Thoughts on Part Selection for Supercomputer (Australia)

[Icaraeus]

My granddad intends to build the most powerful, high-end latest computer. Budget is a non-issue, and it'll be used for absolutely everything: running many things at one time, for testing things, storing stuff downloaded on the server, editing videos taken with an Ultra HD Go-Pro camera, playing games (basically me for that heh), streaming and other stuff. How does this look?

http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/392P7P

 

[okcnaline]

I don't understand your grandfather....
And your build isn't OP enough at all. Mine would COMPLETELY blow your mind, but my imagination isn't even finished at this point.
Is he looking for an actual supercomputer or a really OP computer?

Here's an legit supercomputer:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E5-2697 V3 2.6GHz 14-Core Processor ($3299.00 @ CPL Online)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($149.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: ASRock X99 WS EATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($399.00 @ CPL Online)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($589.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Plextor M6e 512GB PCI-E Solid State Drive ($589.00 @ Scorptec)
Storage: Plextor M6e 512GB PCI-E Solid State Drive ($589.00 @ Scorptec)
Storage: Plextor M6e 512GB PCI-E Solid State Drive ($589.00 @ Scorptec)
Storage: Plextor M6e 512GB PCI-E Solid State Drive ($589.00 @ Scorptec)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX Titan Z 12GB Video Card ($1999.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: Corsair 760T White ATX Full Tower Case ($249.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: Corsair AX1500i 1500W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($519.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $9559.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-26 14:20 EST+1100

MIND BLOWN!!!!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E5-2697 V2 2.7GHz 12-Core Processor ($3239.00 @ CPL Online)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($149.00 @ CPL Online)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($149.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: Asus Z9PE-D8 WS SSI EEB Dual-CPU LGA2011 Motherboard ($739.00 @ Scorptec)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 64GB (8 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($899.00 @ Scorptec)
Storage: Plextor M6e 512GB PCI-E Solid State Drive ($589.00 @ Scorptec)
Storage: Plextor M6e 512GB PCI-E Solid State Drive ($589.00 @ Scorptec)
Storage: Plextor M6e 512GB PCI-E Solid State Drive ($589.00 @ Scorptec)
Storage: Plextor M6e 512GB PCI-E Solid State Drive ($589.00 @ Scorptec)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX Titan Z 12GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($1999.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX Titan Z 12GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($1999.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Series Primo Aluminum ATX Full Tower Case ($279.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: Corsair AX1500i 1500W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($519.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $12327.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-26 14:28 EST+1100

Yeah, a legit supercomputer. I'm just overwhelmed by this amount of overpowerness.

 

[Icaraeus]

I don't understand your grandfather....
And your build isn't OP enough at all. Mine would COMPLETELY blow your mind, but my imagination isn't even finished at this point.
Is he looking for an actual supercomputer or a really OP computer?

Here's an legit supercomputer:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E5-2697 V3 2.6GHz 14-Core Processor ($3299.00 @ CPL Online)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($149.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: ASRock X99 WS EATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($399.00 @ CPL Online)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($589.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Plextor M6e 512GB PCI-E Solid State Drive ($589.00 @ Scorptec)
Storage: Plextor M6e 512GB PCI-E Solid State Drive ($589.00 @ Scorptec)
Storage: Plextor M6e 512GB PCI-E Solid State Drive ($589.00 @ Scorptec)
Storage: Plextor M6e 512GB PCI-E Solid State Drive ($589.00 @ Scorptec)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX Titan Z 12GB Video Card ($1999.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: Corsair 760T White ATX Full Tower Case ($249.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: Corsair AX1500i 1500W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($519.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $9559.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-26 14:20 EST+1100

