Opinions on silent Q6600 SLI system

[pontifexa]

Hi,

I'd like to get some opinions on parts for a new system I'm shopping for. I have a couple of "requirements" that I would like the system to satisfy;

- I need it up and running in two weeks from now. (Not because I'm impatient, but because I need it to do some work from home)
- It needs to perform well as a developer rig (building large projects, running heavy real-time 3d)
- I want good, robust basic parts that I can keep for a long time. Quality case, quiet PSU, OC-friendly mobo
- I want it to be dead quiet in the long run. (E.g. by adding some of the harder-to-get cooling solutions that I won't be able to get in less than two weeks)
- It must be "affordable" (I'm paying for this myself)


Here are the parts that I have on my wishlist, and that are candidates for going into my cart:

Case:
Antec P182 ATX
$140 CAD

I really like this case, and most people seem to recommend it.


PSU:
Corsair HX520 CMPSU-520HX 520W ATX Triple 12V 40A Continuous 24PIN ATX Modular 120MM
$125 CAD

It has power to spare, even for SLI and future octa-core, and is supposed to be quiet. I really like the fact that it is modular.


Mobo:
ASUS P5N32-E SLI Nforce 680I SLI LGA775 Conroe ATX DDR2 2PCI-E16 PCI-E1 2PCI SATA2 RAID
$240 CAD

To be honest, I haven't found an LGA775, 2x16 PCI-E SLI capable motherboard that I really like yet. I've always been fond of ASUS, but I'm very much open to suggestions here. I'd like a decent amount of SATAs, good onboard sound and network, RAID, and good overclocking possibilities. I wouldn't mind wifi, but I can always get a dongle. It must also be able to run Linux (it doesn't have to be easy, only possible)


CPU:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core Processor LGA775 2.40GHZ 1066FSB Kentsfield 8MB G0 Stepping - Retail Box
$320 CAD

This is really the only viable choice for me. We have huge C++ solutions, and a quad core will build it significantly faster. It's also quite affordable these days.


Cooling:
Nexus 120MM Real Silent Case Fan BLACK/WHITE 1000RPM 22.8DBA 36.87CFM 3/4PIN - $14 CAD
Thermalright ULTRA-120 Extreme 6 Heatpipe Cooler LGA775 Heatsink - $60 CAD

If I can find these parts, I'll get them straight away. As well as being silent, I'm hoping that these, in combination with the P182, will allow me to "mildly" OC the CPU while still keeping the noise muffled. Failing to get these in time, what should I expect from the stock cooling? Is it the same as for the E6600?


Memory:
Crucial Ballistix Tracer PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL4-4-4-12 240PIN Dual Channel Kit
2x $141 CAD

Now this is very things get a bit shaky for me.. I definitely want 800 MHz memory, but does it really matter which brand / model I buy? How would the Ballistix differ from e.g. OCZ Gold XTC PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5-12 (which has some heavy mail-in rebates these days) ? Or even a pair or cheaper Patriot ones?


Hard-drives:
Western Digital Raptor 150GB Sata 10KRPM 16MB Ncq -
$268 CAD
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 500GB SATA2 3GB/S 7200RPM 16MB Cache Ncq - $124 CAD
Hitachi Deskstar T7K500 500GB SATA2 7200RPM 16MB 8.5MS Oem - $124 CAD

Again, I'm unsure what the best option is. I've been wanting a Raptor for a long time, but is its performance really noticeable, or is it just paper-performance? I guess it could be the loudest part in the system, and if that's the case, how would I silence it? I've heard good things about both noise and performance from the Deskstar and Barracude, any recommendations? Regarding noise/heat; would I be able to RAID two Hitachis for the same heat/noise as a single Raptor?


GPU:
8800 GTX/S

Short term, unfortunately, I need an 8800. In the long run, I'll either get two passively cooled 8600 GTs running SLI, or try to silence the beast.


I'll save directed questions about silencing individual parts for a followup post. I'm especially uncertain how noisy the hard-drives will be (whichever I turn out to get), and how to silence them if they turn out to be a major source of noise.

This is my first post here, and I realize that a lot of people are asking similar questions about C2Q, P182 systems these days, but I'm really having a hard time finding "the right" mobo, memory and hard-drives. And I haven't built any systems from scratch in years, so I want to make sure I don't commit any major screwups.

Thanks in advance for your input, and thanks for your patience!

[Max Slowik]

SLI should be done from the get-go or not at all. For what it's worth, two 8800GTS 320s can be had right now for a song. Also, they're relatively cool, and the stock heatsinks are damn near silent. They're also ridiculous overclockers.

And one 8800 will completely outclass any two 8600s, no matter how you slice it.

[mttcrlsn]

EVGA 680 SLI mainboard seems to be stable (Nvidia reference design sold by EVGA)

One GTS is more than powerful enough for current games and ones coming down the pipe (I really have not seen anthing new that is impressive or ground-breaking). If I had to do this system now (guts are from last Christmas) I would stay with only one 8800GTS and go with a 6850 Core2. I might also onlu use the 650 Ultra or maybe even a P35.


viewtopic.php?t=42188

I have removed one of my GTS cards and so far have seen no drop in real world gaming performance but the system is cooler and using less power.

[pontifexa]

Max, why should SLI be done from the get-go, or not at all? Is there anything in the system that you would radically do differently for 1 or 2 GPUs?

mttcrlsn, nice system! I agree with your points about a faster dual-core, and a single GPU, being a more cost efficient gaming system. However I'm not building a gaming system, and I will use the system for multi-GPU, many-core software development; thus I really need at least four cores, and I really need the ability to run a SLI system when required. Now, if the 8800 GTS are actually cool, silent parts, hopefully I can just get two of those and not worry about it for a long time.

