Build Review - Gaming + Deep Learning System

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
S

shmoo

Honorable
Oct 25, 2013
33
0
10,530
Hey all,

My last build was back in 2012, and at this point I'm due for a new system. I'm getting into the thick of a Ph.D. program right now where I'm doing a lot of systems bio modeling using deep learning algorithms, so I'm looking for something I can use to play around with similar algorithms on my own time (kaggle competitions etc) while also using this as an excuse to build a damn good gaming pc.

I'll go over my build below. Please let me know what you think, if anything I'm saying is wrong, if you'd suggest a different part, see a bottleneck etc... Thanks

Purchase Date: ASAP!

Budget Range: Up to $4,000

System Usage from Most to Least Important: GPU computing, followed closely by gaming.

Overclocking: Nope

SLI: Yep!

Resolution: 4K

Here's my pcpartspicker link to what I'm thinking of going with right now:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/xThb6X

Of note:

i7 6850: It's important that I have all GPU's (2 of them) running at pci x16, and this means an X99 chipset with a cpu that has 40 pcie lanes. This CPU meets these specifications and offers a lot of value for what it is.

Noctua - NH-U14S: While this is a higher-than-usual wattage cpu by today's standards, I won't be OC'ing, and this is a pretty damn powerful cooler. I thought about closed loop liquid, seems to be a bit more pricy and there's more stuff that can break.

ASRock - X99 Taichi: Pretty nice board. I don't need a super-powerful gaming board, but I do need an X99 board with room for 2 big GPU's. This board has 2 M.2 slots, which is surprisingly hard to find on X99 boards. This board also comes with a high bandwidth sli bridge, also uncommon from what I've seen. Hoping it's reliable.

G.Skill - Trident Z 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3333 Memory: Ram. Fast, decent price.

Samsung - 960 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive: Super-fast M.2 drive. I plan to install linux on this drive and use it for deep learning models. Data transfer rate is important, as I'm constantly shuffling data from SSD to RAM to GPU and back.

Intel - 600p Series 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive: Will install windows on this and use it for gaming mostly - good value for money. I don't need super speed here, and this has good reviews.

Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB AORUS Video Card (2-Way SLI): 1080 ti's are awesome, and they have great vram + memory bandwidth, which is of upmost importance for me. These versions seem to have very good coolers, good factory overclocks, good prices, and I've had good experiences w/Gigabyte in the past.
 
Solution
Chugalug_
Hands down the best system you're going to get at this price point, final list.
The 6850k only offers 0.2GHz higher clock speeds for a huge price difference.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-6800K 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor ($397.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! - Dark Rock 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($65.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock - X99 Taichi ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($218.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LED 64GB (4 x 16GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($459.99 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 1TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($479.99 @ B&H)
Storage:...
Sort by date Sort by votes
Chugalug_

Chugalug_

Titan
Jan 28, 2016
16,502
4
74,965
This is the best rig for your money given your application imo.
Feel free to drop one of the SSDs if you want though.
I considered a 6900k, but the 150% price increase for 2 more cores didn't seem worth it.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-6800K 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor ($397.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! - Dark Rock 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($65.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock - X99 Taichi ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($218.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LED 64GB (4 x 16GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($459.99 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 1TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($479.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 1TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($479.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Toshiba - X300 6TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($191.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB SC Black Edition Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($719.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB SC Black Edition Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($719.99 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair - Carbide 400Q ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Corsair)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - X Series 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($107.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $3942.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-12 23:53 EDT-0400
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Lucky_SLS

Lucky_SLS

Glorious
Dec 16, 2016
7,930
844
44,340
Best bang/buck :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-6900K 3.2GHz 8-Core Processor ($1019.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: NZXT - Kraken X62 Liquid CPU Cooler ($159.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: ASRock - Fatal1ty X99X Killer ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($226.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LED 64GB (4 x 16GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($459.99 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Storage: MyDigitalSSD - BPX 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($229.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial - MX300 525GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Constellation ES.3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($98.79 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Gaming OC 11G Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($683.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Gaming OC 11G Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($683.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: Thermaltake - Core V71 ATX Full Tower Case ($125.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($157.80 @ OutletPC)
Total: $3997.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-13 06:04 EDT-0400
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Chugalug_

