New First Time Build

[Avel Drakon]

Hello Everyone,
I am new here and to forums in general so please forgive me if this is a little long.

I am planning a build do be done in about a month when I finally hit the $4000 US threshold in my budget for a new computer. This will be my first build and I want to do it right so please any advice will be a huge help. I have been researching the parts for a while and then I found LinusTechTips on YouTube... A week later, I returned from YouTube land and that is what brought me here.

I am on an old 2009 MacPro, the tower, and it is beginning to show its age. At this point, there is no way for me to fix it if/when something breaks as it is no longer supported by anyone. I will use it for just about everything. For example: Web surfing, AutoCAD, Matlab, gaming, watching videos and movies, and circuits design and simulation to name a few.

So here is what I am planning. I will use the HDDs for file storage and archiving in RAID 10 for protection. The SSDs are for my programs and files that I use most often in RAID 1 for protection. Finally, the M.2 is for the OS and no protection because it's the OS. I picked a larger than needed PSU for when I upgrade to two graphics cards... eventually. I will but a new monitor using a different budget (the "put it on credit" budget) and want to get a second monitor later on. I can handle some low level humming but don’t generally want it to be noisy. I want to make it a black and white build so I got some extras for that.

I was thinking to use the three 1TB HDDs that are in my MacPro for this computer, but since they are a good 6-7 years old, I am hesitant to use them for that. I might use it for a home media server or something.  

I have a $4000 US budget after saving up for this for the last year and a half and live in the US. I will get a new mouse, keyboard (have the apple one now), and speakers later on to replace the ones I have. I will also need to buy a new version of Windows 10 Pro as I don't think I can transfer the one I got free on bootcamp to the new PC. Since this is my first build I am a bit nervous and excited about it at the same time. Any help you all can offer will be a great help.

Planed monitor (not part of budget):
1x Samsung 34" Curved HD 21:9 Ultrawide Monitor S34E790C

 

Current total on Newegg is $3890 US
1x ASUS X99-PRO/USB 3.1 LGA 2011-v3 Intel X99 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
1x Intel Core i7-5930K Haswell-E 6-Core 3.5 GHz LGA 2011-v3 140W BX80648I75930K Desktop Processor
1x Windows 10
1x Kingston HyperX Fury 32GB (4 x 8G) DDR4 2400 Desktop Memory DIMM HX424C15FB2K4/32
1x Phanteks Enthoo Evolv PH-ES515E_GS  Silver Window ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
1x SAMSUNG 950 PRO M.2 256GB PCI-Express 3.0 x4 Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-V5P256BW
2x SAMSUNG 850 PRO 2.5" 512GB SATA III 3-D Vertical Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-7KE512BW
4x WD Black 3TB HDD - WD3003FZEX
6x BitFenix BFA-MSC-SATA330WK-RP 11.81" (30cm) SATA3 (6Gb/s) Cable (with sleeve)
1x EVGA GeForce GTX 980 04G-P4-2983-KR 4GB SC GAMING w/ACX 2.0
1x EVGA SuperNOVA 220-P2-0850-X1 850W ATX12V / EPS12V  80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified
1x Individually Sleeved Cable Set for EVGA B2/G2/P2 Power Supply / PSU (White) - EVGA 100-CW-1300-B9
1x Corsair Hydro Series™ H115i
1x Noctua NF-A14 iPPC-2000 PWM 140x140x25 mm Case Fan
1x Noctua NA-SAVP1 Chromax Anti-Vibration Fan Mount Set - 16 Pack - White (NA-SAVP1 white)
1x BitFenix PWM Fan Extension Cable M-F BFA-MSC-4F30KK-RP 11.81" (30cm)
1x Rosewill RTK-002 Anti-Static Wrist Strap
1x Pioneer USB 3.0 BD/DVD/CD Portable Burner Model BDR-XD05B
1x Thermaltake Lumi Color 256C 3-Pack RGB Magnetic LED Strip Control Pack AC-037-LN1NAN-A1

