MaxForce Reviewed: 3-Way SLI and 4 GHz+

[cleeve]

[citation][nom]zodiacfml[/nom]If it weren't for crysis,3-sli of gtx280 is a waste.[/citation]

AMEN to that, brother. Nothing but agreement from here.

 

[dencom17]

32 bit OS can only address 4 GB of memory.
That includes video memory from video cards.

4gb-3*1GB (there is 3 280GTX with 1 gb of memory each) = 1gb

So does that mean that we only have 1 gb of ram to play with?
Does that mean that system can only recongnise 1 GB of ram.

Correct me if im wrong, but i think 64 bit OS is more appropriate

 

[wonderingwhatis]

[citation][nom]Cleeve[/nom][/citation]
Well you clearly do have that opinion and mentioned that in your review which may influence many people's buying decision. Instead of simply saying you think its not going to last without watercooling; give us temps.
You have 2 similar systems that have watercooling units so give us temps from those as a comparison.

Also If the temps are the same or even close how could watercooling possibly lengthen the CPU's life; or better yet how could air cooling lower its life expectancy. The CPU doesn't care what is cooling it as long as its running cool....

 

[wonderingwhatis]

I never said anyone was stupid. I simply stated my opinion that watercooling is better than air cooling for a quad-core CPU at 4 GHz.

If you don't like my opinion, then it's certainly your perogative to disagree.

hmm didnt quote correctly!

 

[cleeve]

[citation][nom]dencom17[/nom]32 bit OS can only address 4 GB of memory. That includes video memory from video cards...
...Correct me if im wrong, but i think 64 bit OS is more appropriate[/citation]

I believe 32-bit Vista can address a maximum of 3GB of memory, regardless of the video card memory.

Once again, a 64-bit OS would be more appropriate in a gaming rig if the increase in memory would provide a performance increase in games. It usually does not, in fact from what I've seen there is usually a slight performance decrease with the 64-bit version of the OS.

 

[cleeve]

[citation][nom]wonderingwhatis[/nom]You have 2 similar systems that have watercooling units so give us temps from those as a comparison.[/citation]

I'd love to, unfortunately we don't get to keep the systems we test.

But I will be happy to do a watercooling vs. Tuniq Tower 120 test if I get my hands on one. Wasn't my focus during the review but I certainly will take a closer look next time.

 

[jthorn]

Thanks for this review - it was very fair and well written. As an owner of a Maxforce custom desktop it is great to see them get some press. I asked Max to cbuild me a Q6600 on a P45 MB overclocked to 3.0 ghz equipped with a Sapphire 4850, after reading Cleeves monthly GPU reviews 🙂. I an 100 percent satisfied with my new computer. If I had asked for water cooling or 4ghz Max would have delivered that too for a great price and with a great warranty. Thanks for the great articles and I highly recommend Maxforce PC if you are looking for a better PC. God, this is a great thread, LOL.

 

[Max_MaxForcePC]

Hey everyone,

All those asking about the temps for the CPU. When we shipped the system out, the idle temps were around 28-32C at 4Ghz. At full load, with the tuniq fan at medium low, the temps peeked around 55-58C. However, during game play or applications the CPU never went over 50C.

We would never let a system leave the office if we thought the temps were not safe for prolonged use.

Let me know if you guys have any questions

 

[nukemaster]

To be honest this link shows 64-bit as good, and some times better(sometimes worse) then vista 32 across many video cards.

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/amd_nvidia_windows_vista_driver_performance_update/page3.asp

I am going to have to say that Vista 64 and more ram would have made it a better all around machine. I have several games that take 1.5 gigs of ram while running, toss in a bit of multi-tasking and the extra ram would help.

But in the end, still a solid review and machine that kills mine

 

[iocedmyself]

Yes 64bit vista is better....yes 4 gigs or more should be the baseline for a gaming machine...however, intel chips do not fare well on 64bit vista, where as AMD chips see a 17%-25% performance increase in 64bit apps compared to 32bit performance.

Vista was designed to utilize every bit of the system it could...which is why depending on config the boot up memory usage for vista is between 900 megs on the low end, 1.5 gigs in my 4gig 64bit vista ultimate rig atm. 64bit crysis has topped out at 2.1 gigs of RAM useage that i've noticed.

So....yeah, look at who makes the cpu in those machines that perform worse in 64bit OS's because AMD has maintained it's avg 20% performance gain in 64bit apps since 939 days.

 

[Arbie]

I'm impressed with MaxForce's capabilities and what folks say about the buying experience. If this 4GHz 3xSLI rig is reliable at full load (100% CPU and 100% GPU) for an extended period in a 80 degF room, on air... that's pretty good.

I do wish the review had measured noise and power draw, at least at idle. These are two *VERY* important factors in how well such a machine would live in my den. After all, anyone can build a loud, hot, fast box. I'm not saying that I expect the thing to run like a netbook. But if these topics were even mentioned, I missed it.

Arbie

 

[cleeve]

If you're worried about power draw, a triple-SLI GTX 280 PC is not for you. I don't have a meter in my lab, unfortunately, but I'll see what I can do about getting one.

