Hello long time no tinker

[Dogsbestfriend]

Hi I am building a new system and am looking for a little help. I have done so a few times in the past but it has been like 5-6 years since I built my last one. So now am slowly putting together a new rig and find myself a bit I guess understandably lost and want to make some better informed decisions before I go head.

I work as an animator and am wanting to use my home system for assisting me on the following in this order.
-Making my own content at home
-Rendering shots at home as an assist to my work machines in the render farm
-Gaming

I am looking at the following
Windows XP pro (purchased)
Intel Q6600 Quad-core CPU
Thermaltake Maxorb
Thermaltake Lanbox (for portability to and from office)(purchased)
Ultra X connect 500Wat (purchased I got it free)
Asus P5K-VM main board
2 gigs of DDR2 1066 to start (crucial)
Geforce 8600 gtx (brand not picked yet)
(OS and apps drive) 74 Gig Western digital Raptor
(file drive) 300g gig maxtor sata 3g (purchased 60$ bucks could not pass up)
Artic Silver (purchased)


I have the following questions to ask

1 The Asus P5K-VM board is very picky about memory and states
"If you install a DDR2-1066 memory module whose SPD is DDR2-800, make sure that you set the DRAM Frequency item in the Bios to [DDR2-1066Mhz]"

What does this mean exactly? I am (I think) buying Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) PC2-8500 1066MHz 240-pin DDR2 Memory. Does this above statement matter to me?

2 Is a 500Wat power supply enough for the quad core chip with only a video card as its only additional load?

3 Cooling: In such a tight case (my old one is HUMONGOUS and non portable) will the Maxorb, a PSU fan on the ultra, a 120 Fan on the front of the case for intake and 2 60's for case output do the trick for me? Note: I will not be overclocking the system as when I render I run 95-98 CPU utilization for sometimes days in a row. Do I need to look at other cooling methods or is air alright? Also I am considering buying a fan-less Geforce card for the system since I am thinking the airflow in this case will be sufficient is this a good idea?

4 This motherboard seems to have both the newer (4 pin) and older 24 pin power connects. Is there a difference as far as one being better than another? I know this most likely sounds crazy but it's been a while.

That's what I have to ask for now. Thanks to anyone who would help!
-Carl

[qazwsx]

first up, welcome to hardwarelogic. ok
1. all it means is that u go into the bios and select the right speed for the RAM. it shouldnt be a problem. it would run fine at DDR-800. (by the way, good choise of ram.)
2. I would say thats pushing it. It would need to be a good 500w(i dont know about that psu). Have you looked at the 700w OCZ? Ive heard there a good price/quality.
3. dunno sorry.
4. the 4-pin supplys extra power the the CPU while the 24 pin supplys power the the whole mainboard (ram, part of the GFX ect). you need them both plugged in

[RA1D]

hey there, welcome to HL!

[Dogsbestfriend]

Thanks,

I can drop the Raptor drive if it would help me out power wise one drive is enough for my needs really.

Also I am really not sure if the max orb will fit. Does anyone know of or can suggest a good-excellent Low profile after market cooler?

[halutzparilla]

no the max orb will not fit the lan box...
youll gana need to look for low profile cpu cooler

here is one "Zalman CNPS8000 Low-Profile CPU Cooler"
Newegg.com - ZALMAN CNPS 8000 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink - Retail

[Stormcrow]

For a PSU, the amps on the +12v rails should be more considered then the total wattage as you can pick up a "600w" PSU for 20 bills and it probably won't run past a 300w load. That X-Connect says it has 34 amps on a single rail, which is actually really good for a 500 watter. Of course, I always shave off about 30% of what they say, as PSU manufacturers like to stretch the truth on what their specs are. My Rosewill is quite the little powerhouse, running a 8800 at load without a hiccup. And it has a listed spec of 35 amps, about the same as your PSU.

