Time for a New Beast

I purchased my current system from DS about five years ago. I'm well satisfied with it. I'm a gamer, and I've yet to find a game that it cannot handle, but, still, it's getting old, and the one problem I have currently is a lack of RAM. From what I remember talking to the techs when I purchased it, adding additional RAM would adversely affect the CPU overclock.

In retrospec, I wish I'd accepted a lower CPU overclock and more RAM. 6 Gigs is just not enough these days, I have to be conservative on what gadgets & programs I have running in the background.

My budget is enough for a high-end unit. This time around, I'm not going to go cheap on the RAM nor the CPU, which I did with my current system.

The New Beast
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Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Corsair Carbide Series Air 540
Processor: Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition 5960X 3.0GHz (Eight-Core) (Extreme Performance)
Motherboard: ASUS X99-E WS (Intel X99 Chipset) (Workstation Class)
System Memory: 32GB DDR4 2800MHz Corsair Dominator Platinum DHX (Extreme-Performance)
Power Supply: 1500W Corsair AX1500i (Digitally Controlled Power)
Optical Drive: Blu-Ray & DVD Writer/Reader (Burn + Play Blu-Ray & DVDs) (12x BD-R)
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (250GB Samsung 850 EVO)
Storage Set 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Graphics Card(s): 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X 12GB (Includes PhysX)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: H20: HydroLux Level 3: Digital Storm Exotic Custom Cooling System (2x Video Cards + CPU + Chipset)
H20 Tube Color:Green Tubing with High-Performance Fluid (UV Lighting Reactive)
Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis 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 2: Overclock CPU 4.5GHz to 4.8GHz (Requires High-End Motherboard Selection)
Boost Graphics Card(s): Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability
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 7 Ultimate (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)

Enclosure: While I prefer a full Tower, I've almost fallen in love with the Corsair Carbide Series Air 540, watched a lot videos and read reviews on it. It really looks to be a unique chassis. Exactly how DS would install the components will be of great interest to me, of course (for example, I'd prefer the water reservoir go into the right bay, as opposed to crowding the components in the left).

Hard Drives: I just bought two new Samsung 850 Pro 1TB drives, which I'll be putting in the new system, along with a 1TB WD Caviar drive I use for backups. So I really don't need another SSD.

Display: Another recent purchase was an LG 34UM95-P 34" Monitor - its the Ultra-wide model with a native 3440x1440 display. My current system has a singular Titan driving it, which it does with no problems.

Sound Card: I'm strongly considering getting a sound card - possibly the Auzen.
Reason being, I've had the same problem with my past two systems, that of the sound ports going bad. I don't know if it's endemic to PC's, cold solder joints, what, but my Logitech Z550 sound system is underutilized due to the fact I can't properly configure a 5.1 sound system using digital input from an optic port, the only way I can get sound right now.

Not that a sound board won't possibly come with it's own issues . . . and it does seem like it might be unnecessary if the only thing I'm worried about are ports going bad.

Price: The system I've spec'd out retails for $8444.00. Whether that includes the advertised 200.00 off I don't know. One of the sticking points I have is the price, as I've piece-parted the entire system and it comes to about $5700.00. This doesn't include labor, but, still, it's a BIG margin - a $2700.00 difference.




Edited by Psimon - 10 Apr 2015 at 9:29pm

Hi Psimon,

I agree with michaeljhuman comments.

I do question your choice of the Corsair Carbide Series Air 540. I think it is a poor choice for a level 3 hydroLux cooling. This is a small case and there are much better choices for a full liquid cooling system. The 540 doesn't have the space or good setup for RADs with outside cooling. The Aventum or Hailstorm would be a much better choice. The AIR 540 is designed for air cooling. It is nice to love the design of the AIR 540 but it may not be practical for your build.

Frank

Edited by FrankW - 30 Mar 2015 at 6:10am

Hi armyslowrdr,

I see you have changed your specs from your original post. The 290X is quite a come down from the Titan X. The 290X is even a step down from the 980. The 5930k is a better choice for gaming based on cost/performance. I wonder what resolution you are going to be playing at?

