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$1800 build with USB3

Post Date: 2010-06-15
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jimw View Drop Down
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Posts: 9 		  Quote jimw Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: $1800 build with USB3
    Posted: 15 Jun 2010 at 12:24am
Anxious to try out Digital Storm after a few Dells and an HP. Looking for a fast machine, very reliable, with USB3 for faster backups. See ticket below. Still wondering about the cooling options, both for CPU and case. Also was debating a Vertex II SSD, but in the end more time than money won out. Any comments on this config? It is $1705, but I want them to put in an Nvidia Quadro FX 580 (for the work I do), and that will put me at about $1900.
 
Thanks
 
Specifications:
Windows 7 Professional 64 bit
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master CM Storm Scout
Processor: Intel Core i7 930 2.8GHz (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS P6X58D Premium SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s)
System Memory: 12GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 750W Digital Storm Certified (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition Recommended)
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Video Card: - No Thanks, I will be installing my own video card(s)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 1: Cooler Master V8 High Performance Cooler (Compatible With ONLY i7 Processors)
Chassis Airflow: Upgrade Chassis With Zalman Performance Fans (Up to 6 Fans)
 
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Posts: 4219 		  Quote !ender_ Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 15 Jun 2010 at 12:44am
im guessing that for whatever work it is that you do, you would need a lot of ram, but i cant imagine even accessing 12gb
 
outside of that, go for the noctua cooler, very well spent $6
 
the case isnt my favorite choice, what kind of temps does the 580 you want in there put out?
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jimw View Drop Down
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Posts: 9 		  Quote jimw Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 15 Jun 2010 at 12:52am
Yep, 12GB is a lot, but for 3D cad you can't have too much, and the price isn't bad. Plus, I want to play with virtualization, and that can take a lot.
 
What is the advantage of the noctua cooler? I know nothing about cooling. The Nvidia Quadro FX580 is a very modest workstation type video card utilized in the engineering world, and I don't think it pumps out much heat at all. Which makes me wonder about the need for the extra case cooling. Maybe the noctua cooler on the cpu is enough. Any case recommendation?
 
Thanks!
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Posts: 4219 		  Quote !ender_ Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 15 Jun 2010 at 1:09am
the noctua is definitely a compliment to your case cooling, but if you dont get a lot of heat off that video card, you may be fine with the sniper
 
yea, the case fans (for that price) are a pretty serious option. i wouldnt pick that unless you know you need to move a lot of heat out. other than that, it looks like youre good to go. admittedly, i do not know much about workstations like this, but i would be willing to bet that you could see a lot of gains from an SSD, if you can spring for it
 
i only mention it because im not sure what else you could add that would give you a significant gain
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Posts: 9 		  Quote jimw Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 15 Jun 2010 at 8:37am
I'll have a look at the sniper...
 
As for the case fans, maybe I should reconsider. I don't want a whole lot of noise; do you think they might be noisy? If not, I'll just leave them.
 
Ah yes, the SSD. The Vertex II seems to be the hot ticket right now, but the 128GB is pushing 400 bucks. Could use it for the OS, and have a regular drive for data, but I think I will wait a bit longer on that. Can always upgrade later.
 
Thanks for the help.
 
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Posts: 4219 		  Quote !ender_ Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 15 Jun 2010 at 9:20am
yea i would definitely wait for ssd, tons of companies are scrabling to push them out and get thier peice of the pie right now, when the market settles a little and we can quantify the statistics that mean the most with thtem, it will be a much better time to buy
case fans, many claim that they are loud, but they can be turned down, i dont know that the sniper actually has any optional slots
 
if you want a little extra air you could always get yourself a kama bay mount, i heavily endorse these in any air cooled build. you can buy that and a solid but quiet fan for way less than the cost of the chassis upgrade on the system builder
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Posts: 7330 		  Quote Cretae Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 15 Jun 2010 at 7:33pm
Those Zalmans have a rep for being loud.
 