[Josephdalepi]

k

drop the hdds to 2 at most

980 ti instead of 980

and honestly?

i can do better for about 3k flat

if the aesthetics are that important go ahead, but this is really...

not very well optimized

[Aytex]

drop the 5930k and get a  5820k and a 980 ti

[i7-6700K]

Okay so drop the 5930K and get a 5820K, get a 980ti. Use https://pcpartpicker.com/

[Mark77]

WD Blacks can be excessively expensive.  Compare against buying the HGST 7200rpm drives.  In Canada, they're about $30 cheaper per drive at the 3Tb capacity point and ~$80/drive cheaper at the 6Tb point.

 

But personally, at this point, I'd be aiming a little bit higher on density.  A pair of 6Tbs is cheaper to buy and operate than 4 3Tb's.  And with the SSDs, its not like you're going to need the IOPS.

[done12many2]

1 hour ago, Avel Drakon said:

Hello Everyone,
I am new here and to forums in general so please forgive me if this is a little long.

I am planning a build do be done in about a month when I finally hit the $4000 US threshold in my budget for a new computer. This will be my first build and I want to do it right so please any advice will be a huge help. I have been researching the parts for a while and then I found LinusTechTips on YouTube... A week later, I returned from YouTube land and that is what brought me here.

I am on an old 2009 MacPro, the tower, and it is beginning to show its age. At this point, there is no way for me to fix it if/when something breaks as it is no longer supported by anyone. I will use it for just about everything. For example: Web surfing, AutoCAD, Matlab, gaming, watching videos and movies, and circuits design and simulation to name a few.

So here is what I am planning. I will use the HDDs for file storage and archiving in RAID 10 for protection. The SSDs are for my programs and files that I use most often in RAID 1 for protection. Finally, the M.2 is for the OS and no protection because it's the OS. I picked a larger than needed PSU for when I upgrade to two graphics cards... eventually. I will but a new monitor using a different budget (the "put it on credit" budget) and want to get a second monitor later on. I can handle some low level humming but don’t generally want it to be noisy. I want to make it a black and white build so I got some extras for that.

I was thinking to use the three 1TB HDDs that are in my MacPro for this computer, but since they are a good 6-7 years old, I am hesitant to use them for that. I might use it for a home media server or something.  

I have a $4000 US budget after saving up for this for the last year and a half and live in the US. I will get a new mouse, keyboard (have the apple one now), and speakers later on to replace the ones I have. I will also need to buy a new version of Windows 10 Pro as I don't think I can transfer the one I got free on bootcamp to the new PC. Since this is my first build I am a bit nervous and excited about it at the same time. Any help you all can offer will be a great help.

Planed monitor (not part of budget):
1x Samsung 34" Curved HD 21:9 Ultrawide Monitor S34E790C

 

Current total on Newegg is $3890 US
1x ASUS X99-PRO/USB 3.1 LGA 2011-v3 Intel X99 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
1x Intel Core i7-5930K Haswell-E 6-Core 3.5 GHz LGA 2011-v3 140W BX80648I75930K Desktop Processor
1x Windows 10
1x Kingston HyperX Fury 32GB (4 x 8G) DDR4 2400 Desktop Memory DIMM HX424C15FB2K4/32
1x Phanteks Enthoo Evolv PH-ES515E_GS  Silver Window ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
1x SAMSUNG 950 PRO M.2 256GB PCI-Express 3.0 x4 Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-V5P256BW
2x SAMSUNG 850 PRO 2.5" 512GB SATA III 3-D Vertical Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-7KE512BW
4x WD Black 3TB HDD - WD3003FZEX
6x BitFenix BFA-MSC-SATA330WK-RP 11.81" (30cm) SATA3 (6Gb/s) Cable (with sleeve)
1x EVGA GeForce GTX 980 04G-P4-2983-KR 4GB SC GAMING w/ACX 2.0
1x EVGA SuperNOVA 220-P2-0850-X1 850W ATX12V / EPS12V  80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified
1x Individually Sleeved Cable Set for EVGA B2/G2/P2 Power Supply / PSU (White) - EVGA 100-CW-1300-B9
1x Corsair Hydro Series™ H115i
1x Noctua NF-A14 iPPC-2000 PWM 140x140x25 mm Case Fan
1x Noctua NA-SAVP1 Chromax Anti-Vibration Fan Mount Set - 16 Pack - White (NA-SAVP1 white)
1x BitFenix PWM Fan Extension Cable M-F BFA-MSC-4F30KK-RP 11.81" (30cm)
1x Rosewill RTK-002 Anti-Static Wrist Strap
1x Pioneer USB 3.0 BD/DVD/CD Portable Burner Model BDR-XD05B
1x Thermaltake Lumi Color 256C 3-Pack RGB Magnetic LED Strip Control Pack AC-037-LN1NAN-A1

