RE: RE: [amibroker] Need help with new computer workstation, AmiBroker Email List Archive

Dan

Have just built my own PC and pretty happy with what I’ve got. I’m not so worried about the XP/Vista thing…don’t see what all the fuss is about personally, on either side of the argument. The new OS is not that much more expensive over here in the UK and so I thought “why not”. No complaints so far…and hopefully the SP1 will bring more to the table when it finally arrives. As for the hardware:

MB = Asus P5W64 WS Professional. Excellent IMO. It’s a 975X chipset and so supports ATI CrossFire as opposed to SLI…but why would you want either on a workstation? Why would you want SLI for games even? There doesn’t seem to be any support for SLI in software yet so I didn’t see the point, particularly as the last think I want to do in my spare time is sit in front of the computer playing hard-core games!! The great thing about this board though is that it has FOUR PCI-E slots. So that means that you can have up to EIGHT monitors! Overkill for me, but you never know in the future. Also has no less than 7 SATA slots on 2 controllers (southbridge = 4 and external controller = 3). Very overclockable too if you’re into that. Passive cooling too.

Memory = Corsair 6400C4D Dominator. Careful here to check for compatibility with your board!! First lot I bought didn’t boot my system…I thought I’d blown up the MB!!!

Graphics = XFX 7950 GT extreme. Great card and passively cooled so no noise. I put a 12cm fan on the internal HDD enclosure so it’s right next to the card to help keep cool. Next cards will not be so high-powered though as I want to keep wattage/heat & therefore noise down. No need for anything so meaty really on a workstation, but the 7950 suits as the primary card.

PSU = Corsair HX520W. Probably could have gone for 620W model…but 500W is perfectly adequate for now…internal 12cm fan only comes on when load is very high. I’ve not heard any noise from it yet!

Hard drives…I thoroughly recommend the Samsung HD501LJ…500Gb and cheap, FAST and QUIET. Got lots of excellent reviews if you don’t trust one person’s opinion! No RAID is a good call. The review I read clocks it nearly as fast as the WD Raptor…and you’ve got 500Gb!!!

Case = Antec P180. Just brilliant design.

HSF = Scythe Infinity…HUGE heatsink. Two very quiet Scythe SFF21E fans…one on HSF and one on back of case. Loads of air flow and virtually no noise (spotting a theme here?!)

One other thing I learned. Get hold of some Artic Silver thermal paste. Far superior to the stuff you get with the HSF. I also lifted up the northbridge and southbridge HSFs off the board and replaced the paste on those…was shocking how sloppy the manufacturer’s pasting was! Decent paste made about a 5deg reduction in core temp at full load.

Hope that helps some,

Andy

From: amibroker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:amibroker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Dan Clark
Sent: 24 June 2007 16:56
To: amibroker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: RE: [amibroker] Need help with new computer workstation

Corey,

Thank. I’ve used Asus boards before. Nice boards.

Regarding the Raptors, my scans do a LOT of disk thrashing. And, no raid for me.

I like nVidia-based cards. Only cards I buy. I’m open on the brand. I’ll take a look at the eVGA cards.

I like Win2003, but it’s $750! A bit pricey.

Thanks for the tip on cards and case, and memory.

Regards,

Dan.

From: amibroker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:amibroker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Corey Saxe
Sent: Sunday, June 24, 2007 1:28 AM
To: amibroker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: RE: [amibroker] Need help with new computer workstation

Dan,

Check out the Asus boards. Particularly the P5N32-E SLI Plus.

They have lots of SLI boards and options. E6700s should be fine.

Raptors are fine if you are stuck doing alot of disk thrashing. I wouldn't consider anything less than 250GB.

Check out the WD Caviar SE16. Don't waste time with RAID arrays. PITA.

I put two nVidia 7900GT cards from eVGA in my machine (in SLI) and am very happy with them. Real lifetime warranty.

I have to take the SLI connector off to run 4 screens. Can run 2 with it on.

