@ChAiNz:

I'd dual boot Vista alongside your current XP OS if I were you. ;)
definitely plan on it. I'll probably make a thread when "doomsday" nears as to what preparations I should be looking at. :D

Building a new system, so I'm sure there's going to be all kinds of stuff for me to piss and moan about :lol:

definitely plan on it. I'll probably make a thread when "doomsday" nears as to what preparations I should be looking at. :D

Building a new system, so I'm sure there's going to be all kinds of stuff for me to piss and moan about :lol:

Heh, your 16 GB RAM Mac sounds about right for running Vista on. :lol:

Which version of Vista are you going for?

Heh, your 16 GB RAM Mac sounds about right for running Vista on. :lol:

Which version of Vista are you going for?

Vista Ultimate, 64bit. and nah, this will be a standalone pc to replace my clunker :lol:


As for the new thread (split from MF's... that's right Tech-gurus, I've got the urge to build a new system :eek:

Have a few parts coming in soon, so I'm sure to be buggin you guys soon.. especially on the Vista part of it ;)

Ooh, ooh. :emodanc:

What parts are you getting? Show us, please.

Ooh, ooh. :emodanc:

What parts are you getting? Show us, please.

hehehe...

Here's a few of the things that are definite (meaning, they're in the mail :xp: ). So unless I get the itch to do without my new toy, I can't, or rather, would not 'like to' return them :lol:

*- spec links are not necessarily where I bought them from, I just needed the pics/specs ;)

Processor: spec link (http://www.intel.com/products/processor/core2XE/index.htm?cid=cim:ggl|c2d_us_extreme_brand|k6D40|s) )
Intel Core 2 Extreme Processor QX9650 QUAD CORE 1333MHz 16MB LGA775 CPU


Motherboard: spec link (http://www.compsource.com/pn/P5KSE/Asus_46/)
Asus P5K SE CORE 2 QUAD 1333MHz FRONT SIDE BUS


RAM: spec link (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146785)
(8GB) Mushkin PC8500 DDR2-1066


Case: spec link (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2477938&Sku=A406-1069&SRCCODE=GOOGLEBASE&cm_mmc_o=TBBTkwCjCVyBpAgf%20mwzygtCjCVRqCjCVRq)
NZXT Apollo Black ATX Mid-Tower Case

Those are the new "base" parts. Other parts I'll either 'frankenstein' from my current pc.. or buy them locally. However what I'm thinking is:

- 1,000+w power supply (to replace a current 680 watt spare). Maybe Thermaltake, Master Power or Xion? suggestions?
- Asst. cooling fans, preferrably Cooler Master, Thermaltake or Arctic (had good experiences with all of them)
- New soundcard. Not fond of internal setups. Perhaps Soundblaster X-Fi Audigy?
- My current SLI 8800GTX vid cards setup (for now)
- My current internal 4(2)TB raid array. (4 x 1TB Sata II - 7,200 rpm). Along with my externals, should be more than enough ;)

and, of course, Vista Ultimate, 64bit.

Keep in mind this is a system meant for multi-tasking secondary motion graphics, 3D modeling, video editing, illustrating, graphic design & of course, gaming. ... these specs are a necessity I swear :xp:

Hardware and configuration aren't going to be a problem (as much).. I have built every system I've owned (other than my mac) since a Pentium 75mhz & Win95 was the bomb.. but Vista is altogether a different chicken and I can guess this is going to be my main obstacle.

I definitely want to dual boot XP > Vista.. but not sure how tricky this is going to get with a raid array on top of it. NOT going Raid is an option however... I can set up backups externally. That might make things easier.

Umm..

Well, WOW seems the appropriate word to use here.

