BFG Technologies Unveils Phobos - The Ultimate Gaming System

[kemo]

What part of this configuration gives you the idea that this is a benchmark system?

This is simply over the top, I'm-so-rich-I-put-diamonds-in-my-food-so-my-doodo-sparkles type of system(BFG NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 Graphics Cards x2 for Quad SLI +BFG NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 for Dedicated PhysX Processing can you say overkill).

You're trying to compare formula 1 cars to a Rolls Royce.

In that sense MSI eclipse make sense because it has some over the top features like x-fi soundcard and stuff.

NOP
F1 is Great , Rolls Royce are legendary cars but that thing is crap
It is just like paying 25% more to get a similar performance to an average F1 car but get a picture of angelina julie on the hood

[DarthBeavis]

i don't understand why everyone is hating on this thing.

someone posted that this is priced only ~15-20% higher than retail prices for these parts. i'm sure it comes with some warranty/extra goodies, so it's not over-the-top on cost.
it has top-of-the-line graphics card and a top-of-the-line processor to go with it.
if the water cooling on this thing actually delivers, then you have yourself a nice machine. the motherboard won't absolutely KILL your overclock here...

the only drawback to this machine is its exclusion of an ssd drive... well, i bet that's why they included the GTX 285 for physics. you're REALLY supposed to sell it and buy an SSD for your O/S! that's the real game guys

Those of us who know what we are talking about are hating on it? Sorry to be so blunt but that is what it comes down to. Head over to the water-cooling area here as well as the phase change and peltier sections to learn what is wrong with their lame cooling solution.

[DarthBeavis]

Its more fun to Watch others go off on what they dislike about this system...

Me i would simply not buy it....why pay for something i can do myself.

I do more expensive builds many times a year with much better stuff. I understand the boutique thing (I consult for one boutique and pretty much helped choose their cooling) but to choose the same lame vanilla wanna be über cooling system as everyother boutique shows no innovation. I had one large company who wanted into the boutique market setup with a US- based phase builder ( they were going to use CoolIT as well) which would have made them really uniquee and able to offer the highest-end solution and system). Unfortunately they took too long so someone beat them to the punch.

[crash5s]

Same here.

For SH*ts and giggles, go to a "computer repair store" w/ a liquid cooled computer. I've done this for fun. They look confused b/c there's "no heat sink" and what are all the tubes for?

XS is my PC repair destination.

I get enough odd looks when I have friends over "WTF is that thing, there are tubes in your computer"

[tajoh111]

I just priced similar components on NewEgg as best I could and went expensive with the SilverStone touchscreen case and PSU. I used 5x BFG GTX280's and a swiftech kit for the CPU. Didn't bother cooling the video with water but priced an extra kit to even it out. Short story: save 2K by building this yourself.



Update

MSI X58 Eclipse SLI LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

MSI X58 Eclipse SLI LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #:X58 Eclipse SLI
Item #:N82E16813130215
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$349.99 $349.99


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LITE-ON Black 4X Blu-Ray DVD Drive SATA Model DH-4O1S-58

LITE-ON Black 4X Blu-Ray DVD Drive SATA Model DH-4O1S-58 - Retail
Model #H-4O1S-58
Item #:N82E16827106285
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$99.99 $99.99


Update

BFG Tech BFGEGTX2801024E GeForce GTX 280 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

BFG Tech BFGEGTX2801024E GeForce GTX 280 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Model #:BFGEGTX2801024E
Item #:N82E16814143141
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$424.99 -$100.00 Instant $1,624.95


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Swiftech H20-220-APEX-GT CPU Liquid Cooling Kits

Swiftech H20-220-APEX-GT CPU Liquid Cooling Kits - Retail
Model #:H20-220-APEX-GT
Item #:N82E16835108076
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$199.99 $199.99


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SILVERSTONE Silver Aluminum LC18S-V64 ATX Media Center / HTPC Case

SILVERSTONE Silver Aluminum LC18S-V64 ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - Retail
Model #:LC18S-V64
Item #:N82E16811163098
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In Stock

$649.99 $649.99


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SILVERSTONE ST1200 1200W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

SILVERSTONE ST1200 1200W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
Model #:ST1200
Item #:N82E16817256041
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$309.99 $309.99


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AuzenTech Auzen X-Fi Prelude 7.1 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card

