Yet another New PC thread.......

[Gerald Webb]

Thinking about upgrading, keep playing with figures in my head, do I replace my aging oc'd i7 920 with a higher spec 1366 socket cpu....
or,
Get a new cpu, but that requires a new MB, and if I change the motherboard, I should prob change my ram, and PSU............ and so it goes.
Or sell what I have on ebay, keep most of my hard drives, and just get a whole new system like this (see pic).
Can anyone give me a heads up on performance difference from my 920 oc'd at 3.6ghz, 12gb 1333 ram, 120gb SSD,
to the pc in the pic?
Be a shame to spend that type of money and "wonder" if its faster.
any thoughts most appreciated as usual guys.

[Chris Harding]

Hi Gerald

I'm pretty sure we are all "technology obsessive" (me included) .... I think the guy to talk to is Jeff Harper as he seems to had lots of ups and downs on upgrades lately and that just might save you from doing the wrong thing!! You didn't say if you are using 10 or 11??? If you are using 11 then the video card also comes into the equation!!!

I went to my supplier and did a custom online order they made for me...It was basically just the box and I then skipped new speakers and keyboard and the DVD drive but kept the rest but added a new 23" screen as they were on special...problem is that you end up with another computer and nowhere to put it!! You will only get "pennies" on ebay!!! and it really needs to be a complete system...check out what they are selling complete systems for there...I really don't know how they do it so cheap.

I would buy a new box minus keyboard, mouse and all drives and then toss the old computer on the verge for the next junk pickup!!

Chris

[Leslie Wand]

i usually do a whole new number every three years - that's enough time for 'new' technology to have come out, been 'tested' in public, and price discounted from first wave fanatics. though nvidia cards seem to have dropped quite quickly this season ;-)

i'm still on i7/920/12gb/550ti working mostly with hdv, but getting more avchd coming in. i bought a bm intensity card and am happy enough making money with this rig for maybe another year.

when i do look to upgrade i want a REAL, overall lift in every aspect of performance. (which from what i gather i wouldn't get unless spending very big on the top of the range cpu's, etc., and even then it really isn't chalk vs cheese).

all that said, i'd still like 11 to be 'stable' before spending ANY money on hardware ;-(

[Gerald Webb]

Thanks guys,
Yes, was just having a look on ebay at similar PCs to mine, looks like they are going for about $1000 at best :( Might get a few extra dollars if I leave 2 HDD in it and install OSX as well, put an Apple logo on anything and it doubles the price, lol.
I think Ive had this one now for 3 years, prob time to get a new full system. Im getting to be like a PC shop with components laying around.... hard drives, graphics cards, cpu coolers, ram....... should buy a cheap box and make up an extra pc, im prob close to it in spares.
Id like to think there would be a difference in performance, see the chart...
Woo Baby!

[Jeff Harper]

If you've got the money, get the awesome PC and be done with it. Should last three years at least. The power supply, everything looks really great. You would be state of the art and you would be happy, I'm sure.

The primary thing is to check and double check the vendor, make sure they have happy camper customers.

I vote get it! I use the same CPU cooler, it is amazing. I'm running at 4.2GHz with a 3.2GHz processor and my temps are so cool it's freaking unbelievable. That system's components are really matched well. It's exactly how I would put together a new build.

[Jeff Harper]

Double post, not sure how that happened.

[Gerald Webb]

thanks Jeff, yours is a much welcomed vote of confidence.
Was just looking again at the 3930k, it seems to be a lot less money for very similar performance, is there a downside to it?

[Jeff Harper]

The extreme versions of Intel processors are never a good value, but if money doesn't matter, they are the fastest. If it were me I'm sure I'd get the K version, but I'd want to overclock it. In the below review they encoded video at 5Ghz. I can't imagine that kind of speed.

If you can get the same system, with the only difference being the chip, I'd insist on the same Noctua cooler, it is worth every penny, and you can overclock to your hearts desire with no fear of overheating.

The below review pretty much says it all. The K chip is the king when it comes to speed vs value, at least compared to the X version.

Intel Core i7 3930K (LGA 2011) CPU Review - Final Thoughts :: TweakTown USA Edition

[Harm Millaard]

Gerald,

I saw this post and looked over the specs in your original question. I have a number of comments on that configuration, which may help you decide what to do.

