Sprocket Resurfaces...

[clocker]

...for air.

After years- at least five, IIRC, of using watercooling, I decided to try air again.
Two reasons behind the conversion- first, watercooling is somewhat of a PITA-especially if you swap parts out frequently.
Second, the new Intels- specifically, the 45nm chips- just don't run that hot.

Also, aircooling technology has advanced a great deal since last I tried it and I figured that for just a few bucks it was worth a shot.

What really pushed me over the edge was rediscovering my TJ06 Silverstone case, buried in a storage closet.
The TJ was the first case I totally fell in love with- I thought then (and still think now) that it was the most handsome enclosure I'd ever seen.
The CM Stacker (the original T-01) that I'd had before- and went back to again- and the Silverstone TJ07 that I ultimately ended up with, were better suited for watercooling (mainly cause they were big) but neither had the look of the original Temjin.

Now, the TJ06 was a seriously flawed design internally- it's claim to fame was a "windtunnel" cooling system that only fit a very few motherboards/heatsinks...it certainly didn't work with anything I had at the time.
It also had a horrible placement of the harddrive cage.
Naturally, within minutes of unboxing the case, both of these items were removed.

Here is one (not mine), unmodified...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/silverstone_sst-tj06-innen.jpg

I can't remember the last case- if indeed there are any- that I used just as delivered.

Anyway, she went through several iterations- watercooled, of course- that resulted in lots of case hacking and part removal.
Here are a few examples...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/weapon.jpg

Chassis was painted matte black and the front was cut to install a radiator.
Note the 120mm hole below the top mounted PSU...this originally held a fan to cool the HDDs and later became a mount for a reservoir.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/loop.jpg
Now the original optical cage has been removed and a smaller one installed. The HDD has been placed up front, cooled by a roof mounted 120mm fan and handles have been added to the top ( don't ask why, I don't remember).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/gpufirst.jpg

I think this was the final version before I got another Stacker and moved on.
At any rate, you get the idea...I chopped up this case mercilessly and threw it into the closet and forgot about it.

Till last week.
I dragged her out, gazed at it speculatively and decided to try reviving her from the dead. Really, she had nothing to lose...

Naturally, all my hardware has changed and all the holes cut for watercooling were now useless, so there was a lot to do.
First up was the roof panel.

The handles and the 120mm blowhole were not only unneeded but also offended my sense of aesthetics- which has changed a bit since I started doing this shit- so they had to go.
The easiest and most useful for case ventilation way of doing this was to just mesh the top- like so...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Newroof.jpg

This also served to make possible the next mod I wanted to do.
The Corsair PSU I now use had the hardwired cables on the side furthest from the motherboard when mounted in the stock position. This subtracted about 6" of length- which I really needed- and necessitated the use of extenders.
However, if I could flip the PSU, the cables would be more properly positioned but the cooling fan would be facing the roof.
The mesh made this possible.

I decided to reverse the Corsair's fan as well...it now draws air from the back and exhausts out the top. While I had the case open- yes, another warranty sticker shot to hell- I removed the redundant 4-pin motherboard cable. This is my biggest gripe with what would otherwise be an almost perfect PSU...they hardwire BOTH a 4-pin and an 8-pin connector, one of which must be hidden, unused. Why they don't just have a single 8-pin and include an adaptor, I'll never know.
Anyway, problem solved.

Next up were the optical and harddrives.
I had no way to mount them.
Back in the day, I only had one harddrive-remember when they used to be expensive?- and one optical (still do).

Now I have four harddrives and absolutely no where to mount them.
Fortunately, I had a Coolermaster 4 into 3 drive cage left over from of my three Stackers (pictured (here (http://reviews.cnet.com/storage-accessories/cooler-master-4-in/4505-6517_7-30995795.html)).
So, I made a plate bolted to the front of the case (remember, all of this had been cut away at some point), used a 140mm fan and adaptor, and ultimately ended up with all the drives and the DVD burner installed.
I'll get better pics of this later...there's still a lot left to do.

Finally, the whole reason for this exercise...the heatsink.
Whilst cruising Microcenter a few weeks ago, I spotted a Xigmatek cooler that looked quite nice- model 1283, I believe- and it was on special for just $29.95 with a $15 rebate...so basically, $15 total.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Xigmatek.jpg

Direct touch heatpipes, 120mm fan- I figured I had little to lose.
I also picked up the optional backplate which eliminates the gawd-awful pushpin retention pins in favor of springloaded screws.

Concurrently, I also wangled a trade with a friend for a new Gigabyte P45 motherboard- he wanted SLI (which my P35 had) and I didn't (but I was interested in the newer chipset...more about that later...).

