Need help building a computer before global thermonuclear war breaks out.

[Cardboard55]

I figure China is fixing to mosey on over to Taiwan and cause a ruckus. Could get out of control. Since that's where most computer stuff comes from, figured I'd build a last great workstation before everything becomes unobtanium.

I'm not a gamer, but might try something if we are forced to shelter in place for several years. I do want to use Photoshop and Solidworks, so picked up an Nvidia Founder's Edition 3090 Ti, since prices just dropped after the crypto cratering. Maybe some video stuff since the new camera supports 8K60p,hence the need for memory galore.

So I need advice on what else to get.

I'm thinking an i9 12900K (or AMD if equivalent)

DDR5 memory, would like 128GB but 64GB will do in a pinch.

I think I need a 690 motherboard. Asus or ?

I figure the power supply will be big, probably a 1200-1500W Platinum or titanium efficency rated.

Storage? Maybe a couple of huge HDD's plus some smaller, but speedy SSD's.

Case? Open, the Fractal Torrent seems decent.

A Noctua cpu cooler.

Going with air cooling instead of water. Don't trust water pumps for long term reliability.

Don't care about looks or LED's. Reliability is job #

Monitor I may get later, have a decent one, but open for suggestions.

I'm probably missing things. Last computer I built was a 386. Since then it's been various HP's, Dell laptops etc

Do I use Windows or will something else work with most programs?

Thanks!

 

[Tempest 455]

Will ask my son about this. He has a side biz and builds high end gaming/flight sim computers. Can probably tell me quickly what you need.

 

[NoDopes]

Go Linux.. stay the fuck away from windows. Very little reason since almost everything supports Linux these days.

 

[Hobo Hilton]

I would consult with these people:

Newegg – Shopping Upgraded

Newegg offers customers an awesome experience shopping for computers, hardware, electronics, networking solutions, and more. Upgrade your shopping experience today!

www.newegg.com

 

[Cardboard55]

Go Linux.. stay the fuck away from windows. Very little reason since almost everything supports Linux these days.

I have no idea how to do that, but seems like a good idea. Where is a good place to start with learning how to install and use Linux? I'll still have a laptop with Win10 so the workstation will be for most, but not all programs.

I think.

 

[Whiskey Tango Foxtrot]

SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?

 

[davesa]

Just chiming in since I saw this thread... and while I could write pages I think you are off to a good start...

Couple things to research and consider - the gold and platinum power supplies have a sweet spot for that efficiency. Shoot for running you PS at least > 20% load and it is 92% efficient at 50% load. I know you think that you are going to be pulling huge watts all the time but todays CPU / memory and SSD's pull surprisingly little - My AMD home server with integrated graphics idles at 18-22 watts most of the time, and bursts to maybe 140 watts.

I would also consider not adding spinning drives - at least not more than one and instead concentrating on getting some used enterprise class Intel SSD's used in servers - they have much higher MTBF and SSD's are rated in the amount of data written. Models like the 1.92tb and 3.84tb like the P4600/4610/4620 series are measured in petabytes written. Look on ebay and choose sellers that publish health reports for the drives.

Intel® SSD DC P4610 Series Product Specifications

Intel® SSD DC P4610 Series product listing with links to detailed product features and specifications.

ark.intel.com

Of course you will use NVMe M2 drives for your OS but store your personal data on enterprise class drives, not consumer drives.

They make an adapter that will allow you to use an NVMe server drive in almost any PCIe slot

 

[davesa]

Oh, another note on operating systems... if you use Windows 10 pro or Windows 11 Pro you can enable virtualization using Hyper-V and then run multiple operating systems as virtual machines if you want to try Linux ( or any other OS ). You can also use the Sandbox feature - it is a copy of Windows 10 or 11 as a virtual machine where you can try an app or web site and no changes are ever saved - great for experimenting

 

[Cardboard55]

Oh, another note on operating systems... if you use Windows 10 pro or Windows 11 Pro you can enable virtualization using Hyper-V and then run multiple operating systems as virtual machines if you want to try Linux ( or any other OS ). You can also use the Sandbox feature - it is a copy of Windows 10 or 11 as a virtual machine where you can try an app or web site and no changes are ever saved - great for experimenting

That sounds good but I have no idea what it means. Will I be able to use my valuable DOS 5.0 3.5" disks? I've been saving them for a rainy day...

