http://www.ionetagallery.com/pro-machine-top/
I'm wanting to build a "Super Computer," but I'm new to the technology...?
I'm wanting to build a "Super Computer," or in other words a top-of-the-line commercial machine. I have general knowledge on how to assemble them once I've purchased the necessary components, but I'm still unsure as to what are the best products to get. If it helps, here is the purpose of the machine;
The computer is supposed to be capable of peforming on multiple LCD screens (I'm purchashing a MOView Quad Monitor Stand.) It should be furnished with the best motherboard and processor, preferably a dual-processor. It should have the greatest amount of RAM that is available and all this within a full-sized tower.
Multiple 3D Engine applications will be ran on this machine with Microsoft XP Pro. While not specifically a gaming machine, it will be required to run highly detailed graphics. I also desire in having multiple HDs, 750GB a piece. If any more information is needed, feel free to e-mail me noah_none@yahoo.com
Thanks for any and all input.
well, what you are talking about isnt a "super computer" however, you are talking about an extremely high-end PC here. first, i should address your monitor situation. i havent got a clue why you require four monitors, two is usually enough for multitaskers, however, if you want to get those monitors to run different screens, you will need just as many video cards.
for your actual components, yes, you are right in thinking you need a dual core processor if you plan on using all those screens. go with AMD for your processing needs. considering your seemingly unlimited budget, go for a X2 5000. it is their top dual core processor on the market and since AMD lowered prices all over the board, it wont put too much of a dent in your wallet.
the motherboard i recommend is the ASUS A8N5X mobo. it is only about 85 bucks and can handle all your needs. it can handle up to 4 gigs of RAM and 4 SATA hard drives. you will need PC3200 (400MHz) RAM for the mobo.
considering your hard drives, you could get up to 4 750GB SATA hard drives on the thing, but 3TB is uber overkill. get four 300GB drives. that is where the best value for your dollar lies for you can get them for about 120 bucks each where you might get a 750GB drive for more than $400. 1.2TB is still an enormous amount of space and odds are, two of those drives will be obsolete.
now, your monitor situation is really a problem considering your graphics needs. you see, the mobo i mentioned has one PCIx16 slot and 3 PCIx1 slots. if you want a different image on all of the screens, you will need to use all of those slots for monitors and three of them can not handle high-end graphics cards. of course, if you are looking for the same image on all the screens, its not such a serious problem because you only need one card for that and i recommend the GeForce 7800GT 256MB card.
finally, your OS needs. i see that several people are telling you that you are ruining your comp by putting windows on it. they couldnt be more wrong. from what i can glean from your question, you will be needing to run some commercial software and need windows to run it. however, windows has some gaping security problems that have to be reckoned with. my suggestion, get both windows XP pro AND Kubuntu (a linux distribution) you can even run them both at the same time with VMWare http://www.VMWare.com so you can surf the web safely with linux and still run your commercial software.
i hope this helps you. =]
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