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Round Two - New Gaming Box

Post Date: 2011-05-06
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gkbaldwin View Drop Down
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Posts: 14 		  Quote gkbaldwin Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: Round Two - New Gaming Box
    Posted: 06 May 2011 at 1:19pm

Hi again;

 

After getting feedback on my proposed box (ticket #536125), I decided to start again. 

 

I am looking to replace my step son’s PC and have decided to buy rather than build this time.

 

I was looking at the TEC box with the i7 990 six-core extreme with x58 chipset, but after seeing a lot of discussion on the forum I have decided to configure a SB quad system. Going to the latest generation x58 is more costly and the architecture is getting older.  And, from what I have read  the newer 2600 processor and P67 chipset matches up pretty well against the x58 architecture.

 

There also, has been a lot of discussion to wait to Q4 for the next revision of the Sandy Bridge product offering, which will include new X78 chipset and six-core processers. 

 

The decision to wait until Q4 for the next latest and greatest is a little like chasing the brass ring.....you never seem to grab hold because as soon as you do there is something better just another 6 to 12 months off.  So having decided to acquire a new system new and if need be will upgrade the motherboard and processor later on as an option.

 

So, now to the new rig.

 

Budget:  NA

 

Primarily for gaming (not much into online gaming), but additional for movies, graphics design and home business.

 

Need large storage area do to large library of movies, pictures, games and graphic design objects.

 

Ticket Number: 536534 (I have added my own display, mouse and keyboard information - not part of ticket)

 

Specifications:

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Black OPS HailStorm Edition

Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish

Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish

Processor: Intel Core i7 2600K 3.40GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Quad Core)

Motherboard: ASUS Maximus IV Extreme (Intel P67 Chipset) (New & Improved B3 Revision without SATA 3G Issue)

System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)

Power Supply: 1200W Corsair Pro Gold Series (CMPSU-1200AX) (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) 

Expansion Bay: - No Thanks

Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (600GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: 320 Series SSDSA2CW600G3K5)

Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks

Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 2x (1.5TB Seagate Barracuda (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache)

Set 2 Raid Option: Configure HDD Set 2 to a Raid Config. – Mirror (Requires two HDD’s) [+$0]

Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.:  2x (1.5TB Seagate Barracuda (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache)

Set 3 Raid Option: Configure HDD Set 3 to a Raid Config. – Mirror (Requires two HDD’s) [+$0]

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: 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 1.5GB (PhysX) (Overclocked Edition)

Add-on Card: - No Thanks

Sound Card: Creative Labs X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion (Includes Front I/O) (PCI-Express Slot Based)

Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 6: Sub-Zero LCS Dual Loop: CPU & Dual SLI/CrossFire Video Cards & Chipset

H20 Tube Color: Blue Tubing with High-Performance Fluid (UV Lighting Reactive)

Chassis Airflow: Upgrade Chassis with LED Performance Fans (Blue) (Up to 6 Fans)

Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (UV) (Creates Glowing Effect for H20 Tubes)

Enhancements: - No Thanks

Chassis Mods: - No Thanks

Noise Reduction: - No Thanks

Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz

Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)

Boost Memory: Memory Fan Kit Only (Does not include memory overclocking service)

Boost OS: FREE: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial 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: - No Thanks

Display: - 2x Dell 27" UltraSharp monitors (1900 x 1200 resolution) (may go To 30")

Surge Shield: - No Thanks

Speakers: - No Thanks

Keyboard: - Logitech 510 Gaming Keyboard

Mouse: - Logitech G9x Laser Gaming Mouse

External Storage: - No Thanks

 

Looking forward to the feedback.....Gerry
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ras9929 View Drop Down
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Posts: 13 		  Quote ras9929 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 06 May 2011 at 1:44pm
I'm glad you reposted. After getting my Dell U2311H monitor yesterday, it inspired me with what I'd want to get for a killer (and impressive gaming system).   The answer is 2 more Dell U2311H's   

Kokatu had a good writeup on triple monitor gaming the other day, and as I got my new monitor, I can really see how awesome it could be to play at 5760 x 1200

While this is a bit gratuitous, as I remember budget wasn't an issue, and even outside of gaming, having a triple monitor setup for multi-tasking is awesome.

So that's my advice. Rather than go to the 2 30"s, go 3 27"s (or even 3 23"s) and really immerse yourself in a great visual gaming environment.
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DST4ME View Drop Down
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Posts: 36758 		  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 06 May 2011 at 2:23pm
I will disagree, price for 3 x 27" is gonna be close to 3 x 30" so if I was to do triple I would do 3 x 30" or 2 x 30".

bigger monitor has more room, and with 2 x 30" down the road you can make it 3 x 30" for huge setup.