I need someone to explain the finer nuances of "virtual machines" as if I am the current POTUS.

Thanks!

This is a machine I am thinking of cloning, with best in class components. The RTX 3090 Ti has been ordered, everything else is open:

XMG STUDIO Creator PC Packs Up To Intel Core i9-12900K & RTX 3090 Within Fractal's Design Torrent Casing, Starting at €1169

XMG has announced the launch of its new Studio PC which is tailored to content creators, rocking the fastest CPU and GPU options.

wccftech.com

 

[OldSalty2]

I'd go liquid cooling for sure. Been using it for years w/o issue. I thought the same as you initially, but have been proven wrong. Don't skimp though with the liquid components. Check out ekwb.com, I've always had good experiences with their liquid cooling components.

Oh, and it you want a case that actually has some innovative features, check out HP's new Omen case. It's pretty bad-ass. Not the HP Omen pre-built entire system, just the 45L case.

I'd also go ddr4 instead of 5 just to save some pretty significant jack. Can always get 5 when prices come down, easy upgrade path.

If you plan to store photos, music, movies etc, make sure you have a solid and tested backup strategy. Lots of options and the solution will be dependent on how much data you have.

Get windows, it's what you boomers have been using since AoL. If you want to play, then run a virtual machine with Linux and go from there. Once you have a good handle, then you can decide if that's what you want.

Will be a solid build though with that list of components.

 

[n2ishun]

I used to be admin at Hardocp.com.
Kinda means, I know more about computers than you.
Yup, sounds snobby and smug, fuck you, deal with it.
Built my first computer in 1994, a screaming P90.
Built the Clevo builder edition laptop in front of me (10875 cpu, 32 gig ddr4, 2080 vid, 3 x SSDs, 2 NVME and 1 ssd) it rips.

DO NOT use a single spinner HDD, use all SSD, hopefully NVME.
64 gig is more than enough, I run photoslop on 32 and never have an issue, I run softimage, lightwave, truespace, CATIA....no troubles at all.
You had best use a watercooling solution of some sort or you will regret it.
Get a AIO Corsair watercooler, they just work, period.
Don't waste money on a I9, get a I7, it's more than enough.
Mine is 8 core 16 thread at 5ghz.....how is that possibly not enough ?
Run Win10 LTSC.
Not linux, you obviously know fuckall about shit if you're asking here.
Yea, I see it now, you typing "chmod 755 +c+l+t" and understanding it.
Eat shit, use LTSC, it's the ONLY windows w/o bullshit installed from the factory.
You don't know dick about command line. right ?
Windows.

Here, I just did this in Photoshop.
Not an issue at all.

 

[Maggot]

Will ya'll speak English.

 

[Soulezoo]

I used to have a Tandy TRS80.

 

[OldSalty2]

Yeah 64GB is way enough RAM for what I am getting to feel is your use case. 128 is overkill. I mean if you want to tweak it all out and try to win some benchmark tests....

Agree with all SSD/NVME no need for spinning. Enterprise class SSD is best, but you'll pay a premium for that write lifecycle.

If you do it right then losing a disk will not be a big deal anyways.

And yes, Asus makes a good MB in my opinion.

 

[n2ishun]

OBTW, after install open a admin level power shell and paste this into it.
Hit enter as many times at it wants, should be like 5 times.
It will block ALL telemetry from Microshaft trying to dig into your personal shit.
Trust me, they are shit heels and will nose into your shit w/o telling you.
Dig ?
Here we go.

