Building a MACPRO like PC

Danny Bui said:
Yeah, that doesn't help as much as you think it would. Apparently many of the eATX cases can barely fit the eATX motherboards.
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I figured something to that effect. Just thought I would put it out there. Heh, there's always the Corsair Obsidian. :cool:

With that said, this is a hypothetical build anyway so no worries.
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Unless Opie decides to take you up on it!
 
Streetrat said:
This is the build that i had in mind after reading all suggestions. All product is from this list http://images.lowyat.net/pricelist/sri_notebook.gif
http://images.lowyat.net/pricelist/viewnet.gif

Intel i7-920 2.66ghz/8m 4.8GT FBS / SECQPI - RM1.025
Asus P6T DLX X58 DDR3 -CF -SLI - RESGL (SAS) i7 - RM1.299
OR
Asus P6T SE - RM799
Kingston HY X 1600MHz CL8 (8-8-8-24) 6GB KIT OF 3 - RM660 x 2
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA 'SATA' 32MB - RM300
GIGABYTE GF GTX 275 896MB DDR3 - RM899
OR
GIGABYTE RADEON HD 4890 1GB DDR5 HDMI - RM950
GIGABYTE ODIN PRO 550W - RM349
Click to expand...

Is this a stable build?Is there anything to add or upgrade?Looking for a very powerful PC, so any changes is welcome if the price is not so different.And the MOBO, i read a few articles about them (Asus P6T family), still don't really understand what they are talking about.As above which mobo do u guys recommend? i heared there is P6T DLX v2, P6T v2, so the above mobo izzit the v2 boards? I don't really understand what is a SAS controller on the MOBO, will i need to use it?
 
SAS is a connection standard for storage like SATA but is more powerful. Since you are considering on getting a consumer SSD you don't have to worry about SAS because no one makes consumer SSDs that connect through SAS, only PCIe and SATA.
 
If you go with the Asus P6T SE and the HD4890, yes you will have a stable and cost effective build. Don't worry about the version 2 of those motherboards. Negligible differences IMO. As for the SAS controller, you will not need to use it considering your computer knowledge and usage scenario. Again, GO FOR THE ASUS P6T SE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Thank you for the GO FOR THE ASUS P6T SE lol. I am now sure which mobo i need now lol. thanks you for everything guys, this is a great forum with great peoples.
 
About the graphic card,

GIGABYTE GF GTX 275 896MB DDR3 - RM899
GIGABYTE RADEON HD 4890 1GB DDR5 HDMI - RM950

Is this 2 card near the top, cause i google and found out Radeon HD 5+++ series, i am trying to get the top graphic card that is at reasonable price, any recommendation?
 
hd 5850 is step up with all the new features, only problem is finding it in stock.
 
since the latest ati radeon don't have stock, so do u recommend me to take the nvidia gtx instead?and the google i found was comparing nvidia gtx 275 vs radeon 5 series, so does that mean nvidia gtx is a better card then the 4890 radeon?pls give me some suggestions tq.
 
Typically, the HD4890 performs better or on par with the GTX275, depending on the game, and is also usually cheaper. However, if you plan on softmodding the card for OpenGL acceleration, I have not seen any softmods for the recent Radeon cards (to FireGL).
 
The 4890 is slightly better than the Geforce GTX 275; I say that based on the reviews here on [H].
The 4890 is also slightly better than the 5770.
Now, the GTX 285 is better than the 4890.
And the 5850 is better than the GTX 285.

From the options you have available, SRI and Viewnets, it seems like getting a 4890 would be your best choice. While the GTX 285 is better than the 4890, I do not think it is ~RM 500 better.

Though, Nvidia has CUDA which may (in the unspecified future) be beneficial for your rendering needs. At the time, it is not.

I still think you should go with the 4890 though, purely from a performance benefit.
 
i have been wondering, why is there so many different name for the same graphic card? NVIDIA, EVGA, SAPPHIRE, ASUS n GIGABYTE?what is the differents? the 4890 that u guys recommended is from category?

