Build to Learn - Not your average questionnaire

[Id]

Goodday All,

Please forgive me for asking for so much in a first post but… you know what, Ill let the situation explain its self. Just be warned, this is going to be VERY text heavy.

STORY TIME!

About 6 Months Ago I decided that I wanted to build for the first time, a Desktop PC, I chose this for a number of reasons, the primary reason being I wanted to learn more about computers as a whole instead of just being a user of them (Otherwise I would have bought some “custom” prebuilt and been done with it). That said, I must say I am no novice at computers (three finger salute and all that), but it seems the PC Building side is a whole ‘nother world of computers I never really thought about (mostly because I didn’t need to, It just needed to work). That said I imagine from your point of view I'm going to say some pretty stupid stuff, so I ask for your understanding...just in case.

So...what are my requirements for my PC? Its rather simple really...Once I build it, it will last me a large number of years ( and with the help of overclocking- which at the moment I know nothing about – I will most likely add to those years). It must be able to run highest setting in any game that comes out in the year that I build it (Just about, it's the basic jist that I mean... I don't mean such a thing LITERATELY... Kind of.). It must be able to run 3dx Max, Photoshop, Zbrush…ALL of it, without any trouble. Rendering. Rendering. Rendering. Be it games of applications.

Basically put… I wanted to push it as hard and as fast I could. It's just me.

I know that such a monster no doubt would have a price a-bit higher than I would like, but I, being a very fortunate and blessed individual for the time, I could save up for it and I did. That’s right… I could buy most of the parts right now, than again “I could have” I think would be a better description now. Recently I had to use up my saved funds for something else…so all I have now is 6 Months of research and nothing to play with.

That just will not do.

So what am I doing here? I’m showing you what someone who 6 moths ago didn’t even know what a ATX or a 1155 had to do about computers. I’m showing you what I chose in the 6 months time so that you can with your undoubtly longer use and expertise in computers can tell me things a relative noob such as myself wouldn’t have seen otherwise due to lack of experience in this particular part of computers.

Than after all this is done and done, perhaps in another 6 or so months when/presuming I have at the funds again, I shall post here again, reference this post…and show what I have chosen in context to what I learn by posting this Massive Post here.

Oh! Also… not that I don’t trust that you all have an extensive know how in computers, but I have also C+P this post at two other comp-site forums. Chances are at least one of you frequent said other forum as well, so I wanted to let it be known now for future reference. All Prices are approx. as of date of post. All Links work as of date of post.

STORY END :Awwwww:

Allrighty let's get down to the topic at hand.

Case - Thermaltake - Level 10 GT Snow Edition - $ 289.99 Link

Reason: In all my research I saw things like “ATX” & “E-ATX” for Mobos. In finding out the answer I knew I had to choose my Case First. I chose this because I like the features it has (the fan door design is a nice touch) and I think I could make something out of the white case (Is it just be or is Red and Black the New Beige for computers…just an observation)

Mobo - EVGA - X58 Classified3 Motherboard - $ 344.99 Link

Thoughts: Now that I have a home for a Mobo, its time to actually get one. Since a Mobo is where most of the computer parts connect too I figured it wasn’t something I wanted to skip on. At this point now I know I want something with USB 3.0 and Perhaps Thunderbolt if one comes out next year with such. That said this is what I chose at the time. I have to say it took me a good month to choose a motherboard. This is where I learned about “Pin configs”. S-O-B… you could smell my brain smokin’ up a mile away. Ugh! I than had to dabble abit into CPUs while choosing my mobo, but found it to be too much at the time. So while I did choose an X58 in this round, I would like a Z77 if I can.
As for how I finally made a choice… I flipped a coin. Hows THAT for knowhow. Even with all I have learned, the Specs mean nothing to me and all I see is Marketing Yada Yadda.

CPU – Intel – Intel Core i7-990X Extreme Edition Gulftown 3.46GHz 6 x 256KB L2 Cache 12MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Six-Core Desktop Processor- $999.99 Link

Thoughts: Intel…AMD…Intel….AMD….FUUUUUUUUUUU. Intel is faster? AMD is a better value? Can’t I get both? FUUUUUUUUUU. Coin helped here too ( CPU and Mobo Kissn’ In a TowerTree…).

(2?) Graphic Card – AMD – HIS 6990 Fan 4GB GDDR5 PCI-E DVI/4xMini DP - $ 800ish Link

Thoughts: *Brain Rebooting*

>
> * Random Computer Stuff that looks pretty fancy *
>
>
>/… Done.