$hostsPath = “$env:windir\system32\drivers\etc\hosts”

IF ([System.Environment]::OSVersion.Version.Major -ge 10){
Get-Service DiagTrack | Stop-Service
Get-Service DiagTrack | Set-Service -StartupType Disabled
Get-Service dmwappushservice | Stop-Service
Get-Service dmwappushservice | Set-Service -StartupType Disabled

# RegFix ##############################################################33

New-ItemProperty “HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection” -Name “AllowTelemetry” -PropertyType DWord -Value 0 -Force
New-ItemProperty “HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DiagTrack” -Name “Start” -PropertyType DWord -Value 4 -Force
New-ItemProperty “HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DiagTrack” -Name “Type” -PropertyType DWord -Value 10 -Force
New-ItemProperty “HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DiagTrack” -Name “ServiceSidType” -PropertyType DWord -Value 1 -Force
New-ItemProperty “HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DiagTrack” -Name “ServiceDllUnloadOnStop” -PropertyType DWord -Value 1 -Force
New-ItemProperty “HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\dmwappushservice” -Name “DelayedAutoStart” -PropertyType DWord -Value 0 -Force
New-ItemProperty “HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\dmwappushservice” -Name “Start” -PropertyType DWord -Value 4 -Force
New-ItemProperty “HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\dmwappushservice” -Name “Type” -PropertyType DWord -Value 20 -Force
New-ItemProperty “HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\dmwappushservice” -Name “ServiceSidType” -PropertyType DWord -Value 1 -Force
New-ItemProperty “HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\dmwappushservice\Parameters” -Name “ServiceDllUnloadOnStop” -PropertyType DWord -Value 1 -Force
New-ItemProperty “HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AdvertisingInfo” -Name “Enabled” -PropertyType DWord -Value 0 -Force
Remove-ItemProperty “HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AdvertisingInfo” -Name “Id” -Force
New-ItemProperty “HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AdvertisingInfo” -Name “Enabled” -PropertyType DWord -Value 0 -Force
New-ItemProperty “HKCU:\Control Panel\International\User Profile” -Name “HttpAcceptLanguageOptOut” -PropertyType DWord -Value 1 -Force
New-ItemProperty “HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\InputPersonalization” -Name “RestrictImplicitTextCollection” -PropertyType DWord -Value 1 -Force
New-ItemProperty “HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\InputPersonalization” -Name “RestrictImplicitInkCollection” -PropertyType DWord -Value 1 -Force
New-ItemProperty “HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\InputPersonalization\TrainedDataStore” -Name “HarvestContacts” -PropertyType DWord -Value 0 -Force
New-ItemProperty “HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Personalization\Settings” -Name “AcceptedPrivacyPolicy” -PropertyType DWord -Value 0 -Force

$HostsUPD = @()
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 vortex.data.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 vortex-win.data.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 telecommand.telemetry.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 telecommand.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 oca.telemetry.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 oca.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 sqm.telemetry.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 sqm.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 watson.telemetry.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 watson.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 redir.metaservices.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 choice.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 choice.microsoft.com.nsatc.net’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 df.telemetry.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 reports.wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 services.wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 sqm.df.telemetry.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 telemetry.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 watson.ppe.telemetry.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 telemetry.appex.bing.net’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 telemetry.urs.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 telemetry.appex.bing.net:443’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 settings-sandbox.data.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 vortex-sandbox.data.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 survey.watson.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 watson.live.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 watson.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 statsfe2.ws.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 corpext.msitadfs.glbdns2.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 compatexchange.cloudapp.net’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 cs1.wpc.v0cdn.net’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 a-0001.a-msedge.net’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 statsfe2.update.microsoft.com.akadns.net’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 diagnostics.support.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 corp.sts.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 statsfe1.ws.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 pre.footprintpredict.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 i1.services.social.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 i1.services.social.microsoft.com.nsatc.net’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 bingads.microsoft.com’
$HostsUPD += ‘127.0.0.1 www.bingads.microsoft.com’

$Hosts = Get-Content $hostsPath

foreach ($Line in $HostsUPD)
{
IF ($Line -notin $Hosts )
{ “True: $Line”
$Line | Out-File $hostsPath -Append -Encoding ascii
}
}
}

Copy/paste the whole thing, don't miss a single line.
Anyone worth their salt can see it's only to block microsoft telemetry.

