Powerful PC Build for Virtualization | Small Office

[JeefKeef]

Hello everyone,

I'm currently building a PC to be used for rigorous testing of various enterprise software solutions prior to implementation. The system will mostly be running VMWare ESXi 5+. The subsequent VMs will be hosting Microsoft Windows Server instances as well as Linux builds, depending on the various software requirements.

For a number of internal company reasons, it generally needs to be a desktop build as opposed to a server build, though alternatives are always welcome. I have built a gaming rig before, so the parts list may be a bit biased to what I'm familiar with.

I'm looking for advice, alternatives and recommendations for improvement, if any, especially as pertains to VT-d capabilities and general performance of the build.

The processor (see build below) will be overclocked just enough to make the most of the 'K' branding but nothing as ambitious as this.

Also, with the apparent upcoming release of Intel's new Haswell-E and X99 Platform, is it worth the wait? Price-wise, compatibility-wise, performance-wise? VT-d is still a factor.

Purchases are yet to be made and I'd like to make an informed decision before doing so. So far, the list of parts that is as follows:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4930K 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor ($574.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock X79 Extreme6 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($214.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($330.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Extreme II 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master 690 III ATX Mid Tower Case ($199.78 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($76.49 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1832.12
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-22 02:49 EDT-0400

Thanks in advance.

 

[g-unit1111]

If you're going to build a system for virtualization, are you going to be setting up a RAM disk? If so this is what I would suggest for your build:

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/93WLdC) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/93WLdC/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i7-4930K 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80633i74930k) | $574.99 @ NCIX US
**CPU Cooler** | [Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-cpu-cooler-h100i) | $99.99 @ Amazon
**Motherboard** | [ASRock X79 Extreme6 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-x79extreme6) | $214.99 @ Newegg
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ares Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f32133c10q32gab) | $330.98 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te250lw) | $149.99 @ Amazon
**Storage** | [Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st1000dm003) | $52.92 @ Amazon
**Video Card** | [EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Superclocked Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp43753kr) | $134.99 @ NCIX US
**Case** | [Fractal Design Define R4 Blackout with Window ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcadefr4blow) | $109.99 @ Newegg
**Power Supply** | [EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-220g20750xr) | $102.98 @ Newegg
**Optical Drive** | [Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lite-on-optical-drive-ihas12414) | $15.00 @ Newegg
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $1786.82
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-22 16:06 EDT-0400 |

- Better case and PSU
- Larger capacity and far better SSD
- I only included a single drive instead of two but you can always add more - the Define R4 has plenty of drive bays