Fnarg Computing
Billco's Personal PC: "Scorch"
Components
- Intel Q6600 2.4ghz Quad-Core processor, overclocked to 3.6ghz
- Asus P5K-E WiFi motherboard
- 8.0gb OCZ Reaper DDR2
- Antec P182 chassis (Silver version)
- OCZ StealthXStream 600w power supply
- EVGA GeForce 8800 GTS 320mb Superclocked (and overclocked beyond that!)
- 3000gb total disk space, SATA and SCSI
- CoolIT Freezone Elite water cooler
- Yate-Loon silent fans
- Dell 27" LCD (I love this monitor!)
- Pioneer DVR-112 DVD burner
- Sound dampening material (similar to Dynamat)
Total value (as new): ~$4175 CAD
I replaced my old Freezone with the Freezone Elite, and my god what a difference! The new unit is actually smaller, but more efficient. If I run the Elite at full power, my CPU hits 0'C ! Condensation is a bad thing, so I simply run it at minimum, my system idles at 15-20'C and hits 45'C under load while running very quietly.
I've actually hit 4.2ghz, but my Vcore was 1.75v, which gives most people a heart attack (stock voltage is 1.2875). 3.6ghz is still crazy fast, and allows me to run my fans slow and quiet. Encoding a feature-length DVD takes about 15 minutes! :)
Future upgrades: a second-hand 45nm quad would be nice, they can OC even higher!! A bigger power supply wouldn't hurt either. I got my hands on some high-end peltier gear, but I haven't had the time (nor guts) to install it. It's a job and a half: water-proof the motherboard, lap the CPU, build a bracket for the radiators, run a ton of tubing through the chassis... in fact, I think I'll keep the parts for my next system.
Back to the system list