 

[OldSalty2]

I used to have a Tandy TRS80.

Yeah but have you ever written in assembler?

 

[n2ishun]

Yeah but have you ever written in assembler?

I have.

 

[NoDopes]

Microsoft is worse than the FBI.

Redirecting

They own your ass.

 

[OldSalty2]

I have.

The nerds equivalent to "working in concrete...."

 

[plong]

Yeah but have you ever written in assembler?

Fortran IV… on cards, no-less…

 

[n2ishun]

Fortran IV… on cards, no-less…

Don't forget the mighty Cobol.
Fortran and Cobol, language of engineers.....and where all the good ones started.
They still use Fortran, Cobol I'm not sure of.

 

[Cardboard55]

I'd go liquid cooling for sure. Been using it for years w/o issue. I thought the same as you initially, but have been proven wrong. Don't skimp though with the liquid components. Check out ekwb.com, I've always had good experiences with their liquid cooling components.

Oh, and it you want a case that actually has some innovative features, check out HP's new Omen case. It's pretty bad-ass. Not the HP Omen pre-built entire system, just the 45L case.

I'd also go ddr4 instead of 5 just to save some pretty significant jack. Can always get 5 when prices come down, easy upgrade path.

Lastly, If you plan to store photos, music, movies etc, make sure you have a solid and tested backup strategy. Lots of options and the solution will be dependent on how much data you have.

Will be a solid build though with that list of components.

I was thinking of some sort of external RAID array, but too stupid at this point to know what to do. Get a bunch of the 18TB drives and some kind of external box to put them in?

I used to be admin at Hardocp.com.
Kinda means, I know more about computers than you.
Yup, sounds snobby and smug, fuck you, deal with it.
Built my first computer in 1994, a screaming P90.
Built the Clevo builder edition laptop in front of me (10875 cpu, 32 gig ddr4, 2080 vid, 3 x SSDs, 2 NVME and 1 ssd) it rips.

DO NOT use a single spinner HDD, use all SSD, hopefully NVME.
64 gig is more than enough, I run photoslop on 32 and never have an issue, I run softimage, lightwave, truespace, CATIA....no troubles at all.
You had best use a watercooling solution of some sort or you will regret it.
Get a AIO Corsair watercooler, they just work, period.
Don't waste money on a I9, get a I7, it's more than enough.
Mine is 8 core 16 thread at 5ghz.....how is that possibly not enough ?
Run Win10 LTSC.
Not linux, you obviously know fuckall about shit if you're asking here.
Yea, I see it now, you typing "chmod 755 +c+l+t" and understanding it.
Eat shit, use LTSC, it's the ONLY windows w/o bullshit installed from the factory.
You don't know dick about command line. right ?
Windows.

Here, I just did this in Photoshop.
Not an issue at all.

View attachment 7915078

I'd like to have the ability to work with the Nikon's still and video files. I'm guessing that more memory would be better. To wit: https://exascend.com/selecting-right-cfexpress-nikon-z9-v2-firmware-8k-60p-raw/

I would absolutely use SSD for everything but archival storage (and might consider SSD for a largeish storage array if modern slower ones are cheap enough). I think, but am not sure, that the 18TB-ish HDD's are the cheapest $/GB option out there.

I'm old, so if this is my last build, I've no problem spending a little extra. Before inflation goes vertical and Formosa disappears under the onslaught of 600 million screaming Chinaman.

 

[n2ishun]

I absolutely hate that guy.

 

[SilentStalkr]

Yeah 64GB is way enough RAM for what I am getting to feel is your use case. 128 is overkill. I mean if you want to tweak it all out and try to win some benchmark tests....

Agree with all SSD/NVME no need for spinning. Enterprise class SSD is best, but you'll pay a premium for that write lifecycle.

