An i7-5820K with 64GB RAM and 980Ti for VR and Video Editing Build?

[yume_no_basho]

Hello everyone,

I'm preparing to build a new PC that should hopefully last for at least 5 years for the following purpose:
- VR development and gaming
- Regular gaming (e.g. Guild Wars 2)
- Video editing, streaming
- Game development
- Multi-tasking (e.g. gaming while watching video)


Below is a build I came up with, I would like to get some opinion on the following:
- Whether it's overkill
- Whether there's a cheaper equivalent with the same quality


=== Edit 1: June 28 ===

Oh wow. Thanks for the quick replies. I really appreciate it. So here's what I'll do:
1) Replace the following components:
- Graphic cards: GTX 1080
- Monitors
- HDDs decreased to 2x4TB
- Extend to 2 SSDs
- Motherboard

2) I'll need more time to research and think about the following:
- CPU (I will do more research on whether to up to 5930)
- RAM (down to 32G, but I do tend to do multiple things at once... like watching video while skyping while doing other work. So I do tend to have multiple tabs and windows up.)
- SSDs (Namely which brand, and what size. I added one as a placeholder.)
- Motherboard (I will try to find out which one to replace the current one, so I will put in something random for now.)



Now just some responses:
1) Sorry I forgot to mention about budget. The plan is to build this over the course of several months.
My starting budget is roughly $2000, with $500 adding to the pot per month.

2) My apology. My experience with video editing so far has only been in school with a single 1080p on my spare time as a side project. That's why I thought it would be enough. So thank you for the quick pointers.



Special thanks to photonboy for the elaborated reasoning behind each suggestion.



=== Updated parts ===

PCPartPicker part list: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/TwFCyf
Price breakdown by merchant: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/TwFCyf/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($491.98 @ DirectCanada)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H105 73.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($139.98 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Asus X99-A ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($277.49 @ Amazon Canada)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($135.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.98 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Mushkin ECO2 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($145.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Western Digital Blue 4TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($157.05 @ Vuugo)
Storage: Western Digital Blue 4TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($157.05 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1080 8GB STRIX Video Card ($949.00 @ Canada Computers)
Case: Aerocool Xpredator X3 Devil Red ATX Mid Tower Case ($142.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($103.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-16D1HT Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($81.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Monitor: Asus PB258Q 25.0" 60Hz Monitor ($429.98 @ DirectCanada)
Monitor: Asus PB258Q 25.0" 60Hz Monitor ($429.98 @ DirectCanada)
Keyboard: AZIO Levetron Mech5 Wired Gaming Keyboard (Purchased For $0.00)
Keyboard: G.Skill Ripjaws KM780 MX Wired Gaming Keyboard (Purchased For $0.00)
Mouse: Logitech G600 MMO Gaming Mouse Wired Laser Mouse (Purchased For $0.00)
Headphones: Logitech G430 7.1 Channel Headset (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $3723.41
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-28 06:08 EDT-0400

 

[englandr753]

Id wait and pick up a pair of 1080's. I have the same motherboard and a 5930 and I love it.

 

[CBender]

+1 for the 1080. Or even 1070. The larger memory buffer definitely helps if you are to use a gpu rendering engine (like octane) which probably will become more popular down the road.

The motherboard is a waste of money. It is a great mobo but besides bling you don't get anything else. the money from theboard could be used in other things in your build.

A single SSD? You need at least two since as you going to find out you need a second one to use a scratch disk (or output drive), this really ups the performance editing/rendering.

And if this is a primarily workstation build instead of the three 1080p monitory i would go with a couple of 1440p or a single 3440x1440p.

 

[bjornl]

Video editing will definitely benefit from the extra core-count. Dual 980ti's right as the replacement comes out seems an odd choice. I would suggest a single 1080 instead. I think you are paying dearly for that motherboard without very good ROI. There are many very good ones for around 1/2 the price.
For example the asrock x99 extreme4
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-x99-haswell-e-overclocking,3934-17.html
https://www.amazon.com/ASRock-Motherboards-X99-EXTREME4-3-1/dp/B00VMCKV2C/
for example

Maybe spend some of the savings above to go up to the slightly faster 5930k which will actually make your encoding faster.

