Andrew Burks

My new workstation is now humming along perfectly.  To review, the specs are:

• Intel i7 920 Quad-core @2.66GHz (currently not overclocked)
• ASRock X58 Motherboard
• Nvidia FX Quadro 580 workstation graphics card
• 6GB RAM
• 1TB Samsung HDD
• 650 Watt Corsair Power Supply
• CoolerMaster Hyper 212 CPU cooler
• CoolerMaster 335 Case

Build Observations

Putting together a computer was quick and easy.  Everything went super smoothly and was very straightforward.  I never really had to read the directions (although Mike Ornstein was guiding me heavily).  The hardest part was making sure all of my components were designed to work together.  I spent more time researching individual parts than I did assembling the whole system.

Overclocking seems unnecessary right now.  I have Solidworks running in RealView, and I can spin large models with no lag.  The biggest improvement is my rendering ability.  1920×1080 renders of complex geometries in Photoview used to take more than an hour, or just crash my laptop.  On the new computer, it takes only four and a half minutes.  This makes sense, considering that my Windows 7 Experience index raised from a 3.1 (Limited by graphics score) to a 6.9 (Limited by HDD score; Graphics and processor are highest – tie at 7.9).  I successfully played an HD movie over the weekend, and am very pleased with the results.

Software

With one computer that i use in my room (or remote into) and another I take around with me, it is important to make sure they play nice.

I found a file synchronization tool, FreeFileSync, that I really like.  I have a “SYNC” folder on each computer, with everything I want to have available to me on any computer (School/Project/Personal files, Music, etc).  FreeFileSync matches this folder from each computer against a backup I set on my external hard drive.  So I have three sets of identical data in three separate places.

I was having trouble syncing my iTunes playlists.  The way iTunes handles its playlists and libraries is very weird.  I decided to convert to Windows Media Player, and I’ve never been happier.  All of my music (4-5GB) and playlists are synchronized now.  However, because WMP playlists are just xml data with absolute mp3 file locations, syncing the playlists would make it not work on one computer.  I solved this problem by drawing on my 15-123 PERL skillz and writing a quick script to convert the absolute file names into relative file names in the playlists (which are identical between computers) and now my playlists can synchronize too!

I have set up remote desktop and have given my friends an account so they can render on my machine.  I’m curious to see if i start remoting into my workstation when I’m on campus, or if I’ll just keep using my laptop most of the time.

I look forward to installing Synergy which should allow me to control the workstation with the keyboard and mouse on my lenovo (which I love) as well as using my laptop and workstation screens side by side, as if they were one computer.