OT: Grazie's New 2011 PC for Vegas10

Grazie wrote on 5/20/2011, 6:43 AM

Well? Does this "Curdle yer Poodle?"

And I'll be going HD, something . . . I'm assuming this would XXXX all over AVCHD?

Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7-2600k Quad Core (3.40GHz, 8MB Cache) + HD Graphics

Motherboard ASUS® P8Z68-V PRO: USB 3.0, SATA 6.0GB/s, NVIDIA® SLI™, ATI® CrossFireX™

Memory (RAM) 16GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P (4 x 4GB KIT)

Graphics Card 2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 460 - 2 DVI,HDMI,VGA - DX® 11, 3D Vision Ready

Memory - 1st Hard Disk 500GB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (7,200rpm)

2nd Hard Disk 1TB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 16MB CACHE (7,200rpm)

3rd Hard Disk 1TB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 16MB CACHE (7,200rpm)

4th Hard Disk 2TB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 32MB CACHE (7,200rpm)

1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 12x BLU-RAY RE-WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW

Memory Card Reader INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT

Power Supply CORSAIR 650W TX SERIES (TX650) 80+ ULTRA QUIET PSU

Processor Cooling TITAN FENRIR EVO EXTREME HEATPIPE CPU COOLER

Sound Card ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

Network Facilities ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs

USB Options 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD

Operating System Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence

Well, any major holes?

Grazie

Comments

xberk wrote on 5/20/2011, 7:01 AM

The spec looks great.

I'd want an SSD boot drive. Maybe 60-80gigs to host the OS and nothing else. I'd also opt for a drive caddy like the Antec Easy SATA which can be set up to be "hot" swappable. You didn't mention the case -- but I like "quiet" Antec cases in that department as well.

I'm thinking of doing a new build myself. Twin Xeons. But ouch! They are still expensive. The i7-2600 looks awfully good for over-clocking.

goshep wrote on 5/20/2011, 7:15 AM

"Well, any major holes?"

Other than your pocketbook? :)

vtxrocketeer wrote on 5/20/2011, 7:48 AM

Very nice. However, are you sure that 650W is enough, perhaps with future expansion in mind?

EDIT: I built mine with a 1000W Corsair. I do not ever worry about demanding too much of it.

UlfLaursen wrote on 5/20/2011, 8:27 AM

I woul go for the 850W PSU, Grazie - I have 2 myself and they are great. I love corsair in general.
Good luck with your beast :)

Ulf

JohnnyRoy wrote on 5/20/2011, 8:42 AM

> (vtxrocketeer) "Very nice. However, are you sure that 650W is enough, perhaps with future expansion in mind?"

I was thinking the exact same thing. With a 95W Core i7, GTX460, and 4 hard drives already, that has got to be close to max. I'd get a bigger PSU just to be save.

~jr

dxdy wrote on 5/20/2011, 8:45 AM

Personally, instead of loading up internal disks, I would use one of the cases that has the sata swap trays of bays. I somehow never have enough disk space.

JohnnyRoy wrote on 5/20/2011, 8:50 AM

> (xberk) "I'd want an SSD boot drive. Maybe 60-80gigs to host the OS and nothing else."

I agree. My next build will have an SDD boot drive for sure.

> (xberk) "I'm thinking of doing a new build myself. Twin Xeons. But ouch! They are still expensive. The i7-2600 looks awfully good for over-clocking."

So what Xeons are you considering? I'm thinking of putting a 12 core together. The Apple Mac Pro 12 core uses two 2.66GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon “Westmere” processors. I figure Apple doesn't skimp on components so that might be the price performance sweet spot at $1019 each.

Or should I wait for the Sandy Bridge HexCores? (sorry, I don't mean to steal the thread but it is about building monster machines isn't it?)

~jr

Grazie wrote on 5/20/2011, 8:54 AM

Still waiting for jr to comment here, but in the meantime . ..

Today was the first time I'd heard of SSD for boots! I would expect it would make for super fast starts ups?

OK, tell me where do I put my programs then?

Sure, an even beefier PSU.

This case has a top that allows for slipping in drives. There is a lid which descends and you slip in the HDD. I intend to add a Snap Drive that I have already.

The REAL big question is this: Will it give me super playback from the Vegas Timeline?

I've been spoilt and have learnt what to expect with SD on a QUAD running at 2.8, so I'd at least/expect to get similar with HD on this setup. - Do you understand?

Whereeeeee's Johnny?

Grazie

Grazie wrote on 5/20/2011, 9:04 AM

Ah-ha, there he be.

This is a Sandy Bridge. There's going to be a Hex-core? Is that more than the SB I was being quoted for?

Again, how would this setup fair with giving slippery, silk playback from Vegas?

Ah yes . . Can I have advise on something that'll get me an S-Video output to go to my JVC Monitor? Maybe an Intensity Pro? . . .

Grazie

JohnnyRoy wrote on 5/20/2011, 9:08 AM

> (Grazie) "OK, tell me where do I put my programs then?"

On the SSD. It's just like any other C: drive except it's faster.

