$6,000.00 USD Budget | Quest for the ultimate gaming PC.

[Gamershaze]

Please read before commenting: No, this is not my money. No, I am not silly/rich enough to put six grand into a computer for gaming. No, this money can not be spent or saved in any other way.

Budget: $6,000.00 USD
There is no benefit for going below the budget here.

This build will be primarily for running video games at the highest graphical setting while recording. It will also be used for video (and photo) rendering, editing, and other such tasks. (This computer will not need to store the mass amounts of video data themselves, as this is handled by an external drive/source within the network that this computer will connect to.)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5960X 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor  ($999.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($135.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste  ($4.58 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Asus RAMPAGE V EXTREME/U3 EATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($479.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3466 Memory  ($349.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($327.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($327.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX Titan X 12GB HYBRID Video Card  ($1099.99 @ Amazon) | Note: This was originally two Titan X's, but one was dropped to allow more room within the budget and because Nvidia is said to release a better card soon.
Case: NZXT Phantom 820 (White) ATX Full Tower Case  ($199.99 @ Amazon) | Note: Any recommendations for a replacement?
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 P2 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($186.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS29 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer  ($59.98 @ OutletPC) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM (64-bit)  ($124.78 @ B&H) 
Monitor: LG 34UC97-S 60Hz 34.0" Monitor  ($899.00 @ B&H) 
Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow Chroma Wired Gaming Keyboard  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Chroma Wired Optical Mouse  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-ADG1 Headset  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Other: MINI MAGNETIC TRAY - TIT11061 ($12.74)
Total: $5209.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-01 08:16 EST-0500 -- Ordering within the United States, preferably using NewEgg.

TooShort/ReadMore: I would very much appreciate any help refining this build. It started as a very rough sketch with the wrong model graphics card (Confused Titan Z with Titan X), so I'm hoping for some general advice and insurance that I haven't missed anything. (It's been about four years since I built my last one.) Generally just want to idiot-proof this build before we start ordering parts, as there is too much money here to make a silly mistake. (By idiot proofing, I do not mean criticizing the amount spent here. Again, this is not my money and it can not be spent any other way.) Any and all advice from a better processor (Skylake?) to dust filters would be amazing, and I'd greatly appreciate the help from the community.

The build initially started with two Titan's, however I recently removed one; to remain under budget, and for upgradability purposes as Nvidia is heard to be releasing a new/better card soon. (You couldn't pay me to go with AMD instead, they absolutely screwed me on my last build.) Separately, the case comes with one 140mm and three 200mm fans. That combined with the water cooling for the graphics card and processor should theoretically mean that the cooling is completely covered, however I may be terribly terribly wrong. (This is why I'm asking for help!) Never done an overclocking build quite like this.

Appreciate it!

[Nacho Marco Segui]

You don't need that CPU, you just don't. And, the ultimate gaming pc with only one card? Get the 6700k or the 5920k and 2 980TIs

[19_blackie_73]

unless you need the 12 gb vram .... go with double the number of 980tis or even triple, that'll be very good for a long time. What is this build meant for?

EDIT: take a look at the phanteks enthoo luxe, this'll be a sweet case too. AND: cooling will be no issue

[Leo_Dahlin]

At least get 2 980Tis

[BocuD]

or 2 titan x's and less ram

 

[19_blackie_73]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5930K 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor  ($554.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($135.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste  ($4.58 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus RAMPAGE V EXTREME/U3 EATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($479.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3466 Memory  ($349.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($327.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($327.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Superclocked+ ACX 2.0+ Video Card (3-Way SLI)  ($649.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Superclocked+ ACX 2.0+ Video Card (3-Way SLI)  ($649.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Superclocked+ ACX 2.0+ Video Card (3-Way SLI)  ($649.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Luxe ATX Full Tower Case  ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 1600W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($335.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS29 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer  ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM (64-bit)  ($124.78 @ B&H)
Monitor: LG 34UC97-S 60Hz 34.0" Monitor  ($899.00 @ B&H)
Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow Chroma Wired Gaming Keyboard  (Purchased For $0.00)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Chroma Wired Optical Mouse  (Purchased For $0.00)
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-ADG1 Headset  (Purchased For $0.00)
Other: MINI MAGNETIC TRAY - TIT11061 ($12.74)
Total: $5683.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-01 08:37 EST-0500

