My Rig ConfigPost Date: 2010-11-20 |
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Beneamata 
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Joined: 20 Nov 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
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 Topic: My Rig ConfigPosted: 20 Nov 2010 at 6:51pm |
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My Budget: Trying to keep it below 10K without monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers. Expectations: Stay cool under demanding use (see below). Stay fast under same. Have to be able to run 2560 x 1600 with good frame rates in Evolution GT-R even when folding. In other words I expect a monster machine with good manners. Not much to ask ...
Usage: I want to crank out massive PPD (Points Per Day) for Folding@home - and also play GTR-Evolution and some space shooters AND also be able to use it for work-related duties (VPN, MS Office, etc.,) The key here is Folding@home - few things stress a CPU or GPU like running Folding@home 24/7 on your rig. This system has to take the 100% load and the resultant high temps on 24/7 basis and just laugh at that (or chuckle.)
Special Needs: Somewhat dusty environment - not too bad, I like that the Syndicate has casters as it will keep it up a bit from carpet. Btw, is the Syndicate an OEM'd Mountain Mods box or maybe a Danger Den? I want the highest possible STABLE overclocks. As mentioned above - I am passionate about Folding@home and want the highest PPD possible
Configuration follows - I'd like to trim it down to as close as possible to 10K - for example, because of the advanced chilled liquid cooling setup can the Chassis Airflow upgrade be removed without threatening stability and/or greatly reducing component lifetime? I'd like to keep the dual 5680 's because they are folding beasts (especially when overclocked) but I could lose one or even two 580 (weeping a bit I admit) if needed as well. One other thought - maybe reducing to just one GTX580 and adding a Tesla C1060 computing processor would reduce cost without surrendering too many PPD? (Maybe that's a better question for Folding@home .... but if anyone has an opinion, I'm listening!)
Here are the specs...
Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Black OPS Syndicate Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: 2x Dual (Intel Xeon X5680 3.33GHz (Six-Core) (12MB Cache) Motherboard: EVGA Classified SR-2 Workstation Board (Chipset: Intel 5520) (Supports Quad-Core and Six-Core CPUs) System Memory: 12GB DDR3 1333MHz (ECC Based) Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (2GBx6 Config) Power Supply: 1500W Silverstone (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Recommended) Expansion Bay: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (160GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: X25-M MLC Edition) (Extreme Performance) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (2TB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (64MB Cache) (Model: Black Edition WD2001FASS) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks Optical Drive 1: Blu-Ray & DVD Writer/Reader (Burn + Play Blu-Ray & DVDs) (12x BD-R) (Lite-On iHBS112) Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks Internet Access: Wireless-PCI N 300Mbps (Supports 802.11n/g/b) Video Card: 4x SLI 4-Way (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 1.5GB (PhysX) (EVGA Black Ops 015-P3-1583-AR) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 6: Sub-Zero LCS Dual Loop: CPU & Quad SLI/CrossFire Video Cards & Chipset H20 Tube Color:Red Tubing with High-Performance Fluid (UV Lighting Reactive) Chassis Airflow: Upgrade Chassis With LED Performance Fans (Red) (Up to 6 Fans) Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (UV) (Creates Glowing Effect for H20 Tubes) Enhancements: Touch 2000 Aerocool Temperature Display & Fan Controller (Requires Chassis Airflow Upgrade) Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Noise Reduction: - No Thanks Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock the processor between 4.0GHz to 4.2GHz (Requires H20 Cooling Upgrade) Boost Video Card: Option Not Available Boost Memory: Option Not Available Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate (64-Bit Edition) Recovery Tools: Advanced Recovery Kit (40GB Hard Drive Partition of Image With OS & Drivers) Virus Protection: - No Thanks Office: - No Thanks Benchmarking: - No Thanks Install/Test Game: FREE: Hot-selling game with a NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 or above graphics card Display: - No Thanks Surge Shield: - No Thanks Speakers: - No Thanks Keyboard: - No Thanks Mouse: - No Thanks External Storage: - No Thanks Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Xtra Large) Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed Warranty: FREE PROMO: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 4 Year Limited Warranty Lastly, I would want this shipped in the wooden crate - that adds another 200 bucks plus shipping of 65 bucks - is that correct? So that has to be factored into the above. Also - I am not rich, just a bit nuts.
 Thanks for your time - I am serious about this box and have been obsessing about it trying to get just the right config from the right vendor - and DSO seems like it might be it.