As for sound, I didn't take any measurements, but it was very quiet at idle although when playing demanding games the three graphics cards often became a lot noisier.

 

[cleeve]

[citation][nom]nukemaster[/nom]I am going to have to say that Vista 64 and more ram would have made it a better all around machine. [/citation]

Perhaps, but the increased expense might not provide proportionlly increased performance.

No one is arguing that Vista 64 sucks; but I will certainly argue that Vista 32 and 2 GB makes a fine high-end gaming platform, just as viable as Vista 64 and 4 GB.

 

[Chuck Norris]

I would probably have been better to use DDR2 RAM and include 4GB+ than to use 2GB of DDR3 RAM. When it comes to high-end games nowadays, the more you can cache is more important than how quickly you can cache them.

That being said, I'm totally uninterested in "boutique" systems because of their expense, but I do appreciate that the good warranties they offer are attractive. I would never buy one myself, but I can understand why someone else would want to. Also, if you're willing to spend this much on a new computer you can probably afford to upgrade to 4GB of DDR3 RAM in a year or two and pick up 64-bit OS then. It would probably be cheaper for the system company and for you. However, I use photoshop on a semi-regular basis and I would appreciate the more RAM now, myself.

I read these kinds of reviews/articles because I think it's interesting to see how the top-end systems perform, even if I won't ever buy one.

 

[Shadow703793]

[citation][nom]Cleeve[/nom]On a side note, MaxForce let me know that they will install custom kit like water cooling at the customer's request. [/citation]
That's good to know.

note to people who are bi***ing about Water cooling vs air cooling. Yes you could have a smiler performance with a lower price air cooler, but when you come to 4+ Ghz on a quad you are better off with water cooling. Also usually Water cooling also reduces your noise levels.

@Editors: You should have included Temps(P95 load, idle, ambient) for the MaxForce.

 

[kelfen]

Well it it really is a point of perspective for watercooling someone could definatly make a point for $$ for performance and compare it to watercooling, ect.

 

[kewl munky]

This is all starting to annoy me. It's getting to the point where you no longer can pick out which card is better, but which programs it runs better. By the time I start looking at some new graphics cards I'll probably have to see how well the cards run the programs I have, instead of which is actually better.

 

[skunkmeister]

Look, a 32bit system is limited to 2^32 addressable memory. Subtract proc cache, video memory, and any other memory the bios addresses, and your 4GB of memory shows up as 4GB - the total hardware memory. Since this system has 3 video cards with 1GB memory each, it would be completly pointless to put more than 2GB in the thing. Do the math, and odds are pretty good that the system doesn't address the 2GB. Forget what the control panel says, Vista lists the installed memory, not the addressed memory. For that, look at the performace tab of the task manager.

 

[salsoolo]

[citation][nom]Kewl Munky[/nom]This is all starting to annoy me. It's getting to the point where you no longer can pick out which card is better, but which programs it runs better. By the time I start looking at some new graphics cards I'll probably have to see how well the cards run the programs I have, instead of which is actually better.[/citation]
very true!

 

[phantom93]

[citation][nom]random1283[/nom]OK maybe GDDR3 is a typo but GTX280s are the fastest SINGLE GPU video cards out there and I think thats what he meant[/citation]
thank you!!! finaly sumoen agrees with me, the 4870X2 may be the bets but the GTX 280 is stil lthe fastest SINGLE GPU option... XD

thsi comp is pretty tight

 

[Arbie]

[citation][nom]Cleeve[/nom]If you're worried about power draw, a triple-SLI GTX 280 PC is not for you. I don't have a meter in my lab, unfortunately, but I'll see what I can do about getting one.As for sound, I didn't take any measurements, but it was very quiet at idle although when playing demanding games the three graphics cards often became a lot noisier. [/citation]

Your flip answer misses the point. A machine like this (at least in SLI) might be for me - which is why I asked about power dissipation. The major enabler of a GTX280 is that idle power is spec'd remarkably low. No other card offers so much peak capability at so low an idle figure. I'm NOT talking about electric costs, and I'm NOT talking about max dissipation. I'm talking about how much heat is thrown out 99.9% of the time. That's also why I asked about idle noise.

And - you might get some basic instruments for your "lab" if you're going to be reviewing systems for Toms.

Arbie

 

[killerb255]

If you insist on Vista x86 (32-bit) for gaming, then go with 3 GB of RAM. That'll keep the OS happy while accommodating for games.

 

[Guest]

Note at page 4

"OS Windows Vista Professional 32 bit"

As far as I know there isnt any OS named that way
Maybee a hybrid of Win XP Pro and Win Vista

 

[grieve]

Nice rig, I wish…

I would go with 4gigs ram and Vista 64.. But that's just me.

To be honest I would feel awkward saying I spent 4k on a machine and got 2gigs ram, even if there is no performance gains from the extra 2 gigs.

 

[cleeve]

[citation][nom]Arbie[/nom]Your flip answer misses the point. [/citation]

I think it hit's the point right on, I don't have a power meter.

You just didn't like the answer. 😀