$2500 gaming/VFX machine

[andrewmfilms]

Could I get a parts list that could easily handle video editing/VFX (Adobe After Effects, Cinema 4D, Octane render), while also being great for gaming?

Current games include The Witcher 3, Planet Coaster, Arkham Knight.

budget is somewhere around 2500 USD. Could move it around a bit if necessary.

 

[Hellfire13]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($328.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Ultra Gaming ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($99.99 @ Jet)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($99.99 @ Jet)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($314.99 @ Jet)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($118.65 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 8GB AMP! Extreme Video Card ($659.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1974.45
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-27 11:03 EST-0500

 

[sorryboi]

For your CPU, I would go for the obvious core i7-6700K Quad core, priced at $370. Slap a Cooler Master Nepton 240M 76.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler for only about $90. A motherboard would be a MSI Z170A gaming M5 atx lga115 for about $150. Memory stands fine at Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB, which is two sticks of 8GB DDR4 for only $90. With your budget, theres no need for HHDs and we can simply use SSDs. I would use two Samsung 960 EVO NVMe of 1TB Each, they are m.2 which the motherboard has two slots for, priced at a bit under $500 for each. If you want, you got plenty of SATA Slots so you can drop in a Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM for about $50. A video card should get you fine with a GTX 1070 or 1060 at $200-400, mostly just needed for gaming. You got plenty of cash to spend, so for $100 you got yourself a Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case. A $90 PSU, the EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply should be enough, unless you will be gaming and editing or exporting at the same time. A DVD reader isn't needed, but you can always just get a Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer for just $20. Finally, Windows 10 Home is the only edition you need, priced at $90.
Altogether, this list is JUST below $2500 at maximum.

 

[andrewmfilms]

I tried combining sorryboi and hellfire's suggestions into a build: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/DnmDnn

A little over my budget, but I do want a good monitor with it. Any suggestions?

 

[sorryboi]

I don't see you spending too much on a monitor. Maybe try the Asus MG248Q.
I also think the 1080 is unnecessary cash, drop a level or two. Otherwise, I think you're set.

UPDATE: I noticed that the motherboard M.2 slot #0 shares bandwidth with SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports. When the M.2 slot is populated, two SATA 6Gb/s ports are disabled.

 

[andrewmfilms]

I don't see you spending too much on a monitor. Maybe try the Asus MG248Q.
I also think the 1080 is unnecessary cash, drop a level or two. Otherwise, I think you're set.

UPDATE: I noticed that the motherboard M.2 slot #0 shares bandwidth with SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports. When the M.2 slot is populated, two SATA 6Gb/s ports are disabled.

I noticed that warning as well. Not sure what it means though? I've seen other people's builds with that warning too.

 

[Zerk2012]

I would go a bit of a different direction. When you buy memory buy it in a matched set not 2 sets but 1 set. I see no reason for a expensive M.2 drive I would get a 250GB SSD for the OS and programs and a 525GB SSD for games then the 2TB drive for storage. The extra 2 cores on the processor will help with rendering and the monitor since your not just playing twitch shooter games I would stick with the 60 refresh rate and add the IPS.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6800K 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor ($409.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($96.99 @ Jet)
Motherboard: ASRock X99 Taichi ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($211.07 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($179.97 @ Jet)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($93.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial MX300 525GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($124.42 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($118.65 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB FTW Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card ($659.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: BenQ GW2765HT 27.0" 2560x1440 60Hz Monitor ($308.99 @ B&H)
Total: $2493.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-27 14:34 EST-0500

 

[sorryboi]

I don't see you spending too much on a monitor. Maybe try the Asus MG248Q.
I also think the 1080 is unnecessary cash, drop a level or two. Otherwise, I think you're set.

UPDATE: I noticed that the motherboard M.2 slot #0 shares bandwidth with SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports. When the M.2 slot is populated, two SATA 6Gb/s ports are disabled.

I noticed that warning as well. Not sure what it means though? I've seen other people's builds with that warning too.

If you were to add a M.2 SSD you would disable two of the SATA ports. SATA ports are for the SHDD (hybrid), HDD, or SATA SSD.

 

[andrewmfilms]

I would go a bit of a different direction. When you buy memory buy it in a matched set not 2 sets but 1 set. I see no reason for a expensive M.2 drive I would get a 250GB SSD for the OS and programs and a 525GB SSD for games then the 2TB drive for storage. The extra 2 cores on the processor will help with rendering and the monitor since your not just playing twitch shooter games I would stick with the 60 refresh rate and add the IPS.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6800K 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor ($409.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($96.99 @ Jet)
Motherboard: ASRock X99 Taichi ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($211.07 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($179.97 @ Jet)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($93.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial MX300 525GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($124.42 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($118.65 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB FTW Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card ($659.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: BenQ GW2765HT 27.0" 2560x1440 60Hz Monitor ($308.99 @ B&H)
Total: $2493.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-27 14:34 EST-0500

Interesting. I like the look of this. Since I'm doing video editing, wouldn't I benefit from RAM speeds higher than 2400?

 

[Hellfire13]

I tried combining sorryboi and hellfire's suggestions into a build: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/DnmDnn

A little over my budget, but I do want a good monitor with it. Any suggestions?

Dont go for liquid cooling. Its more of a hassle to maintain. Doesnt give you any real benefit. You never said that you wanted the monitor in that budget. M2 drives are a tad faster since they channel through the board lanes. Refined you build for better performance. Your still retain the best cpu for YOUR purpose and the fastest gpu after Titan X.

Reason for the motherboard... http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-motherboards,3984.html

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($328.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Ultra Gaming ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($189.97 @ Jet)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($199.99 @ Jet)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.78 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 8GB AMP! Extreme Video Card ($659.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.88 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.58 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus ROG SWIFT PG278Q 27.0" 2560x1440 144Hz Monitor ($636.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $2481.03
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-27 17:56 EST-0500

 

[Zerk2012]

I would go a bit of a different direction. When you buy memory buy it in a matched set not 2 sets but 1 set. I see no reason for a expensive M.2 drive I would get a 250GB SSD for the OS and programs and a 525GB SSD for games then the 2TB drive for storage. The extra 2 cores on the processor will help with rendering and the monitor since your not just playing twitch shooter games I would stick with the 60 refresh rate and add the IPS.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6800K 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor ($409.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($96.99 @ Jet)
Motherboard: ASRock X99 Taichi ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($211.07 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($179.97 @ Jet)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($93.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial MX300 525GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($124.42 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($118.65 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB FTW Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card ($659.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: BenQ GW2765HT 27.0" 2560x1440 60Hz Monitor ($308.99 @ B&H)
Total: $2493.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-27 14:34 EST-0500

Interesting. I like the look of this. Since I'm doing video editing, wouldn't I benefit from RAM speeds higher than 2400?

Get faster memory if you wish but the majority of the editing will be with the processor and with 32GB of memory your not going to run out so their will be not much difference.
Some benchmarks.
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2014/08/29/intel-core-i7-5960x-review/3
I would also switch the vendors and only buy from Amazon and Newegg.