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2 PC's in 1 case.

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  • 2 PC's in 1 case.

    Hi all.

    I am wanting to know if it is possible for me to build a reliable Dual-purpose PC?

    It would be 2 "loops". 1, a DAW for my music, and the other for Video Editing to make my own DVD's.

    I was thinking it'd be very practical to be able to use 1 Liquid Cooled CPU/MoBo & Graphics between 2 storage loops each with an OS installed. Have a different profile setup for each OS/Loop.
    The DAW loop would utilize the CPUs on-board graphics to save on power, would be at stock Clock Speed or OC'd a little with all the Fans at lower speed for quieter operation. Whilst the Video Production Station would use the badass Graphics card and be OC'd higher with the Fans all up.

    Would this be do-able in a Mid Tower Gaming Case? I'm looking at either the CM Storm Enforcer or NZXT Phantom 410 (I really like the Gunmetal look).

    Thanks everyone.

  • #2
    Re: 2 PC's in 1 case.

    You could always go cluster nod style, it wouldnt be a problem to design it... :) once you have it on the paper its easyer to make adjustments how you wanna move things, open it.. etc the best thing would be to combine two of these they are low profile, easy for modding and you can make it like a suitcase opening method... if you need any help, it aint a bother to help :)
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    • #3
      Re: 2 PC's in 1 case.

      Originally posted by Nimir-Anu View Post
      Hi all.

      I am wanting to know if it is possible for me to build a reliable Dual-purpose PC?

      It would be 2 "loops". 1, a DAW for my music, and the other for Video Editing to make my own DVD's.

      I was thinking it'd be very practical to be able to use 1 Liquid Cooled CPU/MoBo & Graphics between 2 storage loops each with an OS installed. Have a different profile setup for each OS/Loop.
      The DAW loop would utilize the CPUs on-board graphics to save on power, would be at stock Clock Speed or OC'd a little with all the Fans at lower speed for quieter operation. Whilst the Video Production Station would use the badass Graphics card and be OC'd higher with the Fans all up.

      Would this be do-able in a Mid Tower Gaming Case? I'm looking at either the CM Storm Enforcer or NZXT Phantom 410 (I really like the Gunmetal look).

      Thanks everyone.
      As long as you are using one mother board in the PC, you could do that in any decent sized PC case. There really is no extra hardware involved besides multiple drives, which the vast majority of PC cases will accommodate. You could even have two OSes installed on separate partitions of one drive. Dual booting of OSes is supported by Windows, and is not an exotic feature. The hardware needed and the PC case for your idea is not a problem at all, the cases you listed would be fine.

      Your main question will be how you want to select which "storage loop" you want to use when you start the PC, or want to change to the other loop. You could configure things where Windows prompts you to select which OS/loop you want to use. Or you could use the Boot Menu option function key on your board to pick which drive or partition to boot from when you start the PC. Or do the same thing in the BIOS Boot screen.

      Some ASRock boards have a feature called HDD Saver. It allows you to turn the power on or off on two drives (not individually.) That can be done in the BIOS, or in a utility that runs in Windows. You could use that to turn off one of the OS drives.

      Selecting which graphics source and the CPU OC is not as simple as selecting between two OS installations. There is no way to select which graphics source to use in Windows. You can do that in the BIOS, but the video card would still be on (just idling) when you select the on-board graphics.

      Normally BIOS OC settings can be changed with BIOS option profiles that can be saved in the BIOS. Some boards have utilities that allow you to load BIOS profiles in Windows. Intel has an over clocking program, IXTU, that lets you save and apply CPU OC settings in Windows. Most mother board manufactures supply similar programs, but I prefer the Intel program.

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