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Thread: Planning a new rig

  1. #1
    Ex-MSFT Paul Adams's Avatar
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    • Paul Adams's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus Maximus VIII
      • CPU:
      • Intel Core i7-6700K
      • Memory:
      • 16GB
      • Storage:
      • 2x250GB SSD / 500GB SSD / 2TB HDD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • nVidia GeForce GTX1080
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 x64 Pro
      • Monitor(s):
      • Philips 40" 4K
      • Internet:
      • 500Mbps fiber

    Planning a new rig

    Edited, end result specs:

    "HIS":
    Cooler Master Wave Master (Silver)
    Tagan 480W PSU
    Asus A8N-SLI Premium Motherboard
    AMD Athlon64 3700+ 2.2GHz 1Mb cache Socket 939
    2Gb Corsair TwinX PC3200 kit
    2x 74Gb WD Raptor SATA HDD (RAID0)
    NEC DVD ND-3540A (Silver)
    XFX GeForce 7800GT PCI-E Dual-DVI


    "HERS":
    Thermaltake Xaser Tsunami (Black/Aluminium)
    Tagan 480W PSU
    AC Ryan Blue Cold Cathodes
    Asus A8N-SLI Premium Motherboard
    AMD Athlon64 3700+ 2.2GHz 1Mb cache Socket 939
    2Gb Corsair TwinX PC3200 kit
    2x 74Gb WD Raptor SATA HDD (RAID0)
    NEC DVD ND-3540A (Black)
    XFX GeForce 7800GT PCI-E Dual-DVI


    Link to pics & specs
    Last edited by Paul Adams; 13-08-2005 at 11:19 AM.
    ~ I have CDO. It's like OCD except the letters are in alphabetical order, as they should be. ~
    PC: Win10 x64 | Asus Maximus VIII | Core i7-6700K | 16GB DDR3 | 2x250GB SSD | 500GB SSD | 2TB SATA-300 | GeForce GTX1080
    Camera: Canon 60D | Sigma 10-20/4.0-5.6 | Canon 100/2.8 | Tamron 18-270/3.5-6.3

  2. #2
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    Doesn't seem like a bad setup to me!! Why do you need 2, bit greedy isn't it?

    The only thing I can say is if you've got the extra money, maybe go for the Premium mobo and maybe faster CPU, or even an X2.

  3. #3
    Senior Member sawyen's Avatar
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    • sawyen's system
      • Motherboard:
      • MSI Laptop motherboard
      • CPU:
      • Intel Core i7 740QM
      • Memory:
      • 8192MB DDR3
      • Storage:
      • 256GB SSD, 1TB WD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • AMD Mobility HD 5870
      • PSU:
      • MSI stuff
      • Case:
      • N/A
      • Operating System:
      • Win 7 64bit
      • Internet:
      • Virgin ADSL rubbish
    Alright I guess, but I would still recommend a 3700+ or an X2 if you're getting a new rig...

    Heard A8N's NB cooler is pretty noisy.. you might want to get a passively cooled HSF for that NF4 chipset.

    and yea, if you had more cash... drop it on a premium mobo.

    Not sure about the PSU.. Maybe I'm just more comfortable with a Tagan..

    If you're not overclocking, why the PC4000 Ballistix? you're better off with a 3200XL or a 3200 Ballistix...
    Me want Ultrabook


  4. #4
    Senior Member sawyen's Avatar
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    • sawyen's system
      • Motherboard:
      • MSI Laptop motherboard
      • CPU:
      • Intel Core i7 740QM
      • Memory:
      • 8192MB DDR3
      • Storage:
      • 256GB SSD, 1TB WD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • AMD Mobility HD 5870
      • PSU:
      • MSI stuff
      • Case:
      • N/A
      • Operating System:
      • Win 7 64bit
      • Internet:
      • Virgin ADSL rubbish
    F.E.A.R would probably crucify that X800XL at higher res with AA... drop a little bit more for a 7800GT, even beats an X850XTPE but has the same price..
    Me want Ultrabook


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    If u want a uber speed when loading games, oses etc... u might want to got for a 10k rpm raptor for progs and a large drive for storage.