Upgrading the mobo and cpu, by the time you ship the pc, do the upgrades and get it shipped back (you will be paying for all that) the price will be like over $1500 at least if not $2000, so is that worth it for 3 or 4 months?

if it is then more power to you, but makes zero sense to be honest.

what your ticket number has posted and the parts you have posted are not the same, ticket number has a intel ssd, you have listed a 600GB vr for hdd1.

you got no use for maximus, 1200w psu.

you do realize if you lose raid you lose all your data right? cloning is the most safe IMHO.

led fans are loud, we dont' recommend them, and they are not needed on a LC setup anyways.

os boost does nothing for games and apps speeds at all but if you need a service then that can be a hassle.

Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers
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gkbaldwin View Drop Down
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Posts: 14 		  Quote gkbaldwin Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 06 May 2011 at 2:25pm

Certainly something to consider.  Maybe as a future system upgrade.  This will be my first time going to dual monitors.

 

Also, first time going to LC environment.  I want to have better familiarity with this configuration before looking to upgrade further.

 

Gerry

 
 
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Craig View Drop Down
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Posts: 22 		  Quote Craig Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 06 May 2011 at 3:02pm
Hey Gerry,

This is indeed a lot of space for a computer. A better way to configure your magnetic drives, is RAID 0+1. This will be a RAID 0 (span) and RAID 1 (mirror). When used in this way, you'll see one large 3TB drive, and will be mirrored for data protection. I also see that you've chosen Ultimate edition. Is there a reason you're looking to utilize this version, great.... but there really isn't reason to go with Ultimate unless you need the Bitlocker encryption services or need Windows to be in another language than English.
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gkbaldwin View Drop Down
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Posts: 14 		  Quote gkbaldwin Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 06 May 2011 at 3:27pm

Originally posted by DST4ME

I will disagree, price for 3 x 27" is gonna be close to 3 x 30" so if I was to do triple I would do 3 x 30" or 2 x 30".

bigger monitor has more room, and with 2 x 30" down the road you can make it 3 x 30" for huge setup.

Upgrading the mobo and cpu, by the time you ship the pc, do the upgrades and get it shipped back (you will be paying for all that) the price will be like over $1500 at least if not $2000, so is that worth it for 3 or 4 months?

if it is then more power to you, but makes zero sense to be honest.

what your ticket number has posted and the parts you have posted are not the same, ticket number has a Intel ssd, you have listed a 600GB vr for hdd1.

you got no use for maximus, 1200w psu.

you do realize if you lose raid you lose all your data right? cloning is the most safe IMHO.

led fans are loud, we don’t' recommend them, and they are not needed on a LC setup anyways.

os boost does nothing for games and apps speeds at all but if you need a service then that can be a hassle.

 

Hi DST4ME;

 

Regarding size and number of monitors, am leaning towards 2 x 30' with possible expansion in the future.

 

Timing of the next SB product offering  - are you saying that the next revision of SB offerings will be available in the August to September timeframe?  If so I may reconsider holding off.

 

 

Regarding the 1x 600GB drive for os, the ticket number is 536534 and does show a single Intel 600GB SSD drive (this will be used for os and apps only.

Regarding mobo and psu - what would you recommend.

 

mobo: Asus P8P67 Deluxe?

psu: 1000w (want to make sure enough capacity for future expansion)?

Use of RAID,

 

I am currently using RAID on my present system and have been using both RAID 0 and RAID 1 for the past three years and have never lost data.  I did lose one side of a mirrored pair once however, I was able to get the data off, replace the bad drive and rebuild the mirror configuration and reload the data.

 

I am comfortable in using the technology.

 

Point taken on the fans will change back to factory (black) or would the Zalman performance fans be better for noise reduction?

 

I have removed the os performance tweaks.....I can do these myself.

 

Gerry

 
 
 
 
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gkbaldwin View Drop Down
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Posts: 14 		  Quote gkbaldwin Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 06 May 2011 at 3:35pm

Originally posted by Craig

Hey Gerry,

This is indeed a lot of space for a computer. A better way to configure your magnetic drives, is RAID 0+1. This will be a RAID 0 (span) and RAID 1 (mirror). When used in this way, you'll see one large 3TB drive, and will be mirrored for data protection. I also see that you've chosen Ultimate edition. Is there a reason you're looking to utilize this version, great.... but there really isn't reason to go with Ultimate unless you need the Bitlocker encryption services or need Windows to be in another language than English.

 

Hi Craig;

 

I was looking to keep the two mirrored drives for data storage and the two mirrored drives for backup separate.  I prefer two separate pairs of mirrored drives.

 

Regarding using Ultimate edition this is only because I currently and using the Ultimate version and wanted to stay the same....no specific reason other than that.

