# Another system spec - comments welcome!



## noiseboyuk (Jan 29, 2011)

*April 26 - final system ordered (totally different to the original spec!) - scroll down*

Looking at new systems, this is around £1,700 +VAT (which, under the small business rate scheme I wouldn't have to pay cos it's over £2k with VAT I think)

i7-980X
ASUS P6X58D-E
24GB Samsung DDR3 1333hmz
Nvidia 512MB GEFORCE 210
HDD1 - 120GB OCZ Vertex 2 SATA II
HDD2 - 2TB WD Caviar WE2002FAEX SATA 6GB 64mb cache
HDD2 - 2TB SATA 2GBS 32mb cache
800w Quiet 80 PSU
Superquiet 22dba triple copper heatpipe CPU cooler
Win 7 Pro 64 bit

(using existing 2x monitors via KVM switch)

http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers ... ore-i7-pc/

Any obvious weaknesses / problems? Hoping to host everything on this using VE Pro for the template to keep load times down. Currently using Sonar 8.5.3 as a DAW.


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## williamrice (Jan 29, 2011)

I own a Vertex2, but if I was buying again I would most likely be looking at a Crucial C300 because the random read speed is considerably better. (Esp. important if you're gunna use the SSD as a sample drive).

57MB/s Vs. ~80MB/s

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3812/the- ... ssd-c300/2


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## noiseboyuk (Jan 29, 2011)

Interesting! I'll be new to SSDs... the PC Specialist website says 285 read 275 write... is that fantasy land?

Currently not thinking about it for sample streaming, just as a C drive, so interested in this business of longevity. Would add a sample streaming drive if I ever need one later... have pretty much decided against HS, but the brass may yet sway me in that direction (I'm hoping Audiobro get there better and first!)


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## williamrice (Jan 29, 2011)

Yes, real world and specs come up very differently with SSDs. Anandtech really is _the_ authority on SSDs.

Basically there's a massive difference between the read/write speed when you're moving a single massive file (as per the specs) Vs lots of tiny ones placed randomly around the drive (as per meaningful benchmarks). Of course the same is true of regular hard drives, for comparison, whilst the 4kB random read speed of an SSD is ~70MB/s, the 4kB random read speed of a WD Velociraptor (widely regarded as the fastest consumer HDD) is ~0.7MB/s

If you want to know more about SSD fundamentals - http://www.anandtech.com/show/2738 - http://www.anandtech.com/show/2829 - they're old articles, but still very relevant.

The Vertex 2 is pretty highly regarded for longevity, but I've heard a lot of good things about the Crucial drives too.


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## noiseboyuk (Jan 29, 2011)

williamrice @ Sat Jan 29 said:


> Yes, real world and specs come up very differently with SSDs. Anandtech really is _the_ authority on SSDs.
> 
> Basically there's a massive difference between the read/write speed when you're moving a single massive file (as per the specs) Vs lots of tiny ones placed randomly around the drive (as per meaningful benchmarks). Of course the same is true of regular hard drives, for comparison, whilst the 4kB random read speed of an SSD is ~70MB/s, the 4kB random read speed of a WD Velociraptor (widely regarded as the fastest consumer HDD) is ~0.7MB/s
> 
> ...



Wow, wow. What fantastic articles William (even if I skipped some of the technical stuff in the middle). Thank you so much!

The options at PC Specialist are the Vertex and the IBM X-25.... I guess the latter is a little better overall? Good deal on the 120gb one actually. Hmmm... can't help wondering about using some of this boot drive for sample streaming as well? A bad idea?


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## rgames (Jan 29, 2011)

noiseboyuk @ Sat Jan 29 said:


> Interesting! I'll be new to SSDs... the PC Specialist website says 285 read 275 write... is that fantasy land


Not at all - that's quite low, actually, but it depends on how you measure it. Read speed for a bunch of smaller files is lower than read speed for a single, large file. Usually folks spec the higher speed because it's more impressive.

You should be able to get 350+ MB/s read at the top end.

