My cousin's in the market for a new PC again. He's just had to take a supplier to court to sue for breach of contract (paid £2k for a PC which hadn't arrived after 9 months) - so he's got plenty of money.
I think what he's looking at is slightly over the top (about 3 grand, UK£), so your opinions please (Moriz, Elder - I'm looking at you!)
Intel® Core™i7 Processor Extreme Edition i7-965 (4 X 3.20GHz) 6.4GTs/8MB Cache
12GB CORSAIR XMS3 1600MHz - LIFETIME WARRANTY! (6x2GB)
ASUS® P6T DELUXE V2: DDR3, SATAII, 2 x PCI-e x16, 2 PCI, 1 x PCI-e x1
300GB WD VelociRaptor® SATA 16MB CACHE (10,000rpm)
300GB WD VelociRaptor® SATA 16MB CACHE (10,000rpm) (not in RAID...)
6x BLU-RAY WRITER & HD-DVD ROM DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW
1024MB GEFORCE GTX285 PCI Express + DVI + TV-OUT
1024MB GEFORCE GTX285 PCI Express + DVI + TV-OUT (yes, two)
COOLERMASTER HAF 932 BLACK GAMING PC CASE
1200W Quiet Quad Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
ASUS TRITON 81 PURE COPPER BASE ULTRA COOLER
What's the word?
(Edit - already) Talked him in to getting the Asus Rampage II Extreme, sticking the two Velociraptors in RAID 1, and (this is the contentious bit) swapping the SLI'd 285s for a 295. Oh, and an Asus Xonar DX for good measure. Also, as I don't trust no-name PSUs, I opted for the unnecessarily large 1500W modular Thermaltake Toughpower.
If you can configure anything better from his manufacturer of choice, look here: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/index....&select=intel4
Opinions on a new, OTT build
Snograt
Kattar
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Snograt
What's the word?
|
That's all I've got.
Snograt
Actually, I've talked him down to 6GB of RAM - don't think he'll need 12GB for GW and Office :/
Leonora Windleaf
Get a third GTX 285 while you're at it! xD
Anyway, will he only use it for office work and GW? If yes, that's WAAAAAAAAAAAAY overpowered. But then, if he has the money, why not...
Anyway, will he only use it for office work and GW? If yes, that's WAAAAAAAAAAAAY overpowered. But then, if he has the money, why not...
Kattar
Make sure it has lots of shiny lights on it to. Since he's basically using it as decoration it might as well look kewl.
Relnor
I would stick the VR's in RAID 0. Backup necessary files to another internal drive or an external.
Snograt
Damn - I meant 0. Striped, not mirrored.
Relnor
You just made my day 
Snograt
Ok, let's narrow it down.
What is better, one GTX295 (the current fastest graphics card) or a pair of GTX285s (the current fastest single-chip solution)?
(Edit) That's him - next post.
What is better, one GTX295 (the current fastest graphics card) or a pair of GTX285s (the current fastest single-chip solution)?
(Edit) That's him - next post.
WEEBS
Ok Its a bit of Overkill, But what the hell, I,ve got the cash (well I will have soon)
mmmm shiney lights, now thats a good idea, might need to wire it in to the national grid.
12gb of RAM lol I think 6 will do it.
The question is though Shall I have 1 GTX295 or 2 GTX285's
mmmm shiney lights, now thats a good idea, might need to wire it in to the national grid.
12gb of RAM lol I think 6 will do it.
The question is though Shall I have 1 GTX295 or 2 GTX285's
chocodiledundee
May i suggest you try here:
Novatech
Theyre quite cheap and they are good at service i use them myself.
Novatech
Theyre quite cheap and they are good at service i use them myself.
Snograt
I agree, chocodiledundee - I always use Novatech for all my components. Problem is, Weebs is not confident enough to build his own system and Novatech's pre-builds aren't configurable.
He knows I'd happily build it for him, but he'd rather go for the peace of mind and guarantees that a pre-built system comes with.