MIND BLOWN!!!!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E5-2697 V2 2.7GHz 12-Core Processor ($3239.00 @ CPL Online)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($149.00 @ CPL Online)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($149.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: Asus Z9PE-D8 WS SSI EEB Dual-CPU LGA2011 Motherboard ($739.00 @ Scorptec)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 64GB (8 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($899.00 @ Scorptec)
Storage: Plextor M6e 512GB PCI-E Solid State Drive ($589.00 @ Scorptec)
Storage: Plextor M6e 512GB PCI-E Solid State Drive ($589.00 @ Scorptec)
Storage: Plextor M6e 512GB PCI-E Solid State Drive ($589.00 @ Scorptec)
Storage: Plextor M6e 512GB PCI-E Solid State Drive ($589.00 @ Scorptec)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX Titan Z 12GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($1999.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX Titan Z 12GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($1999.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Series Primo Aluminum ATX Full Tower Case ($279.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: Corsair AX1500i 1500W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($519.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $12327.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-26 14:28 EST+1100

Yeah, a legit supercomputer. I'm just overwhelmed by this amount of overpowerness.

Well, not necessarily a supercomputer, just a very powerful one. Xeon's are technically meant for servers (and the 2.6/2.7Ghz clock will cripple certain applications) so that's why I went with Haswell-E, considering the Haswell-E i7s are overclockable and the Xeon's aren't. Also, tri-SLI GTX 980 beats Titan Z in gaming I think. Also in terms of gaming the R9 295x2 beats the Titan Z and is much cheaper, but I went with GTX 980 because it's more efficient and doesn't require liquid cooling, so that's why I chose what I did.

So, considering that he just wants a really high-end computer would my part selection be alright or should I change something?

 

[okcnaline]

Okay then... So,
1) He doesn't need that much hard drives. A RAID 5 only requires 4 HDDs, not to mention that it only takes advantage of 500 GB.
2) But Titan Z has more VRAM than R9 295X2. The 2x GK110 would also do a bit more strength.
3) I don't really like NZXT... The latest case cost way too much for all it's worth.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5960X 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($1239.00 @ CPL Online)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($149.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: Asus X99-DELUXE ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($526.50 @ Centre Com)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($719.00 @ CPL Online)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($719.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($412.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($412.00 @ Centre Com)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX Titan Z 12GB Video Card ($1999.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: Corsair 760T White ATX Full Tower Case ($249.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: Corsair 1200W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($439.00 @ CPL Online)
Keyboard: Corsair K70 RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard ($209.00 @ CPL Online)
Mouse: ROCCAT Kone Pure Wired Laser Mouse ($99.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $7171.50
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-26 16:01 EST+1100

 

[Icaraeus]

Okay then... So,
1) He doesn't need that much hard drives. A RAID 5 only requires 4 HDDs, not to mention that it only takes advantage of 500 GB.
2) But Titan Z has more VRAM than R9 295X2. The 2x GK110 would also do a bit more strength.
3) I don't really like NZXT... The latest case cost way too much for all it's worth.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5960X 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($1239.00 @ CPL Online)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($149.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: Asus X99-DELUXE ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($526.50 @ Centre Com)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($719.00 @ CPL Online)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($719.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($412.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($412.00 @ Centre Com)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX Titan Z 12GB Video Card ($1999.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: Corsair 760T White ATX Full Tower Case ($249.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: Corsair 1200W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($439.00 @ CPL Online)
Keyboard: Corsair K70 RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard ($209.00 @ CPL Online)
Mouse: ROCCAT Kone Pure Wired Laser Mouse ($99.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $7171.50
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-26 16:01 EST+1100

I didn't intend to RAID the drives (except maybe SSDs) but keep them as separate drives just in case he wants to run multiple OS's (Windows 8/Linux/Windows 10 Preview). Would 2x Titan Z beat tri-SLI GTX 980 and if so how much wattage would be ideal? As for the case I just chose a random case - don't prefer either Corsair or NZXT as I have a Fractal Design Define R4 for my own PC.

 

[okcnaline]

1) Oh, okay then. I just thought that much drives would be crazy.
2) Titan Z is pretty much 2 GTX 780 in one card. So that's two 970. 4 970s and I think that would beat out three 980, or maybe on par.

 

[Icaraeus]

Well I thought 3x GTX 980 would be better than GTX Titan Z as it consumes less power and stuff.

 

[okcnaline]

True...