Looking to buy SFF for DC

[tontod]

Figured I'd post this in here since the PC is going to be mainly for DC. I'm looking for a SFF with a fast processor for as cheap as possible (opposing forces, I know). However, I dont need a large HD or much RAM. I've looked at Dell and HP, they are $450-$500. Can I get something a bit cheaper? Also looking to save space with the SFF. I'm planning on running SETI with it, so probably will get an Nvidia graphics card for CUDA.

 

[petrusbroder]

Hmm, this too may be a problem of opposing forces.
In seti@home, if you want to get decent RAC you'll may want to run the optimized applications and if you have a CUDA-enabled GPU tyhose WUs too.
This will make the computer very hot:
1. optimized applications for the CPU run some 3 - 5 ºC warmer. You need good cooling when running the CPU 100% for more than an hour or so.
2. applications using the GPU run the cards really hot - my 9800GT runs at 90-92ºC when crunching, and that generates a lot of heat.
You need to consider how to get the heat out of the SFF ... it can be done, but the costs ...
If you want silence too - the equasion of reasonable price, size of the comp, good enough cooling and silence is probably one of the harder problems to solve.

Please let us know how you solve the problem ...

 

[tontod]

Originally posted by: petrusbroder
Hmm, this too may be a problem of opposing forces.
In seti@home, if you want to get decent RAC you'll may want to run the optimized applications and if you have a CUDA-enabled GPU tyhose WUs too.
This will make the computer very hot:
1. optimized applications for the CPU run some 3 - 5 ºC warmer. You need good cooling when running the CPU 100% for more than an hour or so.
2. applications using the GPU run the cards really hot - my 9800GT runs at 90-92ºC when crunching, and that generates a lot of heat.
You need to consider how to get the heat out of the SFF ... it can be done, but the costs ...
If you want silence too - the equasion of reasonable price, size of the comp, good enough cooling and silence is probably one of the harder problems to solve.

Please let us know how you solve the problem ...

I guess I might have to compromise on the CPU speed. I might have to settle for 2.5 Ghz dual core instead of something faster or more cores. Or a rack mounted solution would probably be better.

 

[Soulkeeper]

a 55nm gts 250 (or similar) and a 45nm c2d or pII (underclocked/undervolted if need be) should use a reasonably low amount of juice

 

[Denithor]

You want a Shuttle hands down. They offer the best airflow & an awesome cooling system for the CPU of any the SFF prebuilds out there.

I've got one with an old/hot S939 Opty 165 (@ 2.3GHz) and a 9800GT (Gigabyte with custom cooler that just clears the side) that crunches great with zero problems and decent temps (especially considering it's a 90nm 110W processor in there).

 

[somethingsketchy]

I would really research SFF cases if I were you. Since many, if not most, SFF cases were not really designed for airflow (unlike some cases like the Antec 900). There are some out there. Pick a good one and you should be able to run a DC project without too much worry.