The Ultimate Graduation Build.(Planning)

[Remixt]

I got some amazing news from work today and it got me pumped for 2017. I was officially offered a permanent position as a software developer II at my company. I told them that I want to finish school first (Almost a computer science senior), and they said that was fine and the job was waiting for me when I graduate. (I'm currently a part time developer here.)

 

I won't disclose the salary offer, as I feel that's in bad taste. However, it  comes with a bonus that will enable me to either put a nice down payment on a really nice car. OR for a computer nerd like me it will allow me to build the most ridiculous gaming setup that I will ever build or own. 

 

So, this build will evolve over the course of the next year, but I wanted to start planning it now. I think this is important because it will stop me from making decisions too quickly and getting the best setup I can think of. Of course I'll be posting here for help and suggestions, and when I've got the parts I'll be doing a video build log of the entire thing. I want this to be a memorable moment!

 

So my current plan for the build (other than going overkill on it) is to do a black/silver/white theme. I chose this because I'll have the NZXT Hue+ to give me a versatile setup, so I can change the colors with my mood.

 

I also want to do a hard pipe liquid cooled setup. This will be a challenge for me, as I have never done a fully custom water loop before. Coming up with a compatible(I think) parts list has been hard enough already. I chose all of my water cooling parts from the same website (EK) for the sake of compatibility. I wouldn't mind buying parts from somewhere else, but I don't have enough experience to know for certain that everything will work. 

 

The parts list below is definitely not set in stone at all. By the time I'm ready to build this, the next Titan or 1080Ti might be out and of course I want to switch to those parts. 

 

Please add your thoughts, ask questions, suggestions, and anything else you can think of. If your curious about my job/school life I don't mind answering those questions either. I'm about to leave for some training for a few months, so I won't be able to do anything except read LTT forums all day on my days off. So lots of planning to do!

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5960X 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor  ($999.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste  ($5.88 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: MSI X99A GODLIKE GAMING CARBON EATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($596.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($269.07 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($269.07 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 850 PRO 2TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($843.72 @ B&H) 
Storage: Samsung 850 PRO 2TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($843.72 @ B&H) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB FTW Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($679.99) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB FTW Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($679.99) 
Case: Corsair 900D ATX Full Tower Case  ($344.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA T2 1600W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($357.98 @ Newegg) 
Optical Drive: LG BH12LS35 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer  ($59.99) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit  ($83.89 @ OutletPC) 
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM  140mm Fan  ($17.55 @ OutletPC) 
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM  140mm Fan  ($17.55 @ OutletPC) 
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM  140mm Fan  ($17.55 @ OutletPC) 
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM  140mm Fan  ($17.55 @ OutletPC) 
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM  140mm Fan  ($17.55 @ OutletPC) 
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM  140mm Fan  ($17.55 @ OutletPC) 
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM  140mm Fan  ($17.55 @ OutletPC) 
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM  140mm Fan  ($17.55 @ OutletPC) 
Fan Controller: NZXT SENTRY 3 Fan Controller  ($28.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Monitor: Acer XB271HU bmiprz 27.0" 165Hz Monitor  ($749.00 @ B&H) 
Monitor: Acer XB271HU bmiprz 27.0" 165Hz Monitor  ($749.00 @ B&H) 
Monitor: Acer XB271HU bmiprz 27.0" 165Hz Monitor  ($749.00 @ B&H) 
Monitor: Acer XB321HK BMIPHZ 32.0" 60Hz Monitor  ($1145.24 @ Amazon) 
Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow Chroma Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($158.96 @ Amazon) 
Mouse: Razer Mamba Wireless Laser Mouse  ($129.99 @ NCIX US) 
Headphones: Astro A50 - Black 7.1 Channel  Headset  ($279.99) 
Speakers: Logitech Z906 500W 5.1ch Speakers  ($369.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Other: GTX 1080 EK Waterblock ($113.99)
Other: GTX 1080 EK Waterblock ($113.99)
Other: GTX 1080 EK Backplate ($43.99)
Other: GTX 1080 EK Backplate ($43.99)
Other: PETG hard Tubing (500mm length) 12mm inner 16mm outer ($8.49)
Other: PETG hard Tubing (500mm length) 12mm inner 16mm outer ($8.49)
Other: PETG hard Tubing (500mm length) 12mm inner 16mm outer ($8.49)
Other: PETG hard Tubing (500mm length) 12mm inner 16mm outer ($8.49)
Other: Pastel Coolant (Concentrate) - Creates 1Liter ($22.95)
Other: Pastel Coolant (Concentrate) - Creates 1Liter ($22.95)
Other: EK-CoolStream WE 560 (Quad) ($122.49)
Other: EK-RES X3 400 Reservoir  ($69.99)
Other: EK Supremacy Evo X99 Waterblock (Full Nickel) ($84.99)
Other: EK Dual D5 Pump ($244.99)
Other: Ek Black Nickel fittings X10 ($79.99)
Other: EK-FC Bridge Triple Z77 ($28.12)
Other: EK-FC Link Blank Parallel CSQ ($5.30)
Other: Triple Monitor Mount ($84.99)
Other: Wall Mount for 4k monitor ($42.99)
Other: NZXT Hue + ($59.99)
Other: NZXT Hue + Extension kit ($20.99)
Total: $11776.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-22 12:32 EDT-0400

