High end gaming and editing build

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Ryan Wee

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Hey guys,

I will need some help with building a new PC. This isn't like a "super low budget" build, nor is it some "super expensive enthusiast graded custom exotic watercooling" build. I have a budget. A pretty tight one for the performance I'm looking for and I don't know if it is even possible to achieve anything like that or not, which was why I decided to ask the fellow forumers here.

Anyways, this PC will be used mainly for gaming at highest settings possible and at pretty demanding resolutions such as 1440p but it would be really nice if it can handle 4k, just for the sake of future proofing. Besides that, I'm a cinematographer who edits tons of videos so maybe an X99 build would be good for me? It's pretty expensive and I edit using Premiere Pro and most of my footage will either be from my RED Scarlet (at 4k) or my Panasonic GH4 (also 4k).

So yes, that sounds pretty good. But that's not the worse part. My budget is anything below $2200. That's it. I cannot go any further than that. I will be Overclocking to squeeze the tiniest drips of the juices my CPU and GPU can give, so skimping on cheap thermal paste might not be a very brilliant option here.

Anyways, I thought of putting 2 970s in SLI. Will these cards handle 4k gaming? Is the Z97 4790k good enough to handle editing at such resolutions? Or will I have to go with the 5820k and pay extra for a better, more expandable motherboard and fancy DDR4 memory?

Thanks for reading and helping me out with this build.
Ryan.
 
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AHBman
Re Hello

I'm not sure that an ASUS X99 Deluxe will really make difference with a simple "ASUS X99 A"

You should read this review :
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8557/x99-motherboard-roundup-asus-x99-deluxe-gigabyte-x99-ud7-ud5-asrock-x99-ws-msi-x99s-sli-plus-intel-haswell-e/11

You can read that both of MSI X99 SLI + (The cheapest X99 board) and the ASUS X99 Deluxe can handle an i7 5960X at 4,6 Ghz

Since VRM's has been integrated on Intel CPUs, the mobo become a less important factor

But you can also see that less cooled Mosfets mobos will make a little bit of throttling when the CPU is very high OCeed like at 4,6 Ghz (MSI score : 3560, ASUS : 3710)

Anyway, I think that for OC, the ASUS X99 A will be just fine, better than MSI I...
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Anencephalus

Anencephalus

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I recommend this build. Obviously for storage you should choose how much space you will want.
If you really want to do 4k gaming or are using multiple displays then you could SLI the 970s.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($314.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($151.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($152.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($214.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($369.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case ($165.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1615.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-05 03:02 EST-0500
 
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synphul

synphul

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I think this is still within your budget:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4930K 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor ($459.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($95.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI X79A-GD45 Plus ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($199.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($146.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($88.97 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($368.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1815.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-05 04:50 EST-0500

No, it's not a z97 motherboard. However for the work you say you do (cinema editing) I think it would be better suited to your needs. Capable of up to 128gb of ram (doubt you'd need to max it out, but you're not limited by much), upgrading to a hexacore i7 rather than the quad core. More cores provide better performance and it's still within your budget (vs a top end octacore $600+).

Also swapped the caviar blue for a wd black which is closer to an enterprise drive rated for 24/7/365 usage and a 5yr warranty. The blue edition is purely a consumer drive.

Update: you may want to consider 4 sticks of ram rather than a 2 stick kit since it's capable of quad channel memory vs dual. Been awhile since I've speculated x79 systems.
 
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Amencerment

Amencerment

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If your doing an editing machine look at this, this is close to what I have just scaled down.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xW7yyc
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xW7yyc/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Xeon E5-1650 V3 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($561.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: MSI X99S SLI Plus ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($206.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($599.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($91.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 290X 4GB DirectCU II Video Card ($319.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 850W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($54.99 @ Amazon)

Total: $2254.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-02 01:43 EST-0500


You have the ability to expand if needed more RAM if needed, you just can't OC. You run the 128 SSD only for OS and drivers, the 256 is all programs and the 1tb is only data and saves. This is a very efficient editing system with the ability to play games if wanted.
 
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Amencerment

Amencerment

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This is what I run for my editing machine at the moment, it is really powerful, but not nearly what I have played with at ILM.

I had it made a month ago, but it was only $5735.20 so PC Part does not have the right price.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/bwVXFT
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/bwVXFT/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Xeon E5-2650 V2 2.6GHz 8-Core Processor ($1130.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($61.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z9PE-D8 WS SSI EEB Dual-CPU LGA2011 Motherboard ($507.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 64GB (8 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($777.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($169.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital VelociRaptor 500GB 3.5" 10000RPM Internal Hard Drive ($125.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital VelociRaptor 500GB 3.5" 10000RPM Internal Hard Drive ($125.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital VelociRaptor 500GB 3.5" 10000RPM Internal Hard Drive ($125.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital VelociRaptor 500GB 3.5" 10000RPM Internal Hard Drive ($125.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital VelociRaptor 1TB 3.5" 10000RPM Internal Hard Drive ($209.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: AMD FirePro S7000 4GB Video Card ($1050.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 1200W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($289.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($54.88 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Professional (32/64-bit) ($170.99 @ Adorama)
Other: MAGNUM TH10A (Purchased For $720.00)

Total: $5963.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-05 17:15 EST-0500

 
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Amencerment

Amencerment

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I do allot of writing, photo, video, web-design and some animation so the drives are separated per type of use. with my OS being on 2 128gb drives in RAID. Each drive is used as short term storage and editing use with long term storage being on a separate dedicated server.

