southparx
05-04-2008, 04:07 AM
howdy cgtalkers,
i've just got a new rig:
Q9300
ASUS P5K mobo
ASUS 8800 GT
Kingston DDR2 800 2 GB (1 stick)
Samsung 19"Wide
Cooler Master 400W powersupply
Cooler Master casing (cheapest) with 2 standard fans
WinXP Pro x64
*no overclocking, all run at default setting
software used: Max 9 64 bit, Photoshop CS3, ZBrush 3.1
i plan to add extra muslce as soon as i receive my paycheck end of this month, but i have a few questions i need answered,
1. first i plan to add more RAM, at first i planned to put 8 GB of RAM - as much as the mobo can handle, but i read everywhere that most 32-bit app like PS,ZB can only utilize as much as 4 GB, and max even worse CMIIW can only use up to 1.7 GB at one time .... my question is:
should i still get 8 GB if i were to later multitask e.g in a case of running a max/vray render at the background while doing zbrush modeling at the same time... it is possible to split the 4 cores into 3 cores of rendering and 1 core for zbrushing right? and is it also possible to assign the ram for example 2 GB to max and 6 GB to zbrush as well? If these are possible, how do i exactly do it? in the task manager? inside the softwares (dynamic memory limit in vray and preferences in zbrush) or there is a special software for doing this kind of thing?
2. i plan to buy another monitor as well, i prefer to use the exact same model as the one i'm having right now, but the hardware shop mentioned that i can't do that because the 8800GT card only has 1 DVI connection at the back, the other one is HDMI ... my question is:
is it still possible to get around this problem by buying a HDMI-DVI adapter? i notice there are few for HDMI to DVI, but what about DVI to HDMI? because what i need is to get another samsung 19" wide monitor with DVI to connect into HDMI port at the back of my gfx card...
if there is no such thing, does it mean i have to buy an HDTV as my second monitor? as far as i know, HDTV LCDs are way more expensive and the resolution is low...
is there such thing as HDMI LCD monitors for computers with 1440x900 res, preferrably by Samsung...
also another thing, i have a 5 year old-OLD samsung 15" with max res of 1024x768 sitting there collecting dust, i thought if i can't afford another monitor, i might use it... however, does two different resolution of monitors used at the same time can make a problem?
3. regarding ASUS 8800GT, i skim through google last night and there are more than few complaints they can't get it working for dual monitor setups, is that true? does anyone here successfully rig their 8800GT to work with dual monitors? also does ASUS 8800GT have SmartDoctor bundled? i can;t seem to find the CD for it...
4. about 400W power supply, do you guys think it's enough in the future for running the same spec above with 3 extra sticks of RAM, 2 extra SATA HD i havent put in, another monitor, WACOM tablet i plan to buy? i kinda worry about this, because my previous comp i burned 2 hard drives, 1 CDRW, 1 DVDRW, 1 old geforce because either the power is insufficient, or the casing is just too hot
5. also, do you guys think the 2 standard fans that come bundled with the casing is enough? i don't overclock at all, but i'm just worried thats all... summer here in China can go somewhere around 40 degrees Celcius! does adding fans make much difference? i dont think i plan to use cooling system whatsoever coz they arent cheap
Okayy phewwww that's a long post, i hope you guys arent tired reading it and can help me out here
thanks in advance guys
regards,
andrew
i've just got a new rig:
Q9300
ASUS P5K mobo
ASUS 8800 GT
Kingston DDR2 800 2 GB (1 stick)
Samsung 19"Wide
Cooler Master 400W powersupply
Cooler Master casing (cheapest) with 2 standard fans
WinXP Pro x64
*no overclocking, all run at default setting
software used: Max 9 64 bit, Photoshop CS3, ZBrush 3.1
i plan to add extra muslce as soon as i receive my paycheck end of this month, but i have a few questions i need answered,
1. first i plan to add more RAM, at first i planned to put 8 GB of RAM - as much as the mobo can handle, but i read everywhere that most 32-bit app like PS,ZB can only utilize as much as 4 GB, and max even worse CMIIW can only use up to 1.7 GB at one time .... my question is:
should i still get 8 GB if i were to later multitask e.g in a case of running a max/vray render at the background while doing zbrush modeling at the same time... it is possible to split the 4 cores into 3 cores of rendering and 1 core for zbrushing right? and is it also possible to assign the ram for example 2 GB to max and 6 GB to zbrush as well? If these are possible, how do i exactly do it? in the task manager? inside the softwares (dynamic memory limit in vray and preferences in zbrush) or there is a special software for doing this kind of thing?
2. i plan to buy another monitor as well, i prefer to use the exact same model as the one i'm having right now, but the hardware shop mentioned that i can't do that because the 8800GT card only has 1 DVI connection at the back, the other one is HDMI ... my question is:
is it still possible to get around this problem by buying a HDMI-DVI adapter? i notice there are few for HDMI to DVI, but what about DVI to HDMI? because what i need is to get another samsung 19" wide monitor with DVI to connect into HDMI port at the back of my gfx card...
if there is no such thing, does it mean i have to buy an HDTV as my second monitor? as far as i know, HDTV LCDs are way more expensive and the resolution is low...
is there such thing as HDMI LCD monitors for computers with 1440x900 res, preferrably by Samsung...
also another thing, i have a 5 year old-OLD samsung 15" with max res of 1024x768 sitting there collecting dust, i thought if i can't afford another monitor, i might use it... however, does two different resolution of monitors used at the same time can make a problem?
3. regarding ASUS 8800GT, i skim through google last night and there are more than few complaints they can't get it working for dual monitor setups, is that true? does anyone here successfully rig their 8800GT to work with dual monitors? also does ASUS 8800GT have SmartDoctor bundled? i can;t seem to find the CD for it...
4. about 400W power supply, do you guys think it's enough in the future for running the same spec above with 3 extra sticks of RAM, 2 extra SATA HD i havent put in, another monitor, WACOM tablet i plan to buy? i kinda worry about this, because my previous comp i burned 2 hard drives, 1 CDRW, 1 DVDRW, 1 old geforce because either the power is insufficient, or the casing is just too hot
5. also, do you guys think the 2 standard fans that come bundled with the casing is enough? i don't overclock at all, but i'm just worried thats all... summer here in China can go somewhere around 40 degrees Celcius! does adding fans make much difference? i dont think i plan to use cooling system whatsoever coz they arent cheap
Okayy phewwww that's a long post, i hope you guys arent tired reading it and can help me out here
thanks in advance guys
regards,
andrew