Although the case modifications were only half finished, I installed the board anyway just to see what would happen.

Here's how she looks at this point...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Newside.jpg

Hidden behind the black beauty panel in the top left corner are the harddrives and the DVD burner. The four silver knobs are a fan controller.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Newwires.jpg

Still working on the wiring.

After a heartstopping few hours when it wouldn't POST- turns out it takes more effort to seat the RAM than I've ever seen- she ran.
Like a bat out of hell actually.

This chip- my second Wolfie- has never been a great overclocker.
On the P35 board the most it'd do at stock voltage (1.25v) was 3.6GHz.
4GHz was possible but I wasn't comfortable with the increased voltage needed to get there.

On the new P45 board, it hit 4GHz at only 1.1v and it's currently running 4.2GHz at 1.2v...still under stock!
Once I get everything buttoned up, I'll see just how high she'll go- I'm thinking maybe 4.5GHz...on air.
That's ridiculous.

Some bench/temp shots...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Sprock129089.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Sprock1290810.jpg

That's 45 minutes of Prime 95 ( a good sign) and she's topped out at 44°...pretty bloody good, I think.

And, just for grins...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Sprock129086.jpg

This burst speed is about 700MB more than the same array on the older ICH9 controller.

Finally, PC Pitstop Overdrive test...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Sprock12908.jpg

So, here we are.
Whew.

There's more to do before the case is finished.
If the weather cooperates I hope to be done by the weekend.
I knew this post was going to be long- I tend to ramble a bit- so breaking it up into parts is probably good for all of us.

Now I have to go shovel some snow.

[Detale]

Hey man glad you see your playing with your parts again. What board is that? I don't remember you having that one. Also do you have any more shots of the fan controller mod there?

[clocker]

It's a Gigabyte EP45-UD3R.

The fan controller is a Sunbeam- the same I recommended to you- dismounted from it's faceplate and put into that cover plate.
When I do the final pics I'll get some better shots.

[j2k4]

Is that the CPU cooler you recommended to me.

It's friggin' huge. :blink:

Will it fit...what case?

[clocker]

Yup, same one.
It should fit any of the cases we've been discussing.

I do have a gripe with the design...the fan mounting, actually.
The fan is held on with these rubber "push-pin" type thingies.
They work fine and the fan is isolated from the sink, so it won't vibrate.
But...once installed, the fan blocks access to two of the sink's retaining screws, making installation in the case very difficult.

I've designed (well, "designed" is too strong a word- I've visualized) a fix which ya'll should see in the next installment.

[Detale]

The enzotech was the same, fan blocking the screws. With mine you could install the fan last and it was OK. Is this possible on yours?

Design!? I cant wait. BTW have you ever though of doing a clock mod somehow building a clock into a rig or at least a case?

[clocker]

The enzotech was the same, fan blocking the screws. With mine you could install the fan last and it was OK. Is this possible on yours?
It can be done, but not easily.
The mounts are like rubber bands and must be stretched to install...this requires a fair bit of force, more than I like with the heatsink mounted to the board. Also, you might note that the sink is quite close to the casefloor and there's not a lot of room to work with.


I cant wait. BTW have you ever though of doing a clock mod somehow building a clock into a rig or at least a case?
No, I rarely think of clocks anymore.
For nearly ten years I thought of little else and it's out of my system now.

[Acid_death69]

44C is brilliant fella! was that the average temp or the highest temp?
Will you do a longer stress test?

[clocker]

Last night I ran OCCT for 6 hours.
Frankly, I was amazed it survived that long...I was expecting it to crash out much sooner but it didn't, so I stopped it.
For the unitiated, OCCT is a stress test that seems more rigorous than Prime95.
Systems that will run Prime all day long can crash within minutes under OCCT...

At any rate, this was totally unexpected...I figured the system was stable enough to run Windows at 4.2GHZ but probably flaky under stress and this proved untrue. So far, at least. This new board's BIOS is much different than the older P35's- lots of the options are Greek to me and I left pretty much everything on "Auto" till I can do some research.

To answer your question- I haven't seen any temp over 46°c.
However, the case has yet to be buttoned up (sidepanels installed) and it is winter...room temp is @ 18-19°C, so things may change.

I hadn't mentioned in the first post that I also modified my Zalman GPU cooler.
Stock, it has a weenie little 70mm fan embedded in the finnage and that little bastard was very whiny at full speed. I removed it and strapped two 80mm fans on, which cover the entirety of the sink. I haven't done any testing of this setup yet but Everest is reporting idle temps in the low 30's.
Everest also shows that the two harddrives it can access SMART data for (it can't read from a RAID array) are running at @ 25°c- even during defrag.