Here's what I measured for different OS, interface card, RAID config, and drivers (note the first page is 7200 RPM mechanical drives for comparison): http://www.rgamesmusic.com/temp/SSDSpeedTest.pdf

The numbers going down the left side in each graph are the file sizes in kB. The numbers on the right are Write/Read speeds in MB/s. Top end was about 380 MB/s for a single drive (i.e. non-RAID) and was in line with other benchmarks I saw. I found that the interface driver has a large impact on read speed for smaller files but not large ones.

I haven't looked in several months but the Crucial C300 was top dog back then.

rgames


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## noiseboyuk (Jan 29, 2011)

Thanks Richard, this is all very much appreciated. The Corsair looks like it's way faster for most tests... perhaps not for the random write though (which might affect boot performance but not sample streaming?)

Good to hear, KB, thank you. Which case did you go for, btw?


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## noiseboyuk (Jan 29, 2011)

kb123 @ Sat Jan 29 said:


> I went for an antec 900-2-UK - Pretty blue lights and lots of fans. The whole thing weighs a "ton" btw



Rad.

Being a Radio 4 listener, I'm thinking of the Coolermaster Sileo 500 quiet! Would love something quieter than my current crate. Just hoping that cooling will be ok with the setup I'm looking at.


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## noiseboyuk (Apr 10, 2011)

OK, another 3 months of tech and a bit of a conceptual rethink. I think I'm going to go for a Sandy Bridge based system. Latest generation, much more power efficient and cost effective while having excellent performance. At the moment the main limitation is that the RAM is limited to 16gb, but two factors mitigate this:

1 - I'm planning on running SSDs, so massively reducing preload buffers and thus RAM use. Much of my template is Kontakt-based, which is best placed to take advantage of this.

2 - 8gb sticks will hit the market at some point, bringing RAM capacity up to 32gb if I really need it in future. 

(2 1/2 - I can fall back on the laptop slave that I currently use for a little more if desperate... but currently I'm using 6gb, so 16gb with low preload buffers looks luxurious!)

So here's the potential system. Concept is to have it is as quiet, low power and efficient as possible, while still having very high performance. Might order in a week or two so all comments very welcome! In particular wondering if I need to bother with overclocking - hungriest CPU stuff currently using is Omnisphere and a few effects.

Intel 2600k
Asus Sabertooth P67
16gb Hyper X Genesis Dual DDR3 1600mhz RAM
1x OCZ Vertex 120gb system drive SATA III
2x OCZ Vertex 240gb sample drives SATA III
1x WD Caviar Black 2TB drive
1GB ATI Radeon HD5450 graphics card (might go for a 3rd display at some point)
450w Quiet 80 Plus PSU
22db CPU cooler
Fractal Design R3 quiet case
Windows 7 Professional 64 bit

Again looking at the UK's PC Specialist - http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers ... bridge-pc/ £1800 +VAT


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## Mr Greg G (Apr 10, 2011)

Hey, good choice for the SB. But you've got to ask yourself one question: "Do I feel lucky?" just kidding  The question is to know you really need Hyperthreading. It all depends on your DAW. I'm a Cubase user and I know Cubase doesn't manage HT very well, so I would be better off with a 2500K and save 100$ on the processor. Some users on the Cubase forums even reported worse CPU performances in Cubase with HT turned on.



> Asus Sabertooth P67



Also, why did you choose a Sabertooth over a P8P67 (regular)? You could save some money on the mobo too.



> 16gb Hyper X Genesis Dual DDR3 1600mhz RAM



I wouldn't recommend Kingston RAM for a SB setup. They don't meet SB specs (SB calls for 1.5V RAM) as their sticks are running at 1.65V. Intel highly recommends to use 1.5V sticks (the memory controller is on the CPU) and if you fry your CPU because of high RAM voltages, it will not be covered by the warranty. I'd go with 2 kits of 2x4GB (16GB) G.Skill Ripjaws X 1600MHz CL9 1.5V instead. They're garanteed to work flawlessly with SB systems and if you want to overclock your CPU you will have some headroom until you reach 1.65v, which is the max RAM voltage for SB.