MDOS Joke aside...I thought that the cpu and mobo would be the hardest thing to choose (since they kind of determine a lot more than most other components). Than I saw the “Mud” flying back and fourth about ATI (YES IT IS SHUT UP!) and NVIDA. This “Mud Slinging” did not help.
OooOo ATI can do “Crossfire” which I think has something to do about Two Video cards as one, but Nvida had “Cuda Cores” and Phizex or whatever its called. Is it valid or just marketing buzz words? Does the AMD…er…I mean ATI (YES IT IS SHUT UP!) have something comparable? Ugh. Nvida rep (Driver Problems?). Amd rep. Loss of words. Choose AMD only because that's what I have used before (technically).

Ram – Corsair – Dominator® GT with DHX Pro Connector and Airflow II Fan — 12GB (3 x 4GB) Triple Channel DDR3 Memory Kit - $ 339 Link

Reason: Seems to be some good repor for the company and I want to get the most memory I can for rendering (so much rendering). If I interpreted the larger numbers correctly this Ram seems large and fast (Giggity). Cheap Ram is Cheap.

Hard Drive (3)

OCZ – 60 GB Vertex 3 Series SATA III 6.0 Gb-s 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive
- $129.99 – for C: Link

OCZ – 240 GB Vertex 3 SATA III 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive MAX IOPS 6.0 Gb
- $550.99 – for D: Link

WD – 600GB VelociRaptor SATA Harddrive -$279.99 – Backup/E: Link

Reason: Self explanatory? Raid- Unknown. 5?

Cooling – Corsair – Hydro Series™ H100 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler - $119.99 Link

Thoughts: Air. Water. Oil. Liquid Nitrogen. Heart! With these powers combined I still had to think for a-bit on how I would and Intend to be using the PC at its maximum and overclocked state. As you can tell if you looked at the case I chose I was thinking Big Air, even though I knew the Water would be the better (Oil was too Messy and LN is… Pricy). Let me tell you the max hard maintenance I want to have with the computer;

1.Open door (still awesome)
2. Compressed Air *SPHHHHHH*
3.?????
4.PROFIT!!!! ( Done )

With an open liquid cooled system I would have to feed my computer or risk melting and burning and so many other not good things. Not to mention the risk of the liquid splashing somewhere. So when I found something In the middle, I was ecstatic. Now I have Air Flow and Water Flow. Yay me.

Power!!!! – Thermaltake–Toughpower 1350W - $399.99 Link

Thoughts: POWUH!!!!!!!!

PCI EX SSD – OCZ - RevoDrive 3 Series 120 GB PCI Express 4 GB-s Slim Solid State Drive -$399.99 Link

Thoughts: If only I had the cash for a ioDrive Octal.

Peripheral – AeroCool – V12XT - $59.99 Link
Thoughts: Buttons. MMMMMMmm.

APROX. TOTAL PRICE Thus Far : $5,514.9

---------------- In the Air / Undecided ----------------

Blu-Ray Player - Plextor - PX-B940SA internal 12X BD Writer - $219.99 Link

Thoughts: I would get a Floppy Drive too If I could. I know I have star wars chess around here somewhere.

Network Card - Bigfoot Networks - Killer™ Xeno™ Pro - $47.00 Link

Thoughts: Spaeeeeeeeeeed!

Monitor – X – X - $???

Thoughts/Looking For: I have been eyeing Ostendo CDM43. Its fun to dream I could push it all the way and get one, but alas I can’t. I would Also Like the Cintiq 24HD
as a Main monitor in a set up, but I don’t see that happening either. SO! What am I looking for? Two/Three monitors at a high resolution ect ect for Games & Creative Applications. Need I say more?

Cable management, Lights & Other stuff – X – X - $???

Thoughts/Looking For: Million Dollar PC Cable management. I want it to look nice too. At this time I’m thinking a mix of white black and UV Ice Blue would look nice for cable management if done right. In the terms of lighting (that doesn’t already come with it), I’m thinking what would be best for low light/no light conditions. I immediately go for red with its lower feq. But I don’t want to do red. A mix of UV and a feint glow. I see a lot of nice stuff from A.C. Ryan & Vantec but It doesn't seem that they make that kind of stuff anymore. Sunbeamtech need to update their site (looks…dated and like a potential scam to me). Is Viso any good? And where do I go to find out how to do all this stuff properly. Is special paint a good idea?

