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A Virtualization Whitebox/Gaming Rig

Benzino

Benzino

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Mar 3, 2005
Messages
1,710
I am trying to embark on a project to build a computer with a two-fold purpose: VMware whitebox with the ability to upgrade it to a gaming machine later. The idea is that right now I work on VMware/Server 2012 certs with this computer and then upgrade later for gaming after I save some more money.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
VMware whitebox with an upgrade path to a gaming machine.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$900 with tax and shipping to start out, $900 later for gaming add-ons
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Fargo, ND
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.
Case, Power Supply, Motherboard, CPU, Cooler, RAM, Hard Drive, Low-Profile Video Card, Flash Drive, Keyboard and Mouse
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Monitor, Gaming Headset
6) Will you be overclocking?
No
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
22 inches @ 1680x1050
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within 2 weeks, 1 month for upgrade
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
Most important is hardware virtualization support and hardware passthrough
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
No





This my wishlist for the virtualization part, which I'll do first.
  • Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 AM3+ $149.99
    • Good virtualization support with an AMD processor
  • Processor: AMD FX-8350 Vishera $199.99
  • Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus $29.99
  • RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) $79.99
  • Hard Drive (for virtual disks): Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s $104.99
  • Flash drive (to boot VMware): Patriot Supersonic Boost XT 8GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive $10.99
  • Power Supply: Rosewill HIVE Series HIVE-750 750W $89.99
  • Case: NZXT Phantom $119.99
  • Video Card (to be replaced later): EVGA 512-P3-1310-LR GeForce 210 512MB 32-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Video Card $29.99
  • Total Price: $815.91
Now, that is just to hit the ground running with VMware. Later after I've saved some more money I'd like to add on the following, of course that depends on hardware and pricing. The idea is that I would boot to a SSD for gaming and boot to a flash drive for VMware. my wishlist for a gaming add-on, which depends on whats on the market and what price when I go to upgrade:
  • Video Card: XFX Double D FX-797A-TDBC Radeon HD 7970 Black Edition 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP $429.99
  • SSD: SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD256BW 2.5" 256GB SATA III $249.99
  • Optical Drive: LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM $19.99
  • OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM $99.99
  • Keyboard and Mouse: Logitech MK550 Black USB RF Wireless Ergonomic Wave Combo $68.99
    • This way I can switch from using my keyboard and mouse for my laptop to the main rig with just switch the RF receiver, and then switch inputs on monitor.
  • Total: $864.95
What do you guys think? I figure this way I can do both professional training and gaming all in one rig. Doesn't make sense to have two rigs and a laptop. I would like to stick with AMD for pricing. Thanks!
 
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That CPU isn't a good choice since it's the older, slower, and hotter running Bulldozer CPU. Go for the faster, lower power running, and newer FX-8320 for cheaper than that CPU:
http://www.amazon.com/AMD-FD8320FRH.../B009O7YU56/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359156554

As for the CPU HSF, that Arctic Freezer A30 isn't that good for the money since the slightly cheaper Coolermaster Hyper 212+ outperforms it:
$28 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156

You won't need 3rd party thermal paste since the included Coolermaster thermal paste is pretty good as is.

As for the case, that case isn't worth it IMO. There are better cases for the money:
$80 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
$100 - Antec 1100 ATX Case
$110 - Antec P280 ATX Case
$120 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case
$120 - Lian Li PC-7HX Black Aluminum ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002GR Black Finish w/Green Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White ATX Case
$126 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black ATX Case
$123 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Gunmetal Black ATX Case
$125 - Fractal Design Define R4 Arctic White ATX Case
$135 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Black Pearl ATX Case
$135 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Arctic White ATX Case
$135 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Titanium Grey ATX Case
$120 - Corsair Obsidian Series 550D ATX Case
$140 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Arctic White ATX Case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-WA ATX case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case
$168 - Silverstone TJ04B-EW ATX Case
$160 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case

As for your planned upgrades, the only part I dislike is that SSD. It's an OCZ so you would have to deal with crappy customer support should you ever have an issue with that SSD. I recommend the Crucial m4 256GB, Samsung 840 Pro 256GB, Plextor M5S/M5P series SSDs and the Intel 520 series SSDs.
 
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Thank you for your input. I'll adjust accordingly. I finally found somewhere that verifies that the 8320 does indeed have IOMMU, which was the only reason I didn't go with it originally.

EDIT: Going for an 8350, might as well. I've udpated my original post.
 
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I'm guessing you chose that video card based on VMWare compatibility?
 
Danny Bui said:
I'm guessing you chose that video card based on VMWare compatibility?
Click to expand...

Honestly, GPU passthrough is not a huge priority for me as I've read about what a nightmare it is to get working with Radeon devices anyways. This is for Server 2008/2012/Linux testing, so its not like I'll be streaming HD videos over a Windows 8 VM. I'll reconsider the gaming video card a few months down the line.
 
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