Ultimate PC - August 2012

By Koen Crijns,

The Ultimate PC: Only the best and fastest components available, with the appropriate astronomical price tag. You won't be able to assemble a PC better than this. That said, we do stay within reason, so you won't find us recommending for example yottabytes of SSD storage.

Please note: the PC Buyer’s Guide is compiled based on independent component tests performed by Hardware.Info. If no new, superior products are released that should replace one or more of the components, then the component(s) will remain the same as the previous month.

If you want to know more about how we compile our PC Buying guides, have a look at this article.

Configuration

Processor - Intel Core i7 3960X

Sandy Bridge-E, that's the name of the most powerful generation processors around. The fastest member is the Core i7 3960X, an utterly fast 6-core CPU with a clock speed of 3.3GHz and a maximum Turbo frequency of 3.9GHz. This processor is completely unlocked and can pretty easily be raised to clock speeds of around 5GHz. There is nothing faster around right now, so this is the processor for the Ultimate PC system.

Specifications Test results

CPU cooler - Corsair Hydro Series H100

For the Ultimate PC we choose only the best components. In terms of pre-assembled coolers the best of the best is the Corsair H100 from the Hydro series. It even manages to cool down an overclocked 3960X. The H100 comes with the adhesive needed for the Socket 2011 of the Core i7 EE.

Specifications Test results

Memory module - 2x Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB DDR3-2400 CL9 quad kit

The Core i7 3960X needs DDR3 memory in a quad-channel configuration, which means you have to fill four banks simultaneously. We went with two of the Corsair Dominator Platinum 16 GB DDR3-2400 CL9 quad kit for a total of 32 GB.

Specifications Test results

Motherboard - ASUS Rampage IV Extreme/BF3

An Ultimate PC deserves the ultimate motherboard, and the 3960X requires the X79 chipset. The ASUS Rampage IV Extreme meets both criteria, and has an amazing amount of features. Whether you'd like to overclock, or just connect a huge number of components, this XL ATX motherboard gives you more options than you'll ever need. It'll cost you, but that's not the point here.

Specifications Test results

Graphics card - 3x Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 Toxic 6GB

It's a toss-up between the fastest GPUs, as AMD's Radeon HD 7970 and Nvidia's GTX 680 are almost equals. Nvidia is faster at standard speeds, but the AMD one can be overclocked better and has more memory. The latter is an advantage at high resolutions and multi-monitor configurations.

Sapphires Radeon HD 7970 Toxic 6GB even has twice the amount of GDD5 memory. Combined with the high speed and overclocking potential it has the edge over our previous pick, the ASUS GTX680-DC2T-2GD5.

Specifications Test results

Hard disk/SSD - 4x OCZ Vertex 4 512GB

Since all PCI-Express slots are in use or unavailable thanks to the three graphics cards, we can no longer use the OCZ RevoDrive 3 X2 480GB which used to be our choice here. There is a good alternative in the shape of four OCZ Vertex 4 512 GB SSDs, which in RAID0 provide 2 TB of very fast storage for the OS and software. If that's too risky for your taste, you can put them in RAID0+1 configuration.

The Vertex 4 did very well in our tests, and we recently discovered that placing multiple SSDs in RAID 0 scales really well on an Intel controller, even if only two ports adhere to the SATA600 standard.

Specifications Test results

Hard disk/SSD - 2x Hitachi Deskstar 7K4000 4TB

While we previously recommended four Hitachi 7K300 3 TB hard drives, we will now use two 4 TB Hitachi 7K4000 disks. They scored very well in our review.

"Merely" 8 TB is not that much, but if you can afford an Ultimate PC you can probably fit in a decent NAS as well.

Specifications Test results

Optical drive - LG BH10LS30

Of course the only appropriate optical drive for the Ultimate PC is a Blu-ray burner. The LG BH10LS30 does not only write Blu-ray disks, but also burns DVDs better than most normal DVD burners.

Specifications Test results

Case - Cooler Master Cosmos II Black

The Corsair 800D was our favourite for a long, but it has been surpassed by the Cosmos II by Cooler Master as our choice for a super high-end system. This case offers a lot of space for water cooling, can house any size motherboard, and shines with its attractive finish and myriad of connections. The side panels that open like a German luxury sports car are very impressive, and the interior gets even better. This is the perfect chassis for the Ultimate system.

Specifications Test results

Power supply - Enermax Platimax 1500W

The power supply we used for our Ultimate PC this month is the Enermax Platimax 1500W. This power supply is very powerful with stable voltages and a high efficiency.

Specifications Test results

Monitor - 3x Dell UltraSharp U3011

For the Ultimate PC we give three different ultimate monitor recommendations. Since we have three dedicated graphics cards, they need to have something to do. Three cards can manage a huge amount of pixels on three screens.

The Dell UltraSharp U3011 was very expensive for a long time, but has recently gone down in price. With 2560x1600 pixels this 30-inch screen screen area than any other consumer monitor currently around. Reaction times are good for an IPS panel, which are good in terms of colour fastness and viewing angles.

Specifications Test results

PC speaker set - Edifier S730

The Edifier S730 looks and sounds great, which we confirmed in a recent test. The subwoofer in this set has earned the title "ultimate", perfect for the Ultimate PC.

Specifications Test results

Keyboard - Razer BlackWidow Ultimate

This time around we recommend a keyboard with mechanical switches, the Razer Black Widow Ultimate. It features clicking Cherry MX mechanical keys that register a keystroke after a 2 mm depression. The extra clicking mechanism provides tactile feedback immediately.

The Black Widow has features unique for a mechanical keyboard, in the form of media keys and extra macro keys. You can create macros on the fly, and the included software allows you to completely customise the keyboard lay-out. The complete review you can read here .

Specifications Test results

Mouse - Logitech G700 Wireless Gaming Mouse

The Logitech G700 Wireless Gaming Mouse works on any surface. It fits nicely in your hand, has enough buttons and is wireless (but can be used wired as well). What else do you need in a mouse?

With 13 programmable buttons and great ergonomic feel this mouse is perfect for gaming and all other demanding applications.

Another good alternative is the Razer Mamba. It has a different shape but the same positive qualities.

Specifications Test results

Configuration overview		Price
Processors	Intel Core i7 3960X	£890.35
CPU coolers	Corsair Hydro Series H100	£93.86
Memory modules	2x Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB DDR3-2400 CL9 quad kit	£716.42
Motherboards	ASUS Rampage IV Extreme/BF3	£342.92
Graphics cards	3x Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 Toxic 6GB	-
Hard disks/SSDs	4x OCZ Vertex 4 512GB	£1,863.96
Hard disks/SSDs	2x Hitachi Deskstar 7K4000 4TB	£346.80
Optical drives	LG BH10LS30	£69.95
Cases	Cooler Master Cosmos II Black	£314.86
Power supplies	Enermax Platimax 1500W	£290.42
Monitors	3x Dell UltraSharp U3011	£3,211.17
PC speaker sets	Edifier S730	-
Keyboards	Razer BlackWidow Ultimate	-
Mice	Logitech G700 Wireless Gaming Mouse	£86.66
Add as wish list	Average total price:	£8,227.37