Help building a silent PC based on P6T SE/I7 930

[LiqMat]

With Win 7 Professional one major feature you gain is file encryption in the file system which is important to some in music production to protect non-copyrighted works in progress if there was ever robbery, hack, etc. as one example. Always good to protect your data. Better safe than sorry for me.

[X-Trade]

File encryption will slow drive access times though.

My main thoughts were just general. I'm not too familiar with Windows7 products, I only have Professional myself, which is somewhere between all of the other lines.

Generally the 'home' packages - even premium - of previous OS versions have been very difficult to work with in a professional environment. Networking in particular is a right pain for example in XP home.

Professional or Business versions will offer you more flexibility, in my experience.

[Rob Sherratt]

Windows 7 feature comparison:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/wind ... ts/compare

In Home and Home Basic there are some important restrictions:

a) You are restricted to sharing files printers etc with only Windows 7 and Vista computers. No sharing with Apple, or Windows XP, or handhelds etc.

b) You cannot backup to a network attached drive e.g. in my case the Netgear ReadyNASDuo. I do not think it is possible to even access a NAS drive on a computer running Windows 7 Home, though I admit I did not test that theory so I may be wrong about it.

c) It is very useful on Windows 7 Pro to load the (free download) Windows XP Virtual shell because you can load music editors and drivers that will only run under XP (eg those products from KORG like the M3 Editor / VSTi and the M1 plug-in that are evidently no longer supported by Korg) and you can share files across the Windows 7/ Windows XP environment and run the software in windows on the same screen simultaneously.

Windows 7 Ultimate adds the notable feature of being able to switch languages for the OS kernel thus enabling someone like me to use say English for my own work and then when giving public demo's or producing training videos for the Greek market, switching the OS to Greek so all the pull-down menus and dialogue boxes are in Greek.

Best regards,
Rob

[shrike]

Nedim, going for the PC like this and not considering SSD is a miss, I would say. You are surely aware hard drives are the choke points in modern computers, every other component evolved in recent time, but hard drives are stuck. Since you are using huge libraries and heavy VST's, your whole system will be waiting for hard drives to provide data. So, to avoid such situation:
Buy an SSD, it doesn't have to be big one, 64 GB will suffice for dual boot OS on two partitions. You would install only windows and applications on those partitions.
Take three of those Samsung F3 hard drives. One for general data storage and for installation of games, for example. Two F3 should be connected to RAID, so you can almost double the speed of those drives. Now those two should contain all your VST libraries, like EWQL, NI and others.
In such setup, SSD is powering your applications, they will literally fly. And F3s in RAID will provide samples as fast as possible for hard drives. Of course, SSD for libraries would be the best option, but it would be serious blow to your budget, so just rule that option out if it exceeds the projected budget for this investment.

[BasariStudios]

I might get an SSD for the OS, the Secondary i will most likely get 4 HDDs, F3.
I will do RAID1 for backup and RAID0 for READ, 2 different controllers.
I will read the libraries from RAID0 and will save into RAID1.
I think that is the best there is, in total it will be 3 TB, RAID0 2TB and RAID1
2TB mirored into 1TB as backup.

[BasariStudios]

LOL:


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I've never built a complete PC but i exchanged, upgraded HDDs, ODDs, RAM,
FANs and stuff, have some clue about but i am affraid now...do i start it
on my own or should i just bring it somewhere? GS want around 400$ for
building and installment of the OS...plus some diagnostics and i have few
private PC stores that would do it for around 130$...i wanna give it a shot
but it scares the hell outa me...lol.

Thanks

[X-Trade]

Modern PCs are actually quite easy to assemble.

When I started working at a computer shop 2 years ago after spending a few years having not assembled anything new, I was surprised to find you no longer have to set jumpers for the processor clock speed, etc.

The most difficult bit you may find is wiring up the front panel (power switch, reset switch, and LEDs). The rest is pretty straightforward.

I always just assemble the motherboard, processor, and RAM and test that first to make sure that neither of those are dead.

Refer to the motherboard manual before you build, if you've never done it before. It will show you where everything is for a start.

You will also have to change out the backplate on the case for the new motherboard, which isn't difficult, but takes a bit of physical effort.


