X99-Build and those tough choices...

[Volano]

Hey there TH'ers;

I'm in the process of (slowly) acquiring pieces and building a new PC - It's been almost 7 years since my last build(s) and while SSD technology and a new graphics card every couple years managed to keep the system current, it's time to admit that performance lacks. Hence a new build, one I'm very excited about and here it is:

pcpartpicker - Link

or just written out:
Tower: Lian Li PC-8EB, midi-Tower (ATX-formfactor); acquired
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix-X99 Gaming (2011-v3); acquired
RAM: G.Skill RipJaws 4 (4x8 = 32GB, DDR4-2400, CL 15-15-15-35); acquired - Might change in the future, possibly to full 128GB when prices come down or 32 gig doesn't cut it anymore.
CPU: Intel Core i7-6800k (?, see below) (6x 3.40Ghz)
OS-HDD: Samsung 960EVO M.2 SSD, 500GB (never again 125GB, not in my line of work)
- with Alphacool HDX - M.2 SSD M01 (More expensive than the copper sticker Samsung tacked on, but hopefully better at heat dissipation)
HDD: Western Digital WD Red (3TB, 3.5", magnetic, 6Gb/s)
PSU: Corsair RMi Series (RM750i, 750W, ATX 2.4) (I've burned through many a PSU in my time, Corsair has steered true in my current 2 PCs)
CPU-Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 (Will possibly have to take an NF-F12 PWM as secondary fan, since I might lack 2mm of case space with the RAM and the second fan)
Graphics: (for now) MSI GeForce GTX960 4GB (from my current PC, will get exchanged in the (far) future, likely for 2x GTX1070 (or equivalent) in SLI for VR)
Screen: Two old 22" 16:10 for now, looking at Dell S2417DG in the future. (Such a shame that 16:10 seems to have lost to 16:9)
Misc: ASUS VGA Holder (to support the graphics card and the massive Noctua cooler)
Misc: APC Back-UPS ES 700VA (Well, mostly for the NAS, but the PC can profit as well.)
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit (yea, a bottleneck, I know, but Microsoft has become all Apple-y in their company direction ever since 8.)
Dual Boot: A Linux distribution, not yet decided on which.

Main Uses? Gaming, writing, reading, drawing (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), video cut and special effects (After Effects, Premiere, Nuke), VM machines, VR-applications (Vive) and loads of 3D (Maya, Max, C4D, ZBrush, Mudbox, etc, etc). Gaming is a big chunk though.

Was there a question? Yes, sorry. Two actually.
1) CPU. If I manage to upgrade to 2x GTX 1070's in the future, the 28 lanes of the 6800k are going to be a dam. I'm wondering whether to wait a bit longer and try to afford the 6850k and if someone has experiences with the two. From my last builds I know that the Mainboard and the CPU are the least likely (and of course most difficult) to be replaced, hence why I'm still on a Core 2 Quad Q6600. In most tests the 6850k seems to be less stable and less value in comparison to the 6800k, but I'd love to hear from someone with some hands on experience, especially since I'm planning on OC'ing either. See next question.
2) Having built my last 3 systems, I have however never gone into overclocking. Whichever CPU chosen, I'd like to modestly overclock it to 4.0Ghz, a setting that seems stable while power consumption to performance isn't dropping to stupid levels. Anyone got any long-term experience with overclocked 6800k or 6850k and their stability? Tests and Benchmarks are all fun and that, but maybe someone has been running such an OC for a couple months now and can shed some light on that.

Thanks for reading and for your time.

 

[lrrelevant]

The 6800K will be plenty. 28 Lanes is no problem with 2x 1070's, and overclocking is fine. You should be able to hit 4.2 very easily, if you have adequate cooling, which the noctua cooler definetely is. Running 4.4GHz on a 6800K myself with no problem for months now, on a Corsair H115i.

 

[Isokolon]

- Ripjaws 4 are 40mm high. in a dual-fan configuration Noctua specifies only 32mm RAM clearance. this would be a problem. you might wanna consider Corsair Vengeance LPX or Kingston Hyper RAM, these should fit unter the NH-D15 without a problem
- 750W is cutting it close when OC the CPU + adding 2x 1070. I'd go with a 850W. The RM850i is nice although after reading the latest review on JohnnyGuru about the EVGA Supernova G3 I kinda have a crush on it.
- the 6850k performs a bit better and those 40 PCIe lanes are really nice. but if it's worth that much of a price-increase... I doubt it personally. IF you can afford it it surely is very nice. but I wouldn't see it as mandatory. you get a little more performance for severely more money. value is obviously way worse than with the 6800k.
if you were to use this build over a long time and sometimes in the future - which will happen - replace the storage HDD with a PCI(e)-SSD(s) it might be worth considering it just for the extra lanes and performance. tough choice, depends on what you really need.
- 16:10 was my favorite size as well 🙁
the Dell is nice but I'd take a look at the Acer Predator XB241YU as well. Given that it is available at your location.
alternatively for your line of work, I'd go with a VA or IPS panel for one of the screens for the better colours and maybe a fast TN for when you're gaming.

 

[Volano]

Hey guys, thanks for the answers.
-As Isokolon points out (always a thumbs up for Strangelove) in the 40PCIe lane vs the price increase not really seeming sensible-dilemma lies the crux. One GTX 1070 (or equivalent when the time comes, but the CPU hasn't been changed yet) takes up 16 lanes. So does the second. And M.2 takes up 2 as well, I believe. On the other hand, if one 1070 takes 16, the M.2 2 and the other 1070 gets the rest, well, that would still be a whole lot of power - possibly enough so it wouldn't offset the almost 200€ more that the 6850 costs. But it's a bit of a quandry.
-850W might be the better choice although it'll be a while before I can properly utilize them The EVGA sounds interesting, but I have to admit that I've never heard of the company and it isn't available around here yet (apparently). So depends on when I get to buying the PSU.
-Actually in dual fan mode you have more space available, if you clip the second fan in 'higher' than you normally would, giving you more space. The problem then is the breadth of the case, and I think from the specs of the Lian-Li I'm going to be like 2-3mm short. You can clip in a 120mm fan instead of the second 140, that's why I mentioned possibly needing the NF-F12 PWM which is a 120mm fan of theirs.
-For colour vibrancy IPS panels definetly would be the way to go, but they are more expensive and usually slower (unless you drop real tons of cash on them) so I might go for a gaming screen and a work screen in the end, but I'm not sure yet. The Acer Predator looks interesting, although it lacks some of the Dell's qualities for being 100€ cheaper. Decisions again xD
I appreciate the input, you've given me more to think about again 😀

 

[Isokolon]

Without the second fan, according to Noctua you don't have any clearance issues.
With the second fan you need low profile ram as the ones I mentioned.

You've never heard of EVGA?? It's one of the biggest companies like MSI or Gigabyte who are especially famous for their excellent global customer support (they actually RMA coil whine GPUs)
Their Supernova G2/G3 are OEM Super Flower Leadex units (Leadex II in case of the G3)
But if they aren't available where you live it's kinda irrelevant.

Which features does the XB241YU lack? I think you're looking at the wrong screen.
Honestly everything below 5ms doesn't make a difference imo. But think about a dual screen setting. I think it'd satisfy your needs the best.