Chugalug_

Titan
Jan 28, 2016
16,502
4
74,965
Never said gigabyte is trash, just saying that imo EVGA's cards are much better for warranty and peace of mind.
Good point on the CPU though. :)
Here's my alternative build.
Your storage is pretty lacking too imo. :C
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-6900K 3.2GHz 8-Core Processor ($1019.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! - Dark Rock 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($65.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock - X99 Taichi ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($218.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LED 64GB (4 x 16GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($459.99 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 1TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($479.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Toshiba - X300 6TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($191.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Gaming OC 11G Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($683.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Gaming OC 11G Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($683.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair - Carbide 400Q ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Corsair)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - X Series 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($107.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $4012.20
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-13 07:19 EDT-0400
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
S

shmoo

Honorable
Oct 25, 2013
33
0
10,530


Cool build, a few things though:

  • ■ That cpu is a bit overkill, I really just need 40 pcie lanes and decent clock speed. The extra 2 cores in this case don't help much - for what I'm doing, the CPU is mostly just shuttling data around the system. When I do cpu intensive work I use a research cluster with thousands of cores :)
    ■ What benefits do you see me getting with that mobo over the taichi? I'm not overclocking or anything, and I do like the dual m.2 slots as well as free HB sli bridge with the taichi (not sure if the fa1tality has a free hb bridge too?)
    ■ Why 64 gigs of ram? From what I understand, you just want at least as much as your total vram, plus a little for the OS (linux in this case - not huge spacewise).
    ■ I do want that super-fast samsung ssd for data transfer rates - moving data is what it's all about here.



I've had gigabyte in the past, and currently have an evga 1060 6gb. Never had issues with either. Is evga known for having much better support/warranty than gigabyte? The price point and the cooler on the gigabyte seem slightly superior to the other cards out there.



Interesting. I would like 2 ssd's just so I can have one for linux and 1 for windows, but I could put partitions for each on a 1tb ssd. I was thinking that the slower (but still fast) intel ssd would be more than enough for windows gaming. The 500gb samsung has enough space atm for the deep learning stuff I'm doing. In the future I'd prob. upgrade to a faster 1tb ssd if needed for the deep learning stuff and then put windows on the samsung 500gb.



Whys that mobo better for online games? Networking hardware?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Chugalug_

Chugalug_

Titan
Jan 28, 2016
16,502
4
74,965
Don't put games on your SSD, even if you have the extra space it's silly imo if they're AAA titles, it only improves loading times, and most games are fine with that.
The Killer LAN chip is good, but other options are still very solid.
I believe this is the best list for you.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-6800K 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor ($397.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! - Dark Rock 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($65.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock - X99 Taichi ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($218.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LED 64GB (4 x 16GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($459.99 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 1TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($479.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 1TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($479.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Toshiba - X300 6TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($191.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB SC Black Edition Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($719.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB SC Black Edition Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($719.99 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair - Carbide 400Q ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Corsair)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - X Series 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($107.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $3942.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-13 08:32 EDT-0400
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
S

shmoo

Honorable
Oct 25, 2013
33
0
10,530


Cool. Everybody's recommending 64gb of ram. Any reason in particular? Does it just seem appropriate for a system at this price point? I don't see any need for greater than 32. I'd go 64 if I had 3-4 gpus for sure.

I do need 6850k or higher, 6800k only has 28 pcie lanes. That cpu cooler is getting a lot of recommendations, I'll have to check it out. Storage is a bit more than I need atm.