1. Instead of the i7-3960X, save some $$$ and get the i7-3930K. It can easily be overclocked to beyond 4 GHz and saves a lot of money.
2. The Gigabyte motherboards have had serious problems with the quality of the capacitors, sometimes resulting in the board going up in flames when overclocking. Be careful you get either a brand new model with better components, or look at the Asus P79 WS Pro.
3. Increase memory from 4 x 4 GB to 8 x 4 GB or better yet, to 4 x 8 GB.
4. Instead of the overclocked GTX 580, choose a 3 GB model of the 580. Overclocked 580's do not deliver performance gains worth noting, but 3 GB VRAM can be very helpful in editing large pixel dimensions.
5. Do not get a crappy OCZ SSD, get the Crucial M4 instead.
6. Save some money by leaving out the hybrid on the PSU. Get the normal version.

If this were a system for Adobe PR, you should add a number of fast disks and preferably a dedicated raid controller like the Areca ARC-1882ix-12/16 with 4 GB cache and a BBM. Maybe Vegas does not rely that much on disk performance, I don't know, but it would be a conditio sine qua non for Premiere Pro.

No sense in getting a very fast 2011 platform with lots of memory and a very good video card, when you don't use a good disk I/O setup as well and that is the main selling point of this platform. Otherwise there would be no need to go beyond an 1155 platform with an i7-2600K.

Remember, the trick for a GOOD system is in balancing each and every component. A Formula 1 car may have a great engine, but with the brakes or gearbox of a Fiat Panda, it will not keep up with a well balanced Porsche.

[Jeff Harper]

Harm may be right about the drive, I know nothing about the SSD drives. I'd look up info on the mobos and as he says do your due diligence. Newer versions of the board may be fine, or not, I have no idea. I would like to think the vendor is using a reliable and safe board. Good luck.

[Jeff Harper]

Yes, the board looks to be bad, skip it. Harm is right. The newer ones will likely be fine, but who needs the grief?

[Gerald Webb]

thanks so much for the input guys :)
I just configured another one based on the updated advice, have to get the 3930K chip from another supplier ( but they are cheaper anyway).
So it is all this plus the $659 3930K CPU, so all up well under 3K for a pretty amazing piece of gear.
Can anyone see any gotchas with this?
cheers
:)

[Harm Millaard]

Gerald,

Looks like a super system!

I would like to draw your attention to post #8 in this thread: http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/non-line...ti-gtx570.html

[Jeff Harper]

Gerald, I use and really like Asus boards, probably because I'm familiar with them, but they are SO easy to overclock as a rule.

I am also a fan of GSkill ram for the value and overclocking also. Not the finest overclocking, but it will overclock plenty and stay stable.

That processor is killer, you are going to love your new system.

[Gerald Webb]

Thanks Jeff, I will be glad to get back onto an Asus board, they are my fave as well.

Thanks Harm, Well that makes things a bit more complicated. I am using a 384 core GTX 560Ti right now and was going to pull it out a put it on Ebay.
It has done nothing for my current system as an upgrade from my old GT240, Vegas is no better with the 560ti and neither was Premiere Pro 5.5. MPE was great with the GT240, Vegas was a debacle with both cards, no performance increase and just unstable (I do know other people have working GPU, my system must have a problem somewhere).
Anyway,
Maybe I should build the new rig and use the 560Ti first to see how it goes??? Or am I just dragging the new rig down?
Speak of Hard drives has me intrigued, since I never thought of my drives as a bottleneck.
I currently use a 120gb SSD for Windows
7200 1TB for Home folder- Desktop, Documents etc
2TB Green drive (which doesent sleep) for archive data.
2 x 7200rpm 1 TB drives for media I'm working on.
I used to try to spread the Cams ( if a multicam project) out across the two 7200 drives and two more 7200 esata externals, but lately have been dumping all the files on one drive and I see no difference in performance.
In that I mean, if my CPU will decode it (say Cineform 1080p with no FX at Best Full) the multicam cut will play fine on the timeline with all files on one 7200rpm drive.
It is only when I add CC or other FX to the clips that the playback breaks down to Preview Half (or worse).
Which leads me to think that it is not the HDD slowing things down but the CPU (and GPU, if enabled), Am I correct?
I know one drive with all files is making it work very hard, but TBH if it doesn't slow things down, I dont care. For media management, ie One Drive for one job put into a eSata caddy at the end of the week when changing over projects, is just neat and organized for me.
So to sum up,
Do hard drives slow down Preview and/or Rendering, If raw media on those drives will playback in real time at Best quality in the NLE?
Thanks again for any opinions.