Assembling a stonker of a PC, but have a question on memory speeds

[AtW]

(I didn't put a tube on properly, forgot to check it and it leaked. Some kitchen roll and a bit of mad dabbing and all was fine no components destroyed at all).

That's why I don't want liquid anywhere near my computers - most certainly not wine

[Ardesco]

I never used any of that liquid stuff and never will - don't trust having liquid in my computer, it's pointless in case of core i7 anyway - it is a very cool chip even with stock cooler, get Zalman cooler or something and you will be fine, don't waste money on watercooling.

Water cooling has been used in high end computing for years, Cray anybody....

A decent water cooling system should not cause any problems, I have had my machines water cooled for the past five years and in that time my only problem has been self inflicted (I didn't put a tube on properly, forgot to check it and it leaked. Some kitchen roll and a bit of mad dabbing and all was fine no components destroyed at all).

Water cooling is fine if fitted correctly, the new systems that have all enclosed units are even safer than the original stuff that was available a few years back.

[AtW]

I've got core I7 920 in one of my servers with 12 GB of RAM, running at 1066 - it is supposed to support 1333 but I think you only get that in extreme edition. Unless you are going to run 64-bit OS it will be pointless to have more than 3 GB of RAM, but you said you will use 64-bit - I was going to get 24 GB into my server but 4 GB DDR3 chips are too rip off right now unfortunatly, 4 GB DDR2 FB-DIMMs that I use in other servers are much cheaper now thankfully.

However there is one potential issue that one might want to consider - it definately affects dual socket Nehalems (just released), max memory speed depends on how many memory banks you filled in - if you fill in all 19 memory banks then the speed drops to 800 Mhz!!!

In any case don't waste money on memory much faster than 1066 - core i7 already provides lots more bandwidth due to tripple channel architecture and also lower latency, your gains due to faster memory will be marginal in most software applications.

I never used any of that liquid stuff and never will - don't trust having liquid in my computer, it's pointless in case of core i7 anyway - it is a very cool chip even with stock cooler, get Zalman cooler or something and you will be fine, don't waste money on watercooling.

--

Don't forget that core i7 already auto-overclocks when one or two cores are used - cheap core i7 920 with stock speed of 2.66 Ghz actually often runs at 2.83 Ghz - there is no point paying big premium to get to 3.2 Ghz, you can overclock it if you really want that.

It's much smarter to buy 2 servers with core i7 920 than pay same amount for 1 server with core i7 extreme - it will be much faster too if the software that you run (like SKA) can use multiple servers and cores

[OwlHoot]

I hope you have a bunch of SSD's as well as per this post here:

http://forums.contractoruk.com/techn...esomeness.html

I bookmarked that youtube link for future viewing, but alas I can't watch videos at home these days because my sound setup is well and truly, and irretrievably, pooched.

Trouble was, I was getting fed up with the bleep made by QuickPar each time it finished checking a set of PAR files, which I do a lot of as I download several hundred ebooks a week. So off I went to the Windows Registry to try and suppress bleeps.

Unfortunately I was a bit pissed at the time, which isn't the best state to be in while merrily deleting registry entries, and now, although my Creative X-Fi sound system is installed, along with all the latest drivers, Windows reports "no sound device available" and nothing can convince it otherwise.

And the only sound that still works fine is the bleeps

[Ardesco]

I hope you have a bunch of SSD's as well as per this post here:

http://forums.contractoruk.com/techn...esomeness.html

[Fred Bloggs]

Thanks for the prompt reply Fred.

As the ASUS compatible memory page apparently is (or used to be) quite hard to find, it may interest people to know it can be found here.

If anyone is *very* interested, you can get info on the Rampage motherboards by choosing model LGA1366 in the left-hand drop-down.

P.S. I'll be going for a 64-bit OS, and the 24 Gbytes of memory will be for future expansion, such as when Windows 7 is released next year.

You're welcome, good luck.

[OwlHoot]

Aha! I may have found an answer to my own question above, on Intel Core i7 memory here

The retail version of the Intel’s Core i7 CPUs have been designed for those on a budget, but there are now reports that these processors are more powerful than we first thought, and come with DDR3-1600 memory. These CPUs are also being shipped with unlocked multipliers and memory ratios.

Therefore, what that means is that you are able to shell out less money than you would for the Core i7 Extreme Edition 965 CPU, and still have a processor that is more than fast enough. The Intel Core i7-965 costs around $1000, while the Core i7-920 will only set you back just under $300.

Those clever guys over at Maximum PC have been talking about QPI speeds and benchmarks, and makes for some great reading. They state that although the ratio has been locked at DDR3/1066, you can manually set the ratio to in the BIOS for DDR3/1600 or DDR3/1333.

Read full article

[OwlHoot]

Thanks for the prompt reply Fred.

As the ASUS compatible memory page apparently is (or used to be) quite hard to find, it may interest people to know it can be found here.

If anyone is *very* interested, you can get info on the Rampage motherboards by choosing model LGA1366 in the left-hand drop-down.

P.S. I'll be going for a 64-bit OS, and the 24 Gbytes of memory will be for future expansion, such as when Windows 7 is released next year.

[Fred Bloggs]

Two ways to tackle this, go to ASUS website and look at the list of approved memory for the board. Or, go to a memory makers website, Crucial, Corsair etc... and enter the mobo details on there, it will tell you the correct memory to buy. HTH.

PS- If you use Windoze 32 bit the OS will only "see" less than 3Gb of RAM anyway.

[OwlHoot]

I've decided to start with a Zalman LQ1000 Z-Machine Hybrid Liquid Cooled Case, which Quiet PC assure us on that page are now being sold (from yesterday) with an Intel i7 compatible ZM-WB5 Plus CPU water block.

Next I chose an ASUS Rampage II Gene motherboard. This is significantly cheaper than the Rampage II Extreme, and in many respects seems better. For example it supports 24 Gbytes of memory instead of only 12 Gbytes for the Extreme.

It also supports faster memory speeds, for example 1600 MHz without overclocking (which according to their spreadsheet the Extreme can only attain with overclocking).

But now we come to my issue. According to Intel's blurb, their Core i7 Extreme Edition CPU only supports 1066 MHz memory, which sounds hopelessly sluggish compared with what the motherboard can support!

So is there a better Intel processor chip? AtW, if you're reading this, you mentioned the Intel i7 the other day - Obviously that's the way to go, but what would you recommend?

My current PC is doing my head in with its fan grinding away. Hence the desire to get into water cooling.

P.S. As usual, money is no object