Need some build advice/suggestions

colinmcr

colinmcr

colinmcr

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Joined
17 Mar 2009
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2,475
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Scotland
Hi guys,

I'm in the process of planning a new rig for some folding goodness for myself and would like some ideas on what I need to complete it.

Now I have already gone and ordered the following parts (even though I'm not back in the UK for 3 weeks)

Asus Rampage IV Black Edition X79 motherboard
Intel 4930k processor
x2 TeamGroup Xtreem LV 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-20800C10 2600MHz Ram
Samsung 256GB Pro SSD

Now in 3 wks I'll be back home, but only for 1 wk before heading off and hols with the family. So I have plenty time to sort this out.

I know you are gonna ask about budget, so lets just say its not really an issue for me, but I do tend to be "sensible". So x4 Titans is unlikely.

1) So first off I need a home for all the components, I have never built a water cooled rig so I'd like to go down that route, so need something with plenty space.

2) I guess the next big question is which GPU's to use? I'd like to take advantage of the capabilities of the motherboard, but maybe I should keep it simple and use just 2 cards.

3) PSU ? Should I go for 1000W+ Any recommendations? Guess it depends on the amount of GPU's and which ones....

4) I'm a windows man but not sure I like Win 8 should I stick with 7 ? Does it really matter for folding?

5) Anything else I've missed? Of course optical etc shouldn't make much difference???

Also I'd like to add another card to the rig in my signature, to aid folding. Currently using a single reference asus gtx 680. Thoughts?

Thanks guys for any input you can give me. :D
 
watercooling will eat a lot of cash but will deffantly be worth it to keep everything supercool.

gpus, both amd and NVidia are great for folding, from looking it seems the amd 7950 gets the same ppd as a gtx 660ti / gtx 670 which is around 70 - 80k ppd and the amd 7970 can do the same as a gtx 680 , 80 - 100k ppd, again maybe more maybe les but ive seen a lot of people on several forums say that's what there cards do , although NVidia needs a full cpu core so id be temped for amd more! buy the cheapest amd 7950s or 7970 seeing as you want to watercool them

deffantly get the best psu you can, it wont be running flat out and always the option of more gpus to be added

as for adding another card, just find another NVidia card you can , id say stick to 600 series, cheaper and just as good, under £200 will get you a gtx660ti / 670 which will add a nice ppd boost, or find another 680 if you are feeling flush! :D

gota say though , im rather impressed as to how much cash you willing to spend lol :D
 
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Thanks for the input guys, 660ti's seem to get a lot of good write up's for folding. Is there one model that stands out above the other's? The price point is nice to. Like I said I have time so sit and wait a few weeks before ordering anything till the end of the month

As for psu anyone using the BeQuiet Dark Power Pro 1000W ? http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-065-BQ&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=1083 Looks like it would fit my needs ?

Need to still do some case research... :(

@ Ozaudio, I work away a lot so I can save my pennies easily and I don't upgrade as often as I used to. ;)

Quick question about gpu cores, so does the amount of cores have a direct effect? What I'm tying to understand is that say I bought x4 660ti's that give a total of 5376 Cores. If I bought x3 680 gtx that's 4608 cores. Now x3 680's is less total cores and going by the prices I've seen almost 100GBP more expensive.
Would the PPD of the x4 660ti exceed that of the x3 680's ? Or do you have to take into account the speed of the cards also? Bit of nub sorry for all the questions...:confused:
 
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The new folding program gives points in relation to the speed at which the units are returned; effectively, it is far better to finish quickly. So three cards with more cores each is likely to get more points than four cards with fewer points. However, you should be aware that running graphics cards 24/7 at 100% is not cheap on power costs.
 
Thanks Mike, you've made a good point there and tbh with you I probably won't be running 24/7 as pressure from her indoors will mean it being off when I'm away at work as I do a 4 week on/off rotation.

So sounds like I need to go up the range and spend a bit more due to my "not always on approach" that'll be taking.
 
2 better cards deffantly, less heat & power used. if you've looked at possible 4 cards then im sure affording 2 x 680s or even 770s would be possible! you can get 100k ppd out of a amd 7970 which will be cheaper than anything NVidia offer that gives the same ppd. amd gpu doesn't hog a cpu core for each gpu you use unlike the NVidia cards do.
 
Thanks,

I see my motherboard is not going to be available till mid-Oct just when I'll be on hols. So looks like the build will be a while off. I'll add another GPU to my current system for when I get back to UK. Need to trawl the net for a good deal.
 
Asus Nvidia GeForce GTX680 DirectCU II OC 2GB GDDR5 Graphics Card, HDMI, DVI, DP


if you was to find this for example on an auction site its quite a good price ;)
 
Personally I would have gone down the Haswell route, but your committed now to Ivybridge.

1) NZXT Switch 810 Ultra Tower Case - Good watercooling and air cooling case £140

2) I have a single AMD HD 7970 - Pumps out 100-126k PPD, go with dual cards best you can afford AMD or NVidia, for folding both will get the job done.

