Custom desktop rig for gaming and design

[thatoneguy229]

This is a copy of my post over on tomshardware, I just thought it'd be nice to get some more feedback from a different crowd

I'm trying to build a custom desktop that will be able to play games at high settings and allow me to use programs like UDK, Unity, and Lightwave; or other software of the like. I don't have the money to purchase any of the parts currently, but I'm attempting to find all of the pieces I need so I can have a price estimate, and then when I have the money I can just buy them. I have found some parts that I might be able to use (I have no idea though), but if anyone says otherwise I'm more than willing to look at other options.

Some of the parts I've found:
- Asus P9X79 WS motherboard:
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P9X79_WS/#overview
- EVGA GeForce 660ti:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... =N82E168...
- Intel Core i7-3770 Ivy Bridge 3.4Ghz:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... =N82E168...
- Corsair Vengeance 32gb ram:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... =N82E168...
- Seagate 4TB sata 6.0Gb/s HDD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... =N82E168...

And on a side note, I have no idea about cooling and power units, or how big a case should be.

My budget is open-ended as I am expecting to be waiting a while before I can get all the parts.

 

[Prog]

Isn't 32GB of RAM a little excessive to say the least?

 

[thatoneguy229]

Isn't 32GB of RAM a little excessive to say the least?

My mind set for that was more or less "Why not?" If you think less would be okay I could look for some smaller sets. I know how to do a lot with a computer, but with the exception of swapping hdd's and ram in a laptop, and modding an original xbox, I'm completely in the dark on this. I just figured that a lot of ram would be better than running out at some point. I do a lot of 3d work and game design, so I was just going in excess

 

[vskid3]

How long will it be until you have enough money? You might as well wait until right before you have the money to pick out parts, a lot can change in a few months when it comes to computer parts.

 

[thatoneguy229]

How long will it be until you have enough money? You might as well wait until right before you have the money to pick out parts, a lot can change in a few months when it comes to computer parts.

Hmmmm..... Good question, I work at a Dairy Queen so it could be about 4-5 months. For a computer along the lines as to what I'm looking for, how much would you say that it would (roughly) cost? I'm thinking for an initial build, cause I'm going to try to have something that can be continually upgraded, that I'll try to stay between $900 - $1200.

 

[Diminuendo]

Isn't 32GB of RAM a little excessive to say the least?

If he wants to use UDK and the other programs it's absolutely necessary, in my animation lab we have 64GB.

 

[Abyss]

I'm not positive, but if you want to use things like UDK, wouldn't a Quadro or other workstation graphics card be a bit more suitable?

 

[thatoneguy229]

I'm not positive, but if you want to use things like UDK, wouldn't a Quadro or other workstation graphics card be a bit more suitable?

I'm definitely open to suggestions as to what I should put into the thing, but it has to be able to play games at max settings also. At first I was looking at the nvidia Titan, although its price is crazy; I decided I would build a cheaper, but stil powerful computer, then upgrade as newer, better things came out.

 

[XCVG]

I'm not positive, but if you want to use things like UDK, wouldn't a Quadro or other workstation graphics card be a bit more suitable?

Yes, but they cost ten times as much and actually perform far worse for gaming. For a dual-purpose machine, especially on a budget, you're better off with a consumer card.

 

[thatoneguy229]

I'm not positive, but if you want to use things like UDK, wouldn't a Quadro or other workstation graphics card be a bit more suitable?

Yes, but they cost ten times as much and actually perform far worse for gaming. For a dual-purpose machine, especially on a budget, you're better off with a consumer card.

So what brand/type of card would you recommend? I was leaning very heavily towards nvidia just because of compatibility, and I was either going to go with the 660ti or maybe the 690 just to be up to date. Also would SLI benefit me at all? I know it's multiple graphics cards, but I don't know the benefits of having more than one.

 

[Mako321]

I'm not positive, but if you want to use things like UDK, wouldn't a Quadro or other workstation graphics card be a bit more suitable?

Mod 670s or 680s to quadros, save thousands.