Here we go again! I get to choose a new workstation :)

[Mathew Everett]

I have been informed I get to update my computer with something new

Now I have been looking around and I have arounf $6,000.oo to work with for the most part but If I can go basic and than add things on that is easier for my work....

but here are some specs I have come up with for a workstation: Let me know your thoughts and if you own a setup like it how does it run for you?

- 2 x AMD Opteron 265 64Bit Dual Core (DC244) 2048KB Cache 2 way Hyper transport

- 4 Gigs DDR 400Mhz PC3200 RECC
- 2 - 120GB HD's 7,200RPM in SATA
- 2 - Nvidia Quadro FX-3400's 256 in SLI
wiht windows XP pro

[Da_elf]

i would push for winxp64 since ive found it very stable and handles memory like a dream. however other people have had problems. i tend to wonder if they were using the beta or the official pre-shipping release that i got

[Dynedain]

I'm on XP64, and for the most part it works great. There's just a lack of drivers for a lot of hardware (our networked Xerox color laser printer for example). And any program that installs drivers so that it can work (like the CD burning feature in iTunes, or some antivirus software I've looked at) will have problems if they haven't made an x64 version.

[Dynedain]

Or Palm... that bugs me... can't synch my palm phone with XP64

[Da_elf]

thats what i leave the other computers for.

[jujubee]

A friend just told me that Canon wasnt going to support his new scanner for Windows 64 so he replied that he was going to switch to HP from now on. I don't think they cared....

Anyways not to hijack your thread. What motherboard are you thinking of?

[DaForce]

Looks good!!

Although I wouldnt bother with the SLI card. And maybe get the faster CPU's

[RErender]

here ya go, for just over $6000 you can get 14.2 GHz of rendering goodness

http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merch...uct_Code=80155

then just scrounge around for the rest

[DaForce]

As far as i can tell the opteron 840ee are single core?!?!?

[RErender]

As far as i can tell the opteron 840ee are single core?!?!?

Let me introduce you to a little item called a "drop down menu" these wonderful treasure troves often hide marvelous items such as 865 dual cores or even 880's :P

Still it is somewhat a moot point since the MB has no AGP or PCIe just PCIx or whatever it's called so a video card is a problem.

[DaForce]

hehe yeah i saw the drop down menu, but i think the link you showed brought up the who machine that you had configured.

Yeah those other cpu's can be rather expensive

[RErender]

That's just their base configuration

[Mathew Everett]

I'm looking at XI Computers.
http://www.xicomputer.com/

I have used them in the past, But am sick of freaking Intel Boxes....

The problem with the XEON is the bandwidth that is shared on the front side bus by a single memory bank. I like that Opteron have a dual separate memory bank and a lot more bandwidth.

How much of a difference is there between the 265 Dual Cores and the 275 Dual cores.

[Da_elf]

even though my boxx is a dual opteron (single core) i must say that with winxp64 on it, its running like a dream. out rendering anything that that dual xeon cant even begin to handle.