3) Antec High Current Pro 1000W '80 Plus Platinum' Modular Power Supply £214 used by 8 Pack himself, those are bombproof. An 850w to be honest would be sufficient at £150 if you need to save cash, 1000w will allow overhead for later if you decide to add more cards later.

4) Win 7 or Win 8 won't matter for folding. Win 7 cos win 8 is well to be polite... not very good.

5) I would use a USB optical drive in the case if you need one, as you will probably lose a bay (depending on case) to a water cooling rad. Alphacool thick rads are very nice and will work in the NZXT switch.

I will be watercooling this case myself in the next couple of weeks so I can give you a list of components and we can compare notes :)
 
colinmcr said:
Hi guys,

I'm in the process of planning a new rig for some folding goodness for myself and would like some ideas on what I need to complete it.

Now I have already gone and ordered the following parts (even though I'm not back in the UK for 3 weeks)

Asus Rampage IV Black Edition X79 motherboard
Intel 4930k processor
x2 TeamGroup Xtreem LV 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-20800C10 2600MHz Ram
Samsung 256GB Pro SSD

Now in 3 wks I'll be back home, but only for 1 wk before heading off and hols with the family. So I have plenty time to sort this out.

I know you are gonna ask about budget, so lets just say its not really an issue for me, but I do tend to be "sensible". So x4 Titans is unlikely.

1) So first off I need a home for all the components, I have never built a water cooled rig so I'd like to go down that route, so need something with plenty space.

2) I guess the next big question is which GPU's to use? I'd like to take advantage of the capabilities of the motherboard, but maybe I should keep it simple and use just 2 cards.

3) PSU ? Should I go for 1000W+ Any recommendations? Guess it depends on the amount of GPU's and which ones....

4) I'm a windows man but not sure I like Win 8 should I stick with 7 ? Does it really matter for folding?

5) Anything else I've missed? Of course optical etc shouldn't make much difference???

Also I'd like to add another card to the rig in my signature, to aid folding. Currently using a single reference asus gtx 680. Thoughts?

Thanks guys for any input you can give me. :D
Click to expand...

OK nice build ideas.

But from what you said this is going to be a dedicated folding rig right?

For the money you are planning to spend on this I'd just get a quad Opteron rig and triple or quadruple your output.
 
Biffa what sort of price tag would a quad opteron rig set me back if I was buying new?

I am having doubts about my choices based on what I've been reading here and on the other forums you linked to me on another post. The thought of more efficient ppd with a 4P system is appealing rather than the power hungry GPU route.
However I am in the situation where I won't be running the system 24/7 day after day based on my work schedule.
I take it that to really make the most of a 4P system it would need to be always on?

I'm seriously kicking myself a bit for not having done more research before I committed myself to my initial purchases. I value all the input you guys are giving me, even if it casts doubt in my head :D

I'm literally dipping my toes in the waters of the folding world and you are a helpful bunch for sure.

I can have a wee rethink and even use the parts I've bought as an upgrade to my signature pc, if it makes more sense. I tend to pass down my gear to give my brother an upgrade so it would be feasible. Can you point me in the direction of a 4P build guide just so I can do some research?

Then I can make an informed decision on how to proceed.
 
don't buy new, baba has several FULL amd 4p sets ups he is going to be selling soon. 300k + ppd from 400-500 watts? hes a great guy and I bet hes prices are very good also :D

another gtx680 with the one you have now will get over 200k ppd!
 
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3570k
amd 7950

I have a gtx560ti I had running in a lads pc but I gave his pc back now after fixing it so the 560 is in its box ready for action soon again when I can find some were for it to fit, 35k ppd wasn't to bad for the price it cost me. don't want to stick it in this pc as I want to save a pci lane for another amd card so a cheapo pc with a pci e slot will do fine as it will only need the folding program running, just a basic dual core
 
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ozaudio said:
don't buy new, baba has several FULL amd 4p sets ups he is going to be selling soon. 300k + ppd from 400-500 watts? hes a great guy and I bet hes prices are very good also :D
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LOL he even has his own cheerleader, sounds like he might be on commission :p

FWIW colin, there are probably opportunities to get onboard the big iron bandwagon for reasonable money as some of us are always swapping and changing bits.

There may even be entire setups for sale from Baba, loudbob or myself at some point in the near future as we either switch focus to different projects or get a yearning to upgrade/downgrade etc :)
 
Biffa said:
LOL he even has his own cheerleader, sounds like he might be on commission :p

FWIW colin, there are probably opportunities to get onboard the big iron bandwagon for reasonable money as some of us are always swapping and changing bits.

There may even be entire setups for sale from Baba, loudbob or myself at some point in the near future as we either switch focus to different projects or get a yearning to upgrade/downgrade etc :)
Click to expand...

im also more than happy to cheerlead you , and loudbob, been foldind gods and all that :D:D



hahahahhahaha :D:D:D
 
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