> 450w Quiet 80 Plus PSU



I would go for a good Seasonic PSU and at least 80+ Bronze. I you've got the money I'd suggest even to go 80+ Gold with a Seasonic 460W fanless or the Seasonic X-Series 560 W both Gold certified. You'd be safe for years.

http://hfr-rehost.net/http://1.bp.blogs ... x_spec.png



> 22db CPU cooler


The Noctua NH-D14 is a good way to go. (both fans run at less than 20Db)
http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=34&lng=en= (http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=prod ... 34&amp;lng=en=)


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## noiseboyuk (Apr 10, 2011)

Thanks for the comments Mr Pringles!

Here's the thing... I really want to get this whole thing assembled and ready to go. So given that, I can't chose a lot of the things you've kindly recommended - PC Specialist seem very good value and have an excellent reputation.

I'm VERY surprised about the Kingston memory in particular, since this is one of only a couple of makes that they ship with the Sandy Bridge systems... why are they doing that if there is a fundamental compatibility issue, I wonder? It leaves me with a real dilemma, as the only other 16gb option is the Samsung 1333.

The Sabertooth - chose that I guess cos there was only £30 difference and I liked reading "military grade" all over the place! Also the design seemed to be made for longevity and dissipates heat well, but happy to take advice that there's no real difference between this and the cheaper one.

Again, with the power supplies the only other options for me are the Corsair TX or Pro series, all of which seem way overpowered. And there seems no better CPU cooler available there for noise... I think I can live with 22db vs 20db though!

Which just leaves the processor. I'm aware the 2500 is very highly regarded. Have to say, the reviews I've looked at (eg http://guru3d.com/article/core-i5-2500k ... -review/23 ) do say the 2600k is noticeably better, and for £60 out of a 2k system, unless I'm missing something, I'd rather stick with that. Also I'm currently on Sonar 8.5 which apparently does make good use of Hyperthreading (not sure about VE Pro, which is perhaps the most significant of all since I'm planning putting pretty much the whole template via it).

Really appreciate all the advice, I don't stay up with the world of computing much til I have to buy something, so there's huge gaps in my knowledge!


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## Mr Greg G (Apr 10, 2011)

If Sonar can make a good use out of the Hyperthreading technology, then go 2600K without thinking twice, that's for sure. I don't know about VE Pro, I'm using one machine and one DAW for everything. Maybe you could search through VSL forums if there's any related thread.

If you have some knowledge in building computers, you definitely should buy the different items separately and assemble the whole thing yourself instead of depending on a a store like pcspecialist. Look at how much it would cost you, you could save a good amount of money, wouldn't depend on anyone and be able to replace a component without hassle if needed, and would know your hardware inside out like the back of your hand. But if you don't have any experience in assembling computers or don't know anyone who could help you through the process then yeah, the assembly store is the way to go.

So if you really have to play the assembly store card, don't worry about the Kingston RAM voltage since if it doesn't work you'll use your warranty. But don't try to overclock anything in this case (which is a bit sad with a 2600K).

Just a precision about the Noctua CPU fan, it's about 19dB at full speed but when using the ULNA (Ultra Low Noise Adapter), it's around 13dB, so that's a 10dB difference with the one you listed. Noctua CPU fans are praised by all overclockers, especially both NH-D14 and NH-U12P SE. So if you don't need to overclock your 2600K to beyond 4.5Ghz or simply stay at stock speed, you won't hear anything coming from those fans. Maybe you could ask pcspecialist (or some other similar stores, I guess there are others on this lucrative market) if they can use other components than those listed. Because honestly, when I read stuff like No name 80+ PSU or No name SUPER QUIET CPU fan (for 22£), it doesn't inspire confidence.


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## noiseboyuk (Apr 10, 2011)

Thanks again, sounds like good advice. Two reasons for having it assembled - 1) REALLY don't want the hassle of DIY and 2) if I buy a complete system at £2k or above I get all the vat back, which is a saving of 20%.

Again, the Kingston is baffling though... it's their ONLY choice in their custom overclocked systems I see!


