the type of stuff overclockers dream of

[xconcept]

i build computers for a living and am a overclocker at home. yesterday a geek dream came true: build the best, forget the cost. i was introduced to a guy who has money to burn and wants to start with a fire in his cpu. so i humbly ask you guys to help me brainstorm a beast. since money is no object, i'm aiming to make this thing quiet, but power is the priority.

here's where i'm starting off:

CPU : intel EE 3.7 (would like to push 4.4ghz minimum)
MB: asus or dfi 925xe
MEM: 4gigs. ocz, corsair? anyone done 711 @ 2 CAS yet?
HD: 4 raptors, 2 seagate 400gbs. for 1+ terabyte
VID: 2 nvidia 6800 ultras SLI **Edit: duh, no sli via intel. maybe ati o/ced...
CD/DVD: 2 plextor Sata's. 712SA i think.
PSU: 2 zippy's. can pcp&c custom their unit's to be quieter? the dBs on these scare me. i would really like the new MGE heatpipe psu but they are not out yet i think.
CASE: custom Lian li server series maybe? frozencpu.com to do the mods?
SOUND: probably an m-audio delta
Solid State Drive: for swap, temps etc....
and probably some 30+inch monitor. suggestions?

(the fun)

cooling cpu: chilly1's gear? vapochill server case?
cooling gpus: danger den triplextreme + silver connectors
cooling hds: are there water cooling enclosures for hard drives?
cooling chipset: danger den again
cooling mem: not sure about this one or if it's neccesary.

i can't wait to here ideas. my experience has been with intel, but i'm open to AMD. and yes, i of course will be posting results and pics of the process.

thanks in advance.

Update the guy does not know much so what would the minimum water cooling service be? i can over-engineer this due to no budget restraints.

how loud is phase change? if i don't push the cpu to the absolute limits could i back off and get the noise down? I'm leaning hard towards a Vapor LS depending on sound levels.

[Napoleonic]

I don't think an Intel system can run SLI :) (not yet) except i7205, cmiiw

[mcnbns]

I would build an FX-55 system, and if you're giving him phase change, give very specific instructions. Warranteeing a phase change cooled sys will not be fun, I think.

[xconcept]

thanks Napoleonic, i overlooked that. so maybe an Ati o/ced? my understanding was nvidia does not have much o/c room in their 6800 ultras.

also, as i catch up on my xtreme o/c reading, 4.4ghz may be conservative with the new prescott steppings...


----------------------------------------------------
for anyone interested here is my current rig:

intel 3ghz D0 ---> 3.72 on air. might go higher but i'm out of power
2x512 corsair xms2 pro @ ~330mhz
asus 925XE premium deluxe
leadtek NV6600GT (had a 6800gt and i prefer this card)
ocz power stream 420 (at its' limits and does a great job)
3 hds, 1 dvd+r/cdrw, fanbus, m-audio audiophile 192, samsung 193p, coolmaster stacker (great case), zalmann all copper 120mm on cpu, artic silver

[EnJoY]

Forget Intel.

I'd go FX 55, VAPOCHILL LS w/ Custom Lian-Li PC60 PLUS, DFI nForce 4 SLI-DR, 2x6800 Ultra's, Swiftech watercooling for the gpu's, OCZ VX PC4000 (2x512MB), Sound Blaster Audigy 4 if you care, and a nice Dell 1905FP LCD(have it, it rules).

[Suffocation]

I would get a FX55 with 2*6800 ultras in sli and some extreme cooling

[LightSpeed]

I say forget Intel, and get a FX-55 for sure.
DFI NF4-SLI
2x512MB Mushkin PC4400 or Gskill LA PC4800.
2x6800 Ultras SLI
Zippy 700W(mod for noise) or custom PCP&C(no, they'r not loud)
Audigy4 Pro
4x74gig raptors, 1x400GB Seagate if u need the extra 400gig
Swifty Waterblocks for GPU, no HD WC'ing required, and a Vapo LS for CPU
and the other junk..
an btw, Welcome to the XS Suffocation

[musk]

I say forget Intel, and get a FX-55 for sure.
DFI NF4-SLI
2x512MB Mushkin PC4400 or Gskill LA PC4800.
2x6800 Ultras SLI
Zippy 700W(mod for noise) or custom PCP&C(no, they'r not loud)
Audigy4 Pro
4x74gig raptors, 1x400GB Seagate if u need the extra 400gig
Swifty Waterblocks for GPU, no HD WC'ing required, and a Vapo LS for CPU
and the other junk..
an btw, Welcome to the XS Suffocation

DFI NF4 SLI-D (One with RAID 5 controller)
No on the Zippy, no worky PCP&P SLI version
4x512mb PC 4000 VX
74 gig raptors x 2 boot
5*300Gig in RAID 5


musk

[c42]

How much does this guy know about computers? Surely if he knows little you don't want to put a watercooling system in there, as the maintenance required for one might not be to appealing to him/her.

Also with phase change you could do it, as it doesn't require much maintenance, as long as he/she doesn't tinker with it(if they know little, if they are tech savvy then this is a different story).

But yes, I'd go with the following

FX-55
OCZ Gold VX Pc4000 2x512, or TCCD 2x512(depending on if you want tight memory timings and higher multi or lower multi and looser memory timings)
2x6800 Ultra SLI(BTW a company is about to release a 512mb 6800 ultra, but it is vaporware as of right now)
Zippy 700w 6701 PSU or PCPC 850, you'll probably need both modded to cut down on noise if it is a big issue to you, they really aren't that loud.
Audigy 2 Plat or Audigy 4
4x74gb Raptor Raid 0, 1 300gb Maxtor DM10 16mb cache


Case- Lian li PC70Plus or PC60Plus.

