Xtremesystems Rig Building Guide 2011

[perkam]

Rigs will be divided up into AMD and Intel, as before.

Categories I am currently deciding are:

Insanity Money To Burn MultiGPU System
Intel 990x Watercooled
Dual GTX 590 or Dual AMD 6990 - Watercooled
12GB DDR3 2000
2 240GB Revodrives (X2 Model) + 1 Large HDD
1500W PSU

Top Of The Line MultiGPU System
Intel Core i7 or AMD Phenom X6 Watercooled
Dual GTX 580 or Trifire HD 6970
12 GB DDR3 1600 or 8GB DDR3 2000
2 120GB Revodrives + 1 Large HDD
1000W PSU

High End Dual GPU System
Intel Core i7 or AMD Phenom X6
Dual GTX 570 SLI/Single GTX 590 or Dual HD 6970 Xfire/Single HD 6990
12 GB DDR3 1600 or 8GB DDR3 2000
1 128GB SSD + 1 Large HDD
900W PSU

Mid End Dual GPU System
Intel Core i5 or Phenom X6
Dual GTX 560 SLI or Dual HD 6950 2GB
12GB DDR3 1600 or 8GB DDR3 2000
1 128GB SSD + 1 HDD
800W PSU

Mainstream Dual GPU System
Intel Core i5 or Phenom X6
Dual HD HD 6870
8GB DDR3 1866
1 80GB SSD + 1 HDD
700W PSU

High End Single GPU System
Intel Core i7 or Phenom X6
GTX 580 or HD 6970
12 GB DDR3 1600 or 8GB DDR3 2000
1 128GB SSD + 1 HDD
650W PSU

Mid End Single GPU System
Intel Core i5 or Phenom X6
GTX 570 or HD 6970
8GB DDR3 1866
1 80GB SSD + 1 HDD
600W PSU

Mainstream High Single GPU System
Intel Core i5 or Phenom X6
GTX 560 or HD 6950 1GB
4GB DDR3 2000
1 HDD
550W PSU

Mainstream Low Single GPU System
Intel Core i5 or Phenom X4
GTX 460 1GB or HD 6870
4GB DDR3 1866
1 HDD
500W PSU

Low End Single GPU System
Intel Core i3 or Athlon X4
GTX 450 or HD 5770
4GB DDR3 1600
1 HDD
450W PSU

All PSUs will be at least 80 Plus Bronze, with Dual GPU PSUs being 80 Plus Silver and Gold.

[One_Hertz]

For mid-end dual GPU, it does not make sense to do R0 with the HDDs. The SSD will hold things that need to be fast and HDDs are for storage. Using R0 on storage drives is asking for it.

[Ket]

I'd say lower highend to high midrange is easily around the specs in my sig. Excellent price>performance ratio.

[Khoral]

High End Dual GPU System
Intel Core i7 or AMD Phenom X6
Dual GTX 570 SLI/GTX 590 or Dual HD 6970 Xfire/HD 6990
2 SSDs in Raid 0 + 1 Large HDD
1200W PSU

No need of a 1200W PSU here imo, a really good 850W (thinking of Corsair AX850 right now ^^) would do the trick. Or a good 1000W.

Mid End Dual GPU System
Intel Core i5 or Phenom X6
Dual GTX 560 SLI or Dual HD 6950 1GB
1 SSD + 2 HDD in Raid 0
900W PSU

Same remark about the PSU, great 750W will do the job ^^ (or a good 850W)
I'd put dual HD 6950 2GB btw (hoping to flash it to 6970 )

[perkam]

I have modified them further based on above feedback.

Obviously, once I start putting in actual brands of mobos, HDs, SSDs, GPUs etc I am sure I will be changing things around quite a bit :p

Right now I am just looking for the right balance in components, then I will start looking at actual parts from Newegg.

[Khoral]

If Insanity is to be made the way I imagine it, it's way out of power

Instead of a 6970 trifire, I'd go for a 6990 Xfire. And a GTX 590 SLI on nVidia side.
And instead of a large HDD, put a big Revodrive in there (hey, you named it Insanity Oh right, let's be insane. Put two Revodrives.)

[Ket]

You need to define Core i5 more. Something like the i5 680 or 760 is midrange, while a 2500k can be considered highend (you will see what I mean if you look at performance numbers for it )

[perkam]

You need to define Core i5 more. Something like the i5 680 or 760 is midrange, while a 2500k can be considered highend (you will see what I mean if you look at performance numbers for it )

It does not make any sense for me to put anything but Sandy Bridge CPUs for Intel at this point.

Also, non-SB Core i5s have low availability now, so if it is an Intel CPU, expect it to be an SB.

Lastly, again, the actual brands I am not detailing yet, looking for the right balance in components.

@ Khoral, done

[BobyTT]

I missed your systems Perkam its been a long time

[Ket]

People can get easily mislead though so it might prove useful to have AMD and intel CPU lists clearly showing the reader which CPUs can be considered low, mid and highend

[Khoral]

@ Khoral, done

Erm.