    There is no point buying anything abv 3200 speeds for mem as it won;;t be used unless u r ocing, get cheap value stuff and invest the extra money on a amd 64 3700. This exp mem only gives u abt 5% extra performance, whereas a better cpu can give u a lot more.

    Also abt the os do u have to run 64? 32 is plenty fast and unless u r specifically going to play 64bit games there is no point to install it yet.

    Also, many people recomend the tagan 480w over any other ones, so it might be just worth looking for it if it saves u money.

    U don't have to go to water cooling if u want slience, a good heatsink coupoled with decent fan and controller should do the job at a fraction of the price and is also half as risky.

    The zalman 7700 (120mm fan) or a thermalright xp-90 with a superquite fan such as the nexus one should be quiet solutions.

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    beaten to it by sawyen ^^

  7. #7
    Senior Member sawyen's Avatar
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    • sawyen's system
      • Motherboard:
      • MSI Laptop motherboard
      • CPU:
      • Intel Core i7 740QM
      • Memory:
      • 8192MB DDR3
      • Storage:
      • 256GB SSD, 1TB WD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • AMD Mobility HD 5870
      • PSU:
      • MSI stuff
      • Case:
      • N/A
      • Operating System:
      • Win 7 64bit
      • Internet:
      • Virgin ADSL rubbish
    as long as our thoughts are alike... no joke..
    Me want Ultrabook


  8. #8
    Ex-MSFT Paul Adams's Avatar
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    • Paul Adams's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus Maximus VIII
      • CPU:
      • Intel Core i7-6700K
      • Memory:
      • 16GB
      • Storage:
      • 2x250GB SSD / 500GB SSD / 2TB HDD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • nVidia GeForce GTX1080
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 x64 Pro
      • Monitor(s):
      • Philips 40" 4K
      • Internet:
      • 500Mbps fiber
    GFiSH - 2 rigs because my girlfriend wants a new one too, so we figured it was easiest to spec 1 rig and buy double


    sawyen - not sure about dual core, it won't be used for CPU-intensive things multi-tasking so would it only be half-utilised?
    Replacement fans & such I will check out once the rigs are built methinks, then I can best judge which ones could do with swapping out.
    PSU I just felt happy with pairing Cooler Master kit, and wanted something with plenty of potential.
    I chose that mobo as it is nForce4 and has dual gigabit onboard - I can't source a PCI-E gigabit NIC that has 64-bit drivers yet, and it would be really convenient to have built-in peripherals as far as possible.
    RAM is PC4000 as I couldn't locate a 2x1Gb kit of anything else from Crucial

    Got stung with a 6800LE a while ago (artifacting at stock, different drivers exhibited different problems) so I'm wary of nVidia now... though I suppose it does leave the option open for SLI...


    speedy_s - I intend to use my current 64-bit system as a DC, file server & web server so I will try to avoid creating volumes on the new rigs - but I will check out the availability of 10k RPM SATA2 drives.
    OS will be XP64 on at least my rig, my girlfriend may prefer to stick with the 32-bit version (so far the only incompatibility problem I ran into was running the game "Sacred Underworld" and the XP64 kernel is rock-solid in terms of stability).


    I'll have a look for the Tagan PSU, thanks guys.
    Any opinions on a "premium" mobo, given that I would have a big preference for dual gigabit ports onboard?