CPU Cooling-Mach2GT 404a modded with Lian Li kit aluminum kit
GPU Cooling- Fusion HL waterblock, Aquaextreme 50z Pump, Weapon Heatercore

[Jamo]

well if you want quiet i'd forget phase

[xconcept]

c42: the guy does not know much worth value here. i see your point about water cooling...what would the minimum service be? remember, i can over-engineer this due to no budget restraints.

how loud is phase change? if i don't push the cpu to the absolute limits could i back off and get the noise down?

[Torin]

Assuming this guy is not into PCs, tech savvy, etc. I'd go with this:

FX-55
DFI NF4 SLI-DR
PCP&P Turbo-Cool 510 SLI
2x nV 6800 Ultra Extreme PCI-E
2x Zalman VF700-Cu VGA cooler
Vapochill LS
Lian-Li PC65 (I believe this is the one that fits/matches the Vapo)
2x Plextor 12x DVD-RW
Floppy Drive
4x 74GB Raptor in RAID 0 or 1 (depending on his preference, redundancy or performance)
400GB Seagate HDD
2x512MB G.Skill PC4400 LE, possible 4x512, depending on his needs
SoundBlaster Audigy 4
Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1 Audio System

The reason I went with non-water for GPUs is because of the maintenance issue. You don't want him to have to mess with it, and you want to minimize any risks involved. The reason I went with TCCD over VX, is you don't want him to have to deal with high voltages on the memory. TCCD I've heard also OCs better with 2GB than UTT (VX).

Run the idea of W/Cing the video cards by him, and see if he wants to be bothered with possible maintenance. Do the same with the high mem voltage of VX. If he's cool with both, go with a 2x120mm heatercore, AquaXtreme 50Z/MCP 350, 2 Silverprop Fusion HLs, some 1/2" ID tygon and PC4000 VX.

[Guardian]

Get a standard 5xx series prescott and overengineer the PC so you PC the cpu and gpu and get the cpu up to around 5.5-6ghz and get an x850 512mb and oc the $h1+ out of it. Also, then you could get some nice DDR2-5300(667mhz) and oc it a ton too! I'm working on getting my pressy up to 5.5ghz and my DDR2 up to 800mhz. I also don't have a very nice gpu atm(I have an x300se just till I get my x800pro or xl) but it is very fast. I am working on my dual head PC.

[scrible88]

Assuming this guy is not into PCs, tech savvy, etc. I'd go with this:

FX-55
DFI NF4 SLI-DR
PCP&P Turbo-Cool 510 SLI
2x nV 6800 Ultra Extreme PCI-E
2x Zalman VF700-Cu VGA cooler
Vapochill LS
Lian-Li PC65 (I believe this is the one that fits/matches the Vapo)
2x Plextor 12x DVD-RW
Floppy Drive
4x 74GB Raptor in RAID 0 or 1 (depending on his preference, redundancy or performance)
400GB Seagate HDD
2x512MB G.Skill PC4400 LE, possible 4x512, depending on his needs
SoundBlaster Audigy 4
Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1 Audio System

The reason I went with non-water for GPUs is because of the maintenance issue. You don't want him to have to mess with it, and you want to minimize any risks involved. The reason I went with TCCD over VX, is you don't want him to have to deal with high voltages on the memory. TCCD I've heard also OCs better with 2GB than UTT (VX).

Run the idea of W/Cing the video cards by him, and see if he wants to be bothered with possible maintenance. Do the same with the high mem voltage of VX. If he's cool with both, go with a 2x120mm heatercore, AquaXtreme 50Z/MCP 350, 2 Silverprop Fusion HLs, some 1/2" ID tygon and PC4000 VX.

DITTO. :D

[9mmCensor]

Remember that your client may not be as technically adept as you.

Is you client prepared to deal with any extra work involved with a special cooler (vapo or H2O)?

[xconcept]

9mm: check 4 posts up.

[dnavarro]

I wouldn't go over 1GB of memory if you want to be able to get sky high overclocks. Go with what most are recommending here a FX55 and DFI-SLI-D setup. G.SKILL 4800LA or 4400LE RAM and Raptors. PCPower and Cooling 510 SLI or maybe the new 700 watt one (modded for sound as that one is for sure loud). The Zippy 700W is great but has incompatibility issues with the DFI so I would stay way from that. If this guy wants a quiet system (the Vapo LS is great but while not too loud it is not quiet) go with a MACH 2 GT setup (extremeprometeia still seels em) as that one is said to be pretty quiet phase change. Don't forget the dieelctric grease!


D

[faruquehabib]

FX-55
DFI NF4 SLI-DR
PCP&P Turbo-Cool 510 SLI
2x nV 6800 Ultra Extreme PCI-E
2x Zalman VF700-Cu VGA cooler
Vapochill LS
Lian-Li PC65 (I believe this is the one that fits/matches the Vapo)
2x Plextor 12x DVD-RW
Floppy Drive
4x 74GB Raptor in RAID 0 or 1 (depending on his preference, redundancy or performance)
400GB Seagate HDD
2x512MB G.Skill PC4400 LE, possible 4x512, depending on his needs
SoundBlaster Audigy 4
Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1 Audio System


I third this rig :toast:

[D_o_S]

I agree with what the guys here are saying, an AMD system for sure. OCZ VX, Ultra Extremes, FX 55, Raptor RAID array, DFI mobo.

[halcyon]

CPU : FX-57 out very soon. If not doing video encoding, my choice would be FX, not Intel (based on benchmarks alone)

MB: DFI nf4 (for the FX-57)

MEM: the more mem you put, the less it overlocks. I'd be happy with 2 x 1GB or 4 x 512MB. Pretty much good for anything, except really large scientific calcs, databases and huge photoshop files. With 2GB you might still be able to OC some. For 1GB DIMMs my choice would be Kingston HyperX PC3200 (CAS2.5). For 512MB DIMMs you know the choices already :)

HD: Raptor 74 GBs. Hitachi 7k500 (native sata, ncq) for storage or if that is not available yet, then Maxtor Maxline III 300GB (native sata, ncq). Both spank 7200.8 Seagate silly in speed.

