Dream PC Build

[Ryuneak]

This is a build that I have been planning for almost half a year, and something I have been putting lots of research into. Any input on my build list is appreciated.

 

The purpose of this, is to build a computer that:

1) Can play games and render (2 dimensional) video at the same time. (Ill be using after effects and premiere pro. Rendering at 2K 30fps)

2) Is decently future proof. I don't want to upgrade this build for a decent amount of time. (at least a year or two)

3) Is dependable, and durable

 

Additional details:

1) Budget: ~5,300 USD (This is a bit flexible depending on how important the changes are)

2) Gaming monitor specs: 3840x1440 @ 144hz

3) PC Build Date: December 2017 (This is also flexible depending on what parts might come out in the future)

 

Parts List (w/ additional notes):

CPU: Ryzen Threadripper 1920x (790 USD @ Amazon)

          (I am pretty sure 12 cores is a bit overkill for the type of multitasking I am going to be doing, but I can't find a cheap 10 core either. Would an 8 core cut it?)

GPU: Dual (SLI) Zotac Artcicstorm 1080 ti (1,620 USD @ B&H Photo Video)

          (GPU Note: I picked this specific model to skip adding my own waterblock, and due to the large number of power phases. I have been considering the 1080 instead to save money, but I'm not sure how much performance I will lose.)

Motherboard: ASUS Zenith Extreme X399 (500 USD @ Amazon)

RAM: 64GB G.Skill TridentZ RGB 3600mhz (820 USD @ Amazon)

Chassis: Thermaltake The Tower 900 (240 USD @ Amazon)

SLI Bridge: EVGA 2 Slot SLI Bridge (~38 USD @ Amazon)

PSU: Corsair HXi 1200 Watt (250 USD @ Newegg)

          (PSU Note: Holy sh*t! On a coolermaster PSU calculator, my system requires over 900 watts of power. Should I be concerned about PSU efficiency?)

HDD: Seagate Barracuda Pro 7200RPM 6TB 256mb Cache (240 USD @ Amazon)

SSD: WD Blue 500GB (150 @ Amazon)

Radiator & Case Fans: Eight Noctua NF-A14 (176 @ Amazon)

Operating System: Windows 10 (0 USD since I'll be using a disc I already have)

Fan Hub (For the Radiator fans): SilverStone PWM Hub (~15 USD @ Amazon)

Thermal Paste: Noctua NT-H1 (~6 USD @ Amazon)

Radiator: Dual EKWB 420 CE (200 USD @ EKWB)

CPU Water Block: EK Supremacy EVO Threadripper Edition (78 USD @ EKWB)

Pump & Reservoir Combo: Two Enermax NEOChanger 200ml (216 USD @ EKWB)

Tubing: EKWB Duraclear ID: 7/16 OD: 5/8 (17 USD @ EKWB)

Fittings: 14 EKWB ACF Fittings (91 USD @ EKWB)

Liquid Coolant: Two Bottles of Koolance Colorless 700ml 60 USD @ Amazon)

Lighting Strips (Because c'mon. Who doesn't like a bit of RGB?): They really don't have a name so here's the link

TOTAL: ~5,613 USD

 

If you need any additional information such as a complete list of the peripherals I will be using, I can include those as well. 

 

Edited October 9, 2017 by Ryuneak

[Radium_Angel]

Overkill for gaming, so we'll set that aside.

AE and PP, what limits their performance, throughput to the hard drive, CPU, GPU or memory? If you are serious about editing, then build towards that, everything else (gaming) will be taken care of in the process

[TheRandomness]

RAM speed actually matters for any Zeppelin (Ryzen) based CPU, Threadripper included. It's because Infinity Fabric (the way the CCXs, groups of cores, communicate) runs at the RAM's undoubled speed. So running DDR4-2666 would have Infinity Fabric run at 1333MHz. Higher is better in this case.

[Ryuneak]

Just now, Radium_Angel said:

Overkill for gaming, so we'll set that aside.

