AVADirect Custom Computers Forum http://www.avadirect.com/forum/ This is an XML content feed of; AVADirect Custom Computers Forum : Last 10 Posts Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:58:37 +0000 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:01:16 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Web Wiz Forums 9.08 30 www.avadirect.com/forum/RSS_topic_feed.asp AVADirect Custom Computers Forum http://www.avadirect.com/forum//images/logo-6.gif http://www.avadirect.com/forum/ Anandtech Review #11 - AVADirect Silent Gaming PC: An Exercise in Balance http://www.avadirect.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1950&PID=5616#5616 Author: Jmundy
Subject: Anandtech Review #11 - AVADirect Silent Gaming PC: An Exercise in Balance
Posted: 03 Feb 2012 at 6:01pm

Anandtech Review #11 - AVADirect Silent Gaming PC: An Exercise in Balance
This is our eleventh review with Anandtech and it's truly always a pleasure. This time around, we shipped our Custom Z68 chipset-based silent, low-noise gaming computer. This computer not only packs a punch, but is also noticeably quieter than any of our gaming systems of it's class. To make the deal even sweeter, the 2700K CPU has been overclocked for those who still want to squeeze as much speed out of this low-noise configuration. The folks over at Anandtech gave us compliments on the ability to combine specific components that will, ultimately, lead to a quiet computer. All while noticing the little anti-noise screws, washers, and brackets we included in the build to help enforce the silence behind the beast. Anandtech also went on to remark that our overclock was not the best per the hardware and could have been better. Although this may be true, we also evaluate every configuration during the production period and determine what the best way to approach the overclock is, in more regards to stability. Yes, the configuration holds a high prioirty to noise levels, but those noise levels don't mean much if the system is crashing from a terrible overclock. Either way, we view every system in a case-by-case scenario and do not generalize any comptuers by their configuraiton, parts selection, overclock option, etc...every computer is custom, and we take that same custom approach while building our systems.
 
"In their Silent Gaming PC, AVADirect has produced a reasonably balanced, powerful build that goes a large way towards proving a powerful system can still run quietly" - Dustin Sklavos
 

 

AVADirect Z68 Low-Noise Custom Computer System

Price

$2430.61 

Motherboard

ASUS, P8Z68-V PRO, LGA1155, Intel® Z68, DDR3-2200 (O.C.) 32GB

CPU

INTEL, Core™ i7-2700K Quad-Core 3.5 - 3.9GHz TB, HD Graphics 3000, LGA1155, 8MB L3 Cache

Memory

.SKILL, 8GB (2 x 4GB) Ripjaws PC3-12800 DDR3 1600MHz CL9 (9-9-9-24) 1.5V

Graphics

ASUS, ENGTX580 DCII/2DIS/1536MD5, GeForce® GTX 580 782MHz, 1536MB GDDR5 4008MHz

Hard drives

-OCZ, 120GB Vertex 3 SSD, MLC SandForce SF-2281, 550/500 MB/s

-WESTERN DIGITAL, 2TB WD Caviar® Green™ (WD20EARX), SATA 6 Gb/s

Optical drive

LG ELECTRONICS, WH12LS30 Black 12x/16x/48x BD/DVD/CD Blu-ray Disc™ Burner

Operating system

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition w/ SP1

Low-Noise Accessories

-Smart Drive NEO Standard Silent Hard Disk Drive Enclosure, 5.25"

-Lamptron Deluxe Black Shakeproof PSU Gasket Silencer


Edited by AVADirect - Yesterday at 1:00pm]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:01:16 +0000 http://www.avadirect.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1950&PID=5616#5616 GAMING PC Thermaltake Overseer RX-I, MSI 990FXA-GD80, AMD FX-8120, 8GB DDR3-2000, GeForce GTX 550 Ti http://www.avadirect.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1949&PID=5615#5615 Author: ogladkiy
Subject: GAMING PC Thermaltake Overseer RX-I, MSI 990FXA-GD80, AMD FX-8120, 8GB DDR3-2000, GeForce GTX 550 Ti
Posted: 03 Feb 2012 at 4:40pm

 

GAMING PC Thermaltake Overseer RX-I Black Case, MSI 990FXA-GD80, AMD FX-8120, Corsair 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2000, MSI GeForce GTX 550 Ti

Some customers have a vision into what the most beautiful should look like. They select the options on our website and we start to build it. We then realize just how awesome some of these custom computer systems really are. This custom system was chosen and configured by an actual customer and we are displaying it here for your viewing pleasure.

