Advice on 3XS i7 system please

[aecp]

Hi All,

About to take the plunge and replace my old desktop with a 3XS i7 system - my preliminary spec is as follows, but i have a few questions which I list after the spec that I would like some advice, comments on, thanks in advance...

Spec:-

Base Specifications

Silverstone Fortress FT01B-W Tower Case Black Aluminum with Window
3XS X58 Core i7 System
Asus P6T Deluxe - Intel X58 - Sok 1366
Silverstone FP51B Black Transfer Bracket
Akasa 8 Pin Extension cable
Acronis True Image Home 2009
Scan 3XS System - 1year Onsite Warranty (Mainland UK)
Scan System Configuration
Scan System Configuration (Details confirmed at checkout stage)


Qty Selected Specifications

1 *No Custom Colour Required*
1 Intel i7 920, 2.66Ghz, 4.8GT/s QPI, @ 3.8Ghz+ with 20% OC (D0 Step)
1 Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 Exclusive Dual Fan CPU Cooler (Fans Included)
1 3XS System Core-Logic Overclocking*10 - 20%*
1 6GB (3x2GB) Corsair Dominator DDR3, PC3-12800 (1600) CAS 8
1 1GB XFX GTX 285 Black, 690MHz GPU, 240 Cores, 2600MHz GDDR3
1 *No ATI VGA Card Required* (NVIDIA Required)
1 850W Be Quiet Dark Power PRO PSU (Dual Graphics Cards)
1 1000 GB Samsung Spinpoint F1, 7200 rpm, 32MB Cache
1 *Storage Hard Drive Not Required*
1 *Solid State Drive Not Required*
1 Akasa Multi Memory Card Reader & USB 2.0 Port
1 Pioneer DVR-216DBK 20x DVD±R, 12x DVD±DL, DVD+RW x8/-RW x6
1 LG GGW-H20L - Super Multi Blu-Ray Writer & Blu-Ray + HD-ROM Reader
1 Creative X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional - PCI-E (x1)
1 *Use On Board Network Port*
1 *Wireless Adaptor Not Required*
1 *After Market Fans Not Required - Use Fans Included with Case*
1 Sharkoon 4" Blue CCFL 2in1 Kit
1 Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64Bit
1 Microsoft Office 2007 - 60 Day Trial
1 Ahead Nero 9 Suite - CD/DVD/Bluray Media Software
1 *No Software Required*
1 *No Software Required*
1 *Monitor Not Required*
1 *NVIDIA 3D Vision Not Required*
1 *Gaming Keyboard Not Required*
1 *Gaming Mouse Not Required*
1 *Gaming Mouse Mat Not Required*
1 *Speakers Not Required*
1 Standard 3XS System Warranty - 2 Years (1st Year Onsite / 2nd Year Return to Base)


Some questions:-

1. Has the XFX GTX 285 got HDMI output, or indeed has the XFX GTX 275?

2. What would the impac be of choosing the 3XS System Core-Logic Overclocking *0 - 10%* instead of the *10 - 20%* [spped/noise/heat]?

3. Any known issues with nvidia drivers for vista 64bit with either of these cards - [my monitor is a DELL 2408WFP recently purchased from Scan]. I would prefer the 1Gb 285 - also any thoughts on the noise levels of these cards in comparison to similar ATI cards.

4. With the spec as above, how many pci slots and of what type are left free and accessible? I am thinking about adding a tv tuner [bit would probably go the usb route] BUT would also like to add a SD/HD Satellite tv card such as the AZUREWAVE AD-SP400 / TWINHAN DVB-S2 which is pci2.2 compliant but also requires an additional free expansion card slot above to house the associated common interface module.

5. I assume I need to add Silverstone FP51B aluminium Black 3.5" to 5.25" Bay Adaptor if I want an Akasa Multi Memory Card Reader & USB 2.0 Port or indeed the Scan HRU-215A3? Can anyone confirm if either or both of these readers handle SDHC cards,and possibly CF.

6. Any thoughts on noise issues between the chosen 850W Be Quiet Dark Power PRO PSU and the 620W Corsair. Also which of these psus has most connectivity?

7. Would I benefit from adding an 120mm Akasa Amber Case Fan, Ultra Quiet. Quietness is a big priority for me.

8. If I include the Sharkoon 4" Blue CCFL 2in1 Kit is it easy to switch off if I decide it is not for me? Is it configurable somehow or just a matter of disconnecting?


