P6T7 Supercomputer or EVGA 4way SLI?

[RMBM]

im planning to buy a highend rig. im more into gaming.
i dont know how to overclock yet but willing to learn.
i wont be able to buy all the parts i need now but im planning to upgrade in the near future. which board should i choose?

 

[belial2k]

Neither....supercomputer boards are meant for supercomputer gpugpu processing builds, not gaming builds. You are probably better off buying a p6t board from Asus. Most home gaming builds will not need more than two graphics cards. Even if you have extreme needs you can get two high end cards and play any game at the highest resolutions.

 

[RMBM]

testing

 

[RMBM]

can you please elaborate about the difference of the gpugpu processing build and the gaming build? how about comparing your recommended p6t to the evga classified? which do you think is better? i was just thinking of the 7 slot boards cause of the possible upgrading needs in the future.

 

[belial2k]

The high end (above $300) x58 boards are for either extreme overclocking on liquid nitrogen (or similar) or supercomputer boards. They really don't offer anything for a "normal" build above what the cheaper boards have. Almost any of the boards can get a i7 920 to at least 4.0ghz on good air cooling. When it comes to graphics you really only need to consider 3 things....1) the resolution you'll using 2) the settings you run your games at (do you want to use max settings with AA and AF?....some people really don't care) 3) How graphically demanding are the games you play.

The lower the resolution the more the load is pushed onto the CPU. So if you are running at 13x7 or 14 x9 EVEN if you are playing demanding games and maxing out the settings anything more than a single 4870 or 4890 is about the limit you can use. If you are running at 19x12 and want to max everything out you will need a couple of 5870s....but still there is not too many scenarios where adding more than two cards would help. Keep in mind the software is no longer outpacing the hardware quickly, most games in development are going to run at least as well as this generations toughest cards....and by the time the software catches up to 2 5870s we'll be at least a couple of generations more advanced, and you can replace them with two 7870s or whatever they are at that time. Also, cutting edge is pretty reasonably priced these days because the tight competition between Nvidia and ATI, so the days of $600 - $800 video cards are probably gone for good.

Don't fall into the mistake of just throwing money at a build because you think if it cost more it must be better. If you have specialized needs those boards are worth it for what they do...but if you just want to build a good 24/7 gamer they are a waste of money.

 

[belial2k]

Oh...forgot to explain the difference between the supercomputer and the gaming....supercomputer (sometimes referred to as a Tesla design) is strictly for processing power, not graphics power. The graphics cards are put to use processing information other than graphic instructions. In a gaming build you want your graphics cards ONLY processing graphic instructions to maximize your frames per second and graphic detail. Here is a link explaining about the Tesla supercomputer
http://www.nvidia.com/object/personal_supercomputing.html

 

[RMBM]

I am about to buy a rig but still confused on the different choices that is facing me..

Here is my plan:
Processor: i7 920
Moboim thinkin of going for the EVGA classified mobo cause of the good reviews and bench tests that i have read) please recommend
Memory: 6GB (2x 3GB) (XXGhz) please recommend
Hard disk: 1-1.5 Terra (im planning to use raid except im not yet experienced.. i just read about them)
Video card: HD 5870(i dunno if EVGA classified supports this) then planning to upgrade to xfire in the future
Cooling: Please recommend...(for this part, i really have no idea) (i want to try liquid cooling except it might be too expensive/complicated/messy)
Casing: no idea yet but im want a good looking one
PSU: no idea for the required PSU (please recommend)

I live in the philippines. i7 920 is already here. i also have contacted someone who have a stock of the EVGA classified. most boards here are the gigabyte and rampage ii extreme. HD 5870 is incoming (they have price list but no stocks yet). i think PSUs reaches to 1000watts here( i dont know if they are reliable). still dont know where to get the memory cards. some hardware shops have lian lee casings. i have no idea about cooling and havent looked for them yet.

Hope to hear form you soon!

 

[RMBM]

BTW, how do you classify if a board is for gaming or for supercomputing? do you think the EVGA 4-way sli is for GPUGPU? cause from the reviews, i think its more into gaming.
please suggest on whick mobo to purchase

 

[belial2k]

As I stated, the classified is a fine board if you plan on extreme overclocking on liquid nitrogen, but unless you plan to do that the cost is not justified. Look at this board
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131359&cm_re=p6t-_-13-131-359-_-Product
it has everything you need and more. It also has an "easy raid" setup without having to install extra drivers and set it up...just plug your two hard drives into the two specially marked sata connections, and it allows you to raid 0 or raid 1 just by selecting it in the bios. It will overclock your 920 on air using a good cooler ( http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm ) and with 1600mhz memory http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365 . 5870 is fully supported...if you plan to crossfire you should be looking at a quality PSU of 850w or more. I like Corsair for quality and price... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009 ...I hope that answered all your questions. Let me know if I missed something.

 

[puttersonsale]

explain these videos then:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMygkWmsf2g&feature=related

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tS71lqZx6c

These guys used Tesla cards along with either a quadro fx4800 cards or later (fx5800) since tesla cant be used with normal gforce cards unless these guys made their own drivers or something. In fact i think they may have to utilize the cards. In fact i believe the chips in current tesla cards are same as gt200's and the new one coming out soon fermi is also used in new tesla card as well as new gtx 480. I mean whats stopping them from using it as such? Like quadro video cards are for workstation environments but some games work on them. Like last year/current tesla cards had a max of 4gb of memory and new fermi is gonna have up to 6gb i think.

I mean tesla isnt suppossed to be used for gaming....but it could be if nvidia wanted to. Seems like it would be like using a terex dump truck when all you need is a wheelbarrow and shovel.

Terex is a heavy equipment manufacturer and i think they make the largest dump truck in the world if not now it was @ sometime:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Terex_Titan.JPG

 

[puttersonsale]

i know what you mean about them being expensive and a bit overkill.....but hey if thats what they want let em get it. hehe its sorta cool....if you got the money to burn.

By the way, i do own a p6t7 so i am lil biased. it overclocked i7 920 to 4.2 stable and i got it to 4.4 and 4.5 but i wanted some kinda longevity, so i decided to back off a bit. It is a fantastic overclocking board. But I do have to agree if all your gonna do is gaming its a bit much. @ very least o'clock your system or tweak it a bit to utilize all the features.

It would be like buying a ferrari or porsche and leaving it in the garage to stare @. If your gonna buy the boards use them for the features. One thing to add for asus though, As of right now P6t7 does not support new 6 cores coming out...but they say that its only a bios update away. Other boards like p6x58 already support gulftown. Also, p6x58 has sata 6gbs and usb 3.0 ports as well. Both classified evga and p6t7 dont have either, but with 7 slots your just a pci-express card away.