Review and feedback on my development workstation spec?

Narada

Narada

Narada

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Joined
23 Apr 2010
Posts
144
Location
London, UK
I've put together a spec for a development workstation machine (no gaming) the requirements being six core CPU, two AMD GPUs (which I already have - dual and triple slot cards) and great airflow as the case is going to be running all the time and frequently under heavy cpu and gpu load but it would be nice to have it not too loud as it is operating in an office environment. The CPU will be auto-overclocked using the TPU switch and possibly asus suite. GPUs will also be overclocked using msi afterburner or catalyst control center.

I wanted you guys to have a look and suggest anything that occurs to you. I basically only have tonight to get some feedback as tomorrow I order. Thanks.

  • Fractal Design Arc Mid Tower Performance Case w/o PSU
  • Asus P9X79 Deluxe, Intel X79, S 2011, DDR3, SATA III - 6Gb/s, SATA RAID, PCIe 3.0 (x16), ATX
  • Intel Core i7 3930K Enthusiast Unlocked, S 2011, Sandybridge-E, Six Core, 3.2GHz, 12MB Smart Cache, 130W, Retail
  • Corsair H100i Hydro Series CPU Cooler, LGA 115x, 1366, and 2011 & AM2, AM3, FM1 and FM2
  • 120mm Corsair Air Series SP120 Quiet Edition, High Pressure, 1450rpm, 37.85CFM, 23dB, 3-Pin, Twin Pack
  • 140mm Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition, High Airflow & Low Noise, 1150rpm, 67.8CFM, 24dB, 3-Pin, Single Pack
  • 240GB Corsair Force Series GS, 2.5" SSD, SATA III- 6Gb/s, SandForce 2200, MLC, Read 555MB/s, Write 525MB/s, 90k IOPS Max
  • 27" Asus PB278Q LED Monitor Full HD HDMI/DP/DVI 2560x1440, 5ms, 300cd/m², 80000000:1, Speakers, Black
  • 1200W Corsair Digital AX1200i Full Modular, 80 PLUS Platinum - 92% Eff', EPS 12V, 1 x 140mm Fan, ATX PSU
  • 32GB (4x8GB) Corsair DDR3 Dominator GT, PC3-14900 (1866), Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 9-10-9-27, DHX Technology, XMP, 1.5V
  • 2TB WD WD20EARX Caviar Green Quiet SATA 6Gb/s IntelliPower (5900rpm) 64MB Cache 8ms HDD OEM
  • Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit SP1, Operating System, Single, - OEM
  • Samsung SH-224BB/RSMS 24x DVD±R, 8x DVD±DL, DVD+RW x8/-RW x6, x12 RAM, SATA, Retail
  • Microsoft Wired Desktop 600 Black Keyboard with 3 Button Optical Mouse USB
  • Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound for CPU and Chipset Coolers - 3.5 gram

Anything I'm missing? I don't think a windowed panel or fan controller will be approved for purchase as it is non-essential.
 
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spec is very good, psu is over kill for the 2 cards, could choose a gold or another Platinum one with less power

h88p://www.extremetech.com/extreme/143029-empowered-can-high-efficiency-power-supplies-cut-your-electricity-bill

for me a 800w would be more than ample and also more efficient
 
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Looks good..

What Graphics cards do you have to put in this beast (out of interest)?

The power supply may be a bit over the top but i understand why.

Why did you go for a 5900RPM HDD rather than a standard 7200RPM?

I personally wouldn't go for a corsair SSD, id go for either intel or crucial but preferably samsung:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Samsung 256GB SSD 840 PRO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7PD256BW) £209.99
Total : £219.59 (includes shipping : £8.00).



Have you used Artic Silver 5 before?
 
zakblood said:
spec is very good, psu is over kill for the 2 cards, could choose a gold or another Platinum one with less power
Click to expand...

Thanks. Yes you are right. This spec only needs 850W. But boss wants 1200W as we are likely to swap PSUs between different machines at a later date so it's also for that purpose.
 
