Thoughts on my VFX/filmmaking oriented build?

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-Faust-

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In the next month, I'm going to be building a new computer, and though I already made a post about it before, I thought I'd post my final list to see if anybody has any last minute suggestions. I'm especially looking for information or tips about compatibility and how the build will generally perform (whether or not it's a good computer).

I've selected a few parts based on a lot of research and a lot of advice, but let me know if you have any suggestions or comments. My budget is about $2000, and I plan to use the machine as an all around filmmaking oriented computer, with a heavy focus on VFX. So that's 3D work (I use Blender, and mainly do general stuff like sims, modeling, raytracing, etc.), heavy compositing in After Effects (I occasionally use the plugin Element 3D, for those of you in the know), editing in Premiere, and maybe a little bit of gaming. Oh, and just for reference, my current computer is a top of the line 2011 iMac (27"). Here are all the parts I've selected:


Case: (This seems like a fine case, though I don't know too much on the subject or whether or not it's even an important decision)
APEVIA X-HERMES-BL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16811144292

Power supply: (The PSU I was originally looking at was discontinued, so I went with this one, and a friend actually recommended I get a higher wattage than I needed, which makes sense, in case I need to do upgrades in the future. The PSU calculator on Newegg told me that I need at least 650W, so I think 750W should be fine.)
SeaSonic G-750
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16817151118

Motherboard: (This motherboard seems fine, though I'm debating whether or not I need the 8 RAM slots. This seems like the best motherboard in its class for the price)
ASRock X79 Extreme6
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16813157289

CPU: (I'm almost 100% set on this CPU, as it's definitely helpful with After Effects [and Blender too].)
Intel Core i7-4930K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16819116939

Heatsink: (I don't know anything about this [as with most of the parts here], so I'm just assuming this is a fine option.)
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16835103099

GPU: (Debating whether or not I need 4GB or 2GB. Pretty sure I should go with the 4GB, and since the 770 is pretty much all I can afford, I think this GPU is the one.)
GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 770 4GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16814125462

RAM: (Was originally going to get 32GB, but I figured I'd save $100 and upgrade that later.)
Team Elite Plus 16GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16820313430

System drive: (System drive [SSD] to store the OS, applications, and possibly stock elements and textures, or things that I'll always need to have access to. Not sure whether I should get a 120 or 250 GB SSD though.)
SAMSUNG 2.5" 120GB SSD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16820147247

Project drive: (Project drive [also SSD] for storing just whatever project I happen to be working on at the moment. When The project is complete, I plan on moving it to another storage drive. I'm going with SSDs for both of these because I was told that the SSDs would be the single biggest speed increase over my current computer.)
Mushkin Enhanced Chronos 2.5" SSD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16820226371

Storage: (For storage, obviously.)
Western Digital 7200 RPM 1TB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...Item=22-236-339

DVD reader:
ASUS 24X DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16827135204

Monitor: (This is basically just a temporary monitor until I can afford a better one. I'd like to be able to get a huge 10bit monitor for color grading, but that's for another day.)
Acer S Series 23"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16824009417

Windows: (Some have asked why I'm going with 8.1 and not 7. I think it's good to always be up to date, but if it's really bad, maybe I should go with a different version.)
Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro - 64-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16832416778


That comes to $2,289, including tax, and that's about my limit.

Is it a good system? Will it work for the things I mentioned? Thanks in advance for any comments or suggestions you have for me with regards to pricing, quality, compatibility, and anything else I'm not thinking of!
 
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manofchalk

manofchalk

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May 11, 2012
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All your Newegg links are broken, though that shouldn't matter as we can still see what they are.

That case looks pretty iffy, and I doubt any clients would be impressed with the gamer bling look if they ever saw it. That and a $50 case doesn't belong with a $2200 rig.
I suggest going for something like the Corsair 450D.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139042

Mobo, its an X79 board thats larger than MATX. Its gonna have 8 RAM slots :lol:

The 212 EVO is a great budget heatsink on a mainstream platform, but on X79 it will have to deal with near double the heat and that's without overclocking. I suggest you get something like a Noctua NH-D15 or *shudder* a Corsair H80/100i.

For your usage, the amount of VRAM on the card wont be an issue, get the 2GB.

Boot SSD I hope is the 840 EVO, the Pro wont help you here. 120GB is workable as an OS drive, really depends on how tightly you want to manage it and your intentions of putting programs on it.
The Mushkin Chronos is an old drive, and if I recall correctly a Sandforce drive, which have problems dealing with incompressible data (read, video files). I suggest getting something like the 840 Pro here, or at least a more recent drive.

Your going to need more than a TB of storage mate :D
I suggest Seagate Barracuda's, same performance as WD blacks but for a lot less cost.

 
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-Faust-

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Oops, sorry about the links! Thanks for all your advice! I guess it should be said that this is my first time building a computer, and my first time using a Windows PC as well.)

Thanks for the info on the case (a lot of people ignored that one :lol:)! A bit more expensive, but if it's really worth it I guess I'll go with that one. Since I do most work remotely, impressing people with how the case looks isn't too big a priority.

Good to know about the motherboard. Is it worth getting something with the 8 RAM slots in case I want to go all the way up to 64GB in the future?

A bit more expensive, but if it will help that much I guess it's the best option. When I selected all the parts, I wanted to keep each component pretty affordable but I always chose ones with good reviews. The problem is, all these little things add up, and it ends up being a lot more expensive than I originally foresaw.

The thing about the VRAM is that Blender loads the 3D scene into the memory to calculate the raytracing, and even Element 3D needs the memory to load models and textures, so I feel like getting more VRAM would be better (though if someone who uses the same software as me with more experience can shed light on that, perhaps I can better make my decision.)

Boot SSD is not the Pro, it's just the regular 120GB which goes for $90. If I'm storing OS, apps (lots of adobe programs, 3D software, etc.), stock footage, sound effects, stock music, textures, models and other assets that I will use in the future, perhaps I should go with the 250GB...

I mainly selected the Mushkin because it the 240GB version was cheaper than the Samsung 250GB version by about $23. I don't know if I want to spend the extra money on the 840 pro, but perhaps another 840 EVO will be sufficient?

Having tons of storage space isn't too big an issue at the moment, since I'll most likely invest in external storage in the future anyway. Maybe I'll get 2TB instead of 1.

That's a good tip about the Barracudas, thank you, and thanks for all your help so far!
 
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