My processor n mobo as well, same series but with a different name in front, which should i choose from the name on top?Sorry if i ask a stupid question.
 
Essentially, NVIDIA and ATI make the Graphics card processors. EVGA, Sapphire, etc then buy the processor and make a graphics card around it. When I say 4890 I mean an ATI 4890 built by a reputable brand, say XFX or ASUS (Sapphire supposedly has bad support). So you would see this as an Asus 4890 1GB, where 1GB is how much onboard RAM the card has.

For processors, say an Intel Core i7 920. Intel is the manufacturer, Core i7 is the series, and 920 is the model number.

Now with motherboards, when you see say Asus P6T. Asus is the manufacturer and P6T is the model. Things get a little bit more complicated with motherboards as you get into northbridge models. At the most basic, all you need to make sure is that your motherboard supports your processor (it has the specific socket of your CPU, ie LGA 1366 in this case). Socket refers to the physical connection between the CPU and the motherboard.

I tried to simplify things, but I'm not sure if I succeeded.
 
A video card is comprised of two main components, the processor and RAM.

NVIDIA and ATI make the processors (GPUs). GPUs are typically by series and family; GeForce (NVIDIA) and Radeon (ATI) are the mainstream consumer series of GPUs; Quadro (NV) and FireGL (ATI) are the professional 3D series of GPUs. The main difference between the pro cards and consumer gaming cards is the driver. Pro card drivers are optimized for precision calculations while consumer gaming cards are optimized for fill rates.

Gigabyte, Asus, MSI, XFX, Sapphire, PowerColor, HIS, BFG, eVGA, etc, are all vidcard brands that use the GPUs in their video cards. Some brands are exclusive partners with the GPU companies (Sapphire/PowerColor/HIS/etc - ATI; eVGA/BFG/etc - NVIDIA), while others swing both ways (XFX/Asus/Gigabyte/MSI/etc). RAM vendors are independent.

Typical listing: Vidcard Brand - GPU Family - Model# - Memory amount/type/bus-width ... for example...
eVGA GeForce GTX285 1GB GDDR3 512-bit
XFX Radeon HD5870 1GB GDDR5 256-bit


PC CPUs are typically either from AMD or Intel. The different model #s correspond to the different architectures.

Mobo chipsets are made by Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA. Mobo brands use these chipsets on their motherboard designs, specially designed for either an AMD or Intel CPU. AMD does not make chipsets compatible with Intel CPUs, nor does Intel make chipsets compatible with AMD CPUs. NVIDIA makes chipsets for both Intel and AMD. Before AMD bought ATI, ATI made chipsets for both Intel and AMD.

edit: i type slow, lol
 
Hi, i am back again. Very very sorry to rebump an old tread, and thank you for all the suggestions u guys give me last time for the new computer spec, but b4 i got the chance to go buy my computer, the price list changed, some items price dropped(processor), some price raised(Ram, PSU), some newer product within my old budget as well(Radeon 5850 etc), and most important some items disappeared from the price list(Mobo/graphic card, RAM)not sure out of stock or not selling anymore). So need to update my computer spec with the new price list again. Please give me another build for my V2 computer. My budget for my new computer is around RM7k. Things that i probably planning to buy are,

1. Illuminated Keyboard logitect RM200++
2. Cordless optical trackman RM185
3. Edifier C3 RM399/ Altec Lansing MX5021 RM 560(dono which to choose)
4. Maybe a sound card below RM300.

These are the things that i think i will buy, after minus the 7k, i left around 6k for my high end CPU + monitor. Which monitor that u guys using is also available in the price list, can give me a few suggestions so i know what model to look for when i go there(good color accuracy, good viewing angle). Is radeon 5850 alot better then 4890 in term or price/quality?(4890 disappear from the list). And is there other mobo that u guys recommend(also disappeared)? is win7 x64 stable with the spec i buying?I heared from people that win7 x64 got some problem is the Mobo i planning to buy below, is it true?