You can click the pictures below for a bigger view:

Here are the complete specifications of displayed custom gaming PC:

System Performance*:Queen:26750Julia:10084
PhotoWorxx:29487Mandel:5148
3DMark 11:   
Memory Performance:Latency:50.9 nsRead:13883 MB/s
Timings:9-9-9-27Write:9788 MB/s
Video Card Performance:Heaven Benchmark v2.1 FPS:36.6Heaven Benchmark v2.1 Scores:921
FurMark v1.8.2:2599  
Computer Case:Thermaltake, VN700M1W2N Overseer RX-I Black Full Tower Case, EATX, 8 slots, No PSU, Steel/Plastic
 
Processor:AMD, FD8120FRGUBOX FX-8120 Eight-Core 3.1 - 4.0GHz, AM3+, 8MB L3 cache, 125W, 32nm, Black Edition, Retail
Antec, Formula 5 STC Silver Thermal Compound
 
CPU Cooling:Thermaltake, CLP-0401 V1 CPU Cooling Fan, Socket LGA775/AMD754/939/AM2, Copper
Motherboard:MSI, 990FXA-GD80, AM3+, AMD® 990FX, DDR3-2133 (O.C.) 32GB /4, PCIe x16 SLI CF /2+2*, SATA 6 Gb/s RAID 5 /6, USB 3.0 /2, HDA, GbLAN, FW, ATX, Retail
Video Card:MSI, N550GTX-Ti Cyclone OC, GeForce® GTX 550 Ti 950MHz, 1GB GDDR5 4300MHz, PCIe x16 SLI, 2xDVI+mini-HDMI, Retail
 
Memory:Corsair, CMX8GX3M2A2000C9 8GB (2 x 4GB) XMS3 PC3-16000 DDR3 2000MHz CL9 (9-10-9-27) 1.65V SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC
Hard Drive:Western Digital, 2TB WD Caviar® Black™ (WD2002FAEX), SATA 6 Gb/s, 7200 RPM, 64MB Cache
 
 
Optical Drive:Sony, 2 x AD-7261S Black 24x DVD±R/RW Dual-Layer Burner w/ Lightscribe, SATA, OEM
Power Supply:Thermaltake, TPX-675M Toughpower™ XT 675W Power Supply w/ Modular Cables, 80 PLUS® Bronze, 24-pin ATX12V V2.3 EPS12V V2.91, 2x 6-pin + 2x 8/6-pin PCIe, Retail
Operating System:Microsoft, GLC-01844 Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit Edition w/ SP1, OEM
Other Options:NZXT, Sentry 2 Black Fan Controller, Touch Screen, 5-Channel Fan Controller, 5.25" Bay
Custom Wiring, Standard Wiring with Round Cables
Cooler Master, R4-LUS-07AB-GP R4 200mm Case Fan, 700 RPM, 110 CFM, 19 dBA, Blue LED
Cooler Master, R4-L2R-20AC-GP R4 120mm Case Fan, 2000 RPM, 90 CFM, 19 dBA, Blue LED
 
*System and memory benchmarks performed with Lavalys Everest and Futuremark

Want to configure a system just like this? We offer an extensive selection of computer components through the convenient system configurators allowing to build broad spectrum of custom computer systems up to the high-end level. Click the link below to go to our system configurator page that was used for this build:

GAMING PC Zambezi-FX AM3+ 2-way CrossFireX Custom Gaming System Configurator

]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:40:11 +0000 http://www.avadirect.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1949&PID=5615#5615 PC BAREBONE Corsair Graphite, P8Z68 Deluxe/Gen3, Core i7-2600, 16GB DDR3-1333, GeForce GTX 550 Ti http://www.avadirect.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1948&PID=5614#5614 Author: ogladkiy
Subject: PC BAREBONE Corsair Graphite, P8Z68 Deluxe/Gen3, Core i7-2600, 16GB DDR3-1333, GeForce GTX 550 Ti
Posted: 03 Feb 2012 at 3:44pm