B Edited by Beneamata - 20 Nov 2010 at 6:54pm |
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wcboltman
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Joined: 30 Oct 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 173 |
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Posted: 20 Nov 2010 at 7:21pm |
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Awesome build that is going to be one beast of a system! It's hard to taper down when you've got 2 x 5680s, you pretty much want to go all the out from there to make it worth it. You could hold off on some of the storage and the blu ray to cut down on the cost. This build comes in at $10583. You could take off a 580 and get under 10K.
ticket number: 459404 Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot
Seller - Black OPS Syndicate |
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Beneamata
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Joined: 20 Nov 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
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Posted: 20 Nov 2010 at 7:40pm |
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Thanks for the advice wcboltman - I was wondering if I subbed the 580's with superclocked 460's - they have a good reputation for folding value? I guess that is more a question for the Folding@home forums though ... Storage is a place to consider - but I would want to stick with Western Digital as I like their drives. The 80G will be hard to lose in the SSD. Argh. And I like Blu-Ray movies. Double Argh.
I want to keep the CPU boost at maximum possible. Especially if downgrading to the 460's. I noticed that quad configuration is not listed for the 460's? Is that a technical issue or DSO just wanted to limit the entries in the drop-down box?
 B Edited by Beneamata - 20 Nov 2010 at 7:43pm |
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Please consider running Folding@home on your rig - it helps ALL of us!
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!ender_
DS Veteran 
Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219 |
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Posted: 20 Nov 2010 at 9:39pm |
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the syndicate is definitely a MM u2
anyway, for overclocking value in your budget, i dont see the value of several of your choices
if you are looking for infallible stability and a folding power, id stick with a max of 3 580s
the ram, ssd, extra tb drive, fan controller, chassis airflow.. and more
all these are not only a bad use of budget but they dont contribute at all to what you are looking to do in any way, and if you arent rich (in your words) then id approach it a lot differently, get what you need first, then fit what else you can in the budget
i think the most sensible (if you can call 10k of computer hardware such) would be 6 GPUs
wait ender you cant do that for 10k!
its done:
this build, times 2
it doesnt need a wood crate, and shipping will barely put you over 10k.
if its over your price range, id talk to DSO about leaving out the CPU water, just LC your video cards and use the change to beef up your cooling system
dont send me your electric bill though.
on a more serious note, the cooling could be tweaked up but thats already the 10k limit. maybe drop to 40gb ssds and use the money to amp your cooling and make the noise / temps better .. food for thought anyway. Edited by !ender_ - 20 Nov 2010 at 9:42pm |
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Beneamata
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Joined: 20 Nov 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
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Posted: 20 Nov 2010 at 10:43pm |
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Thanks for the answer on the case type - thought it was MM.
I agree there is no value in folding for the storage - it has no impact, for that matter memory has little impact on folding, but I still want them for loading of other programs that do benefit from fast(er) storage and RAM. And for the e-peen. Too much storage? There is never enough storage! Fan controller is definitely a luxury - but another nod to eye candy. So is all the tubing and UV stuff and cathode tubes. But this system is going to be on display and the centerpiece of my folding farm.
Noise? I already have three rigs in the room - it sounds like an Air Conditioners 'R' Us already - noise is not an issue.
I have decided to go down to three 580's to pare down costs.
The idea of two boxes is interesting - but I'll stay away from the HAF 932 - I get a little itch in the back of my throat looking at that box, then there are people that get that same itch looking at MM box. But it's a good point - I like the Lian Li better - might think of two lower-end setups in that guy. Plus it can be expanded a lot. Or maybe just the Hailstorm (which is a modified Corsair 800D).
I still want the wood crate - I worked on a shipping dock when I was young and I've seen firsthand what treatment boxes like this get! If there is 10K of mine in a system - I would like it very, very well protected.
Electric bill - fortunately that is not a problem, it is a static cost in my rent.
I appreciate your candor ender (say that 3X fast) it has given me food for thought and for other approaches at skinning the folding cat.
B
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Please consider running Folding@home on your rig - it helps ALL of us!
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Beneamata
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Joined: 20 Nov 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
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Posted: 21 Nov 2010 at 4:05pm |
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Well I've redone the quote - thanks to wcboltman and ender for their views on the system. I have cut down to the 80GB Intel SSD and the 1TB WC Caviar Black. Also cut down to three 580 GPUs. I eliminated the 40GB OS and driver partition due to cutting back on the SSD.
I did some power supply calculations on the config and I think a 1500W PSU is almost required with this kind of horsepower - I don't think even the outstanding 1200W Corsair is capable of handling this configuration - or am I wrong? (My calculations, admittedly I am NOT an EE, come up to about 1449 watts counting capacitor aging and an average 90% load factor.)
Here is re-configured box, comes to 10,840 - still a bit more than I want to fork out.
