3XS Intel X58 Core i7 - Custom PC PG - Random Questions

[Marcel]

Looking at buying/using the '3XS Intel X58 Core i7 - Custom PC Premium Grade' as a base for my next rig; in the coming months. Been reading this forum over the past few days, and it seems like a good community; with excellent support from the scan guys/gals. Most threads also relate to the above mentioned base system.


First question is why some of the posters have not used the Antec Twelve Hundred Case; instead using cases like Coolermaster RC-1100 V2 Cosmos S or Silverstone Fortress FT01B-W?


Second question is regarding heat & cooling and future GPU upgrade space (around the expansion slots; question is a bit long and drawn out sorry). The below components are a must in the build, and one of the reasons why I’m not sure if the Asus P6T Deluxe or the Asus Rampage II Extreme would do a better job :-

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Soundcard
(Would go above the first GPU slot on both boards, best solution unless someone has a better idea.)

KillerNIC M1 Network Card with 400Mhz Processing Unit
(From previous post I get the understanding that I could send this part in [I already own one ] to be installed with the build [but not covered by the scan warranty].)
The heat sink on this network card gets extremely hot. So like in my current pc I wouldn’t like it to be directly above either sound or graphics card.

On the Asus P6T Deluxe I guess the ideal placing would be.:-

Option1 - Asus P6T Deluxe

1st PCI-E with Sound Blaster
1st PCI-E 2 with 1792MB XFX GTX 295, does this card take up the first PCI (32bit) slot?
1st PCI (32bit) with the Killer NIC
2nd PCI-E 2 slot for a future 1792MB XFX GTX 295, is this even possible with the KillerNIC in-between?

Or

Option 2 - Asus P6T Deluxe

1st PCI-E with Sound Blaster
1st PCI-E 2 with 1792MB XFX GTX 295
2nd PCI (32bit) slot for the Killer NIC (if the 1st PCI [32bit] slot it taken up by the 295).
2nd PCI-E 2 slot for a future 1792MB XFX GTX 295 . Possible problem being the 2nd GPU getting fried from the Killer heat sink.

Or

Option 3 - Asus Rampage II Extreme

1st PCI-E with Sound Blaster
1st PCI-E 2 with 1792MB XFX GTX 295
2nd PCI-E 2 slot for a future 1792MB XFX GTX 295, does this card take up the only PCI (32bit) slot?
1st PCI (32bit) slot for the Killer NIC


Last question is what the overclock is on the CPU‘s below:-
[using 6GB (3x2GB) Corsair Dominator DDR3, PC3-12800 (1600) CAS 8-8-8-24]

Intel i7 940 @ 3XS System Core-Logic Overclocking *0 - 10%*
@ 3XS System Core-Logic Overclocking*10 - 20%*
Intel i7 965 @ 3XS System Core-Logic Overclocking *0 - 10%*
@ 3XS System Core-Logic Overclocking*10 - 20%*

[yupyupno]

Hey Marcel, welcome to Hexus

Well the reason i chose the Cosmos S was for the way it looks, and its cooling.
I'd done alot of research, read reviews watched videos and i thought that it was a great case

My 920 is overclocked to 3.6 and it is plenty enough!
I'd guess the 940 may get to around 3.8 and the 965 4+ghz, but it will all depend on the cooling option you choose.
If i had chosen to water cool my system, i'm sure they would have hit around 4ghz

Having read reviews, i'd go for sli 285's, the 295's are good, but you can overclock the 285 to some ridiculous speeds.

I have no idea about the things you say you need in the machine, but the rampage 2 comes with sound card, i don't know if you can see it that clearly, but the its the blue thing on top of the xfx card:


Hope this helps a little

[Marcel]

Thank you very much for your reply yupyupno.

Yeah must admit the Cosmos S defiantly looks better then the Antec 1200. Which reviews did you see where the Cosmos S was a better case for cooling?
I tought I would go with the 920 overclocked to 3.6. But as I play spreadsheet manager I will probably look towards the 965 overclocked, with air-cooling; bring on the noise.

Thank you very much for uploading the picture. I think the Rampage II will be a no good for me, as your picture shows that the only PCI slot is taken up by having 2 cards in sli.
Was a bit confused about the Rampage II coming with a sound card or not too; also cleared up now thank you.
One of the best components (in my current rig) has been the front sound outbox, so I think the Creative X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Soundcard PCI-E is a must for me.