Thanks for your points.

Doomedspeed said:
What Graphics cards do you have to put in this beast (out of interest)?
Click to expand...

It will be either 2x AMD 7970 dual slot or triple slot (like the asus matrix platinum) or a AMD 7990 triple slot (PowerColor).

Doomedspeed said:
The power supply may be a bit over the top but i understand why.
Click to expand...

Yeah this spec only needs 850W but we are likely to swap PSUs between machines later so it's for that.

Doomedspeed said:
Why did you go for a 5900RPM HDD rather than a standard 7200RPM?
Click to expand...

I looked at the WD website and picked the option labelled 'Quiet and Cool'. The HDD will be to backup and image of the SSDs on a periodic basis and some storage meaning it will rarely be used. I picked all the quiet options as it will be in an office environment. But good point I didn't actually realise that it was 5900RPM but I can see why it is now. All that whirring of a higher rpm drive I could do without!

Doomedspeed said:
I personally wouldn't go for a corsair SSD, id go for either intel or crucial but preferably samsung
Click to expand...

Well my personal rig uses the corsair force gs and I'm pretty happy with it - 90K IOPS. I wanted to go for the OCZ Vector (95K IOPS) but that was out of stock. I didn't get samsung because I was worried about the failures. Paranoia!

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6503/second-update-on-samsung-ssd-840840-pro-failures

Doomedspeed said:
Have you used Artic Silver 5 before?
Click to expand...

No not really. Just heard good things. The Noctua thermal paste was out of stock so went for this. If there's any one that you recommend let me know.
 
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You can't really get a better PSU, so go for it. :)

I don't think you'll notice its a 5900 RPM HDD apart from the noise, the SSD should take all that way.

Oh, first i've heard of the Pro Failures, sorry about that. Another good option is the Vertex 4. Solid SSD that.

Arctic silver 5 is a great paste just not the easiest to apply, just thought i should let you know. It's well worth the (Little) hassle though.
 
Doomedspeed said:
You can't really get a better PSU, so go for it.
Click to expand...

True. The only issue I see with using a 1200W PSU is that due to its length the cables will cover the bottom fan mount but I'm not using that anyway so not a big issue.

Doomedspeed said:
Oh, first i've heard of the Pro Failures, sorry about that. Another good option is the Vertex 4. Solid SSD that.
Click to expand...

Yeah I know the Vertex is a classic. And that's why my first choice was the Vector which superceded the Vertex. The Vector is more expensive though as it's new and the flagship consumer drive and probably market leader along with Samsung. However this was out of stock so went for Corsair as I have one of them myself and it's blazing.

Doomedspeed said:
Arctic silver 5 is a great paste just not the easiest to apply, just thought i should let you know. It's well worth the (Little) hassle though.
Click to expand...

Ah. I see what you mean. It's one of those thick ones isn't it. Hmm. Good point. I'll try it and see what happens. :)

Btw - how do people here post a basket into forum posts? Is there a special feature or tool to do this?

Thanks.
 
zakblood said:
h88p://www.extremetech.com/extreme/143029-empowered-can-high-efficiency-power-supplies-cut-your-electricity-bill for me a 800w would be more than ample and also more efficient
Click to expand...

Just seen your edit. You are absolutely right. If I had the choice I would get AX860i especially since being shorter it wouldn't cover the bottom fan mount but as I said the 1200i is something we need for another one so strictly speaking not part of the spec even though I am buying it - sorry probably shouldn't have put it in there.
 
Doomedspeed said:
Such as the Arc Midi, shame they don't stock fractal anymore.. :(
Click to expand...

Yeah :( I'm subscribed to another thread about this actually. Apparently too many RMAs occurring due to poor quality manufacturing / delivery condition. Thank God other places stock them. I've never used a FD case before - only Corsair. So I'm hoping this goes well. As I understand it - the arc midi is a slightly smaller atx form factor and a little more cramped than Corsair but hopefully it will have awesome airflow and cooling with all the bazillions of 140mm fan mounts.
 
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