Intel i7-920 2.66ghz/8m 4.8GT FBS / SECQPI - RM1.025
Asus P6T SE - RM799
Kingston HY X 1600MHz CL8 (8-8-8-24) 6GB KIT OF 3 - RM660 x 2
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA 'SATA' 32MB - RM300
GIGABYTE RADEON HD 4890 1GB DDR5 HDMI - RM950
GIGABYTE ODIN PRO 550W - RM349
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The bold wording is around my price range for that items, rm100/200 differents is still ok for me, just don't go too far. Thank you so much for your help.

This is the latest price list from my area.

http://www.hardwarezone.com.my/priceguide/download.php?action=dl&fid=45478&cat=1
http://www.hardwarezone.com.my/priceguide/download.php?action=dl&fid=45481&cat=1

Just like last time, please tell me the product name in detail, and price from which shop easier for me to find, cause i am new to computer, don't understand much shortform or shortcut. thanks
 
Other than the power supply, as I am a bit unfamiliar with the Gigabyte Odin product line, every part that you've listed is good.

You won't need a stand-alone sound card for this system.
 
Is it recommended to change the 4890 or 5850?i can't find the mobo n the ram in 1 of the shop above,i think its out of stock or there is a new model, is there another latest model to replace the mobo n ram? Why is the Ram getting much more expensive then b4?is it the same ram?Is there any part then i can still upgrade with the same budget that i have?
 
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Both the HD4890 and the HD5850 are overkill for gaming on a 19 inch monitor, but the HD4890 is more widely available than the more recently released HD5850. If you're planning on upgrading to the larger monitor within the next six months, I recommend the 1GB HD4870 (from the SRI sales flier) instead as a "holdover" card. Depending on the games that you play, as well as the visual settings that you use, the HD4870 may be more than enough for your needs (though, like the HD4890 and HD5850, it's overkill for your 19 inch monitor).

Prices of parts, in general, change frequently throughout the year -- but availability also plays a role in pricing. I can't explain why RAM prices have increased in your area, but if you're not going to overclock, you don't need that particular brand/model of RAM. If you don't see yourself overclocking (much) right away, you could save some money by going with the Corsair tri-channel kit (3x2GB) of DDR3 1333 CL9 RAM (from the Viewnet flier) -- at stock speeds, you wouldn't notice any difference performance-wise between it and the Kingston DDR3 1600 CL8 kit.

As Danny Bui mentioned earlier, don't worry about new "models" of the P6T SE.

If you can afford to, I recommend the Corsair 620 watt power supply (Viewnet) over the Gigabyte Odin 550 watt PSU. I haven't found any recent reviews on the Odin PSU that could convince me that it would be a good choice.

You should personally check to ensure that the Seagate hard drive is the Barracuda 7200.12 model -- that model number is ST31000528AS.
 
Thanks you very much for the detail answer. I will be buying a 24" monitor as well, so is 5850 still overkilling it?i will be mostly using it for modeling and rendering purpose. And what is with the seagate hardisk?is it really important to make sure its ST31000528AS, what is the differents? So my overall build is perfect for me budget? Stable to use with win7 x64?b4 i forget, i plan to make my ram to 12 gig.
 
Streetrat said:
Thanks you very much for the detail answer. I will be buying a 24" monitor as well, so is 5850 still overkilling it?i will be mostly using it for modeling and rendering purpose. And what is with the seagate hardisk?is it really important to make sure its ST31000528AS, what is the differents? So my overall build is perfect for me budget? Stable to use with win7 x64?b4 i forget, i plan to make my ram to 12 gig.
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Yes the HD 5850 will fit the 24" monitor just fine. If you do need to save some money, the HD 4890 is still a good choice for a 24" monitor.

That particular Seagate model is supposedly faster than many other 1TB models. With that said, the Western Digital 1TB Black is also a good choice.

Yes that build is stable with Windows 7 64bit. Yes it's a good setup for your budget.
 
If model # isn't provided, make sure its a "7200.12" 7200RPM seagate when looking for the 1TB.
 
The Caviar Black is noted in the viewnet list.

I don't think the Seagate/Samsung model #s are listed in either of those lists.