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## chimuelo (Apr 10, 2011)

I run the 980X @ 4.132 on stock air using 6.8 QPI and its more power than I'll ever need.
Now that manufacturers have recieved fixed Sandy Bridge parts and recuperated losses by blindly following Intel, the older i7's are dropping prices.
Got mine for 499 USD.
FWIW My i7 930 OC'd @ 4.2 ( testing purposes only ) ran too hot for stock air, but the cores were showing 40%. Now I use stock air and see 7-10% on 5 instance of packed Kontakt 4.2.2 under Bidule.
THe i7 930 was limited to 4.8 QPI and I didn't really need to upgrade, but I expected a nominal increase, instead I got a way more than I bargained for.
If you are using Omnisphere you will be extremely pleased with a few Kontakts and a couple of Omni.
I was using 3 x Raptor 150's for content and had no problems streaming limitless poly for Pianos and heavy Horn Layers, but the cheap " dated " Corsair 128GB SSD's were cheap too so I have those.
Access times are much faster but not really noticable, but I can put CHH 2 Horns in RAM and use the ModWheel to control Swells which I couldn't do before.
But most noticable is 4.2.2 with NCW across the board and the super fast load up speed.
Takes 4-5 minutes where as before it took 30 minute and I had to be at sound checks extra early.
Now I set up go get me and the FOH a cold one and start slamming audio.
Life is good with i7 980X and neww SSD's.........
The SSD's are cheap too because the newest SF controllers cost more, and the Corsairs are sitting on the shelves. I dont really care what new benchmarks say, most use Que Depth that dont relate to polyphony, but I do prefer hardware from 1-2 years ago since I know it works now, and the price is cheap.
I love tweakers and gamers, they drive down the prices and spend untold hours on developers forums as non paying BETA testers........
Hats Off To Them.... :mrgreen:


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## noiseboyuk (Apr 10, 2011)

Thanks Chimuelo, good to hear your SSD experiences. I think this year prices really will come down - this new generation of drives will keep forcing the previous generations down I think.

When you think that the new ncw LASS is a mere 18gb in size, ditto Symphobia, there's a lot you can fit on even a 120gb drive really. My new case has 8 hard drive bays... I can see them filling up over the years!


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## Udo (Apr 10, 2011)

You should consider the 6 core i7 970. At about $585 retail now, it has recently become a lot cheaper than the i7 980x (the difference was originally only $100).

Like the 980x, the 970 has 6 cores, but slightly lower clock speed. Can be over-clocked, but it's not as flexible as oc in the 980x. It now only costs about $270 more than the 4 core i7 2600K.

BTW, you can get perfectly good "manufacturing samples" of processors a lot cheaper (but they don't include the fan, like the retail version).


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## noiseboyuk (Apr 11, 2011)

Thanks to all for your contributions!

OK, so PC Specialist can swap out custom bits and pieces, and I need to try Scan as well that I've heard good things about (though their online PC configurations seem very option-lite I understand they can put custom stuff together). The trick is I want the total bill to be £2k or above including VAT from one supplier - that's how I can get the VAT back.

The system with the most basic RAM is just over £2k, so that would work. The RAM thing is really vexing me... it seems bizarre that PC Specialist only offer 1.65v RAM for their overclocked Sandy Bridge system when it's unsupported by intel. They say they've never had any issues, and indeed a net-search hasn't reveled any either. But if I understand rightly the issue might be longevity - is this correct?

So I could swap out the RAM or alternatively supply my own power supply and CPU cooler - either way keeping the bill over the magic 2k (couldn't do all three though). Also I need to give Scan a bell and see what they can do.

BTW - Udo, I'm pretty set on Sandy Bridge cos of the efficiency for the same kind of results.

EDIT - just sent an email direct to intel on the memory issue. Strikes me that if one of the UK's biggest resellers are only supplying a potentially harmful config for the Sandy Bridge overclocked systems, it's something I need advice on from the horse's mouth and then alert them if necessary!