The Sniper is a rather large case, though very well cooled. The HAF 922 is a little smaller, but still very well cooled.
 
The Noctua Dual 120 is a very good cooler, and so quiet, I thought it wasn't running at first.
 
Before you decide on an SSD at any juncture, please look into the Intel line. I'm not the expert on this, but we have one, and he sites chapter and verse on how the Intel line is superior in virtually every respect. One significant stat is they can go up to 80% full before there is any performance hit at all. And he swoons over their "garbage collecting" algorithms. (He's not just a fanboy, he's got the research to back everything.)
 
You might want to look into Asus support issues, which are becoming quite a problem these days. I don't dislike Asus products, but the warranty for your build is only 1 year on parts, so it could be an issue.
 
 
Coolermaster Storm Sniper
Intel Core i7 930 3.8GHz OC
EVGA X58 LE
6GB DDR3 1600Mhz Ram
750W Corsair
1TB HDD
1x ATI RadeonHD 5870 1GB
Noctua Dual 120mm
I can make my mind think... anything....
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Posts: 9 		  Quote jimw Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 15 Jun 2010 at 9:03pm
Thanks for all the replies... here is what will be the final config but for the hard drives. I may consider the newer WD 6GB/sec Black Caviar 1TB drives, which use of course the new SATA. I realize the drive cannot come close to using all that bandwidth, but its cache might benefit a little, and they are cheap, so what the heck. They don't offer the new one as a choice, however, only the older 3GB/sec drive.
 
Here it is, with an updated case and cooling:
 
Thanks.
 
Total Price with Instant Savings: $1,704.00
Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master CM Storm Sniper
Processor: Intel Core i7 930 2.8GHz (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS P6X58D Premium SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s)
System Memory: 12GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 750W Digital Storm Certified (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition Recommended)
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Optical Drive 1: DVD R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Video Card: - >>> Will be an Nvidia Quadro FX580
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 1: Noctua Dual 120mm Fans High Performance Cooler (Compatible With ONLY i7 Processors)
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-Bit Edition)
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)

 
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Posts: 9 		  Quote jimw Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 17 Jun 2010 at 10:38pm
I'm seeing more and more talk of Asus support issues, what's up with that? Does Digital Storm offer any other mobos with USB3.0 support? I only see one. Unlike the new SATA, which only the fastest SSD's can even use, USB3.0 is at least something that will be useful now with a 3.0 external drive. Might speed up backups by a factor of what, 3 to 5 times?
 
I would appreciate any comments on a mobo choice.
 
Thanks.
 
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JJJJ_Shabadoo View Drop Down
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Posts: 320 		  Quote JJJJ_Shabadoo Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 17 Jun 2010 at 11:35pm
Personally I've always used Asus boards and have been very happy with them. In fact the system that DS built me (that I'm hoping ships tomorrow) has the same Asus board that you are considering.

Apparently people who have had to get support through Asus lately have been having less than stellar support experiences. I can't speak go that as all my Asus boards have always been rock solid. BUT, if you were to have problems w your motherboard, you will be covered by whatever DS warranty you purchase, so the support from Asus is really a non issue for the length of your DS warranty (I would consider getting the 2 year parts warranty for an extra $99 for whatever system you choose to go with)

Edited by JJJJ_Shabadoo - 17 Jun 2010 at 11:37pm
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Posts: 9 		  Quote jimw Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 18 Jun 2010 at 12:51am
Well, maybe for peace of mind, the 4yr/2yr warranty is worth it. Glad to hear your experience with Asus boards, it is similar to what I have heard, that is, solid, high quality stuff.
 
Good luck with your DS pc. I'll order next week and just pick it up, they are only a few miles from here. They said I could do that and save a few bucks, not to mention putting the box through less stress than it would get with UPS/FedEx/USPS or whatever they use to ship.
 
