Build Sheet - opinions please

[Danny]

Here is a new build sheet for a workstation i will be building soon. Does anyone have any suggestions or experience with this combination of parts? Any constructive feedback will be appreciated. Decided to stick with the stock CPU cooler, i usually dont do this. Bad idea (noise, heat/reliability reasons)??



Lian Li PC-B25B Black
CPU - i7 920
Mobo - Asus p6t deluxe
GPU - FX3800
HDD - (2) 150gb raptors in mirror
Mem - Corsiar XMS3 12gb DDR3 1333
OS - XP Sp2 64
PSU - Corsair TX750
Iogear bluetooth
Samsung DVD sata
Silverstone card reader

[guinness]

your motherboard supports triple channel memory.why are you only going to put 8GB on a triple channel setup and how?i'm sure you could only use two channels,but why spend the money for a triple channel setup board?you would bew wasting useable bus speed.why not do something like 9GB,12GB,or even all the way up to the maximum supported 24GB?if you're building a workstation unit,then RAM and processing power are of the highest importance and a great video card if you're working with videos and/or pictures.what are you building this workstation for exactly anyways?

[Danny]

your motherboard supports triple channel memory.why are you only going to put 8GB on a triple channel setup and how?i'm sure you could only use two channels,but why spend the money for a triple channel setup board?you would bew wasting useable bus speed.why not do something like 9GB,12GB,or even all the way up to the maximum supported 24GB?if you're building a workstation unit,then RAM and processing power are of the highest importance and a great video card if you're working with videos and/or pictures.what are you building this workstation for exactly anyways?

So if i were to do 6x2gb of ram then i would be using all three channels, correct? Does the processor ok, or should i up the ante a little? The FX3800 is all i am willing to do on the GPU end, autodesk sent out a nice discount for the FX line of cards, so i will be taking advantage of that.

This is a cad workstation.

[Danny]

here is the mem standard for the mobo

Memory Standard DDR3 2000(O.C)/1866(O.C)/1800(O.C)/1600(O.C)/1333

This means i should go with ram clocked at 1333?
Like this?http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145233

thanks for the help

[guinness]

basically what that means is that the mobo supports RAM at 1333 standard,but will support up to 2000 overclocked(o.c.).you simply overclock it by going into your bios and then flashing your board.if you bought the 6x2GB RAM,then you would be using all the slots on that mobo.if i remember correctly,that board has 6 buses/slots for RAM......correct?you could even get away with 3x4GB RAM or 3x2GB of RAM.only thing is that you will be paying an arm and a leg for just one stick of 4GB RAM,much less buying a triple channel kit like that.look at my post on my build and you'll see how much you'll be looking at,lol.i think it's overkill personally,but it's always up to what you are wanting for yourself in the end,lol.your best bet is going to be going with the 6x2GB RAM over almost anything else.just try and keep your latency timings down around the 6-8 range for the best performance.your processor is perfect for cad.it is a quad-core with hyperthreading which will come in handy when doing cad work and having other applications running as well.your videos card is WAY too pricey for what you can get from two ati's with much better performance,graphics,3D marks,speed,etc......and for 1/4 of the price of one of those cards.check out this video card for your install:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814129130

it has the same specs as the one had picked out,but has more stream processors and with the type of mobo you are getting,you will get x16 bus speeds on both videos cards instead of just one that will give you less in output than these puppies will crossfired.

here's what i would do for your build:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-365-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814129130 (x2)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115202

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227401

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-033-_-Product (x3)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817153104

total price for these parts of your build will come to $1488.91 compared to the total price of $1899.95 of your original idea t build with.this doesn't include the HD's,DVD,case,OS,and so on that you had picked out.you already save $411.04 and get better performance and graphical output which is important for doing cad.plus you get the coolers for your RAM which is good because this board runs warm to hot on its own and you surely don't want to add anymore heat to it.

i do have one last concern about the heat inside the case.with the power supply mounting where it does,there is no way for the air/dust/heat to escape except from the very tiny gap just above the power supply.the power supply i suggested doesn't have a rear fan,just top,and you don't want hot air just sitting and hanging around the case and don't forget that hot air rises naturally on its own accord.i would recommend you getting this case:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119160

because its has plenty of space for expansion and air to flow plus has enought stock fans to cool it also.in addition,you also get to save $50 on this case compared to the other case you had picked.just a thought.look it over and tell me what you think.

[Danny]

i like the 2x 2890 idea vs the 1x fx3800. I have always been attracted to the autodesk certified cards (like the FX line), but they charge a premium. Autodesk lists the 4890 as approved but not certified, so it should be just fine?!?!

