Photodude: Core i7 920 is a tri-channel CPU, meaning a 2x4GB memory kit won't work. It needs to be a 3x#GB kit.
Secondly, a dedicated PhysX PPU with AMD cards as the primary renderer requires software hacks, which means it's not advisable for your average user. That also makes your exorbitant motherboard choice unnecessary... Something like the DFI LP DK X58-T3eH6 is just as suited for the job for nearly $200 less.
The Ram Kit I specd is a Quad channel 4x2GB not a dual 2x4GB which should be just fine for a Tri channel CPU.
I agree the PhysX with AMD is a hack and isn't advisable for your average user.
But even running a SSD with tweeks to move the paging file and User folders to a mechanical drive and Raid 5 is also above your average user.
There are other mobos that will work just fine like you mentioned, I just went for maximum expandability. (you could go for 4 PCIe cards at full x16 with this motherboard which is a bit over kill)
Edit: Looks like for desktop CPUs the quad channel or hexa-channel is just marketing hype, although the Xeon 5400 supported true quad-channel DDR2
The Ram Kit I specd is a Quad channel 4x2GB not a dual 2x4GB which should be just fine for a Tri channel CPU.
No. That's not quad channel, it's dual. It's four sticks but it's not quad channel. If you were to use it on a Core i7 900-series system, you'd drop to dual channel mode when running all four sticks. The channels are determined by the memory controller in the CPU or northbridge, not the memory sticks.
I want to add that Gigabyte board on the AM3 I suggested is already equipped for USB 3.0 and SATA 3, and AMD has declared that their next gen chips will be compatible with AM3 so its a really solid future ready platform.
Ready for USB 3.0 devices, ready for SATA 3 SSD's, ready for six core AMD CPU's as they become available, its a great foundation to build a system on. If I were building today I absolutely know that would be the mobo I would select.
I agree That is a great AMD board
The alternate mobos for the i7 system I considered was the GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD7 and ASUS P6X58D Which both have USB 3.0 and SATA 3
the LGA1366 socket is rumored to support Intel's 6 core processors too
Please remember that if you're going to run 3 panels on a 5870, one of them must use Display Port. You can not run 2 over DVI and one over HDMI or any combination thereof.
EDIT: just saw that you're looking at 2 x 5870 in Crossfire, you should be fine with 3 DVI or HDMI displays.
The board Cliff told me to get, its superb, but i was looking for something like 6x4gb slots so i can get more ram, if i really want to run dual channels.
The ram he told me to get is 4 x 2 gb 240 pin and i want like 4 x 4gb 240, but i'd need a better mother board or if i use his i could just open 2 channels, or maybe i could just get 3 x 4 on a better board and not run 2 channels.
Idk, gimme some help guys?
Well, im just going to be gaming and work stuff.
Like WoW
EQ2
TF2
LFD & LFD2
I guess i dont really NEED that i just want a super good computer.
I could really just be good with 4x4gb and maybe just stick with the AMD cliff proposed.
Idk, im just computer confused right now.
following the comments about the memory etc. I'll revise my suggestion (quad channel is marketing hype unless it's on specific xeon cpus with a supporting northbridge)
swapping or dropping the following from my previous suggestion
ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail Item#:N82E16813131614
You Save: $10.00
$299.99
Free Shipping*
OCZ Gold 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G1600LV12GS - Retail Item#:N82E16820227422
You Save: $30.00
$310.99
($290.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate Card )
Free Shipping*
Drop the GeForce GTS 250 and 2 of the 3 monitors (still do a dual monitor using your current monitor with an additional)
Subtotal $3,078.16
giving you 8 threads and triple channel memory. vs (AMD) dual channel and 4 threads
I don't know is any of the games you mentioned supported PhysX I don't think they do from the list I looked at
This revised list gives a little room to play with your budget to get the mouse you mentioned and just about anything else as you would have about $500 to play with
EDIT: I didn't add the two video cards into the calculations and was under my expected amount I have adjusted the prices to correct for this over site.
you could up the processor to the
Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition Bloomfield 3.33GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601975 - Retail Item #: N82E16819115212
$969.99
Which would move you to the faster QPI 6.4GT/s from the 4.8GT/s
bringing the subtotal to $$3,759.16
Well, im just going to be gaming and work stuff.
Like WoW
EQ2
TF2
LFD & LFD2
I guess i dont really NEED that i just want a super good computer.
I could really just be good with 4x4gb and maybe just stick with the AMD cliff proposed.
Idk, im just computer confused right now.
What does your work stuff entail? Unless your job requires serious processing power, most of what people are suggesting is really overkill. Just because your budget allows for it doesn't mean it's what you need. Right now everyone is suggesting you should buy a Corvette, but it sounds like you never really drive over 35mph.