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## Mr Greg G (Apr 11, 2011)

1.65V is supported by Intel, but it's actually the Sandy Bridge RAM voltage limit. So there's always a very small chance to fry your RAM or CPU as you're already hitting the limit with this RAM. But the sure thing is that you definitely won't be able to overclock anything since you've got no voltage headroom. Can't PCspecialist swap the Kingston with the Gskill sticks? They're about 20 to 30USD more expensive.

Let us know what Intel will reply to you!


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## Udo (Apr 11, 2011)

noiseboyuk @ Tue Apr 12 said:


> ...... BTW - Udo, I'm pretty set on Sandy Bridge cos of the efficiency for the same kind of results.


The real advantages of the 2 extra cores/4 extra threads you get with a 970/980x are generally not well represented in benchmarks (because of the applications used), so comparing a 970 with a 2600K is not easy. Have you considered the potential advantages of the extra cores/threads in the way you will use the system? (extra cost currently about $275).

Although I haven't decided yet, I'm leaning towards a 970.


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## chimuelo (Apr 12, 2011)

Haven't heard much yet, but this was at CES and clearly shows Intel is not abandonning the Tripla Channel RAM designs. 
I just can't see going to dual channel no matter what benchmarks say.
Hopefully this design will actually be released.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=w ... 7vIsxke-KA


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## Udo (Apr 12, 2011)

chimuelo @ Wed Apr 13 said:


> Haven't heard much yet, but this was at CES and clearly shows Intel is not abandonning the Tripla Channel RAM designs.
> I just can't see going to dual channel no matter what benchmarks say ......


The upcoming Sandy Bridge-E processors will actually support up to Quad-Channel memory, further increasing the memory bandwidth available to the CPU.


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## noiseboyuk (Apr 13, 2011)

See, I'm thinking that with SSD, the RAM thing is actually becoming less of an issue. I did some tests on my current rig, and then some maths (always dangerous for me...) and I figured that by dropping Kontakt preload buffers to 6kbs, you could fit all divisi and FC of the full upcoming ncw version of LASS with gliss, portamento and legato for all sections in little more than 1GB of ram! This is assuming that the SSD access times hold up in the real world of course. In theory, any streaming Kontakt library need only a minute amount of RAM (VSL and Play still have some catching up to do). I think the days of insatiable RAM use may be coming to an end.

I'm still leaning heavily towards the current Sandy Bridge systems. I don't think the current RAM limitation is all that important for me. Also, the E type won't be with us til the end of the year, and I don't want to wait that long! And by that time, something newer will be just round the corner of course...

Still waiting on my Intel reply re RAM spec, btw.


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## Mike Connelly (Apr 13, 2011)

The question is whether real use matches the theoretical speed of SSD. What low preload settings are people running Kontakt at?


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## Mr Greg G (Apr 14, 2011)

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/289741-12-sandy-bridge-mobo (http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/289 ... ridge-mobo)

One of the forum members adds another valid points regarding the fact that buying 1.65V RAM sticks is not a good choice: they won't work with Ivy bridge CPUs.


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## noiseboyuk (Apr 14, 2011)

Thanks for the links. Swinging now towards getting the PC Specialist system but supplying my own 1.5v 1600 RAM.


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## noiseboyuk (Apr 14, 2011)

Mr Pringles @ Thu Apr 14 said:


> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/289741-12-sandy-bridge-mobo
> 
> One of the forum members adds another valid points regarding the fact that buying 1.65V RAM sticks is not a good choice: they won't work with Ivy bridge CPUs.



I've been following the links here, and found this:

http://www.clunk.org.uk/forums/overcloc ... post110982

Scroll right to the bottom, miscellaneous information. It says:



> Sandy Bridge has only been around for a short time, but sadly, there is an incredible amount of confusion regarding certain aspects of voltage adjustment. The information below, comes directly from Asus, Gigabyte, Corsair and Intel PMO (Platform Memory Operations), and to the best of my knowledge is 100% correct at the time of writing this. Of course, if any new information comes to light, I will update this section.
> 
> Sandy Bridge does not demand only 1.5v modules, it will be perfectly happy with 1.65v modules too. If someone tries to tell you that you must have 1.5v modules, then they are either trying to sell them to you, or they have been reading misinformation, or both! Another point to consider here, is that in your BIOS, if you head to the memory voltage setting, and enter 1.5v, the text will remain white/grey, if you enter 1.65v, it will turn yellow, and it isn't until 1.73v that it turns red, so at the moment, I'd rest assured that 1.65v modules are OK to use, and I have had this confirmed by Asus, Gigabyte and Corsair so far, as soon as I hear from anyone else, I will update this again.
> 
> ...



