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Custom FSX system - need your input

Post Date: 2008-04-22
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Jean View Drop Down
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Email address used to purchase matched with forums account email.

Joined: 22 Apr 2008
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Posts: 3 		  Quote Jean Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: Custom FSX system - need your input
    Posted: 22 Apr 2008 at 12:49pm
I am steps (well, days) away from having DS put together for me a gaming rig I have been saving for and dreaming about for some time.

While doing some research I happened to learn about DS and heard nothing but great things about DS ever since.

I have gone through a few scenarios using the built configurator and have submitted a few questions to DS's qualified technical advisor.

My main objective in building this rig is to take a crack at running FSX at the highest settings (like many) with smooth FPS, high AA and AF, no stuttering or texture flickering whatsoever, etc.

I will also be using this rig for office work and music production. Jury is still ou on the audio card, so I'm leaving this option open for now. Any advice is welcome.

My current monitor is a Gateway FLD 2185, 21", running at 1680x1050.

I will be upgrading to a Samsung 275T Plus, 27", running at 1900x1200 very soon.

Here is my configuration.

Your comments and advice would be greatly appreciated before I put the final crunch on this rig.

Specifications:
Case: Digital Storm 950Si (Black Anodized Aluminum Finish)
Power Supply: 1000W SilverStone Strider (Dual SLI Compatible) (Model: ST1000) (Silent)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad QX9770 Extreme 3.20GHz (1600MHz FSB) (12MB Cache)
Motherboard: nVidia 790i Ultra Core 2 Quad (nForce 790i Ultra SLI) (DDR3 Only)
Memory: 4GB DDR3 Corsair at 1600MHz Dominator DHX (High-Performance)
Floppy / Card: 1.44MB Floppy (Black Edition)
Hard Drive 1: 150GB Western Digital Raptor (10K RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed) for OS
Hard Drive 2: 750GB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed) for data and programs
Raid Option: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: BLU-RAY/DVD±±R/RW/CD-R/RW (Blu-Ray 4x / DVD Writer 18x / CD-Writer 48x)
Network Card: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 2x SLI Dual (nVidia GeForce 8800GTX 768MB (eVGA ACS3) (Overclocked Edition)
Sound Card: Motherboard Multi-Channel High Definition Audio my options are open
Physics Card: - No Thanks
Cooling: Liquid Chilled FrostBite Dual Loop System for CPU & Dual Video Cards
Case Lighting: Blizzard Internal Lighting (White Edition) (Cold Cathode Tubes)
Round Cables: - No Thanks
User Manual: Personalized Platinum Digital Storm Binder (Includes Paperwork/Benchmarks/CDs/Manuals)
Overclock Processor: Yes, Overclock the processor as much as possible with complete stability
Overclock Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s) - video card already factory-oc'd
Overclock Memory: Yes, Overclock memory timings (Includes Corsair Dominator Airflow Fan Upgrade) ?not sure if necessary?
Tweak Windows: No.
Windows OS: Dual Boot (Windows XP Professional (32 bit) & Windows Vista Ultimate (64-Bit Edition)
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Benchmarking: 3D Mark 2006 Advanced Edition (By: Futuremark) (Pre-Install and apply updates)
Pre-Install Game: - No Thanks
LCD Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks my keyboard comes with a mouse
Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty
Support: Lifetime Toll-Free Platinum Care Technical Support
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widdlecat View Drop Down
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Joined: 11 Mar 2008
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Posts: 840 		  Quote widdlecat Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 22 Apr 2008 at 2:16pm
Nice setup! I have a question regarding sound production. Are you making recordings / music or just talking about audio reproduction as in playback? Aside from the ever-present SB X-Fi cards, there is the ASUS Xonar. That particular card is better at sound quality for reproduction as it uses superior Burr Brown DACs.  The A/D conversion is handled by Crystal chips tho I believe. Last time I checked, the Xonar did not support a front headphone / mic jack setup, however. The Xonar is also pretty expensive unless you compare it to the X-Fi with the front panel I/O controls. As an avid music lover and ex-music and audio equipment reviewer, I plan on going with the ASUS Xonar when I get the cash. Note that I don't know its recording capabilities.

P.S. I have not listened to a Xonar card yet, however, I am familiar with many different DACs. Provided the execution of design is good, the Burr Brown DACs should perform much better than the standard offerings for pc audio.

Edited by widdlecat - 22 Apr 2008 at 2:20pm
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Jean View Drop Down
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  Quote Jean Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 22 Apr 2008 at 2:44pm
Thanks for your reply.  I'll check the ASUS Xonar for sure.
 
Looking forward to seeing this system in action flying FSX.  I have reason to believe it should give me pretty smooth FPS.
 
As for sound production, I do a lot of music transcription, I like to use digital parametrics and eqs and stretch waves.
But I'm also a drummer and I love sequencing.
For now, my setup is pretty basic.  I sequence in Cubase and drive it through a FantomXR.
But I would like to get into more VSTs to expand my possibilities as far as sound and samples.
 
I am looking for a card that will give me as close to zero latency as possible when using VST's for MIDI playback, in sync with analog devices, as well as good VST support (considering Spectrasonics and some orchestral virtual syths, virtual effect racks), XRAM, good connectivity to plug in MIDI instruments and eventually multitrack to record drums, guitar and bass.  Of course good drivers for Vista 64 may be an issue...but I plan to run on XP pro as well, so...
 
But meanwhile, also, something that would be nice for quality audio listening, surround and gaming.
 
At first, I was considering the XFi Elite Pro, without having done much research to be honest. One of the very qualified DS technical advisor mentioned to me the Delta series.

 
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