My new system

[ddrueding]

The article mentions a PCI slot fan. Any help there??

I upgraded the PCI slot fan to Antec's larger (2-slot) multi-speed variant. It actually makes very little difference in the HDD temps whether it is on high or low (even though the air out the back is significantly higher). This leads me to believe that I need better air control rather than just more air.

 

[Mercutio]

There's a great deal of talk, in Newegg's reviews of the Aria case, of having to mod for airflow.

You might also want to swap out 750GB drives for something slightly more reasonable, perhaps more single-platter-ish.

 

[ddrueding]

I've done a number of mods to the Aria already; mainly in the PSU, but also in the rear exhaust area. Now I think I need to open up the front to encourage air past the hard drives.

I assume from the nature of the comments so far that 40C is too hot for HDDs?

 

[ddrueding]

Also, Going to anything less than the 750s isn't really an option; I only have about 150GB free. I'm actually thinking I might need a third in there if I can swing it.

 

[Buck]

Dry ice . . . looks cool too.

 

[Computer Generated Baby]

I'm itching to assemble a dual Intel Xeon 5160P system. Alas, those buggers are expensive.

I've recently played around with a new 2-U Dell server that was configured with a pair of top-of-the-line 3.0 GHz Xeon 5160 (Core2 "Woodcrest") processors and 4 GB od system RAM (FB-DDR2 RAM). I exercised it by re-loading Windows 2003/R2, then generating huge text files through file concatenation commands. In very little time I could generate 4 or 5 GB text files. Then, to test the array throughput, I copied these large text files on its internal RAID-1 SAS (Maxtor 10kRPM 73GB) array.

Summing it up: At times it was fast, at other times it was even faster than just plain fast. It even booted up fast.

 

[Mercutio]

.... it obviously wasn't a domain controller then.

Playing with an E6300. Using the sucky stock cooling, I've taken it from 1.83GHz to 3.2GHz. It doesn't have much in the way of software loaded on it, but it's happily running 3DPipes and not overheating.

 

[ddrueding]

That is one hell of an OC Merc...I may have to get me one of those...

 

[Buck]

There is more fun out in the wild with Quad Xeons.

 

[ddrueding]

Most fun workstation ever:

40-core, 256GFlop goodness

 

[Adcadet]

.... it obviously wasn't a domain controller then.

Playing with an E6300. Using the sucky stock cooling, I've taken it from 1.83GHz to 3.2GHz. It doesn't have much in the way of software loaded on it, but it's happily running 3DPipes and not overheating.

What motherboard?

 

[P5-133XL]

Try folding, that'll test its stability better than anything I know.

 

[Mercutio]

AD: It's an EVGA nVidia 590-based something-or-other. It was a $200 board.
Not worth $200 in my opinion but I guess it's nice enough.

I put it to work converting 26GBs of AAC files to MP3. It crashed after about an hour of work, though I have to admit I wasn't paying too much attention to it by that point.

 

[Adcadet]

Don't know where to post this question, and I thought a new thread would be a waste, but I figured here would be fine since we're discussing new systems and Core 2 Duo systems...

Is this a good power supply? I'm looking for a nice power supply for my Antec P180 and future Core 2 Duo system. I may run up to 4 HDs and two opticals.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817159062

 

[Mercutio]

Nope.
The specs make promises that the shipping weight can't deliver.

Enermax, Antec, Seasonic, Sparkle, Vantec, HEC/AGI.

 

[Mercutio]

Someone asked me today, and of course I don't know...
How loud ARE the new nVidia 8800 cooling solutions?

As a point of reference, I've used X1800s and X1900XTXs, and they are basically the same noise level as a 7900GS, which is the only new-ish discrete nVidia hardware I've had any contact with.

 

[Adcadet]

Anyone have experience with the FSP (Fortron Source) power supplies? I'm thinking that this PS might be a good choice for my P180 and Core 2 Duo with or without a cable extension. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104952

 

[Mercutio]

FSP is Sparkle. Sparkle PSUs are reasonably reliable but they are LOUD.
Newegg usually put FSP power supplies in the Foxconn cases it sells.