[AndyRoa]

Hi Marcel

Sounds like your ideas for your system are close to what I run right now.

I went for the Antec 1200 case wise as after doing much research it seemed to be one of the better cases for air cooling and is good value for money with plenty of space to work inside. I think the Cosmos S is better for water cooling (it's even bigger inside than the 1200 so you can fit a triple rad inside the case) and is without doubt better looking!

I currently use:

Antec 1200

Asus P6T mobo

Core i7 920 CPU @3.6ghz with Thermalright 120 ultra cooler

SB X-Fi Fatal1ty Titanium (sits above the first gpu as you suggested)

2x nVidia xfx 280GTX in sli

6gb Corsair ram (3x2gb)

Corsair HX1000 PSU

With regards to your question about cooling and space I have no issues with this set up at all in either area even though the GTX280s are large and pump out out more heat than the average UK central heating system! Sadly I've no idea if your network card would fit as I've not seen one in the flesh.

Hope this is of some help.

[Marcel]

Hi Andy

I think I'll go with a 295, as I cant see Sli working with a KillerNIC.
Just waiting for new BIOS to come out and maybe the price will drop a little too. Current specs I'm thinking of are these:-


Case: Antec Twelve Hundred Case
CPU: Intel i7 920 2.66GHz 4.8GT s QPI 8MB Cache Retail
CPU Coolers: Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme 120mm Heat Sink Fan
Overclocking: 3XS System Core-Logic Overclocking*10 - 20%*
Memory: 6GB (3x2GB) Corsair Dominator DDR3 PC3-12800 (1600) CAS 8-8-8-24
NVIDIA Graphics - Multi GPU SLI Options Available: *No NVIDIA VGA Card Required* (ATI Required)
ATI Graphics - Multi GPU Crossfire Options Available: *No ATI VGA Card Required* (NVIDIA Required)
Power Supply Unit: 1000W Corsair HX Series Modular (Dual Graphics Cards SLI Crossfire)
System Drives: 300 GB Western Digital VelociRaptor 10000rpm 16MB Cache
Storage Hard drives: 1000 GB Samsung Spinpoint F1 7200 rpm 32MB Cache
Solid State Drives: 80GB Intel X25-M SSD (Read 250MB s Write 70MB s)
Floppy Drive Flash Card Readers & Writers: Scan Black Floppy Disk & Internal Combo All in 1 Card Reader
Blu Ray Reader Writer: LG GGC-H20L - Super Multi DVD Writer & Blu-Ray + HD-ROM Reader
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Soundcard
Case Cooling Fans: 120mm Akasa Amber Case Fan Ultra Quiet and Long life with NO LEDs, 5 selected
Operating system: Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 64Bit
Software - Application: MS OFFICE 2007 - 25 Usage 60 Day TRIAL Basic SBE & Professional
Software - DVD Blu Ray Decoding: CyberLink PowerDVD 8 Standard Movie Audio Player & Decoder Software OEM
Extended Warranty: 2 Years Scan Extended System Warranty (£2001 - £3000)

[Philipp]

Hello Marcel,

Sorry it’s taken me a while to come back to you!!!

Great to hear that you are also considering purchasing a 3XS system

In response to your questions about the over clocking, as the system is air cooled the maximum over clock we are going to achieve with a 920, 940, 965 is going to be 3.6Ghz due to this I would recommend sticking with the 920 and saving yourself a fortune

To clarify we would normally only offer the 20% over clock as stated on our configurator however because the X58 platform is incredibly stable and all systems are hitting 3.6Ghz without problem we have decided to offer a 3.6Ghz over clock to anyone who selects the 10-20% option

Sending your own KillerNIC card in isnt going to be a problem either I am going to have a chat with engineers and discuss the ideal placing of the toasty bugger!!!

Best Regards

[Marcel]

Hello Philipp

The late reply isn’t a problem, not in a hurry still waiting on the next set of BIOS (and that D0 stepping).
At this moment in time the 3XS system seems to be the best in terms of quality, value and support.

Thank you for answering the question about over clocking on the various i7 Cores, 920 it is then. Should be interesting what effect the D0 stepping has on the 920; way to many rumours and no clear answers from Intel at the moment.

Looking forward to hearing what the thoughts of the engineers are on best placement on the NIC.
The one change I need from the configuration is this component:-

LN24616 Scan 81-in-1 3.5" Internal All-in-One Card Reader + 1xFront USB

As the Floppy Drive / Flash Card Readers & Writers, instead of the two listed. As my Camera has xD memory, that was the only read I could find with the memory supported. More then happy to listen to input regarding a better xD card reader.