Humorously, Everest has no idea what this new P45 motherboard is- it asked to send a report to Lavalys the first time it opened. I figured, "why not" and said OK. I haven't installed the supplied Gigabyte monitoring app yet so I don't know what extra info might be available- if any. It'd be nice to see north/south bridge temps but I doubt that Gigabyte sensored them on what is essentially a budget board (this thing was only $110 from Newegg).

After I finish construction of the case- there is still a lot I want to do which will probably require total disassembly at least once more- I'll spend more time playing with the platform.

[Nickthestick91]

Awesome! Looking forward to the updates.

[j2k4]

Keep the pics coming; I imagine mine will be mighty similar, huh?

Parts should be here in about ten days or so...I hate doing things on a schedule, but there it is. :huh:

[clocker]

What did you end up getting?

[j2k4]

Won't pull the trigger until after the weekend (probably), but I'm going with the list I was given - it all makes too much sense.

This computer guy I got, he's pretty sharp. :whistling:

Still have to resolve the "which case?" issue.

[clocker]

Hmmph.

The case is simply a matter of money.
Either go with the $50 Centurian or decide to spend around $100 more and get something like this. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160)

[j2k4]

Going with the Centurian, then. :)

[Detale]

This computer guy I got, he's pretty sharp. :whistling:


I think we have the same guy. He's great 'aint he? He had a thank you thread here somewhere ;)

Clocker What GPU cooler did you get again, I'm too lazy to search the threads for it. Also how did you attach the fans? I noticed the board doesn't have ESATA on board, I thought that is like a deal breaker for you no?

Now I know you are working with the Corsair 620 same as mine but what cable are you using for the HDD's I don't have that one, is it a mod or aftermarket? In case you don't know what I mean...
http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/8860/newwiresha1.jpg
It looks like there are a series of 4-4pin connectors on 1 wire Mine only came with 2 on a single line. This would clean stuff up in my WC case a bit, Oh I'm opening her up a little at a time BTW.

[clocker]

That is the stock Corsair SATA wire with relocated connectors.
I need to locate a cover for the bottom one.

Since I've used this same model PSU on several builds I have lots of extra cables to play with.

The board does not have native eSATA on the I/O panel but does have a two port eSATA breakout for the backplane.
This is getting modified and installed up front.
That's one of the last main fabrication jobs left to do...I'm saving that up with a few other things so I only have to strip the case down one last time (hopefully).

This will require removing the front bezel (which is all metal, held on with eight screws) but before that can happen the front plate, which holds the hard drive cage and the DVD burner must come out.
Here is the front bezel showing where the stock front USB/1394 ports are located...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Stockports.jpg

Right above those is where I'm going to put the eSATA ports.
With those connected, I'll have seven of the eight motherboard SATA headers filled.

This (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118037) is the Zalman VGA cooler.
The fans are held on with zip ties for now, if the modification works out I'll figure out a more elegant method later.

Edit:
Added another 100MHz to reach 4.3GHz.
Had to bump the CPU core voltage up to 1.268, which droops to 1.25 under load.
Finally got a 10 second SuperPi run and picked up a few points on the PC Pitstop test...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Sprock12120813.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Sprock12120814.jpg

Tee hee.

I ran OCCT for 15 minutes to generate some heat but did not continue to see how stable the system was.
Temps still did not exceed 50°C, so that looks good.

I'm guessing- with no real evidence- that I've hit the wall with "Auto" settings and will have to decipher the BIOS settings to get any higher (or indeed, to stay here with any pretense of stability).
That silliness will have to wait for another day.
Right now I need to concentrate on getting her all properly assembled.

[Detale]

I can't say I've even looked at the Corsair cables to think of relocating them, but if you have time could you take some cloes-ups of them so I can check em out please. Thanks man

[clocker]

OK, no new pics yet but some progress has been made.
The new lower front plate has been completed (yeah, I know I haven't shown any of that stuff yet) and this morning I should complete the install of the RAM cooler.

I should have gone ahead with the install of the front eSATA ports but didn't for two reasons.
First, it requires completely stripping the case down to gain unfettered access to the front bezel. This is a giant PITA and frankly, I was feeling lazy.

Second, it's not a trivial mod.
Although it only requires drilling four holes and creating two rectangular openings, the final result is completely exposed and visible. I've learned that forcing myself to perform such feats is usually a bad idea and since the front bezel is my favorite part of the case, I want to wait till I'm confident of the outcome.

