Building a lightning fast pc for client, Need experienced recommendations?

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Majestic

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Hi,

My Client has asked me to build him a ferrari of a pc. He wants it to be lightning fast and of great quality.

His needs are basically Quicken, Printing, Email, and basic web browsing (yes I know what you are thinking here). He also occasionally puts his computer on his tv to view videos.

I may have put together some overkill system here, but I would welcome some experienced recommendations.

This is the system I've put together so far (have not ordered it yet).

Case: Coolermaster CM690 2 Case
P/S: Coolermaster 750 W Real Power
Processor: Intel i7-950
Motherboard: Gigabyte (not sure the model)
Keyboard/Mouse Combo: Logitech MX5500 Revolution
Memory: OCZ 3G1660 6 GB Kit
SSD Drive (Boot): OCZ Vertex II 2.5 SSD S2
Hard Drive: 2 tb Western Digital Black
Dvd Writer: Samsung 24x
OS: Windows 7 64-Bit Home Premium
Video Card: GTX 210 512 (he is not a gamer just needs a decent video renderer and to split the screen, may remove this if the onboard is good enough.)

The budget is $2,100 max (+ taxes) canadian, and I need to put a profit in there.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks very much

Majestic
 
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It really depends on what budget you are working with. You do seem to have some mismatched components though. The i7-950 is a socket 1366 proc while the motherboard you have is socke 1156. If you want to stick with socket 1156 but still i7 you need something like an 8XX series. The main advantage of 1366 is you get triple vs dual channel memory and I believe they run a bit cooler as well. Also the price for a 24x dvdrw is about the same as 22x so you might as well.

Make sure you are getting a 64bit OS to support that memory.
 
How about this? :) :)

CPU: Intel Xeon 5680 3.33ghz 125w x2), 12MB CACHE, 6.4GT $4,059
Motherboard: EVGA Super Record 2 Motherboard eATX $769
RAM: 2 x Kingston KVR1333D3N9K3/12G 12GB (3x4GB) DDR3 (24gb) $1278
HDD: 2 x PhotoFast G-Monster PCIe SSD 1TB $9,000 *x10 HDD's (Creates server)*
2 x Hitachi 1TB SATAII 32MB Cache Ultrastar $1,478
Case: Zeus Mars solid gold diamond encrusted luxury case $864,975
PSU1: 1500W Thermaltake Toughpower Modular $442
PSU2: Enermax Revolution85+ 1250w (redundancy) $379
GPU: 4 x XFX Radeon HD5970 2GB Black Edition $4596
Monitor Splitters: 8 x Matrox TripleHead2Go Digital Edition (total running capacity of 24 screens) $3808
Optical Drives: 2 x Sony BWU200S Internal Blu-ray Drive $1,393
2 x ASUS BLT-1814 Lightscribe x18 SATA $84
FDD: HP 379257-B21 FDD 1.44MB ML110G2 FDD x2 $258
Soundcard: DIGIDESIGN HD1 LYNX AURORA 8 $13,425
TV Tuner: Compro VideoMate Vista E900F PCIe $225
LCD/VFD Display: Thermaltake Media Lab $165
UPS: APC INFRASTRUXURE CENTRAL BASIC $4,059
Cooling: Cooler Express 2009 Phase Change Dual Evaporator $1,163
OCZ Technology XTC Memory Cooler $39
3x 120mm Delta 120mm PFB1212UHE-F00 Fan 252CFM $147
4x 140mm Aerocool Streamliner 140mm Blue Fan $120
Thermal Compound: Nano-diamond $18.95
Cold Cathodes i4DM001B x 10 $1,840
Cables: Flexiglow Blue Illuminated SATA Cable, 50cm w/ EL wire $20
Thermaltake A2117 60cm EL Rounded FDD Cable – White $20
OCZ Enhanced VGA & HDD Power Lead With PowerShield™ EMI Control Technology $20
Monitor: 3x Eizo Colouredge CG221 x2 $42,540
Speakers: Transmission Audio Ultimate $2,316,400
Speaker Cable: Pear Cable Corporation ANJOU Speaker Cable $7,911
Keyboard: Optimus Maximus $1,975
Mouse: Mogul Diamond Flower $26,960
Mouse Pad: Formula 1 custom Mousepad $550
Headphones: STAX SRS-007MK2 Electrostatic Headphone System $4,861
Desk: Parinan Custom PowerDesk $220,340
Chair: Pininfarina’s Aresline Xten $1,740,000
Desk Lamp Tiffany Lotus Lamp $3,063,544
Game Gadgets: CH Products Aviator Bundle $399
Gaming Vest TN Games 3rd Space Gaming Vest $224
Missile Launcher USB Missile Launcher with Web Cam (as backup +lethal) $79
Flight Sim Unit TRC472 Approved version $245,511
Racing Sim Unit VirtualGT $20,751
Printer: CANON IMAGE PROGRAF IPF9000S $27,646
Webcam: Logitech QuickCam Sphere AF $169
Digital Camera: Hasselblad HD2-39 $50,215
Modem: Billion BIPAC 7404VNOX $529