If you're buying these parts in person, just inspect the part before buying. If its not the correct model, get the caviar black instead.

You're looking for:
Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200RPM 32MB Cache
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200RPM 32MB Cache (aka buffer)

both of those drives are faster than the cavblack, but if you can't find the model, stick with what you know (cav black)

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Buffer
 
tiraides said:
Prices of parts, in general, change frequently throughout the year -- but availability also plays a role in pricing. I can't explain why RAM prices have increased in your area, but if you're not going to overclock, you don't need that particular brand/model of RAM. If you don't see yourself overclocking (much) right away, you could save some money by going with the Corsair tri-channel kit (3x2GB) of DDR3 1333 CL9 RAM (from the Viewnet flier) -- at stock speeds, you wouldn't notice any difference performance-wise between it and the Kingston DDR3 1600 CL8 kit.
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For the Kingston HY X 1600MHz CL8 (8-8-8-24) 6GB KIT OF 3 - RM660 x 2 i plan to buy last time, i noticed that sri computer price raised for this product, now the price is 760 for each(RM100 raised WTH), this is abit over my budget, and i saw from Viewnet that corsair 3x PC 1333 C9 i available for RM469. So if i change my kingston 1600 to corsair 1333, will it really bring down my spec, cause i need the computer to do really high end 3D modeling n rendering. But if the ram downgrade wont be noticeable, i maybe will go for the lower spec ram. Is it recommended?what do u guys suggest?Why i cannot find the same ram(Kingston HY X 1600MHz CL8 (8-8-8-24) 6GB KIT OF 3 - RM660 x 2) in viewnet, which is the nearest spec to <<< ram listing in viewnet?
 
Streetrat said:
For the Kingston HY X 1600MHz CL8 (8-8-8-24) 6GB KIT OF 3 - RM660 x 2 i plan to buy last time, i noticed that sri computer price raised for this product, now the price is 760 for each(RM100 raised WTH), this is abit over my budget, and i saw from Viewnet that corsair 3x PC 1333 C9 i available for RM469. So if i change my kingston 1600 to corsair 1333, will it really bring down my spec, cause i need the computer to do really high end 3D modeling n rendering. But if the ram downgrade wont be noticeable, i maybe will go for the lower spec ram. Is it recommended?what do u guys suggest?Why i cannot find the same ram(Kingston HY X 1600MHz CL8 (8-8-8-24) 6GB KIT OF 3 - RM660 x 2) in viewnet, which is the nearest spec to <<< ram listing in viewnet?
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You're not gonna notice a difference between the Corsair and Kingston RAM. So go for the Corsair RAM.
 
I'd like to remind that you shouldn't to skimp on cooling.
Since the CPU will probably be running at 100% for 24 hours straight at times, having a case with a few extra fans is a must.

sth. on dual Xeon vs. single i7 that hasn't been mentioned.
Since a system can't effectively be used for other things while rendering a large scene.
It can be much more work and cost effective to build several inexpensive i7 PCs instead of an expensive Xeon one, as all processors would only be fully used while rendering... (or calculating dynamics, which isn't part of your usage pattern)
An i7 workstation (the thing that's currently being discussed) + several i7/i5 render slaves (bare CPU + RAM configuration with cheap/onboard graphic cards, small harddrives ect.), would still cost less than a single dual-Xeon system while providing superior processing power.
But it also depends on if software licenses are an issue, your software supports network rendering ect.

On RAM and rendering,
you have mentioned extremely long render times, this can ether be through lighting and rendering complexity (skylight with shadows, raytraced area shadows, AA raytraced reflections...or all at once), where you will have to find a trade off between quality settings and render time.
Scene complexity (which can't be helped, unless optimizing (deleting unseen objects, decreasing tessellation of flat surfaces ect.) is possible).
Or the scene being to big for your RAM forcing it to use the slow harddrive for memory, creating a bottleneck.
RAM speed for rendering is almost neglectable, there just needs to be enough of it.

