Heres the setup I plan on buying:
Asus Striker Extrem motherboard
2 XFX Nvidia 8800 gtx 768mb VCs
Intel Core 2 Extreme x6800 2.93Ghz
And 2 or 4 gb of 800 or 1000mhz ram
Will this setup basically dominate GW and be able to run on full blast?
I don't know what ram is compatible with the motherboard. Any comments on overall compatibility and what kind of power supply I'll need are welcome also. I plan on going quad sli later in the year.
How Well Will It Run
Archangel Xavier
Dex
Yeah, that setup is total overkill for Guild Wars. You can run it at max settings with a lot less than that, so go crazy.
Please don't go quad-SLI. For me? Honestly, it's nothing but a way for nVidia to squeeze money out of people that are willing to give them more. Quad-SLI is a passing trend...trust me. Even regular SLI is a gigantic money sink when you consider that single GPUs handily trounce dual-GPU setups from the previous generation and cost half as much. Quad-SLI continues to get limited support from game developers, is buggy in general, and the price/performance ratio is so abyssmal that I can't even bring myself to finish this senten-
EDIT:
Actually, do what you will. I have friends that are willing to pay thousands of dollars for nothing more than bragging rights, so who am I to tell you where to throw your money away...
Please don't go quad-SLI. For me? Honestly, it's nothing but a way for nVidia to squeeze money out of people that are willing to give them more. Quad-SLI is a passing trend...trust me. Even regular SLI is a gigantic money sink when you consider that single GPUs handily trounce dual-GPU setups from the previous generation and cost half as much. Quad-SLI continues to get limited support from game developers, is buggy in general, and the price/performance ratio is so abyssmal that I can't even bring myself to finish this senten-
EDIT:
Actually, do what you will. I have friends that are willing to pay thousands of dollars for nothing more than bragging rights, so who am I to tell you where to throw your money away...
eggrolls
if you are going to spend that much money on the computer, definitely get 4GB of memory. i just hope you have a big monitor (high res) to take advantage of what those cards are capable of.
Eldin
Yeah. Get a monitor at least 1280x1024 and you can run GW with its interface on "Large" or "Larger". Looks so awesome. You will totally destroy GW in terms of performance. Enjoy!
One thing, though. GW seems to like ATI cards more and, as other threads show, ATI users have better framerates. But with a computer that powerful, you needn't worry a thing.
One thing, though. GW seems to like ATI cards more and, as other threads show, ATI users have better framerates. But with a computer that powerful, you needn't worry a thing.
Empedocles
Not sure if OPs trolling or not, however:
ditch one 8800, downgrade 6800 to e6600, buy 2Gb ram.
Spend the money saved on a high-end 24"screen, it will retain its value much longer than the rest of the system.
ditch one 8800, downgrade 6800 to e6600, buy 2Gb ram.
Spend the money saved on a high-end 24"screen, it will retain its value much longer than the rest of the system.
Dex
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by eggrolls
if you are going to spend that much money on the computer, definitely get 4GB of memory. i just hope you have a big monitor (high res) to take advantage of what those cards are capable of.
|
Even with 2 of those video cards you're going to need to run games at enormous resolutions to take advantage of them. MUCH higher than 1280x1024...much higher than 1600x1200. Yeah, get a huge monitor.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Empedocles
Not sure if OPs trolling or not, however:
ditch one 8800, downgrade 6800 to e6600, buy 2Gb ram. Spend the money saved on a high-end 24"screen, it will retain its value much longer than the rest of the system. |
tijo
All has pretty much been said, just keep in mind that video cards are one of the fastest evolving computer hardware component, so no need to get a state of the art card right now, getting a very good processor with a cheaper video card is a money saver and your processor will retain it's value and usefulness longer than your video card. Also definitely go with a huge monitor with that system else all those specs will become pretty much a waste of money and as stated before your monitor is component that will retain a certain value longer than anything else.
Kyuuba
seriously that is overkill for GW
if GW is your primary game then you definitely dont need so much stuff.
save some money you wont even stress that computer with GW (MAXED OUT)
DO YOU PLAN ON OVERCLOCKING big thing to consider when buying all the "best" parts
striker extreme - overpriced really not so amazing (save money get a P5N32-E SLi they are practically the same)
2 8800 GTX? are you insane? 1 8800 GTX is already overkill, infact you could get a 8800 GTS and still play maxed out.