I bet that'll cost a fair bit. ;)

Maybe once you get this new uber-machine up and running, you could start wowing us with your 3D skills on Holowan again? :p

I bet that'll cost a fair bit. ;)
Surprisingly, not bad at all.. since I have most of the expensive stuff already (vid cards, hard drives, etc.). Without some of the bells & whistles, you could get a semi-comparable system around $1,500 - $1,700 (seriously)

Compared to my mac.. I'll take this price tag any day :lol:

Maybe once you get this new uber-machine up and running, you could start wowing us with your 3D skills on Holowan again? :p
If I can get Vista to run KotOR / TSL ;)

Heh, K1 works fine, it's just TSL that takes a bit of persuading. Easy once you know how though. :lol:

When will you have this new PC running?

Heh, K1 works fine, it's just TSL that takes a bit of persuading. Easy once you know how though. :lol:

When will you have this new PC running?

I'm hoping within a week or 2, give or take a few days.. assuming part availability, shipping/delivery competence (USPS :rolleyes: ) and my sanity :D

What I'm mainly interested in during the wait period is some good pre-prep articles, advice and possibly programs I need to keep an eye out for or download to have on hand. Any comments or suggestions are most welcome.

I've already combed through Astro's multi-boot guides.. wow what a godsend those are :thumbsup: Thank you Astro :lol:

Yikes, you don't hang around, do ya! :p

That makes 5 computers in the ChAiNz household now, I think? :lol:

Yikes, you don't hang around, do ya! :p

That makes 5 computers in the ChAiNz household now, I think? :lol:

Not counting my laptops ;) Though 2 of them (pc) will probably go the way of the dodo after this next PC. I need to salvage parts for a bigger better beast muwahahaha [/mad scientist]

Besides, if I don't cut my power usage, I'm gonna get raided by the cops thinking I'm growing *something* Nothing worse than cops thinking their raiding a drug smuggler only to find a big nerd instead :bernard:

Ah, I DREAD to think what your electricity bill must be like, running all these machines for hours at a time.. =S

Besides, if I don't cut my power usage, I'm gonna get raided by the cops thinking I'm growing *something* Nothing worse than cops thinking their raiding a drug smuggler only to find a big nerd instead :bernard:

:lol:

hehehe...

Keep in mind this is a system meant for multi-tasking secondary motion graphics, 3D modeling, video editing, illustrating, graphic design & of course, gaming. [/size]

(Here's some odd and ends that cross my mind :p )

apart from the gaming bit, doesnt your uber mac do all that ?

what type of games were you planning on playing?

considered some liquid cooling solutions.. I definitely wouldnt venture into 8800GTS-SLI on air alone if I wanted to be efficient about it, and could afford it.

knowing your capacity for ultra high end, Im surprised you arent going with a skulltrail board, and get all octa-core crazy. Thats the only way you'll come close to need that RAM youve speccd. Ive never used more than 40% of my 4GB and I do my fair dhare of video editing and encoding(though maybe not as high end as yourself)

and while you were at it, you could go with a workstation GPU like the tesla. The 8800 is last year man !!

will be a super rig for our fold team!

good luck mang!! :)

mtfbwya

(Here's some odd and ends that cross my mind :p )

apart from the gaming bit, doesnt your uber mac do all that ?
Indeed, and then some ;) The pc is just going to be a secondary in case (godz forbid) my mac is either down... or I need to work on something while the mac is busy. I need it to be somewhat capable of the hell I put the mac through.. hehehe. Other than work, I do alot of freelance... so I'm always working on something, even while I'm on the forums :lol:

what type of games were you planning on playing?
Not a huge gamer to be honest, though when I do game.. they're very taxing. Usually RPG, shooter or strategy. Games like Oblivion & BioShock.. plus when they're released I'll be looking at Spore, Diablo 3, Dragon Age. Big eyecandy games :xp:

considered some liquid cooling solutions.. I definitely wouldnt venture into 8800GTS-SLI on air alone if I wanted to be efficient about it, and could afford it.
I had thought about it. I'm running my current 8800 SLI setup without water-cooling though and it runs great. Though I do use RAM heat spreaders, Hardrive coolers and a multi-fan, multi-directional airflow setup... guess that's helping to distribute the heat.