If you plan on overclocking your quad, I would suggest upping the PSU however. Ultra is a decent brand when used within their specs, but even if it handles your system now you'll have to upgrade to something with more juice later anyway. I'd suggest the OCZ GameXStream 600w, obligatory Newegg link: Newegg.com - OCZ GameXStream OCZ600GXSSLI ATX12V 600W Power Supply 100 - 240 V CB/CE/CSA/UL/FCC - Retail

This is the PSU I'm going to get when I go SLi with my 8800, and it packs enough amps on it's 4 rails to handle pretty much anything right now. The price isnt too bad either. If you want modular, shop around for something with comparable specs. The Corsair 620w is the first one that comes to mind, but is kinda overpriced with one less rail.

Your video card, do you mean a 8600GTS or 8800GTX? Theres no 8600GTX, and I would avoid the 8600 line, especially since you're going to be using XP which is limited to DX9. 8600's are underpowered, mooching off the 8800's great reputation with shoddy performance. A 7900GS, which can be had for around $125 now, outperforms the 8600GTS and completely blows away the 8600GT. For a video card, I would suggest:

Current PSU:
X1950PRO -about $140
7900GS -about $125
X1950GT -about $100, sometimes less

Upgraded PSU:
8800GTS 320mb -best performance to price, around $300
X1950XT -somewhere between $170-$180

The 8800GTS 320mb is the best buy, for both gaming and rendering. And it does fit into a LANbox. If you can't afford that, the next best would be the X1950XT, which can sometimes even be modded into a FireGL with a little work. Not really sure how, bios flash or drivers or otherwise, but a simple search should bring it up.

[Yellowhello]

I'd go with the 7900GS also.

As for a CPU cooler, the Thermaltake BlueOrb is a good low profile cooler, as well as the Zalman 8000 halut mentioned.

I'd get a modular PSU because the LanBox is small, and the less cables the better.



And WELCOME TO HL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dogsbestfriend]

I am not looking to overclock at all experience has told me that real 3d rendering (not games) will burn up your cpu enough, and it's the most expensive component so I'll error on the side of caution.

On the heatsink I got the Zal good call. They say that in general low profile sinks don't do that great a job from what I read but if again I am not gonna over clock I should be good. I just need enough clearence under the psu to move air without building heat.

On the video card the 8600 series was my call for highest tech on a budget. All I really need there is enough to play WOW (starcraft 2 maybe) and Model mid poly stuff in 3dsmax (what I work on at work). The whole system is pretty processor centric because its really just to update me and let me go home from work early when we get those big progects.
The 7900GS -at about $125 sounds fine to me. If I had more cash in the budget I'd get a tad more ram but ah well it will still be like night and day to me.

[halutzparilla]

Originally Posted by yellowhello

I'd go with the 7900GS also.

As for a CPU cooler, the Thermaltake BlueOrb is a good low profile cooler, as well as the Zalman 8000 halut mentioned.

I'd get a modular PSU because the LanBox is small, and the less cables the better.



And WELCOME TO HL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TT Blue orb's are still huge for the lanbox... Go with my suggestion... i've seen someone tried to put that thing inside it fit yeah but the fan are no longer getting fresh air it is less than centimeter to the HDD/DVD Drive bay...

[Stormcrow]

If you're on a budget, then either the 7900GS or X1950Pro are an excellent choice, and run current games now pretty well. The 8600GT is just a little faster then a 7600GT, and the 8600GTS probably matches a 7800GS, both outdone by the 7900GS. You'll be able to get away with that PSU then, even with the extra drives because the 7900 doesn't use much power, and biggest power chewer is gonna be the quad. If you update to a more advanced GPU, or want to overclock, you may need a bigger unit, so just keep that in mind. Also, those Ballistix are going to be more then enough. 2 gigs is currently the sweet spot for memory, and XP can only physically use about 3.5 gigs anyway unless you wanna go 64-bit with it's horrid driver support.