Paranoid: The UV won’t cause harm will it?

-------------------------------------------

So there you have it. Behold my computer-tastic ambition. I hope it all compatible. I hope if I have made any errors (which I will most likely will not be surprised with), I ask that you explain my err in full. I'm also sure that there is a chance that some of these things might not have all the bang for the buck, take note that once I make my final computer...that it. Even with the modular capabilities of a PC I will not be throwing down more cash in till I get the very last drop usefulness in..."whatever". I'll be too busy with other things. That's just how it is. It's part of why I chose what I chose at that time. Case and point I still have & Use a CRT Monitor.

Thank You for any information you can give.

 

[Bag-o-doughnuts]

I enjoyed your post! You're a funny guy!

Seems you have a load of questions... and an unlimited amount of funds... Which is also good when building a high end rig. I would go with what you have and see where you stand... With all the components you listed, you have a real rocking gaming rig... You're pretty much set for about 4 to 5 years...

 

[nzaneb]

Welcome to Overclockers.com!

Suggestions:

• Ditch the Thermaltake PSU. Go with Enermax or Corsair
• Socket 1366 will be dead when you get around to building your rig, 2011 will be out. If you were to build right now, I would suggest 1155 over 1366 anyway.
• Quad crossfire will do nothing for you if you're gaming on a 24" monitor, save your money
• You're harddrive configuration is a bit confusing. You'll be booting from the Revodrive if you utilize it, thus you will not need the 60Gb or the 240gb ssd's. Just buy a bigger Revodrive if you want more space. You don't need a Raptor for backups, it's a waste of money. Normally people utilize an SSD for a boot drive and store their data on a larger Harddrive. Your SSD really only needs to accommodate your OS, Games, and Programs.

 

[ssjwizard]

To answer a few of your questions first,

1: Paint is purely cosmetic, just dont paint the electronics. If it has to do with the case, mesh, or any other structural bit, paint it whatever color you wish.
2: A proper paint job can take weeks and is widely considered a PITA.
3: UV especially in the frequency that is used to illuminate plastics ect will not degrade the parts in your computer, not to mention that the level of UV produced is extremely minimal.

you have 3 different solid state drives in this quote which makes no sense. The Revodrive is majorly fast if you want to take that route. However, any of those on your list would be sufficient, unless you want to install ALOT of programs which case you should not consider the 60GB. You really only need one of these drives choose one and loose the others.

Gulftown is an older intel design, the 990X is extremely overpriced. I wont say not to go with socket 1366 if thats what you actually want, but I will say that you could get equal performance out of a 2600k sandybridge chip for quite a bit less coin. Socket 1366 big deal was the triple channel memory but since its rated @ lower frequency sandybridges dual channel is just as fast.

That power supply is WAYYY overkill. Look at 750/850w PSUs with a single 12v rail. Corsair are good in this range. Personally Ive got an enermax 750 that has performed exceptionally for me.

The H-100 is pretty good if your curious about watercooling but unwilling to put the effort fourth to build a custom loop. High end air is almost as good though so dont just dismiss it.

That corsair ram is not bad at all, you would probably be served just as well buy a cheaper set though. There are a few great 1866 sets with cas 8 timings that you can hook up with @ ~$80 for a dual channel kit.

And for my final comment there really is no need for dual 6990s one is completely sufficient for any game that is out or will be out in the next few years even with 2-3 monitors.

 

[Knufire]

Once you start getting more then 3 GPUs in a single system, the scaling is horrible. Just horrible. The post was hilarious . But what I gathered from it is that you have the coin to simply build the best that is out there, and here's what I would do:

Simply put, right now the best performing CPU out is Sandy Bridge. However, the motherboards don't have the capabilities you need (mainly a Z68 motherboard that can take 3 video cards + a Revodrive). I think you want to wait until Intel's new enthusiast CPU comes out, Sandy Bridge-E.

 

[unijabnx2000]

Why not the classified sr-2 mobo?

 

[Knufire]

Because games won't use close to that many cores.

 

[unijabnx2000]

but cant the rendering use them?

It must be able to run 3dx Max, Photoshop, Zbrush…ALL of it, without any trouble. Rendering. Rendering. Rendering. Be it games of applications.

 

[Knufire]

...16 threads? Especially with the 2600K being 8 and much faster, I think I'd just take that.