I've heard that EVGA's SC series are just reference boards with big coolers, and that this isn't true of higher level EVGA's, and the gigabyte cards I've chosen. Does everybody have very strong feelings about EVGA > Gigabyte?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Lucky_SLS

Lucky_SLS

Glorious
Dec 16, 2016
7,930
844
44,340
the fatality comes with Killer gaming lan. so yes, better ping, latency. since it has only 1 M.2 i included a 2.5" mx300 for normal ssd and 960 NVMe M.2
didnt know u had a research cluster to do that. we were under that impression n suggested 64gb of vram. so shouldnt ur pc be like a server node or something? its not a bits crunching workstation.
i dont think the fatality comes with a HB bridge. it does comes with sli bridge. so changing some stuff, still with only 1 M.2 and gaming priorities with gaming LAN :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-6850K 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor ($599.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: NZXT - Kraken X62 Liquid CPU Cooler ($159.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: MSI - X99A GAMING PRO CARBON ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($263.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LED 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($278.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: MyDigitalSSD - BPX 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($229.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial - MX300 525GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Constellation ES.3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($98.79 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Gaming OC 11G Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($683.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Gaming OC 11G Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($683.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: Thermaltake - Core V71 ATX Full Tower Case ($125.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($157.80 @ OutletPC)
Total: $3432.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-13 08:54 EDT-0400
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
S

shmoo

Honorable
Oct 25, 2013
33
0
10,530


True, although exactly how much you need to avoid a bottleneck isn't super clear. I was going by this:

http://timdettmers.com/2015/03/09/deep-learning-hardware-guide/

However after looking elsewhere (places such as http://graphific.github.io/posts/building-a-deep-learning-dream-machine/), a lot of people who write about deep learning builds are suggesting double, which would mean closer to 64. I think I'll go with that corsair kit, everybody seems to be recommending it and it has good reviews.



X_X Confused, why would my pc be like a server node? I mean I'll prob. setup ssh but It's gonna have a few big monitors and a vertical case, and it won't be connected to other "nodes"...

You mentioned the killer ian being good for gaming, but then you recommended that MSI board? The killer ian is good for gaming, Taichi has the 2 M.2 slots, why buy that MSI board which looks like it only has 1 M.2 slot and U.2 slot(s)?



I'd like 1000w for room to grow, might switch gpu's down the road, who knows. No plans for OC'ing.

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Lucky_SLS

Lucky_SLS

Glorious
Dec 16, 2016
7,930
844
44,340
the MSI has got intel gaming lan instead of Killer. it also has only 1 U.2 port. they name their M.2 as U.2 kinda like next gen.
i said a server node cuz u r transfering files from the cluster right? so its like the front end machine of a mainframe right?and u have the budget to upgrade to 64gb ;)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
S

shmoo

Honorable
Oct 25, 2013
33
0
10,530


I wouldn't be using this in conjunction with the HPC cluster, this would be used as a stand-alone system. I looked into the U.2 stuff, and I only saw a handful of intel drives. I'm also using wifi for gaming (I know...), are the wifi adapters on these gaming boards better for gaming as well?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Lucky_SLS

Lucky_SLS

Glorious
Dec 16, 2016
7,930
844
44,340
Yes, the intel lan has networking drivers that reduces the online traffic to provide the best gaming experience. U should have MSI's in built network monioring app. just like it said on the website ;)
i dont think the X99a comes with in built wifi card. its ethernet or connecting a lan cable from ur router.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Chugalug_

Chugalug_

Titan
Jan 28, 2016
16,502
4
74,965
Hands down the best system you're going to get at this price point, final list.
The 6850k only offers 0.2GHz higher clock speeds for a huge price difference.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-6800K 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor ($397.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! - Dark Rock 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($65.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock - X99 Taichi ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($218.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LED 64GB (4 x 16GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($459.99 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 1TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($479.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 1TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($479.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Toshiba - X300 6TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($191.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB SC Black Edition Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($719.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB SC Black Edition Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($719.99 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair - Carbide 400Q ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Corsair)
Power Supply: Rosewill - 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($119.99 @ Jet)
Total: $3954.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-13 10:52 EDT-0400
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
A

ar1111

Prominent
Aug 7, 2017
13
0
510


@shmoo

I'm considering a similar build with the i7-6850 and X99 Taichi for similar purposes (but planning to add GPUs and perhaps fast SSDs later). Did you ever complete this build? How is your experience? Did you have the issue with having to upgrade BIOS on the Taichi MB using a different processor (which PCPartPicker warns about)? Or any other issues with the build? Your experience might help me out. Thanks.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom