Severe geek post

[greatbear]

Some have expressed an interest in the computer I have been spawning in the Manic Mechanic Tactical Underground Bunker of Mayhem.

This one, like the one it's replacing, is based on high-end 'gaming' hardware but will be used also as the main 'studio' PC like it's predecessor. I have found that using this sort of hardware makes a solid foundation for audio and multimedia as well. In addition to the raw speed, always welcome when dealing with big multimedia files, the 'tuning' of the hardware that aids in gaming actually seems to benefit audio work as well. It also helps that the motherboard is essentially stripped to the bare essentials regarding onboard peripherals and connectivity (no serial or parallel ports for one) freeing up resources and leaving it to me to add only what I need. The various power supplies and controllers on the mobo are fitted with high-end capacitors these days since having problems with more common parts breaking down. Makes for an overall great box for just about anything I throw at it, and I can throw a lot.

Like the old rig, this new box is going to be water cooled. My current PC has run solid and very quiet for over two years running almost 24/7 with flawless watercooling reliability. Since this is set up in my 'studio', I prefer not having a wind tunnel blasting away. With the new box, I added additional controls to control fan noise to make it nearly silent. The water cooling will be completed last, right now everything is using stock air cooling. The EVGA video cards get ridiculously hot, despite the cooling solution they come with. The pretty heatsinks and shrouding that is currently on them will give way to waterblocks.

I am about 2/3 finished with the new rig. Right now I am just tinkering with it, running benchmarks and eye candy sort of stuff on it until I sort things out. I need a pair of hard drives to create a RAID 0 array for the OS, one more bigass drive for data, libraries and backups, and a sound card and TV tuner. I discovered I might have a problem with one of the RAM modules, and will have to shout at Corsair to make it right.

The Goods:

AMD Athlon X2 4400 Dual Core CPU

Abit Fatality AN8-SLI Motherboard w/ uGuru Panel

A pair of EVGA e-GeForce 7800 GTX KO video cards with 256M GDDR-3 RAM running in SLI mode

A matched pair of Corsair XMS Xpert CMXP512-3200XL 512M Low Latency RAM modules

Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 300G SATA Hard Drive

Plextor 716-AL 16X Slot Load DVD+/-RW DL Drive

Sony DRU800 16X DVD+/-RW DL Drive

Benq 8X Light Scribe DVD+/-RW DL Drive

ATI HDTV Wonder HDTV Tuner Card

PC Power and Cooling Turbo-Cool 850 SSI Power Supply

Koolance PC3-720BK Case w/ Integrated Water Cooling


The Extras:

Enermax 4-Channel Temp Control/Fanbus

4 Antec 80mm Smart Cool Fans

Y-E Data 7-In-1 Media Reader with 3 1/2 Floppy

Some generic Bluetooth module


The Needs:

A Pair of Western Digital Raptor X 150G 10,000rpm SATA Hard Drives in RAID 0

Creative X-Fi Elite Pro Sound Card w/ External I/O Unit

I'll also be ripping the too-cool heatsinks from the video cards and replacing them with waterblocks after I sort out the system. Even with the enhanced aircooling, those cards run ridiculously hot. The water cooling setup can easily dissipate over 700 watts of heat, and do so quietly. RIght now I am stressing everything out at 'stock' clocks just to see how things run. I think one of the RAM modules is illin', I get random lockups of the PC and a freezing of the display on one of the modules when this happens. When I get more of a chance to tinker with this beast I will try and confirm it. I would also like to eventually run 2 gigs of RAM, so I might just get the extra modules and see how they do.

Comments

[lukebacca.livejournal.com]

That is going to be one crazy-fast machine. I'm totally envious.

[jrjarrett.livejournal.com]

Is a Tactical Underground Bunker of Mayhem anything like a Fortress of Solitude or a Redoubt of Terror?

[jn1701e.livejournal.com]

Okay.. this Machine sounds like it's going to be sex on legs! sounds like it could run a Galaxy Class starship.

[jackal.livejournal.com]

what was the final price tag?

i ask because i'm trying to decide between building my next computer by hand vs. just buying an alienware pre-built box.

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

So far I spent about 3550 on this box, and it's not done yet. I need the two Raptor drives and the soundcard arrangement, plus watherblocks and incidental little bits. By the time it's all said and done, I will have close to five grand just in the box itself, no displays, keyboards, speaks, anything. It's a bit ridiculous, but nothing that can be generally bought can be configured as such. Closest I can think of is the incredible systems and custom boxes by Falcon Northwest. Here you can easily exceed what I have been doing with mine. Alienware makes very good systems, and when it's time for me to finally get a new laptop, I am probably going to get one from there. Going nuts on the Falcon page putting together the ultimate laptop can easily run over 6 grand without hitting every option!

You cant go wrong with Alienware, especially if you dont get too extravagant. If you want the ultimate custom box, go for Falcon Northwest. Or do what I do and pick every component individually and roll your own. Disadvantage there is that you are your own tech support. I dont see that as a disadvantage to those like you or me, but sometimes it's nice just to shove something back at the manufacturer and tell them to make it right. I myself just love messing with hardware. Always have.

[texaspenguin.livejournal.com]

I need to change my pants.

[psuweightlifter.livejournal.com]

/me starts to rub his nipples