your opinions please....

[simi_av8r 0]

Ok guys, I want your opinions...

I'm now on the market for a new system, well, i say that in the loosest terms. What I mean is, I'm looking to build it slowly over the next few months, purchasing parts as and when funds are available...usually I have about

[mutley 4,489]

It looks pretty good to me simi, I have the same mobo (if it's the v2 version).

You have a drive listed for OS and storage, will you get a smaller faster drive for he sim?

The card looks like a good alternative to the GTX285 so I think you are doing well there

Don't forget to get a decent monitor to show it on!

Cheers

[simi_av8r 0]

It looks pretty good to me simi, I have the same mobo (if it's the v2 version).

You have a drive listed for OS and storage, will you get a smaller faster drive for he sim?

Thanks Mut, with regards to the HDD, i'm investigating the possibility of a small (read: up to 64GB) SSD, but not sure if a 300GB VelociRaptor would be of more benefit for about the same cost so, currently, its still something i'm looking into.

[mutley 4,489]

I have the 300GB VelociRaptor as my sim drive, it's definitely very fast compared to a regular speed drive but the SSD should be the way to go once development/production costs come down.

[simi_av8r 0]

I have the 300GB VelociRaptor as my sim drive, it's definitely very fast compared to a regular speed drive but the SSD should be the way to go once development/production costs come down.

i too am thinking that Mut, but the problem then is will a 64, or even 128(if i can stretch the funds) accomodate FSX and all the add-ons??

[mutley 4,489]

If you are considering photo scenery then no to the 64Gb! (Although you could store it on the other drive) I was looking at the new FranceVFR scenery for Brittany, it looks really good but that one region alone was 7.1 Gb

[simi_av8r 0]

If you are considering photo scenery then no to the 64Gb! (Although you could store it on the other drive) I was looking at the new FranceVFR scenery for Brittany, it looks really good but that one region alone was 7.1 Gb

Pretty much suggests that a WD VelociRaptor might be the way to go then. 128GB and higher SSD's are prohibitively expensive for the

[MartinW 0]

The P6T Comes in many variants. I have the P6T lying on my sette at the moment, waiting for the rest of the parts to arrive.

Make sure you get the i7 920 DO stepping variant, it overclocks better.

The 900 is a great case, I built a system for someone using that case, the version 2 is even better. I'm considering the Antec 1200, or for ultimate case cooling, the Coolermaster HAF..

Cas 9 I see for the RAM, I went for cas 8 wouldn't think it would make a vast difference in real terms, but the best latency you can afford for the 1600 MHz modules would be best.

What I've ordered...

P6T: The SE only handles Crossfire, for an extra ten quid I went for the P6T that handles SLI as well.

Intel Core i7 920 D0 Stepping (SLBEJ) 2.66Ghz (Nehalem) (Socket LGA1366)

OCZ Gold 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 (1600MHz) Tri-Channel (OCZ3G1600LV6GK)

For the cooler I really went to town as I intend to overclock as far as my temperature target allows. The best air cooler at the moment if the Noctua NHD-14. I'm a Thermalright fan, but this immense air cooler beats the lot.

Be warned though, it's huge. you would have to check that the Antec 902 could take this monster.

The best Thermal compound at the moment, according to test is Innovative Coolings IC7 Diamond. Shaves any where between 2 to 5 degrees off, depending who's review you read. it all helps when overclocking.

[MartinW 0]

[simi_av8r 0]

wow, thanks Uncle M, fantastic information as always. I've been over and read the thread at JF before posting here, but decided i'd start a new thread here rather than hijack yours, and run the risk of Odai kicking off yet another flame war about what is best.

I had looked at the Noctua unit, but man that thing is enormous! I'd even consider building some sort of support bracket to hang off the roof of the case if i used it due to its weight! As for the Corsair H50, i understand its nowhere near as good as a full blown liq. cool system, but for the price, and competing with the high-end air-coolers, its more than sold to me. And the leak probability is so very minimal that i doubt I'd loose sleep over it.

Regarding the H50 tho, i was planning to mount the rad sucking cool air in as suggested by Corsair, with the top mount fan of the 900 sucking the warmed air out. The two front fans would also be bringing in cool air to keep airflow at a max.