 

[woboy]

Where I sit, get (if USA) a basic case (Rosewill?), around a $120/$150 motherboard (though I believe an ASROCK 770DE might be fine, choose the brand you intend for your great build. Put 4 gb good ram, an AMD 955BE, a hard drive, an optical drive, an HD 5670 or there abouts and a modest or future power supply and learn to overclock the old fasioned way.
A used set up with a 555 or 565 BE.
It will be very much an education. Add your SSD of choice and learn to install it.
MAC Mall has an IP 23 inch monitor [Viewsonic refurbished] $120 shipped if you want to sample that.
Quality education at a cheap price.

 

[wingman99]

+1 1155 sandy bridge

 

[Id]

Title goes here! YAY!

Thank you all for your support. I'm glad you find my posts so enjoyable, I too am finding you posts just as informative. I have to say I have yet to meet a bag of donuts I didn't like...but thats silly since REAL donuts come in a box (or home).

I now return you to the regularly scheduled C+P.

---------------------------------------

Hmm. It seems I should have updated my picks...if only for the sake of the conversation. I am well aware that some of the parts are old by computer standards (Most of these came out during the early half of this year >_>). I do apologize for that confusion. I wanted to see if I had put down cash at that moment and bought all these things, if it would have been worth the cash (AKA get most out of every dollar). I am now glad that I didn't.

With that said...there is MUCH clarification to be done.

For the benefit of all I'm going to answer the mass of posts from all three forums into one post, and C + P it. In no particular order might I add.

Oh wow...where do I start.

Overclock Undertime

Before anyone chimes in I see 1 major mistake you have made. Somehow you think overclocking will increase the lifespan of your rig.

Sadly that isnt true. It will increase how long your rig will compete with newer released hardware, but will decrease its lifespan due to increased voltages and heat due to overclocking.

So actually in reality OCing decreases the lifespan of hardware. The good thing is newer hardware will out pace your setup faster than a decent OC will reduce its lifespan.

Noted. That said the reason I even had the thought that OCing my hardware would make it last longer is because I have done it once before...on a 2 1/2 old laptop (*GASP*). Yes Yes...I am well aware of the grand risk I took by overclockeing in a laptop ....I was young & naive! It worked too. That extra push along with an unlocked/unofficial ATI driver I made it so that my computer could see decals...like blood splatter. It was a good day, in till three years later my screen died. No biggy though...just plugged it into a CRT monitor.
---------------------------------

Case - Thermaltake - Level 10 GT Snow Edition

Ok so I ...admittedly sadly... have seen alot mentions of this case. The things I have seen have not been nessasarly good. A pity since I really have my heart set on this case. Here is some of what I liked about it:

-Easy to open- Yes that is a feature to me. Some of the desktops, like my old emachinesand gateway 2000 (HOLY S*IT IM OLD! WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN!!!) were nothing short of a pain in the neck to open... and then close. As such this is now a feature because of good design.

-I felt that it had good airflow- This has been one of the errs you all have mentioned:

That case has poor airflow and not a great feature set

Your Tower is fine, but it doesn't have the airflow or cable management that the Haf-X case does.

I'll get on the case recommendation in a moment... where was I ....ah! Airflow. I felt it had good airflow and so seeing the opposite stated surprised me. It has "one top 200mm exhaust fan, one front 200mm intake fan, one side 200mm intake fan and one rear 140mm exhaust fan." And you're saying to me that it has poor airflow?!? WHA ? Can at least someone explain this to me?

-Price- Ok...Ill admit it, this case is expensive for a case. My calling the price a feature I liked is a joke. Har Har. Aren't I cleaver. That said... I have no qualms for paying extra if those extra dollars are worth it. Even then... I just really like this case. Don't know why ...just do.

All that said, I looked at Haf-X case. It's a nice case. Its fans are bigger. Cool story bro. ^_^

All this Memory and I forgot something

PCI EX SSD – OCZ - RevoDrive 3 Series 120 GB PCI Express 4 GB-s Slim Solid State Drive -$399.99 - you really dont need this unless you have huge databases that need super fast access. The reason to buy an SSD is just for your main programs and OS For everything else a normal HD will be fine you wont see much if any difference other then load times for your less used programs.

you have 3 different solid state drives in this quote which makes no sense. The Revodrive is majorly fast if you want to take that route. However, any of those on your list would be sufficient, unless you want to install ALOT of programs which case you should not consider the 60GB. You really only need one of these drives choose one and loose the others.

