First PC Build

[mmarvin537]

Hello there! My name is Matt. I'm fairly new to pc building, and I just threw together a general idea of what I'm looking to create. I was hoping to get some feedback on what others think, how I can improve this build, and if possible lower the cost without sacrificing the performance.

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/mmarvin537/saved/ZzzMpg

I realize it's an expensive build. I got lucky, and have the money to make it though. I'm looking to make a monster gaming pc that can also handle everything I throw at it. Including multitasking while coding for school and running multiple programs etc. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

 

[n0ns3ns3]

Can you say what monitor you are going to use ?
the video cards you picked are from last gen and GTX 1070 will perform about the same. The difference is that 2xGTX 1070 will cost less than single Titan X.
Also, the cooler - one of those is way better pick for your system :
https://www.ekwb.com/shop/aio/predator
there are also expansion kit for graphics cards.

Here is a slightly more balanced build for what you asking for.
the 2 GTX 1080 are only needed if you going to run your games on 4K monitor.


CPU: Intel Core i7-6850K 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor ($605.70 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 3.0 Ultimate 99.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Thermal Compound: ARCTIC MX4 4g Thermal Paste ($6.84 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus X99-DELUXE II ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($384.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 64GB (4 x 16GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($339.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($306.07 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($306.07 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB Superclocked Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($644.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB Superclocked Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($644.99 @ B&H)
Case: Inwin GR One ATX Full Tower Case ($116.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-16D1HT Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($40.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $3657.58

 

[mmarvin537]

The Monitor I picked out is the ASUS ROG SWIFT PG278Q 27" 2560x1440 144Hz 1ms G-SYNC.

I bought 2, and plan on using both.

Appreciate the feedback! I'll look into what you've suggested.

 

[Atomic_Subwave]

I think it is a great build but I have done a bit of upgrading:

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/vVkzvV

I changed the Titans to 1080s, they are cheaper and perform better, assuming they are last generation Titans
and I also changed the ram making it cheaper and upgraded the power supply from 80+ Platinum to 80+ Titanium

These are just my changes though, feel free to use them as you wish

 

[mmarvin537]

Thanks for the feedback! I'll definitely check into the 1080s and the ram you swapped in. I see a trend on the Titans not being worth the cost. I'll have to do more research it seems.

 

[n0ns3ns3]

gaming on 2 monitors is inconvenient due to the bezel in the middle.
So you will probably end up using one of them for gaming and other for something else.
For that, you don't need 2 GPUs. Single GTX 1080 would be enough for couple of years.
that makes your system quieter and cooler. You also not going to need the 1000watt PSU, a 650 would be more than enough.
You can actually downsize the build to mini ITX form factor which is awesome IMHO.
check here how it can be:
https://youtu.be/6VMtJEjiMxA?t=11m33s

 

[Isokolon]

the i7-5960X is a bit of bad business imo unless you really need it's potential for editing or other professional applications

I mean, it's 1000$ and won't perform that much better than a 6850k in most reallife applications

n0ns3ns3's build is formidable. but I'd chage a few things like getting decent air cooling instead of water, faster RAM and maybe a nicer case:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6850K 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor ($605.70 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X99P-SLI ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($229.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 64GB (4 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($389.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($306.07 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($306.07 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 8GB AMP! Edition Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($604.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 8GB AMP! Edition Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($604.00 @ B&H)
Case: be quiet! DARK BASE PRO 900 | ORANGE ATX Full Tower Case ($229.90 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($155.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-16D1HT Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($40.98 @ Newegg)
Other: Phanteks CPU Cooling Cases, PH-NDC_02 ($16.05 @ Amazon)
Total: $3563.62
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-13 05:09 EDT-0400

 

[mmarvin537]

gaming on 2 monitors is inconvenient due to the bezel in the middle.
So you will probably end up using one of them for gaming and other for something else.
For that, you don't need 2 GPUs. Single GTX 1080 would be enough for couple of years.
that makes your system quieter and cooler. You also not going to need the 1000watt PSU, a 650 would be more than enough.
You can actually downsize the build to mini ITX form factor which is awesome IMHO.
check here how it can be:
https://youtu.be/6VMtJEjiMxA?t=11m33s

I totally agree with you, gaming on two monitors is inconvenient. The second monitor will be for running other applications in the background while I am playing whatever at the time. Being new to all this, I'm not entirely sure how much power I'm going to need to have those capabilities without sacrificing frame rate, response time etc.

That mini pc video was indeed awesome by the way.

The reason I picked out 2 GPUs was to purposely have way more than needed. When I get the final build decided and purchased, I want it to be able to run for years to come.

You're suggestions have been great though and I will definitely have to consider what you have said. I may go the one GPU route if it can handle everything I plan on throwing at it, saving cash is a plus. I can always add a second later. Thanks!