Detale:
About the Corsair cables...you don't need pics from me, this is completely self-explanatory.
If you have any unused cables left over look at them. If not, pull one from your case.
Now, look at one of the 90° fittings- on the back you'll see a little cover which just pops off. Remove it.
You'll now see that the wires are simply pressed into a metal fitting which pierces the insulation and touches the inner copper wire. The wires are easily removed, leaving the wire somewhat mangled. This was not a problem for me since I was moving the fittings much closer to the PSU end...there was plenty of virgin wire to work with between the PSU terminal and the first stock connector.

Because the Corsair wiring is all black, special attention must be paid to the polarity of the connector. I left the stock connectors in place till I was finished so I could verify which wire was which as I installed the new parts. Then all you do is cut the excess wire away flush with the edge of your new end connector.
Just to be safe, I verified polarity with a DMM before hooking up to the real components.

You can do it, it's easy.

[Nickthestick91]

^ Yeah, I did the same thing to one of my Corsair SATA power cables. My optical drive is at the top of the case, while two of the hard drives that also need a SATA power cable are at the bottom of the case, so I took the attachment off the wires, matched up the wires, and put the attachments back on so that they lined up perfectly with my drives. Extremely easy to do. I found a tutorial on the net a few days ago, so I'll try and look for it for you Detale.

EDIT: Here it is - http://www.gam.net.au/pcmods/satapower/3.html

Scroll down to where it says "Type 3 - Remove inline 'self crimping' SATA Power Connector (Type 3a, Type 3b)", and it'll tell you how to do it. (You don't have to take off the attachments on the ends of the cable if you don't have to relocate them.)

[clocker]

Perfect...that's exactly how it's done.

[Detale]

Guys thanks so much. I'm on this tonight. Clocker I completely agree when doing a mod, or anything that will have a finished look to it. Don't do it unless you "feel" it. otherwise it will come out all fucked up. You said to me once Patience is a virtue and big surprise, you're right ;)

[clocker]

I said that?
Jebus, I must have been tripping.

[j2k4]

Quite right, Patience is a nice girl from Stratford, Connecticut, as I remember. :huh:

[Detale]

Also a GNR song ;)

[j2k4]

That, too.

Hey, I have a question relative to my build, but it belongs more properly in "Software", so that's where I'm posting it.

Please take a peek.

[clocker]

Done.

[kooftspc11]

you named it after the guy in the jetsons.....we all know you did

[Detale]

Well no the man was named Spacely Sprockets and he was in the business of manufacturing Sprockets. I wonder if the is a computer out there named Cogs???

[clocker]

Actually, no.

Sprocket was named for the biggest, meanest Airedale bitch I ever knew.
She was a great dog.

So anyway...today in Denver it's 50°f, tomorrow will be -5°f.
Damn Canadians and their Polar Express.

I figured that if I was going to be in the garage, cutting and hacking, today was the day to do it.
Managed to get quite a bit done and what's left can be done inside.
Onward and upward.

First up was the eSATA port relocation.
I dithered back and forth whether to do it or not and finally decided I'd kick myself for being lazy, so it was on.
Turned out not be as difficult as I'd feared but even so I only did one (I have two ports to play with), figuring not to push my luck.
Started by removing the door and the lower front panel...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/LFBare.jpg

Then I laid it out and did some drilling and filing...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/eSATA.jpg

And the finished product...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/eSATAout.jpg

Reinstalled the lower front panel...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/LFront1.jpg

I'm glad that's over with.

Next up was a minor bit of work that's been driving me crazy for weeks.
I had purchased an OCZ memory cooler a while ago but the mounting method absolutely sucked. Basically it clamps to the end of the DIMM slots but in my application it interfered with the video card.
Not a lot but I didn't like it.

This morning I machined and threaded a 3/8" aluminum rod and mounted the fan unit to the case floor.
Like so...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Inside2.jpg

Much better, I think.

So now Sprocket sits proudly, looking like this...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Side1.jpg

Oh, because he asked nicely, here's a shot of the fan controller from the back- just for Detale...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Sunbeam1.jpg

And that's it for now.

[Detale]

Looks good man as usual. I still haven't gotten my copy of that key yet :P . Also, where'd ya get that Bezel?

[clocker]

The bezel on the DVD is a Lian-li part.

What key?

[Detale]

Not to break balls but do you know the part number or where to get it. I'm still looking for a decent one for the front of my TJ07. I did a quick mod where it was a flush blank brushed aluminum plate so it looked like a cover but when you pushed it the tray opened As if it were a concealed drive, but I couldn't get it to work right 100% of the time and I gave up on it.

This key!!!
http://img376.imageshack.us/img376/699/side1nl7.jpg

BTW man I don't think I said thi but noice cabeling job in this pic. good work ;)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Inside2.jpg

Does that foam silencer stuff really work? Did you buy that foram or is it something you had around the house?

[Nickthestick91]

Awesome!