Typical steps:
- mount CPU and cooler on motherboard - including CPU Fan power connection to motherboard
- mount RAM
- replace backplate in case
- mount motherboard in case. Make sure all of the standoffs line up, if you have any extra ones that do not line up with any holes you may have to remove them (they screw in and out just like a screw. you'll need a hexagonal socket driver for that)
- connect power to the motherboard - the 20/24pin main power, and the four pin P4 power for the processor
- connect power switch
- boot test - with power, monitor, and keyboard connected (connect monitor to the motherboard's built in graphics)
- mount drives (depending on your case and motherboard combination, you may want to do this first)
- connect power and SATA to drives, IDE or SCSI if necessary
- mount cards
- boot, install OS


A few things to note:
- only handle RAM by the sides and possibly the top. Do not touch the contacts or the chips themselves. This isn't strict but should be avoided wherever possible, otherwise you risk damaging the RAM
- NEVER boot without the CPU cooler on and powered. The processor can quickly overheat if not cooled properly.
- Do not hold me responsible if you screw it up

Oh, I don't have a clue about the RAID configuration. Assuming you do have a SATA RAID card or onboard RAID, it should be configured in the BIOS or at a secondary screen after the initial boot. Again, consult the manual.

If you do have problems, check the manual. Consult to someone more knowledgeable. You could also contact me if you like through the contact form on my website. That goes straight to my blackberry (hopefully. Occasionally I may be asleep, being in the UK). Or write here and do not proceed any further.

If you think it does sound too difficult, then by all means you should probably get someone more qualified to do it.

[hgran]

I have to add my 2 cents here as I have recently built a i975 with 4 256GB SSD's and have found that the SSDs have made a HUGE difference in both speed and quietness.

Most people don't realize the amount of data that is almost constantly moved through swap files- even with a lot of physical memory.

In fach when a backup standard hard drive wakes up when accessed, it sounds unnerving... you get so used to the silence.

RAID is OK (4 disk stripe sets) on mechanical drives but I found it actually seems slower when configured on SSD's - and it can be complicated to configure --> perhaps a better answer is VERY FREQUENT backups to a auxilliary mechanical hard drive - 1 to 2 TB drives are very cheap now days.

Another BIG plus in quieting a pc comes from larger 160mm cooling fans.

With proper cooling, you might expect 4 GHz + speed as well - just keep an eye on core temperatures... I keep mine below 61 C

A lot of good FAST memory will help as well, I have found the best results from using very hi speed memory, then 'detuning' it a little for better reliability. ex running 2000 -2400 Ghz memory at 1600-1800Ghz.

It seems there has been a lot of good natured speculation, so I thought I would let you what has proven itself for me.

The configuration I mentioned here has been running continuously 24/7 for 7 months without one crash.

just my 2 cents...

h

[BasariStudios]

Hi Everyone, thank you, new day, just woke up, lol, i was up till 6am.
Everything is in except few wires. Now i have to check my Apple monitor
on it and then continue...at this moment i am getting paranoid, i was
thinking to NOW bring it somewhere someone to finish it but thats a little
embarassing...everything in, few wires left to plug but i have few questions
which i dont wanna rely on manual but better peoples experience:

1. Once all done and monitor connected (if ever) what do i do? The system
is off, no drivers, nothing...i just turn it on (lets say it works) and wait
for some BIOS to show up or actually open Optical Drive and put OS in then
force restart it or its gonna ask on its own for the OS DVD to go in?
2. I am stuck with few wires which i cant figure out, tha Noctua uses a Y
split so you can connect both Fans and only one place on the MoBo fits it
and it is the one that says PWRFan and the MoBo manual gives another place
for connection and it wont fit there, this is 3 Pin and Mobo says 4 Pin.
Also few of the wires its hard to figure out, uuuhhh.
3. The PSU, it has 2 main wires coming out and i dont seem to find where
to connect them on the motherboard and also, the Sata drives, they connect
directly to PSU the Mod Hole right? Which i already did.
4. Fans on the 900 are hard for find where to plug, MoBo manual says it has
only 2 Fan connection Chas1-2 while this case has 4 Fans, anything on it?
5. The Apple monitor is the same connection, fits in, DVI, once turned on
(if ever) it will detect it itself?
6. Forget overclocking for now but, once turned on, do i have to do any BIOS
setup or i can just use it like that for now as DEFAULT, while i update?
7. Would i know if all of the RAM and HDDs are detected and goor before i install
OS and actualy check thru OS?
8. What if i leave some or all LOOSER WIRES, they can do any damage? or prob
to Fans or HDDs FANs? If i am not too experienced with organizing them can i
like stick them with Tape to places so they dont go loose around?
9. Optical Drive, there is 6 Sata connectors on Mobo, i connected HDD 1 and 2
to SATA 1 and 2 and ODD to SATA 3, is that ok? Do i need jumpers like in the
old days for HDDs Mastering and Slaving or i just leave them like this?
10. With MoBo there was only 3 SATA Cables, 2 of them say 3GBS and one says
6 GBS...the 6GBS is exactly like them just different words on it, i used it
to connect my SONY ODD...am i ok or should i buy one of 3GBS?

