Build your own $20,000 Windows 10 workstation

Let's spend $20,000 on a Windows 10 workstation that will chew through pretty much any task you throw at it.

We begin with the case. Here I've gone for a Thermaltake View 71 RGB because it offers a great deal of flexibility.

• 4-SIDED GLASS VIEWING PROTECTION - 5mm thick tempered glass panels spaced from the chassis for optimal airflow; Top, Front, and Swing Door Design on Left and Right
• 3-WAY RADIATOR VIEW - Supporting 3-way radiator fitments; Top, Front or Vertical View mounting on Motherboard Tray
• VERTICAL GPU - Includes GPU Float bracket allows vertical mounting options for 2.5-slot GPU solutions. (Riser Cable Sold Separately)
• COOL WITH RGB- 3 Riing 14 RGB LED Fans (140mm) providing excellent cooling performance with RGB lighting
• SUPPORT UP TO 10 HDD - 2.5"/3.5" x 4 with HDD Rack + 3.5" x 3 / 2.5" x 6 behind M/B Tray
• Supports Mini ITX, Micro ATX, ATX, and E-ATX Motherboard
• I/O PORT - USB 3.0 x 2, USB 2.0 x 2, HD Audio x 1
• OUTSTANDING EXPANSION - Max CPU Cooler Height 190mm / Max VGA Length 310mm (With HDD Rack) 410mm (Without HDD Rack) / Max PSU Length 220mm (Without Bottom Fan)
• DIMENSION - 23.3" x 10.8" x 22.7" / 42.1lbs

Price: $175

For the silicon I've gone for the 18-core Intel Core i9-9980XE processor, which is capable of delivering 3.0GHz standard, and a massive 4.4GHz Turbo. 

This is a lot of processing power, but it will cut through the most demanding digital tasks.

Price: $2,000

A motherboard to pull everything together:

• Supports New Intel Core X-series Processor Family for LGA 2066 socket
• Support Quad Channel DDR4-4133(OC)+, Dual Channel DDR4-4500(OC)+
• DDR4 BOOST: Give your DDR4 memory a performance boost.
• TWIN TURBO M.2 and Intel Optane Memory Ready: NVMe support, up to 32 Gb/s using PCI-Express Gen3 x4
• TURBO U.2 with Steel Armor: The U.2 connector, featuring Steel Armor, allows connecting of the fastest NVMe based SSDs.
• Lightning USB 3.1 GEN2: Powered by the ASMedia ASM3142 USB 3.1 Gen2 controller, Lightning USB offers the fastest USB speeds.
• Military Class 6: Latest evolution in high quality components for best protection and efficiency
• Intel LAN: Great online experience through hardware design and bandwidth management offering the lowest latency.
• Audio Boost 4: Reward your ears with studio grade sound quality for a true HI-FI experience.
• EZ DEBUG LED: Easiest way to troubleshoot.
• MULTI-GPU: With STEEL ARMOR PCI-E slot. Supports 3-Way NVIDIA SLI & 3-Way AMD Crossfire
• Clear CMOS & Dual BIOS: Easy BIOS reset and recovery tools to ensure a booting system, no matter what.

Price: $240

Let's throw the maximum 128GB of RAM into this system.

• DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600)
• Timing 16-18-18-36
• CAS Latency 16
• Voltage 1.35V

Price: $880

Liquid cooling, but with added style!

• 1.77" colour OLED for real-time system stats and personalised logos or animations
• ROG-designed radiator fans for optimised airflow and static pressure
• ROG Vortex one-stop control centre for lighting, OLED display, and cooling
• Individually addressable RGB and NCVM coating pump cover accentuates the sleek, modern aesthetics
• Styled to complement ROG motherboards, at the centre stage of your build
• Reinforced, sleeved tubing for increased durability

Price: $200

To back up the processor, I've chosen to go for some super beefy GPUs, in the form of two PNY NVIDIA Quadro GP100 GPUs. Overkill for most people, but this is an overkill system!

• Quadro GP100
• 16GB HBM2
• PCI Express 3.0 x16

Price: $11,980

For the boot drive I've gone for the ever-reliable Samsung 970 EVO PLUS M.2 in a 1TB format. This is enough to store the OS on, along with anything you want to be able to launch real fast!

Price: $230

For the main storage drives I've again gone for overkill and opted for four, yes four, Samsung 860 Pro Series 2.5-inch 4TB SSDs. I like these drives because they combine high reliability with exceptional performance.

Price: $3,660

Powering this beast is an EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 G3 PSU, delivering 1KW of power, and giving all the cabling you need for all the devices.

Price: $165

Not everyone needs a high-end sound card, but if you do, the EVGA NU Audio sound card is an exceptionally well-made card, with all the features you'd expect, and built using high-grade components.

Price: $200

Finally, Windows 10 Pro. 

Price: $200