Consider the 512 GB version of the 950 Pro M.2 over the 256GB.  There is a slight bump in read speeds and a large bump in write speeds.

 

I think the 4 x WD Blacks are a bit much.  The WD Blacks are also substantially louder than other series.  They are faster, but any spinning disk is going to be noticeably slower than a SSD so why not just get two red or green drives to keep the drive chatter down a bit.

 

You'll lose some PCIe lanes in the drop from the 5930k to 5820k, but you don't need them at all with your configuration.  The 5820k will do just fine and overclocks just as well.

 

I also agree with others in swapping the 980 for a 980 Ti.

 

I'm a big fan of Asus and use one of their x99 boards myself, but there are some really nice alternatives from other manufactures that perform equally as well and are substantially cheaper.  Switching boards, CPUs, and dropping a couple of those WD Blacks will help you offset the cost of going with a 980 Ti and 512 GB 950 Pro.

 

I personally would scratch that anti-static wrist wrap as well, but that's just me.

 

256GB on left and 512GB on right.

 

[Shahnewaz]

Hello there, and welcome to the forum!

From the looks of it, you're making quite an expensive list here. Since your build leaves me with more questions than suggestions, I'll post a recommendation here and leave my justifications on why picked said components.

I'll be leaving out fans, accessories and peripherals, feel free to pick whatever you like there.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($369.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($88.64 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X99-UD3P (rev. 1.0) ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($193.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($64.49 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($149.45 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital RE 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($206.24 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 390X 8GB Tri-X OC Video Card  ($389.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define XL R2 (Titanium Grey) ATX Full Tower Case  ($129.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 900W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($126.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1719.66
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-14 01:44 EDT-0400

 

CPU: Unless you need 40 lanes of PCI Express, you don't need the i7 5930K.

Cooler: One of the best air coolers I picked.

RAM: Start of with two 8GB sticks. Add more later if you need.

Motherboard: Anything is fine.

SSD Storage: You're massively over-complicating things here. A Windows installation doesn't take up 256GB of space! And I'm assuming you're not using up all of the 512 SSD space in the "most used programs" SSD, so I'm combining the two to a 500GB SSD. For protection, you should be backing up to...

HDD Storage: Quality hard disks, not a bunch of desktop grade disks in RAID! And for that, a data-center grade WD Re 3TB should handle the job just fine. You should also be backing up to other external storage for extra security.

GPU: A Radeon R9 390X should be the GPU of choice. Lots of VRAM and computing power for your CAD and video editing needs, and stellar DX12 performance makes this GPU a great buy. Initially I wanted to recommend a Fury X, but I realized it's 4GB VRAM might be limiting in video editing scenarios. If a single 390X isn't enough, buy another one and go CrossFire.

PSU: Went for 900W with the consideration that you might want to CrossFire in the future, and also wish to overclock your CPU. Antec's HCG PSUs are of very good quality.