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/syscon...odid=FS-066-OK - Overclockers do have a configurator, but they're out of VRaps.
He knows I'd happily build it for him, but he'd rather go for the peace of mind and guarantees that a pre-built system comes with.
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/syscon...odid=FS-066-OK - Overclockers do have a configurator, but they're out of VRaps.
Leonora Windleaf
Well,theoretically, 2 GTX 285 will outperform 1 GTX 295. The GTX 295 is basically two GTX 260/285 hybrids sandwiched together.
The GTX 295 has 2x 448-bit memory interface compared to the 512-bit memory interface of the 280/285. It also has 2x 896 MB Memory, compared to the 1024 MB Memory of the 280/285.
I myself got a GTX 295, and I can say that there is no game which doesn't run fluently (even Crysis/Warhead on max, 1680x1050 AAx2 runs well over 35 FPS constantly) Of course, GTA IV doesn't run that well again, but that's due to it's heavy CPU usage ( I "only" got an E8500 @ 3.8 Ghz). With your CPU, you should be flying trough that game.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by www.guru3d.com
Now the GTX 295 is a bit of a weird combo. See, it has the memory volume and frequency of two GTX 260 cards yet the raw shader processor horsepower of two GeForce GTX 280 cards.
Memory: 1792 MB (896 MB per GPU) Shaders processor: 240 per GPU, 480 in total Core frequency: 576 MHz (Texture and ROP units) Shader processor: 1242 MHz So that makes it a bit of a hybrid in between two GTX 260 and 280 graphics cards. One thing is a fact though, it's an awful lot of computing power for sure. |
I myself got a GTX 295, and I can say that there is no game which doesn't run fluently (even Crysis/Warhead on max, 1680x1050 AAx2 runs well over 35 FPS constantly) Of course, GTA IV doesn't run that well again, but that's due to it's heavy CPU usage ( I "only" got an E8500 @ 3.8 Ghz). With your CPU, you should be flying trough that game.
chocodiledundee
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Snograt
I agree, chocodiledundee - I always use Novatech for all my components. Problem is, Weebs is not confident enough to build his own system and Novatech's pre-builds aren't configurable.
He knows I'd happily build it for him, but he'd rather go for the peace of mind and guarantees that a pre-built system comes with. |
i speced myself a small pc (by comparison) for just over £360.00 a mid range. but i did splash out on the graphecs card a bit. and thats with Windows XP and a wireless dongle. i'm picking that up this wkend lol
dark horni worm
overkill indeed, but if you have the cash, why not?
i'd go with 2x gtx285's because they'll perform better at higher resolutions.
oh, and if you're buying unnecessary goodies, buy this monitor: http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s....html?DLL-3008
that thing is SICK! costs alot, but a friend of mine just bought it, and he's very satisfied. woohoo 30''
.
i'd go with 2x gtx285's because they'll perform better at higher resolutions.
oh, and if you're buying unnecessary goodies, buy this monitor: http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s....html?DLL-3008
that thing is SICK! costs alot, but a friend of mine just bought it, and he's very satisfied. woohoo 30''
.
chocodiledundee
and you can get a tv at that size for under £500. its a matter of what you want but i have a 32" sony bravia that i run my computer through. it works great.
Snograt
Well yeah, but you're not going to run a 32" Bravia at 2560x1600 are you?
Besides, the smug git's got a 42" plasma on his wall :/
Besides, the smug git's got a 42" plasma on his wall :/
chocodiledundee
I only have 2 things to say about that:
no, and bastard
no, and bastard
BLUESHIFT
Why would you spend that much and not buy an SSD from Intel?
enter_the_zone
Built a similar machine for a customer recently (to a combined spec we both worked on), but I used the Corsair 1000W PSU (which is truly awesome), a Lian Li case and an ATI HD-4870X2. And 12GB is just insane, 8GB is fine. Vista Ultimate 64 bit, I assume
Also, I prefer Raid 1 for the data security it gives. Raid 0 is faster but way more susceptible to failure, and SSD is faster still and less prone to fail. Small, but very quick. Obviously SSD, would just be for the OS and game installs which would benefit (like shooters).