AuzenTech Auzen X-Fi Prelude 7.1 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
Model #:AZT-XFPRELUDE
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$199.99 -$25.00 Instant $174.99


Update

Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition 965 Nehalem 3.2GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601965

Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition 965 Nehalem 3.2GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601965 - Retail
Model #:BX80601965
Item #:N82E16819115200
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$1,012.99 $1,012.99


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Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS 300GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS 300GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #:WD3000GLFS
Item #:N82E16822136260
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$289.99 $1,159.96


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Patriot Viper 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model PVT36G1600ELK

Patriot Viper 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model PVT36G1600ELK - Retail
Model #:PVT36G1600ELK
Item #:N82E16820220365
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$239.99 $239.99


Update

Swiftech H20-220 Compact CPU Water Cooling Kit

Swiftech H20-220 Compact CPU Water Cooling Kit - Retail
Model #:H20-220 Compact
Item #:N82E16835108105
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$139.99 $139.99
Subtotal: $5,962.82

You forgot a couple things.

Windows vista ultimate.

200 dollars

TV tuner/Media center stuff
100 dollars

And these are most likely blueray writer considering the system and its slot loading. There also two of them. One of them could be a reader. Slot loading is considerably more expensive.

So 450 dollars more.

Useless but nice ipod dock.

40 dollars.

This things graphic water system is more likely than 200 dollars because this thing require 3 full cover graphic coolers. Thats easily 300+ there.

[B.E.E.F.]

So 450 dollars more.

Useless but nice ipod dock.

40 dollars.

This things graphic water system is more likely than 200 dollars because this thing require 3 full cover graphic coolers. Thats easily 300+ there.

That still does not justify almost 2 grand over, for a PC that is faster. And the parts are retail prices!

[XSAlliN]

there are better boards out there

have a look at HWBOT world records. Asus dominates results and for good reason. You will also see Gigabyte a lot as well

some of the other boards which are always a cut above the rest are DFI boards.

In X58 there are so many choices of great boards. EVGA has a really nice high end OCing boards, Foxconn has some nice gear. I'd probably pick any of those before MSI

I've had bad experience with their P35/X38 boards. boards, crappy bioses, very finnicky. It didnt inspire a lot of confidence in the brand. They used to have some crazy good boards during K8 era so they are capable. I havent seen too many ppl benching and reporting on these X58 boards. Who knows maybe they improved a lot but one would still stick with tried and proven no?

If K8 is the last good MSI board you remember...

======

As for MSI Eclipse SLI Intel X58-based Motherboard:






It proved to be quite stable, incomparable more stable then ASUS. It says "Ultimate Gaming System" not "Ultimate Overclocking System". MSI made one big mistake with a BIOS update, one that fried some boards ( Sk A or SK 754 don't remember the exact model) and because of that they took a big hit. For a solid motherboard manufacturer (YEAH SOLID) one mistake was enough and since then it took some years to clear the MSI name, but they're back. I personally took some advantage during their fall, buying a good and solid motherboard at a good price. But now that they're back, there prices are UP again, same as Competition.

On the other hand ASUS made many mistakes, like using cheap capacitors on their High End models...but who remembers that (except the owners that were unlucky to get those cards)? Yet they repeated the same mistake years after years, but only the users with problems seem to mind. Guess they got used to their mistake, cause some of them were among the buyers of the next models.

DFI is one the best OC-ing boards, not gaming boards (it's wrong and absurd to presume, that all gamers or OC-ers, especially those that spend a fortune on a High End S.F. system like that...)

eVGA and Foxconn are still new comers on High End class. How many Foxconn or eVGa motherboards, did you own to assume they make more solid BIOS then MSI? Yet Foxconn is one the biggest motherboard manufactures, it's still new on High Class, wile eVga wasn't much of a competition, yet I admit they're motherboards look pretty decent.

have a look at HWBOT world records. Asus dominates results and for good reason. You will also see Gigabyte a lot as well

I'm sure all they guys in front are Hardcore Gamers not Top OC-ers...

It's true that some OC-ers like to game from time to time and some gamers like to do some OC, but when it comes to their primary hobbies they both leave in different worlds. Yet this BFG system is more for show.

[tajoh111]

That still does not justify almost 2 grand over, for a PC that is faster. And the parts are retail prices!

The stuff I just posted cost about 800 dollars.

If you add in the cost of 3 full cover water blocks and subtract the extra swiftech gt.

