Hi everyone,
I need some help on a new build. I was hoping to hold out just a little while longer for multi-GPU to scale better and 3D gaming to mature, but my plans have recently been accelerated after my trusty & beloved old NCCH-DL became the unfortunate casualty of a fried Northbridge chip.
My goal is to optimize performance for all applications - gaming, encoding, development & simulations, running multiple resource-intensive VM's simultaneously, and of course playing Crysis 2 on max settings at 4800x2560 in 3D Vision Surround.. ;-). I'm expecting to pay a hefty premium for all this, though not to the point of putting down thousands of dollars for mere 2-3% performance gains.
I'm in Canada, though have no qualms ordering parts from abroad if it works out to be cheaper after exchange rate/customs/shipping (or for items unavailable domestically).
SPECS
Already have:
- 1x Ultra X3 1600W PSU
- 1x EVGA GTX295
- 2x Samsung 213T 1600x1200" LCD
- SSD-based RAID5 storage array that does 800MB/s+ read/write (requires one PCIe x8 slot)
Buy asap:
- 1x EVGA Classified SR-2 dual-socket motherboard (a.k.a. 270-G-W555, due out any day now)
- 1x 6-Core Xeon Gulftown Westmere-EP, 3.07GHz stock, A0 stepping. Cherry-picked and apparently overclocks on air to ~4.8GHz (turbo, 24X multiplier) @ ~200BCLK & ~1.58 Vcore. Will back off a bit if required for stability.
- 12GB RAM (need help - see some options below)
- 4x 2TB disks in RAID10 for bulk storage
- Case and cooling (also need help)
Upgrade later:
When CPU/RAM prices come down and graphics/monitor manufacturers get their act together for ultra-res 3D gaming (hopefully within 8-12 months), I'll add:
- second Xeon Westmere CPU (board can handle different model CPU's from same family, so I assume different steppings won't be a problem)
- additional 12GB RAM
- 3x 30" 120Hz screens, for surround 3D gaming at 4800x2560 PPP. If impossible, then a single 30" to be flanked by my existing Samsungs for 4960x1600 in 2D mode (assuming PLP finally arrives)
- As many are needed of the most suitable GPU's (motherboard has 7x PCIe 2.0 x16 slots)
RATIONALE
I normally don't future-proof like this, as I figure by the time it becomes cheap to upgrade an old system the platform is already well on its way to extinction and you get more bang-for-your-buck on the new stuff. In fact I'm still struggling with whether to hold off on this luxury powerhouse altogether and just get a cheap i7 920 overclocked to 4+GHz in an Asus P6T to tide me over.
However with the delay of PCIe 3.0 and no significant platform improvements expected until Haswell in 2012 I figure I should be able to stretch the life of this beast a little longer than usual. (Yes there's Sandy Bridge but aside from AVX it seems to focus more on power reduction and mobile scenarios).
Aside from core count, one compelling reason I'm going with Westmere is for its AES instructions (TrueCrypt acceleration) and supposed virtualization improvements.
QUESTIONS
It's been years since I built a high-end PC and it seems every time I do this the whole industry has evolved dramatically and I have to start learning again from square one. If you see any glaring mistakes or incorrect assumptions above please shout out! Also..
1) What's the difference between UP/DP/MP CPU's? I assume these mean uni-processor, dual-processor and multi-processor, respectively. But from what I can tell the Westmere UP's work just fine in dual socket configurations (as per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_future_Intel_microprocessors#Xeon_UP.2C_Six-Core ) and the DP's work fine solo (since I'm told the DP chip above would work in a single-socket P6T).
2) Several RAM options are linked below. I'm leaning toward 1600MHz. Any thoughts on whether the price jump to 2000MHz+ would be justified for this rig? Any better memory suggestions?
3) How will eventually filling up all 12 RAM slots affect overclocking and speed (e.g. increased latencies/voltage?)
