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Heavy load workstation build

E

exploding5heep

n00b
Joined
Sep 9, 2008
Messages
38
I've had a great run with my old Q6600 machine but I think it is time to move on. My motherboard is so sketch it only successfully boots 1% of the time, and I kinda need more RAM.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
I tend to give my computers a huge workload. I would like to virtualize multiple OSes at once in Vmware, (including giving one 4-6 GB of RAM), transcode bluray movies, moderate gaming, run memory/cpu intensive simulations, keep 100+ firefox tabs open, play HD video, run a selection of "always on" programs, etc.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Max I can spend is probably $1500, including tax/shipping. Other than that I really want to spend as little as possible. I'm a student with no income, but I do want a machine that can handle what I throw at it.
3) Where do you live?
Rural Iowa. I need to order everything online.
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
I need to get:
SSD
CPU
RAM
Motherboard
CPU cooling
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Case: U2-UFO. Eventually I plan to get rid of it and move to something rackmount though. (gotta find someone who wants it!)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750W
Video Card: GTS 250 1GB
Optical Drive: LG Bluray/HD -DVD Reader
Hard Drives: 3 decrepit old 500GB drives that only mostly work. (I'm tempted to mirror the 3 they are so sketch right now) I've got a separate storage server machine.
6) Will you be overclocking?
I'd be happy to overclock, but I don't require hardware that can do it well. I just want the most bang for my buck.
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
I have a Dell 2707 WFP (27 inch 1920x1200) and a Dell 2209 (22 inch 1680x1050)
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
As soon as possible. I really like having a computer that turns on.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
These aren't "really" needed but I think they would be nice:
USB 3.0
SATA 3
Dual gigabit eithernet
3 PCI-E x16 slots (not necessarily for video cards, want to keep expansion options open)
The main feature I want is just rock solid reliability and enough "functionality" that I can use it for 3-5 more years. I went through a "get a cheap one" phase in motherboards and it has been the biggest mistake of my computer building experience. (see "it doesn't turn on" complaint above)
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?
Win7 Pro x64

Right now I'm a bit unsure what direction I want to go with this machine. I've always expected my next upgrade to be an i7 930, but I don't know if that is actually the "best" for my purposes. I haven't looked into it much, but the AMD server processors seem pretty good too. I would like to get 12-16 GB of RAM. The one part I do really want is the OCZ Revodrive, a PCI-Express SSD. Everything I've read says its blazing fast at a great price point. I just ordered a Vertex 2 120gb though. Before I realized I had to upgrade I settled for that because I didn't have the slot. I plan to return it, but could keep it if the revodrive is a mistake.

First go at a build:
Motherboard: Gigabyte X58A UD3R. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128423
CPU: i7 930. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115225&cm_re=i7_930-_-19-115-225-_-Product
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws 3x4gb ddr3 1333. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231356&cm_re=ripjaws-_-20-231-356-_-Product
SSD: OCZ Revodrive 120GB. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...227578&cm_re=revodrive-_-20-227-578-_-Product
 
How old is the PSU you currently have? If it's over two years old, you may want to replace it, if only to ensure that you have enough juice for your new system.

Speaking of which, if you're having problems with the hard drives, just extract whatever data you wish to keep and junk them. Since you have a separate storage server, there's no good reason for you to keep them around.

For now, however, keep and use the OCZ Vertex 2 SSD. You'll gain a noticeable performance boost, especially compared to your "decrepit" old hard drives. Since you want to spend as little money as possible, it's not worth buying the OCZ Revodrive at this point in time.

A good, relatively inexpensive CPU cooler is the Cogage TRUE Spirit, but NewEgg doesn't keep it in stock. The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus is another good yet relatively cheap CPU cooler.

Do you think that you'll get by on just 12GB of RAM? The reason why I ask is because right now, you need to choose between immediate overclocking options (or, one or two 3x2GB DDR3 1600 tri-channel kits) or long-term memory options (read: keep the Ripjaws kit that you're currently considering).
 
The PSU is pretty solid. It can power whatever I give it.

Junking the drives is a pretty tempting option. I don't use them for "real" data, it is just a local cache. My main worry is that 120GB won't be enough for me. I suppose I can buy a non-sketchy drive though.

I think the revodrive is actually cheaper than the vertex 2, so even with the return shipping I'll be up a bit.

I'll look into the coolers, thanks for the advice.

12 GB or RAM is fine for now. The 6x2 vs 3x4 debate is a big one. I'm not very caught up on i7 overclocking. How big a deal is the ram speed for that? If it makes a big difference, I would be fine with the 6x setup, since I expect ddr3 to be standard for quite some time. I can sell those when I replace them, or just use them in a computer somewhere else.
 
HOW. OLD?

All power supplies degrade in overall power and efficiency over time, especially when they were in heavy use. Saying that it's pretty solid now doesn't mean that it will last the next time that you decide to upgrade. It's not even a guarantee that it will be able to handle these upgrades.

Using up all six RAM slots will limit how far you could potentially overclock your system, but how limited you ultimately are varies from case to case. For best results while overclocking, it's recommended that you use DDR3 1600 RAM; right now, there is no good reason for you to get anything faster. However, there's no inexpensive 3x4GB DDR3 1600 kits that aren't (heavily) expensive.
 
The power supply is 3 years old. I think it has been on for at least 2.5 years worth of that time. What is the decay rate usually like?
 
tiraides said:
However, there's no inexpensive 3x4GB DDR3 1600 kits that aren't (heavily) expensive.
Click to expand...
At least 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM sticks have dropped to reasonable prices.

exploding5heep said:
The 6x2 vs 3x4 debate is a big one. I'm not very caught up on i7 overclocking. How big a deal is the ram speed for that? If it makes a big difference, I would be fine with the 6x setup, since I expect ddr3 to be standard for quite some time. I can sell those when I replace them, or just use them in a computer somewhere else.
Click to expand...
DDR3 1600 is pretty much all you need to OC the Core i7 CPUs to 4Ghz+. If getting only 3.4Ghz to 3.6Ghz is all that you really want, you should be fine with DDR3 1333 RAM. This is a fairly reasonably priced 3 x4GB RAM set:
$260 - G.Skill Ripjaws F3-10666CL9T-12GBRL 3 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
 
Alright. So the 3x4 ripjaws seem like the best. Still pretty fast and I can easily get another 12 when I decide I need it. The other option is the 6x2 set of 1600 for 300. If Memory drops in price by more than 50 or 60 percent before I need more that gets me the higher clock speed and the lower price. Is memory actually going to drop that much in price anytime remotely soon?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145235
 
I went ahead and ordered stuff. Thanks for the advice. I decided to go with the cheap G.Skill, but it sold out, so I got some slightly more expensive OCZ stuff instead.
 
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