Need Advice on dual purpose computer

[jwl2]

All,

I mentioned I was planning to build the following on another forum and one of the respondents is adamant that this is an unbalanced built, but I do not know what he means. What do you think?

ASUS P9X79 Pro
Intel i7-3930K
64GB RAM GSkill
XFX Double D FX-787A-CDFC or EVGA Super-clocked 012-P3-1572 AR GTX 570
Crucial M4 SSD 512GB
Crucial M4 SSD 256GB
2 Caviar Black 1 TB (Mirrored)
HT | OMEGA eCLARO
2 LG WH14NS40
Seasonic 750W Power Supply

2 Dell 24" monitors 1900x1200 resolution (if it matters), 1 laser printer, 1 inkjet multifunction, wacom, keyboard and 5.1 speaker system (currently Klipsch, might be upgraded). Also have a Synology NAS connected to it via USB.

The machine will serve two divergent purposes. The one driving the need for the specs is business related - I want to run an ERP server using VMWare Workstation. Generally speaking, the things that matter are IOPS, RAM and cores (in that order). If I removed this requirement, the system could be built with 8-12GB Ram, a slower processor and 1 less SSD.

Is there a problem with this setup that I am not aware of?

Thanks,

J

 

[idroid]

We need a budget.

 

[idroid]

*You will not make full use of that motherboard so you can get something cheaper.
*You did not listed a CPU cooler (You will need it)
*Different capacities SSDs are not recommended, if you want TRUE HIGH SPEED get two of Vertex 4s and put them in RAID-0 mode
*That sound card is next to useless.
*a 650W PSU will be more than enough.
*Will this PC be used for any kind of Gaming or tasks that benefit from hardware acceleration?
*How many Vmachines will you run?

 

[jwl2]

idroid,

Budget is not an issue, but that does not mean I should waste money. The machine needs to work for its intended purpose. I have had a good long history with ASUS boards, so I tend to buy them. I ended up with the Pro version of the P9x79 because of the ports and potential later expansion.

The SSDs are for different purposes. One is for the host and one is for the VMWare. I suppose I could add another SSD for RAID 0 for the host. I am not sure if you comment about different size drives was related to RAID or if there is some other reason why different sizes matter. Please explain.

I am not running a lot of hosts, but rather big ones (ERP systems). IOPS, RAM and then cores is the order of importance for performance.

I am not a gamer, but I do watch video.

The sound card results from a long forum discussion. Suffice it to say, it meets my objectives.

I am aware that a 650Watt PS is optimal, but there are some potential expansions and the extra 100W covers that off.

I have not figured out the cooler yet. I open to suggestions.

J

 

[idroid]

idroid,

Budget is not an issue, but that does not mean I should waste money. The machine needs to work for its intended purpose. I have had a good long history with ASUS boards, so I tend to buy them. I ended up with the Pro version of the P9x79 because of the ports and potential later expansion.

The SSDs are for different purposes. One is for the host and one is for the VMWare. I suppose I could add another SSD for RAID 0 for the host. I am not sure if you comment about different size drives was related to RAID or if there is some other reason why different sizes matter. Please explain.

I am not running a lot of hosts, but rather big ones (ERP systems). IOPS, RAM and then cores is the order of importance for performance.

I am not a gamer, but I do watch video.

The sound card results from a long forum discussion. Suffice it to say, it meets my objectives.

I am aware that a 650Watt PS is optimal, but there are some potential expansions and the extra 100W covers that off.

I have not figured out the cooler yet. I open to suggestions.

J

Fair enough this is what i came up with!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($549.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus P9X79 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($258.99 @ Mwave)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 64GB (8 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($374.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($128.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($128.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($189.00 @ B&H)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($519.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Switch 810 (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 850W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $2754.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-19 03:28 EDT-0400)

+ this CPU cooler: http://www.frozencpu.com/products/12222/ex-wat-162/XSPC_Rasa_750_RS360_Universal_CPU_Triple_Radiator_Water_Cooling_Kit_w_Updated_Pump_and_Free_Kill_Coil.html?tl=g30c321

 

[jwl2]

Fair enough this is what i came up with!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($549.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus P9X79 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($258.99 @ Mwave)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 64GB (8 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($374.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($128.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($128.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($189.00 @ B&H)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($519.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Switch 810 (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 850W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $2754.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-19 03:28 EDT-0400)

+ this CPU cooler: http://www.frozencpu.com/products/12222/ex-wat-162/XSPC_Rasa_750_RS360_Universal_CPU_Triple_Radiator_Water_Cooling_Kit_w_Updated_Pump_and_Free_Kill_Coil.html?tl=g30c321

So what makes this better for my purposes?