You're harddrive configuration is a bit confusing. You'll be booting from the Revodrive if you utilize it, thus you will not need the 60Gb or the 240gb ssd's. Just buy a bigger Revodrive if you want more space. You don't need a Raptor for backups, it's a waste of money. Normally people utilize an SSD for a boot drive and store their data on a larger Harddrive. Your SSD really only needs to accommodate your OS, Games, and Programs.

For what you are paying for your 600gb velociraptor and the two SSD's, you could buy a single SSD of 256GB for windows and important software... and then buy 4 1TB WD Caviar black drives and run them in Raid 10... not only would you not need a backup drive, it would outperform your single velociraptor by a lot (Even using SATA2) and eliminate your need for 2 SSD... Saving you almost $400 here...

THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU! What a lovely mass of know how. All noted. I appears I really need to look in to memory more. My reasoning was based off a number of things. I hibernate more than even the laziest of bears. This is because I need to get on my computer fast. Cold boots are a very far anf few between. So... 60 GB SSD of C: for a quick boot, 240 GB SSD as D: to be used as my main. The 600GB VelociRaptor add my storage for things I still use. I would also have an external backup drive for things I wouldn't used but needed to keep. So... as you can see I had a chain of command in mind. All this is for a very good reason (which also will answer a question not shown here). Tons of 3dxMAX/Zbrush Files, all connected. Adobe Suit files connected. Lots of Tiff. Lots of RAW. Crysis, Metro, Rage. Kapeesh? Good.

I wasn't kidding when I said I wanted to push it as hard and as fast I could. I have a very good reason for it. That's why I need to throw down the cash. I shall explain "why not just get a 'workstation'" later. Oh an I am aware of Window 8 apparent new boot speed.

As for the RevoDrive. I thought it would make the Hard Drives more efficient, no actually act as a hardrive. That's ...yea. In my desperation to understand I seem to have grabbed whatever straws I could find. I have a-lot to think about in this part of the computer. I just need it to be as efficient and quick as possible. A System within the system or else I won't find anything. That said I shall leave off with this:

... Also curious about your choice of a PCI express SSD... Why spread graphic port bandwidth across your hard drive as well? (Especially if you are going to be running data/graphic intensive programs at the same time.)

As much as I hate to admit it, you lost me. I know what you are asking is a very good question, but I can't seem to grasp the question.

I don't think a rewording is going to help.

The ultimate power in the universe is insignificant next to the power of the Force

That power supply is WAYYY overkill. Look at 750/850w PSUs with a single 12v rail. Corsair are good in this range. Personally Ive got an enermax 750 that has performed exceptionally for me.

Ditch the Thermaltake PSU. Go with Enermax or Corsair

Power!!!! – Thermaltake–Toughpower 1350W - This is overkill unless your running 3 way SLI or if you can't find a 800-900 watt psu that has the required connectors.

As for the PSU, the system you are building requires no more than an 800w.. 1000w would be more than safe and the 1350 you are buying could probably power your system twice.

k. Question: I am aware what happens when something has too little power ("Cyberpunk Still Life" ), what would happen if I gave it too much power/ more than required?

How will I know how much power is needed for an overall rig?

Something Cool and Clever goes here!

The H-100 is pretty good if your curious about watercooling but unwilling to put the effort fourth to build a custom loop. High end air is almost as good though so dont just dismiss it.

I can't knock the choice of the corsair water cooling due to the fact that I use a H70 and love it and it does allow for a great amount of overclocking.

YAY! I did something right! Does anyone know of any other types of closed liquid loops? Recommendations on High-end Air cooling solutions?

Dodge this

Your ram is fine is you stick with the 990, but if you go to the newer i7 they use dual channel memory and you can find cheaper 16 gb sets than what your paying for that 12 gb set.

That corsair ram is not bad at all, you would probably be served just as well buy a cheaper set though. There are a few great 1866 sets with cas 8 timings that you can hook up with @ ~$80 for a dual channel kit.

As you have read by the time you read this, I render ALOT. So I NEED ram like you would not believe.
The one shown was the largest fastest I could find at the time (taking note that it's in three sticks to get the total 12). Know of something better faster quicker than a Daft-Punk Beat? Let me know.