I suggest an 1 8800GTS, just wait... 8900GTX's will start popping out and u'd wish u didnt buy 2 8800GTX's.
Lets talk about your processor.. hmm.. Intel Core 2 Extreme x6800 2.93Ghz
definitely an overkill, you wont be overclocking and you dont need so much power for GW. for the price i rather go for a quad core 6600 for future proofing but then again i wouldnt blow so much on a cpu anyways and probably go for a 6600. oh but then the new 6x50's are coming out.. hmm probably should wait for those.
memory: definitely 2GB, 4GB if you really wanta max it out. MHz? well 800 is basically the standard now, dont know if your a tweaker or not but many ppl get ram with micron d9's to 1000+. anyways i u really wanta blow massive money then go grab 4gb of corsair dominator 8888, i believe they are 1111MHz.
powersupply.. well a high quality 600w should run it all, but who knows why not go crazy and get a 1000w powersupply, btw 1000w is 1kw, sounds crazy its like what power bill rates are cent/kw.. if you do pay that.
anyways there are many more things to say.
cooling, case, sound card, harddrive, optical drives...
have you done your research or have u been sorting by price descending?
if GW is your primary game then you definitely dont need so much stuff.
save some money you wont even stress that computer with GW (MAXED OUT)
DO YOU PLAN ON OVERCLOCKING big thing to consider when buying all the "best" parts
striker extreme - overpriced really not so amazing (save money get a P5N32-E SLi they are practically the same)
2 8800 GTX? are you insane? 1 8800 GTX is already overkill, infact you could get a 8800 GTS and still play maxed out.
I suggest an 1 8800GTS, just wait... 8900GTX's will start popping out and u'd wish u didnt buy 2 8800GTX's.
Lets talk about your processor.. hmm.. Intel Core 2 Extreme x6800 2.93Ghz
definitely an overkill, you wont be overclocking and you dont need so much power for GW. for the price i rather go for a quad core 6600 for future proofing but then again i wouldnt blow so much on a cpu anyways and probably go for a 6600. oh but then the new 6x50's are coming out.. hmm probably should wait for those.
memory: definitely 2GB, 4GB if you really wanta max it out. MHz? well 800 is basically the standard now, dont know if your a tweaker or not but many ppl get ram with micron d9's to 1000+. anyways i u really wanta blow massive money then go grab 4gb of corsair dominator 8888, i believe they are 1111MHz.
powersupply.. well a high quality 600w should run it all, but who knows why not go crazy and get a 1000w powersupply, btw 1000w is 1kw, sounds crazy its like what power bill rates are cent/kw.. if you do pay that.
anyways there are many more things to say.
cooling, case, sound card, harddrive, optical drives...
have you done your research or have u been sorting by price descending?
Dex
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Kyuuba
have you done your research or have u been sorting by price descending?
|
That made me laugh.
Archangel Xavier
Alright, so I guess I'll go all out on the processor and skimp on the gpu. So is SLI a waste of money? I guess I could go with one 8800 gts or gtx and if I decided to I could always upgrade later. Quad SLI does seem like it could be a waste of money thats why I wasnt going to get it right now. I wanted to wait and see if it went the way of rambus.
Kyuuba- as for the motherboard I've read a little in to this particular model and yes while the pn32 is definately enough in the way of performance and compatibility, the striker has some interesting power managment upgrades among other slight upgrades from its predescessors. Overall it seems to be the superior piece of hardware. In my experience I've learned never skimp on the motherboard. Also, yes, I have been doing my research and yes I pay the electric bill. On a side note I'm not 12. I happen to have a fairly decent understanding of computer architecture if I do say so myself. I've just been out of the loop of the hardware world for some time now and alot of these relativley new technologies like multiple processors and gpus as well the need for power supplies as big as 1kw are entirely foreign to me.
I'd like to get the 8888 dominator, but if I do I can only afford 2gb. I'll most likely get 4gb of lower quality and just not worry about it. I plan on skimping majorly on a sound card which is why I didnt mention it. I don't care so long as nothing is sounds distorted or scratchy. I don't know much in the way of cooling and cases and recommendations?
What's this 6 x 50? When is it coming out and should I get it?
