Support NeoGAF

[Generic Power Ranger]

First let me start by saying I VASTLY prefere laptops. I love to sit with a complete machine in the couch and I can't use a mouse for extended periods of time. Anyhow, I'll primarily use the machine for doing CG stuff although games will occasionally be played as well, so it needs to be beefy (and i don't want a quadro card) so I've been waiting for Nvidea to announce their laptop cards but the machines are just super pricey now that they have. Aiming for a GTX 1070, It's just too much. And another thing is that I like my machines to be as quiet as possible... Worried about laptops that are super noisy when Idling in windows. That would drive me nuts.

So alternatively to a laptop, There are a few other options. Waiting it out for the price to drop, but my old laptop with a 635m just constantly freezes on windows 10, and my current desktop is just barely running. Every time it's turned on it makes a loud growling noise for a while till the fans settle. (and then it sounds like a jet engine taking off).

Theres also the option of upgrading my desktop until it makes sense to make a switch to a laptop or get a new machine in general.
my desktop specs are as follows:
ASROCK X58 EXTREME with socket lga 1366, pci express x16 and 6 ram slots
core i7 930
ati hd 5870(right now)
12 gigs of ram (6 blocks of 2 gb )
more stuff. powersupply of like 800 watts.. Might have to be replaced as well.
windows 8.1 personal

So upgrading I'd probably throw a GTX 1070 in there, or a RX 480, along with 32 gigs of ram instead of the old 12 gigs. Not sure if normal windows 8.1 supports 32 gigs but I would imagine so. I also imagine that the old i7 still holds up rather well. (I'm not sure though)

OR instead of getting a new laptop at some point, just getting a new desktop since it'd be considerably cheaper than getting the same laptop, and can more easily be noise controlled. Anyone suggesting this option, I'd appreciate suggestions on keeping the machine quiet as well.
I'd probably go for, again something with 32 gigs of ram, a gtx 1070 or rx480, some new i7 (no idea here, i've been out da game gaf !) and maybe a blu ray drive but i'm not sure. Not sure how many watts power supply i'd need either. I'd probably not overclock as It'd be a considerable upgrade from my old one.

Anyway the downsides with anything desktop is just being tethered to the machine. So i'm having a hard time deciding. I'd likely try to figure out some way to be able to still use it from the couch

What does gaf think ? With the considerations of what I've written.

 

[SpankmasterC]

Upgrade your desktop and use Steam In-house Streaming if you want to play on your laptop? That way you have the best of both worlds!

 

[EctoPrime]

6 x 4GB is the limit for that cpu but it is still a decent machine with a new gpu.

 

[QuantumSquid]

For your desktop:

Clean any dust out of it. Reapply thermal paste on your processor. Potentially invest in new, quieter CPU cooler as well as quieter, more effective case fans. Add in a new GPU and you should be golden.

 

[Generic Power Ranger]

Upgrade your desktop and use Steam In-house Streaming if you want to play on your laptop? That way you have the best of both worlds!

I want to use a laptop setting for when I sit and do 3d stuff as well so that wouldn't work I think Remote desktops are usually super slow or laggy

6 x 4GB is the limit for that cpu but it is still a decent machine with a new gpu.

Ah.. Weird number but thanks for the info. I should double check the mobo can support it as well. What about the power supply ? Is it worth it to get a lower watt one ? Would the machine run ? I'm not sure how much power it actually needs. But I'm worried about my electricity bill if i start using the machine a lot again.

For your desktop:

Clean any dust out of it. Reapply thermal paste on your processor. Potentially invest in new, quieter CPU cooler as well as quieter, more effective case fans. Add in a new GPU and you should be golden.

That sounds great. These posts alliviate my concerns that my CPU might not hold up. I'd likely get a new cooler for the cpu yeah. Read good things about this one (and it's cheap) http://www.coolermaster.com/cooling/cpu-air-cooler/hyper-212-evo/
Same question with the power supply as above ?

Also for noise, any specific 1070 or rx 480 cards that are quieter than others ?

 

[kewlbot]

depends on your work flow
if you find yourself moving a lot, it might be better to get a laptop

 

[Generic Power Ranger]

depends on your work flow
if you find yourself moving a lot, it might be better to get a laptop

I mostly sit in the couch when I'm doing this stuf in my spare time. But yeah, mobility is nice - and a factor. But it does mean I'll have to wait it out till they drop in price.. like 25 percent or so.

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

If you decide to go for the desktop upgrading route, you can try finding a Xeon CPU. A x5690 is the most powerful CPU your socket can fit. 6 cores is the sweet spot these days.

