The Ultimate Dream Computer

Back to the graphics cards issues.
I think that sli will be out of the question with the 7900GTX that I have as that is also very wide, and using a second card, will mean I can't use any pci slots at all.
The second one may just squeeze in, but will be right up against the GPU cooler fan.
The idea of binning the soundcard for the onboard one is not something I want to contemplate.

 

Ugh, integrated sound. For SLi, that isn't worth it!

 

Not when I've seen the light (heard the dffierence)
There is no comparison in the quality of the sound, whereas adding a second gpu would be more about pushing my scores up rather than getting improved performance.
I certainly can't think of a time when the performance of the 7900GTX has left me feeling as though its time to upgrade.
On the other hand, listening to music or hearing game sounds through an onboard card is totally different from that played through the soundcard.

 

Yeah undoubtedly. I may not have the world's greatest sound card, but it sure as hell beats integrated.

 

Even a cheap Creative card for less than £20 beats any onboard sound card that I've ever heard.
I normally hit a wall of resistance convincing people to pay up for a sound card, but when they finally give in, they realise just how poor the onboard quality is.
I got mine cheap anyway, so it was worth getting the one I did, I wouldn't have forked out the normal retail value for that soundcard.

I'm getting a batch of Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music - Retail cards soon.
I can get them for £45 each, they retail for nearly £80, so by the time I mark them up to £55, I get a profit worth the effort and people still get a good discount.

 

Very good! As far as compatibility goes though, I've heard the X-Fis can have some issues. Is that true, or just a load of false rumours?

 

I've used the same card in 3 sperate systems, and never has any issues setting them up or using them.
I do tend to just load the drivers none of the other crap though.

 

Fair enough!

 

Hyper phoned me last night to say they had the new stock in, and the new one has just arrived via Amtrak.
Not only did they by-pass the Overclockers RMA procedure (which was a pain, as I lost my order number), but they also swapped my red unit for a blue one.
Now it matches the case fan and those on the Northbridge and GPU (very nice).
Can't fault the Hiper customer service at all, and its worth considering as a valid option when looking at what make to buy, as well as the fact that they look fantastic and perform great!
My last water cooling setup got sold off with a PC, so this setup is totally on air at the moment.
Changed the 7900GTX stock cooler for a Zalman VF900-CU Led , which has the GPU running at 35`C at 1736/680 idle.
Also stuck an AK-210 fan on top of the Northbridge heat sink which has bought that down from 42`C to 35`C (not bad cooling change for £3.50).
CPU is now idle at 27`C with an Artic Freezer Pro 7 cooler.
I was planning on using water-cooling on this setup, but apart from the noise factor, there seems little point bothering with temps this low.
Once I get the new PSU in, it time to start cranking it up again.
I found the problem with the system shutting down the other day, apparently the Hyperpath 3 function has to be turned of in the BIOS when you go over the 300 FSB barrier, so the fact it booted to Windows and ran super-pi was pretty good, as some users don't even get that far.
A growing list of the problems and fixes for the P5WDH is at the following thread.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=110193

 

They phoned you? THAT is customer service. Hats off to them!

 

Hey, for anyone interested I noticed that for Toms Hardware 10th aniversary they're having contest to see who can build the best computer for $10,000 or less. I haven't looked at the whole thing but it seems that you would submit your dream computer specifications to them and if they pick it as being the best they will give you your dream computer. The link to their contest page is http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/09/18/welcome_toms_10k_pc/

 

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That sounds cool though. I wouldn't want to have any PC other than my current one though, I'd probably sell it!

 

For any 'Ultimate PC System' you're gonna need an Ultimate case.
Feast your eyes on the new thermaltake offering - its a beast!
http://www.thermaltake.com/product/Chassis/fulltower/mozart_tx/MozartTX.htm

 

Yuck. I don't like it. I MUCH prefer mine...

 

My systems always sit on top of my office desk, so I want them to look impressive as well as giving easy access; I suppose that’s why I prefer something that stands out a bit from the run of the mill cases.

We obviously have a different view on what makes a case worth buying.
Everyone has their own opinions, it's the looks, and it’s what functionality it has with them.

I think this one is in a slightly different league though, far better for building the ultimate PC in with a serious spec, and this is the Ultimate PC thread is it not?

 

That is very true. I just don't like it lol.

 

that does look impresive/imposing but its not to my taste.

 

Yeah that's precisely my feeling. This case may not be ultimate, but it's tasteful and more than up to holding a current top end system.

 

This would be my case of choice to start my ultimate computer project:



http://www.overclockers.com.au/article.php?id=118945&P=2

 

crowy , now i like that one !! wonder if it runs cooler than my Lian-Li lol