When trying to render on your current PC, take a look at your processor load, if it's at 100% for all cores, it's working properly (and time due to complexity). If it's below that either the software can't utilize all cores, or there's a bottleneck in providing data to the CPU, e.g. not enough ram.

If it only utilizes one core to 100% your software either only supports one CPU thread (which would suck, and even an 8 core dual quad-core-xeon wouldn't make a difference in speed compared to your current sys) or the software isn't set up properly.

on cores and hyperthreading
there might still be a misconception about cores threads and hyperthreading.
Hyperthreading is almost useless for 3D rendering (with good software) all that matters is the amount of physical cores on the CPU. (2 for core2-duo, 4 for i7, 4 for the discussed xeon.)
If an 8 core (dual CPU) xeon system (dual harpertown) supports 16 threads is neglectable, all that counts are the 8 cores. These need to be supplied with 8 threads by the software to be utilized. If the software can not supply multiple threads (multithreading), the cores can not be used.
 
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I'd like to remind that you shouldn't to skimp on cooling.
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I am totally noobie in cooling, where should i start from, what case should i use, how many fan should i put in, fan need to put in which location.totally no idea. Can u give a brief idea?

I though my i7 920 is inexpensive enough??My software don't support network render.So do u mean the speed(1333/1600) is not important?what more important is more gig of ram?

On my macpro in office, the rendering detect 16 core, hypertread. And also the rendering speed is faster then my 8 core mac pro.
 
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hmmm...will 2 i7 920 work on the super micro board posted before by danny if i remember corect?
 
If you're not OC'ing, stick with the stock HSF for the CPU. If you get a server/workstation board, you probably won't be able to OC.

I didn't see any CPU HSFs listed in your two pricelists. Go for something similar to the Cooler Master Hyper 212+ or CoGage Thermalright True Spirit 120, if you do plan on OC'ing.
 
that sounds pretty fast though... 2x quadcores... and it doesnt sound that expensive for such a setup ?
 
Streetrat said:
I am totally noobie in cooling, where should i start from, what case should i use, how many fan should i put in, fan need to put in which location.totally no idea. Can u give a brief idea?
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If you don't overclock simply getting a case with one or two extra fans installed (at the usual places, front or back) should be sufficient.

Streetrat said:
I though my i7 920 is inexpensive enough??
My software don't support network render.
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Your build is the cheap option, configuring a xeon system would be more expensive, in which case I'd rather spend the extra money on some render slaves. (I just wanted to mention it in case others face the same decision)

Streetrat said:
So do u mean the speed(1333/1600) is not important?what more important is more gig of ram?
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I don't know the memory requirements of the scenes you are working on, basically faster memory is unlikely to change speed by more than 1%... but not having enough can slow down dramatically.

The amount you plan to install will probably be sufficient.

Streetrat said:
On my macpro in office, the rendering detect 16 core, hypertread. And also the rendering speed is faster then my 8 core mac pro.
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What you and the software see are virtual cores (hyperthreating enabled) making it possible to execute more program threads simultaneously.
the "8 core" mac only has 4 real physical cores (two dual-core cpus) the "16 core" has only 8 real cores.
The i7 system you are planing also has 4 physical cores, but the software will detect 8 when hyperthreating is enabled, and 4 if it's disabled.
The difference in render speed however, hyperthreating enabled or disabled, will likely be below 1% (slower or faster, could be both) as pretending to have more corers does not change the available processing power.
 
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vict0r said:
hmmm...will 2 i7 920 work on the super micro board posted before by danny if i remember corect?
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It should... in the same way that a Xeon would work in a mainstream chipset, the mainstream chip should work in the server/workstation chipset board -- it really depends on the BIOS, and no manufacturer will officially support such co-mingling of mainstream & server/workstation parts, typically.

However, there should be a spec/price equiv Xeon to the i7 920 anyhow - maybe slightly slower by 133Mhz or something. Heh, nm, its 533Mhz slower. The spec equiv is X5550. The price equiv is missing turbo and is 533Mhz slower, E5506. The lowest Xeon with turbo is the E5520.
 
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