Since I've never dealt with water-cooling (other than an old mac) it's something I'd have to research.

knowing your capacity for ultra high end, Im surprised you arent going with a skulltrail board, and get all octa-core crazy. Thats the only way you'll come close to need that RAM youve speccd. Ive never used more than 40% of my 4GB and I do my fair dhare of video editing and encoding(though maybe not as high end as yourself)
Well, I didn't want to go too overboard.. ;) hehehe
I'm not looking to replace my mac, just build a secondary that's capable of running multiple intensive programs to offset my idle time while the mac is busy rendering and such. I wanted to go PC since mine is getting outdated, and there's still alot of pc progz I use regularly. Since I can't bootcamp the mac into Windows while it's rendering.. a standalone is ideal for my workflow. Plus, since it's Vista.. I'd like it to be a dedicated machine. I'll keep XP Pro on the mac just-in-case but I'll also setup the PC in a dual-boot config. That should keep me covered for most situations. :)

and while you were at it, you could go with a workstation GPU like the tesla. The 8800 is last year man !!
This I have actually considered heavily. The reason I'm going with the SLI is because I already have it (hence the 'for now').. but my mac uses a Quadro FX 5600 and man I drool when I watch it cycle. I would love to setup my PC with one. Though the 9800's and the gtx280's are looking pretty sweet too.. choices choices...

will be a super rig for our fold team!
You know it! :D This system will definitely be dedicating a core or four for F@H :lol: Of course, looking at your WU turnaround, the GPU processing seems like an ideal route to go... I'll have to think long and hard about my video card setup for this system :D

Processor: spec link (http://www.intel.com/products/processor/core2XE/index.htm?cid=cim:ggl|c2d_us_extreme_brand|k6D40|s) )
Intel Core 2 Extreme Processor QX9650 QUAD CORE 1333MHz 16MB LGA775 CPU
Wow, what I would've done was buy a Q9450, overclock it to as high as your mobo/cooling allows it (judging by the rest of your rig, I'd say at least 3.5Ghz, since it's 45nm as well), it's got the same FSB, same cache, but costs £300 ($600) less, so you can spend that extra moolah on an up-to-date Sli/Crossfire setup or even a 9800 GX2 or a HD4870X2 when it's out...

But that's just me :)

Or you could always donate the extra cash to a poor guy like me trying to update his old Athlon XP @ 1.9Ghz with 768Mb of RAM and a 128Mb GeForce 6800 rig... :xp:

Or you could always donate the extra cash to a poor guy like me trying to update his old Athlon XP @ 1.9Ghz with 768Mb of RAM and a 128Mb GeForce 6800 rig... :xp:

Yikes, you need a new computer.

BADLY. :p

Mine aint much better though.. :p

...I've already combed through Astro's multi-boot guides.. wow what a godsend those are :thumbsup: Thank you Astro :lol:

cheers :)

I'd like to engrave that post on a baseball bat, to smack those in the face whose only contribution to LFN is to bitch and moan.

mtfbwya

Wow, what I would've done was buy a Q9450, overclock it to as high as your mobo/cooling allows it (judging by the rest of your rig, I'd say at least 3.5Ghz, since it's 45nm as well), it's got the same FSB, same cache, but costs Ј300 ($600) less, so you can spend that extra moolah on an up-to-date Sli/Crossfire setup or even a 9800 GX2 or a HD4870X2 when it's out...I was kind of wondering that myself. I know that ChAiNz does some serious crunching on his machines, so he would definitely benefit from a quad, but I would just get a $180.00 Q6600 (and O/C the crap out of it, of course ;)) and an X48 or 780/790i motherboard for now and wait until the Yorkfields get cheaper.

Also, the Q9650 with a locked 9x multi is coming out very soon for about half the price of the EE (Extremely Expensive) QX9650. That chip has a very good chance of reaching 4GHZ with the right motherboard and heatsink.