Thats an extra 200 dollars.

So thats an extra 1000 dollars.

Sure coolits are not the best systems, but BFG will have to pay if the system is not up to snuff when the system breaks down. This is obviously a custom system since none of coolit stuff is meant to handle this load.

Good air is not the greatest idea on this system, particularly the graphics card. It actually quite dumb, because you will have the worst overcrowding and no airflow between the graphics card(since they are all dual slot cards). Add in that you have a sound card that takes up another slot, and its litterally not possible. You need a water cooling system.

[XSAlliN]

What about warranty service costs and the work done on that system? Apple charges more than 50% of a Mac value for the work done, warranty service and of course for the fact that it has the Apple sticker on it.

[Natalia]

I like the space heater card. I mean the GTX285 for PhysX.

QFT....


You can count the games that need dedicated hardware for physics on one hand.

What a waste. Companies: Just use one of those 4 cpu cores that you are ignoring...

[tajoh111]

QFT....


You can count the games that need dedicated hardware for physics on one hand.

What a waste. Companies: Just use one of those 4 cpu cores that you are ignoring...

What needs to happen or for this to work is NV needs to get physx in more games.

The physx engine is alot more powerful than the HAVOC engine. I don't really care if either succeeds, however I suspect we will get better result with physx compared to havoc since a GPU is so much better at physics calculations compared to a CPU, especially if your just using one core.

One negative consequence is this will increase power consumption of system considerably. But this is Xtremesystems and if one looks at your sig Natalia, dual gx2 9800 are not exactly power friendly either.

[B.E.E.F.]

QFT....


You can count the games that need dedicated hardware for physics on one hand.

What a waste. Companies: Just use one of those 4 cpu cores that you are ignoring...

Hey nice avatar. That your girl?

[saveus222]

That thing on idle will increase Planet temperature by 1ºC :p

[naokaji]

The stuff I just posted cost about 800 dollars.

If you add in the cost of 3 full cover water blocks and subtract the extra swiftech gt.

ehh? look at his list again, he has gpu's for 1600$ in there which is allready too much, the gtx 295 is 500$ each in retail and bfg makes those things, they dont have to pay themself full retail price.

[GbrilliantQ]

Those of us who know what we are talking about are hating on it? Sorry to be so blunt but that is what it comes down to. Head over to the water-cooling area here as well as the phase change and peltier sections to learn what is wrong with their lame cooling solution.

Oh memories. I'm glad you quit buying all that AW ALX crap. How many did your wife buy? 2-3? Not to mention all the other AW's you bought.

Welp, had to figure it out eventually eh.


ON TOPIC:

I like the touch screen.

[tajoh111]

ehh? look at his list again, he has gpu's for 1600$ in there which is allready too much, the gtx 295 is 500$ each in retail and bfg makes those things, they dont have to pay themself full retail price.

Of course they don't. But boutique builds have always been more than the price of the price of newegg.

Even if BFG makes these cards and they are putting it in there system, I don't see them giving people a discount when they know people in this price range of computer really don't care about a hundred bucks here or there.

I don't see any company passing the savings because they are using their own brand of such and such, especially in the computer world. When you buy a videocard from EVGA or BFG directly, you never save money, even those you technically could since there is no middle man.

Water cooled and under warranty has always been more expensive than just the sum of water cooling parts and the actual component itself that is being cooled.

I am just saying that to cool this system, with all water blocks, its going to be more expensive than 400 dollars to do it.

If a person tried to water cool this system buying off the shelf parts it would be very difficult to do for 400 dollars. The water blocks alone would be over 400. You would still have to buy two pumps or one really powerful one. A couple good radiators(three would be better), the reservoir, all the fans, barbs and etc. If you went all out you could easily hit a thousand+ dollars. However the very cheapest you could go would be still 600 dollars because the water blocks have a high minimum cost.

[DarthBeavis]

Oh memories. I'm glad you quit buying all that AW ALX crap. How many did your wife buy? 2-3? Not to mention all the other AW's you bought.

Welp, had to figure it out eventually eh.


ON TOPIC:

I like the touch screen.

I love how jealous people follow me from forum to forum. Sorry I cannot take time to respond to your flamebaiting but I have people to see and things to do at CES (my rig is probably one of the few mods in the event).

