Dream Rig Challenge

[Spartan]

I have taken an interest in several of the recent threads about people upgrading systems for MTW2 and subsequently became depressed to learn my very expensive monster rig is no longer the killer beast it once was - not so long ago.

However I'm no expert on hardware and lack the time to diligently research all the latest and greatest advances in technology; especially those directly related to the gaming experience.

With that said, I am currently considering getting a new system in a six (6) to nine (9) month timeframe. So I would like peoples qualified opinions on what core system will be the baddest mofo on the block with regards to that time frame. Additionally price should not be a consideration, just pure performance and functionality.

[Lusted]

Well from what iv'e heard about cpus you'll want the Intel Conroe E6600. A Geforce 7950GT will be the monster gu your looking for.

[Timmius]

This is a pointless question. Perhaps you should rephrase it into: "I'd like to know what I should pay attention to in 6 to 9 months". Because If you are going to buy a pc in 6 to 9 months and don't pay attention to the money, it's fairly easy; just buy the most expansive stuff. The thing is, the most expansive stuff is absolutely the worst bang for the buck. Take the E6800Extreme, the fastest processor at the moment. Costs around €1200. That's rediculous considering the E6600 that costs about €350 and has nearly the same performce, especially when you concider overclocking. The same story goes for videocards, memory and motherboards. And that's only when you're talking about how the market is now. Who know's what it'll be like in 6 to 9 months.
So I'm wondering what exactly it is you want to achieve with this thread. I recommend you start a thread the moment you are actually going to buy a new rig.

[Spartan]

@Timmius - To me the question is simple; I'm sorry you fail to grasp the clear intention, let me try to clarify it in a different way. ..

Simply put most people consider cost as the primary determinate for purchases. I simply want to know what people think will be the premier concept rig/system based solely on function and performance.

The economic considerations can come into play at a future date when value for the dollar becomes relevant. This is so because to try to account for it now, would surely be folly due to market volatility regarding the pricing mechanisms employed by the hardware industry from a historical perspective. Moreover there are likely some technologies or products that are not on the market yet, that will be in a couple months, that probably no one form this community has correct information on regarding prospective market values. However current knowledge about the technology or specific product may be due to personal or professional interests.

[krazykarl]

This could take some thought, especially with the "price is no object" clause, as this means we can look at incredibly expensive fiberchanel SCSI drive solutions with expensive RAID controllers. Also the AMD 4x4 solution will make its debut in a few months allowing for dual quadcore systems to be unleashed onto the desktop market. I too was looking for an upgrade for the release of M2TW, however I ended up having to buy a car instead.

[Aristocrat]

Oh god, finally a reason to talk about a rig with quad-sli and quad core.
With a computer like that the most expensive thing may turn out to be cooling.
Consider me now actively looking for the most outrageously expensive computer parts on the market or soon to be.

[Spartan]

Oh god, finally a reason to talk about a rig with quad-sli and quad core.
With a computer like that the most expensive thing may turn out to be cooling.
Consider me now actively looking for the most outrageously expensive computer parts on the market or soon to be.

I was wondering exactly about that; four (4) CPUs and four (4) GPUs running in a 64bit environment - that is why I decided to start this thread.

Other things that are floating around in my mind are QD-LED displays and HAMR as well holographic memory technologies that should be on the market by then if not all ready in some limited capacity.

Furthermore with the recent purchase of ATI by AMD I curious to see if Intel will make a move for Nvidia or expand its current offerings.

@ shenmueguru - Regarding the DX10 card is it supposed to be better then current GFX cards in SLI quad mode?

[Timmius]

I was wondering exactly about that; four (4) CPUs and four (4) GPUs running in a 64bit environment - that is why I decided to start this thread.

Other things that are floating around in my mind are QD-LED displays and HAMR as well holographic memory technologies that should be on the market by then if not all ready in some limited capacity.

Furthermore with the recent purchase of ATI by AMD I curious to see if Intel will make a move for Nvidia or expand its current offerings.

@ shenmueguru - Regarding the DX10 card is it supposed to be better then current GFX cards in SLI quad mode?