VID: 2 nvidia 6800 ultras SLI

CD/DVD: Plextor 716 SATA and BenQ 1620Pro (PATA for both, save SATA for
HDs where it can be used). Both decent writers, both relatively semi-quiet and both can check writer errors on discs.

PSU: Zippy fan modified by you or custom specced PC&P.

CASE: This is mostly an aesthetic choice for people who don't tinker with their cases/innards themselves. Let him pick it from the pre-selection you do based on cooling, silence and enough space for all the gear.

SOUND: Two cards: Audigy 4 Pro for games and RME HDSP9652 for everything else (bit-accurate, superior analog output, low latency, etc.). Or if no pro-level sound is desired, then Mystique 7.1 Gold for Dolby Digital Live encoding (real-time). This means DD output from all DirectSound3D games (hardware accelerated). Audigy can't do this (it can only bypass DD data from DVDs).

Solid State Drive: HyperOS HyperDrive III with 16GB of memory for startup and/or swap. Solid state DDR memory that sits on an ide interface. separate own power source, battery backed up. Silent. Fast.

Monitor: Dell 2405FPW (12ms grey-to-grey, enough for games, 24" 1920x1200, good contrast, good brightness, dirt cheap at 1200, good for anything except colour accurate photo/video work). Maybe two of these if you want to go ga-ga. If he needs colour accurate work or just wants to view his digicam images the way they were meant to be, then Eizo ColorEdge CG220 is the best LCD you can get, bar none. It's not good for games though.

Putting it together: have somebody who understands silencing computers to put it together. Nothing is more annoying than a powerful PC that sounds like a vacuum cleaner.

That's what I would day :)

[Geforce4ti4200]

Theres no good overclocking 1GB sticks and games dont need that much, 2x512 is plenty. fx55 is sold out but in days supply will be replenished with the new 90nm diego fx55s. I am not a fan of nvidia nor sli since not all games support sli anyway. A single x800xt pci-e wont do him wrong till the short wait for r520 ;) as for cooling, phase change is better and safer, water can leak

[craig588]

There is a new app that allows SLI support to be added at the driver level to any game or 3d app.

[Highland3r]

The only major problem I can foresee with selling a highly overclocked pc, using vapo or whatever cooling is what happens if the customer has to clear the cmos for any reason? The settings will be lost (its unlikely but possible) Also, people who buy from a shop want a take home and go pc, thats not gonna need lots of tlc, something that can be run 24/7 if required, transported or whatever without worry.
Personally I'd look to some high end air cooling, XP120 maybe? and stick a fan on a reobus so the customer can control noise (just make sure the min voltage is 7, and that the cpu wont overheat with that airflow) Couple of 6800U's in SLI, and an FX55 should be fine. Stick a gig of mem it, and run that at whatever is stable... He really WONT notice 2-300mhz cpu speed or 80 fsb... While an overclocker maybe would, he isnt so probably wont care... Its not like its gonna be slow at stock anways...!
Spend the extra money on some fast HDD's, decent monitor, speakers, kb/mouse etc....

[xconcept]

thank you to all the replys. this is not just the best hardware and overclocking forum i know of, this is the best forum i know of.

lower the memory: duely noted everyone.

highland3r: thanks for your thoughts. i need the business end perspective as well. my main concern with going "all air" is the noise. in addition, if i use a vapor chill, i don't think i would be talking about only 2-300mhz speed. more in line with 500-1000mhz. i do realize that the tangible differences will be 0 in almost anything and maybe 10% in almost nothing. prestige is big part of this. he wants the best of the best within reason.

to properly make these next decisions in planning, we'll have to wait for some definitive information on the phase change noise levels. thanks dnavarro for the starting points. and i will not forget the dielectric goo. my big question is this: can you dial down the lightspeed or the prometeia? does anyone customize the fans? or noise proof the box?

[Jamo]

i dont see you logic that going all air = noise yet you want to use a vapochill, they are relatively loud, especially at startup - you could exchange the fans but this would lower performance, i think you'd gain 300 - 500mhz at most between high end air and vapo, also i remember when i had my vapo it wasnt only the fans making noise its the actual condensing unit, every now and again it makes 'plops' and to a relative n00b this could be quite offputting, i'd go air cooling purely from the service aspect

[c42]

Well I have the mach 1 and I know that I am able to set when the fans will go to low speed, but they say with any regassing(404, etc) you don't want them to run anything but fullspeed. If you get a stock mach2 gt or Vapo LS I think this option is avail, so once the unit gets to a certain temp the fans will run at low speed, and are barely audible. They aren't really loud to begin with, but then again I work around diesel trucks... so eh lol.

Anyways, so yea you can tone the noise on these, or at least I know you can on the mach 1.

As for the fella who said the fx-57 is right around the corner, it isn't supposed to launch until q4 2005. With the r520 it is supposed to be launched this spring, but eh as of late the video chip manufacturers have been paper releasing, and no one but Dell really sees these for a while. I'd say if you don't want the hassle of SLI, go with the ATI X850XT PE, should be right behind a 6800 ULTRA SLI config in performance, and better in certain games/apps.

The Dell 2405 has been announced but ASFAIK none will be avail for probably another month-not entirely sure on this. The 2005 or 2001fp will be great monitors, don't forget about the Samsung's also, 213T, and they have a 23 inch widescreen also I think. Then there is the Apple Cinema Displays, but those are overpriced IMO even for someone with money to blow.

For speakers can't go wrong with Klipsch.

[xconcept]

c42: can you make a comparison of your vapo to an all air setup? in terms of noise and performance? also how bad do you feel those pops are?

Jamo: i'm used to seeing 6 fans whooshing like some type of air conditioning unit on high to get anywhere decent overclocking with air. am i that far off? i just can't imagine lots of fans at high speed comparable to a compressor hum and maybe 2 fans at medium-high. and what's so involved in servicing phase change? keep in mind, i'll be providing this guy's support. he won't be opening the box or anything.

thank you both !