 

 

[themctipers]

why not 6900k?

 

[Remixt]

Just now, themctipers said:

why not 6900k?

 

The reviews I've looked at say that the new chips aren't that great for gaming. I figured an overclocked 5960x was still the best value in that regard.

[themctipers]

Just now, Remixt said:

The reviews I've looked at say that the new chips aren't that great for gaming. I figured an overclocked 5960x was still the best value in that regard.

but its using skylake? and the 5xxx uses haswell/devils cannon?

6900k = 5960x but improved.

idk if its the same price, if it is go for it. both are 8 cores.

[Electronics Wizardy]

1 minute ago, Remixt said:

The reviews I've looked at say that the new chips aren't that great for gaming. I figured an overclocked 5960x was still the best value in that regard.

same price as a 6900k and the 6900k is faster

[iiNNeX]

Seeing as your computer is already pretty good, i'd go for the car lol

[Remixt]

Just now, themctipers said:

but its using skylake? and the 5xxx uses haswell/devils cannon?

6900k = 5960x but improved.

idk if its the same price, if it is go for it. both are 8 cores.

The videos including LTT show that the new chips are almost impossible to get anything higher than 4.3GHZ compared to the 4.5 GHZ of most 5960x chips. Also they run much much hotter.

[Remixt]

Just now, iiNNeX said:

Seeing as your computer is already pretty good, i'd go for the car lol

Haha, yeah I just built this pc and its amazing! I don't really care about my car that much though. I think I would get more enjoyment out of another computer, which tells you a little about my obsession. I've still got another computer thats pretty good sitting in my closet.

[Remixt]

2 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

same price as a 6900k and the 6900k is faster

But it isn't faster

[Electronics Wizardy]

1 minute ago, Remixt said:

But it isn't faster

look here http://www.anandtech.com/show/10337/the-intel-broadwell-e-review-core-i7-6950x-6900k-6850k-and-6800k-tested-up-to-10-cores/6

 

Its anouther 5-10% faster.

[UnlimitedTMD]

9 minutes ago, Remixt said:

-snip-

Although it`s an awesome idea, I think you should look at `important` stuff first IMO. Mainly because your pc is already godly...

Look into the future and maybe invest in something else, so you`ll make even more and get an even bigger computer 

 

-get moneyz

-invest

-???

-profit

 

lel

[Remixt]

Just now, Electronics Wizardy said:

look here http://www.anandtech.com/show/10337/the-intel-broadwell-e-review-core-i7-6950x-6900k-6850k-and-6800k-tested-up-to-10-cores/6

 

Its anouther 5-10% faster.

That's multi-threaded workloads. I want the fastest chip for gaming, not for rendering/editing. I was actually considering a 6700k, but the Haswell-e chips are better for multi-gpu setups.Here you can see that the single thread performance is better on an equal clock speed. 