AE and PP, what limits their performance, throughput to the hard drive, CPU, GPU or memory? If you are serious about editing, then build towards that, everything else (gaming) will be taken care of in the process

Throughput? I don't know what you mean...

I'll be rendering to the SSD though. The HDD is for games and misc. programs. (But not for my OS)

 

I am more worried about being able to play games and render at the same time, that's why I have made an "overkill" build list. 

Anything that can save me a bit of money though (like an 8 core instead of a 12 core) would be nice. 

 

 

[Ryuneak]

Just now, TheRandomness said:

RAM speed actually matters for any Zeppelin (Ryzen) based CPU, Threadripper included. It's because Infinity Fabric (the way the CCXs, groups of cores, communicate) runs at the RAM's undoubled speed. So running DDR4-2666 would have Infinity Fabric run at 1333MHz. Higher is better in this case.

While that is true, this also brings to case diminishing returns.

That's why I am not investing money in RAM higher than 3000mhz (3Ghz) or RAM with better timings. 

[TheRandomness]

Just now, Ryuneak said:

While that is true, this also brings to case diminishing returns.

That's why I am not investing money in RAM higher than 3000mhz (3Ghz) or RAM with better timings. 

(Actually RAM running at 3000 is actually 1500MHz. DDR = Double Data Rate). Whilst that's true, which such a massive budget one could change out the graphics cards and get better RAM. Also, afaik, the arcticstorm uses the same PCB as the AMP! Extreme, which is famed for having many phases but really inefficient VRMs. Buildzoid did a video on the AMP's VRMs.

[Radium_Angel]

Throughput - as in how much data can you shove down to the hard drives. Shoving 2k/30fps raw data through a slow drive is going to hurt. As I said before, your specs are overkill for gaming, but maybe only so so for video editing, hence why I asked what those video programs are dependent upon...

[Ryuneak]

4 minutes ago, TheRandomness said:

(Actually RAM running at 3000 is actually 1500MHz. DDR = Double Data Rate). Whilst that's true, which such a massive budget one could change out the graphics cards and get better RAM. Also, afaik, the arcticstorm uses the same PCB as the AMP! Extreme, which is famed for having many phases but really inefficient VRMs. Buildzoid did a video on the AMP's VRMs.

So:

1) Is there any RAM faster than my current choice at a reasonable price? (And it is worth it & easy to overclock?)

2) Is there any other GFX card I could pick that has efficient VRMS, Good Temps, and Decent Performance at a reasonable price? I happened to like the Zotac cards I picked because of thepricing, pre-applied water block, and RGB. 

[Moress]

5 minutes ago, TheRandomness said:

Buildzoid did a video on the AMP's VRMs.

I would suggest going with the Strix, buildzoid gave it a very favorable review

[Moress]

4 minutes ago, Ryuneak said:

So:

1) Is there any RAM faster than my current choice at a reasonable price? (And it is worth it & easy to overclock?)

2) Is there any other GFX card I could pick that has efficient VRMS, Good Temps, and Decent Performance at a reasonable price? I happened to like the Zotac cards I picked because of thepricing, pre-applied water block, and RGB. 

Strix

[Ryuneak]

3 minutes ago, Radium_Angel said:

Throughput - as in how much data can you shove down to the hard drives. Shoving 2k/30fps raw data through a slow drive is going to hurt. As I said before, your specs are overkill for gaming, but maybe only so so for video editing, hence why I asked what those video programs are dependent upon...

Well, I am going to be rendering to an SSD (Seq Write: 525MBps, Seq Read 545MBps, 4KB Read: 100K IOPS, 4KB Write 80K IOPS)

 

As to what AE and PP are dependent on, I am not sure.

[TheRandomness]

3 minutes ago, Ryuneak said:

So:

1) Is there any RAM faster than my current choice at a reasonable price? (And it is worth it & easy to overclock?)

2) Is there any other GFX card I could pick that has efficient VRMS, Good Temps, and Decent Performance at a reasonable price? I happened to like the Zotac cards I picked because of thepricing, pre-applied water block, and RGB. 

