Power Desktop Build - Planning for Black Friday

[Warhiker]

Thanks Tommers,

Today I need some help planning a future build (2 months from now) that incorporates the ability to upgrade into the newest technology.

I plan to have around 1700 to spend, but I don't want this to be a guideline for the build. I want to look at each part separately. The upgradeablility is the biggest factor for me.

For Mobo and CPU - I want something that is quad core, but the biggest thing is the ability to take 16gb ram Dimms. I would like 4 (or more) dimm slots on my mobo.

I want to assume that any mobo that can take 16gb dimms will have every other feature that I need to future proof it (for at least 4 or 5 years).

I'm not too worried about my gfx card selection, as I plan to look at the monthly charts from here on Toms before purchase. If there is a specific card that works great with a mobo, I would be glad to hear it. I ultimately don't want to waste money on a graphics card here. If there is a certain card that I should not go under, I would be happy to hear that also.

Ram and Hard drives will be purchased, I don't really need help with those. But, if 16gb is cheap somewhere, I'd be glad to hear it (laughable).

As for my case, I would love something that fits a full CPU and has space for a mini-atx board also. I would use this second mobo for streaming and external work while the first is gaming or rendering. I remember seeing an awesome case here on Toms like 10 years ago that fit a full and mini, but I can't seem to find it.

I am going to be using mainly SSD drives, but a few mechanical HDDs. Should I worry intensely about my cables? I'm assuming that most SataIII cables will transfer similar speeds. Am I wrong here? I'm not against spending some extra money if it will make a huge difference.

Thanks for your time in reading and responding to this thread. I would definitely like to hear opinions on CPU heat sink and system fans also.

 

[Zircoben]

You will definitely want to take advantage of the new X99 chipset with the Haswell-E CPUs. I would get the i7-5820K, and some DDR4 memory, maybe just start with a couple 8GB sticks because they are very expensive.

The smallest you will get an X99 system is in a MicroATX build.

SATA 3 cables will all work. SATA 3 is rated at 6 Gbps, and even the fastest SATA 3 SSDs don't get close to it.

You will likely want to get one of the new Nvidia Maxwell GPUs, like the GTX 980. That is the cutting edge and will receive driver updates and be 'current' for a very long time.

 

[Zircoben]

I just re-read your post, and as for fitting two motherboards in the case, that isn't really possible without a lot of modding and having to buy two of everything. Your money is much better spent just buying a better build, like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($384.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($94.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty X99X Killer ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($287.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($194.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($82.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Video Card ($549.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill 1000W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($19.88 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1975.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-23 18:03 EDT-0400

I know the price is steep, but I just hashed that together for a baseline.

You will probably want to do a RAID of hard drives, but I don't know how to set that up, so I just have a 2TB drive in the build above.

The case, the HAF (High AirFlow) 922 can fit the H100i CPU cooler with ease, and that will allow a lot of overclocking for the i7-5820K.

I also included an 1000W power supply, which is way way high, but that can allow for some serious upgradeability in the future if you ever want to SLI your GTX 980 or something like that.

Hope that helps

 

[Warhiker]

Zirco, that is a great parts list!!

400 for CPU, 200 for Ram, 300 for mobo - this was all expected.
That GFX card is a bit expensive!! This will be one of the "deals" that I hope to pick up on Black Friday. If I can stand in line for a few hours (or camp out front) for a 300 dollar gtx 980, that would be awesome.

The two mobo in a single case is an old-school case from about ten years ago. I haven't been able to find traces of it, so I am hoping some Tommers can remember this case. It had a separated section that fit a micro ATX board inside. This is useful, because I have an extra computer to fit inside there. I'll do some more searching for the case, but YES I do like the HAF one also.

 

[Warhiker]

I'm not looking at 2400 mhz ram, because I think that it is a huge jump from 2133mhz for only 30 dollars more. If somehow 2800 or 3000 mhz ram becomes "affordable" during sale on Black Friday, I would definitely get that.

Is there anything that should stop me from getting faster ram (other than money)?
I think that this is pretty important, as I could only get matching ram, or matching stats for subsequent ram. So, I don't want to drop alot of money and have to replace the ram that I just bought the next time that I upgrade. Hmmm, did that make sense, or am I rambling?

Regardless, what are you thoughts about 2133 vs 2400 and higher ram?

I'm very interested in purchasing 16gb sticks in the future.
Luckily, the mobo that was linked earlier supports this.
But, the question is .... what speed am I likely to be able to afford in the 16gb?

since I am looking to go big, if I was to purchase big and fast it will be ridiculously expensive.
Would the 16gb at 2400 be much more affordable (in the future) than 16gb at 2800 or 3000?

Perhaps I am looking at mixing ram the wrong way....

 

[Zircoben]

Maybe this is what you're thinking of? http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/weird-wonderful-pcs-pc-mods,1551-7.html

When it comes to RAM speed, it really doesn't matter. Get the cheapest 16GB DDR4 sticks there are.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6372/memory-performance-16gb-ddr31333-to-ddr32400-on-ivy-bridge-igp-with-gskill/11

(Keep in mind with the website linked above, gaming performance increases because the iGPU uses the RAM. You obviously aren't using an iGPU so just look at the page I linked)

If you want a good deal on a graphics card, on Black Friday and maybe even sooner, Newegg and other retailers may cut prices on the GTX 780 or 780 Ti, and you may be able to pick those up for cheap, with a lot more performance per dollar than a GTX 980. I'm not quite sure but I think the GTX 980 is about on par with the 780 Ti.