What does your work stuff entail? Unless your job requires serious processing power, most of what people are suggesting is really overkill. Just because your budget allows for it doesn't mean it's what you need. Right now everyone is suggesting you should buy a Corvette, but it sounds like you never really drive over 35mph.
QFT
for what you do a stock system could do all you need (unless there is something in your work that would need more)
for example a HP Pavilion Elite E9290F(AU850AA#ABA) Intel Core i7 920(2.66GHz) 9GB DDR3 1TB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 Windows 7 Home Premium ... - Retail Item#:N82E16883147038
Subtotal $1,229.99
Take the saved money and invest or put towards a faster internet connection or towards another monitor etc
Also, kicking in my 2 cents here. If you decide to go with a RAID array for your data as was suggested earlier (which is something that I don't recommend unless you understand what RAID is for and still do backups because RAID is not backups), I would suggest going with a RAID 1+0 (or 0+1 depending on which your board supports) array. Since you would be using the onboard RAID controller, this would reduce your CPU overhead as a RAID5 array with a software RAID controller (all onboard RAID controllers are software, true hardware RAID controllers run usually 300+ dollars) will need to calculate parity using the CPU. Building a super-powerful system as above, you probably won't even notice it but still, it's worth mentioning.
Since you would be using the onboard RAID controller, this would reduce your CPU overhead as a RAID5 array with a software RAID controller (all onboard RAID controllers are software, true hardware RAID controllers run usually 300+ dollars) will need to calculate parity using the CPU. Building a super-powerful system as above, you probably won't even notice it but still, it's worth mentioning.
I mentioned getting a raid controller in my general guidelines, Looks like I missed adding that to the cart when I was putting items to the guidelines.
I would agian agree that Raid 5 for data/paging is above your average user. but it is something I would do if I had the cash to burn, but only after getting an SSD boot drive. (since and SSD boot will bring the biggest performance increase if set up right) SSD before RAID
If I had money to burn I would buy an add-on card and set up a RAID5 of SAS drives sans SSD. I know Thrax is going to call me a liar but that setup is more reliable and gives excellent performance.
I'm not a huge fan of having a RAID array with multiple mechanical drives. Its going to add heat and noise. I lean to a SSD boot drive, and with that budget, you can realistically get one large enough to load most of your important program's as well then buy a mechanical drive big enough for your my documents folder.
The solution is far simpler, its going to generate less heat and noise, and it should perform really nicely.
I'm not a huge fan of having a RAID array with multiple mechanical drives. Its going to add heat and noise. I lean to a SSD boot drive, and with that budget, you can realistically get one large enough to load most of your important program's as well then buy a mechanical drive big enough for your my documents folder.
The solution is far simpler, its going to generate less heat and noise, and it should perform really nicely.
SSD boot/programs drive in the machine, and all documents/media/etc stored on a RAID6 array in a NAS stored away somewhere else on the network with gigabit cable in between.
THAT, sir, is my ideal. All the storage and reliability with the (really minimal) heat and noise somewhere else.
I'm not a huge fan of having a RAID array with multiple mechanical drives. Its going to add heat and noise. I lean to a SSD boot drive, and with that budget, you can realistically get one large enough to load most of your important program's as well then buy a mechanical drive big enough for your my documents folder.
The solution is far simpler, its going to generate less heat and noise, and it should perform really nicely.
Noise Cliff? Really? As has been mentioned before, I'm running a RAID1+0 setup in my desktop and there is NO noticeable additional noise. My ambient temps are also no different than when I was running a single drive. That is just a matter of buying a case that has good airflow.
SSD boot/programs drive in the machine, and all documents/media/etc stored on a RAID6 array in a NAS stored away somewhere else on the network with gigabit cable in between.
THAT, sir, is my ideal. All the storage and reliability with the (really minimal) heat and noise somewhere else.
Heat is not an issue, but I can't pretend not to hear the two 10K RPM drives and four 7.2K RPM drives just a few feet away from me. I'd love to take the "SSD in the box and mechanical storage in a NAS somewhere else" approach one of these days, or at least move the 4 drives that aren't part of the boot array somewhere else. The downside of having a nearly silent water loop is that you can hear how loud everything else is.
Heat is not an issue, but I can't pretend not to hear the two 10K RPM drives and four 7.2K RPM drives just a few feet away from me. I'd love to take the "SSD in the box and mechanical storage in a NAS somewhere else" approach one of these days, or at least move the 4 drives that aren't part of the boot array somewhere else. The downside of having a nearly silent water loop is that you can hear how loud everything else is.
Perhaps my case just dampens sound well but I honestly do not hear my 4 7200RPM except, perhaps, when I start maxing them out and the arms are flying back and forth.
