3XS Motherboard Q?

[Gatebasher_311]

Hi Pete,

Let me know the best way to contact. My email is clint at alpha-duplication dot com

[Pete the Painter]

Hi Clint,

I have looked into a few points concerning compatibility of the RTX 2 Card on an X58 Platform.

Currently there aren't any motherboards with the X58 Chipset that are validated by Matrox for use with the RTX2.

According to Matrox, they are in the process of testing with the ASUS P6T Deluxe and the tests so far are very positive. They have also received reports from multiple RT.X2 users saying with the ASUS P6T they do not experience any problems. Which is certainly a step in the right direction

As far as supported/validated GPU cards go, pretty much all recent video cards pass the tests. If I was to spend some of my hard earned cash on a NLE System right now my money would be on an Nvidia Card. Whether you go for a Quadro or a GeForce card is hugely down to how much cash you have to spend.

Quadro cards are aimed at business professionals who require a high degree of reliability. Quadro cards offer 3 year warranty, dedicated support from the manufacturer PNY and they work closely with many companies such as Adobe and Autodesk to improve on stability and performance.

A brief description of the new Nvidia CX card can be read Here

That’s not to say GeForce or ATI Professional / Consumer products should be ignored.

Regarding a raid setup it is definitely beneficial.

My reasoning behind this is that video editing Configuration or workflow can become complicated from setting up your applications through to being able to edit many layers of HD Video on the timeline.

My advice would be as follows:-

Operating System - 2x Drives e.g. 500GB configured as Raid 1 (Mirror Configuration - Backup in case of HDD failure)

Media/Project Array - 2x e.g. 750GB/1TB configured as Raid 0 (Fast throughput for multiple layers of HDV on timeline. ( Caution - If a drive fails you will lose all your projects/media)

Data Array - 2x 1TB HDD's configured as Raid 1 Mirror (Mirror Configuration - Backup in case of HDD failure)

All above Scenarios uses on board Software Raid of motherboard.

An alternative to a Raid 0 for your Project/Media Array would be to use a Hardware raid card such as an Adaptec 5405/5805 that will give you many other HDD configurations.

If you use a hardware raid card you could implement a Raid 10

This would give you the confidence of a mirror array with an increase in performance, however it utilises 4 HDD's

To give you an idea on requirements my NLE system comprises of :-

Hardware
High End Core 2 Quad
4GB Memory
OS - 2x SSung 1TB F1's Raid 1
Media/Project - 4x SSung 1TB F1's in a Raid 10
Data/Storage - 2x SSung 1TB F1' Raid 1
Nvidia 9600GT

Software
Software Canopus Edius 4 Pro
Adobe Encore CS4

I film with Sony EX1 & EX3's and Edit with Canopus Edius 4 Pro and the Core 2 Quad works well.

Maybe I'll upgrade to Core i7 when I get a minute free

Hope this answers all your questions.
If I've missed anything just give me a nudge

If you need to speak to me just give us a call and somebody will put you through to my desk.

Regards,


Pete

[Gatebasher_311]

Hi Pete,

Thanks for the reply, everything is starting to come together, but I'm still trying to weight out things like RAID, vs a higher spec card since I do have a bit of a budget.

Let's say that I need a comp without software for 2k + vat. and I'm working off the Core i7 920 Slipstream spec. I'm overclocking by 10-20%

I know it's a hard question, but I think it's coming down to these two scenarios:

1. 512MB PNY Quadro® FX1700 or 896MB XFX GTX 260 Black with a RAID solution as you've mentioned above.

2. 512MB PNY Quadro® FX3700 with a single system drive, working drive and storage drive.

This system will be doing DV, HDV and AVCHD. In the future I plan on installing a Matrox RT.X2LE card, and so these cards were on the compatiblity list. With this second card in place, would you recommend the 1000w PSU?

One more question, I also plan on loading up with 12 GB of RAM and I was wondering if there is a heat issue there, and if I choose the (6x2GB) Corsair Dominator DDR3's if it comes with the cooling fan because it costs more.


Thanks again Pete,
Clint

[Pete the Painter]

Hi Clint,

If it was my choice I would opt for option..

1. 512MB PNY Quadro® FX1700 Professional Video Editors Edition with a RAID solution as I've mentioned above.

If you have a Core i7 and add a Matrox RTX2 at another time most effects would be carried out in Real Time.

Reason behind a FX1700 over a GTX260 would be due to the fact that you get a Break Out Box with the FX1700 PVE and it is also has a single slot cooler and would therefore not cover the 1st PCI Expansion slot rendering it useless.

Regarding PSU,
The Corsair 620W should be ample to supply your components. Adding the 1000w would allow for upgradability in the future if you ever went down the SLI* route.

(*Depending on VGA card chosen)

Regarding memory we could fit a Corsair Fan bracket if you're worried about a heat issue, but on the whole we don't really see a problem as the new triple packs don’t have as many volts passing through them compared to older DDR2 or DDR3.

Hope I've answered your questions sufficiently.

As mentioned before, you're more than welcome to give me a call to go through any questions you may have.


Regards,

Pete