After months of thinking about it, tonight I
finally ordered about $1,800 worth of parts for my new Windows PC, pretty much just to run the new Davinci Resolve 12. The $1,800 includes discounts, rebates & a small amount for shipping. Parts arrive in a few days.
- Intel i7-5820K 6-core CPU
- ASUS GTX 980 Ti 6GB GPU
- Gigabyte GA-X99-UD3 motherboard
- 32GB DDR4 SDRAM 2133 (four 8GB sticks; max amount the MB supports)
- EVGA 650W 80+ Gold fully modular PSU
- Silverstone GD09B HTPC-style ATX case w. 1 built-in PWM 120mm quiet case fan.
- Silverstone AR02 low-profile CPU cooler (fits in GD09B case)
- 2 additional Enermax UCTB12P PWM 120mm quiet case fans
- Windows 8.1 Pro full retail version (I don't own any version of Windows to upgrade from. I'll do the free upgrade to Win 10 Pro ASAP).
(The 5820K CPU only supports 28 lanes, but if & when a future project requires 2 GPUs, the project will pay for a new CPU w. 40-lane support.)
For a HTPC case, the GD09B is fairly roomy, with space for a 12.2" GPU (a 980 Ti is 10.5"). In addition to the items listed above, I'll also install a few components I already own, including a 240GB SSD for the OS & Resolve 12, two 4GB HDDs, and initially two 240GB SSDs configured as a 480GB RAID-0 array in a dual-drive StarTech removable backplane unit (in the case's 5.25" optical bay). I might add a Gigabyte Thunderbolt card. And why a HTPC case? I like the form factor, and it's small & light enough to be semi-portable for certain location shoots (when I usually already have a suitable monitor on set).
I have an external DVD-R drive for installing software, and an external USB-3/eSATA 3.5" drive dock for making backups. Initially I'll use my 21" 1080p monitor; later I'll get a larger higher-res monitor.
I haven't used Windows regularly for years, and this will be the first PC I've built in years, so I'm sure it'll be an
interesting experience. Wish me luck. And thanks to everyone who posted helpful info here. Cheers.
EDIT: My blog about building my PC (finally!), a work in progress:https://herefortheweather.wordpress.com ... indows-pc/-