    Note to self:
    Check out availability of Tagan 480W PSU.
    Check out availability of 2x1Gb PC3200 paired RAM - difference between Value and TwinX ?
    Check out dual DVI 7800GT prices & availability.
    Put hold on Rocket watercooling thingy, use stock fans at first to determine noise level.
    Last edited by Paul Adams; 12-08-2005 at 04:25 PM.
    ~ I have CDO. It's like OCD except the letters are in alphabetical order, as they should be. ~
    PC: Win10 x64 | Asus Maximus VIII | Core i7-6700K | 16GB DDR3 | 2x250GB SSD | 500GB SSD | 2TB SATA-300 | GeForce GTX1080
    Camera: Canon 60D | Sigma 10-20/4.0-5.6 | Canon 100/2.8 | Tamron 18-270/3.5-6.3

  9. #9
    Senior Member Dark Horse's Avatar
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    (As most others have said before)

    Case: My housemate got the black wave, I wasn't to impressed by it tbh. I don't see the point in spending ~£100 on a case expecially as its x2 in your situation when you could spend ~£50 and then spend the difference on a better processor or graphics card.

    Psu: No idea about coolermaster but as always tagan are good. The 480w version should be perfect, quiet and more than enough power even if you go for Sli

    Cooling: Depends on how big a bedroom you have! 2 rockets will take up a lot of space and money. It will get you the same performance as the higher end air cooling and will have a very similar noise level as the Valman CNPS7700-CU which is inaudible in most cases, especially if you're not overclocking

    Board: The asus board is a solid good choice but the chipset fan is pretty noisy, it would be worth upgrading that to the premium with the silent heatpipe instead

    Cpu: I'd go for the San deigo 3700+ if you've got the cash, it will give you a bit of a performance increase and has the 1mb cash. If you've got the moolah there's always dual core

    Memory: No point in buying expensive memory if you're not overclocking as the performance increases are minimal say ~5% at best. You could save a lot by going for a decent manufacturer ie OCZ, Corsairs standard solution especially at the cost of 2gb of ram!

    HDD: Haven't got much to say there, performance is all very similar so just go for the quietest

    Graphics: The X800XL isn't the most high end card but it is great value for money still. If you want a silent solution it would be much better going for something with a heatpipe cooler rather than a fan. I'm not sure which cards have heatpipes though, I know asus have a 6600gt heatpipe cooled

    Hope this helps

  10. #10
    Ex-MSFT Paul Adams's Avatar
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    • Paul Adams's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus Maximus VIII
      • CPU:
      • Intel Core i7-6700K
      • Memory:
      • 16GB
      • Storage:
      • 2x250GB SSD / 500GB SSD / 2TB HDD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • nVidia GeForce GTX1080
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 x64 Pro
      • Monitor(s):
      • Philips 40" 4K
      • Internet:
      • 500Mbps fiber
    Thanks for the feedback guys, just what I was looking for.
    I have updated the original post to reflect the amendments.

    Any point in saving about £20 and going for a Corsair Value rather than TwinX kit?

    Will have a poke around and see if I can find a Swedish source with a fanless version of the 7800GT...
    ~ I have CDO. It's like OCD except the letters are in alphabetical order, as they should be. ~
    PC: Win10 x64 | Asus Maximus VIII | Core i7-6700K | 16GB DDR3 | 2x250GB SSD | 500GB SSD | 2TB SATA-300 | GeForce GTX1080
    Camera: Canon 60D | Sigma 10-20/4.0-5.6 | Canon 100/2.8 | Tamron 18-270/3.5-6.3

  11. #11
    Senior Member sawyen's Avatar
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    • sawyen's system
      • Motherboard:
      • MSI Laptop motherboard
      • CPU:
      • Intel Core i7 740QM
      • Memory:
      • 8192MB DDR3
      • Storage:
      • 256GB SSD, 1TB WD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • AMD Mobility HD 5870
      • PSU:
      • MSI stuff
      • Case:
      • N/A
      • Operating System:
      • Win 7 64bit
      • Internet:
      • Virgin ADSL rubbish
    fanless 7800.. thats a little ambitious.. really...
    Me want Ultrabook


  12. #12
    Senior Member Dark Horse's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sawyen
    fanless 7800.. thats a little ambitious.. really...
    I thought that the 7800 series were actually more efficient heatwise than the 6800 series was so actually run cooler. I've been reading around a bit and I think the 7800gt stock cooler should be relatively quiet but if not i think the Zalman VF700 fits.