Kyuuba- as for the motherboard I've read a little in to this particular model and yes while the pn32 is definately enough in the way of performance and compatibility, the striker has some interesting power managment upgrades among other slight upgrades from its predescessors. Overall it seems to be the superior piece of hardware. In my experience I've learned never skimp on the motherboard. Also, yes, I have been doing my research and yes I pay the electric bill. On a side note I'm not 12. I happen to have a fairly decent understanding of computer architecture if I do say so myself. I've just been out of the loop of the hardware world for some time now and alot of these relativley new technologies like multiple processors and gpus as well the need for power supplies as big as 1kw are entirely foreign to me.
I'd like to get the 8888 dominator, but if I do I can only afford 2gb. I'll most likely get 4gb of lower quality and just not worry about it. I plan on skimping majorly on a sound card which is why I didnt mention it. I don't care so long as nothing is sounds distorted or scratchy. I don't know much in the way of cooling and cases and recommendations?
What's this 6 x 50? When is it coming out and should I get it?
easyg
http://www.futuremark.com/community/...fame/3dmark06/
This is just the 3DMark06 top 20 lists. See something interesting? All the top scoring machines are exactly the same configuration of CPU, chipset, and GPUs.
680i SLI m/b
2 x 8800 GTX
QX6700
We're in one of those intervals when the gulf between nVidia and ATI, and Intel and AMD, is a full generation apart. Won't last forever. In fact, R600 will be out of the box next month prolly.
Just food for thought....
This is just the 3DMark06 top 20 lists. See something interesting? All the top scoring machines are exactly the same configuration of CPU, chipset, and GPUs.
680i SLI m/b
2 x 8800 GTX
QX6700
We're in one of those intervals when the gulf between nVidia and ATI, and Intel and AMD, is a full generation apart. Won't last forever. In fact, R600 will be out of the box next month prolly.
Just food for thought....
Archangel Xavier
I'm a diehard nvidia/intel buyer. I've tried ati and I've tried amd both of which failed me. The AMD processor ( I don't recall which one as it was years ago) died after two months of use and the ATI cards seem to more geared towards users with little understanding of gpus. The configurability of ATI cards seems to be lacking in accessibility and overall freedom. This is obviously dependent on which card and drivers you are using, but with the few ATI cards I've used I havent been satisfied.
What I'm a little confused about are the processors. There's the Core 2 Extreme qx6700, the Core 2 Extreme x6800, and the Core 2 Quad Processor. Are they not all quad processors? and which is the best?
What I'm a little confused about are the processors. There's the Core 2 Extreme qx6700, the Core 2 Extreme x6800, and the Core 2 Quad Processor. Are they not all quad processors? and which is the best?
easyg
Nope, they aren't all quad cores. The X6800 is a dual core processor. The other two processors are quads (really two dual cores on the same die).
In the past, Intel used the "extreme" moniker to designate a CPU with an unlocked multi (obviously very useful for overclocking). To be honest, I can't remember if the qx6700 is locked or not, and I'm too lazy to check.
The number refers to the CPU frequncy. Dual and quadcore chips with the same number will run at the same stock frequency. Ergo the qx6700 runs at 2.66 GHz (basically two E6700s on the same die) vs the q6600 at 2.40 GHz (basically two E6600s on the same die).
So to recap:
Q = quad core
X = extreme edition (unlocked multiplier)
6700, 6600, etc refers to stock CPU frequency (2.66 GHz, 2.40 GHz, etc)
Hope that helps
In the past, Intel used the "extreme" moniker to designate a CPU with an unlocked multi (obviously very useful for overclocking). To be honest, I can't remember if the qx6700 is locked or not, and I'm too lazy to check.
The number refers to the CPU frequncy. Dual and quadcore chips with the same number will run at the same stock frequency. Ergo the qx6700 runs at 2.66 GHz (basically two E6700s on the same die) vs the q6600 at 2.40 GHz (basically two E6600s on the same die).
So to recap:
Q = quad core
X = extreme edition (unlocked multiplier)
6700, 6600, etc refers to stock CPU frequency (2.66 GHz, 2.40 GHz, etc)
Hope that helps
Kyuuba
You also have to be careful about all the new things coming out.
Such as pci express 2.0
if you want a decent system then i would not suggest going all out since a lot of new technology is suppose to be coming out in 2007 mainly in Q2 and Q3.