The good thing about graphics cards is how they are so easy to slip in and out. You can easily upgrade later from the 780 Ti to a 1280 or whatever, likely with no issues whatsoever. So you can cut down on your 'futureproofing' urges with the GPU, while things like the CPU change their standards year after year.

As for your storage options, are you going to be editing? Do you need a ton of space? What would be really insane would be a SSD RAID, but that's only if you don't need a ton of space. You can get good 240GB SSDs for under $100 these days, and RAID it and you have nearly 500GB of storage at a pretty crazy fast speed. Just tell me how much you need though.

Hope that helps!

 

[Warhiker]

I'm not going to try and stick two mobos in one case. I have decided that I have other priorities.

As for the speed of Ram, I disagree. The test and charts listed do not adequately explain a "ramdisk" situation. I have personally tested this and have gotten speeds much faster than my SSD. This is the reason that I see fast speed ram as the future.

I am set on HDD and SSD combinations.

 

[Warhiker]

Here is my new tenative build :
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VBtTFT
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VBtTFT/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($384.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($94.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty X99X Killer ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($287.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($224.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 4GB Dual-X Video Card ($207.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill 1000W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1360.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-23 22:33 EDT-0400

I might change to a 280 by thanksgiving, since they are phasing out those cards.
If I was to x-fire two of these cards, or the r9 270 dual, would that not work well?
I'm thinking that for 200, a single r9 270 dual will serve me well, and I can bump
up to the next level of tech when my money allows.

 

[Zircoben]

Here is my new tenative build :
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VBtTFT
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VBtTFT/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($384.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($94.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty X99X Killer ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($287.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($224.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 4GB Dual-X Video Card ($207.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill 1000W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1360.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-23 22:33 EDT-0400

I might change to a 280 by thanksgiving, since they are phasing out those cards.
If I was to x-fire two of these cards, or the r9 270 dual, would that not work well?
I'm thinking that for 200, a single r9 270 dual will serve me well, and I can bump
up to the next level of tech when my money allows.

You forgot your storage altogether, but I like it!

The R9 280 can often be found for just a little bit more than the R9 270X (same price in this case). It would be awesome in a crossfire, great value for the money.

Also, don't forget the optical drive and Windows! I didn't add the storage because I still don't know what you need.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($384.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($94.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty X99X Killer ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($287.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($224.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280 3GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($207.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($18.98 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1444.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-23 22:42 EDT-0400

 

[Warhiker]

Is there a reason to go with the single 280 rather than the double 275? I was thinking that the double 275 would have more raw power. I was even thinking of xfire two double 275s which would act like 4 275s ..... maybe I'm miss undertanding something here.

As for OS, optical and Hard drives, I have all that covered from the parts of 10 other computers. Who really needs an optical anyways? I was trying to find benchmarks for the single 280 versus the double 275x. Honestly, retailers will probably offload the 280s cheaper on black friday since they are End Of Life.

 

[Zircoben]

Is there a reason to go with the single 280 rather than the double 275? I was thinking that the double 275 would have more raw power. I was even thinking of xfire two double 275s which would act like 4 275s ..... maybe I'm miss undertanding something here.

As for OS, optical and Hard drives, I have all that covered from the parts of 10 other computers. Who really needs an optical anyways? I was trying to find benchmarks for the single 280 versus the double 275x. Honestly, retailers will probably offload the 280s cheaper on black friday since they are End Of Life.

Oh, yeah haha you're missing a lot of little pieces. I chose the R9 280 because it was the same price of an R9 270X, and the R9 280 is 20-30% more powerful. A crossfire of two R9 280's would be pretty beast.

The only reason I chose the optical drive was to install windows, haha.

 

[Warhiker]

Okay, so here is my thought process in regards to graphics cards.
I first must look at price and performance of a single card:

r9280 = 208
gtx970 = 320
gtx980 = 540

Looking at single card, the price difference is very apparent, but I must think of xfire or sli as an option for the future. OR, do I want to just stay with a single gtx 980

2 of R9 280 = 416$
1 of GTX 980 = 540$
2 of GTX 970 = 640$

I must say that 3 r9 280s at 630 dollars sounds juicy, and 3 GTX 970s at 970 sounds great too. BUT, would I just be better off with the GTX 980? I am trying to future proof this to the best of my ability.

 

[Warhiker]

I'm going to count this as "solved" Thank you for your help.
I have decided to go with the Superclocked EVGA 970.
This will allow me to pick up an additional 970 (or two) in the future for SLI.

This brings my build just short of 1500.

I am very happy with this build, and it leaves me much room for upgrade.

 

[Zircoben]

Great choice with the GTX 970. I can't see you really needing a whole ton of video performance unless you are doing some serious video editing anyway. Having crossfire setups in the first place isn't exactly a completely smooth process, and you can be plagued with issues of frame drops and stuff (crossfire isn't bug free).

A GTX 980 is about the same powerfulness as a crossfire R9 280, but the GTX 980 is much newer, uses probably half the electricity, and it will just WORK. And the GTX 970 is only about 5% behind, so great decision!

Have fun with it, and contact me if you have any more questions!

And don't forget, watch out for 780 Ti deals. The 780 Ti may be found cheap on eBay and stuff while people want to upgrade to the GTX 980, or you may score a deal on Black Friday. The 780 Ti is just a little below the GTX 970 in performance. Take a look here at a synthetic benchmark for comparison: http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/video_lookup.php?gpu=GeForce+GTX+980&id=2953