    Someone else has done the donkey work here:

    http://www.nforcershq.com/forum/wed-...-vp501828.html

  13. #13
    Senior Member sawyen's Avatar
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    • sawyen's system
      • Motherboard:
      • MSI Laptop motherboard
      • CPU:
      • Intel Core i7 740QM
      • Memory:
      • 8192MB DDR3
      • Storage:
      • 256GB SSD, 1TB WD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • AMD Mobility HD 5870
      • PSU:
      • MSI stuff
      • Case:
      • N/A
      • Operating System:
      • Win 7 64bit
      • Internet:
      • Virgin ADSL rubbish
    7800 are generally cooler than 6800s... but asking it to work on a passive cooled system? a little hopefull nonetheless..
    Me want Ultrabook


  14. #14
    YUKIKAZE arthurleung's Avatar
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    • arthurleung's system
      • Motherboard:
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      • Storage:
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      • Antec P180
      • Operating System:
      • Windows Server 2008 Standard
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      • Dell Ultrasharp 2709W + 2001FP
      • Internet:
      • Be*Unlimited 20Mbps
    Do you really NEED 7800GT for a Web Server?
    Careful of your electricity bill. I even used a PCI vid card and severely undervolted my CPU just to save 100W of electricity (7x24)
    Workstation 1: Intel i7 950 @ 3.8Ghz / X58 / 12GB DDR3-1600 / HD4870 512MB / Antec P180
    Workstation 2: Intel C2Q Q9550 @ 3.6Ghz / X38 / 4GB DDR2-800 / 8400GS 512MB / Open Air
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  15. #15
    Senior Member Dark Horse's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by arthurleung
    Do you really NEED 7800GT for a Web Server?
    Careful of your electricity bill. I even used a PCI vid card and severely undervolted my CPU just to save 100W of electricity (7x24)
    100w over a day = 24p roughly? (0.1kwh x 24, 1kwh = 10p i think?)

    say a 500w system with monitor = 600w
    6p per hour roughly.

    Why not just turn the computer off for 4h per day?

    Edit: Cunning, just realised if its a webserver it will need to be on all day...

  16. #16
    Ex-MSFT Paul Adams's Avatar
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    • Paul Adams's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus Maximus VIII
      • CPU:
      • Intel Core i7-6700K
      • Memory:
      • 16GB
      • Storage:
      • 2x250GB SSD / 500GB SSD / 2TB HDD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • nVidia GeForce GTX1080
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 x64 Pro
      • Monitor(s):
      • Philips 40" 4K
      • Internet:
      • 500Mbps fiber
    Quote Originally Posted by arthurleung
    Do you really NEED 7800GT for a Web Server?
    Careful of your electricity bill. I even used a PCI vid card and severely undervolted my CPU just to save 100W of electricity (7x24)
    The new rigs won't be web servers, they will be used for gaming primarily.

    My current 64-bit system will become the new web server, retiring my old AthlonXP 1600+ Shuttle system - it will run the Windows 2003 Server x64 Edition SP1.

    The beauty is that I can use the 2001FP's multiple inputs to use a dual-monitor display on the web server too, and at the same time use the s-video input to use one as a TV (via digital STB) and another for DVD playback.
    ~ I have CDO. It's like OCD except the letters are in alphabetical order, as they should be. ~
    PC: Win10 x64 | Asus Maximus VIII | Core i7-6700K | 16GB DDR3 | 2x250GB SSD | 500GB SSD | 2TB SATA-300 | GeForce GTX1080
    Camera: Canon 60D | Sigma 10-20/4.0-5.6 | Canon 100/2.8 | Tamron 18-270/3.5-6.3

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