 

that's what I would go for, the third 980ti is optional

[ericlee30]

5 minutes ago, 19_blackie_73 said:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5930K 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor  ($554.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($135.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste  ($4.58 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus RAMPAGE V EXTREME/U3 EATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($479.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3466 Memory  ($349.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($327.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($327.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Superclocked+ ACX 2.0+ Video Card (3-Way SLI)  ($649.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Superclocked+ ACX 2.0+ Video Card (3-Way SLI)  ($649.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Superclocked+ ACX 2.0+ Video Card (3-Way SLI)  ($649.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Luxe ATX Full Tower Case  ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 1600W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($335.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS29 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer  ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM (64-bit)  ($124.78 @ B&H)
Monitor: LG 34UC97-S 60Hz 34.0" Monitor  ($899.00 @ B&H)
Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow Chroma Wired Gaming Keyboard  (Purchased For $0.00)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Chroma Wired Optical Mouse  (Purchased For $0.00)
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-ADG1 Headset  (Purchased For $0.00)
Other: MINI MAGNETIC TRAY - TIT11061 ($12.74)
Total: $5683.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-01 08:37 EST-0500

 

that's what I would go for, the third 980ti is optional

I promise you that you will see little to no benefit by getting a third 980TI, SLI does not scale well at all past 2 GPU's.

[BocuD]

and 1 less ssd

then 2 titan xs should be possible

[Methodical]

I am doing a similar build, except with the 5930k and here are a few of my thoughts.  I know the 5820 can do the job, but Microcenter had the 5930k for $399, so it was a no brainer to jump at that price.

1. I am a photographer and I can tell you 1tb of storage is not going to be enough if the user does a lot of shooting, even more so if the user is doing videos.  I'd get at least one 4tb HDD (I like the WD Black HDD).

2. I am going with 2x 980ti for 4k gaming, pound for pound they can go at those Titans.  Consider 2x 980ti that way the user gets great performance while they wait for the next best thing.  They should be able to sell the 980s at a pretty decent price.

3. I thought about 3x 980ti, but after doing some research, I found that the 3rd card doesn't scale well and not much more performance is gained over 2x for the added cost - gaming wise.  Also I read (can't remember where) that Nvidia was not going to do much support with their drivers for anything over 2x Sli.  I could have misread, but that's what I remember.  But, for rendering and what not that 3rd card may be beneficial.  If you go 3x, then up the PSU to 1200w.

4.  I used the $649 saved from dropping the 3rd card to get the Caselab STH10 case.  

http://www.caselabs-store.com/magnum-sth10/

5.  If the owner is willing to drop the 5960 to the 5930, you can use the savings to get a Caselab case.  Show them the case and options and see what they think.  Caselab cases are something special.  I think they would like it, especially if they are willing to put this kind of money into a system.  

6. I went with EVGA 1200 P PSU (even though I know 1000w would be sufficient) because with the rebate and extra 10% savings, I got it for just about the same price as the 1000w.  

 

 

 

Just One Man's Opinion.

[BigDay]

get x2 980 ti's at least... a single titan makes no sense. also, i would just wait for the new gpus to come out (pascal)

1tb of storage isn't enough. for your needs, you need at least 2tb. maybe even 4tb total

[Gamershaze]

Added some additional clarifications, such as why the storage isn't quite as high as you might expect for what it will be used for. The primary recommended change is to switch out the Titan for two 980 Ti's. (Two, as SLI isn't quite up to snuff to handle three at one time.) This is a heavy consideration. While I agree that one Titan X doesn't make sense considering the rest of the build, the build started with two Titan X's which would've been more than enough. This second card was removed, as it would be easier to sell one Titan X than both graphics card if and when Nvidia releases their new card this year.

 

With that said, I am not considering AMD an option as they burned me crisp with my last build by completely cutting Windows 10 support for the new card I was running at the time. If that wasn't enough, their support teams handled the matter worse than Comcast in my eyes.

[stconquest]

Waste-of-money.

There is no ultimate gaming rig.  The quest is over before it starts and you could gain what you are after for $2000-$2500.