If you do it right then losing a disk will not be a big deal anyways.

And yes, Asus makes a good MB in my opinion.

Psst...more ram mo better! Microsoft sucks. This thread is a joke right? I think if OPs situation happened, the last thing you gonna need or be worried about is a computer. Lmao.

 

[Rthur]

Psst...more ram mo better! Microsoft sucks. This thread is a joke right? I think if OPs situation happened, the last thing you gonna need or be worried about is a computer. Lmao.

EMP.

R

 

[Cardboard55]

Fortran IV… on cards, no-less…

Fortran on the PDP's and machine language on an 8008. If one left a rubber band on the cards when put into the reader tray it would crash the system. That was eons ago, and now I can't even recall what I had for dinner yesterday.

Plus these newfangled monitors don't have a bezel, so there's nowhere to stick the Post-it notes.

 

[W54/XM-388]

Something I don't see you listing with all your grand huge plans is spare parts.

All that cool high end consumer grade stuff you have is a bit prone to having "issues" some years down the road.
If you are actually serious about being prepared for some lack of supply of components, then you better be planning on a full set of spares for your computer or one poorly manufactured capacitor may mean your great wonderful system is little more than ballast.

 

[rtB]

Go to Newegg.com
Click on Components in the upper left.
Select each component and buy whatever the most expensive option is.
Get box in mail.
Put it all together.
Invite neighbor's kid over and say LOSER!
Play Solitaire like a badass.

But seriously, I just put together a decent PC for around 500 bucks. Plenty fast for most stuff. But it is a SHTF PC. It's a microATX socket 1700, pentium gold 46w TDP, 16gb DDR4, 256gb NVMe. The difference is it runs off a 12 volt power supply. With the external buck boost converter it'll run off anything between 9 and 18 volts - draws about 2 amps running. So if need be it'll run off of all kinds of batteries and/or small solar systems. I have it hooked up to my radio for digital mode stuff. And Porn.

 

[Cardboard55]

EMP.

R

I converted my bathroom into an EMC chamber. Mini-fridge, microwave & dumper. I could survive for YEARS.

 

[n2ishun]

Photoshop ?
whazzat ?

 

[Im2bent]

Fuck the stupid puter, take that money and buy more ammo.

 

[2aBaC̶a̶]

a computer will be obsolete in a month. get a into ham radio.

 

[Cardboard55]

a computer will be obsolete in a month. get a into ham radio.

I have my choices narrowed down to a FT-DX101MP or a Baofeng.

 

[W54/XM-388]

a computer will be obsolete in a month. get a into ham radio.

Better get spares for that.
Man made EMPs are not the most likely thing that could mess up your radio setup.

 

[chevy_man]

PCPartPicker


Gives you a good guess that stuff will work together.

Fuck water cooling. Air is simple and works just as good with the only penalty being a little noise if the fans are ramped up.
Water is great for certain things. It's also a maintenance item and can destroy components if it leaks or fails. Still has to dump heat which means a radiator with fans on it.

I'm an AMD guy. Ryzen 9 would be my go to, with 64gb of RAM and a 1000w power supply.

2, 500tb nvme drives for boot drives.
However many big SSD drives you need to store stuff. Only limited by SATA ports really.

Don't bother with built in wifi. Get a pcie WiFi card and external antennas if needed.

Get a decent board. I usually have better luck with the "heavy duty" gaming boards that are thicker, and have pcie braces for the heavy video cards.



I'm not a super geek, so I still run windows. It works with everything I need, and only mildly annoys me at times. Games, winamp, and Firefox is all my computers tend to run, so Windows works.

 

[HousePlant]

I built my computer in 2019 as follows:

• ASUS B450i Motherboard
• AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
• ASUS ROG Strix RTX 2070 8GB triple fan
• G.Skill Flare X 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL14 Memory
• HP EX920 256GB NVME SSD (boot disk)
• Crucial 1TB NVME SSD (programs disk)
• Western Digital Green 4TB HDD (files disk; this is backed up to a NAS with dual 4TB Red disks)
• No water cooling, just a high end CPU fan and all the case fans I could fit (Noctua and be quiet!)
• Corsair Gold Power Supply (I think 600W)
• Cougar case (can't remember the model; wasn't that expensive)

I hate water cooling. The coolant doesn't last that long and it's complication and cost I don't need.