Case: Fractal Design's Define series case are built for silent operation. Would be an ideal choice for a beefy configuration like this, where you'll have all kinds of fans whirring all over the case to keep the monster running cool.

[done12many2]

4 minutes ago, Shahnewaz said:

RAM: Start of with two 8GB sticks. Add more later if you need.

Great list of recommendations, but I he may want to stick with 4 sticks of RAM.  It's an x99 build and 4 sticks are needed in order to run quad channel.

 

I've got my back up PC in a Fractal Design R5.  I agree, great cases. 

[Avel Drakon]

Okay so here is what I have so far:

 

Drop the 4x 3TB HDD black and replace with 2x 3TB HDD of the RE in RAID 1. By the time that I fill the 3TBs I will have to do a heavy cleaning out of old data anyway. I want to stay with a RAID since I will be storing important documents and projects in there and, while the drive is better quality, I would like a first level of protection.

 

I will get rid of the M.2. I will admit that I picked it more due to the "cool and interesting tech" factor more than actually needing it and having the OS there was an excuse to getting it, lol.

 

I'll go down to two 256GB SSDs in RAID 1 for the OS with all my applications and my current projects and most used files as that is what I will relay need. I have had a HDD fail on me before and lost several weeks of work and will spend a bit extra so that it will never happen to me again. I already have a relatively new external HDD for backups that I will keep using but I'll feel better having that extra layer of protection. Paranoid? I call it prepared. (I got that form somewhere but can't remember where)

 

Some of the Matlab processes I need to run dose take a good chunk of ram so as to not take an hour+ to process where I can't touch the computer or risk it taking longer. I noticed the difference that it made when I upgraded to 32GB in the MacPro. I know I am getting a better processor than this old workhorse but that little extra umph might save some time.

 

I also switched to the 5820k. It wont sacrifice much performance and still give me more power than what I have now.  As I will probably only put a max of two graphics cards in the system anyway, the loss of the PCIe lanes will likely not be an issue.

 

I may still pay the extra $100 for the white cables for the PSU and the SATAs just for the looks of it but I'm still not 100% on that (around 55% I think).

 

I need to look into the the other motherboards to compare them and cut out the fluff features (for me anyway) I will likely never use.

 

I have not looked into AMD, I need to fix that. I have been looking more to gaming (likely old news tho) than what I need for work but if I don't work I cant game, so work comes first.

 

Thank you all so much. You have been a great help and my budget has opened up quite a bit. As soon as I look into the AMD card, motherboard, and everything else I'll post the new parts for the build. You all have relay saved me, I can't thank you enough.

[Avel Drakon]

I have researched AMD and other motherboards, I was going to go with what is in my last post with the 980TI and the ASUS X99A/3.1. It was going to be air cooled and if every thing went according to plan, a great computer on top of my desk at home.

 

I was going to buy all the parts for the build using everyone's advice last weekend and post it all here as a build log so that all of you can see the progress since you helped me so much. But then the news about the 1080 and 1070 came out and there are rumors of a new chip from Intel.

 

I think I should wait for more news about the two. With the new 1080 out (sometime this month I think) would it be better to wait until it is tested by reviewers (waiting on you Linus) and see how it truly compares to the 980TI and AMD? It might also cause a huge drop in price for the 980TI which will be a big plus for my wallet. The same thing will happen if there is a new Intel chip coming out. If the rumors are true and the new chip will use the same 2011v3 socket, I can get the soon to be old chips at a big discount and upgrade later when the new ones are put through the paces. There will also be new motherboards for the new chips, if they are backwards compatible with the current line, they may have better features (USB C?) that can make the build last for another 5-6 years or the current motherboards might have a price drop, perhaps not much but every little bit helps right?

 

So what do you think? I am on the fence here, if the rumors are true about Intel there will be discounts computer dreams are made out of in the near future. Depending on the price, I might even be able to build the new computer with all of the new stuff coming out at the same price (crossing my fingers) as what I was going to get now.