SeVeReD's 6-13 PC build

[SeVeReD]

Parts I've settled on.  This build needs to do double duty as XXHE & Movies/internet.  XXHE will be on its own exclusive HDD w/ OS (should I move to Win 8 for this??).  Movies/Internet will be on another HDD with it's own OS.  I'll just move the sata cables around depending on what I'm using the computer for.

ASRock X79 Extreme4 LGA 2011  ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157282
(thanks Arjan & Peter, this was a good buy)

Intel Core i7-3930K Sandy Bridge
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116492

G.SKILL Trident X Series 32GB (4 x 8GB)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231590

CORSAIR AXi AX1200i 1200W Digital ATX12V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139039

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099
(Man this thing is big and heavy; I don't know about it hanging off perpendicular to the MB)

SYBA Low Profile PCI-Express 1394B/A Firewire Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815124072
(I have an older pci firewire card I've been using, but I bought this cheap thing to compare/ the old pci card needs to be powered; this new pci-e card doesn't... we'll see)

ASUS Black SATA Blu-ray Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135252

For the rest of the parts,
I have two older computers (my old XXHE computer and a game machine) that I will pull parts from as needed and end up with my new XXHE computer and another computer I'm giving to a friend so he can rip his collection.  I'll tell you later here what parts I scavanged.

[PeterSt]

Hi Dave,

My personal opinion : All a bit on the "heavy" side ?

PSU can be 4 times smaller (but make it 2x for conveniency with cable connections).

Memory is twice of what you will ever use.

I'd say Firewire is on the MoBo.

And don't forget the video card (passive cheapest will do).

Yes, I read about movies. My own 870 based is already way oversized for that.

Otherwise no problem of course.
Peter

[SeVeReD]

Thanks for that Peter.  It will see some games too...I count on XXHE dealing with the big video card, no?  When I'm listening to XXHE it's always in minimized mode display off.  The firewire is a b connection to the dac.  I think the MB only has a.

[PeterSt]

Ah ok. But notice that you will be creating a sort of unnecessary "electrical-noisy" system for your audio. So, today we are shutting off all sorts of devices to make it more lean, but your setup is not going to be quite that.

For gaming you are going to use a 300W+ video card, and that card won't be shut off during audio playback. The way XXHighEnd shuts off the monitor does something, but already physically powering it off helps more (HF noise).

All 'n all, it may satisfy you. But while today's hardware perfectly suits the wildest video playback while it doesn't harm audio, I don't think audio can be combined well with a gaming setup. I wouldn't call that an "audio PC" anymore.

2c !
Peter

[SeVeReD]

Well,
I was thinking about upping the video card too, but I'm just going  to use the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT card I've been using forever, at least for awhile.  SQ has been great (from my old build; new I haven't finished yet), the biggest difference in SQ I still hear from my system is still differences between day and night listening and I don't know if a low powered video card is going to make that difference go away (aww to make all my listening experiences sound like the SQ of a 2am listening session when the electrical is quietest).

The things (like 32 gigs of memory) may be overkill, but is it going to hurt?  Are there items that are detrimental in my list above?  Maybe the huge PSU is overkill, but it has some of the best specs around?  It is the one thing I changed out already and I think it may sound better than the old PSU, or has done no harm.

I don't know what I'm doing electrically (much), so I doubt I'll be taking a soldering gun out anytime soon.  Other than that I do what I can.  At least my system can tell me quick enough that that "capacitor" card from China was wacky unstable in SQ in my system.

[juanpmar]

The things (like 32 gigs of memory) may be overkill, but is it going to hurt?  Are there items that are detrimental in my list above?  Maybe the huge PSU is overkill, but it has some of the best specs around?  It is the one thing I changed out already and I think it may sound better than the old PSU, or has done no harm.

I have 24Gb of memory and a PSU of 750W in my Music PC. This may be excessive for the purpose of the Music PC but I think it won´t alter for the worse the SQ, unless more memory or more power in the PSU produce more interference or more vibrations,  and that does not seem to be the case if we look at the specifications of your 1200W PSU. About the memory could be a waste if you (or me) have more than those 16Gb but I think it won´t hurt.

Regards,
Juan

[AlainGr]

I agree with Juan and that was my aim: to have a powerful power supply that would not "work hard" so less heat and less chances that the power supply fan would start.

As for the memory, I can't comment, since I don't know if having 4 x 4GB (like I have) vs 4 x 8GB ram would make a difference in power demand...

Regards,

Alain

[PeterSt]

I would be very careful about statements that more memory etc. does not matter. I mean, since everything matters ...

What I myself will not be careful about is vibrations in the PC. I mean, *that* I'd call nonsense. But please, only by the sheer fact of not being able to reason out how that could matter.

All other electrical (!) noise implying stuff in my view *does* matter. And this includes too much high-demanding memory. Did you ever notice how hot this gets ? Heat itself already implies thermal noise, but the current "needed" to make it that hot for sure does. How that creeps into our DACs is another matter, but let's say it has been sufficiently proven it does (XXHE dials and such).

An oversized PSU won't matter much, unless it is less efficient because it is large anyway (so to speak). However, the sheer fact that it's large may mean you are going to use it (like with a 300W+ video card).

At least my system can tell me quick enough that that "capacitor" card from China was wacky unstable in SQ in my system.

Think about this too. And not that I want to be right on everything, but do keep in mind that I predicted exactly what would happen with such a card. This by itself is not the most important, but that it influences easily for the worst is. What does this mean ? well, that any such "application" influences - and in my view for the worst. And what are these "applications" ?

...

Everything. I mean, why not. That card is just a nice indication of it.
Anyway, and again in my view, we should not add these kind of things, but remove them. And as much as we can.

Peter

[juanpmar]

I would be very careful about statements that more memory etc. does not matter. I mean, since everything matters ...

All other electrical (!) noise implying stuff in my view *does* matter. And this includes too much high-demanding memory. Did you ever notice how hot this gets ? Heat itself already implies thermal noise, but the current "needed" to make it that hot for sure does. How that creeps into our DACs is another matter, but let's say it has been sufficiently proven it does (XXHE dials and such).
Peter

Ok, now I know more about it, thanks Peter. I´m going to remove two of the six 4Gb modules and see if I can tell some SQ improvement.

Regards,
Juan

[juanpmar]

What I myself will not be careful about is vibrations in the PC. I mean, *that* I'd call nonsense. But please, only by the sheer fact of not being able to reason out how that could matter.
Peter

Peter, I understand your point of view but the fact that we are not able to reason out how that could matter does not contradict the experience that shows that when we eliminate the vibrations the sound is clearer and more defined.  Maybe at some point we also give importance to the vibrations in the Music Pc if we consider it as a transport or source component as we also pay attention to the vibrations, at least in the High-End world, to any other component of the system.


On this site are manufactured parts to prevent vibration in the electronic components and components of PCs and also is possible to read some interesting articles about vibrations:

Parts: http://www.vibrationmounts.com/NewXGel.htm

Technical information:
"A good vibration isolation system is reducing vibration transmission through structures and thus, radiation of these
vibration into air, thereby reducing noise."
http://www.vibrationmounts.com/V100/V100Cat.htm#Tech

Regards,
Juan

[PeterSt]

Hi Juan,

I don't want to rule here. I only say that I can't reason how it would happen.
IOW, anyone can take your word as much as mine and I don't have a single problem with it. And what about better be safe than sorry ? So your word must be better ...

Best regards,
Peter