Computer does whatever I give it without complaint. It has been overclocked with the air cooling to a healthy jump, but I don't run it like that. It will mine crypto via GPU and CPU at a very healthy rate simultaneously 24/7 if I let it, but the fans blow full blast and it's not profitable. Runs a 27" 1440p 144hz AOC gaming monitor and a 32" 4K 60hz BenQ graphics editing monitor without complaint.

Obviously in 2022 I would get all the new hotness but that'd just be an upgraded motherboard, processor, and ram. The rest I could reuse. Okay maybe I'd have to upgrade the power supply but I doubt it. I don't need any more in the graphics card department, I already can max out and game I've played without issue without overclocking it. I don't play many games. It does photo editing fine. It does video editing fast enough.

Normal "productivity" the fans don't even spin, except the CPU fan on full slow and one of the case fans which isn't bios controlled -- the HDD (if it's spinning) is louder than any fan in this use case.

No issues with the built-in wifi in my motherboard but a card is going to be faster and/or be able to connect to a router farther away.

I had trouble getting the RAM to run at full speed but eventually figured it out. Invest in the fastest ram you can get.

 

[Soulezoo]

Yeah but have you ever written in assembler?

No, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

 

[Sako man]

I figure China is fixing to mosey on over to Taiwan and cause a ruckus. Could get out of control. Since that's where most computer stuff comes from, figured I'd build a last great workstation before everything becomes unobtanium.

I'm not a gamer, but might try something if we are forced to shelter in place for several years. I do want to use Photoshop and Solidworks, so picked up an Nvidia Founder's Edition 3090 Ti, since prices just dropped after the crypto cratering. Maybe some video stuff since the new camera supports 8K60p,hence the need for memory galore.

So I need advice on what else to get.

I'm thinking an i9 12900K (or AMD if equivalent)

DDR5 memory, would like 128GB but 64GB will do in a pinch.

I think I need a 690 motherboard. Asus or ?

I figure the power supply will be big, probably a 1200-1500W Platinum or titanium efficency rated.

Storage? Maybe a couple of huge HDD's plus some smaller, but speedy SSD's.

Case? Open, the Fractal Torrent seems decent.

A Noctua cpu cooler.

Going with air cooling instead of water. Don't trust water pumps for long term reliability.

Don't care about looks or LED's. Reliability is job #

Monitor I may get later, have a decent one, but open for suggestions.

I'm probably missing things. Last computer I built was a 386. Since then it's been various HP's, Dell laptops etc

Do I use Windows or will something else work with most programs?

Thanks!

Forget Taiwan, Russia is due to nuke some shit soon if we don't stop fucking around. I'm starting to wonder who is worse, our current administration is no better than Xi or Putin, so who's got it comming?

Besides, your computer won't do shit after that first EMP blast fucks it all up.

That said, get a minimum of 128 gigs of Ram, it's one of the best ways to speed things up. Always do SSD, they are much faster than platters and have a failure rate of 1/10th that of traditional HD's

 

[n2ishun]

2, 500tb nvme drives for boot drives.

I really, really want to see these 500 terabyte drives.
Link a brutha up, I'll buy 4 of them right now.

 

[acudaowner]

you can play all the really cool games lol

 

[n2ishun]

Here ya go.
Old computer of mine, circa 2005.
Water cooled, via Koolance Exos.
Never 1 issue, for years.
That old Koolance is now worth quite a bit.
They don't make them like they used to.

 

[Naaman]

I figure China is fixing to mosey on over to Taiwan and cause a ruckus. Could get out of control. Since that's where most computer stuff comes from, figured I'd build a last great workstation before everything becomes unobtanium.