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Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Black OPS Syndicate Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: 2x Dual (Intel Xeon X5680 3.33GHz (Six-Core) (12MB Cache) Motherboard: EVGA Classified SR-2 Workstation Board (Chipset: Intel 5520) (Supports Quad-Core and Six-Core CPUs) System Memory: 12GB DDR3 1333MHz (ECC Based) Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (2GBx6 Config) Power Supply: 1500W Silverstone (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Recommended) Expansion Bay: Hard Drive Hot Swap Bay (EZ-Rack) Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (80GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: X25-M MLC Edition) (Extreme Performance) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (64MB Cache) (Model: Black Edition WD1002FAEX) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks Optical Drive 1: Blu-Ray & DVD Writer/Reader (Burn + Play Blu-Ray & DVDs) (12x BD-R) (Lite-On iHBS112) Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card: 3x SLI Triple (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 1.5GB (PhysX) (EVGA Black Ops 015-P3-1583-AR) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 6: Sub-Zero LCS Dual Loop: CPU & Triple SLI/CrossFire Video Cards & Chipset H20 Tube Color:Red Tubing with High-Performance Fluid (UV Lighting Reactive) Chassis Airflow: Upgrade Chassis With LED Performance Fans (Red) (Up to 6 Fans) Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (UV) (Creates Glowing Effect for H20 Tubes) Enhancements: Touch 2000 Aerocool Temperature Display & Fan Controller (Requires Chassis Airflow Upgrade) Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Noise Reduction: - No Thanks Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock the processor between 4.0GHz to 4.2GHz (Requires H20 Cooling Upgrade) Boost Video Card: Option Not Available Boost Memory: Option Not Available Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate (64-Bit Edition) Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows 7 CD) Virus Protection: - No Thanks Office: - No Thanks Benchmarking: - No Thanks Install/Test Game: FREE: Hot-selling game with a NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 or above graphics card Display: - No Thanks Surge Shield: - No Thanks Speakers: - No Thanks Keyboard: - No Thanks Mouse: - No Thanks External Storage: - No Thanks Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Xtra Large) Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed Warranty: FREE PROMO: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 4 Year Limited Warranty ----------- I am on the fence about the Aerocool Fan Controller - how many fans are going to be in this case? If there are more than four then the controller isn't showing the whole picture. The only LED fan controllers that have more (that I know of) are the 5-fan NZXT Sentry and the 6-fan Aercool (which AFAIK isn't as full-featured as the two 4-fan controllers from the same company,) I know that there is software like Speedfan and others that can do pretty much the same thing. But I like the bling I guess and the ease of use of the Aerocool units.
Any other ideas? What about Intel 40GB SSDx3 or x4 in RAID 0? Save any money - is it doable? Switching to Corsair doesn't save that much money and I do trust Intel SDD build quality (although Corsair is very good too.) Anything else? I guess I coulc use superclocked 460's instead because of their lower cost and very good PPD/dollar ratio. But I would want to go to four then and that option isn't listed and may not be much cheaper anyway that the triple 580 Black Ops.
Let me know what you think guys - I want to start crunching more PPD!!! :D
B Edited by Beneamata - 21 Nov 2010 at 4:12pm |
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Please consider running Folding@home on your rig - it helps ALL of us!
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wcboltman
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Joined: 30 Oct 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 173 |
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Posted: 21 Nov 2010 at 4:27pm |
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Yea there's no way a 1200W will power that setup safely.
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!ender_
DS Veteran
Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219 |
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Posted: 21 Nov 2010 at 6:35pm |
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stand by what i already suggested, if amount you can fold is what you are after, i feel you are approaching this incorrectly and spending a lot of money on things that wont help you when you are already over budget, not much more to say
2nd on the 1500w needed, even my builds need a 1500w psu, forgot to add that Edited by !ender_ - 21 Nov 2010 at 6:36pm |
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Alex
Admin Group 
Digital Storm Supervisor 
Joined: 04 Jun 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 16314 |
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Posted: 21 Nov 2010 at 7:23pm |
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@Beneamata,
We would love to earn your business! That looks like one hell of a system! We would be honored to build this beast. As a heads up, when you're ready to order, feel free to get in touch with our Lead Sales Manager, Sarah ([email protected]) or even try calling her extension: 1-866-817-8676 EXT 115. Cheers! |
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Beneamata
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Joined: 20 Nov 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
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Posted: 22 Nov 2010 at 6:15pm |
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I have a question - how many fans would this system have? This has a bearing on whether the fan controller is something to be included or whether none or another one is more appropriate.
Edit: With the EZ-Rack Hot-Swap Hard Drive tray installed I assume I can put in a couple of Velociraptor 300GB drives I have? Nothing else needed?
Thanks,
B Edited by Beneamata - 22 Nov 2010 at 6:31pm |
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Please consider running Folding@home on your rig - it helps ALL of us!