[pputer]

Nexus 120MM Real Silent Case Fan BLACK/WHITE 1000RPM 22.8DBA 36.87CFM 3/4PIN - $14 CAD

Hey, I think I know where you're buying your gear. If it is where I'm thinking of, you can substitute the Nexus fans for Yate Loon 120mm fans (same company). I found that out (i.e. the Yate Loon and Nexus connection) here. I bought 5 Yate Loon 120mm for around $35 total.

[jubrany]

Case:
Antec P182 ATX
$140 CAD

I really like this case, and most people seem to recommend it.

Good Choice.

PSU:
Corsair HX520 CMPSU-520HX 520W ATX Triple 12V 40A Continuous 24PIN ATX Modular 120MM
$125 CAD

It has power to spare, even for SLI and future octa-core, and is supposed to be quiet. I really like the fact that it is modular.

Uhhh, not even the HX620 is 8800GTX SLi certified (only 7900GTX certified). You won't be able to run SLi with the HX520, unless your cards are low end.

Mobo:
ASUS P5N32-E SLI Nforce 680I SLI LGA775 Conroe ATX DDR2 2PCI-E16 PCI-E1 2PCI SATA2 RAID
$240 CAD

To be honest, I haven't found an LGA775, 2x16 PCI-E SLI capable motherboard that I really like yet. I've always been fond of ASUS, but I'm very much open to suggestions here. I'd like a decent amount of SATAs, good onboard sound and network, RAID, and good overclocking possibilities. I wouldn't mind wifi, but I can always get a dongle. It must also be able to run Linux (it doesn't have to be easy, only possible)

I really think you should ditch this SLi idea. It is difficult/impossible to have silent air cooling with SLi (because it's large). The only way to have quiet SLi is with water cooling, and it's not worth the hassle IMO.

Please just get a P35 motherboard instead. Usually by the time you will need SLi to keep up you can just buy one new card that will destroy your current card in SLi.

CPU:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core Processor LGA775 2.40GHZ 1066FSB Kentsfield 8MB G0 Stepping - Retail Box
$320 CAD

This is really the only viable choice for me. We have huge C++ solutions, and a quad core will build it significantly faster. It's also quite affordable these days.

These chips are running exceptionally hot, and you may want to consider using a dual core until 45nm quad core parts are available in 6 months.

Cooling:
Nexus 120MM Real Silent Case Fan BLACK/WHITE 1000RPM 22.8DBA 36.87CFM 3/4PIN - $14 CAD
Thermalright ULTRA-120 Extreme 6 Heatpipe Cooler LGA775 Heatsink - $60 CAD

Pair your Thermalright with a Scythe S-flex F instead of the Nexus. With a Zalman Fanmate 2 you will be able to find a noise/heat level you find acceptable.

If I can find these parts, I'll get them straight away. As well as being silent, I'm hoping that these, in combination with the P182, will allow me to "mildly" OC the CPU while still keeping the noise muffled. Failing to get these in time, what should I expect from the stock cooling? Is it the same as for the E6600?

Q6600s run really hot. You may find yourself trying to undervolt them or drop the multiplier to get them running at a temperature you find comfortable.

Memory:
Crucial Ballistix Tracer PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL4-4-4-12 240PIN Dual Channel Kit
2x $141 CAD

Now this is very things get a bit shaky for me.. I definitely want 800 MHz memory, but does it really matter which brand / model I buy? How would the Ballistix differ from e.g. OCZ Gold XTC PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5-12 (which has some heavy mail-in rebates these days) ? Or even a pair or cheaper Patriot ones?

You may want to consider getting 4GB since your system is pretty high end. I was eyeing the Mushkin HP6400 2x2GB kit... they run about 360. Expensive, yes, but if you want 4GB, running 2 modules instead of 4 will make things run much more smoothly compatibility wise, and heat wise for your board's memory controller.

Hard-drives:
Western Digital Raptor 150GB Sata 10KRPM 16MB Ncq -
$268 CAD
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 500GB SATA2 3GB/S 7200RPM 16MB Cache Ncq - $124 CAD
Hitachi Deskstar T7K500 500GB SATA2 7200RPM 16MB 8.5MS Oem - $124 CAD

Again, I'm unsure what the best option is. I've been wanting a Raptor for a long time, but is its performance really noticeable, or is it just paper-performance? I guess it could be the loudest part in the system, and if that's the case, how would I silence it? I've heard good things about both noise and performance from the Deskstar and Barracude, any recommendations? Regarding noise/heat; would I be able to RAID two Hitachis for the same heat/noise as a single Raptor?

You may want to ditch the Raptor if you want true silence. For me after getting the 182 it quieted my Raptor fivefold. but just to warn you, in a quiet environment, you will still hear it over the rest of a quiet system when it seeks.

I would instead recommend the enterprise (5 year warranty) version of WD's 750GB drive. Great performance and quieter than the Raptor.

GPU:
8800 GTX/S

Short term, unfortunately, I need an 8800. In the long run, I'll either get two passively cooled 8600 GTs running SLI, or try to silence the beast.

SLi is a waste unless you are doing 2 GTX's. And running 2 GTX's will need a powerful and expensive PSU. There are very few quiet power supplies that can handle that power task. The only one I could think of is the Thermaltake Toughpower 1200w and that is not that quiet. 1 GTX will be better than even 2 8800 320's so I would say forget SLi! Just upgrade to a G92 when it comes out for performance that will be better than 2 8800's.

And good luck with your build. Tell us how it worked out.

P.S. Just say no to the 8600 series. I have one and I wish I forked out the money for an 8800. Now I'm waiting for November to get a real card when G92 drops.