[Jamo]

your way off with air, my SLi setup is all air and i like to pride myself its almost silent :) the loudest thing in my pc are my 2 hard drives and i have 4 case fans and a64 freezer on cpu

the only thing with phase is you have to think of condensation now done properly its fine but if its gonna be used 24/7 or whatever then you *might* experience condensation build up, thats why i used to have a quick check daily

[Holst]

I would be VERY carefull with this type of customer.

Make sure he pays upfront and make sure he understands what he is getting first!!

I know several people who have been stung by people wanting the best regardless of cost... they usually change there minds quickly. Or let you buy half then buy an alienware.

I think the best system will be SLI (keep them aircooled) and phase change.. a Mach2 would be the best as the condensation proofing is very reliable when installed correctly.

If your doing the servicing then you want reliability first... Your not going to be able to get reliabity and insane overclock.
Like it or not this will be trouble.. you have been warned.

(I dont mean to put a downer on this but you need to be carefull)

[Disposibleteen]

FX-55
DFI NF4 SLI-DR
PCP&P Turbo-Cool 510 SLI
2x nV 6800 Ultra Extreme PCI-E
2x Zalman VF700-Cu VGA cooler
Vapochill LS
Lian-Li PC65 (I believe this is the one that fits/matches the Vapo)
2x Plextor 12x DVD-RW
Floppy Drive
4x 74GB Raptor in RAID 0 or 1 (depending on his preference, redundancy or performance)
400GB Seagate HDD
2x512MB G.Skill PC4400 LE, possible 4x512, depending on his needs
SoundBlaster Audigy 4
Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1 Audio System


I third this rig :toast:
i fourth this rig :up: :toast:

[HARDCORECLOCKER]

:D First of all buy a 3-stage cascade for below -120°C from chilly1 - then make a short stop, tell Your customer the price and ask him if You should go on that way........... :toast:

[c42]

I have a mach1, not vapo, but in comparison to an all air setup for good overclocks, I'd say it is quiet once the fan speeds slow down. Hell if you are using raptors you will hear those over the Mach.

[HARDCORECLOCKER]

I have a mach1, not vapo, but in comparison to an all air setup for good overclocks, I'd say it is quiet once the fan speeds slow down. Hell if you are using raptors you will hear those over the Mach.

:D Don't You see the advantage? Using the raptors won't let You hear the MACH.......... :p:

:toast:

[pudds]

Why go phase change? Would this guy really know the difference between 2.7ghz and 3.2ghz (guesstimiate of fx55 on vapo)?

[Sup3rman]

I'd wait for the new AMD chip. If money is no object buy the best CPU, FX-57. It would be messed-up if a $150 Venice chip out clocked a $900 FX55.

[xconcept]

holst: duely noted. also, i'm not neccesarily looking for insane overclocks, simply impressive ones that make his machine very distinctive from a stock cpu. think going from a corvette to a viper. and remember, he wants a hot rod, not a mustang. he is looking for custom and a little crazy as part of the alure and bragging rights.

jamo: what fans do you use? and what's your clock speeds? i'm just confused how all your fans are so quiet! maybe air is still in it for me, but it seems at odds with the exotic nature here. thanks bud.

[xconcept]

is 24/7 running eventually going to lead to condensation? what about the XE-II?

[oublie]

holst: duely noted. also, i'm not neccesarily looking for insane overclocks, simply impressive ones that make his machine very distinctive from a stock cpu. think going from a corvette to a viper. and remember, he wants a hot rod, not a mustang. he is looking for custom and a little crazy as part of the alure and bragging rights.


I'm sure you realise, although i think your customer may not, that this rig will be a viper for all of about 6 months if he's lucky. Generally speaking you can go out a buy the ultimate components and within weeks your out of the game. Prime example is that the new intel cores are going to give 5ghz easily while ati are going to launch amr and as someone said the fx-57 is not far away. It might be better to provide a pimped up rig with a not so extreme set of components but some decent off the shelf cooling e.g vapochill and good watercooled sli or ati. He should be happy with this and wont feel ripped off at having to spend $1000 on a cpu when he can just change his processor for a faster one when he's ready and buy a pair of "X900's" on a new motherboard in 6months time (he will be able to reuse all his cooling kit with a few new parts).

what do you think?

[skate2snow]

What does he actually want to do with the rig? surfing without lag (lol)? or hardcore PC gaming... Encoding... Editing...?

If for something very hardcore take what I was going to say (torin setup;)). If for "surfing no lag" then you know what to do....

I say this because maybe ATM he just hates his Pentium Pro that he has difficulty to surf with and under-estimates current PC power.... Some are like that... beleive me;).

[xconcept]

Oublie i agree. if i go intel, i will wait till i can hit 5ghz if possible. otherwise i don't understand your post. you said not go to extreme, but then suggested some extreme specs? sorry if i'm confused. maybe this will clear things up...

goals:

1) unique, (think prestige)
2) the fastest/best but balanced with reasonable reliability.
3) service and support. which i take care of.

i know how quick hardware can be outpaced. however i doubt a fx-55 o/ced with phase & sli will be outclassed anytime soon, possibly surpassed. people were doing 4.ghz a long time ago on intel, but we haven't seen an intel 4ghz yet. if this thing is still a beast 1 year from now, it's done it's job well. if it keeps up 2 years from now, great. he will probably be ready to just sell it by then and ask me to build him a new monster anyways.

