My Next computer: Designed to Rape Game Engines...

[the_autopilot]

My current computer (specs in sig) is not offering the performence I'm interested in. And before you ask if I've overclocked, I have. The fx-55 was running at about 3.5 ghz, although i lowered it to 3 ghz due to certain software crashing. My water cooled 6800 ultras are fine and pretty much OC'ed to the max without artifacts. I have found the problem with my SLI setup. The 6800 ultras are being bottled necked by the fx-55. It simply cannot deliver the performence nessasary to keep up with my vid cards.

Therefore, I have decided to upgrade.

Here are the specs I plan on:
CPUs:
AMD Opteron 250 (SledgeHammer core) x2
-lets see how two of them keep up

Mobo:
I found this awesome mobo and just had to have it. Its the Thunder K8WE (S2895) (link here)
-SLI at fulll 16x speeds per slot (the nforce4 SLI, the reg kind of sli, splits up the 16x amoung the slots leaving each slot with 8 x speeds)
-Native SATA2 and SCSI support

Video cards:
eVGA 6800 ultra PCI-e x2
-can't find a problem with this kind of setup

Hard drives:
Seagate 73GB 15,000RPM SCSI Hard Drive, Model ST373453LW x2
(link here)
-2 of them to take advantage of the 2 ports scsi available

memory:
Buying these:  Crucial CT25672Y40B x8
(link: here
-My mobo can support up to 16 gigs of ram with 4 slots per CPU
-I intend to get 8 of the crucial mem, so I will have 16 gigs of ddr400 registered ram total.

Sound card:
Audigy 4 Pro x1
-thank god my mob has at least one regular pci

Power supply:
I have abolutely no idea where i will get a PSU for this kind of setup. Help please.

Cooling system:
-Pure copper hinksinks with water block for both 6800 ultras (and pumps and all)
-2 vapochill LS systems for the two CPUs. (I will be removing them from their casings and simply using the compressor and evaporator). I still have no idea how i'm going to get the two chill-controls to work together. This will probably be the hardest part of the setup.
-fans for hard drives

Case:
Have absolutely no idea again. Help please.

Misc:
-Keyboard and mouse...duh
-7.1 speakers and sub (haven't decided what model and brand), could use advice
-monitor, probably the one i'm using now
-Half life 2, doom3 and farcry. All other games will be spared from the carnage. I may try fs9 at someone's request.

Any suggestions and advice appreciated.

And yes, I am crazy.
And yes, I know how much of an overkill this is.
And no, this is not a joke.

[Mobius]

HOLY GOLDFISH BATMAN.........

ahem...................................yes........................whoa

[Gixer]

Just hope what I heard about dual CPU and it not really boosting performance that much aint true

I have the same problem with my setup, my AMD64 3500 bottlenecks my single 6800Ultra lol.

[Delta_]

Programs don't utilise dual CPU yet.  Some do but not many games.  However dual core CPUs are in development and will boost the demand for dual cpu games.

[Ivan]

Programs already use dual CPU, you just have to do the scheduling for them at the moment... And your motherboard does use both processors when doing SLI anyway. A single processor can't handle 2 PCI-16 slots and all the other stuff that is running on your system without delays

It's worth to let the windows stuff run on one processor and flightsim on the other... only thing is you will have to do that by hand or write a BAT file to do it

For the case, get the largest ATX one you can get (Asus H700 does oversize ATX boards quite well and has lots of cooling fan options

For the cooling stuff: coolermaster has a nice external radiator tower... only thing missing on that one is the cloud above it

[Gixer]

I just read through the list again.

16gig of ram!! lmao thats insane, well I guess nothing will be slowing that beast down.

I really wish I had that kinda cash to spend on PC bits, but it took me a while to save for what I have currently.

Out of interest how cheaply would you let your FX55 go for? PM me if its gonna go cheapish (You can tell I am still tryin to build the cash back up after christmas cant u!!)

[the_autopilot]

I just read through the list again.

16gig of ram!! lmao thats insane, well I guess nothing will be slowing that beast down.

I really wish I had that kinda cash to spend on PC bits, but it took me a while to save for what I have currently.

Out of interest how cheaply would you let your FX55 go for? PM me if its gonna go cheapish (You can tell I am still tryin to build the cash back up after christmas cant u!!)

Sorry, I'm not going to part with it. The comp above is going to be a whole new comp. I'm keeping my current comp as both an interim comp and a backup incase the other doesn't run some of the programs i need.

Also, I need something for that awesome machine above to benchmark against.

[Gixer]

Thats cool!

I would be scared to bench it, just incase it didn't do as well as I thought it would.  If the bench tests only utilise one CPU then will it bench worse?

What speed is one CPU? are they higher speed than the FX55?  Still gonna be interesting to see what you get.

What does your FX55 system get in 3dMark01 outta interest?  Its gotta be quite high, I think my system was gettin me 24000 or somthing like that.

[the_autopilot]

I never benched with 3d01 because it relied a lot on the CPU, which I understadn is why you were asking me.

My score in 3d2005 is about 12000. Can't remember exactly. I'm not really a fan of 3dmark. I like real in gam eperformence tests. I mean, what good is a score of a million in 3dmark if you can't get good fps in a game.

I will using other benchmarks that are mainly synthetic.

I also want to see how far we can push certain engines.

For example, I'm also at the moment designing an "outdoor" level for the doom3 engine and a half life 2 map (based a map i d/l recently that had a fully destructable littlle wood stucture) where the all the buildings are physically simulated and can be destroyed. In other words some insane stuff.

As for being scared to benchmark, never. I built these kind of systems for fun and then for the benchmarks. As long as I had fun and I know i will, then even if the benchmarks  suck, I will consider it money well spent. Of course, its even better if the benchmarks are good, of course.

[Gixer]

Yeah I said 01 because 03 and 5 only really test your graphics card where as 01 tests the whole system.

Your 05 score sounds about right, I get nearly 6000 and I only have one 6800Ultra so logic would say double it for yours plus a bit as your CPU is way better.

01 is influenced by everything in your system.  I saw good gains in 01 by raising the FSB a few MHz.

But your right, I haven't benched for ages now.  I did when I first built my system but now as long as the games play smoothly I dont care!

[the_autopilot]

The good news:
Ok, very happy today. Got the components today for "upgrade" computer.

Here are the components i got:
AMD Opteron 250 (SledgeHammer core)
AMD Opteron 250 (SledgeHammer core)
Thunder K8WE (S2895)
eVGA eGeforce 6800 Ultra (modified with pure copper water block)
eVGA eGeforce 6800 Ultra (modified with pure copper water block)
Crucial CT25672Y40B (DDR PC3200

[Gixer]

Go on give us how much that little lot cost!  

I'm just gonna sit down b4 yas post it up though.

[Saitek]

Go on give us how much that little lot cost!  

I'm just gonna sit down b4 yas post it up though.

I think we are all waiting Gixer.

I'm a bit worried you are being a bit hasty here, really you should have sorted a PSU out beforehand and definately made sure the case was big enough. I should think you'll need to look at a 500 or 600W PSU for all that. Gixer would probably know which one.

[Gixer]

Lol well with those kinda beasty components even I am a bit stumped.

Have you actually worked out how much power its gonna need?  I'm thinkin at least 600W possibly more.

The only that may possibly do it on the overclockers site is this one http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/OCZ.html right down the bottom of the page.  Will have to go huntin online for a more powerfful one, though I am about to go out for the rest of day and wont get a chance to look until tomorrow.

[Gixer]

How about this one?

http://www.antec.com/uk/productDetails.php?ProdID=07554