 

[Adcadet]

Hmmm...cheap ($37) and perhaps loud vs. a more name-brand PS that has had some compatibility problems for a bit more ($80-$30 rebate)

Is the Antec NeoHE worth the extra money for my future Core 2 Duo system? I won't be running any SLI, and likely never more than 4 HDs in it so I'm guessing anything over 350W (if that much) is wasted. I would like a quiet system, and this will all be going in an Antec P180 case. But the budget is pretty tight.

 

[Buck]

Is the Antec NeoHE worth the extra money for my future Core 2 Duo system? I won't be running any SLI, and likely never more than 4 HDs in it so I'm guessing anything over 350W (if that much) is wasted. I would like a quiet system, and this will all be going in an Antec P180 case. But the budget is pretty tight.

The Antec NeoHE is a very nice PSU. If less wattage is acceptable, as would seem for your system, the Zalman ZM360B-APS is a very nice option.

 

[Adcadet]

The Antec NeoHE is a very nice PSU. If less wattage is acceptable, as would seem for your system, the Zalman ZM360B-APS is a very nice option.

At $99 I think the Zalman is too expensive for me. I'd love a Seasonic M12, but they're ~$130. I'm going for respectable but inexpensive. $50 for a NeoHE vs. $35 for a FSG. Any other suggestions?

 

[fb]

I would go with the Antec... I only have experience with the older 480 NeoPower but it was reasonably quiet and OK in every way until the day it died.

 

[Bozo]

I'd go with the Antec. The removable cables make it worthwhile. Just plug in what you need.
The 5 or 6 I have installed were very quiet.

Bozo :joker:

 

[ddrueding]

Modular cables are a must-have for the P180; there really isn't anywhere to hide the octopus.

 

[Buck]

At $99 I think the Zalman is too expensive for me. I'd love a Seasonic M12, but they're ~$130. I'm going for respectable but inexpensive. $50 for a NeoHE vs. $35 for a FSG. Any other suggestions?

The Zalman ZM360B-APS is $99.00! Wow! Then I would go with the Antec.
[size=-2]Although I know someone who has the ZM360B-APS for far less than $99.00 <cough>[/size]

 

[time]

In general, power supplies with 8cm fans are likely to be noisy. Most of the ones that aren't will probably fail prematurely, or provide insufficient airflow to cool your case (the PS is still the primary exhaust for the CPU).

Okay, so I exaggerated slightly, but a dose of reality seems appropriate in this era of 700W power supplies. :roll:

FSP is a large OEM with a wide range of products - not just the cheapos that bob up in Merc's Foxconn cases. They have been a contract manufacturer for many well-known brands, including Zalman and Antec.

If you look further on NewEgg, you will see FSP power supplies with 12cm fans, and these are indeed quiet, albeit more expensive. You will also notice that most FSP products get 5 eggs from customers, as opposed to say, Antec ...

Having said that, I note that NewEgg's offerings exclude PFC. I can buy FSP with PFC for less in Oz.

This is a recommendation, by the way.

 

[Mercutio]

I'm looking at the pile of parts that's going to make up the guts of my new home theater system, and I am annoyed.

It's my first personal Intel desktop in eight years.

E6400 (not overclocked)
4GB of Corsair DDR2/800
Gigabyte motherboard (the one with 8 SATA ports!)
Auzentech X-Meridian
4TB of hard disks in softRAID0 (the data is backed up elsewhere) and because + boot drive (200GB Samsung PATA)
Internal 20x NEC DVD Burner
External HD-DVD drive (made for an Xbox360, and the only part that'll show out of its cabinet).

Here's the problem(s): I want HDCP support, so I can use the HDDVD to, you know, watch movies. Gonna have to pick a new video card for it. Games *sometimes* get played on the big screen and/or projector. I might play more on it if it had a better video card.

I just can't decide if it's actually worth it.

