New i7 x58 CAD system - couple of questions

[Jaybee]

Hi 3XS team,

I've used the CAD i7 X58 custom spec to design what will be my third (first one was in 2003) 3XS rig. Hoping for a hat-trick of great workhorses! Current one is 4yrs old and struggling to keep up with data throughput..!

Currently have this spec in "my basket" and just need some clarification on a few points please before actually ordering. The spec. I'm about to order posted below.

Questions:

1) Is the Intel SSD the v2 with NAND (i.e. the latest one that Anandtech recommends will not performance degrade over time)

2) Is it wise to partition the SSD as O/S & Programs or leave it whole for O/S and Programs on "C:/Programs" etc? I currently have a Raptor partitioned to keep the O/S separate. I just want the SSD to run Win 7 x64 and my Programs for speed of access.

3) I've selected the Acoustipac Light soundproofing but will deselect this if it leads to added heat build-up in the case. What would you advise? If it won't cause any probs I'll stick with it.

4) Related to 3) I don't see an option for any case fans. Are these included or do I need to add some in? I saw someone's i& x58 rig where they'd added 2 x Akasa Apache silent fans so I'm curious!

Here's the Spec I've worked up based on my needs solely for photography & CGI render work:

Base Specifications
Akasa Omega - Black Aluminum Case
3XS X58 Workstation
Asus P6TD Deluxe, Intel X58
Akasa 8 Pin Extension cable
Acronis True Image Home 2010 - System Back Up Software
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, 8MB Cache
1 Noctua NH-U12P SE2 Dual Fan Quiet CPU Cooler
1 3XS System Core-Logic Overclocking *0 - 10%*
1 12GB (6x2GB) Corsair XMS3 DDR3, PC3-12800 (1600) CAS 9
1 768MB PNY Quadro FX1800 - 2x Display Port & Dual Link DVI
1 No ATI Graphics Required - NVIDIA QuadroFX Required (Select Above)
1 550W Corsair VX Series PSU (Single Graphic Card)
1 160GB Intel SSD Gen 2, (Read 250MB/s Write 70MB/s)
1 *Use On Board RAID*
3 1000GB Western Digital Caviar Black, 7200 rpm, 32MB Cache
1 Icy Box IB-554SK 4 x 3.5" Bays Hosting 4 HDD Drives SATAII Hotswap
1 Sony AD-7240S-0B - 24x DVDRW << I'd like to change this for a Sony AD-7241S-0B - 24x DVDRW w/Lightscribe please
1 *DVD Writer Not Required*
1 Akasa AK-ICR-07S 3.5" Internal Multi Mem. Card Reader Incl. M2, Micro SD & USB port
1 Edimax EW-7728In 300Mbps Wireless PCI Adaptor
1 AcoustiPack LITE Multi-Layered Material Kit
1 Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit, Single, - OEM
1 *No CAD Software Required*
1 *DCC Software Not Required*
1 Microsoft Office 2007 - 60 Day Trial << Please don't install this...please...promise me...I really don't need MS Office!!
1 *DVD/Blu Ray Decoding Software Not Required*
1 *No Software Required*
1 *Keyboard Not Required*
1 *No Keyboard / Controller Required*
1 *Monitor Not Required*
1 *Speakers Not Required*
1 Standard 3XS System Warranty - 2 Years (1st Year Onsite / 2nd Year Return to Base)


Thanks in advance for advice. I've a list of partitions ready for the 3 x 1Tb Caviars that I'll email to PhillipP once I've ordered.


Jaybee

[Philipp]

Hello Jaybe,

It’s great to hear that you are about to order your 3rd 3XS system

In answer to your questions...

The Intel SSDs we use are the G2 or Gen2 drives,

I would personally leave both the OS and installed programs onto the same partition, if you partition the OS partition off too small Windows can start to throw a wobbler and if the OS partitions too large its effectively wasted space.

The soundproofing will be fine; it will not cause any problems and will quieten things down.

The Akasa Omega case comes with good fans preinstalled; we can swap these out for premium quieter fans if you like (Apache / Gentle Typhoon)?

The rest of the spec looks great, if you order with the standard Sony AD-7240 drive I will swap it over to the 7241 Lightscribe I will also ensure that the office trial is not installed.

If you have any further questions feel free to fire them across.

Best Regards

[Jaybee]

Hi Philip

Thanks for answering those! I'll not partition the SSD, stick with the soundproofing I selected and use the standard case fans.

I'll go and order this properly now from my basket where it's saved and I'll email you the partitions for the 3 x 1Tb Caviars (trying to keep my data regime the same as I have now as this is a work machine so the ability to get myself up and running quickly is paramount).

Thanks again,

Jaybee

[Mossy]

I can give you call if you want just drop me a mail paul@scan.co.uk and I can sort out the partitions from ordering.

Regards

[Jaybee]

Hi Paul,

Ok I'll email you them over. Just had the order accepted Invoice No ********.

I'll do that right now, cheers.


Jaybee

[Philipp]

Hi Jaybee,

I have your order on our side, the optical drive has been swapped to the 7241 with Lightscribe.

You also have a mail, feel free to reply back to it with your drive configuration.

Best Regards

[Jaybee]

Thanks Philip!

Just sent it to Paul.

Thanks guys, looking forward to a great system number 3 from Scan 3XS!


Jaybee

[Jaybee]

Well what can I say....

Another wonderful system from Scan 3XS. Thanks so much guys you've built me a super workhorse machine here. Still installing and setting up my programs but she absolutely flies.

Ran a standard image processing benchmark in PS CS4 (consits of an image being upsized, multilayered, complex filters applied etc etc) once I'd installed it and totally astounded:

Previous AMD x64 4200 system on XP SP3 benchmarked this test at 2min 06sec

New i7 system benchmarked at 16sec !


Thanks again to all involved with the build. Great work. Cheers!


Jaybee

p.s. test available at retouchartists.com (forum won't let me post a linkl..!)