...and then we get to the videocard
Before I throw down the quotes let me first state "why not just get a 'workstation'". Originally I wanted to get one of those crazy priced Nivida Workstation cards (Quadro or Tesla), the thought being that I could get one card to kill two birds with one diamond. Oh!...but that would be too easy (of course it is). Unfortunately the drivers for the card would give cause for this to backfire. The drivers are made with the focus on work applications. Therefore any gains I might have with a game would backfire, and would be laggy due to the card not knowing what to do with the game engine(s). Unfortunate to say the very least, since it would be kind of nice to have an extra Teraflop or whatever of computing potential.

Quad crossfire will do nothing for you if you're gaming on a 24" monitor, save your money

there really is no need for dual 6990s one is completely sufficient for any game that is out or will be out in the next few years even with 2-3 monitors

The above explanation is why I have more than one video card. The hope is that with the extra cards it can be used for both games and processing potential. At this point I look forward to the 7990s and all the rumors swirling around it.
...oh and just one more thing

Why not the classified sr-2 mobo?

I have to admit... I did at one time originally consider it. If it wasn't for this I wouldn't have looked up what "E-ATX" meant and so forth. Can you image...TWO CORES! HAAHHAH! Yes. All that ram. I got all giddy. Then I realized what it was for. Bedsides the fact that I don't *think* that It would fit in the case mentioned, this board is made for server racks. As a server board it does have the ability to use XEON CPUs, which is awesome, but I found out one little tid bit that...if true...makes it a deal breaker. Server boards can't hibernate. If you have read this MASS-O-TEXT fully (and as such I applaud you), you know that is a big thing.
-----------------------
WHEW!!! Well that's it for now. I need to splash my hands in water before they combust. And fall off. Then Explode.

Thank You all for your words of wisdom and know how.

 

[Conumdrum]

Overclock Undertime [/I]

Look at my sig. Powerful. I don't have to overclock yet, but it will extend my PC life.


Case - Thermaltake - Level 10 GT Snow Edition

You too funny. You read the fan hype using the magic marketers payments on thier new boat, they get payed to say that.

You need to read solid reviews that are non biased. We have many on our front page. It's the Home button up top, search for them..........



The ultimate power in the universe is insignificant next to the power of the Force

In the PSU section of this forum i some WONDERFUL helpful stickies. Read them........

Something Cool and Clever goes here!

YAY! I did something right! Does anyone know of any other types of closed liquid loops? Recommendations on High-end Air cooling solutions?

Very good basic, easy to install end-user kit with no need for thought. It will work. Buy a case made for watercooling though............. At least something that will fit a 120x2 on the top.

...and then we get to the videocard
Okay, you need to render #1, you buy a GPU that supports that. It's your job I guess.

You look into the possibility to add a gaming GPU that won't conflict with your render GPU, and a full another monitor just for gaming. You don't want to be swapping cables when you need a break?

...oh and just one more thing

If rendering software gains more on a dual CPU board, then do it. If not, don't.


-----------------------
WHEW!!! Well that's it for now. I need to splash my hands in water before they combust. And fall off. Then Explode.

Thank You all for your words of wisdom and know how.

Good luck

 

[Id]

My My...what a charmingly direct post. You don't happen to sell watches do you? Ignore that question.

Overclock Undertime
Look at my sig. Powerful. I don't have to overclock yet, but it will extend my PC life.

Yea...that looks...like...text. Pretty Powerful. Is there anything in particular I should be looking at?

Case - Thermaltake - Level 10 GT Snow Edition
You too funny. You read the fan hype using the magic marketers payments on thier new boat, they get payed to say that.

You need to read solid reviews that are non biased. We have many on our front page. It's the Home button up top, search for them..........

Are you sure your not getting payed to say that?
Saying that I read hype is very assuming. Is it really such odd connection for me to think more fans = better air cooling?

Im a NUB at this, I have mentioned this, but thanks anyway.
The ultimate power in the universe is insignificant next to the power of the Force

In the PSU section of this forum i some WONDERFUL helpful stickies. Read them........
Already in progress.
Something Cool and Clever goes here!

Very good basic, easy to install end-user kit with no need for thought. It will work. Buy a case made for watercooling though............. At least something that will fit a 120x2 on the top.

...and then we get to the videocard

Okay, you need to render #1, you buy a GPU that supports that. It's your job I guess.

You look into the possibility to add a gaming GPU that won't conflict with your render GPU, and a full another monitor just for gaming. You don't want to be swapping cables when you need a break?

