24GB System

[chapsandmutton]

I should start by saying that I'm a professional visual effects artist with a specialty in dynamic simulations. Liquids, fire, destruction, smoke. Lately I've been taking on more than my usual amount of freelance work-from-home work, and that has me thinking about upgrading my current system. Currently I've got a Core 2 Quad that's running OC'd at 3.1, 8GB of RAM, and all my apps installed on an SSD with a 1TB data dump drive. I usually simulate to my SSD unless I can't fit it.

My profession is one that will literally eat all available resources available to it, and then some. I frequently work on dual Xeon machines w/ 32GB of ram, and max out either the available system's ram or CPU. Now, realistically a consumer can't afford a system like this for home use and the projects I'm working on won't be able to cover an upgrade like that. Still, the last thing I want to do is sit at home waiting for sims when I could be chewing through work and getting back to relaxing.

I decided this week it was time for an upgrade and my starting point would be going up to 24GB of RAM. Since Sandy Bridge is all the rage, I decided to head in that direction and settled on an i5 2500K on a P67 Sabertooth board. Some of you might already know my quandary before I say it, but apparently, none of the 1155 boards take more than 4 DIMMs, and there's almost no RAM kits out there that give you more than 4GB / stick, maxing me at 16.

I noticed that the 1366 boards, including the x58 Sabertooth, do take the amount of RAM I'm looking for, but I'm then restricted to an older gen i7. Given that I'm coming up from an Core 2, it's going to be a jump no matter what, but just how much of a loss will I be taking in performance between the older i7 and the new 2500K i5? Does anyone know of any 1155 boards that will accept 6 DIMMs, and if not, what would you in my shoes? I've priced it all out and am prepared to spend between 450 and 600 for the board, RAM, and CPU, I just don't know which direction to go.

Thanks in advance.

 

[tiraides]

Sandy Bridge-E (Socket 2011) has just arrived and is the successor to the Socket 1366/X58 platform. Additionally, 8GB RAM DIMMs are now available, but I believe that they're too expensive for most consumers.

Could you answer the questions listed in the "Asking for Build Help?" sticky? Those questions help us offer better recommendations for your budget.

 

[chapsandmutton]

Also, my two options are as I see it, these:

Asus X58 Sabertooth Board - ~$200 (Fry's)
Corsair 16GB RAM kit - $100 (Fry's)
i5 2500k - $150 (Microcenter)

~$500 total with CA tax

-OR-

Asus P67 Sabertooth Board - ~$200 (Fry's)
Corsair 24GB RAM kit - $150 (Fry's)
i7 960 - $225 (Microcenter)

~$575 with CA tax

 

[chapsandmutton]

Sure, happily.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing?
Mostly Houdini / Maya / RealFlow simulations with some light gaming. All other stuff goes to my laptop.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$600 but I'd like to buy this weekend, so CA tax included and no shipping.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
US, Los Angeles CA

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
Just RAM, CPU, and a new board

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Antec 300
CoolerMaster 550W RP-550-PCAR
BFG GeForce GTS250
OCZ Vortex 60GB SSD
Western Digital 1TB

6) Will you be overclocking?
Maybe. I'd like the option.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
2xDell 2408WFP (1920x1200)

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
This weekend

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
The ability to hold 24GB of RAM, USB 3.0

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes. Windows 7 64bit

 

[chapsandmutton]

And the price for 8GB of RAM is out of my range, unfortunately. For my $600 I'd likely end up with the same amount of RAM I have now.

 

[Dangman]

Also, my two options are as I see it, these:

Asus X58 Sabertooth Board - ~$200 (Fry's)
Corsair 16GB RAM kit - $100 (Fry's)
i5 2500k - $150 (Microcenter)

~$500 total with CA tax

-OR-

Asus P67 Sabertooth Board - ~$200 (Fry's)
Corsair 24GB RAM kit - $150 (Fry's)
i7 960 - $225 (Microcenter)

~$575 with CA tax

You have the mobos mixed up there: The P67 will not work with that i7 960 and the X58 will not work with the 2500K. It's the other way around: P67 with 2500K, etc.

