My Tri-Monitor Rackmount Computer Build!

[jamesg]

I recently had a massive ebay sale of all my old computer and hi-fi junk and decided to build my ultimate PC from scratch. It's taken a slow, but rewarding, 3 months to buy all the bits required and complete it all.

There's even more pictures here:
http://www.13amp.org/pc

My requirements were:

- as much screen real-estate as possible
- as silent as I could possibly make it
- all my music/videos accessible from my laptop and HTPC even when the main PC is off
- fast enough to play occasional games
- no messy cables

Here's the end result:





I found the cheapest way to get lots of screen space was with the fantastic Dell 2007fp. Three of these gives me a desktop resolution of 4800x1200, which is plenty to avoid my windows overlapping too much.




To drive the three DVI monitors from one PC, I needed two video cards. It made sense to buy two identical ones so I could go SLI if required. I bought two 256MB XFX 7600GT 'Fatal1ty' PCI-E(x16) SLI Passive cards. These have heatpipes and large heatsinks instead of fans. They get surprisingly hot to the touch.




Motherboard duties are served by an Asus P5N-E SLI NF650i. My last few boards have been Asus and worked fine, so I stuck with the same make. Importantly, this board has no onboard chipset fan. For the CPU, I chose an Intel Core 2 Duo E4300. Dirt cheap, plenty fast enough and massively overclockable if required. RAM is 2x1Gb Corsair Value Select, DDR2 PC5300. There's little point going for a higher spec on the RAM unless on the limit for overclocking.

The Core 2 Duo retail heatsink makes noise - which just won't do! This got replaced with a Scythe Infinity heatsink. This monster is 160mm high - a fact that eluded me until I tried to put the lid back on the computer case. Oops. I found a slightly less ridiculous heatsink, the Noctua NH-U9F, which fitted nicely in the case but was missing the vital springs in the packaging to attach it to the CPU. After a trip to the local hardware shop, I added some washers and guessed the right pressure to apply to the CPU. The CPU temperature is now usually below the motherboard temperature!

2x80mm Nexus fans, 1x120mm Nexus fan. These are all under PWM control using "SpeedFan" in Windows. They spend most of their time running at nearly their slowest speed.




Hard disc is a 250Gb SATA Samsung SP2504C. This is pretty quiet, and seek noise is hardly noticeable. To help dampen it down further, I fitted it in a Scythe Quiet Drive enclosure, and then suspended the whole thing with bungee cord in the case.



Power supply is a Xilence Office Edition 460W Semi Fanless. The fan only spins when the PSU reaches a very high temperature - which it never does. Finding a fanless PSU rated to drive an SLI system is actually quite hard!




My computers are normally a big cable-ridden mess on the floor. I was determined not to let this one go the same way. Now, 19" cabinets, as found in server rooms, always look very neat. You can fit in lots of computers and get around the back of them easily. Everyone told me it would be nuts to have one at home, but I ignored them all

I bought a Compucase 19" rackmountable case with sliding rails. There was now no going back! The case is expensive for what it is, and inside is not even that good quality. It's built to last though - the whole computer weighs about 17kg.

That covers my main Windows PC. Now time for another PC build! I needed a place to keep my music and videos - also to be accessible from my laptop and HTPC when the main PC is off.




Network Attached Storage (NAS) is usually the way to go, but to get decent transfer rates you need Gigabit ethernet. Gigabit NAS's are normally pretty expensive. I found a more flexible (and probably cheaper) approach was to build another computer, this time a low-power VIA EPIA based machine. Again, it had to be as quiet as possible, especially since this PC would remain on 24/7. The whole setup is in my spare room, so it's no good to have hard discs spinning during the night if guests are staying.

I decided to run this PC from a Compact Flash card. There always seem lots of questions about this on various forums, but few people actually go through with it. CF cards only have a limited number of writes per sector before the sector dies. It's typically 10,000 or 100,000 write cycles which is actually not much if you let Windows put its swap file on the card.

In fact, running Windows from CF is tricky anyway, as Windows writes to disc a lot. I believe some people have been successful using Windows XP Embedded, but I went for an easy life and ran Linux instead I didn't have to do much other than not create a swap partition, and changed some of the file locations to point to RAM disc (mainly things in /var). I've been running the PC on an 8Gb CF card for a month and it hasn't died yet. Hopefully, I'll get a year or two's use from the card.

The motherboard is a VIA EPIA EN12000E. This comes with a 1.2Ghz VIA CPU, and is fanless. It is one of the few mini ITX form-factor boards that has built-in gigabit ethernet. I have a small 60W PSU board in the case which is enough to power the motherboard and a 3.5" HD.