@ Q/negsun...since Chainz does his crunching as part of his work, I daresay spending more on kit is a positive when it comes to tax time ;) It definitely goes in my favour for the htpc stuff I do :p

mtfbwya

@ Q/negsun...since Chainz does his crunching as part of his work, I daresay spending more on kit is a positive when it comes to tax time ;) It definitely goes in my favour for the htpc stuff I do :p

mtfbwya

bingo ;) hehehe...

While I do appreciate all the OC info, it's perhaps something for a 'play' box I'll keep in mind. However for this particular machine.. factory settings with minimal chance of system failure is ideal. :)

And even with CPUs being a bit more robust and heat-power efficient...OCIng to a significant level on air just isnt good for longevity of your kit. Milder OCs sure. But no one does a higher OC without appropriate thermal countermeasures...

mtfbwya

There are heatsink fans out there that are so efficient that they keep temps at stock or below even at very high overclocks. It's the voltage that you have to worry about. As long as the temps are kept under control, the voltage is far more important, as too high a voltage is what really burns out a CPU at any temp.

Oh, and here (http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews) is the best power supply review site that I know of. Very comprehensive. ;)

Oh, and here (http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews) is the best power supply review site that I know of. Very comprehensive. ;)
Very nice site, thanks so much! :D

I'm definitely looking for a higher wattage model, preferably with smart cable setup so I'm only using as many cables as needed. It also needs to be SLI capable, even better, nVidia SLI certified. 1,000w or higher.. though if it's efficient enough, I'm willing to go lower. I just need to make absolutely sure it can provide the juice needed for the parts it's going to have to support.

- Intel Core2 Extreme CPU
- SLI (2) 8800GTX vid cards
- (4) 1TB 7,2000 Hard Drives
- (1) 3.5' Floppy (yeah, I still like to have one :xp: )
- (1) DVD-RW 20x Dual Layer burner w/lightscribe (potentially upgrade to Blu-Ray later)
- (1) Soundblaster X-Fi Audigy sound card

Lately I've been looking at the Ultra X3 1,000w (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2700093&Sku=ULT40064&SRCCODE=GOOGLEBASE&cm_mmc_o=TBBTkwCjCVyBpAgf%20mwzygtCjCVRqCjCVRq) power supplies. Looks to be able to handle the rig (and then some). But I'm always open to suggestions ;)

Heres my fave PSU font of knowledge, with its world renowned PSU calculator ;)

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/index.jsp)

They also have overclock and H20 flow calculators, info. Love em ;)

mtfbwya

Heres my fave PSU font of knowledge, with its world renowned PSU calculator ;)

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/index.jsp)

They also have overclock and H20 flow calculators, info. Love em ;)

mtfbwya
ooohh.. me likey. Just a round-a-bout apx set me looking for at least a 711watt PSU (at 90% load).. so it let me know I need to definitely be looking for a PSU to replace my spare 680w asap ;)

Since it was a quick go-through I'm sure I'm missing some details.. but the calculator put me in a nice ball park range :D

Since it was a quick go-through I'm sure I'm missing some details.. but the calculator put me in a nice ball park range :D

thats exactly what its for ;)

The only mistake people ever make(which hardly happens nowdays) is poor mainboard selection that doesnt have a 12V rail on each pci-e they want to stick a high end card on.

When you get SLI certified mainbaords and PSUs, this mistake is pretty much impossible to make :)

Using the calculator is also a good way for people to realise that they may not actually need a 1000W PSU, saving them money on hardware purchase, and electricity bills :) cant beat that!

mtfbwya

Lately I've been looking at the Ultra X3 1,000w power supplies. Looks to be able to handle the rig (and then some). But I'm always open to suggestionsYou've got to be one of the first people that I've seen here that's considering an Ultra PSU. I have two of them, both of which I got for free after rebate from Fry's Electronics. The first one is an el-cheapo V-Series 500W that powers my Dell 8200. the second is an X-Finity 600W that's going to power my new rig (if I ever get it built, that is :xp: ). The X-series is built by Andyson and are high-quality, server-grade units that are built like tanks. They also have a lifetime warranty if you register with them online (just be sure to do that as soon as you get it ;)).