I prefer this SSD to the one you picked:
https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-850-PRO-2-5-Inch-MZ-7KE256BW/dp/B00LMXBOP4/

I would recommend you consider one of the following powersupplies:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-psus,4229.html
If you want one that is close but cheaper consider this:
https://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Quark-750-Platinum-Certified/dp/B00VS86NFO/

 

[photonboy]

1) GTX1080->
I know it's been suggested, but the main reasons are:
a) it has dynamic load balancing (GTX900 and earlier have no asynchronous optimizations)
b) preemption
c) SMP etc, and
d) *VR optimizations including up to 1.6X the performance due to using a single render pass for both eyes. That makes a single GTX1080 about 2X as powerful as a GTX980Ti, so even getting near perfect scaling won't get the same result.
e) 8GB VRAM (GTX980 has only 4GB)
f) new Ansel tool for 2D/3D snapshots

2) 64GB->
It's pretty rare to need more than 32GB even for video editing. I suggest starting with 32GB but leave room for expansion. You can monitor memory usage in Task Manager. Unless you get WARNINGS that you are running out of system memory you are unlikely to benefit, though even then make sure you don't have unnecessary programs open (like Google Chrome with 40 tabs using 8GB or something).

3) Motherboard-> as said, it seems overkill. you can get a great board for $200 to $300

4) HDD-> 4x4TB?
Maybe you really do need this, but unless you are certain start with less and add if you need it.

5) SSD's and HDD's->
If you don't already understand video editing, then you need to experiment, read info online etc and figure out where the bottlenecks arise. Specifically:

a) where is video loading from?
b) where is it being rendered too?
c) where exactly is the BOTTLENECK (HDD, SSD, or CPU?)

You'll have a bottleneck in all of these at various times, so you mainly want to figure out if you're writing to an HDD when you should be writing to an SSD. That may be as simple as changing a program SETTING.

In general, I'd probably have the HDD's for mass storage, and working content on one SSD, and a second SSD for rendering to. Possibly a fast PCIe SSD if it is warranted.

4) 1080p monitors?
Not to be rude, but have you edited video before?
I would never use such a low resolution for editing software. I suggest at least 2560x1440. I'd say 4K, but some software have scaling issues still so 2560x1440 is a good compromise.

*You also chose TN panels which I do not recommend when you want better image quality.

It's hard to suggest without a specific BUDGET.

5) Windows:
You need Windows 10 really since the future is DX12 which is where VR development, and game engines are headed.

Summary:
IMO there are a lot of poor choices, so I'd soak in some of the advice here, then maybe take a break, read some online advice etc.

I'll make a BUILD and see what you think of it.

 

[photonboy]

My build: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/MgqNNN

No graphics card or monitor linked for this core build.

quick points:
1) i7-6800K used instead
2) 32GB DDR4 (four slots left) since you likely don't need more
3) 1x256GB SSD (OS, programs, working video folder), 1x512MB (other working folder... may want read on one SSD and writes to another SSD)
4) 1x4TB HDD (WD Black)
*Don't buy more HDD's right off the bat. Get the minimum and add only if needed. (Maybe go with 2xRAID1 setup in BIOS RAID for reliability)

So 2x4GB (4GB usable) might be the best choice here. Some people have NAS backup as well.

5) case-> I don't like the full window on the 760T (I don't like Windows in general, but I especially don't like the full window for the 760T). My compromise is the 780T.

6) PSU - chosen for reliability, and potential 2xGTX1080 (850W) setup. It supports ECO mode as well which won't ramp fan until roughly 375W which may not happen with 1xGTX1080 in that build.

POWER usage jumps to about 200W (GTX1080 in idle) with a few hard drives, fans etc and i7-6800K at 4.4GHz. If GTX1080 was at 200W then you're about 400W so fan kicks in (but... the CPU in gaming won't be fully stressed so it's hard to predict exactly... not a big deal anyway).

**Always test the CPU at stock settings when building the system and for at least a WEEK after. I'd OC to about 4.2GHz then run that for a while. Personally, I never push right to the limit because errors can occur that testing doesn't show. If crashing at 4.5GHz then I'd go no higher than 4.3GHz, and don't push voltage much higher than is needed.

