Widescreen Gaming Forum

Don't know, I don't usually edit more than one or two pictures simultaneously. Haven't run into any noticable memory problems with my current 2GB. 12GB does sound nice though, and the memory prices aren't skyhigh atm. But would it be overkill I wonder? Also, from what I can see, I'd be limited to 1333 MHz - higher numbers require the use of both DIMM slot speeds or something like that.
Still, something to consider...

you probably don't need that much memory for editing 1 or 2 images at a time ...
plus if you needed more memory, you would know by the increased compute time caused by HDD access

if you want to check out, edit two (or more) of your largest images doing the heaviest operations you're used to, on them & check out the task manager "Peak Commit Charge"
on Vista I don't think "Peak Commit Charge" is readily available so you might want to check out the damn fine piece of software "Process Explorer"
then inside it click "View", "System Information"

this will give you an approximate of what kind of memory amount you're using ...

Honestly, if you only want to run stock speeds, again, I'd go with an affordable cooler and run it on LOW like I said. The 50+ db spec I mentioned is on High speed, which is the noise range most good coolers run at on High. The Noctuas are pretty good, and very quiet, but to go to the expense of buying a whole Noctua HS/fan set is a bit pricey just for noise reduction.

You could go a lot quieter than the stock cooler with one of a number of affordable HSs and just run it on low. I'm also a bit skeptical that the Noctua fans cool all that well compared to others in their price range. I've read chat from a guy that bought a TRUE and put Noctua fans on it in push pull and it performed better with the one fan from his TT Big Typhon VX. In other words Noctua fans are quiet, but they need to be paired with a HS that doesn't have tightly spaced fins. CFM ratings and static pressure are two different things, and Noctua fans typically don't have much of the latter. So to get the most out of them, you'd want to buy their fan/HS set, which again, is expensive and overkill for just reducing noise on a stock speed CPU.

However, now that you're asking more about OCIng, that changes a lot. If you think you might want to OC at all, even just raising the clock speed without overvolting, get a good cooler that does more than just runs quieter. There I would say the Prolimatech Megahalems or TRUE would be best. The nice thing about the TRUE is it's not too massively huge , works well, and you can put any fan (with adequate static pressure) you want on it or buy it with fan included.

For your purposes and since you're apprehensive about OCing, I would pick a moderate range and just go as high as you can without overvolting to keep things simple. Besides, you haven't mentioned a desire to go Crossfire, and you really only need a high CPU OC if you go multi GPU. A speed of 3.4-3.6GHz is a no sweat range for a D0 stepped 920 and would handle dual Crossfire fine too, esp 3.6GHz. Theoretically a 950 would handle OCing even better because it's basically the same chip but passes thermal testing better. That's why they clock them higher and charge more for them. Hardly anyone planning to OC bothers paying double though, it's just not worth it. A 920 should handle a moderate OC for 3 yrs or more easy.

The fact that you said previously (and again just now) that you typically buy a whole new system instead of upgrading is one of the reasons I thought upgradability of 1366 over 1156 didn't mean much. Also, now that you mention gaming is your other primary use besides photo work, it's all the more reason to consider the more affordable, lower power consumption 1156 platform. Much of it hinges on whether you'll OC or not. However some of it hinges on price. Right now a 920 can be had for only $200, one of the best deals on the net. Just make sure it's a D0 stepped one if you go 920, it will say "S-Spec: SLBEJ" on the box if it's D0 stepping.

Yeah, the power/reset buttons are at the top on the Element S. There's another case out now that fits two SSD drives by NZXT called the M59. Personally though I don't think it looks any better than the Element S and doesn't have nearly as many stock fans and is probably louder. It's also described as being a bit flimsy in spots. At only $60 it's half the price though ($50 w/free shipping at Newegg right now). Overall it looks like a pretty good case for the money but has a few tradeoffs like a MB tray that is hard to get standoff screws started in (often a sign of too thin metal), very minimal cable storage depth behind the MB tray, and two top 140mm fan mounts that if both used internally interfere with the top optical drive bay.

The HDD cage on the Element S by default is mounted so the HDDs slide in sideways. The cage is secured with two thumbscrews and can as well be mounted with a front to back HDD configuration via sliding it out the front after removing the front bezel and rotating it 90 degrees. You get a bit more GPU clearance with it mounted sideways though. The front bezel comes off quite easily via a hand pulled latch at it's bottom. One thing you need to know is that both of these cases have bottom mountings for the PSU, which means your PSU needs to have fairly long cables or you need to use extensions if not.

http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1679&pageID=7585

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146058&Tpk=NZXT%20M59

I would have a good feel how hot the air from the PSU is after you throw it togeather, im pretty sure you wont have problems, just best to air on the side of caution with all that money in it.