That is a very interesting idea, though I'm not too sure on how I could pull that off. I could get some-kind of switch...hmm. Thank you. I will keep that in mind.
...oh and just one more thing

If rendering software gains more on a dual CPU board, then do it. If not, don't.

Uhhhh....thanks?

-----------------------

Good luck

It is my intent to see that luck will have little to none to do with it.

My words in BLUE

 

[Conumdrum]

Ack wayy to blue. So, umm,

Build to learn, so not your average answer.

What I meant to say, in more understandable terms: You overclock if you need to, you can buy a rig that will fit your needs with no overclock, and can overclock later for longer life as software gets more powerful..

Not payed for sure. You head to the front page yet? And read lots of posts about cases to see what is suggested for the best case? Or you like making boat payments for others?

PSU's. Good, good job.

No idea how you can pull it off. Two rigs with a Keyboard/mouse/monitor switch. They make them BTW.

Dual CPU's can help in rendering. Depends on the software and your needs. Depends on your research. Mayb you need to dig deeper is what I am suggesting. Maybe you need to ask on the forums where your software is discussed, what is best for your needs. We also have sub forums here that deal with software, amybe ask there what is better suited for your needs?

You have a complicated setup, and more than the general forum questions need answered.

You got some work to do.

 

[nzaneb]

...and then we get to the videocard

Before I throw down the quotes let me first state "why not just get a 'workstation'". Originally I wanted to get one of those crazy priced Nivida Workstation cards (Quadro or Tesla), the thought being that I could get one card to kill two birds with one diamond. Oh!...but that would be too easy (of course it is). Unfortunately the drivers for the card would give cause for this to backfire. The drivers are made with the focus on work applications. Therefore any gains I might have with a game would backfire, and would be laggy due to the card not knowing what to do with the game engine(s). Unfortunate to say the very least, since it would be kind of nice to have an extra Teraflop or whatever of computing potential.

Quote:
Quad crossfire will do nothing for you if you're gaming on a 24" monitor, save your money
Quote:
there really is no need for dual 6990s one is completely sufficient for any game that is out or will be out in the next few years even with 2-3 monitors
The above explanation is why I have more than one video card. The hope is that with the extra cards it can be used for both games and processing potential. At this point I look forward to the 7990s and all the rumors swirling around it.

You need to make sure the software you're using will even utilize GPU computing. If so... what is it coded for? CUDA (nVidia). Maybe you could inform us what it is you plan on doing that will be utilizing the GPU for computing purposes. Informative questions will produce better results.

 

[grumperfish]

I've gotten great results out of buying largely mid-range parts and upgrading later (well, until the most-recent system). Without knowing precisely what you'd be doing with the system I'd suggest a 2600K combined with a Z68 board, a few 1tb drives, a 128-256GB Intel or Crucial SSD for the OS, and a (single) 6970 or 570/580 (Nvidia being the preference if your apps use CUDA, IE Photoshop). For the PSU, grab a decent Corsair or Seasonic around 1KW for upgrading later on. If you need the extra PCI-E lanes, wait a bit for socket 2011 & Sandybridge-E CPU's to be released.

I would avoid buying socket 1366 parts at this point given your requirements.
It doesn't really apply to the 1366 hex-cores, but so far my 2600K is destroying my old 920 in every benchmark I've thrown at it. If you need more cores, again, wait for LGA2011.

For dual systems, if you're going that route, either pick up a KVM switch or use Synergy.

Unless you're making money from the rendering, get a single 570/580 instead of dual 6990's (most apps that use GPU offloading will be looking for CUDA cores at this point anyways).

That Thermaltake case is awful. Look into the Fractal Design mid/full-towers instead if you want something beautiful yet actually functional. The TT case you linked is nice if you aren't actually putting parts in it.

 

[Id]

You need to make sure the software you're using will even utilize GPU computing. If so... what is it coded for? CUDA (nVidia). Maybe you could inform us what it is you plan on doing that will be utilizing the GPU for computing purposes. Informative questions will produce better results.

Informative questions?
I think this answers the basic question;

Tons of 3dxMAX/Zbrush Files, all connected. Adobe Suit files connected. Lots of Tiff. Lots of RAW. Crysis, Metro, Rage. Kapeesh? Good.

