Advice on my build.

[Drusin]

The wall that i'm running into at the moment is that I want a "silent" system (my current system is a jet engine) i'm willing to liquid cool but i'm not entirely sure of what parts I should get as i've heard all sorts of things about liquid cooling such as nickle water blocks flaking, corrosion, air bubbles in the line making the pump very loud, etc and being new to liquid cooling (this would be the first time) I don't want to ruin my system so if you could recommend parts for a WC loop i'd appreciate it. Also I would appreciate any input you guys have on the parts I have selected for my build.


Case: Caselabs MH10 (already ordered so don't say anything bad about it )
http://www.caselabs-store.com/magnum-mh10-case/

Motherboard: Supermicro X9DAi
http://www.supermicro.com/products/m...C600/X9DAi.cfm

CPU: Intel Xeon E5-2640
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo

RAM: Hynix HMT42GR7MFR4C-PB
http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?...FYqZ4Aod-RsALw

PSU: Corsair AX1200i
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139039

GPU: AMD Firepro W7000 (Crossfire)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814195118

OS Drive: OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-512G.M
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227820

Storage Drives: Western Digital RE WD4000FYYZ (x2)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo

Monitor: HP ZR2440w
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824176221

[chazus]

First: All the links you provided don't actually go to anything.

Second: Is there a particular reason you chose server parts? It looks like you're spending like... Four grand on a system for no listed reason.

[n0cturnal]

What is the purpose of this workstation?

Also it looks like Quadro is a better choice than Firepro this generation.
http://vr-zone.com/articles/why-amd-...ew-/17074.html

[jmacphee9]

this is for a server correct? i hope you didnt do this for a gaming only pc...

[Drusin]

First: All the links you provided don't actually go to anything.

Second: Is there a particular reason you chose server parts? It looks like you're spending like... Four grand on a system for no listed reason.

Fixed all the links.

It's at $6k at the moment

What is the purpose of this workstation?

Also it looks like Quadro is a better choice than Firepro this generation.
http://vr-zone.com/articles/why-amd-...ew-/17074.html

I take technical reviews with a grain of salt, not everyone tests the same and if a site is sponsored by another company or has ties with them the review may be skewed.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...k,3265-15.html

Rendering, Video/Photo Editing, compiling, and some folding. Never going to touch games.

[chazus]

Rendering, Video/Photo Editing, compiling, and some folding. Never going to touch games.

Do you do any of these professionally, like actually "This is my job and my income depends on this system being this powerful", not "I totally make animated gifs and stream 480p youtube".

If you don't do it professionally, you can shave off about $4000 easily.

[Drusin]

No I don't render professionally but it's something i'm going to be getting into and i'm not the type of person who will buy a PC for my current abilities I always buy/build under the assumption that i'll need the power eventually.

[n0cturnal]

Since it is something you will be getting into later wouldn't it be a better idea to start with something like a workstation for maybe 2k as a start?
And then later on if you feel like you need more performance you can spend a bit more.

[chazus]

No I don't render professionally but it's something i'm going to be getting into and i'm not the type of person who will buy a PC for my current abilities I always buy/build under the assumption that i'll need the power eventually.

a $2k system is more power than you will need eventually, to be honest. The only reason to spend more than that, really, is because it's being bought for you, and the money can't go elsewhere.

[Drusin]

But by doing that i'll be spending more overall correct? If the system I want now is 6k and instead I spend 2k on a "learner" then I get to a point where I exceed the capabilities of my hardware and I need to spend the 6k I could have just spent that extra 2k at the beginning on more hardware. The only way I can see for that logic to make sense is if I use a processor that I can add to a 4 socket board later on but 4 socket boards don't have the add-on capabilities of 2 socket boards.

[chazus]

But by doing that i'll be spending more overall correct?

No. I can't think of anything you'll be doing that would require you to spend more than 2k. Anything after that is flashy fluff, especially if you aren't gaming.

If the system I want now is 6k and instead I spend 2k on a "learner" then I get to a point where I exceed the capabilities of my hardware and I need to spend the 6k I could have just spent that extra 2k at the beginning on more hardware.

Honestly? It kind of sounds like the system you 'want' is 6k because you don't understand what hardware requirements the stuff you use is. A 2k system is a beast of a system. A 6k system either means you want to look cool on forums, or you don't actually know what you're doing.

Not trying to insult, but it just doesn't sound like you're doing anything that requires that.

[Drusin]

I don't know what i'm doing which is why i'm here I can put the system together but what retard can't. I don't really care about looking cool because I don't go in the forums much anyways as you can see by my post count. I'll do more research but everywhere i've currently been the motto for any rendering/folding is "More = faster"

[chazus]

I'd have to look into it, but I suppose a xeon might fold faster? But is running a free background program that doesn't do anything for you worth $4000? I guess if you have that money, you can throw it away like it means nothing. Most people have finite funds, and want the most bang for the buck. You don't buy a BMW just to drive the the post office.

As for rendering, a 2k system can easily handle professional level rendering for sure. I... suppose A xeon would also go faster there too, but again.. It's not worth $4000 unless you are a professional who literally benefits from shaving time off a render process. I'm talking about people who do it all day, and the benefit can turn a 40 hour render process into a 30 hour one. I... I just don't get the 'feeling' that you do that, based of lack of info.

EDIT: I did some research. Xeon's are really not more effective than, say, an i5 or i7. Amongst the Folding community, they're a waste of money, and most of these people base performance on cost vs progress. If you really are a 'Folding Guy', you're better off buying 2-5 individual systems with i5's, rather than one stupidly overpriced one.