Other:
a) update BD drive firmare (I bought the LG model linked BTW)
b) setup fan control software properly for case (if variable) and CPU (Corsair Link software. make sure the USB cable and software is setup properly)

c) GTX1070 or GTX1080 recommended.
- good after market card, when prices drop to reasonable (i.e. Asus Strix, EVGA FTW or similar). so may be a few MONTHS, but hard to predict
- avoid multi-GPU, even if getting into development (multi-GPU is tricky so just flat out don't support it without being part of a team.. in which case it's not your choice anyway.. should get much easier in the FUTURE so consider leaving the capability for 2xSLI)

 

[photonboy]

*MAY WANT TO PRINT PART 2 OUT FOR REFERENCE WHEN BUILDING*
updates:
1) I see you bought the MONITORS already, so I guess no point in further comment there, except:
a) consider at least one high-res monitor in the future (make sure all three are compatible due to refresh rate etc, depending on usage)
b) *note that some future games support NVidia's multi-monitor correction
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2016/05/nvidia-simultaneous-multi-projection/

2) W7 apparently also purchased (I get overwhelmed with lots of info so miss stuff), however I would upgrade that to Windows 10 like this:
a) Create the W10 install media
https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/software-download/windows10

*MS changed a few things so now have a combo W10 media. I forget the details but I think it's 32/64-bit W10Home/Pro then you specify. Since you'd use another PC to create this, you probably need to specify "other PC" in the tool, then choose the proper version. If you can specify only W10 Pro 64-bit then do that. Note that a 725KBps connection is roughly 2GB per hour, and a 1.5MBps is about 4GB per hour max. So the download should take one to three hours depending on connection speed and W10 size.

b) build system without graphics card (use iGPU), and without any drives (HDD, SSD, BD) attached with cables
c) test with Memtest86 for a full pass or until errors www.memtest86.com
d) attach the BD drive if you will install with DVD W10 media (or if using for Memtest instead of USB)
e) attach only the 256GB SSD

f) ENTER THE KEY for W7 during the install of W10 (it will now make a new W10 key which supplants the W7 key so W7 is no longer usable after 30 days)
*update:
Make sure when you start the W10 install that the version matches your W7 key. For you, it needs to be W10 Pro 64-bit.
g) finish MS updates, install only the necessary drivers so you can test, add HDD, SSD
h) setup CPU fan profile (Corsair Link)
i) test with Intel CPU diagnostic https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/19792/Intel-Processor-Diagnostic-Tool

j) update the BIOS (could do earlier if you want, but I wait to ensure stability then start messing with CPU overclock about a week or more later after build)
k) Steam for games (install to default on C-drive, but make a folder on HDD. in Steam settings create a new library folder such as "F:\Steam2"). For games like SKYRIM with frequent loadings from disk I'd put it and its mods on an SSD.

I have Steam on SSD C-drive but don't have any games there. Most games on my HDD folder. Some games on my second SSD.

l) install Samsung Magician (for Samsung SSD's which I highly recommend), setup a profile, benchmark to see if any issues.
m) Samsung Magician-> add RAPID MODE to the Windows SSD. I've been testing it and it's hard to tell if it works or not, but it doesn't seem to hurt.
(SSD's have the main memory area, such as TLC, and a small, but faster buffer of usually SLC memory. When the buffer gets full the read or write gets a lot slower. I don't think I fill up the buffer enough to really test. With RAPID MODE you allow your DDR4 memory to act as a secondary buffer to help avoid slowdowns. You then write to the "SSD" but it goes to DDR4 memory, then moves into the SSD buffer when it starts to empty, then from there moves into the main memory)

Note that you should test bandwidth BEFORE enabling RAPID MODE because the test is meaningless after. You are then testing your speed to the DDR4 buffer which does not represent real world performance, as you're still limited by the SSD internal speed, though the DDR4 buffer can allow that to not drop much below maximum.

n) BACKUP IMAGE of Windows drive to your HDD (or local NAS). I use Acronis True Image and have setup a weekly profile. Incremental, 2nd highest compression, and it also deletes older chains.

I make an initial backup that I don't update once all my programs are running and everything is tested. It's still possible to get an infection or other issue that makes restoring one of the later backups not optimal. In that case, just backup any critical data and restore the initial backup to avoid reinstalling everything from scratch.

o) Syncbackse Free - I use this to create a few folders, and have it to DAILY backups of any changes. Since I have weekly backups already I just choose stuff that I really can't stand to lose. Don't try to backup your entire Documents folder or you'll get errors (likely due to hidden or protected files).

p) I have to urinate now. bye!