Also, I prefer Raid 1 for the data security it gives. Raid 0 is faster but way more susceptible to failure, and SSD is faster still and less prone to fail. Small, but very quick. Obviously SSD, would just be for the OS and game installs which would benefit (like shooters).
WEEBS
Decided on a GTX295..... JUST ONE FOR NOW,
Just wondering if the 42 TV is 1080p :-)
Yes I'm a smug git lol,
Don't think there's room on the office (Wife's Office) desk to put anything larger then a 24" Monitor. Think she's bit put out that I've commandeered her space during the day as it is.
Just wondering if the 42 TV is 1080p :-)
Yes I'm a smug git lol,
Don't think there's room on the office (Wife's Office) desk to put anything larger then a 24" Monitor. Think she's bit put out that I've commandeered her space during the day as it is.
Snograt
Meh.
On the subject of SSDs, with this sort of money-no-object attitude, I'd go for four SSDs in a striped mirror with a nice little Terabyte drive for the porn.
Data, I mean.
On the subject of SSDs, with this sort of money-no-object attitude, I'd go for four SSDs in a striped mirror with a nice little Terabyte drive for the porn.
Data, I mean.
WEEBS
So now your saying Go for bigger 7200 HD
moriz
sorry guys for being late to be party... my hard drive bricked itself and i had to some rebuilding (and yes, if you are wondering, my old hard drive is a seagate barracuda 500 
)
the GTX295 is a good choice. you've gone well past the point of diminishing returns on the performance of your machine, and the difference between a single GTX295 and 2x GTX285 will be minuscule.
since money is apparently no object for you, i'd suggest a third hard drive (identical to the first two) and set up a RAID 0+1. yes, you KNOW you want it....
with all this expensive hardware being thrown around, i'd personally skimp the lights (though illuminated fans will fine). i'd use that money to spend on excellent (and quiet) cooling.
)the GTX295 is a good choice. you've gone well past the point of diminishing returns on the performance of your machine, and the difference between a single GTX295 and 2x GTX285 will be minuscule.
since money is apparently no object for you, i'd suggest a third hard drive (identical to the first two) and set up a RAID 0+1. yes, you KNOW you want it....
with all this expensive hardware being thrown around, i'd personally skimp the lights (though illuminated fans will fine). i'd use that money to spend on excellent (and quiet) cooling.
Snograt
Is this the bizarre difference between RAID 0+1 and RAID 1+0? I never understood that. I thought that if you had a standard striped array, with two identical HDDs, then if you wanted to mirror that array, you'd need another two identical drives.
What have I missed?
(Er, not OT at all - I'm pricing, you see...)
What have I missed?
(Er, not OT at all - I'm pricing, you see...)
moriz
*cough* my mistake, you need 4 drives.
as far as i know, the difference between 0+1 and 1+0 is that 0+1 treats the disks as two sets of two disks, the second set mirrors the first two. it prevents data loss if one or both disks fail on one set. however, it is toast if disks from both sets fail.
1+0 is a bit different. it is two sets of disks, but each set is configured in mirrors. basically, data is first striped into the two sets, and within each set, it is duplicated on the second disk of the set. this means the setup can sustain multiple disk failures before any data is lost.
given all this, it might be a good idea to go for RAID 1+0.
as far as i know, the difference between 0+1 and 1+0 is that 0+1 treats the disks as two sets of two disks, the second set mirrors the first two. it prevents data loss if one or both disks fail on one set. however, it is toast if disks from both sets fail.
1+0 is a bit different. it is two sets of disks, but each set is configured in mirrors. basically, data is first striped into the two sets, and within each set, it is duplicated on the second disk of the set. this means the setup can sustain multiple disk failures before any data is lost.
given all this, it might be a good idea to go for RAID 1+0.
