I could have waited for the Sandy Core builds to solidify but I have a buyer for my MacPro now (friend of friend) and the net will be (after rebates) $220 in my favor.

So this is what I got:

- Intel Core i7-960 3.2 ($320)
- 3 Lite-On DVD Burners ($60)
- G.SKILL RAM 24GB ($270)
- GeForce GTX 460 video card ($200)
- Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R MB ($210)
- Corsair CMPSU-750AX PS ($170)
- Cooler Master HAF case ($100)

Will be using a 750GB WD Black as the boot drive on this beast.

Out of pocket was $1330, $50 available in rebates. Buyer will come by on Monday with $1500 for my MP (quad 2.66, 16GB RAM).

Will give next progress report once it is alive. Thanks to all that contributed to my prior posts.

HEADER!!!

Run the Geekbench test suite before you hand off the MacPro, then run it on the new hack when you're ready and let us know what the results are!

3 burners? what are you using that thing for??

---

Quote
mattkime
3 burners? what are you using that thing for??

Instead of only one, for $40 more ($20 each), I now have 3. Often times I am in Parallels or Fusion and need to mount a physical disc. One will be dedicated for the VM I am in daily and the other 2 are for duplication (disc to disc). I was pondering getting 4!

You know that the 6 core 900 series dropped in price yesterday, right?

3.46GHz -- up-clockable to about 4.5GHz. Lowest SO FAR (day 1) is $585.
That's a 1366 chip.

Be sure you want that CPU before you crack the seal on the packaging!!


--------FROM ZD-NET---------

The quad-core Core i7-960, an older 45nm part, will now cost nearly half off, falling from $562 to $294, while the six-core Core i7-970 gets a trim from $885 to $583. (RETAIL!)

No word on if previous six-core Extreme Edition CPUs will get price cuts, though Intel hasn’t done much chopping on these parts in the past.

Having a separate optical drive for each OS would be nice, instead of switching in software which OS has control. Took me a minute to realize why I couldn't open the CD tray on my MacPro in OS X; Windows XP (Virtual PC) had control.

Quote
Jimmypoo
You know that the 6 core 900 series dropped in price yesterday, right?

3.46GHz -- up-clockable to about 4.5GHz. Lowest SO FAR (day 1) is $585.
That's a 1366 chip.

Be sure you want that CPU before you crack the seal on the packaging!!


--------FROM ZD-NET---------

The quad-core Core i7-960, an older 45nm part, will now cost nearly half off, falling from $562 to $294, while the six-core Core i7-970 gets a trim from $885 to $583. (RETAIL!)

No word on if previous six-core Extreme Edition CPUs will get price cuts, though Intel hasn’t done much chopping on these parts in the past.

Jim,

Thanks for the heads up on this. I have my eye on an i7 6 core processor. I was wondering when I nice drop would happen.

---

I sit on a man’s back, choking him and making
him carry me, and yet assure myself and others
that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his
lot by all possible means — except by getting off
his back. - Leo Tolstoy, novelist and Philosopher
(1828-1910)

I opted for the 3.2 Quad for $320. Where can I get the 6-core 3.46 for $585? I see this for north of $1K:

[www.newegg.com]

For the $700 difference, I feel it is diminishing returns. Good bang/buck on the 3.2 quad for $320.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/16/2011 01:46PM by john dough.

Don't know how you feel about buy.com but here is their listing of the i7 970...

Buy.com

Here it is from Provantage:

Provantage i7 970

Newegg

Newegg i7 970

---

I sit on a man’s back, choking him and making
him carry me, and yet assure myself and others
that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his
lot by all possible means — except by getting off
his back. - Leo Tolstoy, novelist and Philosopher
(1828-1910)

I like everything about that -- except that I dont have a monitor.

And I really want a 27" monitor.

And a refurb 27" 2.8 i7 iMac is $1700.

Maybe I could shave some.

---

----


Edited 999 time(s). Last edit at 12:08PM by jdc.

i have to admit that the hackintosh sounds awfully appealing.

if only it came in an imac form factor.

---

I cant imagine the noise on that giant tower.