Frank   

Edited by FrankW - 30 Mar 2015 at 1:39pm

Hi armyslowrdr,

Sorry, I got your post mixed up with Psimon. I think the HydroLux cooling in both builds got me confused.

Frank

I've taken most (but not all) of the suggestions to heart and looked over the specs and configuration again. While I was toying with the idea of doing some rendering, that's still up in the air (don't know if I have the time or, frankly, artistry). Which is why I was going for the WS mobo, CPU, and higher performance RAM.

I've made the build a bit more modest, although I am toying with going 3-way SLI. However, I don't plan on getting a 4K monitor anytime soon - the new LG 34UM95-P I've got is native at 3440x1440 - and two Titan X's should be more than sufficient for high resolution gaming on this monitor.

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Corsair Carbide Series Air 540

- Hey, I've seen water-based cooling builds with this chassis. While I prefer a tower, this box is wider, roomy, and should be big enough for the build I've in mind. I do plan on discussing this with DS techs; if my impressions of the Carbide Air are far off the mark, or this build is going to be extremely cramped, then I'll look over another case.

Processor: Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition 5960X 3.0GHz (Eight-Core) (Extreme Performance)

I want to stick with the higher grade processor- for the performance. Sure, it's possibly  overkill, but this time around (as opposed to my current PC) I want the high performance CPU.
 
If I change my mind, I will probably drop it down to the 5930. The 5960X is certainly not a "value" buy in terms of price. Dropping the total down $500+ is tempting.

Motherboard: ASUS X99 RAMPAGE V (Intel X99 Chipset)

Don't need a WS mobo I guess, and this one's feature rich with good reviews.

System Memory: 32GB DDR4 2666MHz Corsair Dominator Platinum DHX (Extreme-Performance)

I looked into the comment about the 2800MHz RAM, and the advice seems sensible. I don't want to OC the RAM if I can help it, due to instability issues. So 2666MHz it is.

Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (250GB Samsung 850 EVO)

Again, I really don't need another SSD; might drop this one to an even smaller one - just to the minimum required for them to install Win7 Ult and get it going and configured.

Internet Access: Wireless USB ASUS N13 (Supports 802.11n/g/b)

Inexpensive and I've got WIFI. If it doesn't work out, can always wire connect.

Graphics Card(s): 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X 12GB (Includes PhysX)

Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio

I'll ignore my past misgivings with integrated audio and give it another try. If there's issues, *then* I can consider a sound board (yet they too can have issues, I know).

Extreme Cooling: H20: HydroLux Level 3: Digital Storm Exotic Custom Cooling System (2x Video Cards + CPU + Chipset)
H20 Tube Color:Green Tubing with High-Performance Fluid (UV Lighting Reactive)

It's a green box, yes to "Borg" builds

Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans

I hope the "Standard Factory Chassis Fans" are the originals shipped with the Carbide Air, as the have good reviews. Maybe a bit noisy but I can put up with that (prefer efficiency).

Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock CPU 4.5GHz to 4.8GHz (Requires High-End Motherboard Selection)
Boost Graphics Card(s): Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory

Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD)

Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)




Edited by Psimon - 10 Apr 2015 at 4:17pm

Craziness... nice build!!   

I love the Air 540.  I think it's nice looking and has very good airflow.  They suggest the 3 - 120mm fans in the front over the 2 - 140mm. 

They did have the HAF-X at one point recently but it looks like it is gone again unfortunately.  You can always special order a case.  It costs some additional money (I believe it is additional $40) and isn't 'warranted' by DS but with a case, I'm not sure that is such a big risk..  

can you imagine shipping costs on a COSMOS II ? That THANG weights 50 lbs! 

Wonder of wonders, there *is* a side panel mod for the COSMOS II

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/18291/win-189/MNPCTech_Cosmos_II_Custom_Clear_Side_Panel_-_Fan_Hole_Version.html