Some motherboards such as the Asus Striker will allow you to adjust the multiplier even on non "X" models, but you can only decrease the multiplier.
this is the e6x50's i'm talking about:
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=4589
For a decent setup, i would suggest you get
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
Asus Striker Extreme
2GB of Corsair Dominator DDR2 1000 (8000)
1 nVidia GeForce 8800GTX or 8800GTS
1 or 2 (so you can RAID) 7200RPM SATAII Hard drive of your choice for basic programs/operating system. (western digital, Maxtor, Seagate, samsung are all fine)
1 10000RPM Western Digital Raptor (mainly for games)
Sound card such as Creative Sound blaster X-Fi
600+ w Power Supply (Antec, Seasonic, Corsair are all good brands)
Case of your choice (look into Antec, Lian-Li etc.)
You may want to consider after market cooling (CPU Heat sink, Case Fans, Hard drive Enclosure, Water cooling systems)
Then you could save your money and then buy a quad-core CPU when they drop in price, get a new motherboard that support pci-express 2.0 and new graphics card when the GeForce 8900's come out. Either way, the setup i posted above will definitely already overkill GW.
Thats all i can think of for now...
I don't know if your an extreme overclocker or not because that also determines what parts you may want to get.
Such as pci express 2.0
if you want a decent system then i would not suggest going all out since a lot of new technology is suppose to be coming out in 2007 mainly in Q2 and Q3.
Some motherboards such as the Asus Striker will allow you to adjust the multiplier even on non "X" models, but you can only decrease the multiplier.
this is the e6x50's i'm talking about:
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=4589
For a decent setup, i would suggest you get
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
Asus Striker Extreme
2GB of Corsair Dominator DDR2 1000 (8000)
1 nVidia GeForce 8800GTX or 8800GTS
1 or 2 (so you can RAID) 7200RPM SATAII Hard drive of your choice for basic programs/operating system. (western digital, Maxtor, Seagate, samsung are all fine)
1 10000RPM Western Digital Raptor (mainly for games)
Sound card such as Creative Sound blaster X-Fi
600+ w Power Supply (Antec, Seasonic, Corsair are all good brands)
Case of your choice (look into Antec, Lian-Li etc.)
You may want to consider after market cooling (CPU Heat sink, Case Fans, Hard drive Enclosure, Water cooling systems)
Then you could save your money and then buy a quad-core CPU when they drop in price, get a new motherboard that support pci-express 2.0 and new graphics card when the GeForce 8900's come out. Either way, the setup i posted above will definitely already overkill GW.
Thats all i can think of for now...
I don't know if your an extreme overclocker or not because that also determines what parts you may want to get.
easyg
Creative sound card + Vista = BSOD (for a lot of people anyway)
Archangel Xavier
Ive read into the pci-express 2.0 and it seems that its at least a year away. I need a new computer not just for gaming but for other reasons as well, so I cant really wait that long. Even if it were only for the price drop on the older chipsets. I think I'm just going to get one hardrive because I just back everything up onto an external hard drive and as for speed I may just get one 7200 hard drive or a decent sized 10000rpm. I plan on overclocking my cpu and those new processors are all locked so I might as well get the qx6700 and just overclock it to the 2.93GHz.
So here is my adjusted plan:
Asus Strike Extreme
qx6700 and overclock to 2.93GHz
7200rpm 320GB Seagate or a 10000rpm with at least 150GB
2gb 8888 Corsair Dominator ram
1 8800 GTX video card ( maybe xfx xxx model or Evga's AS3)
For a case probably the CM Stacker 830 (I'd like to go cheaper, but I don't want to cut on the cooling)
Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1
Power Supply probably about 800 maybe 900 watts in case I do add a cooling system
Running Windows Vista
Thanks for everyone's input. I might get another stick of ram if the price drops on it.
So here is my adjusted plan:
Asus Strike Extreme
qx6700 and overclock to 2.93GHz
7200rpm 320GB Seagate or a 10000rpm with at least 150GB
2gb 8888 Corsair Dominator ram
1 8800 GTX video card ( maybe xfx xxx model or Evga's AS3)
For a case probably the CM Stacker 830 (I'd like to go cheaper, but I don't want to cut on the cooling)
Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1
Power Supply probably about 800 maybe 900 watts in case I do add a cooling system
Running Windows Vista
Thanks for everyone's input. I might get another stick of ram if the price drops on it.
Dex
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Kyuuba
You also have to be careful about all the new things coming out.
