Specifications and initial thoughts
The ultimate base unit? You decide.
| System name | SCAN FX-62 AM2 Workstation |
| Processor | AMD Athlon 64 FX-62 (2.8GHz, 2MB L2 cache, AM2) |
| Motherboard | Foxconn nForce5 590 - C51xEM2AA |
| Memory | 2GBytes (2x 1GByte) Corsair EPP PC8500 RAM @ 5-5-5-15 2T @ DDR2-940 |
| Hard Drive(s) | Western Digital 150GB Raptor 10K (WD1500ADFD) SATA |
| 2 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 750GB SATA2 | |
| Screen | None as standard, optional extra |
| Graphics card | NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GX2 1GB |
| Optical drive #1 | Lite-On 16H5S multi-format DVD ReWriter |
| Optical drive #2 | Lite-On 16H5S multi-format DVD ReWriter |
| Sound | Creative SoundBalster X-Fi Fatal1tyFPS (+headset) |
| Modem | None |
| Networking | 2 x Gigabit Ethernet from nForce 590 SLI |
| Ports connectivity | 10x USB2.0 (4x front, 6x rear I/O), 3x FireWire400, 2x RJ45, audio, optical S/PDIF-out, PS/2 |
| Operating system | Windows XP Professional SP2 |
| Case | Silverstone TEMJIN TJ07 - silver |
| PSU | TAGAN 580W EasyCon Modular |
| Warranty | Three years (1st onsite, 2+3 BTB) |
| Price | £2,599 exc. VAT (£3,053.82 with) |
| Shipping | £39 + VAT (£45.83 inc. VAT) |
| Other notables | Mitsumi cardreader/floppy Sharkoon lighting kit |
There's little surprise to see that the SCAN 7950 GX2 is based on the same chassis as the original version we reviewed a couple of weeks ago. The SilverStone TEMJIN TJ07 is a fantastic aluminium chassis that's an ideal starting point for a high-end system. The thick aluminium gives it a rigidity that cheaper cases lack, and massive internal space, consisting of seven 5.25in and six 3.5in bays, makes it perfect for future upgrading requirements.
Note the differences between this and the original SKU? SCAN took our suggestions onboard about installing a second optical drive and has outfitted this model with two LiteOn multi-format DVD re-writers. It's now possible to undertake on-the-fly recording and, with LightScribe compatibility, you're able to write directly on to compliant discs.
SCAN has also added in a two-in-one multicard reader that covers the usual suspects, plus a floppy drive for backwards compatibility. Creative's excellent SoundBlaster X-Fi Fatal1tyFPS, replete with front-mounted box, is now specified, providing higher-quality sound than the HD audio available from the nForce 590 SLI southbridge. The rest of the front stays the same, with a drop-down door hiding four USB2.0 ports, one FireWire400 socket and audio in/outs. Note that two USB2.0 ports are used to connect the multicard reader to the system, so only two of those four ports are usable.
This particular SKU features storage in abundance. We felt that the original's 300GB capacity, albeit super-fast, was a little low. There's now a single Western Digital 150GB 10,000rpm Raptor hard drive that carries the operating system and two Seagate 7200.10 750GB 16MB cache drives for storage. That's not a typo, folks, as SCAN has added in a nominal 1.5TB of storage that can be configured any way you like (JBOD, RAID0, RAID1, say). The drives are housed at the very bottom and are cooled by two slow-spinning 120mm intake fans. There's space for three additional drives, as well, although 1.65TB (unformatted) should be enough for most people's needs, we reckon. However, the drives produce a noticeable sound when seeking and that reverberates around the chassis.
Powering the system is the same 580W TAGAN modular PSU, located at the bottom. Also unchanged are the CPU (AMD Athlon 64 FX-62 - AM2), motherboard (Foxconn C51xEM2AA) and EPP-supporting RAM (2GBytes Corsair EPP PC8500 DDR2). All are high-quality components and amongst the fastest available today. We appreciate SCAN's care and attention. Each 3XS system ships with anti-static bubble-wrap, ensuring that internal components can't damage the system if they become loose during transit.
Now, what's that graphics card in the centre of the motherboard?
It's an NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GX2 1GB card, of course! SCAN has used NVIDIA's fastest single graphics card to showcase the power of its high-end system. The card amalgamates two GeForce 7900-series GPUs into one package. Our Rys took it for a preview spin here - and had considerable doubts about it, as you'll see. Strictly speaking, it's two separate cards joined together with a connector, so is akin to a pair of SLI'd cards housed in a single package, yet it's no larger than a regular GeForce 7900 GTX 512MB model, as shown below.
SCAN's GeForce 7950 GX2 is clocked in at a reference 500MHz core and 1200MHz (effective) memory. Those are the speeds of each of the two cards, naturally. On paper, it can be considered to be around the same speed as two SLI'd GeForce 7900 GTs, and NVIDIA pushes it as the ultimate single card for high-resolution gaming. Further, NVIDIA will release appropriate drivers that let you run two of these cards in Quad-SLI mode, but, for now, you're limited to a single double-decker card featuring two 512MB-equipped GPUs.
SCAN continues to use the excellent Arctic Freezer64 Pro AM2 cooler. There's also a Sharkoon lighting kit that offers a funky look, although the cathodes' light can only be seen through the vents on each side - there's no window.
The changes that are discussed above are highlighted by a look at the back. A Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty card takes the place of the second GeForce 7900 GTX 512MB card that was specified on the original SKU, and the geeks amongst you will recognise GX2 by the upside-down display outputs running off the card. What's also pleasing is that the use of high-end components doesn't cause the system to sound like a Boeing 747 during take-off. Rather, it's a system that's on the lower end of the noise scale.
The addition of massive storage from Seagate, discrete sound from Creative and an extra optical drive pushes the overall price up a touch, to £2,599 excluding VAT (£3,053.82 with).
SCAN provides a three-year warranty, with the first year onsite and the second and third back-to-base. For an extra £105 (ex VAT) you can upgrade to an insurance-backed three-year onsite, which, really, should come as standard when the overall price totals over £3,000. Our gaming benchmarks will show that the GeForce 7950 GX2's performance sits between a regular GeForce 7900 GTX 512MB's and two cards in SLI mode. That being the case, ultimate gaming nirvana still rests with two SLI cards, and specifying those will push the overall price up by a further £215 or so.
A buyer will need to add a own screen, speakers, keyboard and mouse to complete the system. Adding in high-quality parts will push the overall price to over £4,000, we reckon, but that's what you pay at this luxury end of the market. This SKU has been designed to highlight the single-card (well, single PCIe slot-taking) prowess of the GeForce 7950 GX2, and the components surrounding it have been sensibly chosen to offer the most performance available today. No two ways about it, £3,000 is hell of a lot of money to pay for a base unit but this is the best we've seen thus far.
