive that can 1) be a faster gaming system or 2) 95% of an overall do everything system, but that's not what I'm looking to do. The primary reason is to build a really high end Haswell-E build. Yes, I don't really need 40 lanes, I want them. I chose the 6 core processor to have the fastest 6 core CPU that supports 40 lanes. I could choose a less expensive mobo, but I want the features of the Deluxe and all that comes with it.

A big part of the value for me is building something that is top of the line in as many categories as possible. Some people like to go to opening day of a movie and spend $50 on tickets and food. I'm happy to wait until it hits On Demand or even HBO. I don't eschew the people who go to the theater - there is value in that to them.

So bottom line is I'm not asking to save money on a build, but what parts are best - even if I'm paying an extra $80 for a PS that is a few % points more efficient or an extra $300 to get a PCIe SSD that will load a browser or excel or word a few seconds faster. I paid a lot extra on the top of the line engine for my car to get a couple tenths quicker 0-60.

This is just an area in my life where I choose to spend extra for something a little more state of the art. Fortunately I've reached a point in life where the extra cost won't make a difference in my quality of life, so why not? I'll never notice $60 for better memory. I may notice if I ever want to really push the memory if I choose something less capable.

Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate your suggestions. It's just not the direction I was looking for.

 

[OlyAR15]

The only thing to keep in mind with your build is that the CPU cooler you chose is quite large, and may potentially interfere with RAM slots on the motherboard. According to this site, the G.Skill modules should fit fine though.

http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=compatibility_ram_gen&products_id=34&lng=en

 

[weaslefluff]

The only thing to keep in mind with your build is that the CPU cooler you chose is quite large, and may potentially interfere with RAM slots on the motherboard. According to this site, the G.Skill modules should fit fine though.

http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=compatibility_ram_gen&products_id=34&lng=en

Good to know - thanks for the tip. I wouldn't have thought to even check on that.

 

[melloyellow]

Is this some kind of mid-life crisis build?

IMO, you don't need 6+ cores, just do an i7-4790k build, and take the savings and find something else to blow it on. 4k monitor? or custom watercooling? expensive headphones/speakers/keyboard/mouse? projector? or maybe just upgrade twice as often. 4-6 years can be a long time, especially for GPUs. 4-6years ago for cpu would be like an i7-980, would that be better than if you had hypothetically gotten an i7-2600k instead? new gpus every 2-3 years would probably have much more impact.

 

[Ken g6]

A big part of the value for me is building something that is top of the line in as many categories as possible. Some people like to go to opening day of a movie and spend $50 on tickets and food. I'm happy to wait until it hits On Demand or even HBO. I don't eschew the people who go to the theater - there is value in that to them.

To stretch your theater analogy, a 4790K is like a 3D movie, while a 5930K like an IMAX movie. They both have their selling points, but they are quite different.

A 4790K is slower when running more than 4 threads (e.g. Battlefield 4), but faster when running 4 or fewer threads (e.g. Skyrim). It's also cooler, thus quieter, and uses less power.

A 5930K is faster with lots of threads, but slower with fewer threads, unless you overclock. (That's the only way to get the equivalent of the no-compromise 3D IMAX movie you may be looking for.) It uses more power, especially when overclocked, so it needs louder or bigger cooling fans.

 

[DigDog]

i would spend half as much and buy a new system in 3 years with the money i saved, and take the 10% loss in performance with a smile.

and windows SEVEN!

 

[Burpo]

Build looks great to me! IMO Asus X99 DELUXE is THEE board to own

 

[mfenn]

This is just an area in my life where I choose to spend extra for something a little more state of the art. Fortunately I've reached a point in life where the extra cost won't make a difference in my quality of life, so why not? I'll never notice $60 for better memory. I may notice if I ever want to really push the memory if I choose something less capable.

This is where I disagree with your reasoning. Since you're looking to have this build last 4-6 years, that says to me that the cost does matter to you. In other words, you're not willing to build another $4000 machine in 2-3 years.