Such as pci express 2.0 if you want a decent system then i would not suggest going all out since a lot of new technology is suppose to be coming out in 2007 mainly in Q2 and Q3. Some motherboards such as the Asus Striker will allow you to adjust the multiplier even on non "X" models, but you can only decrease the multiplier. this is the e6x50's i'm talking about: http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=4589 For a decent setup, i would suggest you get Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Asus Striker Extreme 2GB of Corsair Dominator DDR2 1000 (8000) 1 nVidia GeForce 8800GTX or 8800GTS 1 or 2 (so you can RAID) 7200RPM SATAII Hard drive of your choice for basic programs/operating system. (western digital, Maxtor, Seagate, samsung are all fine) 1 10000RPM Western Digital Raptor (mainly for games) Sound card such as Creative Sound blaster X-Fi 600+ w Power Supply (Antec, Seasonic, Corsair are all good brands) Case of your choice (look into Antec, Lian-Li etc.) You may want to consider after market cooling (CPU Heat sink, Case Fans, Hard drive Enclosure, Water cooling systems) Then you could save your money and then buy a quad-core CPU when they drop in price, get a new motherboard that support pci-express 2.0 and new graphics card when the GeForce 8900's come out. Either way, the setup i posted above will definitely already overkill GW. Thats all i can think of for now... I don't know if your an extreme overclocker or not because that also determines what parts you may want to get. |
As far as SLI goes...again, I really think it's only useful when you're running a big monitor at a high res. I've been down the SLI and Crossfire roads before (as have others I know), and pretty much always end up looking back at the purchase from 4 months in and regretting it. By the time you're truly reaping the benefits, there's a next-gen GPU on the market that gets as good or better performance for a lot less money. If you want high-end but don't want to spend money unnecessarily, getting a single high-end card is usually the way to go. Not to mention the additional inherent hassle of tweaking, driver bugs, and incompatibilities that typically exist with multi-GPU setups. SLI and Crossfire: great if you're playing at 2560 x 2048 on a big monitor. Quad-SLI: nVidia appreciates your money, sucker. Keep it coming.
Empedocles
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Archangel Xavier
Asus Strike Extreme
qx6700 and overclock to 2.93GHz |
.Oh, and Audigy doesn't sound right, if everything else is high-end. One woud suspect you'd rather take an X-Fi card.
Archangel Xavier
The qx 6700 is to take advanage of mutlithreaded games that will be coming out over the the course of the next few years. I don't want to have to upgrade for a long time and if I get the quad it will be better suited for future games. As for the overclock, yea I could run it at 3.5GHz, but to be perfectly honest I'm a little over cautious when it comes to overclocking. I'm really worried about the heat and lifespan of my components. I don't know a whole lot about what kind of cooling I'll need for this system so I'll end up playing it safe.
The audigy definately doesnt match the rest of the system, but I really dont want to spend much money at all on a sound card. I'd rather save the $30 extra that I'd spend on a fancier card and put it towards a new mouse or keyboard. It's just not a high priority for me whatsoever.
The audigy definately doesnt match the rest of the system, but I really dont want to spend much money at all on a sound card. I'd rather save the $30 extra that I'd spend on a fancier card and put it towards a new mouse or keyboard. It's just not a high priority for me whatsoever.
easyg
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Empedocles
With that setup, you should be able to pass 3Ghz and even 3.5Ghz with flying colours. I mean, if you plan to overclock, why only to raise bus from 266 to 293? You can set the multiplier to 13 and run with normal bus, giving you nearly 3.5Ghz, and you don't need other than air cooling for that.
|
Hmmm, I don't think it would make a lot of sense overclocking to 3.5Ghz if all he's concerned about is real world performance in games and if he's not running the vid cards in SLI (or doing lots of heavy encoding tasks on the side).
No matter what people have heard, one 8800GTX is still going to bottleneck in most high end systems.
After I got my EVGA card in December, I benchmarked quite a bit in 3dMark06 and was pretty shocked to find that it only took a modest CPU overclock ~2.8Ghz to uncorked the GPU. Anything over that was just for kicks, with the E6600 + Abit AW9D (975X) + EVGA 8800GTX (stock) topping out at at ~ 11,500 marks.
If he overclocks the GPU, whole different story.