 

PC BAREBONE Corsair Graphite CC600TWM Case, ASUS P8Z68 Deluxe/Gen3, Intel Core i7-2600, Crucial 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1333, EVGA GeForce GTX 550 Ti

Some customers have a vision into what the most beautiful should look like. They select the options on our website and we start to build it. We then realize just how awesome some of these custom computer systems really are. This custom system was chosen and configured by an actual customer and we are displaying it here for your viewing pleasure.

You can click the pictures below for a bigger view:

Here are the complete specifications of displayed PC Barebone:

System Performance*:Queen:47794Julia:20107
PhotoWorxx:52330Mandel:10659
PCMark:   
Memory Performance:Latency:53.4 nsRead:16504 MB/s
Timings:9-9-9-27Write:18738 MB/s
Video Card Performance:3DMark11:26393DMark Vantage: 
Heaven Benchmark v2.1 FPS:20.9Heaven Benchmark v2.1 Scores:526
FurMark v1.8.2:2465  
Computer Case:Corsair, Graphite CC600TWM Black/White Mid-Tower Computer Case w/ Window, ATX, No PSU, Steel/Plastic
 
Processor:Intel, BX80623I72600 Core™ i7-2600 Quad-Core 3.4 - 3.8GHz TB, HD Graphics 2000, LGA1155, 8MB L3 Cache, 32nm, 95W, EM64T EIST HT VT-d VT-x XD, Retail
 
 
CPU Cooling:Zalman, CNPS9700 NT CPU Cooler, Socket 1155/1156/1366/775/AM3/AM2
Motherboard:ASUS, P8Z68 Deluxe/Gen3, LGA1155, Intel® Z68, DDR3-2200 (O.C.) 32GB /4, PCIe x16 SLI CF /1+1*, SATA 3Gb/s RAID 5 /4, 6Gb/s /4, USB 3.0 /4, HDA, FW /2, GbLAN /2, ATX, Retail
Video Card:EVGA, 02G-P3-1559-KR GeForce® GTX 550 Ti 900MHz, 2GB GDDR5 4008MHz, PCIe x16 SLI, 2xDVI+mini-HDMI, Retail
 
Memory:Crucial, 2 x CT2KIT51264BA1339 16GB (4 x 4GB) PC3-10600 DDR3 1333MHz CL9 1.5V SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC
Hard Drive:Corsair, CSSD-F240GBGT-BK 240GB Force Series™ GT SSD, MLC SandForce SF-2281, 555/525MB/s, 2.5-Inch w/ 3.5-Inch Bracket, SATA 6 Gb/s, Retail
Western Digital, 1TB WD Caviar® Black™ (WD1002FAEX), SATA 6 Gb/s, 7200 RPM, 64MB Cache
Optical Drive:LG Electronics, WH12LS38 Black 12x/16x/48x BD/DVD/CD Blu-ray Disc™ Burner w/ Lightscribe, SATA, w/ Software, OEM
Power Supply:Seasonic, X-650 Power Supply w/ Modular Cables, 80 PLUS® Gold, 650W, 24-pin ATX12V EPS12V, 4x 8/6-pin PCIe
Operating System: 
Other Options: 
 
 
 
*System and memory benchmarks performed with Lavalys Everest and Futuremark

Want to configure a system just like this? We offer an extensive selection of computer components through the convenient system configurators allowing to build broad spectrum of custom computer systems up to the high-end level. Click the link below to go to our system configurator page that was used for this build:

PC BAREBONE Core i7 / i5 / i3 2-way SLI DDR3 Performance Barebone Kit Configurator

]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:44:39 +0000 http://www.avadirect.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1948&PID=5614#5614 Audio/Music Workstation http://www.avadirect.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1947&PID=5613#5613 Author: Jmundy
Subject: Audio/Music Workstation
Posted: 03 Feb 2012 at 11:21am

Hello PcCProduction,
 
 
I like the route you're going with the components in the system! I myself have some experience with building and using DAWs so I have a few things to add. First, to answer your questions...
 