[Marcel]

Philipp do you have an ETA on when you will receive the (core i7) 920 with the D0 stepping conversion for the Core i7 920?
Read that it should be around the 2nd of march, but I'am not sure this applies to the UK to? The waiting is killing me.

Do your engineers think that the second (or first) PCI is the best place for the KillerNIC, bearing in mind that I will probably have a GTX 295 above those 2 slots; would it even fit into PCI slot 1?


The one change I need from the configuration is this component:-

LN24616 Scan 81-in-1 3.5" Internal All-in-One Card Reader + 1xFront USB

as the Floppy Drive/Flash Card Reader & Writer, instead of the two that are listed.


Last questions are, does the system need a graphics card to be installed for your test, could you use a spare GPU in the lab? I am looking to order one without a graphics card as I'm holding out for next generation of NVIDIA cards.
Also would installing extra GPU(s), replacing the RAM (bearing in mind that you are overclocking), maybe adding extra SSD(s) in the future void the 2 Years Scan Extended System Warranty (£2001 - £3000)?

[Philipp]

Hi Marcel,

I have not forgotten this thread; I will have a reply by tomorrow morning.

Have a cracking evening.

Cheers

[Marcel]

Any updates yet?

[Philipp]

Marcel,

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you....

We are yet to have any information on the D0 stepping CPUs, if you go for the Asus P6T the killer NIC will fit into the first slot; however this is not possible on the rampage due to the heat sink.

We install a number of Killer NICs into our systems and although they get hot they do not cause any problems.

The change in card reader is not a problem, we can build the system without a Graphics card and this will not affect your system warranty, adding further memory or hard drives will also not affect the warranty.

However any parts added will not be covered under your system warranty…

If you need to know anything else please either post up here or drop me a email at philipp@scan.co.uk

Cheers

[Marcel]

Thank you for your response, I’ll keep posting on here till the D0 steppings are available for my order.

Seems that the D0 stepping 920’s are like gold dust, even though Intel started rolling them out on the 2nd of March. From what I’ve read on tech sites the general consensus seems to be that late March is the time these chips should be readily available from retailers. But I guess you will have a better estimate once you get the relevant information.
This is the official change notice by Intel which contains the details of the forecast milestones, and how the different steppings can be identified:-

http://content.intel.pcnalert.com/dm...N109192-00.pdf


I will probably go for the Asus P6T deluxe. But your response was a bit confusing.
“if you go for the Asus P6T the killer NIC will fit into the first slot; however this is not possible on the rampage due to the heat sink.”

I thought the first PCI (32bit) would be taken up by the sheer size of a NVIDIA GTX 295 (or what ever the latest/best graphics card will be then)? Which heat sink, graphics card or KillerNIC or motherboard did you mean?

Is it possible to purchase the NVIDIA GTX 295 (or what ever the best GPU is then) separately (not covered by our warranty), but included in the build?
Odd request I know but the way graphics cards seem these days there are new better ones out every 6 month (so I don’t need a 2 years warranty on a GPU). And it would also keep the cost of the warranty down; as the system would else go to over 3k.

Thank you for confirming that the card reader change is no problem.

If I have to send the system back (still in warranty), will I have to put in the original parts (thinking of maybe replacing the RAM in a year)? Odd question again, but this happened when I had to send a system back to Evesham. I luckily had kept the RAM and GPU’s that originally came with the build.

[Philipp]

Hi Marcel,

As soon as I have confirmation of the D0 stepping I will let you know

Hmm, I have confused myself there..... there was me thinking that the Killer NIC is PCI-E based, when in fact its PCI .

I will have another look at the board and work something out....

Yep purchasing a 295 separately is not a problem, neither is upgrading your memory down the line... you wouldn’t need to return your old memory, just bare in mind your new (upgraded) memory wouldn’t be covered under the system warranty.

If there is anything else, or I have missed something just give me a shout…

Cheers

[Marcel]

Thanks Phil.

I am about to switch ISP. So won’t be pestering you for those D0 stepping for a few weeks or less hopefully.

Hi Marcel,

Hmm, I have confused myself there..... there was me thinking that the Killer NIC is PCI-E based, when in fact its PCI .

I will have another look at the board and work something out....

Ok at least I am not going mad. I think the 2nd PCI(32bit) slot is the only slot it could go in. Unless a 295 is smaller than what I think (would cover 1st PCI slot).

