Okay, so how about an 8 core Haswel-E build?

[zombie67]

There is only one 8-core haswell-e chip, so no decision there. So it's down to just two questions:

1) Which mobo?

Must be 2011-v3. This is a dedicated cruncher, so for the mobo I am not too interested in bells and whistles. Just reliability and PCIe clots. I must have 2, maybe 3 slots for dual wide cards. I do not count the slot where it is right at the edge of the board, and hovers over all the pin headers. Dual wide cards never really fit there, and crush the connectors. I keep hoping for a single-wide card like a 750 TI, so having in-between PCIe slots would be nice too. 8 DIMM slots are nice, but not necessary.

2) Which CPU cooler?

I like the enclosed water-to-radiator-to-fan solutions.

This is all going in an HAF-X. So size is not a problem for either of these questions.

Edit: Maybe this one?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130796

[John P. Myers]

Edit: Maybe this one?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130796

Looks like a good choice. Great price for sure. Like most X99 boards, you could also put any E5-16xx v3 or E5-26xx V3 Xeon in there if you wanted.

[zombie67]

Thanks!


Quick question: For the CPU cooler...which brand do we hate again? Which is the good one we like?

[John P. Myers]

We like Swiftech and Cooler Master. I also like Thermaltake and NZXT, though F$ may not...

For sure though, we hate Corsair.

I have a NZXT Kraken X40 in my HAF X. I think it's great, though there's an updated version out now.

[zombie67]

Thanks again JPM!

[FourOh]

We like Swiftech and Cooler Master. I also like Thermaltake and NZXT, though F$ may not...

For sure though, we hate Corsair.

I have a NZXT Kraken X40 in my HAF X. I think it's great, though there's an updated version out now.

I was just looking at the Kraken X41 yesterday after reading a positive review of the Kraken X61. I'm using a Cooler Master Evo 212 right now on my i7-4790k and it works fine for 4.4Ghz... I'm probably not going to do much OC'ing but I'm always looking for ways to reduce noise. Would the X41 be any quieter?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835146041

[John P. Myers]

I've never owned an Evo 212, though they are decent air coolers. I do know that my X40 is pretty quiet though. I can hear the other case fans over it. The 6 year warranty on the X41 is really sweet too.

The HAF X case has a 140mm rear exhaust port, which is why i went with the X40 since it was the only 140mm AIO available at the time i bought it, where the rad could be sandwiched between 2 fans. It only comes with 1 fan, but it does come with a PWM splitter so you can use 2 fans which will have their RPMs controlled equally to keep noise down.

[John P. Myers]

Something else i should mention is the X40/X41 uses a USB 2.0 header for powering it's internal controller and communicating with the software interface, so make sure you have one available.

I also have 2 Cooler Master Seidon 120mm coolers. They came with 2 fans and also had a PWM splitter. They're pretty good coolers where you only have a 120mm exhaust port to mount to. There's a significant difference in the wiring between the Seidon and the Kraken X40/X41 though. On either model, you're expected to plug the pump into the CPU_FAN header on your board. This is pretty standard. But on the Seidon, you plug the rad fans into a SYS_FAN or CPU_FAN2 header. On the Kraken, you plug the fans directly into the Kraken itself and it controls everything. This also frees up a fan header for you to use elsewhere.

[FourOh]

As of this evening I have a Kraken X41 running in my i7-4790K rig :D I considered the Corsair H90, but I didn't like the fan/pump connection scheme versus the X41. JPM also suggested the Swiftech H140, which looks like a pretty sweet cooler, but I'm impulsive and I wanted to pick something up today :p

So far, so good. The NZXT CAM software is pretty slick, and allows for some options in terms of automatic/manual control. In performance mode at 4.4Ghz, I'm running about 8C cooler than with a CM 212 EVO air cooler, and it is slightly, but noticeably, quieter under load. In silent mode I'm still a few degrees under the 212 EVO and I can hear the GPUs over the radiator fans. At idle, the whole system just hums.

Z, for the i7-5960X I think you could get by with this 140mm radiator, but I would definitely consider the Kraken X61, especially if you plan to run 3 GPUs and push the CPU at all. Can't wait to see your build!

[John P. Myers]

Glad you're liking the X41 FourOh!

Broadwell-E is expected to be released in Q1 2016 and will be compatible with the X99 chipset for Haswell-E, so you've got an upgrade path. Looking like it'll still be 6 or 8 core processors, as it is now. Just slightly better energy efficiency.

[John P. Myers]

@Z: How about this one? X99-E WS (http://www.asus.com/us/Commercial_Servers_Workstations/X99E_WS/)

[Fire$torm]

@Z: How about this one? X99-E WS (http://www.asus.com/us/Commercial_Servers_Workstations/X99E_WS/)

Man that looks sweet! Z, ignore the negative Newegg reviewers, they are all unverified owners.