Bests

[xconcept]

skate2snow: lol. i know that client very well. he will not be pushing it for 90% of its use. he sits on his computer all day for business. stock programs, web surfing and emailing type programs. he does like half life 2 and doom 3 and he does home video editing stuff. but seriously, who of us would make good use of this monster all day? (easy guys, it's rhetorical) :toast:

[oublie]

What i was trying to say is sure if the guy can deal with it go extreme with the cooling side of things, but dont go mad with the hardware. If he runs say an intel 5xx/6xx or winchester amd not fx, he will still get that viper performance but six months down the line will have enough left over to go with the next gen chips and still use his current cooling. If more money goes into the cooling there will be a long term advantage whereas if is goes into the hardware it will be out of date and at the bottom of the orb before you know it.

[xconcept]

oublie: i hear you loud and clear now. however, this guy does have a stable of cars. he could spend $15,000 on this rig while yawning. the problem is i can't imagine up $15,000 worth of rig (yet). without getting into things he wouldn't care at all about. still wondering about asetek's fully cooled and hermedically sealed server tower...and wondering if anyone knows of a computer case with bang&olfsun style automatic cd opening.

[gclg2000]

uhm here's my $0.02.

Having 4 sticks of memory is not going to allow you to get good OC's. Some boards :banana::banana::banana::banana: a brick when 4 slots are involved like dropping it to 333mhz and stuff like that.

And there is no way the place i work at would send out a custom built computer involving at least $4000 of hardware (before cooling stuff) w/ any type of phase change units.
My god the tech support he's gonna want w/ all the stuff your going to put in it. I thnk your heading towards a huge headache in the long run.

I built a guy a system just using air cooling and SLI w/ 2 gb of memory (works great at non-OC'ed speed) and he's doing fine and can play anything.

[xconcept]

again guys, think bigger :). i've already considered most of the practical issues and this guys money has a funny way of solving them. hell i was thinking of hiring an industrial designer/engineer to build a case just for looks and quiet operation.

think work of art. think rolls royce. just have fun. (currently leaning back to intel w/850xt)

[oublie]

um ive got one :D .. sort of dvd / cd changer etc. Ive also spoken to iboomalot (forum member) regarding a subwoofer system that matches the profile of the case, might be your guys cup of tea?

[oublie]

Can i suggest something im working on,

thats no display instead go with headset with video, think virtual reality, gives the impression of a humungus display in from of your eyes and the better ones will run 1200 * 1000 or higher. Also replace mouse with remote glove different movement indicate different mouse movement, tapping fingers replaces mouse click. etc etc .its all been done but not all one the one box. as for box itself get it build by a custom car builder any colour pimped up to the max. could even be the same colour or style as his favorite car.

[Crow]

fx-55/Intel 3.73ee, Chilly1 built triple stage cascade (im broke by now ;) ) , some tccd for the fx, and some ocz ddr2 for the intel, x850xtpe with another chilly1 built cascade, ddr booster, DFI nf4 sli for fx, DFI 925xe for intel, with vapo on chipset for it :), 1x74gb raptor...thats all I would need to overclock to the top :)

[xconcept]

now you're cooking. i like your style crow :).

for this guy it has to be classy, reasonable sound levels, and refined. i know that seems counter-intuitive here. i'm looking for a balance. i think i threw people off with the Dodge Viper analogy. think more rolls royce. serious speed without comprimise. or maybe i'll just bring the machine in a chilly1 dump-truck and ask him where to park his 8ghz pc ;)

[oublie]

fx-55/Intel 3.73ee, Chilly1 built triple stage cascade (im broke by now ;) ) , some tccd for the fx, and some ocz ddr2 for the intel, x850xtpe with another chilly1 built cascade, ddr booster, DFI nf4 sli for fx, DFI 925xe for intel, with vapo on chipset for it :), 1x74gb raptor...thats all I would need to overclock to the top :)

Not true, 4x 74gb raptors running raid 0 / 15k rpm scsi setup if money is no problem.

vapo on chipset - theres no point, watercooled would be enough

this would take you technically to near the to but your forgetting volt mods, bios mod, xp tweaks, experience and being lucky enough to get cards and chips that overclock well. Otherwise theres not way youll get to the top.

throwing money at a system is only part of the answer.

[Crow]

well seeing as the 925xe chipset likes to be cooled cold for the overclocks, I threw that in

Im missing one thing, a XtremeSystems t-shirt that says overclock for life :D

aand yes, all that other stuff matters just as much :)

[mcnbns]

I still question giving this guy phase change that will require any maintenance at all (cascade? I think you're joking.). If this guy doesn't have the know-how to build a computer by himself, he can't maintain a three-stage phase change unit. (Not that I have experience with phase, but I'm just saying.)

That said, I would recommend this:
-FX-55 (or 57 if he doesn't want it immediately) with Mach II GT
-DFI SLI Ultra
-2x512MB TCCD (whichever brand is best at the time)
-4x74GB Raptors in RAID 5 (use high quality stand-alone RAID card)
-400GB SATA storage drive (I'm not partial to any brand)
-high end opticals (not sure of a particular brand...)
-ATi X850 XT (put an Arctic Cooling VGA Silencer on that sucker for some better cooling)
-OCZ 600W PSU
-good 19" CRT for gaming & good 19" LCD for everything else (again, I'm out of the loop on specific monitors...)
-Coolermaster Praetorian (simple, elegant, sexy)

You should quite easily be able to get that CPU to 3.2GHz stable, and everything else should clock well/look cool, too. :)

[bldegle2]

but so is a righteous air unit.

anyway, build one that will keep you from having to provide constant tech support, remembering that O/Cing and third party users can collide to give you a massive tech headache. phase change requires a bit if tech savy and extra time.

you say this person has $$ to burn, has he expressed any thoughts regarding what he wants????

although i use AMD pretty exclusively here at home, getting an Intel setup with the latest stuffs and a top of the line processor is not such a bad thing.

AMD is still in flux, plus the new DFI NF4 boards have NO PARRALLEL PRINTER port, but they included a friggin serial port, WTH???

Good luck, sounds like fun.

baldy :D

[mcnbns]

AMD is still in flux, plus the new DFI NF4 boards have NO PARRALLEL PRINTER port
Do you really think anyone spending 5k on a new rig is going to use an old crappy parallel printer?

