Advice & Suggestions on first build under $3k budget

-I have this question posted on multiple forums so bare with me here as my replies will be much slower.
-AS FOR THE PEOPLE recommending me WC I honestly feel intimidated by it. I chose an air cooling case but I still am not sure to choose a water cooling enabled one since I am not positive if I go WC in the future.
-I will order from mostly canadian sites but will order from other places if necessary. The preferred retailer list I posted isn't that vital.

UNAVAILABLE ON NEWEGG CANADA:

Monitor: Dell UltraSharp U2312HM
CPU HSF: Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E
Headphones: Sennheiser PC 350 or 360
Tablet: Wacom Bamboo Splash

This is my first build from scratch my gaming orientation leans on rpgs, mmos, action-adventure and rts for the most part and less so for fps and racing games.

Approximate Purchase Date:
By the end of July
Budget Range:
Under $3k subtotal including everything base system, monitor, peripherals etc…
System Usage from Most to Least Important:
Extensive gaming and production/rendering in autodesk and other 3D/CG art software
Parts Not Required:
Not planning on getting a custom water cooling system just yet
Preferred Website(s) for Parts:
Newegg Canada
TigerDirect Canada
Canada Computers
NCIX
Country:
Canada
Parts Preferences:
Nvidia, visuals for the most part
Storage Space:
2TB minimum
Overclocking:
Likely
SLI or Crossfire:
Possibly SLI
Monitor Resolution:
1920x1080 or 2560x1440. I would like to have games on maxed settings, AA would be nice and what ever gaming technology optimization available
Additional Comments:
my newegg wishlist

anything sold out on the list i will look for else where, as long as they have good enough return policy

Really looking for some of the top and latest support with longevity, durability and silence

the rig would be placed in the basement which is usually around 20C, during the humid summer it should be closer to 30C room temp but we almost always AC then. the only thing about the basement i am worried about is if airflow wouldn't be good enough for the rig

would a heatsink fan suffice for now? if i ever choose to SLI would water cooling be needed then?

That's quite a budget. There is really no specific build list with a budget like that. It will all be up to personal preference. You can get a 3930K, LGA2011 motherboard, 2x680 4GB, RAID 1 2TB HDD, 256 SSD, Seasonic 800+ Watt PSU, 200+ dollar case, 16GB RAM, etc etc.

If I was building, I would probably do this:

Intel 3930K $550
Gigabyte Assassin2 LGA2011 $320
16GB Corsair/Mushkin Ram $90
Nvidia 690 $999 (Must buy from EVGA.com or a specialty store)
Intel 330 180GB SSD $200-220
2x 2TB Western Digital HDD- $200-240
Large Case Option: Corsair 800D- $220
Medium Case Option: SilverStone Raven RV02 $160
Seasonic X750- $120

Total: ~$2700

Downgrading to a 3770K and a LGA 1155 motherboard will save around $400. Going with a single 680 2GB will save $500. Finding deals on the HDD and SSD can potentially save 100.

I didn't know if you needed a monitor or not.

Check out my post here:

http://www.sharkyforums.com/showthread.php?t=324576

Someone doing similar stuff asked for a quote. The price came out to be around $2032.00

You probably don't need the Delta 66 (unless you are also doing serious audio editing or TWO media drives.

I picked the Quadro because you said you will be primarily doing auto-cad 3D work and the type of gaming will not require the GTX690 series. You could use the mobo and CPU Timman recommended. However with regards to the RAM, I would recommend 32GB for a good base for your work. However for more than 16GB of RAM, you need to have Win 7 Pro or Ultimate.

your think i need to upgrade my PSU 100+w? its over $200 CAN.

i wont be doing animation or anything like that most of it will be motionless like modelling

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TBGAPowa

your think i need to upgrade my PSU 100+w? its over $200 CAN.

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1000+ Watt you mean? I don't think so. The 3930K is a 130W CPU, the 680 is a 275W MAX GPU, the 690 is around 350W Max draw. 700W-800W will be plenty, especially Seasonic X series since they are typically underrated.

updated the list. switched to sabertooth z77 motherboard, can’t choose between the two headsets so if any audiophiles could voice their opinions that would be great and i am still planning on downgrading to a 120gb ssd instead but don’t know if i should go with the lower iOPS. I chose the creative card over asus ones as most gamers have mentioned better clarity for gaming and movies, for music asus ones are better certainly but i’m not that big on music. which GPU 670/80 do you guys recommend since i won’t be hardcore OCing

I agree with Timman on the PSU. The 850W will be good. Look at this one:

CORSAIR Professional Series HX850 $175

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TBGAPowa

updated the list. switched to sabertooth z77 motherboard, can’t choose between the two headsets so if any audiophiles could voice their opinions that would be great and i am still planning on downgrading to a 120gb ssd instead but don’t know if i should go with the lower iOPS. I chose the creative card over asus ones as most gamers have mentioned better clarity for gaming and movies, for music asus ones are better certainly but i’m not that big on music. which GPU 670/80 do you guys recommend since i won’t be hardcore OCing

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The 670 and 680 are pretty close together actually. The 680 is about 10-15% faster, so that's a judgement you'll need to make. If you are only gaming at 1080p and not trying to push 120hz, then I would say a 670 would be perfectly fine. If you are thinking about upgrading to a higher resolution some time down the road, it may be better to go with a 680.

As for a soundcard, I would hold off. Most motherboards come with great onboard sound these days. See if it is good enough for your needs before blowing 150+ on a sound card. I would definitely stay with either Crucial or Intel for your SSD, do not buy an OCZ.