4) I predict obsolescence of this computer will be driven more by GPU advancements than CPU/chipset innovations. Does anyone know how long it took after PCIe 2.0 was released until we started seeing graphics cards that significantly outperformed their PCIe 1.0 counterparts using the new slot? It would help give me a frame of reference for life expectancy of this rig after PCIe 3.0 hits the market.
5) Need some help choosing and configuring a case. If I'm forced to go with something enormous, then I'd prefer to have space for additional hard drives. I currently have a NAS and wouldn't mind getting rid of it and adding an 8+ drive array right in my case instead of the RAID10 one mentioned above.. access will be much faster than over ethernet.
6) One other perk I'm considering is water-cooling to minimize noise. I'm not averse to the idea but imagine it’s a real pain when you want to swap out parts or change things. I haven't done water before.. anyone have suggestions?
I appreciate any help and advice the community has to offer!
CASE OPTIONS
The Classified SR-2 is a monstrous 13.58"x15" (some call it "WATX" form). The consensus seems to be Mountain Mods.
Mountain Mods models that will fit (some people say go with their Extended Ascension):
http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/606/watxassembly.jpg
Mountain Mods special branded parts:
http://www.mountainmods.com/images/10PCI_SR2.jpg
http://www.mountainmods.com/images/WATXPAN.jpg
Coolermaster HAF 932 will fit as well
RAM OPTIONS
- 2x 6GB kit (3x2GB) 1866MHz 8-8-8-28 1.65V OCZ Platimun OCZ3P1866LV6GK $347.90
http://www.ecsrv.com/ShopSearchPage.aspx?No=220146&ST=OCZ3P1866LV6GK
(Note sure if it they work on LGA1366 Triple channel mode - http://www.pureoverclock.com/review.php?id=824&page=2)
- 2x 6GB kit (3x2GB) 1600MHz 8-8-8-24 1.6V G.SKILL Ripjaws $377.98
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231304&cm_re=G.Skill_Ripjaws_1600-_-20-231-304-_-Product
- 1x 12GB kit (6x2GB) 1600MHz 9-9-9-24 1.6V Corsair XMS3 $377.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145235&nm_mc=OTC-sho6b0tCA&cm_mmc=OTC-sho6b0tCA-_-Memory+%28Desktop+Memory%29-_-Corsair+%28XMS+Series%29-_-20145235
- 1x 8GB kit (4x2GB) 2200MHz 7-10-10-28 1.65V G.Skill PI+Turbulence $419.99
(weird fan, and I didn't know you could do 4 modules in triple channel..)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231334&nm_mc=OTC-sho6b0tCA&cm_mmc=OTC-sho6b0tCA-_-Memory+%28Desktop+Memory%29-_-G.SKILL-_-20231334
- 1x 12GB kit (6x2GB) 1600MHz 8-8-8-24 1.65V Corsair Dominator $425
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145271&nm_mc=OTC-sho6b0tCA&cm_mmc=OTC-sho6b0tCA-_-Memory+%28Desktop+Memory%29-_-Corsair+%28XMS+Series%29-_-20145271
- 2x 6GB kit (3x2GB) 2000MHz 9-9-9-24 1.6V G.SkillTrident $438
http://www.shopbot.ca/r.html?catc=1&refproduct=&refshop=1712&refshopcodeid=9927522
- 12GB (3x4GB) 1600MHz 9-9-9-24 1.5V G.Skill Ripjaws $591.98
1x 4GB stick for $203.49 + 1x 8GB kit (2x4GB) for $388.49 from:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231313&cm_re=G.Skill_Ripjaws_1600-_-20-231-313-_-Product and http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314&nm_mc=OTC-sho6b0tCA&cm_mmc=OTC-sho6b0tCA-_-Memory+%28Desktop+Memory%29-_-G.SKILL-_-20231314
- 2x 6GB kit (3x2GB) 1600MHz 6-7-6-18 1.65V Mushkin Redline Ascent US$586.98
