New Build Suggestion

[ncalipari]

Hello Everybody,

I need a new computer to work, since my laptop isn't powerful enough (lenovo x201t - i7 920q).

I do mostly web development, virtualization, screencasting (record my desktop), and a bit of gaming in virtual environments.
I also do some GPGPU development, mostly CUDA but also OpenCL. It is not really critical since I have a remote desktop with 2 Nvidia Tesla, but having an Nvidia GPU would be cool. I also have 2 monitors, and plan to buy a third after christmas.
Stability of the system is crucial, but maybe not enough to go the ECC way. I'm not sure about overclocking, I might do it if it benefits my system, without affecting stability.
I have no budget constraints, since I need this for work, but I would like to spend as little as reasonably possible. I will buy from italy.

Build:

Main OS: Ubuntu 12.04, with XP ( 7? ) in a virtualized environment.

CPU: Intel Core i5 Ivy Bridge 3570K

Even though I do a lot of virtualization, I went for the i5 since it offers performances similar to i7, costing 33% less.
Maybe I should go with the non K version to improve virtualization support?

Should I buy a third party cooler? (no liquid please)

MotherBoard: Intel DZ77BH-55K

Since I want stability and performance, I went for the latest chipset and an Intel Motherboard.

I also like that their network NICs and PCI chipset are much better than the competitors.

Maybe I should go for a cheaper Gigabyte model? i.e.: Gigabyte GA-Z77MX-D3H

or a better MB, like Intel DZ77BH-70K

How much Intel MB are better?

Memory : 1666 mhz DDR3. Should I pick 2x8 gb or 4x4 gb?

The former cost 5% less.

Storage: Crucial M4 128 GB

Caviar Green 2 TB x2 Raid 1

This way I get speed AND uptime. SSD is backupped with Unison.

I already have the caviars, while I have to buy the SSD. Is there any better SSD on the market?

GPU: Nvidia 550 TI

I don't have a clue on this part. Being a linux guy, I don't play much, but lately I've been involved in game development. Anyhow I will play in virtualization, so GPU is not really that important. What is important is being able to handle 2 or 3 big monitors (1680x1050 or more).

Also I prefer Nvidia for CUDA, but it's not that critical. I might go AMD if much better.

PSU: Corsair 440W Builder Series


Monitor: I'm looking around for a good monitor.... any suggestion?

I see that non-TN monitors are much more expensive... and since I don't move the monitor much it might be good enough.... or maybe non-TN monitors offer better clarity?

 

[ncalipari]

is this good enough to do virtualization + desktop recording + video editing, or I should go the Sandy Bridge -E way?

 

[Blain]

Stability of the system is crucial, but maybe not enough to go the ECC way.

Memory : 1666 mhz DDR3. Should I pick 2x8 gb or 4x4 gb?

The former cost 5% less.

Less DIMMs are always better for stability & compatibility, so much the better since they are cheaper.

I wouldn't use the WD Green drives in any RAID array... Go Black

 

[krnmastersgt]

The 3570K is fine, I don't see how having a CPU that can't overclock would improve stability at all.

As for the motherboards, I have no qualms using the cheapest one on the market that has all the features I need (what I usually get) and in terms of build quality most boards are pretty close to each other. The big difference in MB pricing right now in my opinion is the options that they tack on, some offer a huge amount of SATA 3 ports and full PCI-E 3.0 lanes and some just offer a few but cost considerably less.

For the memory I'd go with the 2x8GB, for the points that Blain listed and also that it's cheaper for whatever reason.

I see no reason not to RAID 1 the green drives if you already have them, but from a general mechanical hard drive point of view I'd suggest just opting for the Blacks anyways. If you're looking for really reliable drives I believe the latest tests from AT showed that the WD Red drives, designed primarily for NAS usage, are quite nice and I think they're roughly the same price as Caviar Blacks.

Not sure what to say on the GPU front, you mentioned some gaming but doesn't seem like anything that'd be graphically intensive (if you're running them in a virtualized system I can't imagine them being very demanding titles). Though the 550 Ti is also a bit weak so I'm not sure how much you'd benefit in terms of CUDA performance with a stronger card. I'm sure someone with more experienced (mfenn) will be able to tell you.

I believe you mean the CX430 for the PSU which should be fine for your system.

As far as non-TN panels, more specifically looking at IPS and its variants, they offer much better viewing angles but also much better color clarity and contrast so for just image quality sake IPS panels are far better.

 

[ncalipari]

I wouldn't use the WD Green drives in any RAID array... Go Black

why? I'm not looking for performance, only for uptime

is this good enough to do virtualization + desktop recording + video editing, or I should go the Sandy Bridge -E way?

The 3570K is fine,

what I meant is that I will do ALL of the above things at once.

E.g.: I do a screencast of a virtual machine running windows xp. This screencast is streamed live to 100 people, so I need to encode the video in real time in a way such that my company network doesn't blow up (high compression).

Maybe Sandy Bridge-E is overkill? or maybe the i5 is not enough?

I don't see how having a CPU that can't overclock would improve stability at all.

I agree, but an overclocked CPU is more prone to faliure compared to a non overclocked one. if I don't need overclock, why pay for the K?

I believe you mean the CX430 for the PSU which should be fine for your system.

yes sorry

As far as non-TN panels, more specifically looking at IPS and its variants, they offer much better viewing angles but also much better color clarity and contrast so for just image quality sake IPS panels are far better.

any reccomendation?

 

[krnmastersgt]

As for the CPU I think the 3570K might be a tad lacking, but at the same time I'm fairly certain SB-E is still very much overkill and very expensive way of handling this. So hit the middle ground and look for a 3770K, you get HT so you'll have a decent amount more CPU power available to you. I am however unsure if even that is necessary since I have no idea how you're handling the encode/streaming (what software more specifically).

I wouldn't say an overclocked CPU is more prone to failure, in my experience they rarely degrade to the point where they're not usable, usually the motherboard or other components will fail before the CPU does. Those chips are damn tough. And if you bought an overclocking variant but didn't OC it at all the lifetime of the chip wouldn't be affected at all either. And no there is no reason to pay for a K variant if you don't want to OC at all but for the 3rd gen i5's the 3570K is still the highest clocked i5 so that's just one reason to maybe pay the bit extra.

And I'm not familiar with many IPS panels, I still run only TN panels in my house sadly. Saving up for an IPS soon though

 

[mfenn]

Are the Xeon E3 CPUs available to you? You lose overclocking capability, but gain HT for prices not much more than the standard i5. That being said, you're probably underestimating just how powerful an i5 is. It'll have absolutely no problem encoding a stream suitable for typical streaming services.

 

[mfenn]

why? I'm not looking for performance, only for uptime

I believe that Blain was referring to the lack TLER on the Green drives. A hardware RAID controller (or mobo fakeraid) will drop those drive like their hot every time they take too long to access a sector. You'll probably be fine if you use normal md RAID or LVM mirroring though, as they're a lot more forgiving.