jamesb Posted June 4, 2015 Posted June 4, 2015 My various PCs are slowly dying, and the Frankenbox I scavenged from the parts is getting a bit iffy, so it's time to look for something new. Previously I've used multiple boxes for different purposes but to be frank this is now irritating me, so I'm going to be running specialist boxes on virtual. Does anyone know of any companies or individuals good for very particular custom builds? I've used a few companies before, but they tend to focus on gaming PCs and that's not quite what I'm looking for. I no longer have the time or inclination to trawl through lists and source parts myself, then assemble the thing, so ideally would just like to find someone who can take a list of requirements, a budget, and give me a spec. Any suggestions/offers?
mikkydoos Posted June 5, 2015 Posted June 5, 2015 Just build it yourself. Wont take that long ! And you'll get what you want.
jamesb Posted June 5, 2015 Author Posted June 5, 2015 As I said, I don't really have the time or inclination to build it myself right at the moment. If I can't find anything suitable then I will do, but it's a headache I don't want to deal with while changing jobs and house.
dry Posted June 5, 2015 Posted June 5, 2015 Post what you want up here! Someone will suggest a spec, I'm sure... 1
LeMarchand Posted June 5, 2015 Posted June 5, 2015 (edited) Where's @ICTDirect_Dave? Edited June 5, 2015 by LeMarchand 2
SHimmer45 Posted June 5, 2015 Posted June 5, 2015 for general use id be looking at a NUC. for something more heavy dutry perhaps a recon workstation? 1
elsiegee40 Posted June 5, 2015 Posted June 5, 2015 Have a chat with @ICTDirect_Dave I am sure he can find you something suitable within your budget 2
ICTDirect_Dave Posted June 5, 2015 Posted June 5, 2015 (edited) Where's ICTDirect_Dave? I'd have been here quicker if you'd actually mentioned me properly How about a HP Z210 workstation? Xeon E3-1240 3.3GHz Quad Core 16GB PC3-10600E ECC RAM New 120GB SSD Drive 1TB SATA HDD DVDRW nVidia GTX750 2GB GDDR5 GFX Windows 7 Pro COA £510 Ex VAT Or I've got some even better Z220, 230, 420, 620 or 820s. However thr pice goes up Up UP to over 5 Grand! Le Edit: @elsiegee40 knows how to do it Edited June 5, 2015 by ICTDirect_Dave 2
jamesb Posted June 5, 2015 Author Posted June 5, 2015 The NUC's a little low for what I'm looking for, while the Recon 3F (if that's what you were referring to) is close, but a little heavy in some areas and light in others. Full spec/wishlist: 8 cores (whether two quads or one oct doesn't matter too much to me) Minimum 5TB storage, at least 1TB fast access while the rest is for bulk data 16GB memory minimum, 32GB ideal Capable of driving at least four monitors Multiple network ports, at least 2, ideally 4 The graphics card(s) don't need to be particularly effective at hashing, as work will be providing me a separate resource for that whenever I need it. Full hardware-based disk encryption would be a bonus. More USB 3.0 ports the better. Ideally water-cooled and in a sound-reducing case for my sanity. I've already got all the monitors, keyboards, trackballs, mice, etc that I could ever need. Also no software or operating system required as I'll be building that up myself. On-board sound is fine, as it'll only really be used for conferencing.
Arthur Posted June 5, 2015 Posted June 5, 2015 Does anyone know of any companies or individuals good for very particular custom builds? Scan do X99 / Core i7-5960X custom builds... www.scan.co.uk/3xs/configurator/custom-pc-intel-socket-2011-haswell-e-high-performance-pc 1
jamesb Posted June 30, 2015 Author Posted June 30, 2015 A big thank you to @ICTDirect_Dave for helping me spec up a beast of a machine, much more than I thought I'd be able to get on budget. 1
jamesb Posted June 30, 2015 Author Posted June 30, 2015 No pictures yet as there's a lead time, but once I've got it all confirmed and the payment across I'll put the spec up. Once it arrives and I've got my tech nest up, which'll take a few weeks, I'll put up pictures of that.
jamesb Posted July 1, 2015 Author Posted July 1, 2015 As it's now invoiced and paid for, and there's just the frustrating wait for my new baby to arrive (which shouldn't be a long wait, but more than a few minutes without a proper machine at home is a struggle), the specs: 2 x Intel Xeon X5675 3.06GHz Hex Core CPU (12 Cores, 24 Threads total) 48GB (12 x 4GB) PC3-10600R ECC RAM 1 x 120GB SSD 1 x 1TB HDD 2 x 2TB HDD DVDRW 2 x nVidia Quadro 5000 2.5GB GDDR5 2 nics onboard All for a very reasonable price. Thanks again to all who recommended ICT Direct, and obviously a big thanks for @ICTDirect_Dave as well. 1
mikkydoos Posted July 1, 2015 Posted July 1, 2015 Blimey. That's a bit excessive innit ? How big is your desk ? 120 GB SSD lol. Might want to look at that again m8
LosOjos Posted July 1, 2015 Posted July 1, 2015 Absolute beast of a machine! That 120GB SSD will frustrate you though, they fill up quicker than you think (take it from someone who has to clean their drive on a weekly basis!) If you can plump for a 250GB, I'd seriously do it - they're not that expensive these days (though I realise that's entirely relative to your budget!)
jamesb Posted July 1, 2015 Author Posted July 1, 2015 The SSD is just there as a swap, not for storage. The 1TB is for applications and OS, while the two 2TBs are for other stuff. 1
jamesb Posted July 21, 2015 Author Posted July 21, 2015 Well, the monolith has arrived (a portable machine it is not, nor did I expect it to be) and after reinforcement of the floor is installed and running. A proper OS is deployed, and downloads kicked off. Tonight and tomorrow night will be setup time, plugging bits of tech into it and getting everything just so, and next week when everything's tuned properly I'll be sharing some pictures of the setup. Thanks again to Dave, it's a lovely beast. 1
jamesb Posted July 30, 2015 Author Posted July 30, 2015 (edited) And pictures! Or a picture. The left-most two are actually Pis for other projects. The right four are the first time I've managed to get Xinerama working without breaking anything important. Edited July 30, 2015 by jamesb 2
ICTDirect_Dave Posted July 31, 2015 Posted July 31, 2015 And pictures! Or a picture. The left-most two are actually Pis for other projects. The right four are the first time I've managed to get Xinerama working without breaking anything important. [ATTACH=CONFIG]31791[/ATTACH] you need some new screens now mate. 6 x 22" Lenovo LT2252p should do the job get them mounthed on the wall and you'll be away. I must say when you said a six screen setup i had visions of an episode of 24, a dark office with mood lighting and a complicated gui that takes up more runtime that the work you're trying to do 1
jamesb Posted July 31, 2015 Author Posted July 31, 2015 you need some new screens now mate. 6 x 22" Lenovo LT2252p should do the job get them mounthed on the wall and you'll be away. I must say when you said a six screen setup i had visions of an episode of 24, a dark office with mood lighting and a complicated gui that takes up more runtime that the work you're trying to do As much as I'd love new screens, this is only a temporary home office so I can't bolt things to the walls (gimme six months though...). I don't believe in mood lighting or dark offices - the amount of time I spend in front of a screen between work and home lighting is important if I want to keep my vision. As for the GUI, I'm much more a fan of a good shell for 90% of my work.
ICTDirect_Dave Posted July 31, 2015 Posted July 31, 2015 Me too, but when you told me what you werre planing on doing I instantly put you in Chloe's role in 24. Not accurate I know but it certainly fit at the time
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