http://www.mushkin.com/Memory/Redline/998692.aspx
(Heatsink width blocks access to adjacent slots; can't have more than 12GB in this motherboard)
- 2x 6GB kit (3x2GB) 2000MHz 8.8.8-24 1.65V Kingston HyperX $619.98
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=024774&cid=RAM.346.218
-3x 4GB kit (2x2GB) 2300MHz 8-11-8-28 1.65V G.Skill US$652.05
(also has fan)
http://www.memoryc.com/products/description/4GB_G_Skill_DDR3_PC3_18400_Enhanced_Performance_PI_Series-Turbulence_Fan-8_11_8_28-Dual_kit/index.html
(or from Newegg CAD$818.97 http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231337)
- 3x 4GB kit (2x2GB) 2000MHz 6-9-6-24 1.65V G.Skill PIS Series F3 $659.97
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231336&cm_re=g.skill_pis-_-20-231-336-_-Product
- 1x 12GB kit (3x4GB) 1600MHz 9-9-9-24 1.65V Mushkin Enhanced Blackline $699.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226100&nm_mc=OTC-sho6b0tCA&cm_mmc=OTC-sho6b0tCA-_-Memory+%28Desktop+Memory%29-_-Mushkin+Enhanced-_-20226100
RESOURCES
EVGA Classified SR-2 FAQ:
http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.aspx?m=207370
MovieMan's build (as far as I know he's the only person outside EVGA who has a W555 right now):
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=246135
Show 100 posts at a time: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/printthread.php?t=246135&pp=100
Custom Water Block for (different) Motherboard
http://benchtec.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=5958
Calgary-based water cooling: http://www.coolitsystems.com
CRITICISM
No doubt a lot of people will think this build is ridiculous. If you have compelling arguments for why I should go the i7 920 route (aside from the obvious price differential) I'm open to hearing them, but please keep in mind the focus of the thread is this Classified SR-2 based build – appreciate if you'd stay on topic and don't hijack it into a flame war.
I need some help on a new build. I was hoping to hold out just a little while longer for multi-GPU to scale better and 3D gaming to mature, but my plans have recently been accelerated after my trusty & beloved old NCCH-DL became the unfortunate casualty of a fried Northbridge chip.
My goal is to optimize performance for all applications - gaming, encoding, development & simulations, running multiple resource-intensive VM's simultaneously, and of course playing Crysis 2 on max settings at 4800x2560 in 3D Vision Surround.. ;-). I'm expecting to pay a hefty premium for all this, though not to the point of putting down thousands of dollars for mere 2-3% performance gains.
I'm in Canada, though have no qualms ordering parts from abroad if it works out to be cheaper after exchange rate/customs/shipping (or for items unavailable domestically).
SPECS
Already have:
- 1x Ultra X3 1600W PSU
- 1x EVGA GTX295
- 2x Samsung 213T 1600x1200" LCD
- SSD-based RAID5 storage array that does 800MB/s+ read/write (requires one PCIe x8 slot)
Buy asap:
- 1x EVGA Classified SR-2 dual-socket motherboard (a.k.a. 270-G-W555, due out any day now)
- 1x 6-Core Xeon Gulftown Westmere-EP, 3.07GHz stock, A0 stepping. Cherry-picked and apparently overclocks on air to ~4.8GHz (turbo, 24X multiplier) @ ~200BCLK & ~1.58 Vcore. Will back off a bit if required for stability.