SOURCE
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Sorry, I couldnt resist posting that when you said 'Ferrari' :)

In answer to your question, here's my 5c worth:

IMO your PSU is overkill. PSU ideal range at just above 20% load. Not ideal to be running one under this as the 80Plus efficiency rating does not apply at this level. I wouldnt think the Coolermaster is exactly a Ferrari PSU, as it only has a 3 yr warranty, and isnt the quietest unit around. Some of the Corsairs have 5 year wty. Seasonic makes a nice range of passively cooled units. Gold 80Puls certification is also something to look at. Its not just a measure of power efficiency but also a fair indicator of component quality.

What thought have you put into noise reduction? - for some users this is an important consideration, and for high-end customers its usually a conversation I would have with them. Fast is nice, but quiet is also pleasant to have if you have the bucks to add it in.

Re the GPU, I would just outright whack in something with a reasonable processing speed and 1gb fast VRAM, just because the price difference is bugger all over the low end item and the longevity factor is much better. Think about how many old AGP cards have you replaced over the years because the build used whatever was bottom of the range at the time to cut costs...

Re the SSD, I think the OCZ you propose is a good choice. I would be looking for the largest capacity model of the drive the customer is prepared to pay for. These items will develop fast this year - costs will come down and new chipsets are just around the corner for Q1 from the major developers. From a future proofing perspective, size definitely matters. Make sure you switch on AHCI before you install windows. (hope this isnt stating the obvious).


The Intel 160GB X25-M G2 is also a good buy.
 
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Ok I'll put my head on the block and play devil's advocate here.

The quad core AMD's offer better bang for buck but from what Ive seen wont compete with the cpu thats being proposed on a sheer performance basis.

The Hexacore AMD's will come close, but this is only (AFAIK) in instances where multi-core is being fully utilised, and not sure that the customer is going much that will.

If we're talking 'Ferrari' and money is not an object, I would still be saying the Intel, because, just on a performance basis, it beats the Quad AMD's. (Im not referring to bang-for-buck, which the AMDs win hands down).
 
A bit off topic, but curious about something. I haven't messed with the SSDs at all yet. If you put one in a computer in addition to a standard SATA drive, and used the SSD stricktly for the swap file, what kind of improvement would you expect? I know it still is a long way from RAM speed, but I was wondering how big a difference between a swap file stored on that compared to a regular drive.
 
NeutronTech said:
A bit off topic, but curious about something. I haven't messed with the SSDs at all yet. If you put one in a computer in addition to a standard SATA drive, and used the SSD strictly for the swap file, what kind of improvement would you expect? I know it still is a long way from RAM speed, but I was wondering how big a difference between a swap file stored on that compared to a regular drive.
Click to expand...

I dont get it - wouldnt you be better off putting that sort of money into RAM? Why would you install a SSD for swapfile when RAM is comparative in price?

You would probably get better performance using the SSD for programs and OS with swap than using it just for swap as a replacement for sufficient physical memory.

Thats my take on it anyway. Its an interesting question- not sure I understand it correctly though...
 
16k_zx81 said:
Ok I'll put my head on the block and play devil's advocate here.

The quad core AMD's offer better bang for buck but from what Ive seen wont compete with the cpu thats being proposed on a sheer performance basis.