I don't think that you could go wrong buying that X3 with its massive 70-amp +12V rail and true modular design (meaning that every cable it has is a plug-in one). Do a thorough online search, though, because I know that you can find it for far less than $300.00. ;)

I don't think that you could go wrong buying that X3 with its massive 70-amp +12V rail and true modular design (meaning that every cable it has is a plug-in one). Do a thorough online search, though, because I know that you can find it for far less than $300.00. ;)

Yeah, they look to be built pretty rugged and the fan covers the entire surface area which is nice ;)

So far I've found it for $220 (much better than $300..hehehe) so I'll keep my eyes open just in case I can pinch a few more pennies :D

Back in the day when I wasnt as concerned about power consumption, I used to have a full ATX rig with a thermaltake toughpower 750W. I used to to power a 7950GX2. I know some people have gripes with TT, but I have to admit its the nicest high(er) end PSU I ever played with. SLI/XF happy, modular etc.

Also, as far as durability goes, Im a sucker for silverstone PSUs. Any client that wants a high end htpc/media server I always recommend those heavy, graceless but super durable silverstone cases and PSUs.

For the likes of you, Id be looking at the power user series..... that OP1200 or the TRI-SLI certified ZM 1200M (http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/p_contents.php?pno=zm1200m&area=usa) makes trees quiver in fear :p ultra kickass though

check it out mang (http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/power.php?area=usa)

mtfbwya

that OP1200 or the TRI-SLI certified ZM 1200M (http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/p_contents.php?pno=zm1200m&area=usa) makes trees quiver in fear :p ultra kickass though

:lol: If it came with a sticker that quoted that.. I'd buy it in a heartbeat :lol:

So far I've found it for $220 (much better than $300..hehehe) so I'll keep my eyes open just in case I can pinch a few more pennies :DThat's actually an excellent price. I doubt that you'll find it any cheaper than that, but there's no harm in looking. ;)

That's actually an excellent price. I doubt that you'll find it any cheaper than that, but there's no harm in looking. ;)

Yeah, $219.99 seemed to be the best price I could find, so of course I went ahead and ordered one :D hehehe...

In fact, ALL of my parts have come in (as of 7:15pm yesterday). Frikin' UPS guy woke me up (yes, I have a very odd sleep schedule).. but I forgave him :lol:

I've got 30 minutes before Best Buy opens, there's a few 'misc.' things I want to pick up while I have the system guts all over my floor... so hopefully when next I log on, it will be from the new rig :emodanc:

I had to change a few system options, but I'll update everyone once I get this sucker up and running ;)

Wish me luck!

Good luck!

Hope you manage to get everything set up ok!

Well.. the beast is unleashed :D

I'm still getting the hang of Vista.. and still installing stuff (I gots lotso crap) ;)

Once everything is stable, I'll be adding F@H clients, but I want to make doubly-sure I have everything set straight.

As for the new stats.. after searching hi-lo for good prices, I have gone with a GTX 280 OC (BFG) for now. While I like SLI, a single GPU card that's just as good (better in some respects) than a 9800 GX2 was too good to pass up. Should still pump out some folding scores and I can compensate with some CPU cores ;)

Another reason, the real one, hehehe is because I goofed and got the wrong motherboard :headbump

Seems there is only one pci-E16 slot... how I missed that I don't know. I can't believe I didn't catch that sooner. I fail :xp:

It's still a nice board, so I'll wind up keeping it (it was rather cheap). It'll be a nice addition to one of the 'spares' when I decide on a better board for the current beast.

I've also gone with only one 500gb main drive (for OS) and (2) 1 TB drives.. total 2.5TB. Should be more than enough space, along with my external RAID, so I can keep my other (2) 1TB drives in the 'spare'.