Thanks again in advance

[Marcel]

http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=998001

How much further can your techs overclock the new D0 Stepping 920 (have they had a chance yet)?

[Marcel]

Put in my order today.

This is the Order as far as I could customize it through the online configurator. I highlighted in bold writing the changes/additions I would like.
Could the motherboard please come with the latest 1403 bios.

3XS Intel X58 Core i7 - Custom PC Premium Grade

* LN4835 ***NO MODEM/ADSL REQUIRED***
* LN1191 *CD/DVD Not Required*
* LN1194 *Keyboard Not Required*
* LN1197 *Mouse Not Required*
* LN10469 *No Custom Colour Required*
* LN10469 *No Custom Colour Required*
* LN4834 *No M/M Card Required*
* LN4833 *No Software Required*
* LN4833 *No Software Required*
* LN14102 *No Specialist Card Required*
* LN1201 *No VGA Card Required* (Onboard Option Only)
* LN1201 *No VGA Card Required* (Onboard Option Only)
* LN1200 *Speakers Not Required*
* LN22022 1000W Corsair HX Series PSU ATX, EPS12V, PS/2, Modular Power Supply, UK Version, 5 Year Warranty

* LN9036 120mm AK-183-L2B Akasa Amber Case Fan, 3 Pin, 2 Ball Bearing , Ultra Quiet and Long life
I think the case comes with 2 fans pre-installed. But I would like the original fans sent loose (as spares), and the 5 installed (2 back and 3 front).

* LN20978 1TB Samsung HD103UJ Spinpoint F1, SATA 3Gb/s, 7200 rpm, 32MB Cache, 8.9 ms, NCQ
* LN22307 2 Years Scan Extended System Warranty (£2001 - £3000)
* LN24080 300 GB Western Digital WD3000HLFS VelociRaptor, SATA 3Gb/s, 10,000 rpm, 16MB Cache, 4.2 ms, NCQ
As the System drive.
* LN17103 3XS System Core-Logic Overclocking*10 - 20%*
* LN25296 3XS X58 Core i7 System
* LN25447 6GB (3x2GB) Corsair Dominator DDR3, PC3-12800 (1600), 240 Pin, Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 8, DHX, EPP
* LN24487 80GB Intel X25-M, SSDSA2MH080G1, 2.5", SATA 300 MLC lash SSD, 250MB/s Read 70MB/s Write speed NCQ
* LN25188 Acronis True Image Home 2009 HDD Backup & Restore Software - A Must! *Best Seller*

* LN23694 Akasa 3.5" AK-ICR-01EB Black Internal Multi Memory Card reader, USB 2.0 Port (SDHC Compatible)
Want to replace this with the LN24616 (Scan 81-in-1 3.5" Internal All-in-One Card Reader + 1xFront USB).

* LN17842 Akasa 8 Pin (F) to 8 Pin (2x4 Pin) (M) Extension cable (30cm) (End to End) AK-CB8-8-EXT
* LN23193 Antec Twelve Hundred Full Tower Case, Black with side window, w/o PSU
* LN24811 Asus P6T Deluxe, Intel X58, SLi/Xfire, Sok 1366, PCI-E 2.0, DDR3 1066/1333/1600(OC), SAS/SATAII, ATX
* LN24528 Creative X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Soundcard PCI-E
* LN24883 CyberLink PowerDVD 8 Standard 2.1 Channel - Movie/Audio Player & Decoder Software *OEM

* LN24979 Intel i7 920, Socket 1366 (B), Nehalem, 2.66GHz, Cache 8MB, Retail
Want to replace this with LN27163 (BX80601920 - Intel i7 920 D0 Stepping (SLBEJ), Socket 1366 (B), Nehalem, 2.66GHz, Cache 8MB, Retail).

* LN20844 LG GGW-H20L Super Multi Blu-Ray Writer & HD-ROM Reader inc Lightscribe Support - SATA Retail kit
* LN17162 Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1* 64Bit 1Pk OEM (DVD)
* LN17415 MS OFFICE 2007 25 Usage/60 Day TRIAL Basic,SBE & Professional
* LN25671 Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 Exclusive Dual Fan CPU Cooler, LGA1366 only
* LN1272 Scan 3XS System - 1year Onsite Warranty (Mainland UK)
* LN176 Scan System Configuration
* LN10425 Silverstone FP51B aluminium Black 3.5" to 5.25" Bay Adaptor