The Very Best

[rohan]

I'm planning on buying what will probably be my final computer, or just possibly building it. So far, I've been sticking to my usual cost effective approach, but, since I have little else to spend my hard earned cash on, I'm just wondering what it would cost to go all out and buy the very best available. But what is "the very best" available ?

In order to run Win7Pro, what is the highest performing PC / workstation hardware out there ? Or, component wise, what would be the most powerful CPU, motherboard, memory and graphics card combination ?

Thanks in advance for any input,
regards,
Ro

[Z-DarthVader]

the very best includes


Intel Core I7 980x
ASUS Rampage III Extreme
ATI Radeon HD5970 or GTX 480 (if you really want the best, go crossfire with the HD5970 or SLI with the GTX 480)
Intel SSD (80GB) as boot drive
1 or 2 1TB drives
Windows 7
G-Skill Super Pi series ram (more than 6GB not really needed)
Antec Truepower Quattro 1000W+ (youll need it for the gtx 480 if you SLI), and if you dont, an antec truepower quattro 850W will do you well


all of that will cost a buttload of money, but it is the absolute best.

[txnetcop]

Yep if ya got the bucks this is IT!
Ted

[rohan]

so, just to confirm, if I want to to be able to run Win7Pro, there is NO more powerful processor than the i7-980X ? No workstations, no Xeon processors, nothing ?
thx,
Ro

[txnetcop]

That depends on what you are building your PC for! Obviously you could run dual six core Xeon processors for more raw computing power and then I would not use Win7 but the upcoming Win Server 2010. So your question is very open ended. You can get a beta of that right now. It serves Xeon processors much better than Win7Pro and of course would produce a more powerful system, but weak on gaming. AMD is about to release eight core Opteron processors. So I guess you will have to decide what you want to build for and determine that by how big your bank account is.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/multipoint/default.aspx

If you're building for gaming only six games will handle the new Intel i7Core980 Xtreme six core, so what is the point of building with dual Xeons? It would be redundant. The 980 also turbo boost to 3.6 when a load is required and you can turbo boost all the way up to 4.2Ghz on air if you have a cool enough case and ambient room temp.
Ted

[rohan]

Ted,
thx for that. I think I have too many Windows apps to consider going anywhere else, and too little inclination to support Micro$oft to go for WinServer (even with the prospect of multi-Xeon hardware). If the i7-980X is as far as the Win7Pro line goes, then that's where I'll draw the line. Heck, at those prices, I may not even step up to that line, but it does give me an upper limit to consider. I just wanted to be sure that there were no viable non-i7 alternatives.

Given the apps that I'll be running, there's no real advantage in going for Crossfire / SLI, but a single HD5970 is a distinct probability.

Also, wasn't sure whether you guys might have chosen an Intel or Asus motherboard, especially if it's to be coupled with an i7-980X.

But, now the gurus have spoken, I'll throw all that into the mix and start gathering prices. Thanks again for your input,
Ro

[Z-DarthVader]

That depends on what you are building your PC for! Obviously you could run dual six core Xeon processors for more raw computing power and then I would not use Win7 but the upcoming Win Server 2010. So your question is very open ended. You can get a beta of that right now. It serves Xeon processors much better than Win7Pro and of course would produce a more powerful system, but weak on gaming. AMD is about to release eight core Opteron processors. So I guess you will have to decide what you want to build for and determine that by how big your bank account is.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/multipoint/default.aspx

If you're building for gaming only six games will handle the new Intel i7Core980 Xtreme six core, so what is the point of building with dual Xeons? It would be redundant. The 980 also turbo boost to 3.6 when a load is required and you can turbo boost all the way up to 4.2Ghz on air if you have a cool enough case and ambient room temp.
Ted

LOL you cant just flip on turbo and go up to 4.2 you gotta raise BLCK and adjust the multiplier and adjust core voltage.


and DONT get an intel motherboard because they have no overclocking features. get the rampage III extreme and by all means do not use the stock cooler. use something like the xigmatek dark knight or put it under watercooling.

a few other suggestions are the Gigabyte X58-UD9 or the EVGA Classified.


also if youre getting a 5970 you'll want to get a big case, and for that i recommend the Antec 1200 or the coolermaster HAF 932.

[txnetcop]

Uh Darth...I think know all that I build gamers and do networks for living and have since 1988! Kids! LOL
Ted

[Z-DarthVader]

Uh Darth...I think know all that I build gamers and do networks for living and have since 1988! Kids! LOL
Ted

you still cant just hit turbo and go to 4.2

like i said already it takes BLCK raising, multiplier raising, and vcore raising with some tweaks to northbridge and RAM freq. to make it all stable. PLL and termination too


i think i am knowledgeable getting a 2.53 stock chip to 4.0ghz STABLE

i am not trying to insult anybody here i'm just saying that hitting turbo isnt all of it.