1) The better question is (I just noticed this) But what on earth are you doing with 128GBs of RAM..? You might use something near 64GBs, but 128GBs is just bragging rights at that point.
2) Like @Moress just said, the Asus Strix GTX 1080 Ti would be nice if you can find a waterblock for it.

Also your SSD choice is very average, get a Samsung 960 Pro or something for the budget

[Ryuneak]

1 minute ago, Moress said:

I would suggest going with the Strix, buildzoid gave it a very favorable review

Can you give me a link to where I can buy it?

(And a link to an appropriate water block for it.)

[Damascus]

1 minute ago, Ryuneak said:

1) Is there any RAM faster than my current choice at a reasonable price? (And it is worth it & easy to overclock?)

 

I recomend getting these guys for an extra $220, they will seriously improve performance over the kit you chose.  Also, the 1700X is likely all you need.  Hardware Canucks did a video on how they can play games and render videos at the same time no problem on R7

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/zy9Jr7
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/zy9Jr7/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 1700X 3.4GHz 8-Core Processor  ($298.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Asus - ROG CROSSHAIR VI EXTREME EATX AM4 Motherboard  ($331.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 64GB (4 x 16GB) DDR4-3600 Memory  ($819.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $1450.97

1 minute ago, Ryuneak said:

2) Is there any other GFX card I could pick that has efficient VRMS, Good Temps, and Decent Performance at a reasonable price? I happened to like the Zotac cards I picked because of thepricing, pre-applied water block, and RGB. 

Close your eyes and pick a 1080 ti, they will all perform super close.  The stock VRM's are insane but avaoid the MSI blower card, cheaps out more than a bit

[Ryuneak]

Just now, TheRandomness said:

1) The better question is (I just noticed this) But what on earth are you doing with 128GBs of RAM..? You might use something near 64GBs, but 128GBs is just bragging rights at that point.
2) Like @Moress just said, the Asus Strix GTX 1080 Ti would be nice if you can find a waterblock for it.

Sorry about the confusion! I meant two 2x16GB kits. I need to correct that quick. 128GB is clearly overkill. 

[TheRandomness]

1 minute ago, Ryuneak said:

Sorry about the confusion! I meant two 2x16GB kits. I need to correct that quick. 128GB is clearly overkill. 

Ah, yeah, 32GBs is much better. Here's something for a similar price: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/q6jWGX/gskill-tridentz-rgb-series-32gb-4-x-8gb-ddr4-3866-memory-f4-3866c18q-32gtzr

And here's something a little faster for cheaper: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/KJ2rxr/gskill-tridentz-rgb-32gb-4-x-8gb-ddr4-3200-memory-f4-3200c16q-32gtzr
Yeah I know they're the same kit with different speeds but they look awesome.

[Ryuneak]

2 minutes ago, Damascus said:

I recomend getting these guys for an extra $220, they will seriously improve performance over the kit you chose.  Also, the 1700X is likely all you need.  Hardware Canucks did a video on how they can play games and render videos at the same time no problem on R7

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/zy9Jr7
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/zy9Jr7/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 1700X 3.4GHz 8-Core Processor  ($298.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Asus - ROG CROSSHAIR VI EXTREME EATX AM4 Motherboard  ($331.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 64GB (4 x 16GB) DDR4-3600 Memory  ($819.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $1450.97

Close your eyes and pick a 1080 ti, they will all perform super close.  The stock VRM's are insane but avaoid the MSI blower card, cheaps out more than a bit

1) I actually watched that hardware canucks review and he did say that there was a noticeable amount of lag when he played games while rendering. Now, I know that anything higher than 1080p is more dependent on the GFX Cards than the CPU but I don't want lag. Also, wouldn't a 1900x be better considering the additional PCIe lanes and features? Or do you recommend the 1700x due to their better motherboards? Also, doesnt an intel 7820x beat both CPUs?

 

2) How much of a performance increase should I expect with this ram? I don't want to be paying an additional 200 dollars for a small performance increase. 

[Damascus]

3 minutes ago, Ryuneak said:

Or do you recommend the 1700x due to their better motherboards?