---

----


Edited 999 time(s). Last edit at 12:08PM by jdc.

Quote
jdc
I cant imagine the noise on that giant tower.

Yeah, I would have picked a different case. I don't quite get why he got that one.

My hackintosh is silent.

---

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What case would you have picked & why?

I chose it as it has tons of space, AWESOME air flow with lots of brackets for fans. I have some silent 120mm fans that are finally going to get to some use.

I have a pretty basic lian li case I picked because it's clean looking, has good airflow, is quiet and has good build quality.

For the most part, PC airflow is rather simple. Many case manufactures are marketing to the fact that most people don't understand basic thermal nor aero dynamics.

If yours is the 932, you've got six 5.25" bays. You're going to use 3, what are you going to use the other three for? Sure the drives are positioned so they're easier to get in and out, but how often are you going to do that? The bracket that holds them blocks a lot of air. How many HDs are you going to put in this?

More fans does not equal better. I only have two case fans and I don't need any more than that. Do any of the case fans included have any sort of speed regulation?

Looks like that case has the PSU at the bottom, which is nice. Do you really need the water cooling section at the top?

Plus that case is heavy - 29lbs.

---

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I am getting this one: [www.coolermaster-usa.com]

I do not plan on moving it around, so weight is not super important. Besides, I don't think it is heavier than the MP it is replacing. Right off the bat, I have 5 drives in mind: boot and 4 x 2TB WD Black drives (2 raid sets). I may add another drive later just for backup of boot drive.

It was the roomiest one I could find and although some have better air flow, this one will do. I may add liquid cooling later, and it is nice to have the ports as an option. May dremel the HD brackets a bit to let more air pass around them. The 120mm fans I have now will replace all of the stock fans (that I can replace).

Thanks for the tips.

BTW, I went for the 6 core for $600 @ NewEgg. Not too much cost difference for a nice jump in power.

Quote
john dough
I am getting this one: [www.coolermaster-usa.com]

I do not plan on moving it around, so weight is not super important. Besides, I don't think it is heavier than the MP it is replacing. Right off the bat, I have 5 drives in mind: boot and 4 x 2TB WD Black drives (2 raid sets). I may add another drive later just for backup of boot drive.

It was the roomiest one I could find and although some have better air flow, this one will do. I may add liquid cooling later, and it is nice to have the ports as an option. May dremel the HD brackets a bit to let more air pass around them. The 120mm fans I have now will replace all of the stock fans (that I can replace).

Thanks for the tips.

BTW, I went for the 6 core for $600 @ NewEgg. Not too much cost difference for a nice jump in power.

Really like that optional 200mm side fan!!

My hackintosh case is silent as well.

I'd like to learn how to overclock it, though...

---

All I ever really needed to know, I learned from watching Star Trek.

Quote
john dough
I am getting this one: [www.coolermaster-usa.com]

I do not plan on moving it around, so weight is not super important. Besides, I don't think it is heavier than the MP it is replacing. Right off the bat, I have 5 drives in mind: boot and 4 x 2TB WD Black drives (2 raid sets). I may add another drive later just for backup of boot drive.

It was the roomiest one I could find and although some have better air flow, this one will do. I may add liquid cooling later, and it is nice to have the ports as an option. May dremel the HD brackets a bit to let more air pass around them. The 120mm fans I have now will replace all of the stock fans (that I can replace).

Thanks for the tips.

BTW, I went for the 6 core for $600 @ NewEgg. Not too much cost difference for a nice jump in power.

Why is the powersupply on the bottom of the case? Doesn't that increase the heat in the case itself? If the PS were on top, it would blow out of the case. I have 2 fans on top (out) of my case and 1 on bottom (in) and 1 in back (out) in addition the powersupply. The fans all have direct mb control so they never make any noise at all, except on boot (when they are on full tilt).

---

All I ever really needed to know, I learned from watching Star Trek.

I think I need this many fans:







I think that when you tun this PC on, it would hover.

Side fans are great -- and quiet, too. BUT the one in my old Broadway 939 case intrudes into the case so far that I can't use a nice Rosewill cooler I bought. Didn't see that one coming....

