cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

First Build: Pro Grade System

MichaelHansen
Level 7
Hello fellow forum members. This my first post and also my first computer build (one I actually am going to assemble). I hear the assembly part is like "Lego's for Adults". Nevertheless I am sure I am going to need some help and advice. I have all the parts from the specs and am waiting until this weekend to begin assembly.

This is computer will be used for mainly business purposes nevertheless I am looking forward to playing a few games on this rig. My initial questions are appended to the specs below.

CPU, BOARD and MEMORY:
Motherboard: ASUS - X99 Rampage Extreme V Edition 10
CPU Processor: Intel Core i7-6950X
Memory: G.Skill 128GB Trident Z (3200mhz)

GRAPHICS PROCESSOR:
GPU Processor 1: Titan X (Pascal Architecture) 12 GB
GPU Processor 2: Titan X (Pascal Architecture) 12 GB
GPU Bridge: GeoForce GTX SLI HB - 4 Slot

DRIVES & STORAGE:
M.2 Drive: Samsung 960 EVO Series - 1TB PCIe NVMe - M.2
SSD Drive: Samsung 850 Pro 1 TB Internal SSD 2.5"
HHD Drive 1: Western Digital 4TB Black 3.5" (RAID 1)
HHD Drive 2: Western Digital 4TB Black 3.5" (RAID 1)
Optical: ASUS - 12X SATA Blu-Ray Combo DVD+/- RW Drive

PERIPHERAL DEVICES:
Monitor 1: Acer Predator X34
Monitor 2: Acer XB241H
Vlogging Camera: Nikon D7200 Digital SLR (Black)
Vlogging Lens: AF-S DX NIKKOR 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED Zoom DSLR Cam
Vlogging Mic: Nikon ME-W1 Wireless Microphone
Vlogging Bi-Pod: Manfrotto Aluminum Tripod Black
Vlogging SD: Samsung Pro Plus - 64GB SDXC for DSLR
Vlogging Flash: Nikon Speed Light SB-600
Web Camera: Logitech C922X Pro Stream 1080P HD
Web Microphone: Blue Mic Yeti - USB Blackout
Keyboard: Corsair K70 Lux Mechanical RGB LED - Cherry MX Brown
Mouse: Corsair M65 Pro RGB Black
Card Reader: Rocketek USD 3.0 Memory Card Reader

POWER SUPPLY & CASE:
Power Supply: Corsair AX 1500i - 80+ Titanium Certified
CPU Case: Corsair Graphite Series 760T - Black

COOLING & HARDWARE:
CPU Cooler: Corsair H115i 280mm
Fans: 3 x Corsair ML140 Pro LED White - Magnetic Levitation
1 x Corsair ML120 Pro LED White - Magnetic Levitation
4 x Corsair Black Corners ML Series Fan
LED Lighting: Cable Mod - Wide Beam 5050 LED Strip 60cm (Black)
Cable Kit: Corsair Type 3 Generation 2 Metallic Graphite
24 Pin: Corsair Type 3 Generation 2 Metallic Graphite
USB Hub - NZXT 2.0 Internal
USB Hub - NZXT 3.0 Powered External
Thermal Paste: Arctic Silver 5
Screws: Ziotek Hex Head Screw Set (24 Pk)
Extensions: Lots of extension/longer cables: Display Port, HDMI and USB 3.0

QUESTIONS:
1) Am I missing any components? (i.e. screws? Fan controller? etc?)
2) Since this is my first build any good guides to follow?
3) Any other tips?

Kind Regards,
- Michael Hanen
7,958 Views
19 REPLIES 19

JustinThyme
Level 13
Which armored car are you going to knock over?
Thats better than $6K just in MOBO, CPU and graphics.

You forgot the solid gold fan grills and platinum screws with diamond studded lighting.

Exactly what business are you in where a 10 core processor is needed? Not to mention two 1080 TitanX pascals



“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, I'm not sure about the former” ~ Albert Einstein

kkn
Level 14
what are you gona use the pc for?
heavy graphic rendering or cad or???
screws for mobo, hdd/ssd's normaly comes whit the mobo or case.

JustinThyme & kkn:

Yes for a personal computer it may seem like overkill. However, even this CPU is only has a fraction of the power I use for analytical calculations. Personally the purpose of the build is to benchmark changes in code for BI (Business Intelligence) analytical calculations with only a small sample data set. In addition I intend to use this computer for creating training and procedural information via video.