> (Grazie) "The REAL big question is this: Will it give me super playback from the Vegas Timeline?"

Well... you're moving from a QuadCore to a QuadCore and while the Sandy Bridge is faster, unless you have an old QuadCore like me, you might not see a whole lot. You should explore if moving from a i7 9xxx to an i7 2xxxx is really going to be that much of a boost. (I don't know)

You might also want to explore getting a HexCore like Keith Kolbo did. He has one of the fastest rigs around right now.

~jr

Grazie wrote on 5/20/2011, 9:20 AM

Well, Johnny, I would be going from a measly 2gb of RAM on a 32 bit system and getting Vegas 64bit PLUS the whatever it will bring me.

Grazie

mekelly wrote on 5/20/2011, 9:47 AM

I would Definitely get an SSD for your boot/OS/program drive. I upgraded a dual core system last year to a quad core i7-960 and doubled the memory. The system was obviously faster but it wasn't until I replaced the boot drive with an SSD that the system really started to be responsive.

Most programs load in less than 2 seconds for me.

I would look at something like the OCZ Vertex 3 connected to your 6gb SATA port. Benchmarks are outrageous (I know they don't always mimic real life day to day usage), but people are seeing over 500MB a second read and writes on large sequential files.

Grazie wrote on 5/20/2011, 10:46 AM

Thanks Mekelly. It's an unkown exerience for me, but one that I'm warming to.

Oh, dear hearts of mine, here is the ever so cuddle container for the BEAST!! NOT!!

Grazzzzie

ritsmer wrote on 5/20/2011, 2:16 PM

Ports: Ought to have USB 3 ports too (in a year most things will run USB 3)

HDDs: Check the specs for the new Samsung Spinpoint F4EG HD204UI 2 TB - it runs "only" 5.400 RPM but seems as fast as /faster than most 7.200 and is very silent. Had one for couple of months - runs just well. And yes: definitely a 128 GB SSD for your C: drive for OS and Programs etc. Get one of the last ones that does not slow down after some use.

When you are investing this amount of money you really should consider more than 4 cores - either a Sandy Bridge hexa or dual Xeon quads.

I have a dual Xeon quad (2,8 GHz actually a Mac Pro "early 2008 version") and this machine previews raw AVCHD from the camera 1920x1080 50i / 25 Mbps at full speed - even at Best/Half settings.
Check the new HD rendertest in this forum and see what you can expect from different hardware.

Eventually: At my own last machine change I placed the new machine in the archive room next door.
It serves my monitor well through 8 meter double DVI cable - and keyboard, mouse, headset, cardreader, USB hub and even a DVD reader/writer are here on/under my desk connected via USB.... and it is completely silent in here.

farss wrote on 5/20/2011, 2:59 PM

All looks good.
Agree with all of the above regarding PSU and lack of USB3.
Again I have doubts about SSDs and YOUR needs. How many times per day do you boot your PC and how many times per day do you load / unload apps on a dedicated editing system?

For the case my current system uses the Antec 1200. I bought that based on JM's recommendations and have been very happy with it except for one thing. The filters are a PIA to get out to clean and they do need cleaning and better the fluff ends up in a filter than the CPU heatsink.

The newer Antec DF-85 case addresses that problem. You can take the filters out to clean them without even powering the system down let alone needing a screwdriver:
Watch at around 3:20.

The pop in/out 2.5" drive module on the top looks pretty usefull to me as well.

Bob.

CorTed wrote on 5/20/2011, 3:18 PM

Grazie,

Really great looking system. For sure get a 1000W powersupply with that kind of load you need a strong one.
I got one of the SSD drives (80Gig) for my last build, but found out quickly that if you have it running as your C: (boot) drive it starts to fill up rather quickly, so I decided to make it my working drive and replaced the C: drive with a 500G model, and found relative little speed changes.
I am with Bob, how often do you boot and start new programs. Not real sure it makes that much of a difference.

I also have the USB3 controller on board (Asus P6X58D) but after having this system for almost a year I still have not seen any devices that actually use the USB 3.0 speed.
People keep telling it's coming..... we'll just be waiting......

Enjoy your new baby!!

Ted

ushere wrote on 5/20/2011, 6:28 PM

agree with bob - why bother with an ssd unless you intend booting every few minutes? (especially since they're still in their infancy).

i'd also drop a couple of drives (max 1 sys, + 2 for bouncing video around) and use externals for everything else.

and most importantly, a GOOD ups - otherwise......

xberk wrote on 5/20/2011, 6:46 PM

So what Xeons are you considering? I'm thinking of putting a 12 core together. The Apple Mac Pro 12 core uses two 2.66GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon “Westmere” processors.

That would be sweet Johnny. 12 cores. Oh yeah !! .. I'm thinking my pocketbook might not stand that .. But maybe 8 cores. Two quad Xeons. I keep checking for price drops. Meanwhile Grazie's Beast is the subject at hand ...

