multi-GPU configuration for research workstation

[jatinshah]

I am considering the following setup for my research workstation. It's primarily meant for research in deep learning, so ability to add more GPUs (upto 3-4 GPUs) in future is critical. Are there any problems or any incompatibilities with this configuration?

Antec P280
Intel Core i7 5930K
Asus Z97-A
EVGA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
Corsair Vengeance DDR3 8 GB (4 x 8 GB) PC DRAM (CMZ8GX3M1A1600C10)
Samsung SSD 850 PRO Series 512GB
Antec High Current Pro Platinum 1300
WD 2 TB Black Desktop Internal Hard Drive
Noctua NH-D15 CPU Cooler

 

[procollision]

well you have a Z97 motherboard with a X99 CPU you should look into X99 motherboards i think the ASUS X99 WS motherboard should fit your needs, also X99 runs on DDR4 RAM not DDR3. alternativly you could change your CPU to the i7-4790k which fits your RAM + motherboard

 

[bsod1]

what's your budget?

 

[jatinshah]

I can go as high as $3000-3500

 

[bsod1]

If you could be a little more specific about your research. do you want something more CPU intensive? Anyway, I'll post a build with multi-GPU.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5930K 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($552.95 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Mwave)
Motherboard: Asus RAMPAGE V EXTREME EATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($388.49 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($352.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($207.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($124.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($552.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($552.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 900D ATX Full Tower Case ($328.00 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 1200W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $3381.16
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-22 07:04 EDT-0400

the case I have chosen is humongous. check it out. otherwise, get the 750D

 

[jatinshah]

Thanks @bsod1. This is useful. What's the difference between Asus X99 and Asus Rampage V motherboards (some people have recommended Asus X99)? Also, does this configuration with Rampage or X99 support a GTX 980 and a GTX Titan (or some newer card from NVIDIA)?

 

[bsod1]

Thanks @bsod1. This is useful. What's the difference between Asus X99 and Asus Rampage V motherboards (some people have recommended Asus X99)? Also, does this configuration with Rampage or X99 support a GTX 980 and a GTX Titan (or some newer card from NVIDIA)?

x99 is the chipset. Asus rampage V is using the X99 chipset.

Yes, this will support all the newer graphic cards that come out. It's the latest chipset out there!

 

[jatinshah]

x99 is the chipset. Asus rampage V is using the X99 chipset.

Yes, this will support all the newer graphic cards that come out. It's the latest chipset out there!

OK, thanks. There is a Asus X99 Deluxe mother board as well (that some have recommended). It seems then either one is fine for my purpose.

 

[procollision]

Also I do not know much about your workload but if its cpu intensive you may want to look at a intel XEON series processor which are more optimized for calculation. Also any x99 motherboard will be fine, just remember to get DDR4 Ram 😉