Planning builds

[WoodenMarker]

What's an awkward request?

I was just thinking the low resolution IPS panel was awkward.

I will give it a day or 2 with the cleaned up assembly to determine if anything else needs to be done. May perform better with the lower temps maintaining a higher clockrate (I would assume that if it is running too hot it would downclock to avoid damage, yes?) 

Yeah. If it gets too hot, it'll downclock or outright shut down to prevent damage. 

[Sheldon_King]

@WoodenMarker

 

Yea, that would probably be a little awkward I guess. I don't know if it is IPS or not. All I know is it is 1366x768, Matte, and has much better colors than the 1080p acer display. No complaints though, as the displays are fine for what I use them for, and fit just perfect on the desk.

 

I am going to go test some normal usage scenarios here in a bit. Prime95 has been running for almost 4 hours and the max temp reached so far is 78*C, which should be safe enough. 4 hours should be enough time too, as it is not testing anything but temps seeing as there is no overclock on anything, and the components are factory installed except for the hard drive.

[Sheldon_King]

@WoodenMarker

 

Okay, just a little update for today. Have installed, to my dislike, windows 8.1 Pro on the system, and it is running a little better than it was. Still hitting the max on CPU usage every now and again though. RAM and CPU seem to be the main limiting factors at this particular time, so those are the first updates here, as well as new headphones.

 

One problem, and it does not really affect it too much, that I encountered is Vista and 7 refuse to install on this system. It will go through the install until it gets to installing hardware/drivers (I may be off a bit on th eexact wording, but it is the section after the reboot, before you enter user accounts) and then it says that windows can not be configured for your system (I may be slightly off on that wording too.).  Tried it with ACHI and Compatibility on the SATA mode and Virtualization on and off, and could not get it to install farther than that. Windows 2000, XP, and 8.1 install fine, as does Ubuntu and Crunchbang Linux, so I am quite sure it is a vista/7 problem, not the computer. Not a big problem, 8 is not that much worse aside from the mandatory password to login (and there is probably a way around that). (Have also tried multiple drives, Western Digital Blue and Hatachi Travelstar (3 total), to rule that out too).

 

Temps are still staying low too, so that is an improvement at least.

[WoodenMarker]

Okay, just a little update for today. Have installed, to my dislike, windows 8.1 Pro on the system, and it is running a little better than it was. Still hitting the max on CPU usage every now and again though. RAM and CPU seem to be the main limiting factors at this particular time, so those are the first updates here, as well as new headphones.

 

One problem, and it does not really affect it too much, that I encountered is Vista and 7 refuse to install on this system. It will go through the install until it gets to installing hardware/drivers (I may be off a bit on th eexact wording, but it is the section after the reboot, before you enter user accounts) and then it says that windows can not be configured for your system (I may be slightly off on that wording too.).  Tried it with ACHI and Compatibility on the SATA mode and Virtualization on and off, and could not get it to install farther than that. Windows 2000, XP, and 8.1 install fine, as does Ubuntu and Crunchbang Linux, so I am quite sure it is a vista/7 problem, not the computer. Not a big problem, 8 is not that much worse aside from the mandatory password to login (and there is probably a way around that). (Have also tried multiple drives, Western Digital Blue and Hatachi Travelstar (3 total), to rule that out too).

 

Temps are still staying low too, so that is an improvement at least.

You might need to load a specific driver for the hdd from a usb drive depending on your laptop. 

[Sheldon_King]

@WoodenMarker

I highly doubt that. My D630 with the same chipset (965PM/ICH8m) did not need any additional drivers, and neither does windows XP/2000. Either way, it does not really matter. I have several OS to choose from as it stands. Just bothers me a little bit that I only have 1 supported microsoft option (aside from server OS, but I would not put out that kind of money for software). 

[Sheldon_King]

@WoodenMarker 

okay, so I think I have this figured out by now (still planning though. Money is 2 weeks (more or less) away, so hoping to get it ironed out now. 

 

The hardware is getting a little complicated to determine what I want to do with it, but one thing at a time. 

 

Components: 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121803  (R9 280x) 

or 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127758 (R9 290) 

 

I am thinking the difference may make it worth the $100 more for the 290 if I choose to start mining litecoin, or maybe it would be there for folding/BOINC since they are using processing power instead of equally hitting the GPU, Memory, and Memory Bus. Don't know. The main thing is planning out a water loop, I know there are blocks for the r9 280x, but seeing as there are no reference cards out there, it may or may not be a venture into shaky ground there. Not really interested in the air cooling properties, as I can make it quieter with water cooling, and achieve a lower average temp. Win Win there. 

