The time has come - new i9-7900X system advice

[JargonGR]

Well after many years out of the loop the time has come to build my self a new system since my old one (Q9550 CPU) ain't cutting it anymore.

The new system is going to be used for work 95% and perhaps a little bit of gaming on the side but chances are slim due to time constraints.

The software packages I use are the following.

1) Adobe Creative Cloud (Photo Shop, Illustrator, InDesign and looking to dive into After Effects as well)
2) Autodesk Autocad
3) 3Ds Max
4) MS Office 365
5) Font Management Software (Suitcase Extensis) with 10,0000 Fonts
6) Adobe Bridge & ACD See (multiple instances) for browsing large digital asset libraries.
5) 3-4 Web Browsers Concurrently (Firefox Developer Edition, Chrome, Opera) with over 300 Tabs open.

I also intend to run 1-2 Virtual Machines and a Web Server for web development purposes and the PC will also serve files to other PCs (4-5).

Typical Workflow Scenario (Programs Open)

Outlook 365 Open
Adobe Illustrator Open
Adobe Photoshop with 1GB+ file open
1 VM running
1 Local Web Server Running
Chrome, Firefox with developer tools open and Opera running
ACD See 3-4 instances running
Random Requests for file handling meaning more to open (e.g. Autocad or 3Ds Max)
MS Excel & Word Running
Adobe Acrobat Running


So I need to be sure that I have enough memory and the ability to leave the system on and continue my work from where i left it.



So my current parts list is the following --- https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/hf7J6X

Summary

Case - CoolerMaste Cosmos 2 - ( I have it already brand new in its box from 4 years ago)

Motherboard Asus ROG RAMPAGE Extreme VI - (on its way)

CPU - Intel - Core i9-7900X 3.3GHz 10-Core Processor

GPU - Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB STRIX GAMING Video Card

RAM - G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 64GB (4 x 16GB) DDR4-3600 Memory

PSU - Corsair - AX1500i 1500W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (have a good local deal)

SSD - Samsung - 960 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive


For cooling I am going with a full custom loop and to overcome the Cosmos 2 limitation it will be external.
Here are the parts.

Radiator - Watercool Radiator MO-RA3 420 Pro - Stainless Steel Edition

Pump - EK Water Blocks EK-XTOP Revo Dual D5 PWM Serial

Reservoir - Watercool Heatkiller Tube 200

CPU Waterblock - EK-FB ASUS ROG R6E RGB Monoblock - Acetal+Nickel

GPU - Waterblock - Either EK or Phanteks Asus STRIX full cover waterblock


There are other parts as well but the above are the most important.


So what do you think?

I am mostly confused and worried about two things:

A) Whether the CPU Monoblock will perform properly. I have read that it had issues with delided CPUs (height differences due to lack of silicon sealing)

B) What memory to get? I need 64GB to be future proof. Does MHz speed matter on the X299 Platform?


Note: I don't care about overclocking initially but will want to down the line so I want to have the ability. (My current system is overcloked for the last 6 years)



So any advice on the Waterblock and RAM?

 

[BlueLineSwinger]

If you can spare 2 cores/4 threads and a few PCIe lanes, the Core i7-7820X is far cheaper and has a better base clock.

This isn't a gaming build, so the chosen GPU would seem to be way more than needed. Can AutoCAD, etc. actually take advantage of it? IIRC such apps are specced for workstation-class cards, such as the Quadros.

The PSU is way over-specced. I'd be looking more in the 600-800W range.

Given you're not gaming and (I therefore presume) not overclocking, the use of custom water-cooling, de-lidding CPUs, etc. would be overkill. A large air-cooling tower should be sufficient, but I could see the case for a good closed-loop cooler for the CPU.

RAM speeds won't matter much if at all. The quad-channel support in the CPU (compared to dual-channel in smaller/cheaper CPUs) is far more of a factor. I'd stick to the CPU's max RAM frequency (DDR4-2666) unless you happen upon a good deal for something a bit faster.

Move the file sharing activities off to a NAS.

 

[JargonGR]

Thanks for your input BlueLineSwinger.

Here are my thoughts:

CPU

I want the most powerful CPU with most cores possible since I plan on running a lot of stuff concurrently as I mention above. From local Web Server (for development and testing only) to Some Rendering, Large media files (After Effects is a hog) and 1-2 Virtual Machines. The cores will not go to waste even if they are not utilized at 100% all the time. I would get the 7980X if I could afford it.

PSU

The PSU might look too much but only at first look. Here is why I want it:

1) It's a very interesting hardware design compared to anything else out there (digital)
2) I might use it elsewhere as a high quality 12v source in the future
3) It comes with software features that are useful to me (measuring consumption total or per cable - will test against other meter too)
4) I might put a second small system in the same case.
5) I will overclock sometime in the future (I just know it)
6) I will also add about 12 Mechanical Drives (Libraries), one Blu-Ray writer and about 10 Fans, 2X D5 pumps. When the PC turns on the power draw can be quite a lot.
7) I want it to be highly efficient and totally silent (it will work for 18 hours a day). The fan won't even turn on if not stressed)

Watercooling

1) First of all I really like it and already have a lot of items (barbs, fittings, tools, tubing, etc) and a dual Radiator (ddc pump, Swiftech Block) loop in my current system.
2) I wan't low temps with the lowest noise possible and the plan is to move the radiator to another room that's why I am getting the MO-RA3 420.
3) The custom loop investment is going to last for a long time, future builds or even cool other systems.
4) I will overclock in the future if more performance is needed and have another system as a backup.