The on-board graphics on the motherboard should be fine. Since the main focus is capturing and composing audio, the video output is not a high priority. The Scythe cooler should also keep the system a little bit quieter than the stock Intel cooler. We will also apply any thermal compound you choose when building the system, and then provide you with what is left over should you decide to use any in the future.
 
Given that this system may record live audio, you want it to be as quiet as possible to reduce ambient background noise. I recommend using our silent system configurator, such as:http://www.avadirect.com/silent-pc-configurator.asp?PRID=20965
 
I took the liberty of re-building this configuration under that link:
 
  • ANTEC Performance One P183 V3 Black Mid-Tower Case, ATX, No PSU
  • SEASONIC X750 Gold (SS-750KM) Power Supply w/ Modular Cables, 80 PLUS® Gold, 750W, 24-pin ATX EPS12V, Active PFC, Retail
  • GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD4, LGA1155, Intel® Z68, DDR3-2133 32GB /4, PCIe x16 SLI CF /1+1*, SATA 3Gb/s RAID 5 /4, 6Gb/s /4, USB 3.0 /4, HDMI, HDA, GbLAN, FW /2, ATX, Retail
  • INTEL Core™ i7-2600 Quad-Core 3.4 - 3.8GHz TB, HD Graphics 2000, LGA1155, 8MB L3 Cache, 32nm, 95W, EM64T EIST HT VT-d VT-x XD, Retail
  • ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 13 Pro CPU Cooling Fan, Socket 1155/1156/1366/775/AM3/AM2, Aluminum/Copper, Retail
  • TUNIQ TX-2 High-Performance Thermal Compound, Electrically Non-Conductive
  • KINGSTON 8GB (2 x 4GB) HyperX PC3-12800 DDR3 1600MHz CL9 1.5V SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC
  • CRUCIAL 128GB M4 SSD, MLC Marvell 88SS9174, 500/175 MB/s, 2.5-Inch, SATA 6 Gb/s, Retail
  • WESTERN DIGITAL 1TB WD Caviar® Green™ (WD10EARS), SATA 3 Gb/s, IntelliPower™, 64MB Cache
  • RAID No RAID, Independent HDD Drives
  • SONY AD-7261S Black 24x DVD±R/RW Dual-Layer Burner w/ Lightscribe, SATA, OEM
  • COMPUTER ACCESSORY Akust Technology Chassis Silencer Kit
  • COMPUTER ACCESSORY Lamptron Deluxe Black Shakeproof PSU Gasket Silencer
  • NONE No Operating System (Choose OS or subject to Limited Support)
  • WARRANTY Silver Warranty Package (3 Year Limited Parts, 3 Year Labor Warranty)

This will set you up with a virtually silent system.

 
 
]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:21:12 +0000 http://www.avadirect.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1947&PID=5613#5613 Audio/Music Workstation http://www.avadirect.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1947&PID=5612#5612 Author: PnCProduction
Subject: Audio/Music Workstation
Posted: 02 Feb 2012 at 6:01pm

  • ANTEC Performance One P183 V3 Black Mid-Tower Case, ATX, No PSU
  • SEASONIC X750 Gold (SS-750KM) Power Supply w/ Modular Cables, 80 PLUS® Gold, 750W, 24-pin ATX EPS12V, Active PFC, Retail
  • GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD4, LGA1155, Intel® Z68, DDR3-2133 32GB /4, PCIe x16 SLI CF /1+1*, SATA 3Gb/s RAID 5 /4, 6Gb/s /4, USB 3.0 /4, HDMI, HDA, GbLAN, FW /2, ATX, Retail
  • INTEL Core™ i7-2600 Quad-Core 3.4 - 3.8GHz TB, HD Graphics 2000, LGA1155, 8MB L3 Cache, 32nm, 95W, EM64T EIST HT VT-d VT-x XD, Retail
  • SCYTHE Mugen 3 (SCMG-3000) CPU Cooler, Socket 1155/1156/1366/AM3/AM2, Copper/Aluminum, Retail
  • TUNIQ TX-2 High-Performance Thermal Compound, Electrically Non-Conductive
  • KINGSTON 8GB (2 x 4GB) HyperX Blu PC3-10600 DDR3 1333MHz CL9 1.5V SRAM DIMM, Non-ECC
  • CRUCIAL 128GB M4 SSD, MLC Marvell 88SS9174, 500/175 MB/s, 2.5-Inch, SATA 6 Gb/s, Retail
  • WESTERN DIGITAL 1TB WD Caviar® Green™ (WD10EARS), SATA 3 Gb/s, IntelliPower™, 64MB Cache