Many thanks in advance - looking forward to finalising this spec and getting it ordered!!!

aecp

[Philipp]

aecp

Great to hear your looking at getting a 3XS system

Ill get onto the questions tomorrow morning

Cheers

[aecp]

thanks philipp, look forward to your input. Cant wait to get something sorted - i might have one or two more questions afterwards but didnt want to overload my initial post [maybe i did anyway?!]

aecp

[Philipp]

No worrys with any amount of questions, theres no rush we will get you the perfect system!!

Off to watch the apprentice now on BBC iplayer

Cheers

[aecp]

Hi Phillip,
Any thoughts yet - pretty desperate to get things moving - hope I am not being a pain chasing this up?

[Philipp]

Hello aecp,

Sorry for the delay in answering your questions….

It looks like the GTX275 and GTX285 doesn’t have an HDMI output, however they both support HDCP over DVI, as such you will be able to use a DVI to HDMI converter.

If you opted for the 0-10% over clock the CPU would be clocked to 3.2 GHz giving on par performance with the 965 extreme for a fraction of the cost. Noise and heat will be lower do the decrease in clock speed.

No known issues with the drivers, we set and configure these anyway. We have found that the NVIDIA cards run quieter, however the case you have selected has built in sound proofing so noise should be kept to a minimum.

You have selected a GTX285 and the X-FI titanium pro as such you will have the below slots free and accessible;

1 x PCI
2 x PCI-E 2.0 (x16) will take x8 x4 x1 cards.

There will be ample room for the installation of your Azureware card.

The spec includes a Silverstone bay adaptor so another is not required, the Akasa card reader supports both SDHC and CF

Noise wise both PSUs are very similar, if you are looking to add another graphics card in the future then go with the 850w, however if you have no plans of doing this stick with the corsair 620w.

An additional Amber case fan isn’t required, the case comes standard with 2 quite 180mm fans and the rear 120mm fan is also nice and quite

All the CCFL lights come with switches, these are cabled so they are very assessable meaning turning them on/off is a straight forward job.



If I have missed anything or you need me to expand on anything dont hessiate to give me a shout.

Best Regards

[aecp]

Hi Phillip,

Please see below my amended [changes in red] spec - quite possibly I am mad but what the hell - as you no doubt expect I have a couple more questions which appear after the spec. Look forward to your reply. Thanks.

Silverstone Fortress FT01B-W Tower Case Black Aluminum with Window
3XS X58 Core i7 System
Asus P6T Deluxe - Intel X58 - Sok 1366
Silverstone FP51B Black Transfer Bracket
Akasa 8 Pin Extension cable
Acronis True Image Home 2009
Scan 3XS System - 1year Onsite Warranty (Mainland UK)
Scan System Configuration
Scan System Configuration (Details confirmed at checkout stage)


Qty Selected Specifications

1 *No Custom Colour Required*
1 Intel i7 920, 2.66Ghz, 4.8GT/s QPI, @ 3.8Ghz+ with 20% OC (D0 Step)
1 Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 Exclusive Dual Fan CPU Cooler (Fans Included)
1 3XS System Core-Logic Overclocking*10 - 20%*
1 6GB (3x2GB) Corsair Dominator DDR3, PC3-12800 (1600) CAS 8
1 1792MB XFX GTX 295, 576MHz GPU, 480 Cores, 2000MHz GDDR3
1 *No ATI VGA Card Required* (NVIDIA Required)
1 850W Be Quiet Dark Power PRO PSU (Dual Graphics Cards)
1 750 GB Samsung Spinpoint F1, 7200 rpm, 32MB Cache [system disk]
1 1000 GB Samsung Spinpoint F1, 7200 rpm, 32MB Cache [storage disk]
1 *Solid State Drive Not Required*
1 Scan Black Floppy Disk & Internal Combo All in 1 Card Reader
1 Pioneer DVR-216DBK 20x DVD±R, 12x DVD±DL, DVD+RW x8/-RW x6
1 LG GGW-H20L - Super Multi Blu-Ray Writer & Blu-Ray + HD-ROM Reader
1 Creative X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional - PCI-E (x1)
1 *Use On Board Network Port*
1 *Wireless Adaptor Not Required*
1 *After Market Fans Not Required - Use Fans Included with Case*
1 Sharkoon 4" Blue CCFL 2in1 Kit
1 Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64Bit
1 Microsoft Office 2007 - 60 Day Trial
1 Ahead Nero 9 Suite - CD/DVD/Bluray Media Software
1 *No Software Required*
1 *No Software Required*
1 *Monitor Not Required*
1 *NVIDIA 3D Vision Not Required*
1 *Gaming Keyboard Not Required*
1 *Gaming Mouse Not Required*
1 *Gaming Mouse Mat Not Required*
1 *Speakers Not Required*
1 Standard 3XS System Warranty - 2 Years (1st Year Onsite / 2nd Year Return to Base)



