DREAM MACHINE 2004
3 MA XIMUMPC SEPTEMBER 2004
tured into the 10,000rpm SATA market.
We also considered a four-drive array, but
the onboard Intel RAID controller allows
only two drives in RAID, so that was the
end of that. Still, the two-drive array sim-
ply cannot be beat in terms of sheer per-
formance, so here we are once again.
http://www.wdc.comSecondary storage:^
300GB Maxtor
DiamondMax 10
Maxtor’s all-new DiamondMax 10 hard
drive came within a hair of being chosen
as the primary storage for this year’s
Dream Machine. Compared with the 74GB
Raptor, the 300GB DiamondMax is just a
tick slower while offering four times more
storage capacity —a compelling combina-
tion indeed. Under normal circumstances
we’d have no problem sacrificing a bit of
speed for an extra 450GB of storage, but
these aren’t normal circumstances—this
is the Dream Machine we’re talking about.And when it comes down to it, although
the 7,200rpm DiamondMax drives are the
fastest in their class, they are still a tick
slower than the Raptors.
So, how much is “a tick,” you ask?
During Lab testing, the DiamondMax
drives trailed the Raptors by a margin of
approximately 10 percent, which is stun-
ning considering the Maxtors spin at a
mere 7,200rpm compared with the Raptors’
10,000rpm rotational velocity. In terms of
benchmark numbers, the Raptor’s average
read speed is approximately 61MB/s, while
the DiamondMax drives are able to achieve
an impressive 55MB/s average sequen-
tial transfer rate, making it the fastest
7,200rpm drive we’ve tested. Even though
the Raptors hold a rotational speed advan-
tage, the Maxtor drives almost overcome
this deficiency by using twice as much
cache—16MB per drive compared with the
Raptors’ 8MB.
Is it audacious to use the fastest 7,200rpm
drives in captivity as mere backup drives?
Perhaps. But, once again, this is the Dream
Machine—the fact that our system’s sec-
ondary storage is faster than most people’s
primary drives just reinforces the Dream
Machine’s mantra—that you are not worthy.
http://www.maxtor.comDual-Layer Optical
Drive: Sony DRU-700A
The timing is so perfect we almost suspect
otherworldly guidance. Jack “VCRs will
destroy Hollywood” Valenti steps down as
the head of the Motion Picture Association
of America, and dual-layer DVD burners
step into our PCs. It’s now possible to make
perfect 1:1 copies of even commercial
DVDs without resorting to multiple discs,
stripped features, or recompression. We’ve
been waiting for this a long time, and Sony
not only did it first, but did it right. A full
8.5GB DVD-Video can be copied in less
than an hour. Even better, the resulting disc
has extraordinary compatibility with set-top
players and DVD-ROMs.
http://www.sony.comOptical Drive:
Plextor PX-712A
With 8x burning to DVD+R and DVD-R
as well as 40x CD-R burning, we were
tempted to adopt the DRU-700A as our
Dream Machine’s sole optical drive. But we
couldn’t resist combining it with Plextor’s
PX-712A. This way we can perform unat-
tended disc-to-disc copying. Adding the PX-
712A also allows us to burn at 12x to single
layer DVD+R (even with some 8x DVD+R
media) for finishing jobs quickly. This also
gives us the benefit of Plextor’s hardware
features (like a generous 8MB buffer) and
its massive software toolbox. Want to cre-
ate an encrypted disc so your parents can’tWe explored several different options for cooling the overclocked
P4 Prescott processor that powers this year’s Dream Machine. We
initially considered using a phase-change setup, but an LGA775
compatible kit was not yet available at the time of the Dream
Machine’s construction. We also didn’t like the fact that we would
have been locked into using a specially designed case had we
gone the phase-change route.
We next considered a water-cooling solution, but we were
again stymied by the lack of compatible hardware: None of the
vendors we contacted had a Socket T-compatible water block
available. This left us with only one practical solution: air-cooling.
It’s difficult to properly cool an overclocked rig using traditional
air-cooling methods, but thankfully, we were able to secure a
high-performance heatsink/fan combo that was up to the task ofkeeping the Prescott from overheating: the Thermaltake Jungle512.
The Jungle512’s speedy fan and large heatsink proved to be
a significant upgrade to the stock Intel cooler and made for an
effective cooling solution when paired with Arctic Silver’s fantas-
tic Series 5 thermal paste: This powerful combination played an
integral role in getting the Dream Machine running at a blistering
yet stable 4GHz. We also appreciated the Jungle512’s push-pin
connectors, which all but eliminate the potential for damage to the
motherboard from an errant screwdriver during installation.
The Jungle512’s best feature, though, is the fact that it can
be easily removed and replaced should a better cooling option
become available in the near future, an important consideration
given this year’s future-proof theme.
http://www.thermaltake.com, http://www.arcticsilver.comInside the Dream Machine: How do you cool a rig this fast?
It wasn’t as hard as you might think...