I run full Adobe, Quark, MS, Animation, and others with 5--7 programs running at a time. I have tried gaming on the system, but it really is not designed for that. So I have a separate game system.

As of right now people do not see the benefit of X99, but in 12 months people will be saying the same thing about the next generation and X99 will be the way. It really comes down to what you plan on doing and how far you are willing to go.

As i7Baby said before it all depends on what you are doing, for me I have a new system every 2-3 years as I can expand and take advantage of what is out there. You may not see a reason for X99, but I do as when things switch to 10bit encoding X99 moves in line. So for me it makes sense, others maybe not.

It is just like the camera systems I use, some like full mounted and others like shoulder/harness Cannon or Nikon, it all comes down to pref... I like X99 because I have the ability to use either Xeon or I7 CPU's and commercial or consumer grade GPU's.

In my home system I only use Asus products, Dominator RAM, and Enermax PSU, but for work, I use what makes sense with what I need.

So for a $2K system I scaled down what I use... And I edit everyday.
 
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Ryan Wee

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Hi guys, sorry for not replying on this thread for quite awhile since I was pretty busy with a project.

I don't think I will be going with Xeons because I won't need the ECC memory support and I enjoy overclocking. Going X79 looks like a pretty classic option and I am afraid it will become obsolete in no time. Remember, I'm building this PC with futureproofing (I really hate that word) in my mind and I will expect this PC to last for a good 4-5 years before I start making any upgrades to it. On the other hand however, X99 is seriously overpriced for me even if the lowest-of-the-range hex-core 5820k is $30 more expensive than the 4790k, DDR4 memory (the price is literally horrible and I don't need super high frequency RAM either) and the motherboards are no cheaper anyway.

Will going X79 last me for long? Or should I go X99 instead? It would be really nice if someone can come up with a baseline "as cheap as possible without being horribly unusable" X99 PC. And as it comes to storage, the only answer I can give is as much as possible (around 4tb minimum since I will be bringing old drives over from another PC meaning I'll get around another 3tb of storage) haha. I will not need gigantic super fast SSD for storing my data but it'll be nice to have SSDs in RAID 0 for scratch disking (no need for expensive 840s or 730s, the cheapest ones will do me well enough since striping them will make them fast enough anyway).

Also I would like to thank all of you guys for all your immediate responses, something I've always loved about Tom's Hardware :)

Thanks again,
Ryan :D
 
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AHBman

AHBman

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Hello Ryan

The i7 5820k is very useful for very demanding apps like video editing, when a real 6 cores will make make a difference with a 4 cores
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And some recents games, like Crysis 3, Watch Dogs, AC Unity, Far Cry, begins to really benifit from a 6 cores
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And for SLI : Yes you need it for 4K gaming, but with SLI : its now or never, in future, adding a card for SLI make not sense because new more powerful GPUs by far will coming, and buying one theses upcoming GPUs is more benefical to adding an "old" GTX 970, like now, if you have a GTX 670, buying a new GTX 970 will be better

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($381.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus X99-A ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($234.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($50.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($351.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($351.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX XTR 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DVD-E818AAT/BLK/B/GEN DVD/CD Drive ($17.94 @ OutletPC)
Total: $2049.21
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-06 04:07 EST-0500
 
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Ryan Wee

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Hi AHBman,

Thank you so much for the build. A big issue about me when it comes to all of these "best bang for your buck while getting as much performance as possible" builds is that I tend to spend more money on stuff that are "feel goods" and "nice to haves" but also sacrificing other parts that can really make a difference. Such as my current 8350 build, I literally spent tons of money on a custom loop when I could have got a 4770k instead. I just thought it'll be nice to have a custom looped PC and yes it does overclock well but if I went for a 4770k I could run it at stock and still rip the overclocked 8350. I'm just an idiot sometimes I guess...

Well, again for my "feel goods", will the ASUS X99 Deluxe overclock better than the X99-A? I noticed the absence of a heatsink right below the CPU socket (idk if it's for the VRMs, Mosfets or NB). Will that make a difference? Also, will it be faster for me to connect 2 ethernet cables to one same modem? Will I get double the bandwidth or is it not even possible? Also, is it possible to also connect to WiFi on the same modem, meaning that I'll be connected to WiFi and dual ethernet cables since my ISP offers unlimited bandwidth. If that would make everything faster then I think I'll go with the X99-Deluxe because internet speed really matters to me.

As for storage, would I be better off going with 2 cheap 256GB SSDs and striping both of them? Are the SSDs reliable enough to not fail that easily? Also for HDD storage, I might need more than just a TB.

Thank you very much,
Ryan :)
 
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AHBman

AHBman

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Re Hello

I'm not sure that an ASUS X99 Deluxe will really make difference with a simple "ASUS X99 A"

You should read this review :
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8557/x99-motherboard-roundup-asus-x99-deluxe-gigabyte-x99-ud7-ud5-asrock-x99-ws-msi-x99s-sli-plus-intel-haswell-e/11

You can read that both of MSI X99 SLI + (The cheapest X99 board) and the ASUS X99 Deluxe can handle an i7 5960X at 4,6 Ghz

Since VRM's has been integrated on Intel CPUs, the mobo become a less important factor

But you can also see that less cooled Mosfets mobos will make a little bit of throttling when the CPU is very high OCeed like at 4,6 Ghz (MSI score : 3560, ASUS : 3710)

Anyway, I think that for OC, the ASUS X99 A will be just fine, better than MSI I think, although this mobo is less cooled than the Deluxe, performances will be close

2 SSDs ? Why ? For RAID 1 ?
Yes, SSDs becomes very reliable today
 
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