Again I ask you, what is the intend? Do you want to know some ridiculously priceless computer harware techstuff (like that external nvidia card, or RAM drives) so that you can anticipate your future buy?
There are so many things you can possibly take into account that it's just nuts to do so. But when you try to be realistic it basically comes down to the same thing as it always does, and as stated before in this thread:
Think about it the moment you are goint to buy. Not a bunch of months before.

I don't mean to bash or anything, but I get the feeling all you want is just simply to like to know what cutting edge technology is available now.

[Frost, colonel]

@ shenmueguru - Regarding the DX10 card is it supposed to be better then current GFX cards in SLI quad mode?

The DX10 card is the new DirectX 10 that will become the new industry standard over the current Direct X9 we all use now.
You will need Vista to run it. As for how well it improves games, we shall see/time will tell.
There will prob be a range of cards come out that support it, to suit different pockets.

I am like you Spartan I like to think ahead. I like to know what is coming over the Horizon, but 9 months is perphaps a little far ahead to be of any use to us with any accuracy.

[shenmueguru]

6-9 months, shouldn't you get a DX10 card?

[Incinerate_IV]

Heres the advice, wait for 6-9 month before even considering. By that time all the highend card we have now would be dirt cheap, and who knows, maby DX10 would be released. Also by that time AMD and Intel would have quad-core solutions out.

[Shaun]

Heres the advice, wait for 6-9 month before even considering. By that time all the highend card we have now would be dirt cheap, and who knows, maby DX10 would be released. Also by that time AMD and Intel would have quad-core solutions out.

This is the best advice, dont bother thinking about it now, whats really good today will be just good then, we dont know what will be high end in a six month timeframe.

[Spartan]

@Timmius - I am simply trying to garner some insightful knowledge regarding the technical horizons or dare I say vistas that are likely to have major impact on the gaming experience in the foreseeable future since I under the impression that many here are prosumers types regarding hardware and I have simply not followed this segment of the IT industry for quite some time.

@Frost - thanks! The main reason I specified that time frame is because of impending major industry changes in the next three months or so and more importantly depreciation on my current rig.


Anyway I checked out http://www.l-computer.com/home/index.htm They claim to have to best systems in the world and with over a 50K price tag for a bleeding edge system and apparently unique technology I'm curious as to peoples opinions.

[Shaun]

@Timmius - I am simply trying to garner some insightful knowledge regarding the technical horizons or dare I say vistas that are likely to have major impact on the gaming experience in the foreseeable future since I under the impression that many here are prosumers types regarding hardware and I have simply not followed this segment of the IT industry for quite some time.

@Frost - thanks! The main reason I specified that time frame is because of impending major industry changes in the next three months or so and more importantly depreciation on my current rig.


Anyway I checked out http://www.l-computer.com/home/index.htm They claim to have to best systems in the world and with over a 50K price tag for a bleeding edge system and apparently unique technology I'm curious as to peoples opinions.

1)Can you afford a 50K system?

2)Do you really need a 50K system? A half a K system bought today will still easily run todays games. And a 1k system tomorows, and a 2K system complete overkill, this has led me to believe that 50K = too much.

[Spartan]

1)Can you afford a 50K system?

2)Do you really need a 50K system? A half a K system bought today will still easily run todays games. And a 1k system tomorows, and a 2K system complete overkill, this has led me to believe that 50K = too much.

The quick answer to one is if I had to I could swing it. However it would not be prudent nor wise as I'm not rich by any means however I have the economic power to do so if I so choose.

Regarding two, I dont know I simply want the best PC money can buy. The cost is not a primary concern for me.