- 12GB RAM (need help - see some options below)
- 4x 2TB disks in RAID10 for bulk storage
- Case and cooling (also need help)
Upgrade later:
When CPU/RAM prices come down and graphics/monitor manufacturers get their act together for ultra-res 3D gaming (hopefully within 8-12 months), I'll add:
- second Xeon Westmere CPU (board can handle different model CPU's from same family, so I assume different steppings won't be a problem)
- additional 12GB RAM
- 3x 30" 120Hz screens, for surround 3D gaming at 4800x2560 PPP. If impossible, then a single 30" to be flanked by my existing Samsungs for 4960x1600 in 2D mode (assuming PLP finally arrives)
- As many are needed of the most suitable GPU's (motherboard has 7x PCIe 2.0 x16 slots)
RATIONALE
I normally don't future-proof like this, as I figure by the time it becomes cheap to upgrade an old system the platform is already well on its way to extinction and you get more bang-for-your-buck on the new stuff. In fact I'm still struggling with whether to hold off on this luxury powerhouse altogether and just get a cheap i7 920 overclocked to 4+GHz in an Asus P6T to tide me over.
However with the delay of PCIe 3.0 and no significant platform improvements expected until Haswell in 2012 I figure I should be able to stretch the life of this beast a little longer than usual. (Yes there's Sandy Bridge but aside from AVX it seems to focus more on power reduction and mobile scenarios).
Aside from core count, one compelling reason I'm going with Westmere is for its AES instructions (TrueCrypt acceleration) and supposed virtualization improvements.
QUESTIONS
It's been years since I built a high-end PC and it seems every time I do this the whole industry has evolved dramatically and I have to start learning again from square one. If you see any glaring mistakes or incorrect assumptions above please shout out! Also..
1) What's the difference between UP/DP/MP CPU's? I assume these mean uni-processor, dual-processor and multi-processor, respectively. But from what I can tell the Westmere UP's work just fine in dual socket configurations (as per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_future_Intel_microprocessors#Xeon_UP.2C_Six-Core ) and the DP's work fine solo (since I'm told the DP chip above would work in a single-socket P6T).
2) Several RAM options are linked below. I'm leaning toward 1600MHz. Any thoughts on whether the price jump to 2000MHz+ would be justified for this rig? Any better memory suggestions?
3) How will eventually filling up all 12 RAM slots affect overclocking and speed (e.g. increased latencies/voltage?)
4) I predict obsolescence of this computer will be driven more by GPU advancements than CPU/chipset innovations. Does anyone know how long it took after PCIe 2.0 was released until we started seeing graphics cards that significantly outperformed their PCIe 1.0 counterparts using the new slot? It would help give me a frame of reference for life expectancy of this rig after PCIe 3.0 hits the market.
5) Need some help choosing and configuring a case. If I'm forced to go with something enormous, then I'd prefer to have space for additional hard drives. I currently have a NAS and wouldn't mind getting rid of it and adding an 8+ drive array right in my case instead of the RAID10 one mentioned above.. access will be much faster than over ethernet.
6) One other perk I'm considering is water-cooling to minimize noise. I'm not averse to the idea but imagine it’s a real pain when you want to swap out parts or change things. I haven't done water before.. anyone have suggestions?
I appreciate any help and advice the community has to offer!
CASE OPTIONS
The Classified SR-2 is a monstrous 13.58"x15" (some call it "WATX" form). The consensus seems to be Mountain Mods.