---

What it is, man, a low-down and funky feelin'

PS on bottom - this is what I found:

"It more of a thermal management issue with other benefits that became helpful.

According to the Intel and AMD Thermal Design Guides, the ATX form factor had a thermal Achilles heel. The air coming in from the front bottom of the case would pass over many of the warm and hotter components of the MOBO area and finally out the power supply (PSU).

As systems became faster, more heat was generated. As systems grew, so did the power requirements. Thus the PSU's were generating more heat themselves. Passing all of the internal heat from the computer through the PSU did not provide the thermal management capacity to happen well.

Intel tried to offer a new solution called the BTX form factor. After a few years, the BTX form factor really didn't get off of the ground. However, the "reconfiguration" ATX form factor of a visual footprint to the Intel BTX specification took off. Thus, the pictures you have posted.

Well, the front inlet air is now channel out directly to the PSU without adding any addition heat into the flow path. In turn front inlet air also passes over the MOBO and components to keep them cool too. Usually this "reconfigured" ATX style is in a larger case size offering more internal room for components and improved thermal air management.

Prior to Intel's BTX, Apple made the first splashes with this footprint from the G4 and G5 systems."

Quote
john dough
I am getting this one: [www.coolermaster-usa.com]

I do not plan on moving it around, so weight is not super important. Besides, I don't think it is heavier than the MP it is replacing. Right off the bat, I have 5 drives in mind: boot and 4 x 2TB WD Black drives (2 raid sets). I may add another drive later just for backup of boot drive.

It was the roomiest one I could find and although some have better air flow, this one will do. I may add liquid cooling later, and it is nice to have the ports as an option. May dremel the HD brackets a bit to let more air pass around them. The 120mm fans I have now will replace all of the stock fans (that I can replace).

Thanks for the tips.

BTW, I went for the 6 core for $600 @ NewEgg. Not too much cost difference for a nice jump in power.

Ok, that one looks better than the 932 for your usage. You're going to use the drive bays, so that's good. It's also only 19lbs, so not super heavy. I don't care for the LED lighting and hope the fans are temp controlled. Seems like a good fit for your usage.

Mine only has 3 internal 3.5" bays. For how I work, I don't need more. My backups are on a server. My important data is on an external eSATA enclosure.

Quote
wowzer
Why is the powersupply on the bottom of the case? Doesn't that increase the heat in the case itself? If the PS were on top, it would blow out of the case. I have 2 fans on top (out) of my case and 1 on bottom (in) and 1 in back (out) in addition the powersupply. The fans all have direct mb control so they never make any noise at all, except on boot (when they are on full tilt).

I was going to respond to this, but now I see john replied and that's a good quote. Also, with the PSU on top it often leaves the CPU and PSU fighting for air. My CPU has a heatpipe cooler with a 120mm fan that blows directly to the rear exhaust fan.

---

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Definitely post some benchmarks when you get your new Hack up and running.

You're going to love it.

---

I sit on a man’s back, choking him and making
him carry me, and yet assure myself and others
that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his
lot by all possible means — except by getting off
his back. - Leo Tolstoy, novelist and Philosopher
(1828-1910)

Here is my current MP benchmark:

[browse.geekbench.ca]

Current i7 2.93 iMac gets 9000.

I hope your Hack gets at least double that.

---

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Edited 999 time(s). Last edit at 12:08PM by jdc.

Sweet!

The irony is that the processing power in that machine would be totally lost on me for 99.9% of what I do with my Mac...

I run several VMs (XP, Vista, 7), all day, every day, and once in a while video editing for one client. I think this will take of my needs in the short term.

Everything has shipped!!

Quote
jdc
Current i7 2.93 iMac gets 9000.

I hope your Hack gets at least double that.

My i7 870 (2.93GHz) Hack gets about the same ~9000, not surprisingly.

I would not expect double for john dough's new machine, I mean it would be nice but my early 2009 MacPro at work (Dual x 2.26 quadcore) only gets around 12,500. We also have an early 2008 MacPro (Dual x 3.2 quadcore, no hyperthreading) that gets about 11,000 for reference.

Probably he would get double the score of his current MacPro, if that is what you meant.