[txnetcop]

you still cant just hit turbo and go to 4.2

like i said already it takes BLCK raising, multiplier raising, and vcore raising with some tweaks to northbridge and RAM freq. to make it all stable. PLL and termination too


i think i am knowledgeable getting a 2.53 stock chip to 4.0ghz STABLE

i am not trying to insult anybody here i'm just saying that hitting turbo isnt all of it.

Darth don't you get it son...I never even implied that...what are you reading?

Rohan in order to make the youngster happy...I never ever implied that you just simply turbo to 4.2. I have no idea where he gets what he sees! It requires several steps within the BIOS to get there. Should you decide to OC I have an excellent guide to overclocking i7 and i5 core processors. My test units at TechCorp are all running stable at 4.2 on air and liquid cooling. OK DV? Does that clarify it for you?
Ted

[rohan]

Ted,
it's AOK, I understand what you're saying completely and do realise that over-clocking isn't entirely about just pushing a single button, though some recent boards have that sort of facility. To a degree, I also follow what DV is saying but only so far as knowing what some the tech terms he uses mean in general terms. Above all. I understand that a successful over-clock comes from doing a little tweak at a time, progressively building up step by step to your target.

For my part, while this was meant to be about the very best components available, I'm just not interested in pushing the system as far as possible while it remains stable. I'm not looking for the ultimate performance - I AM looking for a system from a cost benefit point of view, even if it isn't necessarily the most cost-effective solution, if you see what I mean.

As far as over-clocking goes, I've only recently moved to the position where I consider it a tool that I MIGHT use in the future. Before now, I didn't even consider buying a system from a supplier who normally over-clocks them. As a result of your replies to both my questions and those of others, I'm now prepared to consider it a useful, viable tool that even I might use. You mentioned your guide to over-clocking i7s and i5s. If that is a separate document, I wonder if you'd mind sending me a copy (if so, let me know and I'll send you a PM with my email address). If it's here on the forum, perhaps you could post a pointer, please,
thanks and regards,
Ro
:ernae:

[txnetcop]

Ted,
it's AOK, I understand what you're saying completely and do realise that over-clocking isn't entirely about just pushing a single button, though some recent boards have that sort of facility. To a degree, I also follow what DV is saying but only so far as knowing what some the tech terms he uses mean in general terms. Above all. I understand that a successful over-clock comes from doing a little tweak at a time, progressively building up step by step to your target.

For my part, while this was meant to be about the very best components available, I'm just not interested in pushing the system as far as possible while it remains stable. I'm not looking for the ultimate performance - I AM looking for a system from a cost benefit point of view, even if it isn't necessarily the most cost-effective solution, if you see what I mean.

As far as over-clocking goes, I've only recently moved to the position where I consider it a tool that I MIGHT use in the future. Before now, I didn't even consider buying a system from a supplier who normally over-clocks them. As a result of your replies to both my questions and those of others, I'm now prepared to consider it a useful, viable tool that even I might use. You mentioned your guide to over-clocking i7s and i5s. If that is a separate document, I wonder if you'd mind sending me a copy (if so, let me know and I'll send you a PM with my email address). If it's here on the forum, perhaps you could post a pointer, please,
thanks and regards,
Ro
:ernae:

As far as the best parts, they change almost monthly, but check out maximumpc.com. It is one of the finest publications on reviews and howtos for computer builders. I am on break now from the lab so this evening when I get back to the hotel I will be glad to send you the guide. There are also some videos available on youtube that are excellent in a step by step tutorial. I will point those out as well. I will look for your PM this evening.
Ted

[rohan]

That's an interesting website. While I was reading their brief review of the HD5970, I realised there's something about it that I don't understand. It's a twin GPU card - does that mean that it's running as a Crossfire unit even though it is a single card ? None of the reviews I've read have been clear about this, especially when they start talking about running two HD5970s in Crossfire mode.

If it's true that the card is effectively running in Crossfire mode, then is there an ability to disable one of the GPUs so that it can be run outside Crossfire (for those apps that have problems with the Crossfire side of the drivers, as I've read in various places) ?

Thanks again for any input,
Ro
:salute:

[Z-DarthVader]

That's an interesting website. While I was reading their brief review of the HD5970, I realised there's something about it that I don't understand. It's a twin GPU card - does that mean that it's running as a Crossfire unit even though it is a single card ? None of the reviews I've read have been clear about this, especially when they start talking about running two HD5970s in Crossfire mode.

If it's true that the card is effectively running in Crossfire mode, then is there an ability to disable one of the GPUs so that it can be run outside Crossfire (for those apps that have problems with the Crossfire side of the drivers, as I've read in various places) ?

Thanks again for any input,
Ro
:salute:


the 5970 is two GPU's on one PCB

[rohan]

DV,
Thanks for your input but I actually said "It's a twin GPU card", so let me rephrase my question.

What's the difference between running two GPUs on one card and running two cards with just one GPU on each card ? To do the latter, you need Crossfire.

Do you need Crossfire to run two GPUs on one card ?
Ro