Project: Leviathan

[The boy 4rm oz]

I thought hybrid SLI only shut down the GPU for 2D tasks such as word processing etc, not lend extra power to 3D apps, I'm probably wrong.

As for the OS. Vista works very well with newer hardware and a min of 3GB of RAM (especially for gaming). Windows 7 uses a lot less system resources than Vista allowing it to run very well on lower specced machines (much like XP). The minimum system specs for Windows 7 are as follows:
CPU: 1GHz+
RAM: 1GB+
GPU: 128MB DX9 compatible
HDD: 16GB free
Optical: DVD-ROM (optional)
In it's BETA stages Windows 7 shows performance gains over Vista. I recently read a review where a Nvidia GTX295 and an Intel 3.2GHZ Duel Core managed a 4% increase in 3DMark Vantage and a 5.5% increase in 3DMark06. That's pretty good considering it's still in BETA stage. I have also seen similar gains in much lower end systems.

You could always use Vista and install the Windows 7 BETA over it and use it until the BETA expires in September or you could buy a retail copy of Vista and hope they sell Windows 7 upgrade pack upon release like they did with XP for Vista. Personally I think Windows 7 will be great for us gamers, especially with all the new technology and rendering systems they are introducing. The sad thing is we probably won't see a retail version until mid-end 2010.

[nevermind1534]

I thought hybrid SLI only shut down the GPU for 2D tasks such as word processing etc, not lend extra power to 3D apps, I'm probably wrong.

I thought hybrid lent power for stuff and there was a different feature for other ones that just shut it off to save power for 2D stuff, but you might be right.

[mercerman318]

You guys may be right, either way it's power saving or extra gaming performance, still might be a good idea

[Vertigo]

Since I'm going to be using these almost solely for playing MMOs like World of Warcraft and Warhammer. These games tend to be pretty forgiving on the video card, but can be incredibly demanding on the hard drive and ram (especially when loading multiple copies of the game client simultaneously, and running in highly populated areas on those various clients). That's my primary focus with this setup. To give you an idea, each computer will be runninng 2 clients with a resolution of 800x600 each, with video settings on low for maximum performance. My main rig/client is the only one that has everything cranked to the max.

[Vertigo]

JUST submitted my order with newegg.com:

2 LIAN LI PC-65B Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail -$20.00 Instant [ $239.98 ]
2 EVGA 113-M2-E113 AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 8200 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $20.00 Mail-in Rebate [ $179.98 ]
2 EVGA 512-P3-N866-TR GeForce 9600 GT Superclocked Edition 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail $30.00 Mail-in Rebate [ $199.98 ]
2Thermaltake TR2 RX W0146RU 450W ATX12V Ver2.2 Modular Passive PFC PFC Power Supply - Retail -$10.00 Instant [ $111.98 ]
4 G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail -$10.00 Instant [ $159.96 ]
2 AMD Phenom 9600 Agena 2.3GHz Socket AM2+ 95W Quad-Core Processor Model HD960ZWCGDBOX - Retail -$20.00 Instant [ $199.98 ]
2 OCZ Solid Series OCZSSD2-1SLD30G 2.5" 30GB SATA II Solid State Disk (SSD) - Retail [ $192.00 ]

Total: $1,283.86

Today I also got a couple of copies of Vista Premium Ultimate 64 edition. Now I gotta run to Auto Zone for paint and the hardware store for some screws and things.

[The boy 4rm oz]

That's is a really good price for two systems.

[DonT-FeaR]

im jealous...

[Vertigo]

Yeah I thought that was a good price, as they're primarilly for dual boxing I didn't want to go overboard. But as cheap as ram is, I figured crank it to 8 gigs per box. Hopefully these will perform quite well. Also, I'm seriously considering flipping the second box. IE, taking the frame apart and moving the motherboard, etc to the other side. So I have a mirror image PC setup. 1 box with window on the left, and one box with the window on the right. We'll see, I've been looking for an excuse to get a rivet gun anyway.

[The boy 4rm oz]

I think that is a really cool idea, two identical inverted systems. Will look awesome.

[Vertigo]

Damn, now I'm concerned. A friend pointed something out today that might be a problem:

The PSU does not meet all of the power requirements of the video card.

EVGA specifies a power supply with a minimum of 400w total capacity (you're ok there) but also a 12v supply that can supply up to 26 amps, your PSU's 12v supply has a 16 amp peak. The day of the independent multiple 12v rail has come and gone because of todays high draw video cards.

Check out something like: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817703016 with a single 12v rail with a 36a capacity. PC Power and Cooling was my psu of choice until last night, when I got a DOA unit for a rig I was building for a friend...

Everything's already otw, the psu won't go to waste if it doesn't work with that card. Since I've got a media box I was putting together that could definitely use it.