Empedocles
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Archangel Xavier
The audigy definately doesnt match the rest of the system, but I really dont want to spend much money at all on a sound card. I'd rather save the $30 extra that I'd spend on a fancier card and put it towards a new mouse or keyboard. It's just not a high priority for me whatsoever.
|
I reckon you're right about the oc'ing and longevity. However, I am still inclined to think that getting a 6600 now, and saving that 600$ difference to be used on a new multicore processor two years from now would yield you better speed per dollar, with respect to future games as well.
Archangel Xavier
I'm going to over clock it a little, but only up to about 3GHz. You say a 8800 gtx will bottleneck the system? Even if it does it'll still be a very very good setup. If it becomes a problem I could go to dual gpus. I want to have all the necessary cooling and power requirements for SLI, but I can't seem to find any information on what type of cooling or power I'll need for a computer with quad core and sli. I'd like to get a water cooling system, preferably one which cools both the graphics cards and cpu. Now I just need to find a specific ps that has the right connectors for what I'll have in there with the option of later having dual gpus.
Hengis
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Empedocles
Not sure if OPs trolling or not, however:
ditch one 8800, downgrade 6800 to e6600, buy 2Gb ram. Spend the money saved on a high-end 24"screen, it will retain its value much longer than the rest of the system. |
I woud agree with the quoted post. Ditch one of the graphics cards and get an ultra high res monitor.
My current system of an E6600 with 2gig of ram and a single 7950GT basically eats Guild Wars for breakfast.
Lonesamurai
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by easyg
Creative sound card + Vista - OpenAl Drivers = BSOD (for a lot of people anyway)
|
Sid Fatima
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Archangel Xavier
Heres the setup I plan on buying:
Asus Striker Extrem motherboard 2 XFX Nvidia 8800 gtx 768mb VCs Intel Core 2 Extreme x6800 2.93Ghz And 2 or 4 gb of 800 or 1000mhz ram Will this setup basically dominate GW and be able to run on full blast? I don't know what ram is compatible with the motherboard. Any comments on overall compatibility and what kind of power supply I'll need are welcome also. I plan on going quad sli later in the year. |
I might even say this setup will be somewhat "future proof," which is a term I hate because it's an oxymoron in the realm of computers. For the next 24 months, this setup will blow away any game, no matter how demanding they are. After 2 years, it will be lucky to be considered mid-range. In 3-4 years, it will be nothing more than a giant paperweight (in terms of cutting edge gaming).
As others have said, I would get an E6600, drop one of the 8800GTX's and invest in a high res monitor to take advantage of the eye candy your system will produce.
Anyway, if you can afford this setup, you must have A LOT of money to burn so what the hell, why not enjoy it.
easyg
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Archangel Xavier
I'm going to over clock it a little, but only up to about 3GHz. You say a 8800 gtx will bottleneck the system? Even if it does it'll still be a very very good setup. If it becomes a problem I could go to dual gpus. I want to have all the necessary cooling and power requirements for SLI, but I can't seem to find any information on what type of cooling or power I'll need for a computer with quad core and sli. I'd like to get a water cooling system, preferably one which cools both the graphics cards and cpu. Now I just need to find a specific ps that has the right connectors for what I'll have in there with the option of later having dual gpus.
|
Keeping your CPU cool and happy isn't really going to be a problem, methinks. I live in Hawaii. It's super freakin' hot here, and my E6600 rarely hits 40 C even under load, with AIR COOLING no less. On a cool night, it'll idle in the high 20s. Essentially the same as ambient. C2D is that good....
This rig is pretty much what you have in mind (components: chipset 680i SLI, cpu E6600, 8800GTX). These are idle temps on a mild day here in the islands, around 32 C room temp.
If you have any problems heating-wise, it's going to be with the GPUs. These things idle at 70 C. And under load they climb to 90-95 C. That's pretty hot. And if you have 2 of them, they are like heaters inside your case making everything else hot too.
Watercooling the GPUs would make a lot of sense. Water cooling the NB would also make a lot of sense now that waterblocks are available for this chipset. But then you might as well put a waterblock on the CPU too.
But even if you do that, you'd still need air cooling for the voltage circuitry around the CPU socket.
Archangel Xavier
Well I can't get the e6600 becasue it doesnt have the unlocked multiplier. So Is there some sort of cooling for the entire computer? and when you say air cooling you are referring to the fans in the actually case? I'd like to one water cooling unit for the entire case. Or are there only indvidual watercooling units, one for gpu,cpu, and psu?