Failing that, you can try to overclock that 930. Should be easy to do.

Either way, slap in a decent cooler. The evo 212 is pretty good for its price.

 

[Generic Power Ranger]

If you decide to go for the desktop upgrading route, you can try finding a Xeon CPU. A x5690 is the most powerful CPU your socket can fit. 6 cores is the sweet spot these days.

Failing that, you can try to overclock that 930. Should be easy to do.

Either way, slap in a decent cooler. The evo 212 is pretty good for its price.

Sounds good (with the cooler)

Upgrading both the gpu and cpu is going to be expensive though. At that point it might be worth it just to get a new machine. Especially with the price of a xeon

I assumed that mainstream renderers(thinking mental ray in particular) had automatically switched to sending whatever tasks possible to the gpu. Maybe I'm wrong.

I might try overclocking. The machine is 6 years old though, and I haven't tried overclocking before so I'm not sure if the performance / gain is worth the risque.

 

[QuantumSquid]

Don't get a Hyper Evo 212, it's a pain in the ass to install and there's a better option: the Cryorig H7. It costs pretty much the same amount of money but looks nicer (in my opinion), cools slightly better, and is way easier to install.

 

[Iceternal]

Upgrade your desktop and use Steam In-house Streaming if you want to play on your laptop? That way you have the best of both worlds!

But then you have to buy all your games on Steam ...

 

[Dictator93]

OC'ing the Core i7 930 is highly advisable... along with grabbing a new GPU.

I am on the i7 930 still @ 4,2 Ghz and I get 60 fps in every game bar 2 (Star Citizen and Arma 3).

 

[marrec]

Sounds good (with the cooler)

Upgrading both the gpu and cpu is going to be expensive though. At that point it might be worth it just to get a new machine. Especially with the price of a xeon

I assumed that mainstream renderers(thinking mental ray in particular) had automatically switched to sending whatever tasks possible to the gpu. Maybe I'm wrong.

I might try overclocking. The machine is 6 years old though, and I haven't tried overclocking before so I'm not sure if the performance / gain is worth the risque.

If you don't want to get the 5690 you could cop for a 5650 which is much less expensive but can easily be OC'd to match the 5690. LGA 1366 has been a sweet spot in terms of value for performance for a few years now.

In a few years you'll have to upgrade though because I don't think your mobo supports PCIe 3.0, but don't worry, just get an x79 mobo and ride the legacy Xeons again.

For now though, a 5650 + 1070 will be a beastly little machine.

 

[Generic Power Ranger]

Don't get a Hyper Evo 212, it's a pain in the ass to install and there's a better option: the Cryorig H7. It costs pretty much the same amount of money but looks nicer (in my opinion), cools slightly better, and is way easier to install.

Nice. It seems to be a bit more but it might be worth it from what you say (and actually I've read elsewhere that the other one is a pain in the ass too)

OC'ing the Core i7 930 is highly advisable... along with grabbing a new GPU.

I am on the i7 930 still @ 4,2 Ghz and I get 60 fps in every game bar 2 (Star Citizen and Arma 3).

Cool. Going to mostly use it for CG, but hopefully it'll do regardless.

If you don't want to get the 5690 you could cop for a 5650 which is much less expensive but can easily be OC'd to match the 5690. LGA 1366 has been a sweet spot in terms of value for performance for a few years now.

In a few years you'll have to upgrade though because I don't think your mobo supports PCIe 3.0, but don't worry, just get an x79 mobo and ride the legacy Xeons again.

For now though, a 5650 + 1070 will be a beastly little machine.

Yeah. I don't know what the price is where you are, but where I live, it's more than a 1080 gtx for a new one (if one can find it) and there doesn't seem to be any used. I'd have to import from ebay from the us or something, which is a bit of a gamble.

EDIT: I found one on amazon.co.uk which is used. If they ship it to the rest of europe then that might be a possibility. Doesn't hurt that the reviews are glowing


DOUBLE EDIT: Nope. They only ship to the uk

 

[ekim]

on a sidenote, recent laptops with 1060/1070/1080 mobile GPUs are on par with the performance of the Desktop counterparts. Maybe this is something to consider.

 

[Mendrox]

But then you have to buy all your games on Steam ...

No you don't. Just add your game over the add game function and you can just add any game to your library. I added Dolphin (Wii Emulator) to it (or Overwatch) and play them over Steam In Home Streaming

 

[Generic Power Ranger]

on a sidenote, recent laptops with 1060/1070/1080 mobile GPUs are on par with the performance of the Desktop counterparts. Maybe this is something to consider.