Its just a cheaper optio that is very close in performance

3 minutes ago, Ryuneak said:

2) How much of a performance increase should I expect with this ram? I don't want to be paying an additional 200 dollars for a small performance increase. 

5-20%

[Ryuneak]

5 minutes ago, TheRandomness said:

Ah, yeah, 32GBs is much better. Here's something for a similar price: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/q6jWGX/gskill-tridentz-rgb-series-32gb-4-x-8gb-ddr4-3866-memory-f4-3866c18q-32gtzr

And here's something a little faster for cheaper: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/KJ2rxr/gskill-tridentz-rgb-32gb-4-x-8gb-ddr4-3200-memory-f4-3200c16q-32gtzr
Yeah I know they're the same kit with different speeds but they look awesome.

Two 2x16 kits means 64GB in total.

And I am not sure I want to spend an additional 200 dollars for a small performance increase...

 

Also, don't Samsung 960 drives only last for a short period of time/operations? I have heard they die REALLY quickly. Maybe even quicker than regular SSD drives? 

 

Plus, should I be worried about the inefficient VRMs of the Zotac cards? Would a GIGABYTE AORUS Xtreme GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Waterforce Card be any better?

[Ryuneak]

3 minutes ago, Damascus said:

Its just a cheaper optio that is very close in performance

5-20%

1) Will I experience the same lag hardware canucks did in his review when playing games?
2) Yeah....a 5-20% performance boost for an additional 200 bucks isn't worth it. That's 100 dollars per 10 percent at best. 

[Damascus]

Just now, Ryuneak said:

That's 100 dollars per 10 percent at best

The difference between a 1080 and a 1080 Ti is $50 per %10 

And the difference between a hybrid cooled GPU and a custom loop GPU is $500 per 1%

2 minutes ago, Ryuneak said:

1) Will I experience the same lag hardware canucks did in his review when playing games?

I have no idea, you've told us nothing about the programs you use

[Ryuneak]

7 minutes ago, Damascus said:

The difference between a 1080 and a 1080 Ti is $50 per %10 

And the difference between a hybrid cooled GPU and a custom loop GPU is $500 per 1%

I have no idea, you've told us nothing about the programs you use

1) I am doing a custom loop for acoustics, not entirely for performance.

2) I guess with the GPU comparison, the RAM kit makes sense. 

 

Are there any other things I can do to boost performance? Any comments on my motherboard choice?

 

[Damascus]

Just now, Ryuneak said:

1) I am doing a custom loop for acoustics, not entirely for performance.

 

Fair, though if you get a 1700X you can actually run it fully passive and Hybrid GPU's with quiet fans are near silent anywhoo

Just now, Ryuneak said:

2) I guess with the GPU comparison, the RAM kit makes sense. 

 

Are there any other things I can do to boost performance? Any comments on my motherboard choice?

If you go 1700X get a Crosshair 6, if you go 1920X nab a Zenith extreme or Prime X399

[Ryuneak]

Parts List has been updated:

 

Motherboard: ASUS Xenith Extreme (500 USD @ Amazon)

RAM: 64GB G.Skill TridentZ RGB (820 USD @ Newegg)

SSD: Samsung 960 EVO 500GB (240 USD @ Amazon)

New Total: ~5,613

[brob]

1 hour ago, Ryuneak said:

Two 2x16 kits means 64GB in total.

And I am not sure I want to spend an additional 200 dollars for a small performance increase...

 

Also, don't Samsung 960 drives only last for a short period of time/operations? I have heard they die REALLY quickly. Maybe even quicker than regular SSD drives? 

 

Plus, should I be worried about the inefficient VRMs of the Zotac cards? Would a GIGABYTE AORUS Xtreme GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Waterforce Card be any better?

When buying memory for quad-channel systems, buy a quad channel kit, e.g. 4x16GB. Buying two dual channel kits runs the, albeit small, risk of the memory not running in quad-channel. 

 

Do you have any links for the claim about Samsung 960 drives? The 960 Pro has a 5 year 480 TB write warranty. Given how many of these units Samsung is selling, I have my doubts that they would not live up to the warranty.