render farm server build

[circuitmonkey]

In regards to the cooler it has to be the Zalman 8700 or Zalman 8700NT

It may be getting long in the tooth, but still performs very well for it's size

[Malik]

Cool,...those heat sinks look good.

What do you guys think of the Phenom II x4 955 BE, it only 15$ more than the x4 945.
Is it worth it?

Thanks again,
M

[watercooled]

Don't forget the 955 has a higher TDP (125W vs 95w of the 945) so it will be harder to cool and will draw more power. If you're OK with that and provided the heatsink can cope with the heat output (the Zalman 8700 looks like it should cope fine: http://www.frostytech.com/articlevie...id=2243&page=4 ) then yeah it should be a good deal if you need the extra Hz.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Perhaps the OP should look at the 65W X4 905e:

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...dlist=celebros

There is also the 65W 910e.

There is also this 1U cooler too which can handle 65W processors:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-021-_-Product

Edit!!

This 2U cooler looks ideal for the job:

http://www.akasa.com.tw/update.php?t...e&model=AK-392

It can even cool the 125W TDP Phenoms.

I wonder if the OP could get some sponsorship for the build from a retailer or even AMD themselves as it would be good publicity IMHO!!

[watercooled]

Yeah I second that - it would be great if the OP could post pics of the build progress and keep us updated etc!!!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I think the OP should go for DDR3 instead of DDR2 as such a build would cost around the same and DDR3 runs cooler too!!

This is what I would get:

MSI 785GM-E65 ~ $90

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130233

OR

ECS BLACK Series A785GM-M ~ $90

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...dlist=celebros

OR

ASUS M4A785TD-M EVO ~ $85

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...tCode=10010993

They both have all solid capacitor construction and the VRMs are cooled by heatsinks in the case of the MSI and ECS motherboards. I would think that the greater stability of solid capacitors and the fact that they won't leak would be a good attribute in this case.

A-DATA Gaming Series 4GB ~ $95

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16820211409

Phenom II X4 905e ~ $179

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...dlist=celebros

The original parts in the OP came to around $355 and the new components I have listed will cost between $359 to $364.

The Phenom II X4 905e is clocked 500MHZ lower than the X4 940 or X4 945 but it consumes far less power and hence a computer based around this will need far less power and cooling than even a 95W CPU.

Hence one of these 300W Seasonic PSUs would be more than enough IMHO:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-085-_-Product

This Dynatron cooler looks a better bet than the Gelid one I mentioned in a previous post:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835114039

Here is the manufacturers webpage for the cooler:

http://www.dynatron-corp.com/en/prod...139&id=78&in=0

The blurb for the cooler says that it will cool the following processors:

Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual-Core 5200+, Next-Generation Opteron™ 2.6Ghz, Athlon™ 64 3800+, Sempron™ 3600+

The X2 5000+ has a TDP between 65W to 89W so the X4 905e should be fine!

With other components the cost per node should be well under $600!

[Malik]

Thanks again guys,... I spoke with a local tech in town that help me setup my personal i7 build and we are going to work out some details. Regarding AMD promoting the module...I love the idea, I was thinking about doing a rendering of the box to help visualize the concept...I'm going to tied up for at least a couple days to finish a project but will let you guys know if I come up with something.

-M