In both setups, you're overpaying for the RAM: You can get an 2x4GB of RAM for only $30:
$45 - G.Skill Ripjaws Series F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL 2 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM

Even with CA sales tax, the total for 16GB of RAM should be around $34 less than the Corsair set you mentioned.

CoolerMaster 550W RP-550-PCAR

You should be looking at a new PSU as well. That Coolermaster is of very low quality, not capable of 400W of power let alone 550W of power, and probably isn't long for this world. Not to mention that if you do go with the Core i7 9xx series CPU, it may stress that PSU to its limits. I recommend this replacement PSU:
$79 - Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-620 620W PSU

Given that I'm coming up from an Core 2, it's going to be a jump no matter what, but just how much of a loss will I be taking in performance between the older i7 and the new 2500K i5?

Judging from the synthetic benchmarks that I've been able to dig up so far, the performance difference between the Core i7 960 and Core i5 2500K is very small actually when it comes to 3D synthetic benchmarks. Roughly 3-4% from what I can see.

However, is power consumption a factor for you? I ask because the Core i5 2500K uses ~100W less than the Core i7 960 when both CPUs are at stock clocks. The same power difference exists when both CPUs are OC'd to the same clocks. Then there's significant heat output of the i7 960.

If power consumption nor heat output is not a factor for you, than the Core i7 960 is an ok choice if you really need 24GB of RAM.

Does anyone know of any 1155 boards that will accept 6 DIMMs,

There aren't any LGA 1155 mobos that will accept 6 DIMMs as that 4 DIMM limitation is due to the CPU and chipset itself.

 

[plugwash]

Comparing the options

LGA1366:
+within budget
+can do 24GB with 4GB modules
-previous generation CPU cores
-power hungry
-24GB is the limit

LGA1155:
+within budget
+supports up to 32GB
-requires expensive 8GB modules to go beyond 16GB (though I think you could squeeze a 2x4GB+2x8GB configuration within a $600 budget)
+low power

LGA2011:
-considerablly over budget
+supports up to 64GB
+supports 32GB with economical 4GB modules
-power hungry

I've priced it all out and am prepared to spend between 450 and 600 for the board, RAM, and CPU, I just don't know which direction to go.

If you can't justify going for LGA2011 i'd suggest going for a LGA1155 build, I think you can squeeze two 8GB modules in your budget and you will have the option to upgrade to 32GB later.

 

[Deleted member 88227]

Why not settle for 16GB (2x8) right now, with an i7 2600k for ~$600. Then in a few weeks when you can save up another ~$200 for a second set of 16GB, then you'll have a 32GB machine with one of the best consumer CPUs that is designed to crunch those types of numbers?

This is the route I will go. A 2600k should be able to run your apps considerably faster than a 2500k, since the hyper threading in the i7 is designed for that sort of use. Also 16GB of RAM will essentially double your current setup, with room for expansion when funds arrive.

This will leave you room to grow on your current setup, while not wasting money in the process. As is, the current approach you're trying to take will force you to replace RAM to get more, instead of just adding more. You'll also have a much faster processor from the get go.

You should also highly consider, as Danny Bui suggested, upgrading the PSU. I'd hate to see you spend all this money on a nice upgrade just to have that PSU take the whole system out.

 

[chapsandmutton]

Thanks for all the tips in this thread! So useful!

I've been convinced. It's clear that to buy the older i7 just for the ability to get 24GB seems short-sighted and I agree with everyone. It's inside my budget to get an i5 2500k with a good board, and 2x4GB + 2x8GB.

Also very glad to realize my Coolermaster needs to be replaced - makes me think that perhaps I'll just relegate this machine to an extra sim station and build a whole new workstation.

 

[Stupid_Newbie]

I'd go 2600k. Hyper threading and oc. Are you near a miceocenter? Or maybe a newegg combo deal.

 

[chapsandmutton]

Yeah there's a microcenter about 50 minutes from me, so if it's worth it, I'll hit it. Otherwise Fry's is my best option being 10-15 away.