[clocker]

Not to break balls but do you know the part number or where to get it.
Does that foam silencer stuff really work? Did you buy that foram or is it something you had around the house?
Bezel here. (http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=257&products_id=24634)

It's not really specifically "silencing" foam- just packing from various motherboards, etc.
I use it cosmetically.

[j2k4]

Anyone care to speculate on the effect of a 4G OC on the E8400's lifespan?

If temps aren't crazy, what's the harm?

[clocker]

It ain't the temp you need worry about, it's the voltage.
Default core voltage is 1.25v and my comfort zone ends at 1.275v (which is extremely conservative). I've seen 24/7 chips running at 1.35v- and higher- but reports of performance degradation after a few months concern me.

Maximizing what the chip will give you at stock voltage is enough of a challenge for me.

I've never had a chip long enough to worry about "lifespan".
AFAIK, all my old chips are still running just fine.

[j2k4]

It ain't the temp you need worry about, it's the voltage.
Default core voltage is 1.25v and my comfort zone ends at 1.275v (which is extremely conservative). I've seen 24/7 chips running at 1.35v- and higher- but reports of performance degradation after a few months concern me.

Maximizing what the chip will give you at stock voltage is enough of a challenge for me.

I've never had a chip long enough to worry about "lifespan".
AFAIK, all my old chips are still running just fine.

Certainly nothing wrong with a certain Opteron.♦

Sounds like I could cruise around 4G with a slightly extended lifespan, then, eh?

[clocker]

Honestly, it's going to be a crapshoot.
No way of knowing till you actually get running.

My first Wolfie was golden, would run 500 x 8, no prob.
The second, not so much.
The third is a killer chip but the thermal sensors are stuck below 50°...absolutely no movement at all. Once the chip heats up (i had to disable the heatsink fan), I get sensor movement of 8-9, which is good.
This does not affect performance but makes temp monitoring useless.

Which is fine by me actually.
Part of the move to air was a general desire to quit obsessing about performance.
The chip will throttle if/when it gets too hot, beyond that, it really doesn't matter.

Well crap.
A real brain fart just erased all the pics I had for this update.
Oh well.

It all started when I discovered that my new eSATA port didn't work.
Actually, the port itself is fine (whew!) but the opening was not large enough for the cable to seat fully. Turns out I had forgotten to account for the difference in material thickness between the TJ's bezel (.116") and the breakout panel the port was originally mounted on (.036").
A bit more filing to widen the hole was needed and this meant disassembling the front panel again.

The filing took but a matter of minutes- you'd best believe I checked with a cable this time- and I decided to take advantage of the loose panel by installing a "clear CMOS" switch.
The location of the CMOS header on the motherboard is extremely awkward, now I can clear it by just opening the front door and pressing the switch.
This will probably come in handy as I begin to explore some of the more esoteric BIOS settings.

I also decided to reconfigure the HDDS but I'll get into that later.
I rerouted some wiring, specifically the parts that run behind the motherboard. There was too much bulk back there and it made putting the sidepanel on a bit difficult.
Much better now.

I've also decided to redo the upper front panel in the door but it's too damn cold for garage work today.
'Twas -12° when I got up and it's only warmed to 6° this afternoon.
Seems like a good day to drink and watch football.

Since I screwed up the pics of the PC I'll leave you with an image of my poor frozen car...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/FrozenRX.jpg

[Detale]

Shame all the pics were lost. I had the same esata problem when I did this to my Antec 900. I guess it's one of those things you forget about until you try to connect the plug. I had to mount the plate on top for it to work right on mine. Thanks for the link *ordered :) Glad you worked it out man. Jesus I thought it was cold in NYC this week. Oh and it's always a good day to drink ;)

[clocker]

Previously I mentioned that I had "reconfigured" the hard drives.
Here's what I did...

I used to have 2 x 250GB in RAID 0, 1 x 500GB and 1 x 1TB as permanent storage (in the case) and then 2 x 250GB in external storage (USB only).
Since I've decided to get an external drive dock (which will attach to one of the two eSATA ports that Sprocket now sports), the external USB enclosure will become superfluous.

I moved those two 250GB drives into the case and now run a four drive RAID 0 array.
The array is partitioned into two volumes- 60GB for the OS (Vista Ultimate x64) and the rest as temporary storage/playspace.
Given the somewhat *ahem* transitory nature of RAID 0 (meaning don't trust it with anything you really care about), anything of real value/worth will be regularly moved onto an external drive.