This is one of the main reasons I was hoping to jump on to one of these. The price is just a bit insane right now.

 

[Generic Power Ranger]

Don't get a Hyper Evo 212, it's a pain in the ass to install and there's a better option: the Cryorig H7. It costs pretty much the same amount of money but looks nicer (in my opinion), cools slightly better, and is way easier to install.

Quoting you again. Aparently the H7 doesn't support the socket. Maybe an H5 ? any idea about that ?

 

[eso76]

So, bought a laptop (waiting for it to be delivered)

Not going for high end, but with a i7 6700HQ, 16GB DDR4, 960M, 128SSD it should at least more or less match my current desktop (i7 920, 12GB DDR3, oldass GTX460) for video editing and after fx.

Thinking of upgrading my desktop as well. Just throwing a Xeon 5680 (found a few used ones for 120$) and a 1070 should turn it into a pretty capable machine, right ?


X5650 are going for peanuts, is a 5680 worth twice the money ?
will a 5650 show significant improvements over an old i7 920 (i don't want to overclock)

 

[Jimrpg]

Well you could still sit on your couch to play games from a desktop.

The desktop route also seems the more cost effective option.

 

[Generic Power Ranger]

So, bought a laptop (waiting for it to be delivered)

Not going for high end, but with a i7 6700HQ, 16GB DDR4, 960M, 128SSD it should at least more or less match my current desktop (i7 920, 12GB DDR3, oldass GTX460) for video editing and after fx.

Thinking of upgrading my desktop as well. Just throwing a Xeon 5680 (found a few used ones for 120$) and a 1070 should turn it into a pretty capable machine, right ?


X5650 are going for peanuts, is a 5680 worth twice the money ?
will a 5650 show significant improvements over an old i7 920 (i don't want to overclock)

According to passmark, the jump from a 930 to a 5650 is about 50 percent increase. I would imagine you'd get even more with a 920. Also it's going from a quad to a six core machine.

Well you could still sit on your couch to play games from a desktop.

The desktop route also seems the more cost effective option.

Yeah I think i'm going to upgrade my desktop, then, if necessary, get a laptop at a later point when they come down in price.

 

[jdstorm]

Could you get by with a desktop and a tablet for when you want to be mobile?

Because that might be a best of both worlds solution

 

[eso76]

At the price pairing matches of X5650 Xeons are going for i find the dual CPU solution rather tempting...

 

[Generic Power Ranger]

At the price pairing matches of X5650 Xeons are going for i find the dual CPU solution rather tempting...

Yeah, if only my mobo supported 2 cpu's.

Could you get by with a desktop and a tablet for when you want to be mobile?

Because that might be a best of both worlds solution

To a certain degree, but a tablet doesn't really allow me to do much in the form of CG work since that requires my drawing tablet and a keyboard.

 

[marrec]

At the price pairing matches of X5650 Xeons are going for i find the dual CPU solution rather tempting...

Make sure your Mobo is compatible with the Xeon line. Some of the cheaper LGA 1366 socket mobos can use the X58 Xeon line. (you probably already did this)

 

[Generic Power Ranger]

Make sure your Mobo is compatible with the Xeon line. Some of the cheaper LGA 1366 socket mobos can use the X58 Xeon line. (you probably already did this)

Oy. I didn't check at all if my mobo supports it. I found a used one I ordered earlier. Can't find a lot of info about it. Should I assume it can't ? Then I should hurry and cancel. This is the mobo (i'm pretty sure)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157163


EDIT:

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/X58 Extreme/

This is on their website. Think it's this one. It says "gulftown 6 core cpu". Am i good ? I mean, does this mean it'll work ?

Double Edit:

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/X58 Extreme/?cat=CPU

If i'm reading this list correctly, maybe it actually doesn't ?

Triple edit:
Seems people are getting it to run regardless

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-3148406/asrock-x58-extreme-xeon-x5660-post.html

 

[eso76]

Make sure your Mobo is compatible with the Xeon line. Some of the cheaper LGA 1366 socket mobos can use the X58 Xeon line. (you probably already did this)

my current mobo is, it's a P6T WS Pro.
What it doesn't have: SATA3, USB3. Dual CPU Support.
USB3 i somehow fixed it with an USB 3 PCI card that works OK

Most annoying issue i have with it is, mobo will often fail to recognise the intel SSD where the OS is. I think i read somewhere it's an issue with that mobo/SSD combination being troublesome for whatever energy saving shitty thing where SSD takes a while to wake up and mobo just moves on telling me it couldn't find a disk to boot.
I often have to reboot multiple times for C: to become visible. ANYWAY.