I'm wanting to get some opinions on this setup to be used in a home recording studio running Sonar x1 and/or Pro Tools 10 as the main DAW, with a variety of VST instruments and plugins to be used.  Wife is a dialogue/sfx editor and uses her Mac Mini with Pro Tools, but I need something with a bit more flexibility and geared towards music composition, recording, and sound design.  My vision is to apply a few more upgrades down the line and have it be the main unit used for mastering projects we take on, so a quiet build is of very high importance.

I'm curious as to how the system would hold up just using the integrated graphics of the z68 board.  Also, how tight is the fit of the Mugen 3 cooler in the p183 case?  Would there be any obstruction on the Gigabyte mobo of the RAM slots with the Mugen? 

I also have a question about the build option page in general.  For instance, I have Tuniq TX-2 thermal compound listed in my build above--Does choosing that mean that it's applied by AVA when the system is built or does it mean I'm adding on the tube as an accessory sale and applying at home?  Same goes for the silencing upgrades (fans, materials, mounts).  I'm assuming they're just installed, but I just wasn't sure. 

Hope to be placing an order soon since I can't wait to start working. 



]]> Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:01:04 +0000 http://www.avadirect.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1947&PID=5612#5612 Media Computers http://www.avadirect.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1946&PID=5611#5611 Author: Jmundy
Subject: Media Computers
Posted: 02 Feb 2012 at 11:04am

Hello Lindy007,
 
 
I would first start off using this configuration: http://www.avadirect.com/htpc-configurator.asp?PRID=19654
 
It's the Sandy Bridge-based configuration, to keep costs down, and keep performance up.
 
If you have any specific ququestionsn component choices, cocompatibilityetc...feel free to continue posting on our forum!
]]> Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:04:15 +0000 http://www.avadirect.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1946&PID=5611#5611 2012 build I'm shooting for this year http://www.avadirect.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1939&PID=5610#5610 Author: Jmundy
Subject: 2012 build I'm shooting for this year
Posted: 01 Feb 2012 at 3:56pm

Nope, no maintenance which is what makes them a great buy. :-)

Edited by Jmundy - 01 Feb 2012 at 4:33pm]]> Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:56:03 +0000 http://www.avadirect.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1939&PID=5610#5610 2012 build I'm shooting for this year http://www.avadirect.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1939&PID=5609#5609 Author: pdwe
Subject: 2012 build I'm shooting for this year
Posted: 01 Feb 2012 at 3:37pm

Originally posted by Jmundy

Hello pdwe,
 
 
Looks good; due to the position of all eight DIMM slots, I would go with a closed-loop liquid cooler; something like this: http://www.avadirect.com/product_details_parts.asp?PRID=21401
 
 
 
             
 
Do these coolers require any monitoring or maintaining?
]]> Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:37:55 +0000 http://www.avadirect.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1939&PID=5609#5609 2012 build I'm shooting for this year http://www.avadirect.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1939&PID=5608#5608 Author: pdwe
Subject: 2012 build I'm shooting for this year
Posted: 01 Feb 2012 at 3:35pm

Will AVA put x79 chipsets in DIY section soon :)]]> Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:35:17 +0000 http://www.avadirect.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1939&PID=5608#5608 High -End Gaming/Video Editing System http://www.avadirect.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1944&PID=5607#5607 Author: pdwe
Subject: High -End Gaming/Video Editing System
Posted: 01 Feb 2012 at 1:28pm

Sweet system enjoy

]]> Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:28:41 +0000 http://www.avadirect.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1944&PID=5607#5607