Summary:
I probably missed some stuff but it's a good guide. Think it through yourself.

 

[yume_no_basho]

Oh wait I forgot I can reply here...
I just skimmed through the comment really quickly. Need to head out soon so I will go through them more thoroughly when I'm back, and do more research. Will update as soon as I compile another list.

Copying the comments above and adding a bit extra:
So here's what I'll do:
1) Replace the following components:
- Graphic cards: GTX 1080
- Monitors
- HDDs decreased to 2x4TB
- Extend to 2 SSDs
- Motherboard

2) I'll need more time to research and think about the following:
- CPU (I will do more research on whether to up to 5930)
- RAM (down to 32G, but I do tend to do multiple things at once... like watching video while skyping while doing other work. So I do tend to have multiple tabs and windows up.)
- SSDs (Namely which brand, and what size. I added one as a placeholder.)
- Motherboard (I will try to find out which one to replace the current one, so I will put in something random for now.)



Now just some responses:
1) Sorry I forgot to mention about budget. The plan is to build this over the course of several months.
My starting budget is roughly $2000, with $500 adding to the pot per month.

2) My apology. My experience with video editing so far has only been in school with a single 1080p on my spare time as a side project. That's why I thought it would be enough. So thank you for the quick pointers.

3) My current setup is an i5, 2x4G, Radeon HD 7770 mini ITX build. I run out of memory quite often while GW2 even when it's the only thing open (not sure if I will ever find out the exact reason). But yeah you are probably right, 32G is probably enough.

4) I will probably keep my current setup on the side (until I can sell it to a friend or family) and work on the new build from scratch. So feel free to tear into the part list.


Again, thank you all very much for the suggestions, and special thanks to the elaborated response, and suggested components.

 

[yume_no_basho]

So here is my goal and my reasoning for the choices. It turns out I might not be able to finish this build before this winter due to financial reasons. I'll use what I learned from this thread and the following as my base later on.
Again, thank you for everyone who shared their opinions.



CPU: Intel Core i7-6800K 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor ($555.50 @ shopRBC)
- Uping from 5820k to 6800k.
- Though 5930k seems to have higher frequency, the 200 price jump seems unnecessary

CPU Cooler: Corsair H105 73.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($139.98 @ DirectCanada)
- This will be my first time trying a water cooling system.

Motherboard: Asus X99-A ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($277.49 @ Amazon Canada)
- I just randomly picked the cheapest motherboard from ASUS

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($135.98 @ Newegg Canada)
- Leaving room for possible upgrade to 64G
- Also leaving physical room since I'm not sure if 8 chips will fit with the heat spread...

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($114.99 @ Memory Express)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($199.00 @ Canada Computers)
- 250G for OS and media mats
- 500G for major programs, Steam, and output

Storage: Toshiba X300 5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($225.98 @ Newegg Canada)
- For backup, documents, and other storage
- The 4G on my current setup is almost filled. I might keep that one around for other purpose, we will see.

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1080 8GB GAMING X 8G Video Card ($969.00 @ Canada Computers)
- Will probably be one of the last things on the list I get
- Will have to wait for the price for this to drop a bit further to pick up two of them

Monitor: Asus PB258Q 25.0" 60Hz Monitor ($429.98 @ DirectCanada)
Monitor: Asus PB258Q 25.0" 60Hz Monitor ($429.98 @ DirectCanada)
- Going for dual 2560x1440 monitors for now
- Might add a 3440x1440 or higher in the future
- I'm tempted to add a projector for home theater too... but others' experiences on the internet seem to oppose that idea

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($163.99 @ NCIX)
- Estimated wattage is 648W with 2L 1080 cards, so adding a bit extra as a precaution

Case: Aerocool Xpredator X3 Devil Red ATX Mid Tower Case ($142.99 @ Amazon Canada)
- I like windowed cases. I don't know why. It's weird.
- Also debating between:
Cooler Master Storm Stryker (White) ATX Full Tower
Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower
and, Corsair 780T ATX Full Tower

Optical Drive: LG WH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($76.98 @ Newegg Canada)
- Realize it's the same spec with the ASUS one but cheaper. Well, 20 bucks is at least a week's worth of coffee beans from BulkBarn


Total: $3792.91