[oublie]

[QUOTE=Crow]well seeing as the 925xe chipset likes to be cooled cold for the overclocks, I threw that in

QUOTE]

Someone has been reading other threads ;) somehow i dont think this guys will want to spend his time looking after a system and deal with all the issues a system like this throws up, hes probably too busy making all that money :D just give him a slightly overclocked system with a vapochill on it, a bit of water and lots of toys to play with and I think he will be happy. Extreme cooling needs more than just money.

[LightSpeed]

QUOTE=Crow]well seeing as the 925xe chipset likes to be cooled cold for the overclocks, I threw that in

QUOTE]
Extreme cooling needs more than just money.

Fully agreed

however i still think u should go LS, but not cascades and 3-4 Vapos at once.

keep it simple, like one LS, no watercooling, some VGA Silencers for the 6800U's, and a swifty Chipset cooler with a pair of PC4800 Gskill LA's and raptors.

and u mite wanna wait till the 512MB nv's r comin out, hear they got a new PCB Design, should help oc more :)

[Torin]

See if this guy can deal with the sound a vapo makes. If not, run everything on quiet air. If he just needs to do basic OS stuff, play some games and a little video editing, it's nothing an FX-55 on good air and SLI on air can't handle. If this guy wants to break world records (figuratively speaking) he's gotta understand what he's getting into. He may not need that extra 300-500MHz from a vapo if sound is an issue.

Just for the love of god don't plaster the PC with LED fans and cathode tubes trying to make it "unique".

[oublie]

Just for the love of god don't plaster the PC with LED fans and cathode tubes trying to make it "unique".

Totally,

Its seems to me that these days all but the very best modded boxes rely on filling every single bay with some naff flashing lights and loads of epilepsy invoking strobes. Im not saying this is a bad thing as its relatively cheap and easy to do but for this guy - if he has the money think designer styling, state of the art controls and something that his mates probably haven't seen i.e water / phase change / tecs.

[xconcept]

torin: don't worry about the LEDs. if it has any it will be 1 soft one. anyone know how to make a pulsing led like a mac? little power modulator plus something to diffuse the light i guess.

oublie: you and I are on the same page now. thanks for the ideas. i love the system you've made. am i correct to think that a sub-speaker lives in that box??

could someone please explain the "maintenance" involved in a vapochill or prometeia that i keep hearing about? i assume the gas needs to be recharged eventually...

[c42]

Gas shouldn't need recharging unless it springs a leak, it is a closed loop system. Only maintenance required with a single phase change unit is vacuuming out some dust from time to time ;).

[nebuchanezzar]

Just a couple of thoughts here...what , besides "powerful", is he looking for. If he's looking for world records then show him some pictures of the ATi event to let him know what "xtreme" really looks like. Hopefully stylish and pretty powerful are more the flavor. Maybe ideas like "the invisible pc" can be used The idea would be to hide most of the computers innards. Something like the DVD or cd drives mounted underneath one of the shelves on his computer desk with wireless keyboard and mouse(ps/2s hooked up somewhere just in case too). Then you could seperate the raptors from the mobo unit somewhere, say behind the desk or in a drawer modified for some air flow..that would also dampen some of the sound. Small case for the mobo,ram, and vid cards with the phase unit either under or behind the desk and an extension to put the power/reset button somewhere convenient. I don't know it the nF4 has CMOS reloaded but if so that would allow you to have 2 bios settings...1 for when he wants to show off the power of his new toy and another for normal use. You haven't impied he's computer savvy and for that reason I would think TCCD Ram of some kind. 1. It doesn't use high voltages so "should" have less chance of some issues 2.TCCD has big #s and if he's not tech savvy maybe he's just looking for big #s. Give him some bragging rights..my non-computer friends easily get lost when I talk pc's. They hear blah blah ultra extreme yadda yadda 300 front yackity yackity dual video card SLI blah blah computer makes your freezer seem hot :cool: . Another thought to help make it easy to maintain kinda like the CMOS idea...dual OSs. Windows 2k and xp. With dual 6800Ultras running SLI will he really need them OCd for daily use? Set up XP with Riva at defaults and if he needs to show off to a friend or something have the 2000 to have Riva auto load something that's OCd but not bleeding edge. Your gonna need fans no matter what for good airflow so another idea may be some sound matting in the case to help muffle the noise a little. Tell him it's kinda like a car..if he runs XP he can leave the fans low but if he wants it to scream he's gonna have to floor it and turn up the fans(sunbeam rheobus or something). Even that doesn't need to be loud like tormados..get some 120s that have decent flow. Just some suggestion and I hope they help :)

[Crow]

if he wants world records...refer to my thread lol :)

[Detrepid]

I agree on most the FX-55 rigs suggested w/ dual 6800 Ultras. For cooling I like the Vapo with the Lian Li PC-65. The thing I don't think has been looked at enough would be the hd array. Go with the 4-5 74gig raptors in a RAID 5. If he still needs space go with the newest Hitachi drive you can find 400+gigs. For memory I would go with the 4*512 of TCCD or VX.

[Marquzz]

Well, if he wants to spend alot of money on his computer, don't do it on hardware. Pay some guru over at bit-tech to make a custom case and then spend alot of money on sound equipment and monitor. I know Iiyama has a 22,2" TFT with screen res of 3840x2400 and 4x DVI connections, together with 2x 6800 Ultra (not SLI) that could be some fun. Or just a 24" WS TFT with some crazy res and responce time.

I would not go with a DFI as most people are suggesting, they are not reliable enough. I would actually go with MSI neo4.
FX-55 is an obvious choice
2x 1024MB ram, go with the highest rated 1024 sticks (don't know if it's 4800). So if you can't overclock them as high as 2x512 or run as tight timings. Would he ever notice the difference between trcd 3 or 4? no. Together with a FX-55 you still will be able to run pretty decent clocks 1:1.
4x raptors raid 5 with a high quality stand-alone card for system disk
4x 300GB raid 5 with a high quality stand-alone card for storage
X850XT PE or 2x6800Ultra

I would send a vappo LS over to the modding guru so he can fit it in the custom case.