The hard disc is 500Gb and, again, suspended with bungee cord in the 1u case. The PC is 100% totally silent when the hard disc is spun down.




To join it all together, I bought a Dell Powerconnect 2716 16-port Gigabit managed switch. I have an rj45 cat5e patch panel where all my devices are terminated.






Via the XBox, I can watch live TV and recorded TV wirelessly from my HTPC downstairs. The xbox runs Microsoft XBox Extender software, the HTPC runs Windows MCE 2005.



I thought the 12u 19" cabinet was a horrible mistake when it first arrived. It looked roughly washing machine sized, and totally out of place at home. Once I fitted everything and pushed it into the corner of the room, it looked much better. It uses up no more floorspace than my old computers did piled up on the floor. The 4u main PC and 1u EPIA are both mounted on sliding rails, and can slide fully out of the cabinet.

There's loads more stuff, but don't want to go on any longer! Hope you all like it

James.[url][/url]

[Aeria]

I am in awe... That is quite possibly the nicest setup I have ever seen.
Good job man!

[zistu]

Very nice job. And nice to see I am not the only nut who wants three monitors

How is that Asus board working out for you? I still haven't decided what to use for my new build. One voice tells me to go for an SLI capable mainboard, while the other voice tells me to stay clear of Nvidia mainboard chipsets since there seem to be so many problems surrounding them.

Once more, great build, my compliments.

[jamesg]

[ayjay]

Nieeece!
What was your initial reason for wanting so much screen space? Not saying it's a bad thing, just curious

[jamesg]

[ayjay]

Cool. I see your reasoning. Been working somewhere recently that codes sites. Everyone had two screens bar me! (I'm a 3d animator, though, not a coder). I toyed with 2 screens for a while at home but found it irritated me past a point. I prefer one big screen, but I have to admit when you have references open or web tutorials, it's nice to just throw all that stuff on another monitor, or in your case, monitors!
Next step is 4 naturally You tempted?

[lor77]

Very nice built.
I absolutely liked the innovating mind about this built.
Congrats jamesg!
_________________
P180B\Conroe 6600 default\Assus p5w-dh\Scythe Ninja with Nexus @650rpm\2 Gb Ocz DDR2 PC2-6400 Platinum\Saphire 1950xtx\Thermalright Hr-03\Plextor 760sa\Seasonic 500 s12 mod with S-Flex SSF21F\1 WD10EACS,1 SamsungHD501LJ\
2 Scythe Quite Drive With nexus @600rpm\Zalman zm-mfc2

[thejamppa]

That looks awesome! And I love your computer looks need and tidy from inside. Those three monitors, man they look good.
_________________
Machines of Tortuga | These days when arrogance is abundance, humility is priceless. It is unfortunate that people confuse humility into cowardness while its the opposite.

[bonestonne]

damn that is beyond neat. and i thought i was an OCD neat freak [not saying you have OCD, but thats beyond neat].

i may be getting a 4U case with a dual socket 370 in it, and let me tell you, you're job has inspired me to do something similar because it would look better in this room [mainly cubes, with lots of audio equipment].

wowza. thats all i can say. some people can say that it is not entirely necessary, but just look at that...its much neater than anything i've ever seen...the cables are as long as they need to be to take tension, the monitors also look amazing, can't tell where their cables go from the pictures, its more of a work of art than a desk.

hold on, is that a mighty mouse there?
_________________
Core 2 Quad Q9400-Scythe Ninja Rev A|MSI Neo-F P45-HR-05|WD 250gb SATA-I|8GB G-Skill DDR2-800|WD Blue 640GB SATA-II|Lenovo KB|Apple Mighty Mouse|ECS 9600GT 512MB-Accelero S1|M-Audio Delta 1010/AP2496|Corsair 400CX PSU|Cooler Master Elite 330

[kittle]

Very nice setup!
You should give lessons in cable management

I know 2 monitors are great.. now you got me wondering what 3 would be like.

[BIONIC_EARS]

Oh. My. Giddyod.

You just cost me thousands of dollars. Or possible jail time for robbery (where do you live?). I need help carrying the rack.

Welcome to the future. Now THAT'S a computer! Or a computing experience, rather. Infreakingcredible. Love the (server) rack.

Wow.

[jamesg]

Thanks all for the kind comments. I posted here when I started this project a few months ago and got some very helpful advice, so I thought the least I could do is post up the finished result.

I did wonder whether I was going over the top when i was drilling a hole in the centre of my desk to hide the keyboard cable

You'd probably have trouble stealing it...fortunately the floorboards are holding up under the strain!