So sure, you can go way off the deep end of the price performance curve today, spending 50% more for that extra 5-10%. However, in 3 years, that 5-10% performance difference wont matter; both the $4000 machine and the $2000 machine will be relatively slow. The difference is that the $2000 machine leaves you with another $2000 to spend on upgrades to get back to nearly top of the line.

So I guess my point is, it is actually not possible to build a machine today that will still be considered "high-end" in 4-6 years. If you want to be at the top-end, that's fine. However, you have to be willing to pump significant money into the build every 12-24 months to stay there. Otherwise, the better long-term sustainable plan is to build a less expensive machine and keep some money back for upgrades.

 

[weaslefluff]

So I guess my point is, it is actually not possible to build a machine today that will still be considered "high-end" in 4-6 years. If you want to be at the top-end, that's fine. However, you have to be willing to pump significant money into the build every 12-24 months to stay there. Otherwise, the better long-term sustainable plan is to build a less expensive machine and keep some money back for upgrades.

1) You are correct, I don't expect to spend $4000 in the next 2 or 3 years. Maybe in 4 I might upgrade the GPUs, but that would be about it.
2) I don't think you are getting my motivation here. I'm never going to use even 70% of the system. I just want to build it using the best components I can get without being totally ridiculous (Intel P3700 2TB PICe SSD). The value for me is in the build.
3) I don't expect it to be high end in 6 years, I expect it to last (ie. do most everything I want to do) in 6 years. I'm currently running on a Q6700 and it takes care of 90% of what I want. When I built it initially, it was almost (not quite) equally over the top.
4) Yes - I am going off the price performance curve. I get that. That's my point. It's fun for me.
5) I realize most people ask questions about how to build the best thing they can for the budget they have and most responses are about value for performance, not performance at the expense of value.
6) I'm not working in the typical budget range. I'm not trying to. I'm not asking for the best value - I'm asking for the best kit.
7) I have an obsession with the Haswell-E stuff. I know it's not faster in single threaded performance. I don't care. I'm going for the for best/fastest Haswell-E build I can do. Mainstream? Obviously not.
8) If I suddenly find some thing I need to upgrade in 2 or 3 year, extra money (holding money back for upgrades) isn't going to be an issue. I just don't think I'll stress it enough beyond GPU for at least 6 years.

Sorry for the rant - I know you are trying to help but I don't think you are getting the point of my build - not your build. Every half dozen years, I build a stupid high end system with some obsession to particular parts. It's my fun. I've been waiting for Haswell-E for over 2 years to do this. It's time. So look at the components and suggest things the may be better in terms of performance (at a reasonable cost), not a better value. I understand I could build a more reasonable value to performance system.

 

[OlyAR15]

LOL, we must be related. I know exactly how you feel, it was kinda the same with me. I wasn't planning on upgrading my previous PC, but in the span of a couple of months, Intel released the Haswell-E, Nvidia released the GTX980, and Asus finally started shipping their high end gaming monitor. It was too much to take, and my willpower vapourized. Ended up spending a lot of money, but it should last a while. Heck, the subwoofer alone is probably more expensive than a lot of peoples entire pc.

So, go for it, the components you listed should be fine and I think you will enjoy the system for years.

Now for the bad news: Despite all that computing horsepower, Diablo 3 will still lag in certain areas of certain maps. This is not a computer issue, but most likely an issue on Blizzard's end.

 

[mfenn]

Sorry for the rant - I know you are trying to help but I don't think you are getting the point of my build - not your build.

I was mostly answering your question and expanding on my reasoning behind the answer:

Anything you would do differently (wanted faster cores than the 8 core as most of what I do isn't multi core dependent and wanted all 40 PCIe lanes)?

Your parts will work fine together and you've gotten advice from a few sources. If you don't want to go in the direction of that advice, it's your money.