Mountain Mods models that will fit (some people say go with their Extended Ascension):
http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/606/watxassembly.jpg
Mountain Mods special branded parts:
http://www.mountainmods.com/images/10PCI_SR2.jpg
http://www.mountainmods.com/images/WATXPAN.jpg
Coolermaster HAF 932 will fit as well
RAM OPTIONS
- 2x 6GB kit (3x2GB) 1866MHz 8-8-8-28 1.65V OCZ Platimun OCZ3P1866LV6GK $347.90
http://www.ecsrv.com/ShopSearchPage.aspx?No=220146&ST=OCZ3P1866LV6GK
(Note sure if it they work on LGA1366 Triple channel mode - http://www.pureoverclock.com/review.php?id=824&page=2)
- 2x 6GB kit (3x2GB) 1600MHz 8-8-8-24 1.6V G.SKILL Ripjaws $377.98
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231304&cm_re=G.Skill_Ripjaws_1600-_-20-231-304-_-Product
- 1x 12GB kit (6x2GB) 1600MHz 9-9-9-24 1.6V Corsair XMS3 $377.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145235&nm_mc=OTC-sho6b0tCA&cm_mmc=OTC-sho6b0tCA-_-Memory+%28Desktop+Memory%29-_-Corsair+%28XMS+Series%29-_-20145235
- 1x 8GB kit (4x2GB) 2200MHz 7-10-10-28 1.65V G.Skill PI+Turbulence $419.99
(weird fan, and I didn't know you could do 4 modules in triple channel..)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231334&nm_mc=OTC-sho6b0tCA&cm_mmc=OTC-sho6b0tCA-_-Memory+%28Desktop+Memory%29-_-G.SKILL-_-20231334
- 1x 12GB kit (6x2GB) 1600MHz 8-8-8-24 1.65V Corsair Dominator $425
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145271&nm_mc=OTC-sho6b0tCA&cm_mmc=OTC-sho6b0tCA-_-Memory+%28Desktop+Memory%29-_-Corsair+%28XMS+Series%29-_-20145271
- 2x 6GB kit (3x2GB) 2000MHz 9-9-9-24 1.6V G.SkillTrident $438
http://www.shopbot.ca/r.html?catc=1&refproduct=&refshop=1712&refshopcodeid=9927522
- 12GB (3x4GB) 1600MHz 9-9-9-24 1.5V G.Skill Ripjaws $591.98
1x 4GB stick for $203.49 + 1x 8GB kit (2x4GB) for $388.49 from:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231313&cm_re=G.Skill_Ripjaws_1600-_-20-231-313-_-Product and http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314&nm_mc=OTC-sho6b0tCA&cm_mmc=OTC-sho6b0tCA-_-Memory+%28Desktop+Memory%29-_-G.SKILL-_-20231314
- 2x 6GB kit (3x2GB) 1600MHz 6-7-6-18 1.65V Mushkin Redline Ascent US$586.98
http://www.mushkin.com/Memory/Redline/998692.aspx
(Heatsink width blocks access to adjacent slots; can't have more than 12GB in this motherboard)
- 2x 6GB kit (3x2GB) 2000MHz 8.8.8-24 1.65V Kingston HyperX $619.98
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=024774&cid=RAM.346.218
-3x 4GB kit (2x2GB) 2300MHz 8-11-8-28 1.65V G.Skill US$652.05
(also has fan)
http://www.memoryc.com/products/description/4GB_G_Skill_DDR3_PC3_18400_Enhanced_Performance_PI_Series-Turbulence_Fan-8_11_8_28-Dual_kit/index.html
(or from Newegg CAD$818.97 http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231337)
- 3x 4GB kit (2x2GB) 2000MHz 6-9-6-24 1.65V G.Skill PIS Series F3 $659.97
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231336&cm_re=g.skill_pis-_-20-231-336-_-Product
- 1x 12GB kit (3x4GB) 1600MHz 9-9-9-24 1.65V Mushkin Enhanced Blackline $699.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226100&nm_mc=OTC-sho6b0tCA&cm_mmc=OTC-sho6b0tCA-_-Memory+%28Desktop+Memory%29-_-Mushkin+Enhanced-_-20226100
RESOURCES
EVGA Classified SR-2 FAQ:
http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.aspx?m=207370
MovieMan's build (as far as I know he's the only person outside EVGA who has a W555 right now):
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=246135
Show 100 posts at a time: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/printthread.php?t=246135&pp=100
Custom Water Block for (different) Motherboard
http://benchtec.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=5958
Calgary-based water cooling: http://www.coolitsystems.com
CRITICISM
No doubt a lot of people will think this build is ridiculous. If you have compelling arguments for why I should go the i7 920 route (aside from the obvious price differential) I'm open to hearing them, but please keep in mind the focus of the thread is this Classified SR-2 based build – appreciate if you'd stay on topic and don't hijack it into a flame war.