Now, I'll admit this a horribly inefficient setup...the terabyte of 250GB drives is basically only being used to support a shortstroked 60GB partition, but the throughput of the array is pretty remarkable.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/HDTach10.jpg

While the "burst speed" is impressive, it's usefulness pales in comparison to the "average read" of 320MB/s, a figure which makes a noticeable difference.
As an example, during a cold start I get just 1 1/2 "progress bars" before popping into the desktop.
This is with a full version (not stripped with vLite) of Vista, running both SP1 and SP2 (beta).

I also tentatively began to inch up the overclock.
I have decided not to be greedy (at least, not yet), so my limiting factor has been the stock voltage. I fudged just a bit and compensated for droop by upping it to 1.265v, which gives me 1.25v under load.
She's at 4.3GHz now (with no tweaking of BIOS settings) and seems completely stable (admittedly with no stress testing yet).
She will run SuperPi...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/10sSPi.jpg

...and picked up more points at PCPitstop...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/PCPS21.jpg

I'm really beginning to think that 4.5GHz is possible- maybe even higher.
Not bad for what is essentially a "budget build".

Today is supposed to warm up to the teens (currently -6°) so I might finish the work I started yesterday.
More pics will follow if I do.

[j2k4]

Hey, how's about a fresh thread on RAID?

Maybe give that lynx guy a reason to stop in?

I should think the HDDs extant due to be replaced with Christmas purchases might spur renewed interest...

One way or another, I guess I'm gonna give it a try; I even ordered a redundant (but precisely matching) 250G Seagate to mate with one of the two spares I kinda have.

It's fucked-up; I've got a half-height Seagate with an OEM Dell install of VHP (plus disks) that I am loathe to use, and two full-height Seagates, one of which resides in this machine.

Hopefully the one in the bottom of the file cab is a match. :dabs:

[clocker]

You'll find it's really rather easy- and by "you", I mean "you, J2" personally- as Vista comes preloaded with the drivers necessary to recognize your Intel array.
No need to F6, floppy install anything beforehand.

[j2k4]

You'll find it's really rather easy- and by "you", I mean "you, J2" personally- as Vista comes preloaded with the drivers necessary to recognize your Intel array.
No need to F6, floppy install anything beforehand.

Sounds good, but I am mildly nonplussed by the fact the specific drive I need is back-ordered from Newegg. :huh:

[clocker]

"Mildly nonplussed"?

Let me know when get "shit-flinging pissed".

[j2k4]

"Mildly nonplussed"?

Let me know when get "shit-flinging pissed".

You mean like a monkey?

Missus J would insist I assert better control.

Anyhoo-

The final pile-O-parts:



Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UB Black /Blue

G.SKILL 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000)

XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard

CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX 620W ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Hanns·G HG-281DPB Black 28" 3ms Widescreen HDMI LCD Monitor

EVGA 512-P3-N860-TR GeForce 9600 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

LITE-ON DVDRW LH-20A1L SCSI

2 250G Seagate ST325082 0AS SCSI

2 500G Samsung HD501LJ SCSI

Creative Audigy SB

Vista Ultimate X64


The drives and the sound card are stuff off the shelf or out of this PC.

About a eight-tenths machine, I think. :)

[clocker]

Fucker.
28" monitor.

[Detale]

Fucker.
28" monitor.
Beat me to it. Damn 28" monitor:angry:

[j2k4]

Fucker.
28" monitor.
Beat me to it. Damn 28" monitor:angry:

Yeah. :naughty:

E0 stepping on the proc, too.

Life is good.

Now let's have UPS here with the rest of the swag. :whistling

[clocker]

Should be interesting to see how this goes.

I'm anticipating a long phone call...

[j2k4]

Well, there'll certainly be a preparatory call vis a vis the RAID deal.

I will content myself to read all the manualage for a day or three (do some sub-assembly and trial fitting) to see if Newegg gets the HDD in that I need.

Peat's trick Vista x64 is coming in, too...

As an aside, the case looks kinda basic, but servicable.

Will the two fans (rear case and cooler) be sufficient to get it up and running?

[clocker]

"Basic, but seviceable"...well yeah, what did you expect for <$50?
At least it's not garbaged up with gee-gaws and frippery and the edges won't razor slice your hands to ribbons.

By "sub-assembly" I assume you mean the heatsink.
This is ideally installed outside the case to ensure that the horrendous push-pin system is fully engaged. It will be interesting to see how difficult installing the motherboard will be with the heatsink in place.
Also, pay close attention when inserting the RAM...on my board it took more force to seat it properly- even after the end clips had seemingly popped into position- than I am used to. This may be just my experience or may be endemic.

With the heatsink/RAM and vid card installed- motherboard sitting on it's box- connect the PSU, keyboard, mouse and monitor.
Jumper the ON header with a screwdriver and see if she'll POST.