 

[mmarvin537]

the i7-5960X is a bit of bad business imo unless you really need it's potential for editing or other professional applications

I mean, it's 1000$ and won't perform that much better than a 6850k in most reallife applications

n0ns3ns3's build is formidable. but I'd chage a few things like getting decent air cooling instead of water, faster RAM and maybe a nicer case:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6850K 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor ($605.70 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X99P-SLI ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($229.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 64GB (4 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($389.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($306.07 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($306.07 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 8GB AMP! Edition Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($604.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 8GB AMP! Edition Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($604.00 @ B&H)
Case: be quiet! DARK BASE PRO 900 | ORANGE ATX Full Tower Case ($229.90 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($155.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-16D1HT Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($40.98 @ Newegg)
Other: Phanteks CPU Cooling Cases, PH-NDC_02 ($16.05 @ Amazon)
Total: $3563.62
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-13 05:09 EDT-0400

Good to know!

I went with water because I was told by someone that water cooling works extremely well. You're saying it isn't as good as other options?

Also, I agree with a better looking case. When I finally got to my case I picked out, I went with a cheaper option because my build already costed so much lol. If I can cut down the price of the hardware without sacrificing the power and speed though, I'll definitely look into a more aesthetically pleasing choice. I like the orange trim on the one you switched it to.

I see your variation of my build cost significantly less. Do you believe it will be able to run at the same capabilities? I haven't done any research yet into everyone's suggestions as I'm about to go to bed before work, but I'll definitely have to look into your choices. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Isokolon]

It's not only about aesthetics. It's also about going build quality and nice features - for example quality sound dampening, expandability and such.

Your build is great - for a professional usage. If you run complex architecture software or other professional applications it would be awesome
But for gaming you spend a lot of money pointlessly.

A 1000$ CPU is better than a 600$ CPU yes. But the performance difference doesn't justify the price unless you really need the 1000$ cpu - which you don't.
A Titan X is a great card but it wasn't designed for gaming. There's nothing 2x GTX 1080 can't do, it's better investing the cash in a nice 4k G-Sync screen instead
A 400$ motherboard is of course better than a 200$ board. But realistically you won't do anything with it that a 200$ board couldn't do just as well. The couple of MHz you'll get out of the more expensive board is in no comparison to its price.
Same with your storage options. I don't see a reason in storing my documents, pictures and music on an expensive ssd. For OS & applications a ssd is very nice but for everything else I rather get a HDD for a friction of the cost.

See my point?
I rather invest 3000$ in a setup that's sufficient for 5 years than spending 4500$ for a setup I need to upgrade in 6 because the components will outdate just the same not due to horsepower but due to architecture

 

[n0ns3ns3]

^ I totally agree with you about CPU and GPU. There is little to no reason to go beyond single GTX 1080 and i7-6700K for this build.
it can be 2000$ at most and 2500 completelly watercooled.
I kinda disagree on storage. The mechanical drives are too noisy for my taste and too slow for anything but docs and pictures. I do not have many of them and they sit on NAS far far away so a 1-2TB of extremely fast storage without mechanical drives at all, is actually a good idea.
something like this would be exceptionally good for the OP purposes.

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VIII RANGER ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($182.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB Superclocked Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card ($644.99 @ B&H)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-16D1HT Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($40.98 @ Newegg)
Other: EK Predator 360 ($219.99)
Other: Samsung 960 EVO 1TB ($479.99)
Other: EK-FC1080 GTX - Nickel ($125.49)
Total: $2409.34

Though I'd ditch the optical drive completelly and use the Define S case instead.

 

[Isokolon]

Well if you have a decent Sound dampened case any Drive but a wd black is literally inaudible
But I got 200 GB of music and another 200 GB of videos on my drive and you don't really need an ssd for that.

For a nice 4k/144Hz screen I recommend 2 1070s or 2 1080s even

While the 6700k is nice and easily sufficient a 6850k is nice when you can easily afford it as it'll age better and more and more games start to use all the threads handed to it.

But yeah it depends on the upgrade cycle one is planning on to choose which is the better setup for one

 

[n0ns3ns3]

you know that there is no 4k screen above 60Hz yet ?
I want 3440x1440 at 120-144Hz and even that is not yet available.
as for the CPU, I've seen too many issues people complaining about with X99 compared to Z170, So IMHO, unless you really need those extra cores (production rendering or whatever) it's better to get away with under 500$ for CPU and MB and just upgrade them when needed.
I'm a SW developer and somehow manage to do my job on macbook pro with shitty dual core i7. Can't really complain on performance.
As for storage, I have about 350GB FLAC collection that i don't remember when it was last used. sits on NAS (a 1TB 2.5" HDD connected to a router) without use, also servers for pron and videos. Somehow Google Play Music is more convenient even with 320 MP3. so my main rig (that sits on the desk beside the monitor since downsize) was freed from HDD (WD Blue that was clearly audible over fans and pump.
Now the main rig is completely silent, powerful and beautiful

 

[mmarvin537]

Thanks everyone for the replies! I've taken a look into what everyone has said, as well as stuff friends of mine have said, and came up with a final build. Probably going to order tonight

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/mmarvin537/saved/Z3CbvK

Let me know what you think and again, thank you!

 

[n0ns3ns3]

you kinda wasting your money.
but that's up to you.
as i said earlier, this liquid cooler is shit.
pick one of those:
https://www.ekwb.com/shop/aio/predator

 

[Isokolon]

- no need for a 600$ Board
- certainly no need for 380$ RAM
- same that goes for the 5920X goes for the 6900K. A 1000$ CPU is just bad business.