[BIONIC_EARS]

Is that a GOLIAT desk? I'm already 0.7% of the way there to having a setup like that!

If drilling it is required in the name of practical sophistication, so be it!

[jamesg]

It could be. I bought it from Ikea years ago. I'd quite like a desk with a glass top next. Mind you, drilling a hole in it would probably be out.

[zoob]

Sweet setup! Can you take some pictures of the back of the monitors? I have no idea how you managed to get the cables so hidden!
_________________
wtf!? rig: x3350@3.8 :: p5e-vm hdmi :: gskill 2x2gb :: 8800gtx :: x-fi xtrememusic hotrodded :: rocketfish :: modu82+ 625w :: watercooled (pa120.3/fuzion/ek nb+fc/ddc3.2@7v
feceus: e8500@4.3 :: dfi lt x38-t2r :: gskill 4x2gb:: 3850 256mb :: mm twice7 :: corsair hx620 :: watercooled (pa120.2/apogee gtx/mcw60/dd-cpx1)

[jamesg]

[mike961734]

wow good cable routing, simple lines, awesome setup, and a backlit desk to boot!
_________________
the increasingly more silent pc
p4 3.0ghz, HR-01, 2 gig corsair value ram, seagate 120g 7200rpm, GForce 7600 passive, antec slk 1650b, corsair 520w, rosewill combo drive.
upgrade time Q1 09

[angelkiller]

*opens mouth and stares*

.... ....

*wipes drool*
_________________
Q6600 @ 3.6GHz | Gigabyte X38-DS4 | 4GB Corsair Dominator DDR2-1066 | 2x Asus 4830 in Crossfire (770/925) | 60GB OCZ Vertex | WD320AAKS r:B3 | Silverstone ST1000 | Plextor PX-740a | all in an Antec P180 and cooled by water

[jaldridge6]

very cool.

[bonestonne]

$70 mouse?

what are the raw specs of the computer?

it looks gorgeous.
_________________
Core 2 Quad Q9400-Scythe Ninja Rev A|MSI Neo-F P45-HR-05|WD 250gb SATA-I|8GB G-Skill DDR2-800|WD Blue 640GB SATA-II|Lenovo KB|Apple Mighty Mouse|ECS 9600GT 512MB-Accelero S1|M-Audio Delta 1010/AP2496|Corsair 400CX PSU|Cooler Master Elite 330

[fri2219]

Video editing? Graphic Design?

[jamesg]

[BIONIC_EARS]

What's the make/model of that cabinet, please?

[jamesg]

[jaldridge6]

i'll pay you one million dollars to sleep with your computer.

[BIONIC_EARS]

Damn, jaldridge6, you're a trisexual? (3 monitors)

2 million dollars!

[jaldridge6]

I gotta make the cables around my desk look better.

I was looking at this

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/4044/tiw-35/FrozenCPU_WireMate_Computer_Workstation_Cable_Organizer_-_BLACK_WMB.html#blank

and also this

http://www.cable-safe.com/index.htm

[kater]

Don't. Ever. EVER. Post. More. Pix. Like. That.

You have no freakin' idea how much it pisses off people who have just recently finished completing their setups and think how nice and tidy and neat and wholesome their rigs are and who now have to go to sleep after seeing all these goodies and have to cope with feeling so lame, troglodytic and pathetic and still want to show off their beauties although they know they won't be impressed even themselves and will afterwards feel even dumber... pants
_________________
E8200 @ 3,6 GHz + Ninja + Fander 120 | Kingmax 1066 4GB | Abit IP35 | HD4770 + AC S1 + Fander 92 | RAID 0 WD Velociraptor 150 GB + 2 x SQD | Asus DVD | SB Audigy 2 ZS | FSP HLN 350W + Fander 120 | Antec P150 + Fander 92 & 120 + Akasa fan control jr | Samsung 971P | Logitech Z4
E3200 @ 3,2 GHz | GB G31M | Goodram 800 2GB | Travelstar 100GB + SQD | Antec NSK1380

[bonestonne]

^loser.

i use a mighty mouse at school, they're pretty nice, but i wouldn't buy one.

if that cabinet was mine, you'd see two EQ's in there along with a single 1400W QSC Amp.
_________________
Core 2 Quad Q9400-Scythe Ninja Rev A|MSI Neo-F P45-HR-05|WD 250gb SATA-I|8GB G-Skill DDR2-800|WD Blue 640GB SATA-II|Lenovo KB|Apple Mighty Mouse|ECS 9600GT 512MB-Accelero S1|M-Audio Delta 1010/AP2496|Corsair 400CX PSU|Cooler Master Elite 330