Zap's SFF LAN box

[Zap]

My 7750
...
It was a factory OC'd version with an auxiliary power connection

Anyway, just though I'd share. In case you weren't already going nuts waiting for an LP 7750.

XFX Double D? Looks kind of similar to their 7770 PCB, which may explain the PCIe power connector and the high stock speeds/great overclocking.

I suppose I could try overclocking my 6670. I'm actually okay with the performance right now because the only games I've played on it so far have been League of Legends, Quake III, Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Diablo III, and Modern Warfare 3. They all actually work okay at 1920x1080 "default" settings and no AA. The shooters actually can hit 80-90FPS at times. Oh yeah, and Quake 3 gets nearly 1000FPS. :whiste: The 7750 would probably let me turn up quality a few notches.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Yeah, XFX DD.

If you're playing the fun older games, you don't need a huge amount of GPU horsepower, it's true. But eventually one of your LAN buddies is going to want to try Mechwarrior Online.

 

[Zap]

I have Battlefield 3, so I suppose I can try out something a bit more demanding. Then at least I won't feel as if I wasted money buying a game that I never even ran a single time.

Judging by my upgrade path, I probably will end up with a LP 7750 eventually. :whiste:

Radeon 4650 >> 6570 >> 6670

 

[rwpritchett]

Hey Zap, I'm piecing together a little gamer build for my son with a spare ISK 310-150 I have laying around. Anyway, I was wondering if you have taken any kill-a-watt measurements of your build at load. If so, can you please post them??

Oh and BTW, the VisionTek Low Profile Radeon HD7750 is available on newegg now:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814129263

Time for you to upgrade again!

 

[Aikouka]

What about a case like this Lian-Li one?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811112348

It's a small case (8.7"Wx13.35"Dx11.42"H), made out of all aluminum, can fit a full-sized graphics card, and it has a handle!

 

[Zap]

I was wondering if you have taken any kill-a-watt measurements of your build at load. If so, can you please post them??

Latest KaW measurements with the Radeon 6670, all case fan spots populated and three SSDs:
53W idle
138W peak during 3DMark Vantage

Oh and BTW, the VisionTek Low Profile Radeon HD7750 is available on newegg now:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814129263

Time for you to upgrade again!

YES! Well, as soon as it isn't $30 more than the cheapest 7750. With my 6670, I waited for a deal before purchasing. Right now I'm mostly playing MW3 and LoL, and the 6670 does just fine with those.

What about a case like this Lian-Li one?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811112348

It's a small case (8.7"Wx13.35"Dx11.42"H), made out of all aluminum, can fit a full-sized graphics card, and it has a handle!

That thing's HUGE! The Antec is 12.90" x 8.70" x 3.80". You can fit THREE of them inside the volume of that Lian Li and still have room to spare.

I would rather go with the Lian Li PC-Q11 or the Silverstone SG05/SG06 if I wanted to use a bigger graphics card, since both are much smaller than the PC-TU200B or similar PC-Q08 and the only limitation is around 9.5-10" for the graphics card. In fact, at home I have both an SG05 and PC-Q11. Neither currently have builds in them.

 

[Aikouka]

That thing's HUGE! The Antec is 12.90" x 8.70" x 3.80". You can fit THREE of them inside the volume of that Lian Li and still have room to spare.

Hmm I figured that it was still small enough to be a modest LAN box, as 3" and 11" are both still fairly portable. Certainly more so than my Corsair 800D.

 

[HaX]

I luv shoebox gaming.

 

[Zap]

I luv shoebox gaming.

Me too, but I'm going big with my next rig. I will be heading home soon and will build a new rig using a Lian Li PC-Q11B case so that I can move up to a faster graphics card. Now I'm at 1920x1080 resolution. I have a 30" 2560x1600 monitor at home and would like the extra GPU oomph.

My thought is to downsize my ATX rig at home, which currently has a Core i7-2600K, 8GB RAM, two SSDs and two 3TB HDDs. I have a spare lower wattage ATX PSU to go in there, plus have a new graphics card on the way (got in on the Borderlands 2 bundle). All I need now is a mini ITX overclockable motherboard such as the ASRock Z77ITX and I will be set.

I'm going to downsize my wife's ATX rig in a similar manner, but use a Silverstone SG05 (she choose it).

I will probably keep this Antec ISK rig as a spare.

 

[sm625]

Wouldnt a vanilla i5-3210m notebook outperform this and cost less?

 

[Zap]

Wouldnt a vanilla i5-3210m notebook outperform this and cost less?

No, for the following reasons:

1) ~1TB of SSD. Actual 1TB SSDs are hugely expensive and rare, so cheaper to go multiple drives. Only larger notebooks support multiple drives.