[Evil_Spork]

CD/DVD: 2 plextor Sata's. 712SA i think.
plextors suck. trust me i worked with them every day, i HATED them. they made good cd burners when burning cds was new, but they are just overpriced junk now.

get a lite-on, or an NEC. HP makes good drives too. (sony would be acceptible too)

[xconcept]

marquzz: who is this bit-tech you are talking about? i'm interested. thanks for the comments.

to all the rest, i'm still interested in ideas, thanks for all the ones so far. right now i'm digesting all this information along with tons of online research. i hope to post the revised specs soon...

keep up the ideas though. this is not just about how to cool his cpu. where can i find someone to make an incredible case? i mean rolls royce style :).

[Frozendeath]

That would be www.bit-tech.net one of the best Case modding sites I have seen, The project log section of their forums has some of the worlds best case mods in it.

Oh and I'm not sure what this PC would be used for. What I mean is does he want to use it 24/7 or have the ability for 24 / 7 use? Cascades are more for short term use, hell even my single stage chiller makes a mark on the monthly electric bill when I use it 4 - 5 hours a day daily. Just something to think about, Single stage is 24/7 doable, but cascades are kind of over the top for such a setup. If he wants some World records then Cascades are the answer but then running 24/7 would be akward for a cascade setup.

Just my opinion anyway

[Detrepid]

Go to the link Frozendeath put up and look up the projects Orac 3 and Hypercube 2 in under the articles section. That will give you an idea of the extent of these mods and also of the level of professionalism in them.

Also if you go phase change rule out anything but a single stage. Cascades would be too bulky and loud for a newer user even if he wants a "powerful" computer.

[Sup3rman]

Unless the guy is really into performance, I bet he would appreciate a silent stable FX55 running at stock speed more then a 3.xGhz FX on phase.

[Crow]

Unless the guy is really into performance, I bet he would appreciate a silent stable FX55 running at stock speed more then a 3.xGhz FX on phase.

I agree, but he said what Overclockers dream of, we dream of cooler temps, better clocks, and better performance that breaks records. :cool:

[xconcept]

frozendeath, thanks for the info. Detrepid: i checked out those cases and was basically shocked. that's really all i can say. is there any place to buy from that even approaches that type of art?

any beautiful cases like that available for purchase?

still working on the revised specs...

[Naughtyboy]

FX-55
DFI NF4 SLI-DR
PCP&P Turbo-Cool 510 SLI
2x nV 6800 Ultra Extreme PCI-E
2x Zalman VF700-Cu VGA cooler
Vapochill LS
Lian-Li PC65 (I believe this is the one that fits/matches the Vapo)
2x Plextor 12x DVD-RW
Floppy Drive
4x 74GB Raptor in RAID 0 or 1 (depending on his preference, redundancy or performance)
400GB Seagate HDD
2x512MB G.Skill PC4400 LE, possible 4x512, depending on his needs
SoundBlaster Audigy 4
Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1 Audio System


I fifth (is that actually a word :banana: ) this rig. Really like it.
And then I would follow Marquzz idea about not spending anymore on the hardware...because this more then enough for him when it´s overclocked.
I´d put some effort in the peripherals...like a nice case modding and kickazz monitor 21" wide i.e..and lastly a nice soround system and so on.

[bldegle2]

"Do you really think anyone spending 5k on a new rig is going to use an old crappy parallel printer?"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

what was i thinking?, parallel is dead, no one uses it anymore, NOT.

Jeesh.

I have more than one printer, yes, even one that is parallel. my comment was directed more towards keeping the serial port (which they did, slow as mud and virtually useless) over the parallel port, anyone want to discuss why systems still have floppy drives????

options are nice to have.

baldy :D

[Naughtyboy]

"Do you really think anyone spending 5k on a new rig is going to use an old crappy parallel printer?"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

what was i thinking?, parallel is dead, no one uses it anymore, NOT.

Jeesh.

I have more than one printer, yes, even one that is parallel. my comment was directed more towards keeping the serial port (which they did, slow as mud and virtually useless) over the parallel port, anyone want to discuss why systems still have floppy drives????

options are nice to have.

baldy :D


:confused: :stick: :confused: :stick:

Are you talking to your self..??
Or have missed something along the way..?!?!?!

Where did the parallel printer come in to discussion..???

[Torin]

anyone want to discuss why systems still have floppy drives????
To load SATA raid drivers when installing Windows, because Windows give you no other option for loading the drivers.

[simplyadvanced]

my $0.02:

since he has so much money, spend the 15k looking for a golden chip then start thinking about price. :P

[isp]

And there is no way the place i work at would send out a custom built computer involving at least $4000 of hardware (before cooling stuff) w/ any type of phase change units.
My god the tech support he's gonna want w/ all the stuff your going to put in it. I thnk your heading towards a huge headache in the long run.

You took the words right from me. This stuff can be a PITA for us sometimes, let alone people who have no idea how to troubleshoot things. Stick with air and you shouldn't have any problems. I'd bet the average customer won't know the difference in speed anyway.

[manyie]

i fourth this rig :up: :toast:
Originally Posted by torin
FX-55
DFI NF4 SLI-DR
PCP&P Turbo-Cool 510 SLI
2x nV 6800 Ultra Extreme PCI-E
2x Zalman VF700-Cu VGA cooler
Vapochill LS
Lian-Li PC65 (I believe this is the one that fits/matches the Vapo)
2x Plextor 12x DVD-RW
Floppy Drive
4x 74GB Raptor in RAID 0 or 1 (depending on his preference, redundancy or performance)
400GB Seagate HDD
2x512MB G.Skill PC4400 LE, possible 4x512, depending on his needs
SoundBlaster Audigy 4
Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1 Audio System

find better dvd-rw.and make it colorful.