Thanks for the info.
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Posts: 7330 		  Quote Cretae Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 18 Jun 2010 at 5:40pm

The DS warranty used to be 3/3 on every build, so not a worry. Now that a lot of people are only getting one year parts, customer support elsewhere is an issue. I've never had an issue with Asus products either, but nowadays, if you do, it's like IBuyPooper, they DK you and never get back to you.

Let me add, that board only gives you 2 USB 3 ports in the back of the case, and you can get that with a $29 card. DST4ME, more or less the Guru of the forums, has explained that true 6mb/s SATA will not be available until 2011, as it will require a new southbridge chip overhaul. The SATA 6 Asus is providing here is a patchwork that somehow borrows power from the PCI rails to work. I don't pretend I understand this, I'm passing on what I've been told. If DST is wrong, no one has debated him on it, but other notables have agreed.
 
He usually comments on every build, but for about the last 10 days or so, he's been too busy to post.
 
I don't have a dog in this hunt, we just like you to have all the info you can before you decide what you want.


Edited by Cretae - 18 Jun 2010 at 5:56pm
Coolermaster Storm Sniper
Intel Core i7 930 3.8GHz OC
EVGA X58 LE
6GB DDR3 1600Mhz Ram
750W Corsair
1TB HDD
1x ATI RadeonHD 5870 1GB
Noctua Dual 120mm
I can make my mind think... anything....
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Posts: 2312 		  Quote ablahblah Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 18 Jun 2010 at 6:11pm
Just saying, EVGA's X58 FTW3 also supports USB 3.0 and SATAIII/SATA-600. Go look it up Hahaha

But yeah, right now, nothing's "true" SATA III or USB 3.0. Currently, we just have PCI-E Boards or extra controllers being built onto motherboards that can pass off as being USB 3.0/SATA-III compliant, but to actually truly integrate it into motherboards, a new chipset layout has to be developed.


Edited by ablahblah - 18 Jun 2010 at 6:12pm
R4D4RPR00F
Core i7 920 @ 3.9Ghz
Asus Sabertooth X58
EVGA GTX 570
Mushkin 6GB 1414Mhz
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Posts: 9 		  Quote jimw Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 18 Jun 2010 at 7:26pm
I hear you, Cretae, and you are right. I don't really care about 6Gb SATA, but I'll probably get the 1TB WD drive they just added to the configurator that supports it, only because it's about the same price as the old one, and what the heck, maybe the cache will get read a bit faster than on the old one. The USB 3.0 ports, however, while not utilized anywhere near their capability, might be useful soon for backups to an external 3.0 drive. Instead of taking 1 hour, it may be 20 minutes or something like that. It will borrow PCI lanes, but there should be enough on the Asus premium mobo I've chosen, especially since I will be going with a modest Nvidia card (and only one of them).
 
But as you say, in a year or two, 6Gb SATA, USB 3.0, and maybe the new PCI spec will all be commonplace. Now if only a 1TB SLC solid state drive at the new SATA speeds were a few hundred bucks by then...
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Posts: 9 		  Quote jimw Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 18 Jun 2010 at 7:29pm
ablahblah,
 
That EVGA mobo is about the same price as the Asus prremium, and both seem pretty well regarded.
 
And I concur with your last comment; as you can see in my reply just before this one. Still a ways to go before the mobos integrate all this stuff in properly.
 
 
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Posts: 7330 		  Quote Cretae Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 18 Jun 2010 at 8:39pm
Good to see you've got all the info you need to make an informed choice. That's what I care about. Some folks think the new tech is good to go, but not quite. I was one of those before I met DST4ME here, and he saved me from disappointment. Have phun with that rig!  You gonna like that Sniper, I think!  Cool
Coolermaster Storm Sniper
Intel Core i7 930 3.8GHz OC
EVGA X58 LE
6GB DDR3 1600Mhz Ram
750W Corsair
1TB HDD
1x ATI RadeonHD 5870 1GB
Noctua Dual 120mm
I can make my mind think... anything....
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