[Build Log] Method's Road to an x99 Workstation [SeriousWIP]

[Method]

Going to preface this with the fact that I don't have any x99-specific parts yet (no ddr4 ram, no board, no cpu) but wanted to get this going now that I have the case, power supply, and GPU that I'll be using. 

 

So for starters, this is my current rig. 

 

CPU: Intel i7-920 @ 3.9 GHz

Cooler: CoolerMaster Seidon 120M

Motherboard: Intel DX58SO

Ram: 10GB Corsair XMS3 (3x2GB Corsair, 1x4GB GSkill RipjawsX)

SSD: 128GB Samsung 840 Pro

HDD: 2TB Seagate Barracuda

Case: CoolerMaster HAF Stacker

PSU: EVGA Supernova 1000G2

GPU: Gigabyte G1 Gaming GTX 970

Fans: 2x Noctua NF-F12's in Push/Pull + random assortment of fans for intake and exhaust.

 

This is my proposed rig:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($381.94 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: Asus X99-E WS SSI CEB LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($491.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: Corsair DOMINATOR Platinum 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($459.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($597.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (Purchased For $0.00) 

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card  (Purchased For $0.00) 

Case: Cooler Master HAF Stacker 935 ATX Full Tower Case  ($0.00) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000G2 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  (Purchased For $0.00) 

Other: Custom water loop 

Total: $1931.90

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-03 20:03 EST-0500

 

So what will I be doing that requires x99? Software development mainly (includes database work), and gaming. The former requiring a hefty bit of ram. 10 gigs on my current rig isn't anywhere near enough. I also wanted to get a bit into streaming. Point is, I want a system that will last a very long time and afford me any expand-ability I might want or need. I don't want to have to upgrade my board, cpu or ram in 3-4 years. 

 

Here's my obligatory parts boxes image pre-x99: (also its kinda stupid I can't center just images.)

 

 

In case you didn't know how massive this case is, here's a shot of it sitting atop 2 4u server cases to keep it off my carpet. (yes, I need a more elegant solution)

 

 

So, with that out of the way, here's some pictures of my workstation progress. My first project was getting my current build looking awesome. I bought some cable ties from FrozenCPU, and went to town. Here's the situation I was dealing with (mind you, I'm very particular about cable management) Click any image in this thread to view a higher res image.

 

 

And the back:

 

 

So it's not that bad. But coming from a pc builder background, I knew I could do better. So I started pulling all the cables out entirely to start from scratch. One thing I noticed, fan filters REALLY DO a whole lot to keep your build clean.

 

 

So, the finished product of my cable management:

 

 

And the back:

 

 

Where's the radiator you might ask? This is the Haf Stacker so it has a separated top half where I put my radiator and 2tb drive.

 

 

And moar fans on the other side.

 

 

I'll update this in a couple weeks when I have my board, cpu and ram. I'll also be doing a few gaming-related benchmarks on the new system as well, with a comparison from x58. I'll also be doing a complete watercooling loop now that EK finally released a block for my gpu. 

 

Any suggestions, thoughts, criticisms are welcome.  

[Method]

reserved for future posts

[gozzygozborn]

The lack of color theme would bug me.

[gozzygozborn]

reserved for future posts

what does that mean

[Method]

The lack of color theme would bug me.

 

It's going to have a brown/black/silverish theme once I get the board. I've ordered a corsair af140 and 2 corsair af120s to start that off. They'll be here tomorrow.

 

what does that mean

 

What do you mean? Reserved in case I hit the max size for one post. 

[EeveeTechTips]

Thats one hell of a motherboard and 1tb 850 pro!

WIll be interested in your progress!

[Method]

Thats one hell of a motherboard and 1tb 850 pro!

WIll be interested in your progress!

 

Thanks! I'll throw some pictures up tomorrow of the fans installed too. Those random intake fans are fugly. Decided on that board almost entirely because of the warranty. They process rma's guaranteed within 24 hours for WS series boards. Other main reason is it's a damn good looking board.

[GhostWindGamer]

Seems like a good build

[Method]

Guess I'll revive this, why not.

 

I finally got an x99 build. My x58 build went through some revisions, but ultimately I've settled on an EVGA x99 FTW K board. 

 

 

 

Ram and CPU are still on their way. I opted for the new Broadwell-E 6800K, and 16 gigs of GSkill's TridentZ memory.

 

For those interested, I'll be doing some comparisons going from Intel's first gen flagship Core cpu (i7 965 Extreme), to Intels current gen non-flagship  I'll update with more build pictures when the ram and cpu arrive