i7 3930k workstation... first build help!

[qwatkins]

1) Video card- The gtx580. Is heat an issue for prolonged overnight renders? I know it has at least improved since the 4xx series...The gfx card is only used while you are working OR if you are using a rendering engine that can leverage your card (ala iRay, VRAY RT, and many others)

2) Quiet Computing- I also record music, so I appreciate quiet. Opinions on quiet case fans (like Noctua), foam padding, hard drive isolation (like a NoiseMagic NoVibes III)?http://www.frozencpu.com/noi-01.htmlOne thing you could do to improve the quietness would be to get a liquid cooler for your CPU like so:

CPU cooler (Corsair H70 Liquid Cooler) $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16835181019http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181019

4) RAM- Gskill? Corsair? 16GB? 32GB? I've been in 32bit land too long to know how much I'll need in a 64bit box.Quantity depends on what you are pushing around day to day but as always the more the merrier. 16GB is a good beginning point, try this on for size:

RAM (Corsair 16GB RAM 4x4) $160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233236

5) Power Supply- compatibility issues? correct wattage?This topic has many facets and while obviously your PSU has to supply as much power as all of your parts can draw combined, getting a PSU that is vastly oversized may not be the best approach either. As a rule of thumb you want your PSU to have 20ish percent over capacity than you need, erring if anything on a little more than that if in question.

You can get a ballpark of how much power you will need now and into the future by using a calculator like this one:
http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

[digitalworkshop]

Hi there,

Thanks for this thread as I am also building a similar PC with similar requirements, namely Lighting/Rendering - VRay, Mental Ray, MAYA,Zbrush and MARI, NUKE, Photoshop.

The CPU i have finalised is intel Core i7 3930K.

The mainboard i am bit confused about. Did you already buy the system? if yes then pls share your views and experience so far.

I would like to know whats the Main difference between
ASUS P9X79 PRO and ASUS P9X79 DELUXE other than dual gigabit LAN.

Also, is ASUS Rampage IV Extreme worth the money? I am not a gamer and i wont be playing games on this PC. I need a Socket 2011 mainboard which is max. upgradable in future, for e.g. if i want to put multiple GFX card and increase RAM.

Another good mainboard i found was MSI X79A-GD65 (8D) inkl. Thermaltake Frio Advanced
(Sound G-LAN FW SATA3 USB 3.0).this one supports 128 GB ram.
http://www.alternate.de/html/product/MSI/X79A-GD65_(8D)_inkl._Thermaltake_Frio_Advanced/957612/?

For Memory:

I am thinking of going for 32 GB Ram. 8 Dimm x4 = 32 GB 1600 Mhz Ram.

thanks for your inputs and suggestions.

best,
Digi :bowdown:

[rranney]

After further research, I have come up with this build:

Case: Cooler Master HAF X
MB: ASUS P9x79 Pro
CPU: i7-3930K
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14
GPU: MSI 3GB N580GTX Lightning Xtreme Edition
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws 16GB 4x4
SSD: Crucial M4 128GB
HDD: WD Caviar Black 2TB
Optical: ASUS Black Blu-ray Drive
Power: Corsair HX850

I am not familiar with the difference between brands, but I have taken a liking to the ASUS boards from what I've familiarized myself with. The Deluxe board has better cooling on the board, WIFI/Bluetooth BT GO 3.0, 2 more USB 3.0 ports, and some slight upgrade with how it deals with power distribution. From what I've read, this isn't a big deal unless you are doing serious overclocking. Me? The auto-overclock 4.3 will be just fine on the Pro board. : )

The Rampage board is for extreme benchmarking overclockers. An overclockers forum mentioned that it is overkill for even the most enthusiast of overclockers. If you're asking questions about it, then you shouldn't be using it (and neither should I).

I'm not considering multiple GPUs so can't help there.

I can't imagine a scenario where you would be using 128GB of RAM unless you are setting up RAM disks or RAM caching, and even then.

Hey everyone, ideally how much RAM would you want in your 3D workstation computer? 16GB 32GB?

[vlad]

Nice build overall, but why change the nice Corsair case for that ugly Cooler Master...thing?

[digitalworkshop]

Thanks for the inputs and suggestions.

For me, I have used MSI in the past and never had any issues.Thanks for the feedback on ASUS mainboards. RAMPAGE is then out of question.

Now its between ASUS P9X79 PRO and MSI X79A-GD65 (8D), including Thermaltake Frio Advanced.

I agree i may never be using 128Gb ram but this MSI offers a firewire option. being a professional editor for 7 years i would love to do some editing on this PC then if i can have a Mainboard supporting firewire.

both are good companies i believe churning out quality products.But i am glad i am getting close to what i need to build and i can afford with in my budget.

best regards,
Digi :bowdown:

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