If you want a case that will take nearly any motherboard shape for future upgrades, look at the Cooler-Master CM Stacker 830 Evo.

Note that if you use the larger PC Power & Cooling power supply, it won't fit in many cases without modification.

Do not scrimp on the power. This is something to go big on, especially with SLI.

I will probably never use Vista.There is another OS alternative for using more RAM. Check out the Windows Server 2003 versions at:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsserver/evaluate/features/compare.mspx

There are lots of programs for testing and validation once you have it together, like Sandra. I ran mine for a week on Stanford University's Folding @ Home distributed computing project to heat it up and see if it holds. Definitely get Memtest. I had a bad RAM stick that it found.

If you build it yourself, go at it like brain surgery on a fruit fly, and be sure of everything before putting power to it for the first time.

-CS

----- Original Message -----

From: Dan Clark

To: amibroker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sent: Saturday, June 23, 2007 9:18 AM

Subject: [Norton AntiSpam] RE: [amibroker] Need help with new computer workstation

Tomasz, Dingo, Steve, and Ara,

Thanks for the feedback.   I hoped that there were some new options.   Unfortunately, it is not to be.

It looks like 64 bit Windows is not a good choice now, and Vista is not stable enough and slower than XP.   So, 32 bit Win XP sounds like it’s still the best choice.

Potential hardware configuration:

Processor – (1) Intel Core 2 Duo - E6700 2.66GHz 2MB (LGA775): http://shop.hdnw.com/product.aspx?n=CP-INT923C

Memory – (4) 1Gb memory sticks, maybe Kingston HyperX KHX6400D2LL/1G Low Latency Memory: http://shop.hdnw.com/product.aspx?n=ME-KI1G63

Motherboard – (1) LGA775 Motherboard with dual SLI cards (supports up to four monitors, I think). Not sure of brand or model

System Disk – (1) Western Digital 74GB - SATA 150 10K RPM Raptor: http://shop.hdnw.com/product.aspx?n=HD-74W01

Application Disk – (1) Additional disk.   Same as WD system disk or maybe larger 150Gb model: http://shop.hdnw.com/product.aspx?n=HD-150W01

Video Graphics Cards – (2) Decent SLI graphics cards. Not sure of brand of model.

Case – Lian-Li V1000B aluminum case: http://shop.hdnw.com/product.aspx?n=CA-LIA44.

Many current motherboards (MOBO’s) have networking, audio, etc built in. I’m not much worried about that. So…

Have I missed anything?   Any different choices you would make? Suggestions for video cards?

Thanks and regards,

Dan.

p.s., the reason my scans take so long to run is that I’m creating composite indexes of all stocks with > 50K avg daily volume, and between $2 and $2,000 by Sector and Industry.   This includes computing relative strength indexes. The scans also combine price and volume data with other metrics downloaded from the web to calculate a combined score of stock quality.   In other words, to paraphrase Jerry Lee Lewis, “There’s a whole lotta crunchin’ goin’ on!”

There are five basic scans that have been optimized to perform single-pass processing and then save the intermediate results for use in subsequent scans.   This approach allows maximum performance and the results can still be used in charts for display or for other high speed scans.

My approach was giving reasonable results when I stopped about a year ago. However, it still needs additional work and some of the code no longer works because some of the data does not appear to be available any longer (like Industry and Sector mapping).

From: amibroker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:amibroker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Tomasz Janeczko (groups)
Sent: Friday, June 22, 2007 10:28 AM
To: amibroker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [amibroker] Need help with new computer workstation

Hello,

There are no differences in running AmiBroker on 32 bit vista as compared to 32 bit XP.

As far as 64 bit version of Windows you need:

a) 64- bit drivers

b) 64- bit DLLs

c) 64- bit application

to utilise increased address space (beyond 4GB).

There is 64 bit version of AmiBroker, but data plugin DLLs are behind because no data vendor offers 64 bit APIs till date.

As long as data vendors do not offer 64 bit versions there is no way to utilise their data in 64 bit mode.