When I say Revodrive, I mean...
This Revodrive : http://www.ocztechnology.com/ocz-rev...press-ssd.html
960 GB, obviously

[perkam]

@ Boby, ty

@ Ket, true, but my aim here is not to tell the reader what the best low, mid or high components are, it's to tell the reader what the best low, mid or high setups are i.e. the entire system, not just one component. As far as I am concerned, if you are making an intel based rig today with an $800+ budget, it doesn't make any sense to avoid a quad core sandy bridge, which is why the i5 is chosen so many times.

@ Khoral, lol that would be more expensive than the rig itself :p I've added some bigger Revodrive X2s. Hopefully that is satisfactory for an "Insane" system

[perkam]

Ram Quantity added.

[Bolas]

Rigs will be divided up into AMD and Intel, as before.

Categories I am currently deciding are:

Insanity Money To Burn MultiGPU System
Intel 990x Watercooled
Dual GTX 590 or Dual AMD 6990 - Watercooled
12GB DDR3 2000
2 240GB Revodrives (X2 Model) + 1 Large HDD
1500W PSU

Top Of The Line MultiGPU System
Intel Core i7 or AMD Phenom X6 Watercooled
Dual GTX 580 or Trifire HD 6970
12 GB DDR3 1600 or 8GB DDR3 2000
2 120GB Revodrives + 1 Large HDD
1000W PSU

I'm not clear on why you would go with more than one RevoDrive or why a RevoDrive instead of a single Vertex 3.

For real-world performance -- boot times, level load times, game load times -- wouldn't the single Vertex 3 be the better choice? It's got SATA III, TRIM, and a next gen SandForce controller instead of PCIe 2, garbage collection, and a previous gen SandForce controller.

With a Raid card for a raid drive, you slow down the boot times due to all the firmware you have to initialize. All the reviews I've seen for the RevoDrive say that it's impressive in bench marks but that the benchmarks don't translate to real world performance, and for that, you are better off with a single large high quality SSD.

Where are you getting the idea that twin RevoDrives is a better pick than a 600GB Intel drive or a 240GB Vertex 3? Maybe I missed that article.

Why not 24GB of DDR3 for the Insanity build? There's some nice low latency stuff out there now.

[perkam]

I'm not clear on why you would go with more than one RevoDrive or why a RevoDrive instead of a single Vertex 3.

For real-world performance -- boot times, level load times, game load times -- wouldn't the single Vertex 3 be the better choice? It's got SATA III, TRIM, and a next gen SandForce controller instead of PCIe 2, garbage collection, and a previous gen SandForce controller.

With a Raid card for a raid drive, you slow down the boot times due to all the firmware you have to initialize. All the reviews I've seen for the RevoDrive say that it's impressive in bench marks but that the benchmarks don't translate to real world performance, and for that, you are better off with a single large high quality SSD.

Where are you getting the idea that twin RevoDrives is a better pick than a 600GB Intel drive or a 240GB Vertex 3? Maybe I missed that article.

Why not 24GB of DDR3 for the Insanity build? There's some nice low latency stuff out there now.

The Vertex 3s currently have a high failure rate, and the intel drive you mentioned has very low availability. Whereas the Revodrives I have are the X2 versions, are generally stable, and are in plenty of supply around the world.

But I could be wrong though, and wouldn't mind other peoples input on the Revos

As for the memory, 12GB is plenty for a desktop gaming build, plus once you cross the 8GB threshold, diminishing returns means you get barely any advantage from the additional 12 GB of DDR3 in the 24GB kit at a very high cost to OC and latency.

[tbone8ty]

vertex 3s just came out and they have a high failure rate? crap

[zanzabar]

why is the 570 up there at all, the 560 is better in every way other than shader count (the 560 is better in clock*count) and total memory, the 570 has a tendency to burn and they dont clock as well as the 560 and the stock overclocked 560s that are most of what u can get are faster than the 570 at a lower wattage. sure u can tripple sli the 570 but u should not do that with a 570. and the same with the 590, 2x 560 is quicker and cheaper and lower wattage.

also shouldent all no 6 core intel be SB 2600k/2500k instead of generic i7 as the builds dont have 3x gpu.

[Khoral]

FUGGER, can you please define the idea in "Insane" please ?
Like if it means the stronger rig in brute power, or just a rig with the most expensive things in the world.

and the same with the 590, 2x 560 is quicker and cheaper and lower wattage.

Didn't know about that. But then you'll go with 4*560 ? (to replace the 590 SLI)

[Ket]

@ Boby, ty

@ Ket, true, but my aim here is not to tell the reader what the best low, mid or high components are, it's to tell the reader what the best low, mid or high setups are i.e. the entire system, not just one component. As far as I am concerned, if you are making an intel based rig today with an $800+ budget, it doesn't make any sense to avoid a quad core sandy bridge, which is why the i5 is chosen so many times.

@ Khoral, lol that would be more expensive than the rig itself :p I've added some bigger Revodrive X2s. Hopefully that is satisfactory for an "Insane" system

True, but even with rig building guides for the less knowledgable theres still a lot of people who will think "well I'd really like to have this but can't quite afford it, could I replace X CPU with Y CPU and what would the performance impact be?"