GPU

I plan on moving to a 4K monitor + a secondary color proofing monitor on the side and this requires a lot of GPU power. Yet some 3D applications like Lumion will utilize the 1080 Ti's RAM fully in complex scenes. I also need to tinker with VR for professional reasons. I would get an even faster card if I could. A Quadro with much RAM and that fast is out of reach and not really needed in my use case (no need for 10bit color either).


RAM

The most important for me is to have as much RAM as possible so if speed on X299 is not a detrimental factor then I will budget for size ( 4X 16GB Quad Kit) and then get the highest speed withing this budget.


File Sharing

I plan on building a file server when my budget allows it but for the next 10 months at least I can't.


CPU - Waterblock - Monoblock

Any ideas - experience regarding this on the Rampage VI Extreme?

 

[KazeoHin]

Why not go with a 1950X TR4 CPU? They outright outperform the 7900x in nearly every test.

 

[JargonGR]

My apps need single core performance as well and there the 7900X is faster. As I said I want to have the option to overclock (and might) the 7900X to 4.6Ghz.

My usage case is not like number crunching rather than being able to work on many programs at the same time and have them work on relative fast cores. E.g. Lumion, Photoshop filters, illustrator.
I plan on changing the affinity for certain programs depending on my workflow.

 

[Vader]

I have the 7900x, but clocked currently at 4.4GHz to keep VRM temps under control. I use Adobe Premiere and it flys through 4k streams. It also crushes any game I throw at it with my Asus Strix Poseiden 1080Ti. Don't skimp on the storage, if you want the ultimate content creation machine, SSD, NVMe is the way to go. You can check out my build here:

 

[JargonGR]

Great!

Regarding the storage I am just starting with a NVMe Samsung 960 Pro 512GB as a boot drive and will add more upon completing the build - probably 2TB of Samsungs.

At the moment I am allocating my immediately available funds to items that can't be upgraded easily later such as the RAM ( Quad Kit of 64GB 3600 - Trident Z RGB). I don't want to risk any incompatibilities with an extra kit in the future. Both Asus / Trident and many users recommend against adding more later.

For CPU cooling I decided to go with the EK Monoblock that also cools the VRM. It works for both the Rampage Extreme and the Apex (some clearance issues with the Apex I think).

Here it is on the RAMPAGE VI Extreme

Regarding the GPU I was going for the Poseidon initially but decided to get the Strix OC version and add a Phentek waterblock on it later while keeping the original backplate.
Anyway the decision was based solely on looks (Poseidon too thick). After all, the 1080Tis clock roughly the same whether they are reference, FE or AIB.

LOL with all these RGB lights I am going for but I feel like a "kid" after all these years out of the scene. This and I am having my 10 years old son with me picking parts..

 

[Deleted member 88227]

I'm not a big fan of EK water blocks anymore after their recent skit with their threadripper water block.

 

[JargonGR]

Well, I am just getting feedback from other users with the specific monoblock. There are not many other of this kind out either that can handle the VRM too.

Another option for VRM cooling is to attach a fan on it. That is if you get the Asus Rampage VI Extreme that comes with a fan bracket for the VRM heatsing but it looks bad and it is small meaning it can also start making noise after some time.


I will place my order at the end of this month and was wondering if the upcoming black Friday sales are of any interest for the parts I want to buy.


I don't know much about Black Friday sales (not a thing untill now in my country Greece) so I wonder how they work.

Do they offer discounts only on low end parts, on everything and only on items that are in stock??

 

[Deleted member 88227]

Fair enough then.

As for Black Friday. It sucks here in the States. Hasn't been anything worthwhile in a long, long time honestly.

They offer discounts on a wide range of merchandise from low end (most of the sales) to some higher end stuff (fewer) but the chance of something you're wanting to buy in your list being on sale for BF is pretty slim. Wouldn't hurt to check the prices on BF since you aren't ordering the parts until the end of the month anyway.

 

[JargonGR]

Well, I guessed so to be honest but the order will be placed by after the 20th of the month (funds incoming) so if BF was worth it could wait for it. I was hoping for better prices on RAM but I can dream on. Anyway, after 10 years on the same PC (A Q9550 @ 3.4GHz, 8GB RAM - GTX780 & SSD at least) I really don't care if the new system will cost me a couple of hundred Euros more or less. It will be used to make me money after all so investment recovery will be fast.

Now if you ask why I have not upgraded all this time it is because I did not need to. I.e. no games and no serious content creation on my current machine until now. What started as a side business a few years ago is suddenly ramping up to something serious, hence I need to invest.