Looking to build efficient streaming/rendering PC, up to $3000 budget

Key33,

Your list contains components that are among the highest performing and though my fate is chained to Xeon workstations, I would also choose a LGA2011 CPU whenever possible- greater bandwidth, more PCIe lanes, more memory controllers. since the 4930K can be overclocked, there's no reason to spend more on the 4960X - so the 4930K is a great choice from the cost / benefit viewpoint.

In Passmark Performance Test baselines, the ASUS Rampage is prominent among the "Top 100" > the best systems measured. Looking at the others in that category it seems clear that the X79 is on the top rung of the ladder for LGA2011.

That said, it appears to me from the layout of the PCIe 3.0 X16 slots that the Black version of the Rampage is geared towards a triple of even quad SLI, which begs the question of how likely it would be that your future SLI would include a quad configuration. I'm not an expert on SLI, but my memory of tests is that the cost / benefit of SLI drops off fairly quickly after two cards.

In this view, it may be worth considering another very good X79 motherboard >

ASUS P9X79 LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-P9X79-2011-Intel-Motherboard/dp/B0064L8UJM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394773115&sr=8-1&keywords=ASUS+P9X79+Motherboard

> which at $243 is specified to still accommodate a quad SLI, and also is present in the Passmark Top 100. There are of course other X79 versions including the Pro and Sabertooth. If I were building a workstation with a single Xeon, I'd strongly consider the P9X79 WS.

The pleasant aspect of this is that there is a $260 difference from the Rampage may be applied to a second GTX 770. It seems likely that the only slightly lesser performance of the P9X79 - and the deletion of the remote control overclocking device is not serious in performance terms, while a second GPU would more than compensate, and in particular I'm thinking of your triple monitor configuration. Also, I believe that having a total of 4GB video memory will be a far greater benefit to you editing use than the higher rated motherboard.

Also, one other item that may be on the mildly overkill list is that I think a 1200W PSU may not be necessary with a 130W CPU, and 2X GTX 770 which are about 230W each. Perhaps >

CORSAIR HX Series HX1050 1050W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply > $250.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139034

> This PSU would be sufficient if you ever added a third GPU, and the additional $60 savings (+the $260 for the motherboard change) means that you could start with a dual GPU system for almost exactly the same cost as the single GPU with the Rampage motherboard. And, I believe the dual GPU combination that would perform at a higher level than the single CPU configuration even with the motherboard change. The Rampage does include some enhanced features- the slots and the remote control overclocking device, but in the end is using the same chipset and sill support the same RAM and CPU overclocking .

Anyway, that's my cost / benefit take on your system idea. You're very modest about your knowledge and skills in choosing, but you've obviously studied- well done!

Cheers,

BambiBoom

HP z420 (2014) > Xeon E5-1620 quad core @ 3.6 / 3.8GHz > 24GB ECC 1600 RAM > Quadro 4000 (2GB)> Samsung 840 SSD 250GB /Western Digital WD1003FZEX 1TB> M-Audio 192 sound card > AE3000 USB WiFi > HP 2711X, 27" 1920 X 1080 > Windows 7 Ultimate 64 >[Passmark system rating = 3815, 2D= 767 / 3D=2044]

Dell Precision T5400 (2008) > 2X Xeon X5460 quad core @3.16GHz > 16GB ECC 667> Quadro FX 4800 (1.5GB) > WD RE4 500GB / Seagate Barracuda 500GB > M-Audio 2496 Sound Card / Linksys 600N WiFi > Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit >[Passmark system rating = 1859, 2D= 512 / 3D=1097]

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