[Remixt]

Just now, UnlimitedTMD said:

Although it`s an awesome idea, I think you should look at `important` stuff first IMO. Mainly because your pc is already godly...

Look into the future and maybe invest in something else, so you`ll make even more and get an even bigger computer 

 

-get moneyz

-invest

-???

-profit

 

lel

I've accounted for investing and savings. My bonus is much more than the computer will cost. I've budgeted 15k of it for myself as a reward for school and stuff. The rest is going into savings/down-payment on a house.

[Electronics Wizardy]

1 minute ago, Remixt said:

That's multi-threaded workloads. I want the fastest chip for gaming, not for rendering/editing. I was actually considering a 6700k, but the Haswell-e chips are better for multi-gpu setups.Here you can see that the single thread performance is better on an equal clock speed. 

The 5960x is overclocked higher in that benchmark. You can also oc a 6900k to 4ghz and it will be faster

[UnlimitedTMD]

Just now, Remixt said:

I've accounted for investing and savings. My bonus is much more than the computer will cost. I've budgeted 15k of it for myself as a reward for school and stuff. The rest is going into savings/down-payment on a house.

darn son, get that computer and love it, adore it, MAKE LOVE TO IT.

 

Watch out tho, life is a bitch and gets expensive fairly quickly...

But anyways, may I suggest going for glass tubing? It looks sexy AF, but is hard to do. It does pay off in the end IMO

[Remixt]

Just now, Electronics Wizardy said:

The 5960x is overclocked higher in that benchmark. You can also oc a 6900k to 4ghz and it will be faster

Yes, but the 6900k has a peak of around ~4.3ghz and the 5960x can (if you win the lottery) hit 4.6 which gives it the better single threaded performance.

[Remixt]

Just now, UnlimitedTMD said:

darn son, get that computer and love it, adore it, MAKE LOVE TO IT.

 

Watch out tho, life is a bitch and gets expensive fairly quickly...

But anyways, may I suggest going for glass tubing? It looks sexy AF, but is hard to do. It does pay off in the end IMO

That sounds so dangerous! haha. I don't know a lot about watercooling other than what I've seen on Jayz2cents. The liquid cooled part of my list is defininitley the part I'm most unsure about. Glass tubing sounds interesting, but can you do bends with it easily?

[pwn_intended]

22 minutes ago, Remixt said:

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB FTW Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($679.99) 

Titan X (the new one) has just been announced.....just sayin.

[The Pizza Thief]

4 minutes ago, pwn_intended said:

Titan X (the new one) has just been announced.....just sayin.

Link please ? 

[Remixt]

5 minutes ago, pwn_intended said:

Titan X (the new one) has just been announced.....just sayin.

Officially? Because Nvidia isn't supposed to give any information until Gamescom.

[pwn_intended]

1 minute ago, Brynjar said:

Link please ? 

 

Just now, Remixt said:

Officially? Because Nvidia isn't supposed to give any information until Gamescom.

http://www.geforce.com/hardware/10series/titan-x-pascal

[Remixt]

Just now, pwn_intended said:

 

http://www.geforce.com/hardware/10series/titan-x-pascal

Oh snap

[pwn_intended]

1 minute ago, Remixt said:

Oh snap

yea, expensive as hell but also the beastliest thing you can get. (well not yet, but you will be able to get it soon enough anyway)

[iiNNeX]

24 minutes ago, Remixt said:

That's multi-threaded workloads. I want the fastest chip for gaming, not for rendering/editing. I was actually considering a 6700k, but the Haswell-e chips are better for multi-gpu setups.Here you can see that the single thread performance is better on an equal clock speed. 

Fastest gaming chip would be 6700k, and while the other chips have more PCI-E lanes, you do not need more for 2 way SLI. You will not see any fps difference between 2 cards ran at x8 and 2 cards ran at x16, apart from your wallet diminishing  There are a lot of videos on YT about this myth.

[Xiauj]

I... I.. dunno what to say, the first thing I saw was the Total Cost before I read the rest ....  

Surprised at the CPU choice to be completely honest