Other uses for this computer is that my younger brother who is a professional photographer and graphic designer may use this for overflow rendering. He is an amazing photographer who has does work for celebrities, shopping networks and also has photo's published in Opera.

This is the first desktop I owned since an intel 486 which was in 1996 when I was in high school. That 486 CPU cost my parents close to $4,500 at the time. BTW: if my memory serves me correctly it was a 33mhz and included a math co-processor! Since then I only purchased lap-tops and servers for my home office. The closest thing I had to a gaming computer was an Alienware laptop which is still rather awesome. I purchased the lap-top for hard-core mobile computing. To be honest the only games I ever played was StarCraft and World of Tanks (which is very rare).

I may only overclock this PC slightly (if at all) as for testing calcs it can run solid for close to 8 hours! I am not sure if overclocking could cause heat issues for long running calculations.

To be honest so far the only issue I had getting the parts for the PC is that the Rampage motherboard came opened from Amazon. I returned the board and out of annoyance purchased it from a MicroCenter near me. I wasn't going to trust an opened/used mother board for many reasons.

As far as price goes the camera that I purchased for the video's was rather expensive ($3K of which the lens alone was $1.5K). As expensive as that sounds this whole rig is cheaper than my brother's camera (Nikon 5D) and a good lens.

On a serious note I wonder if I still need to buy any hardware or screws. Also I am curious about the raid and any issues if I add a Samsung 950 Pro NVMe drive as a scratch drive. (probably first upgrade for the PC).

Kind Regards,
- Mike

quark54
Level 8
Mike.... ignore the jealous individual above. Awesome PC!!! 😄

Re fan controllers, shouldn't be required. Asus boards come with plenty of Fan headers. However, if you decide you need more capability in that respect, Phanteks make a nice PWM fan module. You plug it into one motherboard PWM header and you can then run 11 PWM fans total. As I say, don't think you will need it though.

Asus boards also come with AiSuite and Fan Xpert 3. Fan Xpert controls fans nicely. You can make your own fan curve or choose one of the presets.

The other option is the infamously illusive Asus Fan Extension Module. Nice little board that pretty much does the same thing, plus it includes thermal sensors. Trouble is, it was announced as an accessory when Z170 was released, but has remained illusive even since. God knows what Asus are playing at.

http://www.phanteks.com/PH-PWHUB.html

You don't say which enclosure you are buying? I own a Lian Li X510, VERY expensive but an awesome enclosure that would be great for your build. Screws won't usually be needed, your PC enclosure will come with all necessary fixing. You will need cable ties though. Velcro cable ties and/or Zip Ties will do the trick.

So I just added and rushed shipped the Samsung 950 Pro M.2 drive. I would of liked the 960 Pro in 1 TB but that is sold out until 1/1/2017 (if purchased on pre-order). I did not want to have to re-due the OS install from the Pro 850 to the Pro 960 at a latter date. Either way I am hoping the location of the M.2 drive on the Rampage Edition 10 in the corner will keep the drive cooler vs the prior versions near the GPU. Although the Samsung 950 and 960 pro's are close in performance the 960 even in EVO have significant advantages. Nevertheless, either drive is a significant boost from the 850 Pro SSD which will also be used for data libraries. Only plan to use the RAID 1 Western's Digital for storage.

Was able to swap my order for the EVO 960 1TB which is shipping on December 10, 2016 🙂

Jon_G
Level 10
Did you mean 1TB Samsung 960 Pro M.2 NVMe SSD? That's better, faster, newest drive then the older 512GB Samsung 950 Pro SSD which doesn't come in 1TB capacity. Oh okay, I see no supply on 960 Pro yet, the 960 evo sounds pretty good also. Sweet build you got there!

So the build is underway. Took a chance to take a few pics. It really is a simple build but with top notch components. Although, simple always run into a few small challenges. But I must say the Trident Z and Titan's look awesome!

61207

61206

61208

61209

Also added an addition monitor to the build and realized I need an internal USB hub. Not to mention almost a hundred dollars in extension cables for locating the monitors and etc in my office.

Kind Regards,
- MIke

BTW: I couldn't get the 960 EVO in 1 TB. So I ended up just using a 950 Pro in 512GB for the OS drive. I must say I thought I lost the offset and screw for the Mother Board. It's a small screw set. Was worried for a few minutes. Anyways here is a pic with the 950 installed.

61210

Kind Regards,
- Mike