 

Gerry
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Posts: 36758 		  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 07 May 2011 at 1:44am
Timing of the highend SB platform is Q4 of this year, Q4 starts at October, it was scheduled for Q3 but then got pushed back to Q4, in 4 months it will be October, but honestly this is a major upgrade for systems that will use tri cf/sli like your setup.

AS for hdd1, I'm not used to seeing the 600GB intel, normally those are VR that people pick and at quick glance thats what I thought I saw, so my mistake, only things I would say is that, do you really need that much space for os/apps/games? IMHO a 300GB should be over kill.

As for mobo and psu, for this platform a deluxe and a 1000w corsair is all you should get, since you can't do any major future upgrades like going tri sli, as for adding hdds/ram/pci cards and etc, a 1000w is more then enough for dual sli and adding those things, however, if this was Q4 and the new platform was out, on that platform I would advise you of a mobo that can really do tri sli (not like p67) and a 1200w corsair psu, for future tri sli.

all the fans here will make your system louder and the lc system has no use for it.

I would spend money on getting better/bigger rads and like xspc rx series triple/dual rads for the cpu and one for gpu and then put Scythe gentle typhoon fan on them for best performance/temps and quiet LC system.

look at the pics in my sig, I have the same case you want, I got a triple rad inside top for the cpu, and triple rad out back for the 4 x 480s.

To be honest with you, for your setup, I would even recommend a custom mountainmod cases, and then triple rad for cpu, triple rad for dual sli and a future third card, all of that on a x78 mobo and a 6 core or 8 core highend SB chip, I mean with your budget you should have a silent custom killer, if you want to spend the budget, if not at least get the most power for your money.

if raid is your thing, then raid you should get.

any tweaks needed can be done by ourselves like you said, but honestly, these pcs are so powerful, you would not notice these tweaks these days, they were noticeable back in xp days with 1GB of ram, and rightfully so.

Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers
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gkbaldwin View Drop Down
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Posts: 14 		  Quote gkbaldwin Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 07 May 2011 at 11:54am

Hi DST4ME;

 

You have convinced me to wait for Q4.  I would assume Intel would try and release early rather than late to take advantage of the Christmas Holiday buying. I will be looking at the x78 configuration with SB.

 

It looks like with the mods you suggested if I pulled the trigger today I have configured it to what I would want. 

 

DS doesn't offer the Scythe fans, so I would have to do that myself right?

 

So I see you have multiple rads on your system.  I was going with their Stage 6 triple rad system for cpu, chipset and gpu's.  You are suggesting I need separate for gpu's?

 

My initial setup I only looked at getting dual 580's, should I go tri 580's.

 

I am going with the dual 30" UltraSharp monitors.

 

I looked at the mountainmod case (cube in shape), not sure it would fit in the space I have for it (under my desk.  I do like the Corsair 800d case and it barely fits under my desk.

 

Thank you for your feedback....Gerry
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DST4ME View Drop Down
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Posts: 36758 		  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 07 May 2011 at 4:36pm
Well for that budget the mountain mod case I would recommend would start with the accent, so that all rads and etc would fit in teh case, and no that won't fit under any desk lol but it will be a monster.

For best results, separate rads for each loop do well, minimum I would say dual rad for cpu and another dual rad for gpus, of course triple for each will have better temps.

you can buy Scythe gentle typhoon fans and send them to DS or you can ask them to get it and use them on your rads only.

For your res and a possible future third 30", if you wont' go with the 6970, then I would say go tri sli, tho keep in mind the third card always makes much less difference then the difference the second card made, thats just how it is for now.

Keep in mind when the x78 is out you are looking for a board that can do tri sli correctly and a 1200w corsair, come back and we will reconfig for you when it comes out, and make sure you come back here, so you can have people like myself give your proper advise, in other places you would not even be told that tri sli sucks on p67.

Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers
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gkbaldwin View Drop Down
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Posts: 14 		  Quote gkbaldwin Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 07 May 2011 at 7:05pm
I will be staying in touch.  I am going to ask some of my old contacts at Intel (23 year veteran) and see what the latest is on meeting their target goals for product delivery for Q3 and Q4.  Hopefully the mobo makers are not far behind.
 
Thanks again....Gerry
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Posts: 36758 		  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 07 May 2011 at 8:32pm
Well it was Q3 but it got pushed back to Q4, so now its Q4 we are dealing with, let us know what they said, I had a buddy that worked at intel till couple of years ago, then I lost my inside contact Mobos should be right there with the release, some higherend mobos might come out a bit later, for example for socket 1136 the classified 3x and 4x came out much later after the cpu release, I think the 3x came out like 6 months later, and the 4x was like 8 months or later.

Edited by DST4ME - 07 May 2011 at 8:34pm

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