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!ender_
DS Veteran
Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219 |
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Posted: 22 Nov 2010 at 7:25pm |
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a lot, for every 120mm your rad is, it will have a minimum of 1 fan, then case fans
so with stage 6 cooling, about 8 or more
raptor drives too? yikes
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Beneamata
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Joined: 20 Nov 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
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Posted: 26 Nov 2010 at 9:40pm |
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Hey guys,
Well I finally ordered - a Hailstorm with the sub-zero LC has been bought and paid for with DSO!  I am eager to see whether it can break the 100K PPD (points per day) mark in folding with the beast. Btw, I did stay under 10K - just. Here is the final config - I still could not stay away from the eye candy, but with the 15% off for Black Friday I could not resist. Again, thanks to Ender and others for keeping me focused on the main priority of folding - it did actually have an effect although I can see where some of you might disagree!  System Configuration: Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Black OPS HailStorm Sub-Zero Liquid Chilled Edition Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition 980X 3.33GHz (Six-Core) (Extreme Performance) Motherboard: ASUS Rampage III Extreme (Intel X58 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s) System Memory: 12GB DDR3 2000MHz Corsair Dominator GT with DHX (3x4GB Sticks) (CMT12GX3M3A2000C9) Power Supply: 1500W Silverstone (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Recommended) Expansion Bay: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (160GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: X25-M MLC Edition) (Extreme Performance) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (2TB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (64MB Cache) (Model: Black Edition WD2001FASS) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks Optical Drive 1: Blu-Ray & DVD Writer/Reader (Burn + Play Blu-Ray & DVDs) (12x BD-R) (Lite-On iHBS112) Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card(s): 3x SLI Triple (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 1.5GB (Includes PhysX Technology) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: Sub-Zero CPU Liquid Chilled System & Chipset + Triple Video Cards Liquid Cooling H20 Tube Color: Green Tubing with High-Performance Fluid (UV Lighting Reactive) Chassis Airflow: Upgrade Chassis With Zalman Performance Fans (Up to 6 Fans) Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Green) Enhancements: Lamptron 30W Aluminum Temperature Display & Fan Controller (Requires Chassis Airflow Upgrade) (FC-5V Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Noise Reduction: - No Thanks CPU Boost: Stage 3: Overclock the processor between 4.2GHz to 4.6GHz (Requires i7 980X Processor) Graphics Boost: FREE: Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability Memory Boost: Memory Fan Kit Only (Does not include memory overclocking service) OS Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate (64-Bit Edition) Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows 7 CD) Virus Protection: - No Thanks Office: - No Thanks Benchmarking: - No Thanks Pre-Install Game: FREE: Hot-selling game with a NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 or above graphics card Display: - No Thanks Surge Shield: - No Thanks Speakers: - No Thanks Keyboard: - No Thanks Mouse: - No Thanks External Storage: - No Thanks Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Xtra Large) Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed Warranty: FREE PROMO: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 5 Year Limited Warranty Wooden crate option - like I wrote before, worked on the docks with UPS as a youngster and saw how *sometimes* things got thrown about - like Friday afternoon with 15 minutes left to fill or empty three trucks and there is only two of you.  Any ideas for a rig name? Green Monster? Sweepstakes Winner? Money Pit? Will post pics when I get a chance - cannot wait to see that LC system up close.  B? Edited by Beneamata - 26 Nov 2010 at 9:47pm |
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Please consider running Folding@home on your rig - it helps ALL of us!
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wcboltman
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Joined: 30 Oct 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 173 |
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Posted: 26 Nov 2010 at 9:57pm |
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Awesome rig Beneamata! Good choice going w/ the HailStorm over the MM case that's going to be a lot nicer to look at when you're racking up massive PPDs!
Looking forward to seeing some pics |
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Beneamata
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Joined: 20 Nov 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
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Posted: 28 Nov 2010 at 8:59pm |
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Okay, I am starting to spec out accessories - I have a monitor (Samsung P2270HD with Black Friday pricing) and a wireless card (Rosewill again with great pricing) already on the way.
But I am wondering/worrying about a UPS for this system. I don't want to go above 1500VA because that is when you have to have at least a 20Amp low-voltage circuit. I want to stick with the regular household NEMA 5-15P plug units and you really can't go beyond 1500 VA and still have that.
Okay, the most heavy-duty unit I can find that still uses a 5-15P as the input plug is this unit. It has a 1425 watt rating to go along with the 1440 VA it advertises. What do you think? APC is a pretty quality company and this is a good middle-of-the-road offering. I wish I could afford a true on-line UPS but those would be double the money. I plan to buy this UPS refurbished from a vendor with a BBB record just like DSO - A+! Let me know if I am on the right track or not!
Again, I am concerned that a rig like this monster when it is overclocked and running at 100% load pretty much 24/7 (because of folding) might overtax the UPS. Is this a concern? Or am I worrying about nothing?
Again, thanks in advance for your comments.
B
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