Some questions:-

1. What do you think about the XFX GTX 295 - I want it cos its got HDMI out as well as 2xDVI but am concerned [apart from the cost!!!] that it may be noisy/hot compared to the 285 - any thoughts

2. Is it a bit over the top to have 750Gb system disk - maybe Id be better off with the 320Gb samsung - certainly I cant imagine needing anymore - I just specd the 750 as it has double the cache and doent cost that much more than the 320.

3. I see there is now the option in the configurator to spec Cool It DM-1000 Domino A.L.C. (Advanced Liquid Cooling) for CPU - any thoughts on this? Should I be ok with the Noctua fans? Like I said keeping the system as quiet as poss is a must [and cool!]

4. Just to confirm - with the GTX 295 & X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Pro in situ that there would definately be enough free and accessible exp slots for the Azurewave card - please see it at twinhan.com/product_satellite_s2_CI.asp - it needs 2 slots with the Common Iinterface PCI card having to be positioned above the tuner card itself
5. I would like to add a TV tuner [dvb-t] and would appreciate your opinion - maybe a USB device - or perhaps a pci card if space. What do you think?

6. Assume I could just add a usb wireless adapter if I didnt hook it upto network via eternet -wanted to run it [dont know why] ?

Thanks.

[leepen@scan]

Any card with HDMI is a winner, when it's a 295 then it's without a shadow of a doubt, a very good choice.

I'd suggest a 250Gb or 320Gb disk for OS, this will be single platter reducing your seek times slightly. Try and get a drive with 32Mb Cache wherever you can for OS.

However, the 750 you could partition up and maybe install Windows 7?

Noctua fans are quiet as possible - especially with voltage step downs which are provided with the coolers. Good kit and was actually part of my first i7 build.

I'll have to ask build team regarding the spacing issue. In a lot of cases customers are better off choosing as much PCI-E hardware as possible, to allow for the installation of older legacy cards.

A USB TV Tuner would be recommended due to the amount of limited space that it appears you *may* have in your system. Look to the new Hauppage range which support Freesat

A Wireless USB adaptor can be used at any point to expand the systems connectivity options and again, once we've looked into the spacing then there may also be an option to include this internally.

Hope to update you tomorrow.

All the very best

[aecp]

Look forward to the reply, cant wait to get it ordered - i think that the 750Gb system disk, partitioned at build would be a good idea. As far as I know I could then just install another operating system on the unused partition but am not too sure how to setup a dual boot system.

[aecp]

Hi Phillip/Lee

Any news yet - dying to get things moving. As well as the space question [pci availability re azurewave etc] could you also comment on the impact of the 295 graphics card being specd as far as noise and het is concerned in comparison to say the 285

Thanks

[aecp]

Hi guys,

can you also clarify the motherboard version - is it Asus P6T Deluxe or Asus P6T Deluxe v2

Thanks again

[Philipp]

Aecp,

Working on this now

[aecp]

thanks!

[Philipp]

I agree with lee on the 295 it’s a worth while upgrade and offers HDMI, they are slightly noisier and run warmer but it’s nothing worth worrying about.

Stick with the 750 or upgrade to the 1Tb drive for an additional £3.71. Both drives have the 32Mb cache, we can partition the disk up, you could even install windows 7 onto one of the partitions for a dual boot.

I would personally stick with the Noctua cooler, the Domino is good but imo doesn’t justify the additional cost.

I am just testing if the GPU will work in the second PCI-16 slot (GPU-Z claims it’s running in x16 mode just running some benchmarks to ensure performance is the same). If it will work correctly in the 2nd PCI-16 slot (the white one) then your Azurewave card will sit correctly in the 2 PCI slots above, with your sound card in the top PCI-e1 slot. You will be left with a single PCI-E slot (blue) for any further add in cards.

Adding a USB wireless adaptor or a PCI-E one isn’t going to be a problem

We use the Asus P6T Deluxe in this system.

If I have missed anything feel free to point it out

[Philipp]

Yup card works fine in the second PCI-e 16 slot....

Happy days

[aecp]

Thanks Phillip - whats the best to way to order this - online or by phone? Think I would like to get the system disk partitiioned at build.