Thats where things like a AMD / Intel CPU list arranged by what can be considered low/mid/highend really come in handy. The reader can look up a couple cheaper CPUs, compare performance results and make a informed decision instead of "buying blindly". I feel its important for anyone less knowledgeable to truely understand whats in their system, and not just memorise th spec sheet

[zanzabar]

Didn't know about that. But then you'll go with 4*560 ? (to replace the 590 SLI)

i guess i missed that top one, since u cannot go quad 560 as it only dose 2x sli. i guess more 580's or something in stead of the 590. for the 570 and single 590 though they should be pulled for dieing and being slower than the 560

[perkam]

@ Zanzabar, they are in direct competition with the 6970s, the GTX 560 is not. You are absolutely right, but then we wouldn't need the 6970 at all either as we'd just get the 6950 2GB and flash it. The purpose of it is to have tiers. Don't worry though, I'll have another category for "Price/Performance" where I'll make a system with Dual OCed 560s

@ Ket, I think it works both ways. You could have someone who wouldn't know that there is a difference between the new SB i5s and the old Core i5s, and they could end up buying the older model despite being able to afford the newer model. Again, I want to be as future-proof with this guide as possible.

@ Khoral, Insane = insane cost and insane performance, so yes, its basically the opposite of a "bang for buck" rig :p

[zanzabar]

@ Zanzabar, they are in direct competition with the 6970s, the GTX 560 is not. You are absolutely right, but then we wouldn't need the 6970 at all either as we'd just get the 6950 2GB and flash it. The purpose of it is to have tiers. Don't worry though, I'll have another category for "Price/Performance" where I'll make a system with Dual OCed 560s

i can see that, but the 69xx dont like to have the pwm die and u cannot get the 6950 factory overclocked to be quicker and lower wattage than the 6970 like u can with the 560 to the 570.

just look at newegg the cheapest card is the 900mhz gigabyte and that is quicker than the 570
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-363-_-Product

[Bolas]

I'd probably do something like this for an "insane" build.

RAID-1 data drive
2x Western Digital Caviar Black WD2002FAEX 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Model #:WD2002FAEX
Item #:N82E16822136792
$319.98

case
LIAN LI PC-A71F Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Model #:PC-A71F
Item #:N82E16811112244
$199.99

motherboard
ASUS MAXIMUS IV EXTREME (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard
Model #:MAXIMUS IV EXTREMEV3
Item #:N82E16813131700
$364.99

graphics cards (could just as easily do a pair of dual gpu cards)
3x EVGA 015-P3-1589-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) FTW Hydro Copper 2 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support ...
Model #:015-P3-1589-AR
Item #:N82E16814130601
Return Policy:VGA Replacement Only Return Policy
$2,099.97

psu
CORSAIR Professional Series AX1200 1200W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 SLI Certified 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active ...
Model #:CMPSU-1200AX
Item #:N82E16817139014
$279.99

gpu
Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K
Model #:BX80623I72600K
Item #:N82E16819115070
$314.99

memory
2x CORSAIR DOMINATOR GT 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000) Desktop Memory Model CMT6GX3M3A2000C8
Model #:CMT6GX3M3A2000C8
Item #:N82E16820145318
$399.98

boot drive
OCZ RevoDrive X2 OCZSSDPX-1RVDX0240 PCI-E 240GB PCI-Express x4 MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Model #:OCZSSDPX-1RVDX0240
Item #:N82E16820227661
$569.00

keyboard
RAZER RZ03-00440100-R3U1 Black USB Wired Marauder StarCraft II Gaming Keyboard
Model #:RZ03-00440100-R3U1
Item #:N82E16823114014
$89.99

headset
RAZER Circumaural Banshee StarCraft II Gaming Headset
Model #:RZ04-00450100-R3U1
Item #:N82E16826153062
$109.99

mouse
RAZER Wired Laser Spectre StarCraft II Gaming Mouse
Model #:RZ01-00430100-R3U1
Item #:N82E16826153063
$79.99

optical drive
SONY Black Blu-ray Burner SATA BD-5300S-0B - OEM
Model #:BD-5300S-0B
Item #:N82E16827118050
$109.99

surge protection
CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD UPS 1500VA / 900W PFC compatible Pure sine wave
Model #:CP1500PFCLCD
Item #:N82E16842102134
$219.99

Subtotal: $5,158.84

Why not a 990X? Tom's hardware seems to think that the SandyBridge cpu performs as good or better for a lower price, when it comes to gaming.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...or,2895-4.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...n,2874-14.html

Of course, if you want to do some serious folding, go with the EVGA Classified SR-2 motherboard and a pair of high end Xeon chips. Just for games, I'd prefer a SandyBridge cpu and more water cooling stuff.

[Bolas]

I'd recommend doing a $5k budget computer build. Even for insane systems, it still helps to have some kind of a budget, otherwise things get ridiculous to the point where nobody would actually build the system.

[.Logic]

Thank you Perkham!