Power
We measure power consumption using a Kill-A-Watt device at the wall outlet. Idle indicates a measurement taken in Windows at the desktop with no applications running. Max indicates the maximum power draw with the system fully loaded (running eight instances of Prime95 and 3DMark Vantage simultaneously). We've also indicated power draw with just the CPU loaded.
With a monitor on the same outlet (another 80W), this was the first time we've hit the thousands place on our Kill-a-Watt with a computer system. Of course, the 941W number shown is the peak power draw we tested, but we saw numbers between 700 and 780W in Far Cry 2 under normal gameplay conditions. That can definitely add up to a lot of money in power bills, so we recommend turning off systems like this when they're not in use. The idle power alone will account for around $300 per year if run 24/7!
Noise
We measured noise with a sound level meter, at distances of 24" and 48". For reference, ambient noise was approximately 37.5 dB(A).
We thought that this was the noisiest system we've tested, and once we made our measurements we confirmed that was the case. The steady drone from the GTX 285s really makes for an unpleasant experience. The system was clearly audible from an adjacent room with the door closed, and we found ourselves leaving the room if we got a phone call. This is a real shame on a system with CPU water-cooling that contributes very little to overall noise levels. Water-cooled GPUs would definitely improve the noise results, although costs will escalate dramatically. GPU cooling for three CPUs will add $720, or a dual-loop water-cooling setup will add $1080.
Temperature
We utilized CoreTemp 0.99.4 to measure CPU temperatures. We loaded each core with Prime95 and ran 3DMark Vantage in the background.
The Core i7 processor runs quite hot, especially when overclocked, and the Swiftech water-cooler is doing a very good job at 4.0GHz.
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Matt Campbell - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
I agree with Alex and others here that the power supply may be a primary culprit, it was in the same vicinity as the video cards and the noise was hard to isolate. I'll see if I can further isolate it before I pack it up, but in that case going with an alternate PSU supplier (Christoph Katzer may have some views here) would of course help out.DigitalStorm - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
I wanted to thank AnandTech for the review opportunity.I do wish to comment on system noise. From our experience, the PC Power and Cooling 1200W PSU is the main culprit. Under stress, the unit can become very loud.
We are looking at ways to lower the noise from our high-end systems. No one wants a loud system, and we agree.
Warm Regards,
Alex
Digital Storm
Clauzii - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
Might sound stupid, but is using Fanless impossible?I mean, say, 2(600W),3 or 4 PSUs depending on machine type?
yessir22 - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
There's no reason a liquid cooled system should be that loud.You guys should review a computer from Puget Systems. They're even higher rated than DSO, and are known for their quiet computers. I have a friend who bought a system there and he won't stop talking about them, lol
gamerk2 - Monday, May 25, 2009 - link
Mainly because the case they used (assuming its the same as mine) comes with 2x top side fans, a front side fan, a underside fan, the radiator/pump, and the GPU fans.Hence, a lot of noise for a lot of cooling.
Matt Campbell - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
I just configured a system very close to this one on Puget's site (minus one GTX 285, they only offer SLI systems), and the cost was $6589. With another GTX 285, that would bump it up to just over $7000, about $1000 more than the system reviewed here. The option's always open for the future, but unless they could demonstrate a clear performance or warranty support advantage, it'd be a hard sell.yessir22 - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
Apples and oranges, dude. Puget Systems liquid cools the video cards. Take that out and their $6500, I saved a quote on the website. Plus they have 2x the radiator size. If you use a smaller radiator, then Puget is $5400.Matt Campbell - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
Actually, I did take out the liquid cooling on the video cards. It's still more. Doesn't mean it's bad, just pricier. Actually, I notice the prices have shifted just since I did the last config. a few hours ago, and changed $5 again between the time I configured this system and put it into a cart.Puget Deluge
P6T Deluxe
i7 965
6GB DDR3-1600
2x GTX 285
2x 300 GB Velociraptor
1x 1.5TB WD Green
LiteOn Blu-ray, Pioneer DVDRW
P183 w/liquid cooling
Silverstone 1200W P/S
Koolance 345AT
Liquid cooling on video cards None
Vista Ultimate
3 Year Warranty parts
Price: $6376.27 + $153 shipping = $6529.27
Add the third GTX 285 to match this one, and you're at that $7000 number.
JarredWalton - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
I actually http://www.anandtech.com/systems/showdoc.aspx?i=29...">reviewed a PC from Puget Systems a while back and pretty much can echo what Matt said. They did provide excellent support in my experience and were very good at communicating what was happening. Pricing is more than I'd be willing to pay, but then I'm not their target audience.aguilpa1 - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
They have good stuff but boy you PAY for it.