Spec Check!

paul_31

paul_31

paul_31

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Worcestershire
Hi Guys,

Can I get some opinions on the following spec I have put together please, this is about max budget so could not go any higher (would like to trim down cost if it won't affect performance).

PC is mainly going to be used for running VirtualBox with multiple virtual machines on, I won't really be playing games so graphics are not too important but I want plenty of grunt and future-proof for a while (as much as poss)! I would like to go for SSD as OS drive but can't afford that on my budget.

The graphics card is probably the thing I'm most unsure of really as I don't really know where to go for my needs (i.e. I don't need top spec)

Product Name Qty
AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition 3.2GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail 1
Gigabyte GA-MA790XT-UD4P (Socket AM3) PCI-Express DDR3 Motherboard 1
Antec TruePower New Modular 650W Power Supply 1
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (WD1001FALS) 1
Corsair XMS3 DHX 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600C9DHX Twin3X (TW3X4G1600C9DHX) 2
Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4670 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail 1
Antec 300 Three Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case - Black (No PSU) 1
Titan TTC-NK85TZ Fenrir CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/LGA775/LGA1366) 1
Pioneer DVR-217FBK 22x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer LabelFlash ReWriter (Black) - OEM 1
Akasa AK-FN057 Apache Super Silent 120mm Fan - 4 Pin PWM 4
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound (3.5g) 1

The few questions I do have -
Will this CPU Cooler fit in ok with this case and mobo?
I want as quiet as possible really and had looked at both Akasa Apache fans and also Enermax Cluster fans, which will be best for good airflow/dB balance?
Are there any weak links / bottlenecks in this that will be holding me back?

Thanks for any advice you have,
Paul.
 
The fenrir isn't quiet, case fan choice will mean nothing when the cpu cooler is that loud. Psu is overspecced I think, 650W is excessive here. The antec 300 is also far from quiet.

Consider matx, I don't think there's any am3 boards out yet but there are many am2+. The antec mini p180 is available for around £65, this with a matx board (so no graphics card) would be my choice.

Find some benchmarks on amd vs intel for virtualisation, its one of the areas where intel may have a significant lead. Something like a q6700 perhaps. Also check how many cores your virtualisation software can use; virtualbox is my preferred and while the program is very multithreaded, each OS within it can only use a single core. This is ok, as I rarely run more than 3 (or less than two) virtual OS so they all get an entire core to themselves. Definitely quad over dual or tri core here.

As much ram as you can fit in the board. I'm desperately trying to find the funds to put 12gb in an i7 board for virtualisation, but 8gb on a P5Q was fine. 4gb was not enough.

There's something at least. Consider two 500gb drives, OS and data on one, virtual machines on the second. Cheers
 
Thanks for the replies. I went for the Phenom II 955 as this is one of the few to support DDR3 which I thought would be beneficial and future-proof for upgrades. Would I see much gain from this (for my use) over a AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 810 2.6GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail?
Although it won't me my main use I will be overclocking a little in the future just to play around and push it a little.

With a CPU cooler I could swap the fan for a quieter model if this would help?

Which CPU cooler would be the best choice, any of these?
Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM3/LGA775)
Titan TTC-NK85TZ Fenrir CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/LGA775/LGA1366)
Xigmatek Scorpion HDT-S1283 Heatpipe Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM3/LGA 775)

I may look to go for 2x HDD but to begin with I was going to get 1x 1TB disk and add a second later on. I'll think about going for 2x500GB from the start.

Thanks for the advice so far, what do you think about the graphics card, I probably want to go for as quiet as possible really as I don't have high demands for it at the mo. I can always upgrade the GPU if I use it for gaming in the future.

Thanks.
 
It would, but you might also want to use those rubber connectors that stop vibration. And i think the 810 supports DDR3 too, anything that uses an AM3 socket. The 810 is really easy to over clock too. Of course, DDR2 is just fine and half as expensive, but any AM3 CPU (usually) works in AM2+ boards. Have a look at the 940 or the 945. And DDR2 isn't really 'worse'. It kind of balances out, DDR2 has a lower CAS Latency but DDR3 has higher clock speeds. Not worth it at the moment IMO.

And for the cooler, Frostytech do great reviews (google). If it's quiet you're after, the Scythe Zipang is great and still retains good cooling properties. Although the Scythe Zipang 2 should be coming out soon. The Orochi is less than 30db, real world test quite close, but that thing is a monster. The Thermaltake HR-01 is passive but it can keep up with high end coolers when it's attached to or close to the rear case fan. That or water, your choice :p

Why would you get two of the same hard drive when the equivalent single drive is less than half as much? Basically, 1TB is enough for most people, and even if it isn't it will take a huge amount of time to fill. If you wanted 2x500GB for organisation, then just partition it. I could understand if you wanted an SSD or Velocirapter and then a storage drive, but two of the same one? Pointless.
 
Superewza said:
Why would you get two of the same hard drive when the equivalent single drive is less than half as much? Basically, 1TB is enough for most people, and even if it isn't it will take a huge amount of time to fill. If you wanted 2x500GB for organisation, then just partition it. I could understand if you wanted an SSD or Velocirapter and then a storage drive, but two of the same one? Pointless.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. Would this not benefit me from having simultaneous access to both drives? I.e. I can read/write to the OS drive at the same time that virtual machines are read/writing to the 2nd drive?

Also, I've had a look on Frostytech (good site!) and found Corsair H50 which looks interesting without going for full blown watercooling. Anyone have experience of these? <EDIT> Just read the other threads about this cooler, will probably stick with air </EDIT>
 
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