If so, hit "Delete" to enter BIOS.
FIRST THING you need to do is set the memory voltage.
The Gigabyte default value is 1.8v and your memory requires 2.0-2.1v.
This weirdness may in fact keep you from POSTing with all four sticks installed.
If she won't start up, remove all but one memory module and try again.
That should do it.

Doesn't that case have a spot for a front 120mm fan?
I thought it did.
If so, it might be a good idea but only running the machine will tell you. It could always be added later, if necessary.

Fucking 28" monitor...

[j2k4]

"Basic, but seviceable"...well yeah, what did you expect for <$50?
At least it's not garbaged up with gee-gaws and frippery and the edges won't razor slice your hands to ribbons.

By "sub-assembly" I assume you mean the heatsink.
This is ideally installed outside the case to ensure that the horrendous push-pin system is fully engaged. It will be interesting to see how difficult installing the motherboard will be with the heatsink in place.
Also, pay close attention when inserting the RAM...on my board it took more force to seat it properly- even after the end clips had seemingly popped into position- than I am used to. This may be just my experience or may be endemic.

With the heatsink/RAM and vid card installed- motherboard sitting on it's box- connect the PSU, keyboard, mouse and monitor.
Jumper the ON header with a screwdriver and see if she'll POST.

If so, hit "Delete" to enter BIOS.
FIRST THING you need to do is set the memory voltage.
The Gigabyte default value is 1.8v and your memory requires 2.0-2.1v.
This weirdness may in fact keep you from POSTing with all four sticks installed.
If she won't start up, remove all but one memory module and try again.
That should do it.

Doesn't that case have a spot for a front 120mm fan?
I thought it did.
If so, it might be a good idea but only running the machine will tell you. It could always be added later, if necessary.

Fucking 28" monitor...

"Servicable" meant to be a compliment to the case; not disappointed at all, especially in light of the price.

Will commence with the other stuff after work tonight, probably.

[clocker]

Presumably you'll favor us with pictures.

The ravening hordes love visual stimulation.

If you can get a cat (or three) or even Kenna into a shot, bonus points accrue.

[j2k4]

That might be a bit rough, but not out of the question.

Since I've been interrupted already (Grandson visiting), I'll settle for this query:

I'm not gonna use the slime that came with the cooler, but I found a tip in other forums recommending laying the thermal paste in a line almost spanning the proc, which technique makes sense considering the construction of the chip, however the cooler is designed with the cooling tubes running perpendicular to the paste application, which would surely interfere with the even spread of the paste.

How did you do yours?

[clocker]

I just dabbed a few dots on the proc then stuck the heatsink on and rotated it to spread the paste.

[j2k4]

Done.

What a huge chore - getting all four feet of that bastard cooler to bite.

I'll try to power it up tomorrow, if people will leave me alone long enough.

[clocker]

Done.

What a huge chore - getting all four feet of that bastard cooler to bite.

I'll try to power it up tomorrow, if people will leave me alone long enough.
Yeah.
Imagine the fun if the motherboard was in the case and you tried that...

[clocker]

Sprocket had a playdate...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Playdate.jpg

Here she's sharing the desk (and not terribly happy to be doing so) with the computer I just built for my Dad's friend.
One of the most oddly configured PCs I've ever constructed, this thing has 4.5TB of storage (3 x 1TB internal, 2 x 750GB external) and 8GB of RAM, yet I couldn't get him to pop for a quad core chip.

BTW, the storage and memory capacity were both specced by the customer- for reasons known only to him. His previous PC- a six year old eMachines- still had half of it's 120GB drive free. I transferred 42 GB of data from the eMachine to the new PC but this obviously made but a minor dent in his new drives.

He insisted I demonstrate the new PC with his monitor (just to confirm "it would work") and I spent a hellish 2 1/2 hours demonstrating the new features ("what new features?", you ask...a good question- the new PC runs XP Pro x 64 which for all intents and purposes is identical to the XP Home he is familiar with) and since Wednesday afternoon I have received 21 phone calls and emails- all prefaced with a variant of the phrase "I LOVE the new computer BUT....

I can already tell I'll regret this for a long time.*

Anyway, part of the proceeds from this build went towards the purchase of a Vantec external drive dock.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Vantec1.jpg

For some reason Microcenter had the white version priced cheaper than the black- by $10, no less!
It features USB and eSATA connectivity and works like a charm.

Now, instead of putting drives into external enclosures (I have three), I can just slot them into the dock, get what I want and be done. As easy as using a flash drive really.

Should prove quite handy, I think.

I have a new idea for the front upper panel on the Silverstone bezel...I've started on mockups but we'll see how it goes.

*Edit:
Boy o boy, how right I was.
Ever since Wednesday night one of- indeed, the main- problems has been Picasa.
"It doesn't work".