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139024

or 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=11-146-095%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20

They are both the same price, so no harm either way there. The switch is larger (I think), has support for the same basic things (fan locations and rad support is about equal. The switch will mount a 2x120 rad with the HDD fan location, but the 750D will allow the removal of the HDD cages for rad support there.). I am leaning towards the 750D due to the 2,5" sleds on the back of the unit allowing the use of laptop HDDs instead of the 3.5" desktop drives. Downsides being lower performance (I think) and smaller capacity (the largest 2.5" drive is 2TB and it cost the same as a 4TB 3.6" drive.) I am thinking probably going with the 750D here, unless you see a reason to not go with it. Could also do something else as long as it is equal price or cheaper (could swing a little bit more, but I am thinking a $1500 budget should be more than enough as is). What are you thinking about this? 

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820178455

or 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820239045

I am still willing to throw a SSD at the issue to determine if it is me, the SSD, or possibly something that I did to it. For $100, it is not exactly a breaking the bank choice. These are probably just rebrands of a single design, so both will likely perform the same. I have used Kingston RAM before and not had anything go wrong, so that is the reason for that choice. PNY is only chosen because of the price. Reads and Writes are faster on the Kingston, but that may not mean much. 

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145848 & http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145875 (750D) 

or 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148844 (Switch 810) 

This is simple, 1TB for games and 1TB for other datas with the 750D. The switch 810 option is simply because it is cheaper for the 3TB ($110) than it is to do a 2TB ($100) at this point. May drop to a 2TB for the switch also, don't really know for sure yet. As is games are sitting in a 95% full 500GB Partition on the 1TB, so a TB target should last for a couple more years.  

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132010

or 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102033

The choice here is going to come down to what headphones I settle on. the ATM-M50 and Custom One Pro are 32 ohm so no amp necessary there (creative card), but the DT880m is 250 ohm and would need the amp (Asus). Either way getting a sound card, as the Realtek card on my Asus board is starting to fail (as in some power cycles I have sound, and other times I get no sound output at all (from both headphone port and the green port on the I/O Plate). Don;t really care which I get really, having used Asus and Creative's products in the past, and both are decent components. May go for something else too, still doing research into audio and such. 

 

For watercooling, I am starting a thread in the appropriate section right after this, but I am thinking a Apogee HD block, full cover heatkiller GPU block, 1 360mm and 1 240mm radiator, black industrial hose, compression fittings, and a XSPC kit that has the pump and reservoir in the same unit. 

 

Does this look any better than the previous builds? 

 

Still waiting and watching on the laptop. There is 700ish dollars of wiggle in the budget here, so that should probably cover any upgrades or replacements necessary on that. It is running pretty well as is though. Temps are still staying lower, the OS is operationally fine, and the screen seems to be staying as is with the cracked bezzle, so that is a nice to be fixed, but not necessary for operation. RAM is still a niceity, not a necessity at this point (still looking at about 3GB utilization on average. Good news is that reinstalling would not be necessary with the RAM upgrade, as it is running windows 8.1 Pro 64bit as is. 

[WoodenMarker]

The 750D is pretty much the same as the Switch 810 but better.

The 750d has 3.5" bays.... no need to get 2.5" drives.

$1500 is a very respectable budget.

The ssd's are not rebrands of the same ssd. The HyperX 3K is better. I'd take a look at 840 Evo's though. They're getting pretty cheap.

Why such expensive 1TB drives..? Just get a 3TB seagate barracuda.

I'm not an audio expert but it sounds like you have a good idea of what to do. You should head over to the Audio section for some more in depth help there.

Sounds pretty good.

[Sheldon_King]

@WoodenMarker 

In order to mount a radiator to the front 2x120mm in the 750D it is necessary to remove the 3.5" bays, or at least that is my understanding of it. I was planning on using a XSPC EX240 for the radiator, which is 35.5mm thick (plus fans, but I think there is room for them either way). I am mainly wanting it for the 2.5" bays out back though. I know it is more expensive, but it also gives a cleaner look to the build. Just a little quirk, but I don't like the look of a stack of 6 spaces with only 2 in use. It looks empty. (I know that is an opinion. and removing the top 3.5" bay would leave a half built look.) 

Honestly, if I upgrade on the 3.5" Side of things, I would just get another 1TB and use 2x1TB for 2TB (Using my 1TB drive that I already have). I could do that in either case, but I prefer the smaller drive (and should I not use one of them too much, then I can throw it in a laptop, where a 3.5" Drive would either be used or empty, and if unused, then it sits there doing nothing (which is a waste). I hope you are understanding. 

They are not that much more expensive actually. The 5400 RPM is the same price as a Seagate SV35 1TB. And for 2.5" Drives, they are very cheap (while avoiding Toshiba that is). 

 

I understand that. But not knowing what is involved with the internals too much, it seems like they could use maybe the same controller with similar memory chips, limiting speed would likely be just a matter of tweaking the firmware. I don't know if it works like that or not, but you can understand what my reasoning was, right? Could be the same parts with different performance. Just like strapping a 800CFM Holly to a 351 is not going to automatically give you more power (assuming one was just taking it out of the box and bolting it on. Adjustments are needed.) 