Elder III
Wow - that's a sweet azz rig you're talking about there. XD
I like the original configuration with the exception of the RAM (6-8 GB is more than enough overkill... no need at all for 12 right now) & I'm abit confused about the monitor situation... Are you using a 24" desktop monitor, a 32" Bravia or a 42" tv across the room? If you are using the 24" then stick with the 1 GTX295 - if it's one of the bigger screens (assuming at least 1900x1200 res) then go for the 2 GTX285s in SLI. Also I don't think that you need 1500watt PSU, but it won't hurt that's for sure(btw Thermaltake is a great brand imo).
Oh, light that baby up - no sense in dropping that kind of cash in it if it doesn't have lots of lights, LEDS, strobes, whistles, bells and enough fans to make it sound like the International Space Station launching into orbit when it boots up.
I like the original configuration with the exception of the RAM (6-8 GB is more than enough overkill... no need at all for 12 right now) & I'm abit confused about the monitor situation... Are you using a 24" desktop monitor, a 32" Bravia or a 42" tv across the room? If you are using the 24" then stick with the 1 GTX295 - if it's one of the bigger screens (assuming at least 1900x1200 res) then go for the 2 GTX285s in SLI. Also I don't think that you need 1500watt PSU, but it won't hurt that's for sure(btw Thermaltake is a great brand imo).
Oh, light that baby up - no sense in dropping that kind of cash in it if it doesn't have lots of lights, LEDS, strobes, whistles, bells and enough fans to make it sound like the International Space Station launching into orbit when it boots up.
Snograt
At the moment it's more than overkill, Elder - he's sticking with his Samsung 2232BW (an absolutely fabulous 22-incher) with a view to upgrading to something more suited to that graphical power at a later date.
We've decided to stick at 6GB - 2x2x2GB seems to be the sweet spot with triple-channel DDR3.
As regards the PSU, yes again that's overkill. I selected that because the smaller PSUs on offer are unbranded and, like you, I think Tt make awesome products.
We've decided to stick at 6GB - 2x2x2GB seems to be the sweet spot with triple-channel DDR3.
As regards the PSU, yes again that's overkill. I selected that because the smaller PSUs on offer are unbranded and, like you, I think Tt make awesome products.
dark horni worm
what sound system will you be using? if you have the cash, you could consider to throw in a decent sound card there, and buy yourself a nice 5.1/7.1 system if you have the room.
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...html?CRE-70SB0
and http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...tml?CRE-104833 for example.
thought a bout a mouse? http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...tml?RAZ-LACHBB recently bought this myself, great gaming mouse.
keyboard? http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...tml?LOG-967929 let's just stick to the keyboard everyone seem to like
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...html?CRE-70SB0
and http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...tml?CRE-104833 for example.
thought a bout a mouse? http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...tml?RAZ-LACHBB recently bought this myself, great gaming mouse.
keyboard? http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...tml?LOG-967929 let's just stick to the keyboard everyone seem to like
Elder III
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Snograt
At the moment it's more than overkill, Elder - he's sticking with his Samsung 2232BW (an absolutely fabulous 22-incher) with a view to upgrading to something more suited to that graphical power at a later date.
We've decided to stick at 6GB - 2x2x2GB seems to be the sweet spot with triple-channel DDR3. As regards the PSU, yes again that's overkill. I selected that because the smaller PSUs on offer are unbranded and, like you, I think Tt make awesome products. |
Yeah, that's a nice monitor, all most people really need... unless you want to sit across the room anything bigger than that is just eyestrain. hehe
good choice on the RAM... very fast speeds there with triple channel
Well, if that's the only name brand PSU and money isn't an issue, go for it... nothing like a no name PSU to screw you in the end (pun intended). Trust me.... I have recently had reason to regret buying a no name PSU (no, not really by choice, but by necessity). :/
Burst Cancel
Comments:
- The i7 965 is a waste of money. The 920s are excellent overclockers for a fifth of the price.