Of course this does not prevent from running 32 bit applications/DLLs on 64 bit OS (via WoW (windows on windows)).

Best regards,
Tomasz Janeczko
amibroker.com

----- Original Message -----

From: dingo

To: amibroker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sent: Friday, June 22, 2007 6:08 PM

Subject: RE: [amibroker] Need help with new computer workstation

TJ,

What, if any, are the limitations of running AB on Vista 32 and Vista 64. Please include the compatibility of the AT / Realtime features.

This could help in answering questions.

d

From: amibroker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:amibroker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Tomasz Janeczko (groups)
Sent: Friday, June 22, 2007 5:09 AM
To: amibroker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [amibroker] Need help with new computer workstation

Hello,

Due to 32 bit Windows design limitation the addressable memory space in 32 bit windows

is 2GB (default) or 3GB if windows is run with special boot-time option.

The rest is reserved for operating system's own use.

There are no such limits on 64 bit Windows.

Best regards,
Tomasz Janeczko
amibroker.com

----- Original Message -----

From: Clement Chin

To: amibroker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2007 8:16 PM

Subject: RE: [amibroker] Need help with new computer workstation

May be Thomasz can give us advice.

Clement

From: amibroker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:amibroker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Steve Dugas
Sent: Friday, June 22, 2007 1:04 AM
To: amibroker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [amibroker] Need help with new computer workstation

Hi D - Very timely post! I am in the market to increase RAM, just wondering why Windows doesn't use the full 4G? Seems like a waste to pay for an additional 2G if Windows will only use 1. Thanks!

Steve

----- Original Message -----

From: dingo

To: amibroker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2007 10:50 AM

Subject: RE: [amibroker] Need help with new computer workstation

Actually you can put in 4 gig on a 32 bit machine, BUT windows will only use somewhere between 3 and 4. Still you'll have at least a minimum of 3 available.

The BEST thing you can do to speed things up, as Ara has mentioned, is to streamline your AFL. Unless it is already "sleek and efficient" you'll gain more speed this way than almost any hardware purchase. If you feel like sharing your code then post it here and you'll get lots of good suggestions. If not send it to TJ (who'll be back the the end of the month) and copy your message in with hit and see if he can take a look and make some suggestions.

Also, as Ara mentioned, look at your settings in your preferences and make sure the cache is appropriately sized, etc.

You need to stay away from the 64 bit systems, IMHO.

After all of that and you still feel like you need/want a new machine then get a fast disk (the WD raptors have an excellent bang for the buck). As much memory as can be used and a medium speed dual core Intel machine.

d

From: amibroker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:amibroker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Dan Clark
Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2007 12:27 AM
To: amibroker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [amibroker] Need help with new computer workstation

Hi. I haven’t posted for a while because I’ve been busy with other projects.   Now I’m coming back to the fold, but…

My current workstation doesn’t have enough horsepower for my scans. Currently they are running between three and four hours. Way too long. So I’m going to buy a new ‘puter.

I need some help on this. The last time I looked at this issue, the sense that I got was:

1)       If you could use something like 8Gb of memory, that you probably be big enough to load the AB DB into memory.

2)       But the only way to use 8Gb of memory is to go to a 64Bit OS. With 32Bit OS, you can only used 2Gb of memory.

3)       There is minimal advantage in running AB in a 64 bit OS.

4)       If you did go to a 64 bit OS, many drivers and utilities would not run. This includes data providers like Quotes Plus (my current provider).

From doing a scan of posts in the AB forum, it looks like nothing has changed in the ‘puter/OS realm.    Further, although Vista will run 64bit, reviews indicate that it’s anywhere from 5% to 25% slower than XP.   So that leaves me with a quandary, what do I do?

To maximize the speed of AB scans, what is the best current strategy for buying a computer? Stick with 32Bit OS? Any way to use more than 2Gb of memory?   Is Intel Core Duo the fastest box currently?   10K rpm SATA drives the best alternative now?   SCSI drives still faster?   Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Regards,

Dan.

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