I'm not a gamer, but might try something if we are forced to shelter in place for several years. I do want to use Photoshop and Solidworks, so picked up an Nvidia Founder's Edition 3090 Ti, since prices just dropped after the crypto cratering. Maybe some video stuff since the new camera supports 8K60p,hence the need for memory galore.

So I need advice on what else to get.

I'm thinking an i9 12900K (or AMD if equivalent)

DDR5 memory, would like 128GB but 64GB will do in a pinch.

I think I need a 690 motherboard. Asus or ?

I figure the power supply will be big, probably a 1200-1500W Platinum or titanium efficency rated.

Storage? Maybe a couple of huge HDD's plus some smaller, but speedy SSD's.

Case? Open, the Fractal Torrent seems decent.

A Noctua cpu cooler.

Going with air cooling instead of water. Don't trust water pumps for long term reliability.

Don't care about looks or LED's. Reliability is job #

Monitor I may get later, have a decent one, but open for suggestions.

I'm probably missing things. Last computer I built was a 386. Since then it's been various HP's, Dell laptops etc

Do I use Windows or will something else work with most programs?

Thanks!

OP,

Ever heard of Velocity Micro? They source as much as possible from the US, and do all work in the US. Takes about a week to put a system together and get it in the mail.

Some stuff still does come from China, so don't wait too long (caused me a delay during the 'rona). But its as "American" a computer as I've been able to find.

 

[padom]

I was thinking of some sort of external RAID array, but too stupid at this point to know what to do. Get a bunch of the 18TB drives and some kind of external box to put them in?


I'd like to have the ability to work with the Nikon's still and video files. I'm guessing that more memory would be better. To wit: https://exascend.com/selecting-right-cfexpress-nikon-z9-v2-firmware-8k-60p-raw/

I would absolutely use SSD for everything but archival storage (and might consider SSD for a largeish storage array if modern slower ones are cheap enough). I think, but am not sure, that the 18TB-ish HDD's are the cheapest $/GB option out there.

I'm old, so if this is my last build, I've no problem spending a little extra. Before inflation goes vertical and Formosa disappears under the onslaught of 600 million screaming Chinaman.

If you want external/on LAN large RAID storage TrueNAS is the way to go...if thats over your head then you can grab something like a Synology NAS and populate it with whatever hard drives you want... if dealing with large video files on the LAN, 10GB is very cost effective these days. SFP+ cards and a 10GB switch is all you need. I run 48 Port Aruba switches stacked linking my house to my shop with fiber then have my ESXI server, TrueNas and my main workstation connected via SFP+....

Using enterprise class backup/replication is a must IMHO these days...I'm a huge Storagecraft fan and have been using it for years (also a reseller/partner). Main workstation does an incremental continuous image backup hourly to TrueNAS as well as ESXI and Server2019....that then also replicates daily to my AWS S3.... Data loss isn't an option for me as a commercial IT company owner.

 

[padom]

While some say i9 is overkill...if you're looking to build a powerful workstation I say go for it. I would personally wait for 13th Gen to drop though.. you're looking at a massive gain from 12th to 13th Gen Intel which is not typical. Both single and multi-threaded performance. Samsung 980 Pro 2TB NVME for OS and I run a second one for VirtualBox.

As suggested above, 100% run water. Air can't compete. I run a full custom dual rad loop in my main workstation 11900K/3080 Ti...but you can't sneeze at Corsair AIO they just work and I've been using them in customer builds for years without a single issue...

I dont run any mechanical drives in my workstation, all NVME...mechanical are only in my NAS and servers in raid where data is always replicated on and offsife

 

[padom]

Here ya go.
Old computer of mine, circa 2005.
Water cooled, via Koolance Exos.
Never 1 issue, for years.
That old Koolance is now worth quite a bit.
They don't make them like they used to.