The second problem is that I probably ought to install Vista on something. I need to really learn Vista and this is one of the machines that I will use the most.

 

[Handruin]

You'll probably vomit at this suggestion... Why not just get an xbox 360 with the HD-DVD drive? You can watch the movies, play games, download content, share content from your home PC, and eventually they'll be linking IPTV and HDMI into the newer units. It might save you some money...but that's just a guess without looking up what your parts will cost.

 

[ddrueding]

You'll probably vomit at this suggestion... Why not just get an xbox 360 with the HD-DVD drive? You can watch the movies, play games, download content, share content from your home PC, and eventually they'll be linking IPTV and HDMI into the newer units. It might save you some money...but that's just a guess without looking up what your parts will cost.

That is the cheapest soltion to the immediate problem, but not the coolest or most flexible. Based on the existing system spec (looks great, BTW) the cost is not particularly relevant.

Let me know what you end up getting, looks very cool. What HDDs are you using in that array?

 

[Mercutio]

I had an xbox360 for a little while. I played the one game I wanted to play and then I sold it. I could not stand the controls on it. The reason I have the HDDVD drive made for Xbox is that it is substantially cheaper than a set-top HDDVD player.

 

[Mercutio]

ddrueding: Hitachi drives for now.
I installed an x1650 in my machine for now. I see that ATI's new chip will be available in a couple weeks. I'll re-evaluate my needs then.

I found an idiot who wants a Quad-Core PC, SLI GF8800s and Vista on the day its released. I'm guessing that will be a very... interesting build. Particularly the power requirements (600W? 700W?). Oh, and he wants it to be very quiet.

 

[ddrueding]

Sounds like you already found a use for a P190. I'm quite envious of that build; I like doing the tricky stuff.

 

[Adcadet]

What will that likely cost in parts, Merc?

Lets see...
- an nForce 680i board will run $250
- Core 2 Quad right now is $890
- DDR2 800 2x2 GB is $600 (you could save $100 by skipping CAS 5 in favor of CAS 6, but why would you)
- an nVidia 8800 cards at $400, and I'm assuming the guy doesn't want SLI
- he'll want a fancy smancy Creative audigy 4 pro for $270
- hard drives...I can only guess. Let's just say a WD Raptor 150 for $200 and a 500 GB Samsung for $150
- case...the Antec P190. No idea how much they'll cost, but lets just guess $150 at the least since P180s are usually in the low 100's
-I'm assuming he already has a flat panel monitor or three, so I'll leave those out
- Vista Ultimate is set to be $400 retail so lets say $200 for OEM

that comes to...$2510 in hardware plus OS.

 

[ddrueding]

What will that likely cost in parts, Merc?

No super system is complete without at least a 1TB array AND a RAID-0 set, so include 4x500GB in a RAID-10, and 2x Raptor 150 in RAID-0. Plus a pair of DVD-RW (assuming no HD-DVD/Blu-Ray).

 

[Mercutio]

He wants SLI 8800GTXs - $1100 worth of video cards.
He's getting an Intel Board (forget the model) to PREVENT overclocking; I'm not going to support him if he's stupid enough to do it.
He's getting an X-Mystique for sound
And yes, he wants the Extreme Edition chip (Another $1000)

I'd NEVER put a WD hard disk in PC. He's getting a pair of 320GB Seagate drives in RAID1 and a pair of 400GB Samsung drives in RAID0; he'll be over 1TB for bragging purposes but nothing as insane as installing a WD drive.

He wants a super-ugly Cooler Master mista... I mean mid-tower for everything. I'm probably going to use an Antec or possibly a Lian Li case instead. I'll tell him his video cards didn't fit or something.

 

[Adcadet]

Why the Samsung drives for Raid0? Why not set him up with some 10K SATA drives?

 

[timwhit]

That would mean using a WD drive. You really think Merc would do that?

 

[timwhit]

I have a feeling if someone mentions WD in Merc's presence he starts to dry heave.

 

[Adcadet]

Broken HD = more business, right?

 

[Buck]

An Intel motherboard with SLI support?