Dpic_arctic wrote:
So once you buy an OTS computer, you are pretty much locked to those specs, correct?
Yes, and even if they allow you to tweak the CPU, that in itself may void your warranty. Every OTS-PC will give you the bare minimum heatsink which allows your key components to run very hot. They also give you the bare minimum power supply, or let\'s say just 10% to 20% above bare minimum.
I have the hottest running CPU (Intel i7/975 OC-4.0 GHz) and the hottest running graphics card (nVidia GTX295). With my custom-designed air-cooling system, CPU idles at 38 degrees, nVidia at 42 degrees. When I push it with an elaborate screen saver for example, the CPU may get up to 42 and the card may actually hit 50. These numbers are incredible for air-cooling. The CPU has a maximum recommended temp of 70 degrees, so you can see how good it\'s doing. Visit some of the overclockers forums and see how some people push the temps to the limits.
So you see it\'s much more of a hands-on design, let alone the burn-in process of 24 to 48 hours with the CPU running at full bore. Don\'t get me wrong, if you love photography and just want a rig that lets you edit big files at a decent speed and you may watch a lot of streaming videos and surf the web, then an OTS PC may be all you need. But with that setup you won\'t be able to add parts like the aforementioned RAM and HDDs without voiding your waranty, you are definitely locked in.
Nicholas
Jan 30, 2010 at 07:03 PM
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