 

[jwl2]

Figured out why you are recommending the Samsung 830s over the Crucials - that makes sense.


Price/Performance 1.5 Caviar Blacks would make sense but for the fact I have a new 1TB drive - only need to buy one. The extra 500GB is not needed.

I already have a spare Lian Li case

What I am not sure about is the following
1. What is the advantage of using the 7950 card?
2. How much measurable benefit is there to the cooler and what does that do for me?
3. What does changing the brand of RAM get me?
4. What did you mean by that system being unbalanced.

Thanks,

J

 

[idroid]

Figured out why you are recommending the Samsung 830s over the Crucials - that makes sense.


Price/Performance 1.5 Caviar Blacks would make sense but for the fact I have a new 1TB drive - only need to buy one. The extra 500GB is not needed.

I already have a spare Lian Li case

What I am not sure about is the following
1. What is the advantage of using the 7950 card?
2. How much measurable benefit is there to the cooler and what does that do for me?
3. What does changing the brand of RAM get me?
4. What did you mean by that system being unbalanced.

Thanks,

J

*The 7950 will come in handy for multiple monitors and the extra power makes it a bit more "future proof"

*You MUST buy an aftermarket CPU cooler because the 3930k doesn't come with one, that cooler will allow you to achieve a really high overclock and keep the temps low.

*You did not listed what model of G.skill RAM you're getting so i had to find a 1.5v low profile 64GB RAM kit which is the one i linked above.

*I said that the system was unbalanced because i thought you were gonna use it for gaming, anyways.... i didn't know that you wanted to run each SSD individually, i thought you wanted to RAID'em to get more speed and doing that with different capacities SSDs is pointless.

*i still think that are motherboards that offer higher bang for the buck than that motherboard but if you like Asus.... well, your choice

*Just so you know.... the 850w PSU was only 8$ more expensive than a 750w PSU of the same model.

 

[jwl2]

*The 7950 will come in handy for multiple monitors and the extra power makes it a bit more "future proof"

*You MUST buy an aftermarket CPU cooler because the 3930k doesn't come with one, that cooler will allow you to achieve a really high overclock and keep the temps low.

*You did not listed what model of G.skill RAM you're getting so i had to find a 1.5v low profile 64GB RAM kit which is the one i linked above.

*I said that the system was unbalanced because i thought you were gonna use it for gaming, anyways.... i didn't know that you wanted to run each SSD individually, i thought you wanted to RAID'em to get more speed and doing that with different capacities SSDs is pointless.

*i still think that are motherboards that offer higher bang for the buck than that motherboard but if you like Asus.... well, your choice

*Just so you know.... the 850w PSU was only 8$ more expensive than a 750w PSU of the same model.

idroid,

Now I get the unbalanced comment. If this was a gaming board, there would be multiple video cards, a different proc, less ram, etc.

The corsair is probably a better choice. The Gskill resulted from earlier reviews I saw with people struggling to get 64GB to work at all. There just wasn't much on the corsair at the time.

I did not realize the 3930 did not come with a cooler - so thanks for pointing that out. What I wanted to know was what the real world performance benefit the water cooled system you recommended was. Let's use a SilenX EFZ-120HA5 120mm Fluid Dynamic CPU Cooler as a comparison (best rated on pickparts)

On the PSU, did you jump to 850 to accomodate a beefier video card or just because the price difference was so low? In reading the PSU forum, there is an argument that excess wattage is not only wasted but detrimental....although I think we are talking miniscule differences. Running my setup through serveral PSU sizing tools suggests a 650W is ideal. I added an extra 100W to cover off additional items I might use.

The video card recommendation is interesting. I asked the question in the video forum and most people thought I needed less than what I was thinking. You went in the opposite direction. What was your thinking?