Any commenets on this, folks? Really hard to decide as a not-to-techie outsider if there is anything to worry about or not...


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## noiseboyuk (Apr 26, 2011)

Just to say - SYSTEM ORDERED! Thanks a million to all who've helped me.

I ended up going for PC Specialist. I was going to order from Scan, but two days in a row they said they'd ring me to sort out some changes, but neither time did and didn't contact me to say there was a delay, so I got concerned about their customer service. A friend just took delivery from PC Specialist, and was very happy with them.

So here's the final specs, several bit swapped out due to advice here. There's still time for last minute changes post-order if anything else leaps out to anyone!

Case	FRACTAL DESIGN R3
Processor i7-2600k
Motherboard	ASUS® SABERTOOTH P67 (NEW REV 3.0)
Memory (RAM)	16GB 4xG-Skill 4GB DDR3 1600Mhz Ripjaws
Graphics Cards	2x 1GB ATI RADEON™ HD5450
1st Hard Disk	120GB OCZ VERTEX 3 SERIES SSD
2nd Hard Disk	2TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD2002FAEX
3rd Hard Disk	240GB OCZ VERTEX 3 SERIES SSD
4th Hard Disk	240GB OCZ VERTEX 3 SERIES SSD
Power Supply	CORSAIR 650W TX SERIES (TX650)
Processor Cooling	Noctua NH-D14 Dual Radiator and Fan Socket
Operating System	Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit


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## Mr Greg G (Apr 27, 2011)

What, no mouse or keyboard?





Nice system! The Vertex 3 seems great!


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## Udo (Apr 27, 2011)

Assuming your amended 1st post now reflects your final config decision, I'm pleased to see you saw the light and went for a 6 core CPU . However, I think an i7 970 would have been a better choice. At about US$585, it costs now only slightly more than half of what the 980x costs and there's is little difference in performance, in particular with some overclocking (but oc is easier/more flexible with the 980x).

As mentioned earlier, benchmarks of the a 970/980x generally don't show the real advantages the 2 extra cores/4 extra threads provide for the way we use a system.

EDIT: I don't think the Nvidia GEFORCE 210 you selected supports CUDA. That's being used now by more and more plugins to get access to the enormous amount of parallel processing power on GPUs, incl, cheaper models. 

Here's the Nvidia list: www.nvidia.com/object/cuda_gpus.html


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## noiseboyuk (Apr 27, 2011)

Hi Udo - final spec is three posts up from this one!

The philosophy (if you will...) is to put as much as possible onto SSD, get the preload buffers right down (hopefully 10x?!) and that way the RAM will go way further. Heard nothing but good things about the 2600k!


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## Udo (Apr 27, 2011)

noiseboyuk @ Wed Apr 27 said:


> Hi Udo - final spec is three posts up from this one!
> 
> The philosophy (if you will...) is to put as much as possible onto SSD, get the preload buffers right down (hopefully 10x?!) and that way the RAM will go way further. Heard nothing but good things about the 2600k!


Yes, the 2600K gets very good reviews, but most people and benchmarks don't use the extra cores and threads like most us do.

BTW, did you see the EDIT in my last post re CUDA? (ATI have something similar with Stream Technology, but there's little take up by developers).


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## noiseboyuk (Apr 27, 2011)

Udo @ Wed Apr 27 said:


> Yes, the 2600K gets very good reviews, but most people and benchmarks don't use the extra cores and threads like most us do.
> 
> BTW, did you see the EDIT in my last post re CUDA? (ATI have something similar with Stream Technology, but there's little take up by developers).