The biggest thing i dont know about is the PSU connection itself and all
over the MoBo itself...i will reread the manuals, somethings i dont understand.
Now i will go buy a keyboard, wired and will continue work tonight after 10EST.
The SSDs are i dont know, too little space and too expensive for me now for now
but i will actually do that later on on this machine.

Thanks

[Rob Sherratt]

Hi Nedim,

Re the multitude of questions 3 onwards. I am very worried about your ability to read the MB user manual and connect power connectors correctly, because if you don't get it right you will blow up your MB and processor when you power on. You better set up a SKYPE session with Video with me, and I'll talk you through it if you've already thrown the MB manual away.

Answer to question 2:

If your case has a dual case fan, you can not power them both from the MB. You will overload the MB. Instead use a power cable that plugs into a 4-wire multi-way able from the PSU. You may have to use an extension connector.

Answers to question 1:

a) Ensure your display is plugged into the Motherboard's VGA port using the on-board video. Do not use a separate graphics adapter at this stage.

b) Power up, go into BIOS & ensure the option "plug and Play OS" is enabled. Then go to the device boot order, and select DVD as first device. Ensure on-board Video is being used. Then save BIOS settings. Insert Windows 7 installation disk. Install Windows 7 64-bit version on drive C: (just follow the on screen instructions). Networking will probably not work nor will the graphics display. You will have several power-up power-downs to do. Don't worry about it and follow the process through until Windows 7 says everything is done.

c) Insert the Motherboard resources DVD. Install everything. Shut down and then power on again., go into BIOS on startup, change the boot order so Drive C is your first boot device, and DVD is second. Save BIOS settings. Allow Windows 7 to start up.

d) At this stage you should be able to change the screen resolution to something sensible eg 1280 by 1024.

e) Install an AntiVirus program immediately. I suggest AVG Free Edition. Install an anti-malware program immediately. I suggest Spybot. You will have to download these on a friend's computer, save them to a USB stick and install them via USB on your new computer. It is very important to do this before you enable your LAN connection.

f) Go into networking and create a LAN based internet connection. Accept all defaults. This will work automatically with both DSL and Cable networks assuming you have a DSL or Cable Modem plugged into your LAN. Do not use any of the "dial a number" options, they are just used for dial up modems.

g) Go to Windows Update and download and install all priority updates. This may take a half day, and it's really boring, so get a big stock of Malborough.

h) Insert the DVD drivers for the graphics card you bought and install everything. Shut down the computer, restart and enter BIOS. Select the PCI Express graphics card, not the onboard graphics. Save BIOS settings. Shut the computer down again. Plug the monitor into the first display output from the graphics card, restart the computer and the display should come up from the graphics card.

i) Select the display resolution again from Windows. (right click desktop). Run Windows Update again to check for any later software for the graphics card.

That's about it. Do I get the $200?

Best regards,
Rob

[BasariStudios]

Yes Rob, you get the 200 bucks and i get a Souvlaki from you when you
get here...lol...jokes aside...i DID IT! This is as easy as installing a cabinet,
just read and DO. Installed W7 64 Bit Pro on it, Apple Monitor works,
tonight i will REDO the whole thing all over and do a better cable routing.
I overclocked, it runs very cool, Noctua is the best thing i've seen in my life:



This Case has 6 Fans plus 2 on the HS, 5 connected, all at maximum, this
Case is quiet, you literary have to bend down to hear anything, i love it.