My first PC build for Software Development

dlclark2

Reputable
Jan 16, 2016
3
0
4,510
Please critique my build. I am trying to stay between $1000 - $1500. Right now, after discounts, it is priced around $1350. I currently develop software on a machine at work that is fast but need a bit more space for the computer at home. Let me know if you think anything is not compatible or just have general recommendations. Thanks!

*BASE_PRICE: [+1075]
BLKFRISALE1: CyberpowerPC Gaming Mouse Pad [+0]
BLKFRISALE2: GIGABYTE GC-WB867D-I 802.11AC Wi-Fi up to 867 Mbps + Bluetooth 4.0 Combo w/ Dual Antenna PCI-E Adapter [+0]
BLKFRISALE3: CM Storm Devastator - LED Gaming Keyboard/Mouse Combo [+0] (Black Color w/ Red Light)
BLUETOOTH: None
CABLE: None
CAS: CYBERPOWERPC X-Titan 200 Full Tower Gaming Case w/ USB 3.0, Fan Control, EZ Swap HDD Dock, Side Panel Window (Black Color)
CASUPGRADE: None
CC: None
CD: LG 12X Internal Blu-ray Drive & DVDRW, 3D Playback Combo Drive [+32] (BLACK COLOR)
CD2: None
COOLANT: Standard Coolant
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-6700K 4.00GHZ 8MB Intel Smart Cache LGA1151 (Skylake) [+70]
CS_FAN: Maximum Airflow with 140mm Enermax TB Silence UCTB14 140mm Performance Cooling with Low Noise Profile Fan [+39]
DOCKINGSTATION: None
ENGRAVING: None
FA_HDD: None
FAN: Asetek 550LC 120mm Liquid Cooling CPU Cooler - Extreme Cooling Performance (Dual Standard 120MM Fans (Push-Pull) [+8])
FLASHMEDIA: None
HD_M2PCIE: None
HD_M2SATA: None
HDD: 500GB Samsung 850 EVO Series SATA-III 6.0Gb/s SSD - 540MB/s Read & 520MB/s Write [+165] (Single Drive)
HDD2: None
HEADSET: None
HS_HANGER: None
IUSB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
KEYBOARD: None
MEMORY: 16GB (8GBx2) DDR4/2800MHz Dual Channel Memory (ADATA XPG Z1)
MONITOR: None
MOPAD: None
MOTHERBOARD: MSI Z170A Gaming Pro ATX w/ Programmable Lighting, USB 3.1, 3 PCIe x16, 4 PCIe x1, 1 SATA Express, 4 SATA3, 1 Ultra M.2
MOUSE: None
NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
NFC: None
OS: Windows 10 Pro (64-bit Edition) [+31]
OVERCLOCK: No Overclocking
POWERSUPPLY: 600 Watts - Standard 80 Plus Certified Power Supply - SLI/CrossFireX Ready
PRO_WIRING: None
SLI_BRIDGE: None
SOFT1: McAfee AntiVirus Plus [+0]
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
SPEAKERS: None
TEMP: None
TUNING: None
TVRC: None
USBHD: None
USBX: None
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 4GB GDDR5 PCIe 3.0 x16 (Maxwell) (Single Card)
WNC: None
WTV: None
_PRICE: (+1420)
 
Solution
That's about as good as you're going to be able to get it from a boutique builder. I just wish they didn't show all the "gamer" themed components down your throat.

kanewolf

Titan
Moderator
Is this just a development computer? Are you doing compiles? Running an android emulator? VMs? for test boxes? Those different uses would tailor the HW IMO. For instance, if you are running VMs, or doing compiles, you might want an i7-5820 CPU since it has 6 cores. You might also want 32GB ram if running VMs. If it is just a development computer, then multiple monitors is probably an important consideration. You don't list what monitor(s) it is driving. A machine you are coding on, one of the most important things is the keyboard. You may not want a gaming keyboard, but you may still want a mechanical keyboard.
 


^^ This. The 5820k has 6 physical cores which is huge considering the 6700k only has 4. It will easily beat the 6700k in what you want to do. As a bonus, the 5820k has solder instead of TIM between the DIE and IHS so you will get better temps out of the box.
 

dlclark2

Reputable
Jan 16, 2016
3
0
4,510



Thanks kanewolf. I will look at changing to the i7-5820 CPU since it has 6 cores. At the moment, I will be primarily using the machine for learning other coding languages. Mainly web development. I currently code in .net, SQL, etc. Microsoft languages. I use a virtual machine at work but it seems to run ok on 8GB of RAM, so I figured 16GB would be plenty. PC gaming is just something that I am interested in doing as well, however, I am currently a PS4 gamer, so it is not essential to my build.