 

The only thing that I am worried about with the 750D is the USB 3 ports. My board does not have a header for that, so I would need an adapter card. Not counting that in budget though, as I would need that with any USB3 case, so it is a given. 

[WoodenMarker]

Why not a 360mm on top and 120/140mm in front?

I was just confused as the HGST 1TB you linked was $80.

[Sheldon_King]

The more expensive drive is the 7200RPM one. The $79 one is comparable in price to a 1TB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148912). Given a desktop WD Blue is just as fast and $12 cheaper, but to me the savings is not worth the look of the drive bays, and chance of being unecessary (If I find that 1TB is uneeded, I can pull the 320GB from the laptop and use that for a scratch.storage disk and the 1TB in the laptop. But If I find the 3.5" drive is unecessary, there is no where to go from there. (Getting what I am on about? The value is not lost, it is just transferred). 

 

The main reason is that it would be about the same price and have less cooling efficiency (given that 480mm will be more than enough for GPU and CPU cooling and overclocking). But the price is a great reason.  (the EX120 is $40 and the EX240 is $50). 

Edited December 5, 2013 by Sheldon_King

[WoodenMarker]

The more expensive drive is the 7200RPM one. The $79 one is comparable in price to a 1TB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148912). Given a desktop WD Blue is just as fast and $12 cheaper, but to me the savings is not worth the look of the drive bays, and chance of being unecessary (If I find that 1TB is uneeded, I can pull the 320GB from the laptop and use that for a scratch.storage disk and the 1TB in the laptop. But If I find the 3.5" drive is unecessary, there is no where to go from there. (Getting what I am on about? The value is not lost, it is just transferred). 

 

The main reason is that it would be about the same price and have less cooling efficiency (given that 480mm will be more than enough for GPU and CPU cooling and overclocking). But the price is a great reason.  (the EX120 is $40 and the EX240 is $50). 

Sounds good.

Why SV35 and not the barracuda?

[Sheldon_King]

The SV35 choice was in the hopes that they build better enterprise drives than they do consumer drives. I know my last one (ST31000524AS) was not a very high quality drive. It is the only drive that I have ever had break a sata connector. The actual plastic support in the data cable broke off in the cable, and it is not even hotswaped either. Just used as a normal drive, and never been dropped.  Might be a freak of luck issue there, but having used Hatachi, Seagate, WD, and Toshiba, and IBM drives, Seagate is the only ones that have ever had any connector break (aside from the plastic guard on the Molex power of a Deskstar, but that did not affect functionality and only looked bad is you looked for the small break specifically). I know this may be a single issue with a single drive (Just like not trusting Toshiba drives, have had 2 fail in use (as in throwing errors in the SMART log), and I don't exactly give the drives a gentle ride in laptops, but still, WD, IBM, and Hatachi have never gave an issue in the same machines. 

I guess the TL:DR version would be "I hope the connector is better built on the enterprise drive than the consumer drives" 

[WoodenMarker]

The SV35 choice was in the hopes that they build better enterprise drives than they do consumer drives. I know my last one (ST31000524AS) was not a very high quality drive. It is the only drive that I have ever had break a sata connector. The actual plastic support in the data cable broke off in the cable, and it is not even hotswaped either. Just used as a normal drive, and never been dropped.  Might be a freak of luck issue there, but having used Hatachi, Seagate, WD, and Toshiba, and IBM drives, Seagate is the only ones that have ever had any connector break (aside from the plastic guard on the Molex power of a Deskstar, but that did not affect functionality and only looked bad is you looked for the small break specifically). I know this may be a single issue with a single drive (Just like not trusting Toshiba drives, have had 2 fail in use (as in throwing errors in the SMART log), and I don't exactly give the drives a gentle ride in laptops, but still, WD, IBM, and Hatachi have never gave an issue in the same machines. 

I guess the TL:DR version would be "I hope the connector is better built on the enterprise drive than the consumer drives" 

I think you just had bad luck. I'd just stick with the barracuda. If you want a drive with a nice warranty, go wd red. 

[Sheldon_King]

@WoodenMarker 

That very well may be the case. The drive still functions with the busted connector, but only with that one SATA cable (due to the orientation of the drive (PCB up), the pins are at the top, and gravity,*inthought edit* actually no, the pins are on top and so is the SATA cable, just getting another cable to stay aligned would be difficult though. Either way, it is not worth messing with though. I am probably going with the laptop drive (the 7200 RPM), as I already have a couple of drives I could use as scratch disks, if I need more, then I can get a larger drive later when I can for sure justify it. Really all the scratch disk will hold is Music (MP3 for now, might go with something lossless later), Pictures (maybe 10 total, if that), Documents (hot editing. the finished ones are on the work server), and downloads. Programs are in Partition 2 on the seagate HDD and games are in partition 1.

 

Edit: Sorry about not tagging you last time. I forgot to for whatever reason.  

[WoodenMarker]

Sounds good.