Multitasking system advice

[PvSyemya]

I'm looking to build a new rig and would like some advice. I do a little bit of everything... programming/development, casual gaming, multimedia editing, CAD/modeling. I'm considering using vmware to segregate these activities in addition to hosting a web server. I would like be able to run 2-3 vm simultaneously without any loss in performance if possible. My constraints are the following.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE:
within the next 30 days.


BUDGET RANGE:
no more than $2500 total.


SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT:
Multitasking as stated above


PARTS NOT REQUIRED:
OS (Win 7 ultimate).
I have a keyboard and mouse and speakers


PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS:
None, whoever is cheapest.


COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
US


PARTS PREFERENCES:
I'm tending towards an i7-2600K but am otherwise open.


OVERCLOCKING:
maybe if it is not too difficult.


SLI OR CROSSFIRE:
no preference


MONITOR RESOLUTION:
dual header at 1920x1080 on each.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Timop]

Heres an idea:
2600K + MSI Z68 $465
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.674895

16GB DDR3 2*$80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231440

Silverstone FT02 $230
http://www.amazon.com/SilverStone-Aluminum-Uni-Body-Computer-FT02B/dp/B0030MHEJK/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1308672869&sr=1-3

Sparkle GTX570 $315
http://www.amazon.com/Sparkle-GeForce-PCI-Express-MiniHDMI-Graphics/dp/B004SGZH46/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309626603&sr=8-1

Seagate 1TB $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148697

DVD drive $20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136236

Enermax Pro87+ $139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194054

Total: $1310 Shipped

You'll have a sizable chunk of your budget left. but it should do the things you want fine.
For more power, a 6-core or dual socket AMD could also do.

 

[PvSyemya]

Thanks for the quick response. Is it worth it to get an SSD and BR drive instead of a DVD?

Also if I go with a hexacore will the VMs be able to take advantage of that? Some of the research I've done indicates that not many programs will use the additional cores.

 

[r0aringdrag0n]

If you watch blu rays, then yes, else not really, you can always upgrade later. As for the SSD, if you want fast boot times, then get a SSD
As for hex-core, Not many programs use 6 cores, only Movie editing might see some improvement in using a hex-core CPU

 

[Timop]

Thanks for the quick response. Is it worth it to get an SSD and BR drive instead of a DVD?

Also if I go with a hexacore will the VMs be able to take advantage of that? Some of the research I've done indicates that not many programs will use the additional cores.

VMs should take all the cores you throw at it.

SSDs are somewhat worth it if you do alot of small tasks and want to improve the experience. Though with Z68, it is nice to start with a caching drive.

For blu-ray, its up to whether you use it or not.

 

[PvSyemya]

Though with Z68, it is nice to start with a caching drive.

Can you explain this a little more? I'm guessing by caching drive you mean an ssd?

Any recommendations for a hex-core system w/ ssd?

 

[Timop]

Can you explain this a little more? I'm guessing by caching drive you mean an ssd?

Any recommendations for a hex-core system w/ ssd?

Caching is something Intel introduced with Z68, using a small SSD to assist the HDD.
Heres a caching solution: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167062

For the six core system, just substitute the CPU+Mobo with this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.676687
and add one of these SSDs:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100008120%20600038484%20600038519&IsNodeId=1&name=SATA%20III

 

[PvSyemya]

Thank you.

 

[PvSyemya]

Best answer selected by PvSyemya.