Is this setup still a good combo?

Evert · Post by **Evert** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 1:59 am

Hi all!

About 6 months ago I came up with the following components list for a small server for virtual machines:

CPU - Intel Q9450

Cabinet - Antec Mini P180 black

HDD - Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB x4

CPU cooler - OCZ Vendetta 2

PSU - Corsair VX 450W

Motherboard - ASUS P5Q-VM

RAM - [url=http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/m ... b_quad_kit]OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400 â€œP45 Specialâ€

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 5:38 am

Hi,

4TB of hard drives and 16GB of RAM?!

In general, your list of parts looks pretty good; though I have no idea how the Vendetta 2 will work.

pixel · Post by **pixel** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 6:09 am

Hello,

The reviews and user comments I've read stated that the Vendetta2 is quite good; maybe not as good as a Thermalright Ultra 120 but better price/performance-wise. The included fan was written to be not as quiet as a Scythe or Noctua, but not too bad either when it comes to noise. I think it has PWM control.

Noctua's "C" shaped top-down blower might be a nice alternative.. It was quite well-liked by the review here in SPCR; and blowing air on the motherboard (maybe reaching to the RAM, too) might be good in the long term. I'm not familiar with the airflow inside a Mini P180, though; it might be better not to disturb the front-to-back flow either.

The parts look fine.. Though I, too; am awed at 16 GB of RAM and 4 TB hard disk space!

FartingBob · Post by **FartingBob** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 7:46 am

The Q9550 is a slightly faster CPU that has replaced the 9450 (its the same price with a small bump in clock speed and a newer stepping i believe).
And i really cant see the point in getting 16GB of RAM. I would go for 8GB max at the moment (maybe even 4), by the time you find yourself running out you'll likely want a new board and CPU that uses DDR3.

Nick Geraedts · Post by **Nick Geraedts** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 8:24 am

If he's serious about running several concurrent virtual machines, the more separate hard drives and the more RAM - the merrier. There are times when my server gets choked with the 8GB that's currently installed, but until I can get a proper server board (expensive) or a P45 board in there, I'm stuck with what I've got.

That OCZ RAM will work. Manufacturers just labeled their new packages as "Vista capable" because for some reason, people thought basic hardware had become operating system dependent.

Evert · Post by **Evert** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 2:36 pm

FartingBob wrote:The Q9550 is a slightly faster CPU that has replaced the 9450 (its the same price with a small bump in clock speed and a newer stepping i believe).

Thanks for the tip. The Q9550 with the newer stepping wasn't available yet when I made my list.

speedkar9 · Post by **speedkar9** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 8:04 pm

Nick Geraedts wrote:Manufacturers just labeled their new packages as "Vista capable" because for some reason, people thought basic hardware had become operating system dependent.

No. Its actually marketing. When Vista came out, it got a big stigma that nothing was compatible or capable of running Vista. Labeling it "Vista Capable" enables the "less informed" consumers that it can run Vista, and thus the company makes money by selling a special name at a higher price.

Evert · Post by **Evert** » Thu Dec 25, 2008 3:51 am

speedkar9 wrote:
Nick Geraedts wrote:Manufacturers just labeled their new packages as "Vista capable" because for some reason, people thought basic hardware had become operating system dependent.
No. Its actually marketing. When Vista came out, it got a big stigma that nothing was compatible or capable of running Vista. Labeling it "Vista Capable" enables the "less informed" consumers that it can run Vista, and thus the company makes money by selling a special name at a higher price.

In that case: Would you/anyone else happen to know about a nice 4x4GB set which is not marked with anything Vista (and thus sells for a better price?)

FartingBob · Post by **FartingBob** » Thu Dec 25, 2008 6:52 am

I dont that adding "vista ready" adds more than a few pence to the cost of RAM. Theres no point in narrowing your choices, especially when there arent many 4GB modules available yet.

Nick Geraedts · Post by **Nick Geraedts** » Thu Dec 25, 2008 2:48 pm

G.Skill 4x4GB DDR2-800 6-6-6-18

I've used it in several builds, and I haven't heard of any problems with the systems to date. For the record, all the negative reviews of the product state the price as the "con". The kit was fairly expensive when it first came out (~$1000), but that was when the P45 boards first arrived and nobody else had 16GB kits available.