[GbrilliantQ]

I love how jealous people follow me from forum to forum. Sorry I cannot take time to respond to your flamebaiting but I have people to see and things to do at CES (my rig is probably one of the few mods in the event).

No flamebaiting dood. Even though you did respond. I'm one of the few that knew you before you were this big hot shot. The one with AW ALX computers in your wifes Vet office. Don't forget where you came from, talking about how PEOPLE WHO KNOW and crap.

You didn't know crap and the only thing I'm jealous of, is your wifes monies.

p.s. I've been on this forum 3 years before you Darq. I didn't follow anything.

[Russian]

I love how jealous people follow me from forum to forum. Sorry I cannot take time to respond to your flamebaiting but I have people to see and things to do at CES (my rig is probably one of the few mods in the event).

Bows to richard.


I dont care what you buy(as long as its not a mac)
You sir have the sickest mods and next time we hang out ill drink with ya

[DarthBeavis]

No flamebaiting dood. Even though you did respond. I'm one of the few that knew you before you were this big hot shot. The one with AW ALX computers in your wifes Vet office. Don't forget where you came from, talking about how PEOPLE WHO KNOW and crap.

You didn't know crap and the only thing I'm jealous of, is your wifes monies.

p.s. I've been on this forum 3 years before you Darq. I didn't follow anything.

I often reference how I came modding and water-cooling (it all started by modding and rebuilding the ALX many many times). This makes my voice all the more pertinent in this thread. I have bought these kinds of rigs and now I am also among the top DIY builders in the US. You have known me for many years and not once have you ever had anything positive to say. That speaks for itself.

[DarthBeavis]

Bows to richard.


I dont care what you buy(as long as its not a mac)
You sir have the sickest mods and next time we hang out ill drink with ya

Jager bombs

[tajoh111]

I often reference how I came modding and water-cooling (it all started by modding and rebuilding the ALX many many times). This makes my voice all the more pertinent in this thread. I have bought these kinds of rigs and now I am also among the top DIY builders in the US. You have known me for many years and not once have you ever had anything positive to say. That speaks for itself.

Then you even know DarthB that to properly cool this system entirely in a water systems approved by most people around here(and using a dual or triple loop)), add stuff like SLC SSD, it would be impossible to keep this system at 8 grand unless you started removing components and entirely killed your profit margins. You would actually might start losing money once you take into account the labor involved in such a setup. Thats probably the reason for the coolit system, the labour for testing and setup is cut down to a manageable level.

Really water cooling(maybe with a chiller), is probably the best you could go on a system like this, phase and peltier are simply impractical because core i7 return in a greater clock speed with reduced temps is pretty bad. Cooling sandwich cards is also difficult, especially when the spacing is already super tight.

For 8 grand you could never build the truly ultimate gaming system.

What would you change about the system for DarthB if you wanted to keep the system under 8 grand also taking into account custom parts(hand machined) are not cost effective because they are difficult to mass produce.

[th3pwn3r]

QFT....


You can count the games that need dedicated hardware for physics on one hand.

What a waste. Companies: Just use one of those 4 cpu cores that you are ignoring...

Perhaps BFG knows something we don't about future games. Of course it would be nice to have physics in more games but for now, you're right, it is a waste. In the future it might be the norm. When calculators first came out they were extremely expensive(I believe my uncle paid $1000 for one) and just about everyone said they were useless and stupid but they're everywhere now. We'll just have to see where BFG's idea goes.

[th3pwn3r]

Jager bombs

Not that I was invited but count me out! I'm definitely not a fan of Jager. Call me when you guys have Vodka on hand!


Sorry BTW, I should have multi-quoted up there. =/

[DarthBeavis]

Tajon why the magic number of 8 grand? At this level of computer purchasing and producing you do not cut corners and just do things mediocure (sorry but no spell- checker on my iPhone, no laptop with me at CES). If they are just going to do what everyone else already does and have been doing it longer why enter the market? I spoke with the guys from Hardcore Computers today (they have the first retail immersed gaming rig on the market. They have a source of differentiation which will facilitate their ability to penetrate the market. BFG has the benefit of vertical integration however they also risk alienating b2b customers by becoming their direct competitor (such as Alienware).

I would be glad to do more on-the-fly market analysis for you but it is midnight here. The damn LCD tv died so I am forced to keep my eyelids open with toothpicks waiting for them to bring up another. Maybe I will just head to the bar and get xsfaces.