....to SSD or not to SSD. That is the question. Whether tis nobler to boot and open programs quickly or suffer the slings and arrows of outrageously huge serial boot drives -- or take arms and get with the cutting edge baby .. computers die..(are you backed up) ...computers sleep ... perchance they dream of being an SSD .. , 'tis a consummation devoutly to be wish'd ... no moving parts...aye, there's the rub.

.

msrpro2 wrote on 5/20/2011, 7:27 PM

Try this: http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/ultrastudio3d/features/

Thunderbolt

Serena wrote on 5/20/2011, 7:40 PM

An interesting aspect of Sandy Bridge is the Quick Sync facilities offered by the on-board GPU. As you know, the technology is designed to handle media and the CPUs and GPU are closely integrated. The tricky bit is:

" Quick Sync with a Discrete GPU
There’s just one hangup to all of this Quick Sync greatness: it only works if the processor’s GPU is enabled. In other words, on a desktop with a single monitor connected to a discrete GPU, you can’t use Quick Sync."

So I was advised to do without the separate video card. Of course I can add that if I find that necessary. The catch is that to get full benefit of this clever stuff the software has to be written to use it, which I'm sure Sony hasn't done. Not yet, anyway.

There is something on the subject here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/the-sandy-bridge-review-intel-core-i7-2600k-i5-2500k-core-i3-2100-tested/9Sandy Bridge and Quick Sync[/link]

JohnnyRoy wrote on 5/21/2011, 6:40 AM

> (Grazie) "This is a Sandy Bridge. There's going to be a Hex-core? Is that more than the SB I was being quoted for?"

Yea, this is the fence that I'm currently sitting on. :(

The current crop of HexCores are the previous technology. Sandy Bridge HexCores are targeted for 4Q11. I don't know if I can wait that long but I don't want to be sorry that I didn't.

When you are considering CPU's that cost $1,000 and you are buying two of them, they had better last! That's what I did the last time. I spent $1,000 on my QX6700 Intel Core 2 Quad Extreme when it first came out. That was back in December of 2006 (little Christmas present to myself). So my current PC is 4.5 years old!!! and it handles AVCHD pretty good but not as good as I'd like. So, I'm making a purchasing decision that I hope will last me another 4-5 years. That's why I'm willing to spend the money. I just don't know if the wait is worth it.

~jr

john_dennis wrote on 5/21/2011, 9:55 AM

"I'm making a purchasing decision that I hope will last me another 4-5 years. "

I've been on a four-year upgrade cycle since 1998, but my last round has been a miserable failure as far as staying on schedule. I usually try to buy a good chipset with a processor at the $weetspot of those available, then I do a two-year processor swap.

I bought too early with the 975 chipset and Conroe processor and had to replace the motherboard with a P45 chipset to get the most out of the Q9450 quad core in midcycle. If there is any upside to this tale, it is that I skipped the whole Prescott generation completely.

With the switch to HD with all the versions of Vegas that followed and Windows 7 release in the last four years, I feel as if I'm in a constant state of hardware/software upgrade.

I'm certain Intel never wanted a four-year refresh cycle and with the current release rate of chipsets and processors, they are having their way more than ever. AMD seems to do better with socket reuse but lately hasn't provided the throughput that video editors want. (Full disclosure: my wife's laptop has an AMD processor.)

It all reminds me of the lyric to the Three Dog Night Song, Family of Man... This tired city was somebody's dream.

Chienworks wrote on 5/21/2011, 1:54 PM

I'm still far from sold on SSD, actually to the point where i still consider them worse than useless. They're too small and too expensive and too short-lived for write cycles. That last is a problem for the Windows boot drive because the registry, swap, and various Windows, document & program directories are constantly being updated. Seems like it wouldn't take too long for the drive to start developing some major errors and need to be replaced. I certainly wouldn't use one for a video data drive where files are being constantly loaded and removed.

(We use them for boot drives in Linux systems with a locked /usr partition where there are almost never any changes, and where server reboots in a few seconds are critical. But that's the ONLY place we use them.)

As far as boot & program launch speed, honestly, how much difference does this really make over the course of the day? How often are you folks booting your PCs? I boot mine maybe a handful of times per year or less. How often are you launching programs? I tend to start up the ones i'm going to need most often right after booting, and most of them just stay open permanently. I might launch one or two programs a day at most, and those tend to be small utilities that launch fast anyway.

At least in my workspace, SSD would be far more of a liability than an asset.

john_dennis wrote on 5/21/2011, 2:25 PM

Around the data center, I recently noticed that Hitachi is using SSDs in their enterprise Virtual Storage Platform product as a place to destage unwritten data from cache rather than spinning disks during a power outage that affects the disk subsystem. By using SSDs, the data can be written faster and the cache batteries that reside in all enterprise disk systems can be smaller. In some older systems the batteries were very large, expensive and a nuisance to have hazardous material in the data center. The irony is that centers that are likely to have more than one VSP have near zero likelihood of every having a power outage.

I tend to agree that SSDs are not a mature product and, in my machine, it's an extravagence like my wife's red Lincoln. Come to think of it, every aspect of my machine is an extravagence including what I do with it.