Concerning "boutique" systems the following it about the best over all system from what I can tell that is offered as stock; although I'm still leaning towards the other company due to the four SLI cards.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hypersonic STRATUS™ Aluminum Case in Reflexxion™ Series Chiaretto Red Pearl / 1
Arctic Silver 5 High Tech Polysynthetic Heat Dissipation Agent
CYCLONE OCX: Top-of-the-Line AMD Athlon 64-based System with nVidia SLI/ 1
Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Laser (with Bluetooth) / 1
AMD Athlon 64 FX-62 Dual-Core (2.8 GHz) AM2 Processor / 1
TurboClock™ Processor and Video Overclocking / 1
CoolIT Freezone CPU Liquid Cooling System (Recommended) / 1
Hypersonic Silencer Package for Reduced Fan Noise / 1
Asus M2N32-SLI Deluxe nForce 590 SLI Motherboard for AM2 Processors / 1
1024MB Mushkin Redline XP2-8000 DDR2-1000 (4-5-4-11) / 1
1024MB Mushkin Redline XP2-8000 DDR2-1000 (4-5-4-11) / 1
1024MB Mushkin Redline XP2-8000 DDR2-1000 (4-5-4-11) / 1
1024MB Mushkin Redline XP2-8000 DDR2-1000 (4-5-4-11) / 1
DUAL Nvidia GeForce 7950 GX2 PCI-E1GB in Quad-SLI (OVERCLOCKED) / 1
Ageia PhysX Processing Unit128MB GDDR3 (requires PCI slot) / 1
Matrox TripleHead2Go | Experience Surround Graphics with 3 Displays / 1
PC POWER & COOLING1000 Watt Power Supply (requires Thunderbolt or Colosus Case) / 1
New Hypersonic InnerView™ Case Window (for Stratus Case) / 1
Innerworks Dual Laser LED Lights (RED) / 1
SuperTrak EX8350 SATA 3Gb/s RAID Controller - 8 Port / 1
RAID 1 Configuration / 1
750GB Seagate 7200rpm SATA-II 3Gb/s |16MB Cache | Perpendicular Recording / 1
750GB Seagate 7200rpm SATA-II 3Gb/s |16MB Cache | Perpendicular Recording / 1
750GB Seagate 7200rpm SATA-II 3Gb/s |16MB Cache | Perpendicular Recording / 1
750GB Seagate 7200rpm SATA-II 3Gb/s |16MB Cache | Perpendicular Recording / 1
750GB Seagate 7200rpm SATA-II 3Gb/s |16MB Cache | Perpendicular Recording / 1
750GB Seagate 7200rpm SATA-II 3Gb/s |16MB Cache | Perpendicular Recording / 1
Plextor18X DVD±RW Dual Layer IDE Drive / 1
Plextor18X DVD±RW Dual Layer IDE Drive / 1
Combo 9-in-1 Floppy Drive + Digital Media Reader/Writer / 1
Hypersonic CommandView™ 300 Tri-Panel Display / 1
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro / 1
Logitech Z-5500 5.1 500W THX Surround / 1
Integrated Gigabit Ethernet Controller / 1
MS Windows XP Professional CD & Manual SP2 Pre-Installed & Configured / 1
(No Disaster Recovery DVD) / 1 750VA UPS | Keeps Your System Running When Power Fails (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) / 1
1 Year Platinum Warranty 24/7 Toll-Free Tech Support ONSITE Service/ 1
System Price (excluding shipping): $15,157.00
----------------------------------------------

@Lee - wow that is some impressive stuff. Are you hardware or systems engineer in RL? Anyway sadly I have to fill out some application or email a request to get pricing information. :hmmm:
I must say that Tera-RanSan system has me stoked however to power con has me worried as I cant seem to find a 2k powerplant and that badboy takes up nearly 1k alone. But then again I'm no hardware guy so I might simply misunderstand something.

[Lee1026]

They really don't have anything special.... Aside from the price tag, anyway. The unqiue technology they are boasting about is nothing all that different from the I-Ram.
Info on the I-ram: http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=2480

Alright, you want to hear about the theorical best computer that you can get today, price be damned? (Note: All of the following is based on the assumpation that gaming performance is paramount to anything else)

CPU: X6800. It is the fast CPU on the planet, as quad cores are hardly very useful for gaming purposes.
MOBO: Asus P5B Deluxe. To get the fastest speed from the CPU, you overclock it, and that is the best of the best.
Ram: 4 sticks of 1GB 1100HZ ram. Hey, you are the one who called for the best....
video card: The Geforce 7950, of course, after all, we don't care about price, right?

Storage: 3 I-Rams, to be set up with 4 1 GB sticks each in raid 0. So that adds up to 12 sticks of ram.

Cooling: Water cooling, and with a bong. That is going to cost, but you called for the expensive stuff.