View attachment 7915208

Hahahah.. I thought I was the only one that had a Koolance! Talk about a throwback circa early 2000's

 

[Cardboard55]

While some say i9 is overkill...if you're looking to build a powerful workstation I say go for it. I would personally wait for 13th Gen to drop though.. you're looking at a massive gain from 12th to 13th Gen Intel which is not typical. Both single and multi-threaded performance. Samsung 980 Pro 2TB NVME for OS and I run a second one for VirtualBox.

As suggested above, 100% run water. Air can't compete. I run a full custom dual rad loop in my main workstation 11900K/3080 Ti...but you can't sneeze at Corsair AIO they just work and I've been using them in customer builds for years without a single issue...

I dont run any mechanical drives in my workstation, all NVME...mechanical are only in my NAS and servers in raid where data is always replicated on and offsife

I believe I read somewhere that the 13th gen i9 offered a few % increase in performance but had a very significant jump in power / tdp. I know the liquid cooled systems perform better than air, but I'm less confident in the reliability of the pumps and seals throughout the system. Hence my (negotiable) preference for air cooling. I am not planning on over clocking.

The fractal Torrent seemed to do reasonably well on air cooling, at least according to this review:



I should add that I have a Tripp lite 2400va line conditioner to help protect the ps from getting beat up by mains power surges spikes etc. I may add a ups, although getting the computer built is job #1.

Home

Tripp Lite LCR2400 Line Conditioner / AVR SystemThe LCR-2400 provides proven power protection for your home audio, home theatre or live sound equipment rack! It features an automatic voltage regulation system that offers complete protection from brownouts, over-voltages and transient surges in a...

www.parts-express.com

Have a cheap thermal so will look for hot spots once it's running and possibly add some targeted spot cooling fans or extra heat sinking. Run it straight for a few hundred hours to get it out on the bathtub reliability curve.

 

[padom]

I believe I read somewhere that the 13th gen i9 offered a few % increase in performance but had a very significant jump in power / tdp. I know the liquid cooled systems perform better than air, but I'm less confident in the reliability of the pumps and seals throughout the system. Hence my (negotiable) preference for air cooling. I am not planning on over clocking.

250% increase over 12th Gen in one test I saw last week but across the board 35% increase over 12900K in multi-threaded applications. Thats not a small increase..

Intel Core i9-13900K pre-production CPU has been 'fully reviewed'

Intel's new Core i9-13900K 'Raptor Lake' CPU gets fully reviewed: 10% faster than Core i9-12900K in single-threaded benchmarks.

www.tweaktown.com

EDIT
236% increase in Cinebench R20 alone... Each new generation is typically a small increase.. 12th to 13th Gen is a big one from all the reports, reviews and testing coming out the past 2 weeks.... I have a 11900K which runs great, but I held off on 12th Gen for this very reason. Ill be getting a 13900K as soon as it comes out. I dont game but I use my graphics for video rendering on the GPU...

 

[Cardboard55]

I should also add that the workstation will not be run 24x7 (although there is an argument that leaving electronics on continuously yields better longevity than repeated on/off cycling). I'll still use laptops or tablet for general surfing. But I do want an extremely capable system for serious use, and if Taiwan goes sideways expect computer supply logistics to go seriously downhill.

 

[Drew M]

DO YOU WANT TO PLAY A GAME?

HOW ABOUT A NICE GAME OF CHESS?

 

[padom]

Have a cheap thermal so will look for hot spots once it's running and possibly add some targeted spot cooling fans or extra heat sinking. Run it straight for a few hundred hours to get it out on the bathtub reliability curve.

Overclocking or not, those fans will spin up and will be loud when you put that CPU under load with an air cooler. I can tell you that with 100% confidence. 11th and 12th Gen's run HOT. You will wish you went water if you value noise levels. There are no pumps seals to worry about with Corsair AIO. I have them running in systems for 5yr without a single issue. Its a completely sealed loop setup. Custom water cooling not properly installed is where you have to worry about leaks and failures.... But done right, they are just as reliable.





I had to throw a hose in and remove my hard tubing when I upgraded video cards on this pic. They didnt have a block for the 3080 when it first came out...