The case I ordered was going to have to be back-ordered, however they had this case (http://www.directron.com/alphaw.html) available.. so I went with it.. I'm glad I did. Case works beautifully and is well suited for future upgrades once I get the correct motherboard.. hehehe

All in all this machine is a beast and it's kicking tail for whatever I throw at it (for now). Once I get everything installed and tweaked I can do a more strenuous test, but so far this thing is just laughing at me with what I do to it :lol:

Vista found drivers for everything I had except my scanner, but that was just one Google search away. So I can safely say Vista installed and is running without a hitch. Not sure about my feelings on DEP, but I'll give it a chance until it annoys me to no end one of these days ;)

Updates were a pain... took almost 5 hours and 6gb worth to get it fully functioning.. ugghh.. but after updating and no tweaks.. it seems I have a "Windows Experience Index" score of 5.9.

I have no clue what that means.. and since everything runs kewl as ice.. I guess I'm satisfied. :D

p.s. and oh yeah, Windows gadgets are fun (just like Apple's widgets). Spent way too much time looking over all the fun things I can add... hehehe

Summary:

- Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 Quad-Core 3.0ghz (http://www.directron.com/bx80569qx9650.html)
- 8GB RAM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146785)
- Ultra X3 1,000 watt PSU (http://www.directron.com/ult40064.html)
- nVidia GTX 280 OC (BFG) (http://www.directron.com/egtx2801024oce.html)
- 2.5TB total, internal, storage (500gb x 1, 1TB x 2). 7,2000rpm, SataII 3.0gbs, 32mb cache
- Creative Labs X-FI ExtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional (http://clearancezone.directron.us/item.php?list=936) sound card
- NZXT ALPHA Black Classic Tower Case (http://www.directron.com/alphaw.html)
- Vista Ultimate 64bit

Jesus, Mary and Joseph...Chainz, specs like that and Windows only gave you 5.9 (I think it's out of 6, but I'm not sure), cheapskates!

I wanna know @ what FPS you can play Crysis at :carms:

Jesus, Mary and Joseph...Chainz, specs like that and Windows only gave you 5.9 (I think it's out of 6, but I'm not sure), cheapskates!

I wanna know @ what FPS you can play Crysis at :carms:

well I'll be a monkey's...

huh, you're right.. it is 5.9 (http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/pages/458117.aspx) (6 hasn't been defined). I thought it ws on a scale of 10. Figured I was above the half-way point so no need in pouting :lol:

Guess I'm "very happy" now :D

I don't think a system has been made that can run Crysis at what the devs say it's capable of :lol:

By reading articles and such and comparing the specs.. I can get apx 40+ frames.. but that's all guess work. I don't have the game (yet) ;)


EDIT:

Pardon the poor resolution.. the camera on my phone sucks and my digital camera hasn't been charged since the new system builds :fist:

A few pics of the new toy. (http://www.jumpstationz.com/gallery/czPC/)

Hopefully I can get some nice clean shots once the camera is charged New pics are up ;)

Yowza

That is one hawt n sexeh lookin' machine ya got there! :bow:

NEW Pics! Click Me (http://www.jumpstationz.com/gallery/czPC/)

Camera finally charged up :xp:

Be warned, pics taken with a decent camera, significantly larger pics and sizes than last time. Also, the pics labeled 'pcroom' is what I mean by "spare" system ;) There's another room in the place just as junky...hehehe

If you're not interested in my clutter, feel free to skip them. It's a low-light room, so ignore the "yellow haze". I didn't feel like white balancing. :lol:

and yeah, my other Dell monitor is being used for another system atm, but it will soon find it's way back to this cluttered space.
Just picture it vertically rotated and to the right of the current monitor, VESA mounted on a hydraulic arm ;)
http://www.jumpstationz.com/gallery/vesaArm.jpg)

finally, decent pics :D good stuff... :)

is that monitor the Dell 30" ??

also, what is that usb gadget/recveiver thingy thats sits on top? [/nosey]

mtfbwya