Need expert review and guidance for first editing/rendering build.

[John Dinzeo]

Hi!

I might have created a wrong first impression here and for that I'm sorry. I hope someone will help me with this build.
I am looking to build an editing/rendering rig.
This is my first build and I don't have any experience.

Here is the first draft of the parts list(please make suggestions and point out any compatibility issues).

■ Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth
Cost: $269

■ Processor: Intel Core i7-4790K
Cost: $309

■ Case and fans: Will decide later.
Cost: N/A

■ RAM: Corsair Vengance Pro(2x8GB)
Cost: $109

■ GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti x2
Cost: $139 x2 = $278

■ Power supply: Corsair RM850, 850W
Cost: $139

■ Speakers: Already have a set of KRK monitors.
Cost: N/A

■ Hard drives: Crucial MX100 256GB SATA III x1 (and)
WD Blue HD 1TB x1 (and) Seagate Barracuda 1TB x1(backup).
Cost: $(114 + 54 + 51) = $219

■ DVD/Blu-Ray: Will decide later.
Cost: N/A

■ Keyboard/Mouse: Already got 'em.
Cost: N/A

■ Monitor: Asus PA248Q 24.1"
Cost: $294

■ Operating System: Will wait for windows 10, no problem.
Cost: N/A

Total cost: $1617

Question 1: Are there any compatibility issues?
Question 2: Is the GPU mentioned above a good choice for editing/rendering purposes?can I fit two of the above mentioned GPUs on the motherboard? What about three?
Question 3: I am pretty sure I need more wattage on the power supply, any suggestions or would it be sufficient?
Question 4: Would a dual Xeon build(under $2000) work better for me? If so, any component suggestions?

I currently live in India, I have trouble finding exact matching components locally. Also, some components tend to be overpriced. I will be making a round trip to the states and will pickup the components that I can't find here for a similar price. That's the reason I have linked to newegg and listed the price in USD.

Thank you for your time!

 

[MeteorsRaining]

Hello and welcome to Tom's! Let's go straight to your queries:

1. Everything is compatible.

2. Yes the Maxwell CUDA cores will help with GPU acceleration enabled softwares (like Adobe suite). You can fit and run 2 of them in non-SLI mode, which's perfectly fine and supported by your motherboard. You can fit upto 3 GPUs in non-SLI mode.

3. The PSU is plenty wattage wise, but the quality isn't great, a good quality 650W will be more than enough for the build. Some good quality PSUs for not so high price are:

XFX Pro/ Core 650W

SeaSonic 620W

EVGA GS 650W

Antec 620W/ TP 650W

4. A dual Xeon build will definitely provide more CPU power but you'd need to make sure your software supports multi CPU setup (all major rendering softwares do, though). On another, you need to evaluate whether you even need that power or not. Since i7 is very powerful on a home-based scale.

Other than the above, the MX100 has a new version, the MX200, available.

 

[ZandaThebigbluePanda]

Just to make this clear. You can NOT sli the 750/750Ti.
running in non-sli you should be able to fit 3 in there, and they require no external power connections.

 

[Half Life]

i think the GPU is a let down, also i anticipate you are going to have some interesting conversations with customs staff on your return

 

[John Dinzeo]

Hello and welcome to Tom's! Let's go straight to your queries:

1. Everything is compatible.

2. Yes the Maxwell CUDA cores will help with GPU acceleration enabled softwares (like Adobe suite). You can fit and run 2 of them in non-SLI mode, which's perfectly fine and supported by your motherboard. You can fit upto 3 GPUs in non-SLI mode.

3. The PSU is plenty wattage wise, but the quality isn't great, a good quality 650W will be more than enough for the build. Some good quality PSUs for not so high price are:

XFX Pro/ Core 650W

SeaSonic 620W

EVGA GS 650W

Antec 620W/ TP 650W

4. A dual Xeon build will definitely provide more CPU power but you'd need to make sure your software supports multi CPU setup (all major rendering softwares do, though). On another, you need to evaluate whether you even need that power or not. Since i7 is very powerful on a home-based scale.

Other than the above, the MX100 has a new version, the MX200, available.

Hey! Thank you.

1. I'm surprised everything is compatible.

2. SLI, to my understanding is used to link two or more GPUs to share the processing work?
Does this mean using three GPUs non-SLI would result in them not sharing the work? <-Because that defeats the purpose of using multiple GPUs as I would like them to all work in parallel and render faster.
Or does it just mean that they will work together non-SLI, just not as fast as if they were in SLI?

3. Okay, I will look into the PSUs that you have mentioned.

4. I think I will just stick to the i7 for now. Maybe I will look into dual processor builds once I have enough experience and read up on the subject.

MX200, noted!

Again, thank you!

 

[John Dinzeo]

Just to make this clear. You can NOT sli the 750/750Ti.
running in non-sli you should be able to fit 3 in there, and they require no external power connections.

Hey!
Any suggestions on a different GPU at around the same price point with similar specs suited for rendering/editing [strike]that supports SLI[/strike]? <total cost $1800

Would SLI restrict the number to two?
Does it also mean that I will need external power connection to run SLI?

Thank you!

 

[MeteorsRaining]

SLI is basically used when the GPUs have to render alternate frames, but in non-SLI mode (which most rendering systems utilize) they independently render the frames/ scenes which the software provides (sort of GPU-threading). This is as good as SLI (which's mainly used in gaming apps). GTX 750 Ti is not SLI capable, but it can work in non-SLI mode (for multiple GPUs).

Make sure to clear any further doubts!

 

[John Dinzeo]

i think the GPU is a let down, also i anticipate you are going to have some interesting conversations with customs staff on your return

Hi!

Any suggestions on a different GPU that's not going to blow the total cost over? [strike]SLI would be a plus![/strike]
If you mean that I might have trouble with customs post landing in India, not to worry, I am a customs ninja here

Thank you!

 

[John Dinzeo]

SLI is basically used when the GPUs have to render alternate frames, but in non-SLI mode (which most rendering systems utilize) they independently render the frames/ scenes which the software provides (sort of GPU-threading). This is as good as SLI (which's mainly used in gaming apps). GTX 750 Ti is not SLI capable, but it can work in non-SLI mode (for multiple GPUs).

Make sure to clear any further doubts!

Thank you for clearing that up!

 

[Half Life]

i think
1) u dont need the sabertooth, limit to 10 to 12 k for the board
2) u dont need an 850 watt smps, those are for wealthy texans who move in monster trucks, limit to 4k corsair cs series/antec is good enough
3) u do need a gpu that matches with the rest of the specs, i think a gtx 970 is a good fit

ps: u have something called x99 series that recently launched but it is still very premium here, might set you back by 1.5 lacs or so for a good build; let me know if interested

 

[ZandaThebigbluePanda]

I Second the GTX 970. it would fit a render build quite nicely. low power, high number of core, decent clock speed.

and later down the line if you must, I don't recommend it to much but if you must a yea or so down the way, you can throw another few gtx970s in there, and yes you can SLI the gtx 970s.

http://www.amazon.com/Zotac-ZT-90101-10P-GeForce-Video-Card/dp/B00NNXVPS2/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1430874162&sr=1-6&keywords=gtx970