I would recommend Panaflo (NBM-MAT) fans, they are quite pricey, i got 2x 12cmx25mm ones for PSU and case, and 2x 12cmx38mm for WC radiator, they are quiet and built very well, i like them a lot. Very long life, which i am yet to find out :)

_________________
P8Z68-V Pro | 2600K | HR02 | HD5850 | 2x4GB Vengeance LP | 128GB M4 + 6TB | X-Fi > HD595 | AX850 | Tai Chi | PB278Q | G110 + Deathadder 2013
P8Z77-V | 3570K | Mugen 2 | HD5850 | 2x4GB Vengeance LP | 500GB | X-750 | Fractal R3 | U2212HM | G110 + G400
P8H77-I | G860 | 4650 | 2x2GB XMS | 320GB | CX500 | Prodigy | T22B350EW | MX518
DC3217IYE | 1x4GB Vengeance | 64GB M4 | TX-42VT20E

I really dont have time for all the in depth discussion right now (its 5am, I really should be sleeping), and you guys seem to be handling it fine, but I just have to say definitely go for the i7 920 (D0) and overclock it. It really is the way to go, Even if you bring it up to a very conservative 3.0GHz or so to match the 950, your still saving a nice chunk of change with really what is only one or two bios settings (depending if you need to enable overclocking on the motherboard) It really is just turning up one thing. With a good cooler its quite safe as well, you just crank it up, boot into windows test it out for a while check your tempatures etc. And honestly its so easy to hit 3.0 with an i7-920 that I would personally only do it in 2 hops, from stock up to 2.8 and then 2.8 up to 3.0.

I just dont want you or anyone to waste their money on (IMO) rubbish. I can sort of see a reason to get the extreme edition chips over say the cheap i7-920 due to a slightly different feature set, but the only difference between the 920 and the 950 is a few hundread MHz. Which is so easy to get back, honestly I will say that it would be stupid to buy the 950.

Edit Wow I started to ramble there, I must need some sleep.

You could go a lot quieter than the stock cooler with one of a number of affordable HSs and just run it on low. I'm also a bit skeptical that the Noctua fans cool all that well compared to others in their price range. I've read chat from a guy that bought a TRUE and put Noctua fans on it in push pull and it performed better with the one fan from his TT Big Typhon VX. In other words Noctua fans are quiet, but they need to be paired with a HS that doesn't have tightly spaced fins. CFM ratings and static pressure are two different things, and Noctua fans typically don't have much of the latter. So to get the most out of them, you'd want to buy their fan/HS set, which again, is expensive and overkill for just reducing noise on a stock speed CPU.

there is different noctua fans for different needs
of course if you're gonna pick a NF-S12-1200 (quietest fan aimed at unrestricted air flow, like for cases) it won't be that good as a CPU cooler ...

however even that one cools a Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme mounted on a [email protected] with no problem and perfect silence ...
that said a NF-P12 would be the right choice ... (better static pressure)
check out noctua.at


For a complete cooler, I would choose a NH-U12P SE2 (since the megahelems seems difficult to find in his region)

Well, like I said, now that he's talking about possible OCing, it changes things. My personal feeling though is the Noctuas are overpriced. If you look at the prices Jabtech has on TRUEs and even the Megahalems, it's not worth it to go Noctua.

Also, as he is talking possibly OCing now, I tend to agree with Da Fox to get the 920 and do a moderate OC. Esp since Microcenter has it for $200 right now (Fry's will match price too).

Just go as high as you can without a voltage increase, which should be at least that 3.4-3.6GHz range I mentioned. That is a no sweat speed for a 920 that will yield long lifespan, stability and cool temps.

Bear in mind that X-Warior is in Europe.

The Noctua isn't that much more expensive than a TRUE or Megahalem here. In fact, once you factor in the cost of the fans for the TRUE or Mega, the Noctua is the same or cheaper.

Don't go looking at prices on US sites.

X-W even linked to a Dutch site where he intends to buy from - http://www.alternate.nl

[quote]50dB seems like quite a bit compared to the 20 from the Noctua. I would really like something quiet for a change, not something that goes full blow 3 seconds after I push the switch. Yep, that's what my current one's doing right now, just for Opera. Maybe I got a setting wrong, but I can't quite find it :?. Very quiet would be really nice. Preferably I'd hear nothing, but I suppose that's not something I'll achieve.

Noctua fans are very good. They're damned expensive, though - a single 120mm Noctua fan costs £18 here!

Yate Loons my friend. Super cheap and damn quiet. SPCR did a review on them, and price point alone made them worth it. Couple it with a fan controller or volt-mod them, you'll never hear them, and they push more air than the noctua.

I got 3 of them in my p180. Really quieted the rig down.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2009/09/28/what-s-the-best-case-fan/1

That might be worth reading. Not sure I entirely agree with all of their conclusions, but there we are.

Right... the big advice here is overclock.

But, I've talked to some relatives, and there sure are some drawbacks to that:

- Bigger cooler required, thus negating part of the price difference.
- Probably more noise.
- Lose warranty - rather a biggie to me.
- Shorter lifespan.
- More power consumption?

The lifespan is actually important, as I kind of expect this to be my last big pc purchase for a long long time. 3 years won't cut it.

Therefore I think it may be best to stay away from overclocking. Bearing that in mind, the 2.67 GHz from a 920 just doesn't impress me enough. 3GHz sounds more like it, which explains my initial choice for the 950.

For a cooler I want something quiet, without requiring ridiculous amounts of work, like lapping the base. Isn't that what thermal paste is for anyway?
And one set please, not seperate heatsinks/fans/etc. I want to keep it easy :). Case fans are supplied with the TT Element S, which is still on the wishlist, and should suffice for that part. All that's required is a matching CPU cooler.

And PS is right in his previous post there - not everything is as easily available physically as the info on the internet. The shop I linked to actually has a huge selection already, which is my reason for picking them in the first place. It's still a few hours drive probably :roll:
So please select a cooler from this list.

Incidentally, this case would pretty much solve my cooling problems, but at a serious price tag. Probably not worth it. Has the coolness factor though.