[xconcept]

ok i'm now on the hunt for an amazing case to complete the revised specs.

[ozandangel]

About the OCZ VX memory earlier in the thread... if used in conjunction with the DFI SLI-DR and you had to choose between these, would it be:

http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=140783&Category_Code=NA_2

or this:

http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=140979&Category_Code=NA_2

and why? Is it worth the price difference?

[YanBooth]

Motherboard DFI "LANPARTY nF4 SLI-DR" NVIDIA nForce4 SLI Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 939 CPU
Processor AMD FX-55/57
RAM OCZ EL Platinum DFI nF4 Special 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 625 (PC 5000) Dual Channel Kit System Memory
Video Cards TWO eVGA 256-P2-N377-AX Geforce 6800Ultra 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI-Express x16 Video Card
Sound Card Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 4 Pro PCI Sound Card, Model "SB0380"
A ton of SCSI drives in RAID 0
A few 400 GB Seagates in RAID 1
Power Supply Unit (PSU) OCZ PowerStream OCZ600ADJ ATX 600W Power Supply 100-120V AC/200-240V AC TUV, UL, CSA, CE, CB, FCC
Case Lian Li Silver Aluminum ATX Full Tower Case With Transparent Side Panel, Model "PC-75"
Monitor Apple Cinema HD Display (23" flat panel)
Speakers Logitech Z-5500 5.1 Digital Speaker System w/Digital Hardware Decoder
CD-RW Drive Plextor Black 52x32x52 CD-RW Drive, Model PX-PREMIUM/SW BLK
DVD±RW Drive Plextor 16X Double Layer DVD±RW Burner with s/w and Black and Beige Bezels, Model PX-716A/SW

Water cooling and or Vapochill

And more

[Rabidmoose171]

since its 2 months old... got any follow up?


Howd the system turn out?

[FUGGER]

Stick to the original plan and the 3.73 EE or the new dual core EE

Multithreading is so important and will in most of tomorrows games. Games will be using more api's to offload functions to other cores. GPU, PPU or CPU.

Unreal3 is supposed to be ready for multicore and PPU.

[oasked]

Any actual word from the 'customer'?

Otherwise this thread might go on for ever with people dreaming of what they can't afford...... :rolleyes:

[FUGGER]

oasked, good call.

[Crow]

it is a thread about dreaming...so I always dream about what I can't afford :D

[[XC] leviathan18]

athlon 64 x2 4800 will smoke any intel single or dual core....
gskill 4400 or ocz plat 4800 or ocz 5000
4 raptors and any sata II out there
800w pcp&p sli dlx
dfi nforce 4 sli dr or sapphire new mobo
2 7800gtr if you go with sapphire 2 r520 in amr
metal liquid cooling

[LilGator]

Definitely these -> Logitech Z-5500 and the Dell 2405 (1920x1200) 24'' WS LCD

Everything else seems to be heading in the right direction ...

[Lithan]

Stick to the original plan and the 3.73 EE or the new dual core EE

Multithreading is so important and will in most of tomorrows games. Games will be using more api's to offload functions to other cores. GPU, PPU or CPU.

Unreal3 is supposed to be ready for multicore and PPU.

Unreal3 will support quad cores? Because if it's only dual core supporting, then X2's would absolutely demolish the Two core EE. It'd be a bloodbath. And with only a $1000+ cpu even needing/benefiting from more than two core support I doubt most game manufacturers (unless they get huge perks from Intel) will bother implimenting it. Also, there's no way you can argue that a 3.73EE will beat an X2 in a dual-core optimized game (and they will probably fall around the same price range once X2's are on the market), again It'd be a bloodbath with AMD on top.


This is of course relatively speaking, since for gaming rigs differences of <10fps can be considered a slaughter.

And we aren't even considering Amd's superior and more proven SLI support.

[[XC] leviathan18]

pentien 840EE is just dual core with HT 2 phisycal cores and 2 logical if the programs is ht optimized will take advantage of the Hyperthreading

[xconcept]

hi guys. a quick update. i have not disappeared! but my dreams have been humbled.

while i am still going to build this system, i've discovered a few things. first off, being filthy rich means something most of us don't understand. you don't have to care about anything or anyone. this guy has jerked me around so much, simply because he can. it's not out of malice, it's just that he doesn't consider anybody else's position or time. while he has easily paid almost $2k just to consult with me on this system, his constant waffling has yet to see it actually get built.

i do feel more like he is nearing completion, but he is on a yaht right now with a celebrity i can't mention in italy with some of the finest women money can buy (playmates for you boys out there ;)). i doubt he's thinking about his potential computer.

i will update when i have more information. now a days i'm thinking the athlon x2 4800 vapo chilled on a DFI with all the trimmings. and who knows, at the rate this guy moves, he might see ATI's Crossfire instead of nvidia's SLI.

[Bob]

fx-57
2*ATI R520 (you have to wait for sometimes )
audigy 4
plextor 716la
soundspeaker creative gigaworks 7.1 (or bose )
2x seagate cheetah 300gb 15k raid0
4* 512 mb ram (latency 1.5-2-2-5 on default (cooming soon))
vapokill ls
watercooling for vgas and rams
lina li case

[DudeMiester]

I would get high definition studio monitors, a high quality subwoofer/amp, and set up a super high quality custom 5.1 surround sound system.

Also I'd get a Xi-Fi sound card if it's available. Definitly 7800GTX SLI too, if they're available in time.

[Bob]

I would get high definition studio monitors, a high quality subwoofer/amp, and set up a super high quality custom 5.1 surround sound system.

Also I'd get a Xi-Fi sound card if it's available. Definitly 7800GTX SLI too, if they're available in time.

7800gtx will be totally defeated by the r520 so don't choose nv70