The Hexacore AMD's will come close, but this is only (AFAIK) in instances where multi-core is being fully utilised, and not sure that the customer is going much that will.

If we're talking 'Ferrari' and money is not an object, I would still be saying the Intel, because, just on a performance basis, it beats the Quad AMD's. (Im not referring to bang-for-buck, which the AMDs win hands down).
Click to expand...

The biggest problem is an Overclocked AMD competes very well with Intels performance. But, being smart, you dont overclock a EU system.
 
16k_zx81 said:
I dont get it - wouldnt you be better off putting that sort of money into RAM? Why would you install a SSD for swapfile when RAM is comparative in price?

You would probably get better performance using the SSD for programs and OS with swap than using it just for swap as a replacement for sufficient physical memory.

Thats my take on it anyway. Its an interesting question- not sure I understand it correctly though...
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know RAM is cheap now, this was a hypothetical situation.
 
Knightsman said:
The biggest problem is an Overclocked AMD competes very well with Intels performance. But, being smart, you dont overclock a EU system.
Click to expand...

hmmm... I have a 955BE and its not a fantastic overclocker. The main issue is the heat they generate, which means additional cost for a good aftermarket cooler. In the above equation I still think the Intel originally proposed is a better solution. If the customer wants OC, then the Intel will utterly annihilate the AMD.
 
NeutronTech said:
A bit off topic, but curious about something. I haven't messed with the SSDs at all yet. If you put one in a computer in addition to a standard SATA drive, and used the SSD stricktly for the swap file, what kind of improvement would you expect? I know it still is a long way from RAM speed, but I was wondering how big a difference between a swap file stored on that compared to a regular drive.
Click to expand...

It will speed things up versus using a HDD, but not nearly as much as it would if you put the OS and frequently used software on the SSD as well. If you are looking for maximum speed without totally breaking the bank, the best method is a 3 tier system: Plenty of ram to minimize swap use, SSD big enough for the OS and a few well chosen apps plus space for what swap you still need, and a big cheap HDD for the rest of the apps and the bulk data.

That's how I've had mine set up for about 18 months and it is really snappy compared to a traditional HDD only setup.
 
16k_zx81 said:
Ok I'll put my head on the block and play devil's advocate here.

The quad core AMD's offer better bang for buck but from what Ive seen wont compete with the cpu thats being proposed on a sheer performance basis.

The Hexacore AMD's will come close, but this is only (AFAIK) in instances where multi-core is being fully utilised, and not sure that the customer is going much that will.

If we're talking 'Ferrari' and money is not an object, I would still be saying the Intel, because, just on a performance basis, it beats the Quad AMD's. (Im not referring to bang-for-buck, which the AMDs win hands down).
Click to expand...

I just built a quad core AMD a while ago and loaded OpenSUSE on it before i loaded the customers Windows 7 and I was blown away at how fast it ran. Intel may be faster but its also 4 times the cost. I honestly don't think its worth it.

NeutronTech said:
A bit off topic, but curious about something. I haven't messed with the SSDs at all yet. If you put one in a computer in addition to a standard SATA drive, and used the SSD stricktly for the swap file, what kind of improvement would you expect? I know it still is a long way from RAM speed, but I was wondering how big a difference between a swap file stored on that compared to a regular drive.
Click to expand...

Using an SSD as a swap file drive will kill it quick. SSD's have a limited write cycle.
 
If money is not a concern, you should get a 500GB SSD and place everythig on it.
If 500GB is not enough, get 2x500GB or 1x1000GB.
On an 1TB SSD you can place a swap file as well and let wear leveller sort it out.
 
I recommend signing up to Scott Moulton's forum and asking him. There isn't much about PC building he doesn't know.
 
16k_zx81 said:
What thought have you put into noise reduction? - for some users this is an important consideration, and for high-end customers its usually a conversation I would have with them. Fast is nice, but quiet is also pleasant to have if you have the bucks to add it in.
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I would second that. In fact, if someone gave a with a 'money-no-object' build, I'd put a lot of though and budget into making as quiet as possible.

Maybe water-cooling although never having build any I'd probably stay away from (inexperienced plumbing and electrics are not a good combination).
But I'd certainly consider a case built with noice in mind, something like the Antec P183:



Or even have a look at some of the buying guides out there like this one over at Anandtech - those review sites get to play with lots of hardware so their opinions regards noise and build quality is valuable.
 
