Elite PC Titan FX: Setting New Standards in Gaming
by Wesley Fink on November 30, 2003 10:57 PM EST- Posted in
- Systems
Final Words
Elite PC has been selling computers on the web for quite a while, and we have seen their advertisements in many computer magazines. They also maintain a storefront and LAN Gaming Center at their headquarters in Tempe, Arizona. However, in the end, their main focus has been, and continues to be, as a web-based reseller. This is our first look at an Elite PC system and to say that we are impressed with what we have found would be an understatement.The Elite PC Titan FX is the best Gaming System AnandTech has ever tested. It is also more than just a gaming system. In every benchmark we have run, the Titan FX is at the top of our performance charts! In some cases, the margin of victory is small, but in others, the Titan FX demolishes what had been our previous high score. There is no doubt that Elite PC's decision to use fast Mushkin ECC Registered memory and a SATA RAID built with Western Digital 10,000RPM Raptor drives have contributed strongly to the blazing performance we see here. Then, add in the Athlon64 FX51 and the 256mb ATI Radeon XT, and you have quite a contender. However, Elite PC, like any system builder, can choose the parts they put into their systems, and their choices for this system are extremely well balanced for absolute top performance. Elite PC appears to have chosen the parts for the Titan FX with great care and tweaked the system for blazing performance.
That is not to say the Titan FX is completely trouble-free. While the performance with 2 DIMMs was blazing, we were not able to get 4 ECC Registered DIMMs to work in this board. We are hopeful that MSI or Elite PC can fix this issue because it is the only real negative we found in this system. Perhaps a BIOS update or careful selection of 4 modules by Elite PC will make the use of 4 DIMMs a non-issue. The other is overclocking, where the Titan FX was a disappointment. At least you can overclock, but we wish we had seen results faster than about 6% overclock. This is strongly offset, however, by the option to add a 2nd CPU to the Titan FX. In Anand's earlier testing of the Opteron, he found that the 2nd processor increased overall performance by more than 25%. If the Elite PC Titan FX scales similarly, and we have every reason to expect it will, then the performance increase with 2 Opteron chips will blow well past what any enthusiast might hope to achieve with overclocking a single CPU.
So the point is not missed — the Elite PC Titan FX is the fastest gaming system we have ever tested. The Titan FX is, in fact, the fastest single processor system we have ever tested, however we benchmark it. What's more, this Dual-CPU board can be expanded to two Opteron processors for even higher performance levels. The fastest performer does not come at a bargain-basement price, nor do we believe you would expect that for a system that has the best performance tested. For $3000, you get the system exactly as we tested it, but you will need to add a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers for a complete system. Despite the $3000 price tag, we still believe the Elite PC Titan FX offers excellent value for your money.
This is the fastest system we have tested, period. Sometimes it is easy to send a system back after a review, but this is one system that will be sorely missed when it is returned to Elite PC. If you (or your Santa) are well-heeled or extremely generous, then put the Elite PC Titan FX on your shopping list. You will not be disappointed. The $3000 price tag is a virtual bargain when you look at the performance that you can achieve with this system.
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tfranzese - Monday, December 1, 2003 - link
If you people actaully read the FX articles posted you would find that their HT links are still intact and the chip is multiple processor capable.Either way, if in the future it isn't, that doesn't mean that because you bought a single chip computer that because you have a dually board that you've been shafted. You're stupid if you think that. It probably saves ElitePC time and money to buy in bulk the MSI's and just use them for all their systems.
Doop - Monday, December 1, 2003 - link
Sorry if I sound ignorant but the Athlon FX is not multiprocessor compatible? So you buy this system then when you want to add a second processor you have to buy 2 and sell the Athlon FX?I may be wrong about that but I'm pretty sure...
KristopherKubicki - Monday, December 1, 2003 - link
I have both the MSI and Sony DVD writers. They are identical :) (roundup coming up soon!)Kristopher
destaccado - Monday, December 1, 2003 - link
well looks like elitepc is trying to save a few dollars already, the computer does not come with a sony dvd writer, it's msi (check their site) and on top of that it doesn't list the name brand for the power supply or the dvd-rom, also you can't even configure it with a second athlon fx although this might not be fair to fault them for since you may be able to over the phone........check reseller ratings....destaccado - Monday, December 1, 2003 - link
Wow after looking at reseller ratings I don't see how you guys can in good faith recommend them .....a 4.67 lifetime rating? That's pathetic even if it is 20 something odd reviews, obviously their customers don't care to rate them very high, or at all, and on top of that- according to their warranty on their website they reserve the right to simply pay for shipping in leau of on-site service so I'm guessing anyone who doesn't live in Az isn't getting a tech to their home and the service is definately not overnight.....It's ok though I understand you guys can't rip their pc and you gave me a good idea of the fx performance.....Anubis - Monday, December 1, 2003 - link
are we gonna see a test with 2 CPUs?? i like to see thoes scoresalso 300$ is a good deal because the dell XPX is that expensive and so are similar comps from Falcon NW and Voodoo PC as well as others that offer super high end gameing systems. compaired to a 6000$ FNW 3000$ is a steal
Oxonium - Monday, December 1, 2003 - link
That's the first thing I thought of when I saw this review. You CAN'T upgrade to dual Athlon 64 FX. The extra HT links are disabled. An upgrade to the Opteron 2xx series would be needed. I'm surprised that ElitePC went through all the trouble to use a dual board but doesn't offer an option to order dual processors on their configuration page. Strange.acemcmac - Monday, December 1, 2003 - link
How is 3000$ a "value" with ANY loadout? A fully pimped 875 rig will only run you 1500$ tops retail, and it will prolly be useful for top of of the line games just as long too...Shinei - Monday, December 1, 2003 - link
Yeah, it's gotta be the XT; there's no way it could be the beast that it is without it... Though even with a Pro instead of an XT that's still downright BRUTAL performance.What makes me curious is why they made the motherboard a dualie; AFX is basically a 14x Opteron chip, so it can't link up between processors... Unless they figured out how to re-enable those other two HT links?
Booja555 - Monday, December 1, 2003 - link
What GPU does it use? on page one you say ATIR 9800XT, on page 2 you say ATIR 9800Pro.Somehow I get the feeling that it's the XT, looking at all the other specs a pro would be an unecasary bottleneck.