Considering one can find matching pairs of X5650 for 100$, buying a new/old mobo might be worth it.

Anything with Dual LGA1366 support, USB3, SATA3 that doesn't cost a leg ?

 

[QuantumSquid]

Quoting you again. Aparently the H7 doesn't support the socket. Maybe an H5 ? any idea about that ?

If the H7 doesn't support the socket then just get the 212 EVO, the H5 is too expensive for what it is.

 

[Generic Power Ranger]

If the H7 doesn't support the socket then just get the 212 EVO, the H5 is too expensive for what it is.

Yeah but now I'm worried about breaking the MOBO if it's that hard to install

 

[marrec]

Oy. I didn't check at all if my mobo supports it. I found a used one I ordered earlier. Can't find a lot of info about it. Should I assume it can't ? Then I should hurry and cancel. This is the mobo (i'm pretty sure)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157163


EDIT:

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/X58 Extreme/

This is on their website. Think it's this one. It says "gulftown 6 core cpu". Am i good ? I mean, does this mean it'll work ?

Double Edit:

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/X58 Extreme/?cat=CPU

If i'm reading this list correctly, maybe it actually doesn't ?

Triple edit:
Seems people are getting it to run regardless

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-3148406/asrock-x58-extreme-xeon-x5660-post.html

Ya ASRock added support for Xeons years ago so you should be good to go with that one.

Edit:

Specifically the one you linked in fact.

You can tell for sure what your mobo is from your command prompt via this command:

wmic baseboard get product,Manufacturer,version,serialnumber

That'll tell you the version number and serial number which should tell you exactly what type of board you have.

 

[TheExodu5]

The 930 is still fairly capable but it will bottleneck a 1070. I'd say get a 1060 and call it a day.

 

[marrec]

my current mobo is, it's a P6T WS Pro.
What it doesn't have: SATA3, USB3. Dual CPU Support.
USB3 i somehow fixed it with an USB 3 PCI card that works OK

Most annoying issue i have with it is, mobo will often fail to recognise the intel SSD where the OS is. I think i read somewhere it's an issue with that mobo/SSD combination being troublesome for whatever energy saving shitty thing where SSD takes a while to wake up and mobo just moves on telling me it couldn't find a disk to boot.
I often have to reboot multiple times for C: to become visible. ANYWAY.


Considering one can find matching pairs of X5650 for 100$, buying a new/old mobo might be worth it.

Anything with Dual LGA1366 support, USB3, SATA3 that doesn't cost a leg ?

You'd be looking at HP or Dell proprietary server MOBOs at that point. I can't think of anything consumer model for cheap off the top of my head that is 1366, USB3, SATA3 AND Dual Processor.

Here's an HP mobo with dual CPU but it's not USB3 or SATA3:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-HP-Z800...mboard-Dual-LGA-1366-576202-001-/230658365549

But if you start messing with proprietary mobos then you have to do more digging to make sure that it can fit in your case and that it takes the CPUs you want to put in it.

 

[potatohead]

Upgrade GPU and maybe get different RAM sticks.

6x 2 GB is silly.

 

[Generic Power Ranger]

Ya ASRock added support for Xeons years ago so you should be good to go with that one.

Edit:

Specifically the one you linked in fact.

You can tell for sure what your mobo is from your command prompt via this command:

wmic baseboard get product,Manufacturer,version,serialnumber

That'll tell you the version number and serial number which should tell you exactly what type of board you have.

Thanks It only gives me the first two but that's fine. Going to update bios tomorrow

The 930 is still fairly capable but it will bottleneck a 1070. I'd say get a 1060 and call it a day.

Going to get a xeon gpu after advice from this thread that's a bit more beefy to level the playing field

Upgrade GPU and maybe get different RAM sticks.

6x 2 GB is silly.

Yeah gonna double the ram (6x4gb ) i think. Corsair Vengence ram.

 

[EdLin]

Those Xeons are awesome, US eBay has 5670, which seems to be the sweet spot for overclocking to 4.1-4.2GHz or so on air (a 5650 will do it too, but with more extreme settings), going for as low as $71. When it was new, it was a thousand-dollar state of the art mini super-computer processor.

 

[QuantumSquid]

Yeah but now I'm worried about breaking the MOBO if it's that hard to install

You won't break the motherboard, it's not impossibly difficult. Just more difficult than it should be.

You can look up a video of someone installing one on YouTube and see for yourself what the process involves, if you've built a PC already it shouldn't be that much of a challenge.