All being said, I just want a fast machine that will handle any coding that I want to do for the next 5 years or so. Speed is very important. I have not decided on the monitor yet. I currently use 3, 24" Dell monitors at work and it seems to work well, however, I am fine with working on one 30"+ monitor for home. Do you know if my video card will support 3 monitors if I decide to do so? (VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 4GB GDDR5 PCIe 3.0 x16 (Maxwell) (Single Card))

Thanks again!!
 

kanewolf

Titan
Moderator
You will want to look at the type of connections a specific video card has. To run three monitors you might want three display ports. I wouldn't use HDMI if I could avoid it. If you change to a 5820, then you have to change to an X99 motherboard and want to change your RAM. pcpartspicker.com makes it easy to help with possible compatibility issues. The 5820 is a quad channel memory controller and you want to install memory in groups of 4 for maximum performance. If you are depending on this box to make money, then you need to think about storage. For projects and for backing up your work. RAID for your working storage and USB3 or eSATA for backup. NAS storage is even better for your backups since it is physically separate. If you are thinking about RAID, then think about a discrete RAID controller card. It is MUCH easier to move a RAID volume to a new host if you can just move the controller card.
 

dlclark2

Reputable
Jan 16, 2016
3
0
4,510
So I made a few changes, trying to keep it around $1500, it's priced at $1511 after discounts. Do I need to have more wattage for my PSU? (POWERSUPPLY: 600 Watts - Standard 80 Plus Certified Power Supply - SLI/CrossFireX Ready). The mouse and keyboard are free with this purchase. I will try to code with them and see if they work for me, if not, I'll just buy something different. Also, I still feel that 32GB RAM is a bit overkill. 16GB might even be, too, for what I will be doing for while. As for the storage, I only have 100GB to transfer from my other machine. 500GB SSD is more than enough for a while. I can always add later or use my external 500GB HD. I appreciate all of the feedback and I do think this will be a better machine for software development. Let me know if I am really missing something huge (besides a monitor, I will shop around for those). Thanks!

*BASE_PRICE: [+1239]
BLKFRISALE1: CyberpowerPC Gaming Mouse Pad [+0]
BLKFRISALE2: GIGABYTE GC-WB867D-I 802.11AC Wi-Fi up to 867 Mbps + Bluetooth 4.0 Combo w/ Dual Antenna PCI-E Adapter [+0]
BLKFRISALE3: CM Storm Devastator - LED Gaming Keyboard/Mouse Combo [+0] (Black Color w/ Red Light)
BLUETOOTH: None
CABLE: None
CAS: CYBERPOWERPC X-Titan 200 Full Tower Gaming Case w/ USB 3.0, Fan Control, EZ Swap HDD Dock, Side Panel Window [-23] (Black Color)
CASUPGRADE: None
CC: None
CD: LG 12X Internal Blu-ray Drive & DVDRW, 3D Playback Combo Drive [+32] (BLACK COLOR)
CD2: None
COOLANT: Standard Coolant
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-5820K Six-Core 3.30GHz 15MB Intel Smart Cache LGA2011-V3
CS_FAN: Default case fans
DOCKINGSTATION: None
ENGRAVING: None
FA_HDD: None
FAN: Asetek 550LC 120mm Liquid Cooling CPU Cooler - Extreme Cooling Performance (Single Standard 120MM Fan)
FLASHMEDIA: None
HD_M2PCIE: None
HD_M2SATA: None
HDD: 500GB Samsung 850 EVO Series SATA-III 6.0Gb/s SSD - 540MB/s Read & 520MB/s Write [+208] (Single Drive)
HDD2: None
HEADSET: None
HS_HANGER: None
IUSB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
KEYBOARD: None
MEMORY: 16GB (4GBx4) DDR4/2800MHz Quad Channel Memory (ADATA XPG Z1)
MONITOR: None
MOPAD: None
MOTHERBOARD: ASRock X99 Killer ATX w/1 x Intel LAN, 1 x Killer LAN, 3x Gen3 PCIe x16, 2 PCIe x1,1x Ultra M.2, 10x SATA 6Gb/s
MOUSE: None
NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
NFC: None
OS: Windows 10 Pro (64-bit Edition) [+135]
OVERCLOCK: No Overclocking
POWERSUPPLY: 600 Watts - Standard 80 Plus Certified Power Supply - SLI/CrossFireX Ready
PRO_WIRING: None
SLI_BRIDGE: None
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
SPEAKERS: None
TEMP: None
TUNING: None
TVRC: None
USBHD: None
USBX: None
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 4GB GDDR5 PCIe 3.0 x16 (Maxwell) (Single Card) (Supports up to 4 Monitors)
WNC: None
WTV: None
_PRICE: (+1591)