That should do, I think. It will run you some 3400 bucks, however, so it will be VERY expensive.

Also, if money is really not a object, you might want to have a chat with these folks. I can't find a price, but it is probably very expensive: http://www.m-systems.com/site/en-US/...ra320_SCSI.htm
http://www.superssd.com/products/tera-ramsan/

AFter all, that kind of power don't come cheap.

[Emperor Dimitricus]

well, when mtw2 is released, i will be in winchester army barracks, so i wont be able to play it for a while. but when i finish training, i will have bout £3500 in the bank. so i WILL be building the ultimate computer. but i will be waiting for DX10 cards to arrive first.
but if i had the money today, this is the system i would build:

intel conroe e6600 x2
nvidia 7950 gx2 x2 (with a gig onboard each)
4gb ddr2 RAM (8gb if i can find decent 2gb chips)
500gb sataII hard drive x4 (in a raid 5 config)
bluray drive
dvd lightscribe rw drive

of course, this system will be half the current price when i get it, so it is not the system i will be building

[Lee1026]

Spartan - the FX series no longer offer the best performance.
Also, check this out: http://arstechnica.com/guides/buyer/...e-200608.ars/4

[Spartan]

I really would like some info on DX10 cards. However I'm in Japan and I cant find anything in English or many people in stores that speak it for that matter to help me - Oh the humanity of it all....
@Lee - doing so now - thanks!

[Lee1026]

Microsoft is currently working on a large update to Direct3D API. Originally called Windows Graphics Foundation, DirectX 10 and DirectX Next, but currently referred to as Direct3D 10, it will appear as part of Windows Vista. It will require new graphics hardware featuring an updated shader model with unified shaders and includes additional pipeline stage (geometry shaders), hardware virtualization and scheduling (to allow multiple threads/processes time-sliced use of the GPU), demand-paged virtual graphics memory and cross-process shared surfaces, offload of various operations from the CPU to the GPU, and more. Direct3D 10 will forego the current DirectX practice of using "capability bits" to indicate which features are active on the current hardware. Instead, it will define a minimum standard of hardware capabilities which must be supported for a display system to be "Direct3D 10 compatible". According to Microsoft, Direct3D 10 will be able to display graphics up to 8 times more quickly than DirectX 9.0c.

Many of the advanced features and performance improvements of Direct3D 10 are provided by Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM), which is also required by Direct3D9Ex, an extended version of DirectX Graphics 9.0c used by Desktop Window Manager. D3D9Ex was previously known as WGF 1.0 and D3D9.L. Both D3D9Ex and D3D10 require WDDM-comlpiant drivers, conforming to 1.0 for existing hardware (previously Basic model) and 2.x (Advanced model) for post-Vista hardware. Although D3D9Ex features similar improvements like better gamma control, support for virtulization of resources and device removal (in order to gracefully recover from a failure the hardware can be "removed" and then "added"), it's a relatively minor upgrade which is not going to drive radical new development in either games or GPUs.

Because Direct3D 10 hardware will not be available immediately and the Vista Premium logo program does not require it, the first D3D10-compatible games will still provide a D3D9/D3D9Ex render path.
[edit]

New Features

* Fixed pipeline[2] is being done away with in favor of a fully programmable pipeline (often referred to as a unified pipeline architecture), which can be programmed to emulate the same.
* Paging of graphics memory, to allow data to be loaded to Video RAM when needed and move it out when not needed. This enables usage of the system memory to hold graphics data, such as textures, thereby allowing use of more and higher resolution textures in games.
* There is no limit on the number of objects which can be rendered, provided enough resources are available.[3]
* Virtualization of the graphics hardware, to allow multiple threads/processes to use it, in turns.
* New state object to enable the GPU to change states efficiently.
* Shader Model 4.0, enhances the programmability of the graphics pipeline. It adds instructions for integer and bitwise calculations.
* Geometry shaders, which work on indivdual triangles which form a mesh.
* Texture arrays enable swapping of textures in GPU without CPU intervention.
* Resource View enables pre-caching of resources, thereby reducing latency.
* Predicated Rendering allows drawing calls to be ignored based on some other conditions. This enables rapid occlusion culling, which prevents objects from being rendered if it is not visible or too far to be visible.