New build to do it all

Budget:
$4000

Expectations:
Looking for a rig to do it all. Multi-monitor setup that will handle gaming and utilize many other software programs.

Usage:
Gaming and programs:

I want a build that will pretty much handle any game. My main game right now is WoW, but I have a decent selection of games on my Steam library. If I want to play something, I want the rig to be able to handle it with no problems.

Regarding the programs I want to be able to use it for web development/design, which would mean it would need to handle many of the programs in the Adobe Suite like Photoshop and Fireworks and whatever else I may need to use. I would also be using it for video editing in Premiere and be able to handle rendering quite well. The big kicker and probably the most important to keep in mind is I would also like to be able to work in Maya and/or Max for 3D stuff as well as After Effects. I know that working in 3D programs call for special equipment, so it's important that the rig would be able to handle this as well.

Any help and guidance would be greatly appreciated. I'm definitely buying a PC through DS and want to be able to pick something out before their awesome sale is over. ;)

Yeah, the monitor's resolutions and how you use them makes a big difference.

Here's a place to start.....

Config # 1105060        Cost $ 3980

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Digital Storm Velox
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 5820K 3.3GHz (Six-Core) (Unlocked CPU)
Motherboard: ASUS X99-DELUXE (Intel X99 Chipset)
System Memory: 16GB DDR4 2666MHz Corsair Vengeance LPX (High-Performance)
Power Supply: 850W EVGA SuperNOVA
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (250GB Samsung 840 EVO)
Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (1TB Seagate)
Storage Set 3: - No Thanks
RAID Config: - No Thanks
RAID Card: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Graphics Card(s): 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 4GB (Includes PhysX)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex 240mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (Extreme-Performance Edition)
H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Airflow Control: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
Boost Graphics Card(s): - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD)
Virus Protection: FREE: McAfee AntiVirus Plus (1 Year Service Activation Card) (Not Pre-installed) ($35 Value)
Office: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
Portable Gaming: - No Thanks
Branded Gear: - No Thanks
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement

The Velox case is about the best airflow for air cooled systems.

Not sure how your apps, like Light room, After effects, etc, utilize a 6 core processor but the X99 also has the much faster ram speeds and a much wider memory bandwidth by up to 50% over the Z97.  That might make your tasks a lot smoother.

The sli gtx 980 is to handle both gaming and rendering in general over 3 monitors. 

Hope this helps you get an idea. 


Edited by bprat22 - 29 Nov 2014 at 8:39am

bpratt22's build looks right on for what you are looking for Scifer. You have the processing and graphics power to handle anything you are going to need it for. No need to mess around with a good configuration. Good luck though!

I asked an old coworker for some advice and to take a look at the build as well since he built the PCs for the department I worked in (game QA). This is what he had to say:

The PSU is a bit low for the CPU and both cards since Nvidia recommends 500W min for the cards (each). He also made the comment regarding the HDD and suggested I bump it up to 2TB. The last thing he mentioned was about the overclocking and said he'd be worried about noise. Anyone able to comment on the noise part and maybe the PSU?

Here's a link to a very reliable testing site for sli gtx 980.....
http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/geforce-gtx-980-sli-review,4.html

850watt will do it but if your a bit nervous about it then bump it to the 1050hx. 2-3years ago a 1050 watt psu was typically needed for sli but the newer cards are much better energy usage.

Good luck.

This should do what you need to do and allow you to go SLI when you have the money to buy the second card

Hey all, thanks so much for the replies. Here is actually the build I will probably be going with come tomorrow:

Configuration Code: 1108566
Total Price with Instant Savings: $5,333.00

Direct Load URL: https://www.digitalstormonline.com/configurator.asp?id=1108566

Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Digital Storm Velox
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 5820K 3.3GHz (Six-Core) (Unlocked CPU)
Motherboard: ASUS X99-DELUXE (Intel X99 Chipset)
System Memory: 32GB DDR4 2666MHz Corsair Vengeance LPX (High-Performance)
Power Supply: 850W EVGA SuperNOVA
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: Blu-Ray & DVD Writer/Reader (Burn + Play Blu-Ray & DVDs) (12x BD-R)
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (256GB Samsung 850 PRO)
Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (2TB Western Digital - Black Edition)
Storage Set 3: 1x SSD (120GB Samsung 840 EVO)
RAID Config: - No Thanks
RAID Card: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Graphics Card(s): 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 4GB (Includes PhysX)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex 240mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (Extreme-Performance Edition)
H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Fans: Upgrade All Fans to Corsair Airflow Performance Edition (Up to 6 Fans)
Internal Lighting: Remote Controlled LED Lighting System (Multiple color options and lighting effects)
Airflow Control: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
Boost Graphics Card(s): - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Professional (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD)
Virus Protection: FREE: McAfee AntiVirus Plus (1 Year Service Activation Card) (Not Pre-installed) ($35 Value)
Display: Asus ROG SWIFT 27 inch PG278Q (G-SYCN) (144Hz Refresh) (2560 x 1440 Resolution)

Any critiques and/or suggestions? The 970s instead of the 980s was actually a recommendation from one of the staff.

I don't agree with the video card choice, personally. Building a $5000 rig and not using the 980s just seems like an odd decision to me, especially since you'll want to drive a 1440p monitor capable of 144hz.

The Strix are open fans and will put a lot of heat into your chassis. If you still remain with an SLI setup, it is generally advisable to go with a blower cooler on the card if you're staying air cooled.

Does The Strix actually have better performance than the stock? Also, I upgraded to the Corsair Airflow Performance Edition Chassis fans - are these actually better than the ones that have the lights added to them? Looking at the numbers, it seemed the colored ones might have actually been better (as if I know what the numbers actually mean).

Thanks again all! Love how helpful the community is and has been.

32 Gigs of Ram is overkill from Most games esp  WoW., You would do better putting that money into a larger primary SSD  maybe go for the 500GB. Esp if your going to place your games like WOW on this Drive. And maybe bump up 6the  120GB third drive to 256GB.  Only changes I would make.

Just wanted to thank everyone who assisted with figuring all this out. Below is the final configuration for the rig that is currently being built.

System Configuration:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Digital Storm Velox
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 5820K 3.3GHz (Six-Core) (Unlocked CPU)
Motherboard: ASUS X99 RAMPAGE V (Intel X99 Chipset)
System Memory: 32GB DDR4 2666MHz Corsair Vengeance LPX (High-Performance)
Power Supply: 1050W Corsair HX1050
Optical Drive: Blu-Ray & DVD Writer/Reader (Burn + Play Blu-Ray & DVDs) (12x BD-R)
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (512GB Samsung 850 PRO)
Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (2TB Western Digital - Black Edition)
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Graphics Card(s): 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 4GB (ASUS Strix Edition)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Corsair H100i 240mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (Extreme-Performance Edition)
Chassis Fans: Upgrade All Fans to Corsair Airflow Performance Edition (Up to 6 Fans)
Internal Lighting: Remote Controlled LED Lighting System (Multiple color options and lighting effects)
Airflow Control: Digital Storm Thermal Management Control Board & Software
CPU Boost: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Professional (64-Bit Edition)

Cost: ~$5368 after holiday savings (w/out taxes and shipping was free)

Edited by Scifer - 05 Dec 2014 at 3:35pm