I've seen a bit of feedback now from audio users re the 2600, and it has been v good. Yes, only 4 real cores, but hyperthreaded of course.

I must be honest, I haven't heard of CUDA. Do I really need it? What supports it? To be honest I think CPU shouldn't be too much of a strain with this setup, should it?


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## Udo (Apr 27, 2011)

noiseboyuk @ Wed Apr 27 said:


> ...... I've seen a bit of feedback now from audio users re the 2600, and it has been v good. Yes, only 4 real cores, but hyperthreaded of course.
> 
> I must be honest, I haven't heard of CUDA. Do I really need it? What supports it? To be honest I think CPU shouldn't be too much of a strain with this setup, should it?


An individual core on the 2600 is a bit more powerful than a core on a 970/980x at the same clock speed, but the 970 and 980x have 50% more cores and threads. Difficult to make a comparison. I think the extra cores/threads have more benefits for us. 

BTW, hyperthreading is only available on the 2600K, not the 2600.

What is CUDA? www.nvidia.com/object/what_is_cuda_new.html

Using CUDA for audio is in the early stages. I've come across several VSTs that use it, e.g. Nebula Pro 3 and LiquidSonics' Reverberate (and there are more). There are also several imminent releases and more developers are experimenting.

CUDA for VST requires substantial effort and issues like the lack of coherency in buffering schemes used by different VST hosts complicates things.

BTW, the Geforce 210 has CUDA after all, but only a rating of 1.


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## noiseboyuk (Apr 27, 2011)

Yes, 2600k is the one I've ordered!

I did have a little look at Cuda - like you say it looks like something that's a bit of a work-in-progress. I'm guessing it only really makes sense on powerful graphics cards too. Might have a future, but I don't think I'll worry about it just yet.... cheers for the heads up though.


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## Dan Selby (Apr 27, 2011)

Looks like a great spec, Guy.


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## Dan Selby (Apr 27, 2011)

Looks like a great spec, Guy.


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## noiseboyuk (May 12, 2011)

Well, it arrived today - all very exciting. One black mark for PC Specialist in that they didn't put in the 2nd graphics card - apparently there was a mix up cos you can't use crossfire with these 2 cards (not that I want to) etc etc. Anyway, they were very apologetic and have shipped that immediately.

The only disappointment so far is the Corsair power supply. It seems quite a bit louder than I'd hoped - a lot less than my current PC but not exactly silent. Don't know if there's a bios setting to calm it down... I may have to think about swapping it out. Gadzooks that Noctura CPU fan is MASSIVE though - the RAM only just fits underneath, and it literally takes up half the case!

So far I've mainly been copying files, but I've done some quick tests with Kontakt and Omnisphere... and it's VERY encouraging. Kontakt prebuffers drop to the minumum of 6k without a glitch. I was working with the Omni preload level at 900,000 - I got it to 10,000 but did hear one glitch so put it up to 30.000 for a bit of margin for error. It dropped the full acoustic multi (which is massive) from around 2gb of RAM to about 800mb.

Overall seems very responsive and quick. Very early days, but cautiously optimistic.

EDIT - August Forrester Grand from the Factory Library. Was 130mb. I ncw'd it, and now it's on the low preload buffer'd Kontakt. Now 6.66mb. Totally glitch-free. That's 20x less RAM. TWENTY!!!!!


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## noiseboyuk (Jun 10, 2011)

*Re: Another system spec - comments welcome! [woe update...]*

Thought I may as well do an update here, I know a few people were interested to know how the system worked out.

Well, it's all very frustrating. From what I've been able to tell, this will absolutely be a killer system, but I've not yet arrived at a place where I feel "this is stable, now I can start". I'm still, several weeks on, mid-migration. At least I'm pleased with my timing - after the end of one project, next project still looks a way off... it would be much more difficult / frustrating if I was wrestling deadlines. In general my advice would be to get a new machine in as much of a fit state as you can before breaking the old one - with most libraries you can make it so you're installed on both. Apart from Toontrack, I've got everything running on both, so I can still work.