As for the RAM, i'm finding it difficult to get CAS 8 160MHz sticks that support tri-channel at a reasonable price, and for the tiny performance increase you get for the extended outlay, i decided that CAS 9 would probably be the best bet for now. if timings improve and prices come down, great, maybe i'll look again in the future!

Whew, i think i'm going to have fun with this build, even if it does take me months to buy everything for the rig..

ta for now, simi.

p.s. all donations gladly accepted. PM me if you think you can help!

[allardjd 1,853]

Does that thing require dilithium crystals, Scotty?

John

[MartinW 0]

I had looked at the Noctua unit, but man that thing is enormous! I'd even consider building some sort of support bracket to hang off the roof of the case if i used it due to its weight!

Yes I'll probably do that for peace of mind, have a few designs in mind. However... Noctua do assure their customers, that the cooler is tested and deemed perfectly safe on a motherboard.

As for cheap ram, mine was...

[MartinW 0]

Does that thing require dilithium crystals, Scotty?

Dilithium crystals... are you mad John? We're talking about far more advanced technology than that. The Noctua sucks energy from higher dimensional space. It runs on zero point energy.

[simi_av8r 0]

As for cheap ram, mine was...

[MartinW 0]

The 1200 has been top of my list all along, in fact before I decided to upgrade. However, I'm going for the 902, tests have demonstrated equal cooling results to the mighty HAF, and it's a lot cheaper than the 1200.

With the money I save, I'll get a black optical drive to replace my beige one, and a fan controller. Plus I'll mod the window.

Whats your budget for cases then Simi? The 902 is only

[simi_av8r 0]

Whats your budget for cases then Simi? The 902 is only

[MartinW 0]

Looks a vnice case, Coolermaster do have good build quality.

Exhausts air nicely from the top, which is good, noce front fans, should do the job. Are you overclocking by the way?

Have you also considered Lancool cases? They are a division of Lian Li, same designs, just steel rather than aluminium, hence cheaper. In fact a similar case to my Lian Li [that's on the way] is available for about

[simi_av8r 0]

Looks a nice case, Coolermaster do have good build quality.

Exhausts air nicely from the top, which is good, nice front fans, should do the job. Are you over-clocking by the way?

I'm trying to find a case with High air-flow to help keep the ambient temperature low. I'm still considering the H50 as my cooling option, and of the reviews i've read, seem to suggest good performance with OCd i7 CPUs. Which fits nicely with my plans to see how the system runs FSX without any OC being done and, if required, i'll look to progressively over-clocking the i7 through to ~3.8GHz.

Have you also considered Lancool cases? They are a division of Lian Li, same designs, just steel rather than aluminium, hence cheaper. In fact a similar case to my Lian Li [that's on the way] is available for about

[MartinW 0]

Depends also on the quality of the mounting system, if the rear mount is big enough, the leverage caused by the mass further away from the board is minimised because it's closer to the boards screw mounts.

Regarding the H50, some have reported that if the screws holding it to the mount aren't tight enough temperature creeps up, you don't want to over do it though obviously. Some say the pipes should be at the top for better cooling.

From the tests I've seen, the Noctua is at the top, followed by the Thermalright IF-X, followed by the Thermalight 120 extreme, followed by the H-50

H50 on the OCUK forum

[simi_av8r 0]

well, it seems OCUK kinda really like the H50. And the 1st hand reviews seem to say very positive things about it....i'm sold!

[MartinW 0]

I take it you missed the responses in the thread about leaks and temperatures lower than expected? :biggrin:

I think you've made your mind up.

You will not regret it mate, as these Noctua cooler is very good indeed as I got mine, finally get rid of Corsair H50 after leaked into motherboard. Stay away from H50, not a very safe water cooling due to leak.

Compared to other people I just did not get as low temps as other people. In fact mine were scarily high. When running linX my temps reported by real temp and core temp was 90+C sometimes it was really closer to 95-96C which to me is unacceptable.

I'm not trying to put you off, I wouldn't do that, I have only seen one or two reports of leaks. Just trying to make you aware of all the facts. The H50 has many advantages, especially in regard to space.