That said, Folding DOES benefit from more powerful GPUs, with a caveat. First off, nVidia is just flat out better, so you'd want a powerful nVidia card. Second, it does NOT work with SLI. With two cards, you will need to have two separate folding clients running separate packages, on separate installs. Again... This is really just for REAL folding people. It seems to me like folding is more of something cool to do with University computers with extra budgets, not individuals. I used to do SETI myself, and installed it on dang near every computer I could get my USB drive on.

Rendering! This is tricky, simply because you say "Rendering" but that doesn't... mean anything. That's like your doctor asking you what you had for lunch, and you reply, "some food". Rendering can mean a LOT of things, and a lot of programs. Some programs may, or may not benefit from more cores, or Hyperthreading.

All in all, I think you'd be perfectly happy with a $2000 system. Shit, I think EVERYONE on this entire forum, would be friggin ecstatic for that. That's a LOT of money for a computer. I'm building a computer for my brother, and we're using -almost- top of the line everything, and I literally had trouble breaking the $1500 mark. Anything after 1500 is going to start hitting massive diminishing returns on price/performance.

[Drusin]

I understand what you mean, I showed this thread to a friend and he said that it gave off the same vibe. The money isn't really too important, without going into details I was pretty much just given it and i don't really need it so I figured i'd upgrade my system since it's around 4 years old.

I also did some research and I see the 2k systems you're referring to specifically the HP Z800 series http://www.hp.com/united-states/camp...l#.UO5VSXfKPW8 and comparing my build to that it's the non performance extras in my build that are causing the price to go up primarily. I have (2) 3TB drives in my build and that system only has 500g, which I do need that space as right now i've personally filled nearly 12TB's of space (only have a few hundred gigs left ). My case alone was almost $900(accessories + $200 (2) day shipping). Good news though is that by your response I can tell my system is more than able to handle what I want to do . Now I just need to figure out all this water cooling business and I can order everything else.

---------- Post added 2013-01-09 at 10:22 PM ----------

--In Response to your Edit--

I did some research. Xeon's are really not more effective than, say, an i5 or i7. Amongst the Folding community, they're a waste of money, and most of these people base performance on cost vs progress. If you really are a 'Folding Guy', you're better off buying 2-5 individual systems with i5's, rather than one stupidly overpriced one.

That said, Folding DOES benefit from more powerful GPUs, with a caveat. First off, nVidia is just flat out better, so you'd want a powerful nVidia card. Second, it does NOT work with SLI. With two cards, you will need to have two separate folding clients running separate packages, on separate installs. Again... This is really just for REAL folding people. It seems to me like folding is more of something cool to do with University computers with extra budgets, not individuals. I used to do SETI myself, and installed it on dang near every computer I could get my USB drive on.

Thanks for that information I would consider adjusting my build because of that but i'd have to look into it. OT: There should be a simcraft app for computer builds to test potential lol.

Rendering! This is tricky, simply because you say "Rendering" but that doesn't... mean anything. That's like your doctor asking you what you had for lunch, and you reply, "some food". Rendering can mean a LOT of things, and a lot of programs. Some programs may, or may not benefit from more cores, or Hyper threading.

Lol yea i'll be more clear on my intent. I want to make high quality molecular models mostly (hey some people collect coins), I also want to dabble in 3D animation but to be clear i'll never ever do this for money but I would prefer to not feel like i'm back on dial up internet trying to stream video lol and i'm scared a $2k system won't live up to my expectations :S.

And I easily broke the $1500 dollar mark with my current computer which is nothing special but that was due to having to buy a computer and a mountain of accessories.

[chazus]

I want to make high quality molecular models mostly (hey some people collect coins), I also want to dabble in 3D animation but to be clear i'll never ever do this for money but I would prefer to not feel like i'm back on dial up internet trying to stream video lol and i'm scared a $2k system won't live up to my expectations :S

Thats the problem, your expectations are all.. kinda funky.

My girlfriend saw this post, and said "You know he's trolling you, right?" I'm.... pretty sure that's not the case? But the point is... Your expectations are not where they should be. My system costs $900, and I'm certain that it can handle 3D rendering just fine. Does it run as fast as the systems at Pixar or Dreamworks? No. But it works enough that I could do that Professionally (As in main source of income).

A $2000 system is pretty much bordering overkill for even that (without accesories), and you're pushing into the land of superfluous hardware. If Folding is a big deal for you, and 'helping the community', you're better off getting a $2000 system, and just donating $4000 to a charity, you'd 'help' more that way. I understand that you just want something that works well, but a $2000 system is something that 99% of the world will drool over. A $6000 system is something that would just make people angry because the money is just being wasted at that point, as the performance gains are... minimal. And have long since been so.

[Drusin]

My girlfriend saw this post, and said "You know he's trolling you, right?" I'm.... pretty sure that's not the case?

Nope not the case at all but I did think you were trolling me when you said this

No. I can't think of anything you'll be doing that would require you to spend more than 2k. Anything after that is flashy fluff, especially if you aren't gaming.

What games are these people playing lol

But I will take what you have told me into consideration, i'll try and find people who do it for a living and see what kinds of setups they have, that should help a good bit. Thanks for sticking with me

[jmacphee9]

i dunno i wish you best of luck with the computer, but you do realize alot of the stuff you want to learn people spend years in school learning to do? it doesnt seem to be pick up on a whim stuff..

[Drusin]

i dunno i wish you best of luck with the computer, but you do realize alot of the stuff you want to learn people spend years in school learning to do? it doesnt seem to be pick up on a whim stuff..

I'm awake for 17 hours a day and I don't have to work, i've got nothing but time.