Comments
The Ram Kit I specd is a Quad channel 4x2GB not a dual 2x4GB which should be just fine for a Tri channel CPU.
I agree the PhysX with AMD is a hack and isn't advisable for your average user.
But even running a SSD with tweeks to move the paging file and User folders to a mechanical drive and Raid 5 is also above your average user.
There are other mobos that will work just fine like you mentioned, I just went for maximum expandability. (you could go for 4 PCIe cards at full x16 with this motherboard which is a bit over kill)
Edit: Looks like for desktop CPUs the quad channel or hexa-channel is just marketing hype, although the Xeon 5400 supported true quad-channel DDR2
You don't want to run 4 sticks in an X58 board.
No. That's not quad channel, it's dual. It's four sticks but it's not quad channel. If you were to use it on a Core i7 900-series system, you'd drop to dual channel mode when running all four sticks. The channels are determined by the memory controller in the CPU or northbridge, not the memory sticks.
Thrax is correct here.
//edit and Ryder too.
I agree That is a great AMD board
The alternate mobos for the i7 system I considered was the GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD7 and ASUS P6X58D Which both have USB 3.0 and SATA 3
the LGA1366 socket is rumored to support Intel's 6 core processors too
EDIT: just saw that you're looking at 2 x 5870 in Crossfire, you should be fine with 3 DVI or HDMI displays.
The ram he told me to get is 4 x 2 gb 240 pin and i want like 4 x 4gb 240, but i'd need a better mother board or if i use his i could just open 2 channels, or maybe i could just get 3 x 4 on a better board and not run 2 channels.
Idk, gimme some help guys?
What are you doing that you need 16 or 24GB of ram?
Any 2 ram sticks (no matter what size) placed in the appropriate 2 slots no an AMD board, will be Dual Channel.
Any 3 ram sticks, placed in the appropriate 3 slots on an X58 Intel board will be Triple channel.
Like WoW
EQ2
TF2
LFD & LFD2
I guess i dont really NEED that i just want a super good computer.
I could really just be good with 4x4gb and maybe just stick with the AMD cliff proposed.
Idk, im just computer confused right now.
swapping or dropping the following from my previous suggestion
ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail Item#:N82E16813131614
You Save: $10.00
$299.99
Free Shipping*
OCZ Gold 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G1600LV12GS - Retail Item#:N82E16820227422
You Save: $30.00
$310.99
($290.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate Card )
Free Shipping*
Drop the GeForce GTS 250 and 2 of the 3 monitors (still do a dual monitor using your current monitor with an additional)
Subtotal $3,078.16
giving you 8 threads and triple channel memory. vs (AMD) dual channel and 4 threads
I don't know is any of the games you mentioned supported PhysX I don't think they do from the list I looked at
This revised list gives a little room to play with your budget to get the mouse you mentioned and just about anything else as you would have about $500 to play with
EDIT: I didn't add the two video cards into the calculations and was under my expected amount I have adjusted the prices to correct for this over site.
you could up the processor to the
Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition Bloomfield 3.33GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601975 - Retail Item #: N82E16819115212
$969.99
Which would move you to the faster QPI 6.4GT/s from the 4.8GT/s
bringing the subtotal to $$3,759.16
What does your work stuff entail? Unless your job requires serious processing power, most of what people are suggesting is really overkill. Just because your budget allows for it doesn't mean it's what you need. Right now everyone is suggesting you should buy a Corvette, but it sounds like you never really drive over 35mph.
QFT
for what you do a stock system could do all you need (unless there is something in your work that would need more)
for example a HP Pavilion Elite E9290F(AU850AA#ABA) Intel Core i7 920(2.66GHz) 9GB DDR3 1TB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 Windows 7 Home Premium ... - Retail Item#:N82E16883147038
Subtotal $1,229.99
Take the saved money and invest or put towards a faster internet connection or towards another monitor etc
I mentioned getting a raid controller in my general guidelines, Looks like I missed adding that to the cart when I was putting items to the guidelines.
I would agian agree that Raid 5 for data/paging is above your average user. but it is something I would do if I had the cash to burn, but only after getting an SSD boot drive. (since and SSD boot will bring the biggest performance increase if set up right) SSD before RAID
The solution is far simpler, its going to generate less heat and noise, and it should perform really nicely.
SSD boot/programs drive in the machine, and all documents/media/etc stored on a RAID6 array in a NAS stored away somewhere else on the network with gigabit cable in between.
THAT, sir, is my ideal. All the storage and reliability with the (really minimal) heat and noise somewhere else.
A NAS would be nice.
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=16817548
Total is just below $2500 and you can upgrade GPU, RAM, and HD by buying in quantities of 2.
At 72,000 RPM, I think the more reasonable explanation is that ardichoke is simply deaf.
2) fixt
3)whutadick