So that alone saves me about $120 (600 for the fx3800 minus 480 for the 2x4890s).

Ram you mentioned is a little cheaper, so thats good. It has lower timings, but a higher voltage. Is that voltage (1.65) ok for x58? I read somewhere that x58 maxes at 1.65v?!


how about a bottom mounted psu? I love lian li cases, and thier sound insulation, which is important. Also, as far as asthetics, i really need to stick to sweet and simple (black aluminum). Also, been running the case i originally posted on one of the workstations here for a year and that thing runs cold and quite. Not saying im not open for a better alternative. But quite running is just as important as temperature. Which reminds me, is two 4890s going to sound like a jet engine? My 4870 at home is kinda loud and i only have one of them lol. Thanks again for all the help.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811112168

[guinness]

the case that you just listed above is beautiful.if you like the lian lis,then i would definitely go with the second choice.there are a few things about that case that are really nice about it.one,having a bottom mounted power supply location with more overhead room.two,all the HD's can be mounted on the bottom of the case which will allow for more air flow and current that having them right there near the already running warm mobo.three,the fact that everything pretty much stays hidden and clean looking.four,you can mount a fan to the front and give it a direct line air flow and feed from the front to the back.a good rule of thumb when air cooling a case is to have a even number of fans so you will have a balance between intake and output.

the reason i suggested the other case was because you will have two video cards crossfired and each of those video cards runs at 122 degrees F idle and at 156.2 degrees F loading.it also uses 200W idle and 444W loading.so,with these facts known,having the case remain cool and with a good flow to direct the heat off the cards and everything else is of upmost importance.as far as them being loud,the thermacooler is the loudest thing on it and from everyone i have talked to who has used them or been around systems running these cards,it's not very loud as compared to the other cards in the past.make sure you have at least a 650W power supply to be sure you are getting enough power to all your parts.lastly,as far as the voltage on the mobo,don't worry,you'll be fine.if it maxes out at that and that is what it is running,then you have nothing to worry about,lol!!

got anymore questions for me,lol?if so man,feel free to ask me anything at anytime.i do this type of stuff for a hobby and my career is in IT.

[guinness]

by the way,isn't that the euro symbol as your avatar?

[guinness]

one more thing.if you plan on overclocking this board,RAM,and/or video card,here are some of the features the mobo offers for overclocking:

ASUS TurboV utility Precision Tweaker 2: - vCore: Adjustable CPU voltage at 0.00625V increment - vCPU PLL: 36-step reference voltage control - vDRAM Bus: 49-step DRAM bus voltage control - vChipset(N.B.): 31-step chipset voltage control - vNB-PCIe: 65- step chipset-PCIe bus voltage control
SFS (Stepless Frequency Selection): - Internal Base Clock tuning from 100MHz up to 500 MHz at 1MHz increment - PCI Express frequency tuning from 100MHz up to 180MHz at 1MHz increment
Overclocking Protection: - ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall)

[Danny]

thanks guiness. I will take all your suggestions into consideration. I am pretty sure I will be sticking with the fx3800 mostly because i have the quadro cards running on all the office machines to date and autodesk support along with nvidia support has been good (nvidia also makes special autodesk drivers for the pro cards). I couldnt find any workstation benchmarks for the fx3800 vs the 2x 4890s. Now for my gaming rig (at home of course lol) you have me contemplating 2x 4890s, dam you. Oh and I allready ordered the graphics card from PNY using a autodesk discount code the other day, whoops lol. But if i build me a personal workstation at work i will consider the 2x 4890s instead, but since this station has to go out to employees i need to play it a little bit more safe and go with the tried and true (errr mostly lol) quadro.

Thanks for the ram info and case suggestions, i think between those two this system will be alot better.

ps. yes its the euro, i used to trade it alot.. but not so much the last few months. time for a new avatar i suppose.

[Danny]

also with those memory heat spreaders how do you install them? Do you have to take the factory heat spreaders off?

Also, CPU cooling. Stock cooling or aftermarket?

[guinness]

the RAM heat spreaders you just install on top of the stock ones.just remember that once installed,they ARE permanent.a rule i live by when it comes to CPU cooling is that i NEVER use the stock/factory fan.i have always used an after market one because it will also disperse more heat and keep the CPU so much cooler than anything stock could ever try to.

[Danny]

ya thats a rule i always follow too, guess i wont make this build an exception. thanks again man!

[guinness]

yeah man,anytime.let me know if i can help you ever again!!