Computer Quote

[Donald2B]

That is correct...even more importantly that it's a x4 version and that the motherboard supports a PCIe x4 slot without the need for an expansion card.

[glorybound]

what is a good size, for the money, on the SSD drive?

[Donald2B]

Personally, I won't go any smaller than a 512GB SSD. Programs are getting much bigger and it's always good to have a little extra room.

As for cost...just depends on what kind of SSD you get will determine the price anywhere from $260-$550US.

[Oleg_Budeanu]

If you have a single PC and everything you need will be stored on it - i recommend you to buy external NAS , like WD MyCloud Mirrored with 2x2TB disks in mirrored raid. It will resolve backup procedures. Will buy by myself this week Overall PC looks great , though i stick to Donald2B - 512GB SSD there should be.

[Streetwise]

Not to hijack this thread, but I too am considering a 5960 for my next workstation. I am also looking at the Asus x99 line of boards, but see they make three (Deluxe, Pro, Sabertooth). So I'm trying to figure out what board would be best for me given these "wishes".

48GB DDR4
2- NVidia 760 cards (what connectivity should I look for)
PCIE M.2 SSD drive for the OS.
5960 OC to 4.0 or 4.2
850W or 1000W PSU

Last thing is: is there any advantage of going with a single NVidia 760x2 over two 760's? I'm hoping to be able to take advantage of RT, plus I'm intrigued by the likes of Corona and Octane and want to explore those.

Thanks.

[Donald2B]

If you are going with the 5960, I would go with 64GB Ram instead. You will need the fastest RAM you can afford to get a stable 4.0GHz + OC. I would also go with at least a 1000W PSU if not higher...especially since you are wanting to run multiple video cards.

I would go with the two 760 cards over the 760x2. That way you can assign one video card to viewport and another card to GPU rendering...it's a big help when in the quick tweaking stage. When doing more final renders, then assign both GPUs to the rendering.

That's my short, short answer.

[Streetwise]

Perfect. Do you have a favorite mobo that can run two 760 cards and OC?

[Donald2B]

I prefer Asus boards, more predictable behavior from them as I have better experience with them. Both the deluxe and sabertooth are great boards...I just built a workstation here with the Deluxe board and a M.2 drive and it's been rock solid. Though I'm only running the 5930 processor with a Titan X card. Motherboards have become a LOT more complex with the new UEFI bios and all the bells and whistles, so setup can be a little more complicated...but once through that stage, I have no complaints.

As a counter-point, I do have friends who use the EVGA and MSI motherboards with pretty good success. I also hear that the ASRock boards are great on a budget.

Honestly, you may want to do some research on builds with the 5960 and see what components they are using to get a stable OC in the 4GHz + range...that's a serious OC for that CPU since it's base clock is right at 3GHz.

[glorybound]

I have some converging deadline, so I have to update some hardware to keep up. With feedback from you guys, this is what I have; what do you think?

[Donald2B]

Looks pretty standard to me...shouldn't have many issues.

[Morbid Angel]

Not thrilled about your cooler. Not sure how it would perform if you oc the cpu. Also I would suggest looking at the Fractal Design Define XL R2 Black Pearl E-ATX Tower Computer Case. Its a good case with sound proof material so very quiet inside.

[Donald2B]

Yeah, case is definitely lacking...I wasn't sure about whether he was going to OC or not. If he is...DEFINITELY need a better cooler. Noctua or Corsair Water cooling (about same price) are the way to go. Simple, yet effective.

[Streetwise]

Not thrilled about your cooler. Not sure how it would perform if you oc the cpu. Also I would suggest looking at the Fractal Design Define XL R2 Black Pearl E-ATX Tower Computer Case. Its a good case with sound proof material so very quiet inside.

What about these for a cooler and a case? I've heard pretty good things especially if the 5960 is overclocked.

Corsair Hydro Series H100i GTX High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
Cooler Master HAF 912 - Mid Tower Computer Case with High Airflow

[glorybound]

This is costing 2X what I currently have, so I'm expecting it too be 2X faster . Currently, I have the dual Xeon with 32 GB of RAM. I'm recycling my video card, but that cost isn't considered in the price comparison.

[Donald2B]

Look at benchmarks...if trying to keep to a budget...I would look at the 5930K processor...it's almost half the price and you may only sacrifice 10-15% at most...and due to the higher per core clock speed, the 5930K will be faster on any single threaded task. Just a thought to save about $500.