High End Workstation

SilverWolf9000

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Jul 10, 2013
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Hey guys.

I have come up with a hypothetical build and wanted your opinion on the matter. To explain myself, I am the "President" of a small indie team and we plan on going beyond indie after college if our indie titles are successful enough. So, say we were out of college now. We got our office building and multiple employees from college. This is mainly the workstation I would work on since I am going for a double major in Digital Simulation and Gaming Engineering Technology and Gaming and Simulation Development Arts. Here are the specs:

ASUS Z9PA-D8 ATX Server Motherboard Dual LGA 2011 DDR3 1600/1333/1066 $369.99 + $6.31 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131886&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10440897&PID=3067296&SID=

Intel Xeon Eight-Core E5-2650 2.0GHz 8.0GT/s 20MB LGA2011 Processor without Fan, Retail BX80621E52650 (x2) $2231.98 - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007H29FPA/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=hardwarevol03-20&ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B007H29FPA

NVIDIA Quadro K5000 4GB GDDR5 Graphics card (PNY Part #: VCQK5000-PB) $1778.35 - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009L8E4UO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=hardwarevol03-20&ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B009L8E4UO

Kingston Technology ValueRAM 32GB Kit (4x8GB Modules) 1600MHz DDR3 PC3-12800 ECC Reg CL11 DIMM DR x4 Intel Certified Server Memory KVR16R11D4K4/32I $349.99 - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0080K692U/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=hardwarevol03-20&ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B0080K692U

areca ARC-1213-4I-MS PCI-Express 2.0 x8 Low Profile SATA / SAS RAID Controller Card $369.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816151129&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10440897&PID=3067296&SID

HighPoint Internal Mini-SAS to 4SATA(SFF8087 to SATA), 1M (3 feet) Int-MS-1M4S $17.10 - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001L9DU88/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=hardwarevol03-20&ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B001L9DU88

Samsung Electronics 840 Pro Series 2.5-Inch 256 GB SATA 6GB/s Solid State Drive MZ-7PD256BW (x2) $467.54 - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009NB8WRU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=hardwarevol03-20&ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B009NB8WRU

WD Red 1 TB NAS Hard Drive: 3.5 Inch, SATA III, 64 MB Cache - WD10EFRX (x4) $297.84 - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008JJLXO6/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=hardwarevol03-20&ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B008JJLXO6

Lite-On Super AllWrite 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive - Bulk - IHAS124-04 (Black) $21.70 - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002YIG9AQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=hardwarevol03-20&ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B002YIG9AQ

Corsair Obsidian Series Black 550D Mid Tower Computer Case (CC-9011015-WW) $127.98 - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006L6ZSWC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=hardwarevol03-20&ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B006L6ZSWC

Seasonic SS-1050XM ATX 1050 Power Supply $199.99 - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00607JL5C/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=hardwarevol03-20&ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B00607JL5C

Noctua NH-U12S 120x120x25 ( NF-F12 PWM) SSO2-Bearing ( Self-stabilising oil-presure bearing ) CPU Cooler (x2) $139.98 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608040&Tpk=Noctua%20NH-U12%20S&IsVirtualParent=1

Noctua NF-P12 Fan (x2) $37.90 - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000YSONMO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=hardwarevol03-20&ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B000YSONMO

Noctua 140mm Premium Quiet Quality Case Cooling Fan NF-A14 FLX (x4) $79.80 - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AEGRGNO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=hardwarevol03-20&ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B00AEGRGNO

SIIG IC-510111-S2 DP SoundWave 5.1 Channel PCIe Interface Sound Card $44.99 + $0.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829270013

Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate $319.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116718


TOTAL COST: $6862.41


Any comments? I would work in 3ds Max, ZBrush, Visual Studio, Unity but would probably write our own engine in the future. Any recommendations for a triple monitor or quad monitor setup? I only ask this because I would like a fair bit of knowledge of this kind of technology before I start working with it in college (my PC component knowledge isn't necessarily limited, but it is mainly based around CONSUMER products, such as the Radeon HD, GTX, Core i3/i5/i7, FX series, etc).

Thank you in advance.
 
Solution

BranFlake5

Honorable
Jul 9, 2013
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Custom water cooling. Buy the pump, radiator, cpu/gpu blocks, reservoir, tubing and water-cool the system. It is expensive but is the best cooling solution available and most workstations use it. You would want to learn as much as possible about it, actually about building in general because such a high price tag means a big investment.

May I ask your profession(does the game dev thing pay) and how you intend to pay for the system? Also, why starting so big? (What is the fallback if the plan fails) Also, would you like to spend less? (Hello, college debt)
 

SilverWolf9000

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Jul 10, 2013
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I am not actually starting so big, because this hypothetical, you see. ^^ I understand where I may come off a little... What's the word... Naive? Brash? You get what I am saying. I will not be purchasing something like this for years, my friend. However, I do enjoy hearing your answers and questions. I would love to learn more about these types of PCs and I'll do my best to do so.

About Game Development, it only pays after your game is released. We will be releasing our game on Steam and hoping for the best. :) We try and fail? We try again and do better. We try and succeed? We do even better. I intend to pay for that system by our products profit alone. Nice thing is that the entire game is being made with almost zero cost excluding my rig I am soon to upgrade. If we do HALF as successful as some of these indies made on the same game engine, that will be a big success to me. Anyway, what parts would YOU recommend for a starting out workstation?

I would love to spend less. Is saying no even legal? I should propose a law... :p
I would intend to pay for some of college with the games AND hopefully get a scholarship. :) I have a scholarship to the high school I'm in now, and with my projected scores on the SAT and ACT, I can most likely get AT LEAST a half in-state tuition scholarship.

So, any ideas on that starting out workstation?

Here is what I plan on having when I upgrade:

CPU: Core i7 3770K 3.5GHz Socket LGA 1155
MOBO: MSI Z77A-GD65 Gaming LGA 1155 Intel Z77
GPU: EVGA 04G-P4-2686-KR GeForce GTX 680 w/ Backplate 4GB 256-bit GDDR5
CASE: Fractal Design Define R4 Black Pearl w/ USB 3.0 ATX Mid Tower Silent PC Computer Case
CPU COOLER: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO
PSU: Rosewill CAPSTONE-650-M 650W Continuous @ 50°C, Intel Haswell Ready, 80 PLUS GOLD
RAM: G.SKILL Trident X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400
HDD: Western Digital WD Black WD2002FAEX 2TB 7200 RPM
 

BranFlake5

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Jul 9, 2013
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I can't say much about the workstation because a year in tech is like... You get where I'm going.

Here are a couple builds

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/BranFlake5/saved/1VsW

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/BranFlake5/saved/1Vt7

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/BranFlake5/saved/1Vtp

I apologize if I came off as rude.

My dad had similar thoughts of starting a business (right out of highschool) and he put thousands in it. Unfortunately all the money was gone and he found no success. It kinda ruined his life because of poor credit. Almost thirty years later and he still faces money issues. All I'm saying is never put too much into something you're unsure about. I guess it's fun to think about your future "power house" but trust me, that will be a typical PC in ten years.

If you give me a specific budget, I will personally create a rig to match your needs.
 
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SilverWolf9000

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Jul 10, 2013
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Rude? Not at all mate :) I have a feeling I might stick with what I am upgrading to. Just for now. :) But in the future I might need some help again, so I'll wait until then. Thank you for all your help friend. :)
 

BranFlake5

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Jul 9, 2013
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If you do, get a 770 or 780, best cards to get.

Best of Luck to You. If you ever need any help, I'm always available.