GreenCycleComputers said:
It really depends on what budget you are working with. You do seem to have some mismatched components though. The i7-950 is a socket 1366 proc while the motherboard you have is socke 1156. If you want to stick with socket 1156 but still i7 you need something like an 8XX series. The main advantage of 1366 is you get triple vs dual channel memory and I believe they run a bit cooler as well. Also the price for a 24x dvdrw is about the same as 22x so you might as well.

Make sure you are getting a 64bit OS to support that memory.
Click to expand...

heh. I just noticed I had put down the wrong motherboard. In any case, it will be a gigabyte. You're right about the 24x as well I will switch it to it. The OS will be Windows 7 64 bit of course.

Thanks!

Majestic
 
16k_zx81 said:
Sorry, I couldnt resist posting that when you said 'Ferrari' :)

In answer to your question, here's my 5c worth:

IMO your PSU is overkill. PSU ideal range at just above 20% load. Not ideal to be running one under this as the 80Plus efficiency rating does not apply at this level. I wouldnt think the Coolermaster is exactly a Ferrari PSU, as it only has a 3 yr warranty, and isnt the quietest unit around. Some of the Corsairs have 5 year wty. Seasonic makes a nice range of passively cooled units. Gold 80Puls certification is also something to look at. Its not just a measure of power efficiency but also a fair indicator of component quality.

-> The PSU is rated at 80%+ efficiency under load. I thought that would be a constant here? Also I have installed this psu before and it is very quiet so I'm content with it. That said, I have not looked at Corsair at all for this. I'll give it a look.

What thought have you put into noise reduction? - for some users this is an important consideration, and for high-end customers its usually a conversation I would have with them. Fast is nice, but quiet is also pleasant to have if you have the bucks to add it in.

-> Most of these components operate quite quietly. In fact I recently build and installed an i7-870 and it was very quiet with the stock cooler. I was very surprised. Also the Western digital drive is not noisy at all. You're 100% right about the noise factor which I have not re-considered here because on a previous build with some of these components I made sure they were quiet enough.

Re the GPU, I would just outright whack in something with a reasonable processing speed and 1gb fast VRAM, just because the price difference is bugger all over the low end item and the longevity factor is much better. Think about how many old AGP cards have you replaced over the years because the build used whatever was bottom of the range at the time to cut costs...

-> hmmm.. You might be right. Of course he's just a business user. That said, 1 gb+ is the way to go for planning the future.

Re the SSD, I think the OCZ you propose is a good choice. I would be looking for the largest capacity model of the drive the customer is prepared to pay for. These items will develop fast this year - costs will come down and new chipsets are just around the corner for Q1 from the major developers. From a future proofing perspective, size definitely matters. Make sure you switch on AHCI before you install windows. (hope this isnt stating the obvious).

-> I researched the ocz on ssd-reviews.com. Additionally, you're right. Turning the AHCI on is something I read a few days ago and had not considered it at all under I researched SSDs. My aim to make his 64 GB his boot and put all his programs on it while putting the data on his 2 TB drive. In actuality he may only need 500 gigs if that. He did ask me for, and I quote, "THE BEST." That said, the budget is $2,100 cdn + taxes. No monitor, just the box and a keyboard + mouse.

The Intel 160GB X25-M G2 is also a good buy.
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Thanks for your help!

Majestic
 
Knightsman said:
I second this, if those are his applications, I belive AMD will be the best bet for you.

Any of these should suite him just fine:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6294864&CatId=1946

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7023169&CatId=1946

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6730552&CatId=1946
Click to expand...

Perhaps I should look at benchmarks. I'm kind of leaning more towards Intel these days cause I just find they keep smoking AMD. That, and the fact that they run cooler and quieter than Amds (not sure if this is still true).

Majestic
 
Is coolermaster really a good brand for the power supply? I've always thought that they were a 'cheaper' brand.

And if I had to build a really fast workstation for MYSELF and had $2k to spend (minus labor I suppose), this or similar would be high up on my list. If it works here for you, well, is up to you.
 
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