[Caine]

made a few adjustments to your build. added in x2 of the classified acx 2.0 cards from evga. if you can get your hands on x2 kingpins, that would be ideal. even x2 hybrids would work well. i'm assuming that you're not going to wait for pascal though. if you are going to wait, just disregard this entire post. yes, i believe you will need a 1600w psu. 1300w at the absolute minimum. 

edit:

the reason i put a 1600w psu in there is because i factored in a heavy overclock on both the cpu and gpus

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5960X 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor  ($999.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair H110i GTX 104.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($111.99 @ Newegg) 
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste  ($4.58 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Asus RAMPAGE V EXTREME/U3 EATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($479.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3466 Memory  ($349.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($297.49 @ Micro Center) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($327.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Classified ACX 2.0+ Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($639.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Classified ACX 2.0+ Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($639.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: NZXT Phantom 820 (White) ATX Full Tower Case  ($199.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 1600W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($335.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS29 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer  ($59.98 @ OutletPC) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM (64-bit)  ($124.78 @ B&H) 
Monitor: LG 34UC97-S 60Hz 34.0" Monitor  ($899.00 @ B&H) 
Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow Chroma Wired Gaming Keyboard  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Chroma Wired Optical Mouse  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-ADG1 Headset  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Other: MINI MAGNETIC TRAY - TIT11061 ($12.74)
Total: $5484.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-01 13:59 EST-0500

Edited February 1, 2016 by Caine

[brob]

Since budget is not a big issue, you might consider a 1TB or 2TB 850 Pro ssd instead of the EVO model.

Is a custom cooling loop an option?

http://www.phanteks.com/Enthoo-Primo.html is available in white. It would be a better case IMO.

[DocSwag]

24 minutes ago, Caine said:

made a few adjustments to your build. added in x2 of the classified acx 2.0 cards from evga. if you can get your hands on x2 kingpins, that would be ideal. even x2 hybrids would work well. i'm assuming that you're not going to wait for pascal though. if you are going to wait, just disregard this entire post. yes, i believe you will need a 1600w psu. 1300w at the absolute minimum. 

edit:

the reason i put a 1600w psu in there is because i factored in a heavy overclock on both the cpu and gpus

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5960X 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor  ($999.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair H110i GTX 104.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($111.99 @ Newegg) 
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste  ($4.58 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Asus RAMPAGE V EXTREME/U3 EATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($479.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3466 Memory  ($349.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($297.49 @ Micro Center) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($327.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Classified ACX 2.0+ Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($639.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Classified ACX 2.0+ Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($639.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: NZXT Phantom 820 (White) ATX Full Tower Case  ($199.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 1600W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($335.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS29 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer  ($59.98 @ OutletPC) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM (64-bit)  ($124.78 @ B&H) 
Monitor: LG 34UC97-S 60Hz 34.0" Monitor  ($899.00 @ B&H) 
Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow Chroma Wired Gaming Keyboard  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Chroma Wired Optical Mouse  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-ADG1 Headset  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Other: MINI MAGNETIC TRAY - TIT11061 ($12.74)
Total: $5484.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-01 13:59 EST-0500

This but you don't really need a 5960x, 5820k or 5930k should be fine.

Keep that 980 ti it is a really good one.

You really don't need such high frequency DRAM.

Get the Predator X34 best monitor out there right now.

Also that PSU is just overkill!

The money you save could be burned on a 2 tb 850 pro

[Caine]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5930K 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor  ($554.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: Asus RAMPAGE V EXTREME/U3 EATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($479.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($164.90 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($297.49 @ Micro Center) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($327.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Classified ACX 2.0+ Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($639.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Classified ACX 2.0+ Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($639.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: NZXT Phantom 820 (White) ATX Full Tower Case  ($199.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1300 G2 1300W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($165.98 @ Newegg) 
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS29 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer  ($59.98 @ OutletPC) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM (64-bit)  ($124.78 @ B&H) 
Monitor: LG 34UC97-S 60Hz 34.0" Monitor  ($899.00 @ B&H) 
Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow Chroma Wired Gaming Keyboard  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Chroma Wired Optical Mouse  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-ADG1 Headset  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Total: $4625.06
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-02 11:54 EST-0500