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- Joined
- 19 Jul 2011
- Posts
- 126
- Location
- Scotland
Hey all. I post here often asking around on how my builds look and how they should work. I do media production (video, photo & audio) as well as game occasionally, but my main concern is x264 compression.
I've definitely decided to get a second PC purely for video compression, and these are the two systems:
Media Creator & Gamer:
Intel i7 3930k - Overclocking with HyperThreading but not TurboBoost, hopefully to around 4.6GHz or more.*
Asus Rampage IV Extreme x79
G.Skill RipJawsZ 32GB (8x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz Quad Channel - Considering the 16GB 2400MHz kit, but unsure.**
Zotac GeForce GTX580 3GB - Just one is fine.
Corsair H100 WaterCooler
Logitech G110 Keyboard - The macro-keys and backlighting are takers. The macro's can be used for Adobe apps!
Either CoolerMaster Silent Pro 850W or 1000W - Undecided
* I'd like to keep HT enabled as high it will go with the H100. I don't have cash for a custom loop even though I'd love one. Someone commented on the 3960x on how they reached 5.9GHz but that's obviously with HT and TB disabled. I'm sure x264 can utilize HT capabilities, so unless it doesn't, HT will be staying on. 5GHz with HT would be phenomenal.
** Adobe recommends +24GB of RAM, and the problem I had with the 1155 socket was the 16GB max (or 32GB if you could splash on 8GB modules) so 32GB of RAM at 150 pounds seems worth it, though I may benefit from the 2400MHz RAM. Problem here is half as much RAM costs twice as much, so 600 quid on 32GB RAM doesn't seem reasonable for such an upgrade when I'm not even sure if I'd even notice a difference.
For this machine, I already have:
OCZ Agility 3 120GB SSD
Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB HDD
Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB HDD
Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB HDD
CoolerMaster CM 690 II Case
Samsung 6x BR-ROM / 24x DVD-RW
M-Audio AV40 Speakers
Tascam US-800 Audio interface
Win7 Ultimate x64
Excluding the things I have, I'm managing to get the mentioned parts for a total of £1650 including delivery, some parts from OCUK, some not.
WorkHorse / Server
2 X Intel Xeon W3680 Hex Core
EVGA Classified SR2
Corsair Memory Dominator 24GB 1600MHz Tri Channel - Might swap out for something cheaper.
Palit GeForce GTX 560Ti 2GB - Just one is fine too!
Case/PSU undecided
WinServer Ultimate
All in all I'm getting this system for around £2300. Again, some parts from OCUK, some not!
How are these rigs looking?
Hopefully the Server will almost double my FPS in x264 so as long as I only have 1 PC on at a time I can save on power usage.
Thanks for any feedback considering either rig!
Main questions are:
What voltages and GHz should I be aiming for with the main system since I'll be getting that one first? (Aiming for +4.5GHz WITH HT)
Am I overshooting RAM or graphics for the server/workhorse?
Would I see a credible difference between 16GB 2400MHz and 32GB 1600MHz? (Overall, 32GB would yield more flexibility but it's down to raw performance.)
Since I'm waiting about 10 months to buy this first beast, would it be worth waiting for the IvyBridge version of the 2011 (6/8 core) socket?
I've definitely decided to get a second PC purely for video compression, and these are the two systems:
Media Creator & Gamer:
Intel i7 3930k - Overclocking with HyperThreading but not TurboBoost, hopefully to around 4.6GHz or more.*
Asus Rampage IV Extreme x79
G.Skill RipJawsZ 32GB (8x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz Quad Channel - Considering the 16GB 2400MHz kit, but unsure.**
Zotac GeForce GTX580 3GB - Just one is fine.
Corsair H100 WaterCooler
Logitech G110 Keyboard - The macro-keys and backlighting are takers. The macro's can be used for Adobe apps!
Either CoolerMaster Silent Pro 850W or 1000W - Undecided
* I'd like to keep HT enabled as high it will go with the H100. I don't have cash for a custom loop even though I'd love one. Someone commented on the 3960x on how they reached 5.9GHz but that's obviously with HT and TB disabled. I'm sure x264 can utilize HT capabilities, so unless it doesn't, HT will be staying on. 5GHz with HT would be phenomenal.
** Adobe recommends +24GB of RAM, and the problem I had with the 1155 socket was the 16GB max (or 32GB if you could splash on 8GB modules) so 32GB of RAM at 150 pounds seems worth it, though I may benefit from the 2400MHz RAM. Problem here is half as much RAM costs twice as much, so 600 quid on 32GB RAM doesn't seem reasonable for such an upgrade when I'm not even sure if I'd even notice a difference.
For this machine, I already have:
OCZ Agility 3 120GB SSD
Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB HDD
Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB HDD
Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB HDD
CoolerMaster CM 690 II Case
Samsung 6x BR-ROM / 24x DVD-RW
M-Audio AV40 Speakers
Tascam US-800 Audio interface
Win7 Ultimate x64
Excluding the things I have, I'm managing to get the mentioned parts for a total of £1650 including delivery, some parts from OCUK, some not.

WorkHorse / Server
2 X Intel Xeon W3680 Hex Core
EVGA Classified SR2
Corsair Memory Dominator 24GB 1600MHz Tri Channel - Might swap out for something cheaper.
Palit GeForce GTX 560Ti 2GB - Just one is fine too!
Case/PSU undecided
WinServer Ultimate
All in all I'm getting this system for around £2300. Again, some parts from OCUK, some not!
How are these rigs looking?
Hopefully the Server will almost double my FPS in x264 so as long as I only have 1 PC on at a time I can save on power usage.
Thanks for any feedback considering either rig!
Main questions are:
What voltages and GHz should I be aiming for with the main system since I'll be getting that one first? (Aiming for +4.5GHz WITH HT)
Am I overshooting RAM or graphics for the server/workhorse?
Would I see a credible difference between 16GB 2400MHz and 32GB 1600MHz? (Overall, 32GB would yield more flexibility but it's down to raw performance.)
Since I'm waiting about 10 months to buy this first beast, would it be worth waiting for the IvyBridge version of the 2011 (6/8 core) socket?
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