Empedocles
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Archangel Xavier
Well I can't get the e6600 becasue it doesnt have the unlocked multiplier. So Is there some sort of cooling for the entire computer? and when you say air cooling you are referring to the fans in the actually case?
|
In my case (talk about ambiquity
) cooling means a semi-passive hr-01 connected via fan duct to case exhaust fan, and a single 100mm fan at the front panel of Antec P150. My system default temps are 35-37 at idle and ~60-70 at stress (when running prime95 torture test). Pretty quiet system, the psu fan being the loudest.
easyg
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Empedocles
Sorry, I must have missed but what do you need the unlocked multiplier for? In practice, one oclocks locked model c2ds by adjusting the bus, not cpu. For instance, I'm usually running my 4300 at 9*280=2.5Ghz, instead of the specced 9*200Mhz=1.8Ghz. If you only plan to oc from 2.67 to 2.93, (un)locked multiplier should not matter at all.
In my case (talk about ambiquity ) cooling means a semi-passive hr-01 connected via fan duct to case exhaust fan, and a single 100mm fan at the front panel of Antec P150. My system default temps are 35-37 at idle and ~60-70 at stress (when running prime95 torture test). Pretty quiet system, the psu fan being the loudest. |
I envy you Empedocles, my computer sounds like a helicopter on takeoff.
I have a Lian Li PC-7B Plus II case which came equipped with 2 very quiet, low-speed Atta 120mm fans (one intake, one exhaust). But they didn't look cool so I replaced them with 2 Tt 120mm LED fans (with sleaved bearings). They run fast and loud at 2100 RPM.
I then added 2 optional case fans. A Tt 80mm exhaust fan running at 5000RPM on top, and another 120mm Tt blower to cool the PCI slots (a Lian Li BS-02 with the fan flipped around to ease some of the strong neative pressure in the case).
To keep the NB cool, I clipped on a 40x40x10 fan spinning at an incredible 6000 RPM. Interestingly, this is one of the loudest fans in the whole system despite its small size, maybe cause of the mounting clip it gives off a sort of high pitched whine.
For the CPU, I have a Tt Big Typhoon VX. This comes with a relatively loud 120mm fan (of the "push" variety) running at 2100RPM. It's adjustable, but I keep it at full speed usually.
Finally, there's a Seasonic M12 with its two fans, and the EVGA8800GTX with its loud, fast fan.
So the computer is really really loud lol! But at least it's sort of cool, especially considering its location in an un-air conditioned room in the middle of the tropics.
Oops, forgot to mention the Vantec slot cooler with its 2 x 60mm fans. But anyway, yeah, this machine is really loud.
Empedocles
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by easyg
I have a Lian Li PC-7B Plus II case which came equipped with 2 very quiet, low-speed Atta 120mm fans (one intake, one exhaust). But they didn't look cool so I replaced them with 2 Tt 120mm LED fans (with sleaved bearings). They run fast and loud at 2100 RPM.
I then added 2 optional case fans. A Tt 80mm exhaust fan running at 5000RPM on top, and another 120mm Tt blower to cool the PCI slots (a Lian Li BS-02 with the fan flipped around to ease some of the strong neative pressure in the case). To keep the NB cool, I clipped on a 40x40x10 fan spinning at an incredible 6000 RPM. Interestingly, this is one of the loudest fans in the whole system despite its small size, maybe cause of the mounting clip it gives off a sort of high pitched whine. For the CPU, I have a Tt Big Typhoon VX. This comes with a relatively loud 120mm fan (of the "push" variety) running at 2100RPM. It's adjustable, but I keep it at full speed usually. Finally, there's a Seasonic M12 with its two fans, and the EVGA8800GTX with its loud, fast fan. So the computer is really really loud lol! But at least it's sort of cool, especially considering its location in an un-air conditioned room in the middle of the tropics. Oops, forgot to mention the Vantec slot cooler with its 2 x 60mm fans. But anyway, yeah, this machine is really loud. |
4 case fans, 1 NB fan and 2 fans for cooling pci slots? Sounds like an overkill to me
Have you tested the system w/o the small nb cooler, the system might be cool enough without it? The smaller they come, the louder they are. If you count psu and gpu fans, is that total of 10? My loudest fan is the MSI x1950 pro's gpu fan, which I've set to run at 18% speed when under 50'C, so it's actually inaudible. On stress ofc, it becomes the loudest item.