So to the specifics. I was getting boot errors, with the BIOS reporting USB power surges and refusing to boot (a 2nd attempt would be ok usually). Also sleep mode problems - I know this can be lived with, but a) it's new and it should be right; b) it's a pain and c) its often an indicator of a deeper problem. Also the PSU fan really was too loud (or so I thought). So I RMA'd back to PC Specialist, a pretty painless process although it was on their shelves for nearly a week before they could work on it.

After their testing, it transpired a USB power header was faulty and causing the surges, so they swapped the motherboard. Due to my lazy testing, it transpired that it was actually the Noctua CPU that was the most noisy not the CPU fan, at which point I found out that you need to put an inline resistive cable into it to enable the ultra quiet mode, something I had in my box of bits (as soon as I read this, I thought "oh yeah, I think someone mentioned this and I completely forgot!). PC Specialist shipped back the unit with the new mobo having stress tested and all seemed well. It arrived yesterday and I put in the fan cable - and the good news is that it has made a huge difference, about 6db I'd say. It's now overall at a level I can live with... in truth I'd like it even quieter, but it's many, many times better than the old system and most recordings done in the room I think I'd get away with it when the unit is in its final position rather than on the floor next to me.

But - urgh - a random BSOD when idle, and still sleep mode problems. I sent PC Specialist a crash log, they suggested after analysing I run memory tests. The windows memory test reported no problems, but after 6.5hrs of scanning, Memtest had counted a truly impressive 4,608 errors! What is curious is that the company say they ran this test with no problems... also memtest's instructions say that very high numbers of sequential errors might be a false positive. So anyway, my delightful job today is to go through every stick one by one on memtest, swap slots around etc to identify which, if any, are really causing problems.

Like I say, it's maddeningly frustrating. Most of what I've been able to play with is really, really exciting. I've almost got my old template in it - seemed important for compatability - and apart from the bore of individual projects needing relinking samples (the template stuff is fine of course), it seems to go like the proverbial sticky stuff off a shovel. The template loads in around 20s as opposed to 5 minutes, and so far is only taking up 2GB of RAM (it used to be over 3GB across two computers) using low preload buffers where I can. Now, that's not the really spectacular gains one might have hoped for (see my memory thread on that - http://www.vi-control.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21134 ) but yesterday I thought "hold on, that's an AMAZING figure... there's over 100 instruments in there!" I'm guessing my new much bigger template will take up something like 6GB, leaving heaps over for individual projects.

Anyway, all for the future. Time to start the delightful RAM testing, which I suspect will last all day!


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## Dan Selby (Jun 10, 2011)

I feel your pain, Guy (not that it helps you). Chasing down memory stick problems is horrible.


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## noiseboyuk (Jun 10, 2011)

Dan Selby @ Fri Jun 10 said:


> I feel your pain, Guy (not that it helps you). Chasing down memory stick problems is horrible.



Cheers! 2 down and 99.9% certain those are both clear at least (3 clean memtest passes each should be enough...). At least if there is only 1 or even 2 rogue sticks I can just RMA those and hopefully then have a rock solid system while I wait for the replacement(s).

EDIT - 4th stick was duff! (always is the last one) Hundreds of errors. Good, I can just RMA that. Still got my sleep-mode problems though.


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## noiseboyuk (Jun 15, 2011)

...and looks like the sleep mode problem is resolved by updating the BIOS. I think, finally, I have a fully working PC!

Well, I have to say I have mixed feelings about PC Specialist. On the plus side, their support has been quick, painless and friendly, and it has got results. But on the less positive side, I did need to use it rather too much. This is the list of faults with my system:

1. No 2nd graphics card as ordered
2. USB power surges on motherboard (replaced)
3. Duff stick of RAM (note - ram supplied by eBuyer, but should have come up on memtest)
4. Mobo bios not updated
5. Quiet mode not enabled using fan adapter (though to be fair I didn't stipulate this, I'd hope they would have asked).

Now to learn ProTools and / or Cubase! I'm abandoning Sonar - the final straw is that, despite what their website says, Sonar does not support EUCON in a 64 bit environment and they have no plans to change this.


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