Well ... my old video card decided to catch fire and burn out some solder joints after a day of random BSoDs, so rather than investing in card #3 for that build, I opted to just go ahead and build another. Here's what I snagged, and it's my first Intel build ...
Intel i5-2500K 3.3 Ghz 'Sandy Bridge'
Asus P8P67 Motherboard
GSkillz RAM - 8 Gig @ 1600 Mhz (O/Ced from 1333 Mhz) with 7 CAS
Crucial 128 Gig SATA3 SSD
EVGA GeForce 460GTX 1 Gig GFX Card (O/Ced about 10%)
Coolermaster Haf-X Full Tower Case
Thermaltake 750W Power Supply
Impressions:
The last computer I had I really didn't see a major improvement in performance between my older build. Perhaps when I was running intensive operations it would be a bit smoother. However, with this machine I've had nothing but awesome results.
1) Quiet ... no platters spinning up and using 3 8 - 10" fans really makes the machine quiet. The fans spin at a fairly low RPM so you don't get alot of velocity but a TON of flow. Result is you can't tell the machine is running hardly.
2) Cool ... my last box (Lian-Li Aluminum) was a really trick case, but it was circa 1995 with it's design and layout. Using a full size card really cut down on the airflow to the CPU and RAM and I would get alot of latent heat issues. This setup burnt through GFX cards like no other ... but my new case will take a 65 deg. C GFX card and cool it to 38 - 40 deg. C in less than a minute. I hear the GFX card fan spool down pretty quick after I remove the load.
3) Fast ... everything is faster and the machine doesn't slow down at all with multitasking. I haven't done any video processing (which is why I upgraded mostly) but I suspect it will be at a minimum, twice as fast. I can run Battlefield: Bad Company 2 on full resolution, settings maxed, with absolutely no skipping or frame drop.
Lessons Learned
- "Gaming" cases are necessary for high load machines for thermal maintenance.
- HDD / SSDs work better when you actually plug them in.
- ACHI mode doesn't like multiple ancillary SATA devices, I had to reinstall in IDE.
- Modern Processors that have automatic undervoltage settings are far superior to the old models for noise and thermal load.
- The way the 1155 socket heat exchangers install is rather cheesy.
I'm extremely happy with this new machine. I'm kinda mad I didn't build it a few months ago.
I think my next adventure is going to a watercooling block on my processor and pushing the multiplier up around the 4.0 - 4.4 Ghz area. People are getting great results and perfect stability with that setup, and the extra 800 Mhz should help video processing even more.
Intel i5-2500K 3.3 Ghz 'Sandy Bridge'
Asus P8P67 Motherboard
GSkillz RAM - 8 Gig @ 1600 Mhz (O/Ced from 1333 Mhz) with 7 CAS
Crucial 128 Gig SATA3 SSD
EVGA GeForce 460GTX 1 Gig GFX Card (O/Ced about 10%)
Coolermaster Haf-X Full Tower Case
Thermaltake 750W Power Supply
Impressions:
The last computer I had I really didn't see a major improvement in performance between my older build. Perhaps when I was running intensive operations it would be a bit smoother. However, with this machine I've had nothing but awesome results.
1) Quiet ... no platters spinning up and using 3 8 - 10" fans really makes the machine quiet. The fans spin at a fairly low RPM so you don't get alot of velocity but a TON of flow. Result is you can't tell the machine is running hardly.
2) Cool ... my last box (Lian-Li Aluminum) was a really trick case, but it was circa 1995 with it's design and layout. Using a full size card really cut down on the airflow to the CPU and RAM and I would get alot of latent heat issues. This setup burnt through GFX cards like no other ... but my new case will take a 65 deg. C GFX card and cool it to 38 - 40 deg. C in less than a minute. I hear the GFX card fan spool down pretty quick after I remove the load.
3) Fast ... everything is faster and the machine doesn't slow down at all with multitasking. I haven't done any video processing (which is why I upgraded mostly) but I suspect it will be at a minimum, twice as fast. I can run Battlefield: Bad Company 2 on full resolution, settings maxed, with absolutely no skipping or frame drop.
Lessons Learned
- "Gaming" cases are necessary for high load machines for thermal maintenance.
- HDD / SSDs work better when you actually plug them in.
- ACHI mode doesn't like multiple ancillary SATA devices, I had to reinstall in IDE.
- Modern Processors that have automatic undervoltage settings are far superior to the old models for noise and thermal load.
- The way the 1155 socket heat exchangers install is rather cheesy.
I'm extremely happy with this new machine. I'm kinda mad I didn't build it a few months ago.
I think my next adventure is going to a watercooling block on my processor and pushing the multiplier up around the 4.0 - 4.4 Ghz area. People are getting great results and perfect stability with that setup, and the extra 800 Mhz should help video processing even more.