- Unless you're using memory intensive apps (e.g., Photoshop) on a regular basis, 12GB is overkill. In fact, 6GB is overkill. Most people think that you need to run triple-channel with i7/x58, but you don't. Furthermore, there is essentially no real-world performance benefit to running triple-channel. Pure marketing.
- The DFI LP UT X58-T3eH8 is a better overclocking motherboard. For better features (SAS controller, 3-way x16 SLI, etc.), grab a ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution or the newly-released EVGA X58 Classified.
- The best system drives are Intel SSDs. If you have cash to burn, buy a handful and RAID them. Raptors are pointless.
- For PSU, I'd grab a Corsair or PCP&C. 850W-ish should be more than enough.
- For CPU coolers, I'd grab a TRUE or a Noctua U12P. If you have the cash, build a watercooling loop; the HAF932 is especially suited for it (120.3 rad mounted under the top panel, plenty of room for pump/res).
- The i7 965 is a waste of money. The 920s are excellent overclockers for a fifth of the price.
- Unless you're using memory intensive apps (e.g., Photoshop) on a regular basis, 12GB is overkill. In fact, 6GB is overkill. Most people think that you need to run triple-channel with i7/x58, but you don't. Furthermore, there is essentially no real-world performance benefit to running triple-channel. Pure marketing.
- The DFI LP UT X58-T3eH8 is a better overclocking motherboard. For better features (SAS controller, 3-way x16 SLI, etc.), grab a ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution or the newly-released EVGA X58 Classified.
- The best system drives are Intel SSDs. If you have cash to burn, buy a handful and RAID them. Raptors are pointless.
- For PSU, I'd grab a Corsair or PCP&C. 850W-ish should be more than enough.
- For CPU coolers, I'd grab a TRUE or a Noctua U12P. If you have the cash, build a watercooling loop; the HAF932 is especially suited for it (120.3 rad mounted under the top panel, plenty of room for pump/res).
Snograt
I agree with every point you made there, BC (except for the memory - I like having too much memory.)
The thing is, as was said before, we're stuck with pre-built systems from the few British suppliers that do decent, configurable systems.
If anyone can spec us with a British supplier that can do an infinitely configurable, high-end, pre-built rig that isn't pcspecialist, overclockers or novatech - let us know!
Oh, and make it snappy - the money is going to be available "forthwith".
(Yes, I know - http://www.alienware.co.uk/product_p...l_default.aspx - have you seen their prices?)
The thing is, as was said before, we're stuck with pre-built systems from the few British suppliers that do decent, configurable systems.
If anyone can spec us with a British supplier that can do an infinitely configurable, high-end, pre-built rig that isn't pcspecialist, overclockers or novatech - let us know!
Oh, and make it snappy - the money is going to be available "forthwith".
(Yes, I know - http://www.alienware.co.uk/product_p...l_default.aspx - have you seen their prices?)
Nazar Razak
BEAST computers
havent bought from them myself (they dont do low-mid end computers ;P), but look pretty legit.
havent bought from them myself (they dont do low-mid end computers ;P), but look pretty legit.
Lord Sojar
Save money on the processor, go with an i7 920 or 940.
Throw 2 GTX 285s in it. They will outperform a GTX295, which was created for the sole purpose to give the most powerful single card solution to those without SLi motherboards. 2 GTX285s will trounce a 295.
However, as I understand it... we are pushing up the release of GT300, soooo, perhaps just put in 1 GTX260 to save money and upgrade to the new GT300 (whichever you choose) upon release (which I wish I could give you an exact date on!)
Just my 2 quid.
Throw 2 GTX 285s in it. They will outperform a GTX295, which was created for the sole purpose to give the most powerful single card solution to those without SLi motherboards. 2 GTX285s will trounce a 295.
However, as I understand it... we are pushing up the release of GT300, soooo, perhaps just put in 1 GTX260 to save money and upgrade to the new GT300 (whichever you choose) upon release (which I wish I could give you an exact date on!)
Just my 2 quid.
moriz
who resurrected rahja?!! WHO???????!!!