Like I stated there is no need anymore to really look such up since I'm not going with the workstation card route....well...I am thinking about the "card switch" route, but its very tentative right now (don't even know if its even possible withe one computer). I can ensure you that 3dxMax and the like work with the GPU Heavy Workstation cards. What do I intend to do with it? Whatever I can.The point is I shouldn't have to say "I can't do that" due to hardware limitations (with in reason of course). Animations with V-Ray? The hardware can do that. Crysis/Crysis 2 on Full everything? The hardware can do that. That's what is making this build that much harder... most go either gaming or workstation. I'm going for basically both and that doesn't seem to exist per say. So many loose ends I have to look for (like drivers...Ugh!).

So much ambition, but too little know how. Don't even know if what I want it to do is feasible. Ive got the will at the very least.

Your on the benchmarking team, so what say you? Some Z77 Ivy Bridge along with the next number generation video gaming card going to be able to do what I'm looking for? At this point I know thanks to another forum that I'm going to have to do a some Raid 10 shenanigans involving a single large SSD followed by 4 Inexpensive regular drives to get the memory right.

I know enough...and yet no I don't.

 

[nzaneb]

The point is I shouldn't have to say "I can't do that" due to hardware limitations (with in reason of course)...... That's what is making this build that much harder... most go either gaming or workstation. I'm going for basically both and that doesn't seem to exist per say.

Work and play are two different things. Build two systems if you have actually have work that you perform on your computer. If you absolutely must try and do it with one system, you will want an nVidia GPU (CUDA) as it will give you the greatest possibility to take advantage of the GPU computing.

Your on the benchmarking team, so what say you? Some Z77 Ivy Bridge along with the next number generation video gaming card going to be able to do what I'm looking for?

Unless you plan on ditching the case, buy a CPU and GPU pot and dropping LN2 on your nice new components, we'll leave benching out of this

At this point I know thanks to another forum that I'm going to have to do a some Raid 10 shenanigans involving a single large SSD followed by 4 Inexpensive regular drives to get the memory right.

You have to do no such thing. Who told you that, lol? You buy an SSD or Revodrive for your boot drive (it will house your OS, programs, and games), then you buy a storage drive for the rest of your files (movies, music, work files, etc...) If you need redundancy to prevent possible data loss, then you buy two storage drives and run them in RAID 1. No need to make this complicated. It's only several billion transistors, inductors, circuits, caps, resistors, and friggin' laser beams

Just to clear things up, you're talking about storage not memory. Computer memory (you will be looking at DDR3) is volatile, and requires power to store data (used by the OS for programs, etc...) Flash memory (SSD's) or Hard Drives do not require power to save stored data.

 

[Id]

Work and play are two different things. Build two systems if you have actually have work that you perform on your computer. If you absolutely must try and do it with one system, you will want an nVidia GPU (CUDA) as it will give you the greatest possibility to take advantage of the GPU computing.

I thus far (in terms of computers) haven 't worked a day in my life. ^_^ Work and play may be two things, but only if you hate what ya do.
....but yea I get the point. One system it has to be.

Unless you plan on ditching the case, buy a CPU and GPU pot and dropping LN2 on your nice new components, we'll leave benching out of this

All this Hate on my case...its makes me sad.Everything else is so...boring and apparently more efficient. Don't get me wrong, a little cryo on my computer would be cool (Ha!) if I had the supply & know how, case and point...GPU pot?
Totally Jealous of your Know-How. Need the ability to learn VIA plug in.

You have to do no such thing. Who told you that, lol? You buy an SSD or Revodrive for your boot drive (it will house your OS, programs, and games), then you buy a storage drive for the rest of your files (movies, music, work files, etc...) If you need redundancy to prevent possible data loss, then you buy two storage drives and run them in RAID 1. No need to make this complicated. It's only several billion transistors, inductors, circuits, caps, resistors, and friggin' laser beams

Some one from a very respectable forum suggested it in case I chose not to use the Revodrive since it would be taking up a PCI-E on the mobo. So while the final decision will depend on what NVIDIA/AMD brings to next years table, I will concur with this for the time being. The videos I have seen involving the Revodrive have been impressive.

Just to clear things up, you're talking about storage not memory. Computer memory (you will be looking at DDR3) is volatile, and requires power to store data (used by the OS for programs, etc...) Flash memory (SSD's) or Hard Drives do not require power to save stored data.

Thank You

I want to shout out that this has been the most supportive thus far of all the three forums I've been floating around to gather my Communicative info.

I know YOU all knew that...but I just wanted to say it anyway.

Oh!...and My words in...SandyBrown? That's a first. (Giggity )

(grumperfish I have noted your comment involving Nvidia.)