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Views on suitability for new forensic hardware

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(@richjo22)
Posts: 3
New Member
Topic starter
 

Hello All,

I need your views and opinions please.

I'm looking at purchasing a new Forensic Examination Workstation to run Encase V8, Magnet - Axiom and MSAB XRY. Imaging is conducted on a separate workstation with all the write blockers attached to that so I don't need inbuilt write blocking for the new workstation.
It will be used for case processing and examinations.
I need the workstation to last at least 3 years and don't have an unlimited budget.

I've looked into some specs for a new workstation costing in the region of £3,000.

I will be installing OS on 1st disk, 2nd disk for cache and case backup and using removable media for evidence files.

Can anyone provide any advice or see any problems with the below specs?

• Case COOLERMASTER SILENCIO 452 QUIET MID TOWER CASE
• Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™ i9 16 Core Processor i9-7960X (2.8GHz) 22MB Cache
• Motherboard ASUS® ROG STRIX X299-E GAMING ATX, USB 3.1, SATA 6 GB/s, WIFI - RGB Ready
• Memory (RAM) 32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2666MHz (4 x 8GB)
• Graphics Card 2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1050 - DVI, HDMI, DP
• 1st Hard Disk 500GB WD Blue™ 3D NAND 2.5" SSD, (upto 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
• 2nd Hard Disk 500GB WD Blue™ 3D NAND 2.5" SSD, (upto 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
• DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
• Power Supply CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
• Processor Cooling Corsair H60 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
• Thermal Paste COOLER MASTER MASTERGEL MAKER THERMAL COMPOUND
• Sound Card ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
• Wireless/Wired Networking 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
• USB Options MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
• Firewire 2 Port IEEE 1394a Firewire PCI-E Card (2 x 6 pin)
• Operating System Genuine Windows 10 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
• Operating System Language United Kingdom - English Language
• Windows Recovery Media Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
• Office Software Microsoft® Office Home & Business 2016 (1 Digital License)

Rich

 
Posted : 27/03/2018 7:52 am
jaclaz
(@jaclaz)
Posts: 5133
Illustrious Member
 

• Processor Cooling Corsair H60 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler

A bit on the noisy side, since it is one fixed speed only
https://www.anandtech.com/show/5054/corsair-hydro-series-h60-h80-and-h100-reviewed/6

The difference between 38 and 43 dBA is quite a lot in a relatively silent room.

• Thermal Paste COOLER MASTER MASTERGEL MAKER THERMAL COMPOUND

That is a good one, but seemingly not an excellent one
https://www.hwcooling.net/en/the-test-of-27-thermal-compounds-part-2-en/2/

jaclaz

 
Posted : 27/03/2018 4:17 pm
(@richjo22)
Posts: 3
New Member
Topic starter
 

Jaclaz / Calimelo,

Thanks for your responses. I will consider both of your suggestions and will change the spec before ordering.

Thanks again for your response, considerations and time.

Rich

 
Posted : 30/03/2018 8:12 am
(@ludlowboy)
Posts: 71
Trusted Member
 

I have a Coolermaster 690 case which has an inbuilt HDD dock on the top of the case. I find this a very useful feature as I store my evidence files on internal drives. Have you looked at these cases?

 
Posted : 30/03/2018 2:50 pm
MDCR
 MDCR
(@mdcr)
Posts: 376
Reputable Member
 

Since i'm almost certain you will be using it for long periods of time, chugging away at data overnight even, i'd suggest taking a look at highly effective cooling.

* The PSU should not blow out heat into the case, it should be pass through so the heat escapes the case. Some PSU expels heat at the back of the computer as well as back into the case, creating a vortex like effect. This just contributes to the overall temperature in the case.

* A 650 W PSU should be enough, there are spikes when turning the box on and it will eat lots of energy when the GPU works hard. If you need to upgrade, go for a 1KW version. It will not CONSUME 1KW all the time, but it can DELIVER 1KW if needed. The actual medium consumption is actually very low, maybe 100-200W.

* Get a radial cooling fan that is mounted in a PCI slot. They suck in hot air and expels it out the back of the case.

* Make sure the case have a capable air inlet with a filter that you clean out regularly.

* Consider PCI Express SSDs. 500 MB/s isn't "much". I built a system with 2 revodrives in raid 0 that did 3 GB/s. Boy did that thing move! I was able to process data almost as fast as if it was in a Ramdrive, saves lots of time.

* Go down to your local games show and ask about components. Skip normal retailers, gaming stores that sell hardware can know way more about cooling than normal computer retailers.

* Resist the urge to overclock and create more stability problems. You already got 16 cores.

(yes, I've built games machines and also a workstation or two since the 90s).

 
Posted : 30/03/2018 4:01 pm
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