2) My CPU is a quad core. i5-3210M is a dual core. My CPU is also overclockable, except the motherboard isn't (got on a hot deal) but that will be fixed soon.

3) Desktop Radeon 6670 graphics card - yes I actually use it for gaming (MW3, TF2, LoL, D3, L4D2, etc). Notebooks with discrete graphics are more expensive. Also, they are clocked lower so you have to aim higher (more Stream Processors) to get similar performance.

 

[2timer]

As it is, the system idles at around 53W and peaks at around 138W. Peak was tested using 3DMark Vantage, and measurements were taken using a Kill-A-Watt.

So I've found proof that an i5-2500k w/6670 GPU runs at 138w peak. That is a slim margin. You're not underclocking the i5-2500k are you? What speed is the CPU at?

 

[2timer]

Also: where can I find those USB WiFi dongles that connect to the big antenna you mentioned? Thanks

 

[Zap]

So I've found proof that an i5-2500k w/6670 GPU runs at 138w peak. That is a slim margin. You're not underclocking the i5-2500k are you? What speed is the CPU at?

All clocks/voltages stock. That is 138W from the wall. The PSU has an efficiency around 75% (probably the only thing "bad" about it) so during gaming the PSU is probably only asked to put out around 105W.

Note that I do not torture test the system. No Prime95, Furmark, etc.

Also: where can I find those USB WiFi dongles that connect to the big antenna you mentioned? Thanks

This is my preferred unit due to frequent sales and the USB extension stand that comes with it. There are others which are similar (USB dongle with detachable higher gain antenna) but AFAIK none comes with the stand cable.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Well, I crammed a PNY 660Ti into my SG05. It's 9.5" There's room for a slightly larger card in there, but I had enough trouble inserting this one that I wouldn't want to try.

The auto-OC "turbo" function has it running at 1071 Core @ 72C. (915 stock) so that took some of the fun out of it. It uses more power than the 6850 it replaced, and my CPU temps are up a couple of C. (Presumably warmed by the GPU.)

F@H uses 99% of the GPU according to GPU-Z (as opposed to some 45% utilization for the 6850) PPD is looking like it will be pretty insane. Now for gaming.

 

[2timer]

All clocks/voltages stock. That is 138W from the wall. The PSU has an efficiency around 75% (probably the only thing "bad" about it) so during gaming the PSU is probably only asked to put out around 105W.

Note that I do not torture test the system. No Prime95, Furmark, etc.



This is my preferred unit due to frequent sales and the USB extension stand that comes with it. There are others which are similar (USB dongle with detachable higher gain antenna) but AFAIK none comes with the stand cable.

That is so cool. Thanks!

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Hey Zap, any new updates to this rig?
Have you picked up a LP 7750?

 

[Zap]

Hey Zap, any new updates to this rig?
Have you picked up a LP 7750?

I picked up one, but haven't really used it yet. Having a problem with the rig. Windows won't boot on it, and won't install on it either. :hmm: Haven't had a chance to do further troubleshooting.

 

[Seraphimcaduto]

I picked up one, but haven't really used it yet. Having a problem with the rig. Windows won't boot on it, and won't install on it either. :hmm: Haven't had a chance to do further troubleshooting.

You said awhile ago you have a SG-05 and the antec 310 and I'm trying to figure out which one to get. If you had to take the thing with you everyday, which one would you prefer? Is there a big difference in build quality? I'm wondering because I hear some people complain about the Sg-05's build quality. I also play almost the same games (except add civ 5) so any input you have would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Zap]

They both have IMO decent build quality. The Antec ISK 300/310 would weigh a bit less, plus more importantly it can fit easily in various backpacks/bags. The SG05 would not, due to the cube shape. If I were to transport it EVERY day? ISK 300/310-150 would be my choice. If I just need occasional portability (weekend LAN parties) or I needed a better graphics card, SG05 would be my choice.

I have no huge complaints on either for build quality. Can I nitpick? Sure, I can nitpick just about anything when my OCD acts up.

BTW I actually have two ISK 300-150, an SG05 and an SG05-450 in the household.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

I picked up one, but haven't really used it yet. Having a problem with the rig. Windows won't boot on it, and won't install on it either. :hmm: Haven't had a chance to do further troubleshooting.

Well if you don't want to bother with it, you could always give it to me

 

[Zap]

Well if you don't want to bother with it, you could always give it to me

Sure thing, for a suitable "shipping" fee. :whiste:

 

[max789]

Having a problem with the rig. Windows won't boot on it, and won't install on it either. :hmm: Haven't had a chance to do further troubleshooting.

Do you mean your ISK 300 rig? Have the problems been identified and resolved?

 

[Zap]

Do you mean your ISK 300 rig? Have the problems been identified and resolved?

Yes, the ISK 300 rig. No, haven't even touched it in over a half year. :\