"Um, what exactly does that mean?"

"It doesn't work."

A phone call this morning reveals why Picasa "doesn't work".

It hadn't been installed.

He had downloaded it five times (!!??) and, per my instructions, had "saved file" (so it could be reinstalled later should the need arise) but somehow never actually run the executable. According to him "that's not how my Mac works"- how this is relevant, I have no idea.

Like the majority of people I've worked with, the first thing they assume is that the PC is malfunctioning, it never seems to occur to them that it is THEY who are screwing up and the machine is just valiantly attempting to obey their muddled commands.

I anticipate many more exchanges just like this in the near future.

*sigh*

[j2k4]

That dock is ta cool.

My project if underway, and was purring in pieces on the bench moments ago.

Thanks to Clocker, An unjaundiced eye was cast to it's future, which is reasonably bright. :)

Will commence with the build/pictures in another thread.

Soon.

Hopefully.

Geez, I sound like Bill Gates, don't I...:huh:

[clocker]

Pics, please.

Fucking 28" monitor.

[j2k4]

I'll see what I can do.

I'm laying down Prophesy x64 at the moment.

Gotta deal with PhotoBucket.

[clocker]

You could always just open a new account.

[clocker]

Thought I'd discuss a few new developments today.

-I've had a copy of Ubuntu 8.10 kicking around for a while and thought I might give it a whirl.
Not willing to go through the dual-boot hassle- and having previously discovered that running the "Live CD" option mysteriously eats a Windows RAID array- I decided to simply unplug my already configured four drive array and install linux on my 64GB SSD.
I did so using my new external drive dock.

It installed fine and it took but a few hours to decide that although linux might have improved greatly, I'm just too hidebound to deal with it.
I seem to be one of the few who is perfectly happy with Vista- all my hardware works fine, I love the look and feel of the GUI and it's most glaring fault IMO, the terrible file transfer performance, is not a dealbreaker.

So, bye-bye Ubuntu.

As long as I was fooling around though, I decided to install Vista onto the SSD and see how it was affected by the poor read/write performance (this is a first gen- SATA 1- drive and averages read speeds of 54MB/s compared to the 4-drive RAID 0 array's godlike 320MB/s).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/SSDHDT.jpg

Latency on the other hand, is almost nonexistent.

Surprisingly, the install did not take much- if any- longer than before and the OS was extremely responsive.
Hmmm...

I've been involved in a discussion of case cooling on another forum and in the process took some readings with a laser thermometer of various areas of my case interior.
The Coolermaster 4-into-3 module- packed with four Seagate 250 drives and cooled with a 140mm fan- was one of the biggest heat producers in the whole case.
Not terrible- only 5° c over ambient- but still...

This module is also responsible for most of the wiring in the case, so eliminating it would make a rather large impact visually and power consumption-wise.
Using the new external drive dock, access to drives for storage is now almost as simple as inserting a flash drive and because it's eSATA connected, just as fast as internal drives.

I think I'm going to keep this setup, at least for a while ( nothing seems to last very long when it comes to Sprocket's configuration).
This also makes possible a few other changes I've been considering, so I'll be posting more changes soon.

On a side note...
For some reason, Vista's sleep function is working again...I have no idea why, but it's fucking brilliant.
Instead of shutting down the PC, I can put it in sleep mode and a simple keystroke wakes it up to full functionality in under ten seconds. It actually takes about 5-6 seconds to display the desktop but a few seconds longer to initialize the network connection.

I have long made shortcuts- placed in the Quick Launch area- for "Off" and "Reboot" and searched for a way to make a similar shortcut to "Sleep".
Google turned up all sorts of fairly involved methods, none of which appealed.
Finally, I tried a way used in XP and, viola! it also works beautifully in Vista.

I'm a happy boy.

[j2k4]

Thought I'd discuss a few new developments today.

-I've had a copy of Ubuntu 8.10 kicking around for a while and thought I might give it a whirl.
Not willing to go through the dual-boot hassle- and having previously discovered that running the "Live CD" option mysteriously eats a Windows RAID array- I decided to simply unplug my already configured four drive array and install linux on my 64GB SSD.
I did so using my new external drive dock.

It installed fine and it took but a few hours to decide that although linux might have improved greatly, I'm just too hidebound to deal with it.
I seem to be one of the few who is perfectly happy with Vista- all my hardware works fine, I love the look and feel of the GUI and it's most glaring fault IMO, the terrible file transfer performance, is not a dealbreaker.

So, bye-bye Ubuntu.

As long as I was fooling around though, I decided to install Vista onto the SSD and see how it was affected by the poor read/write performance (this is a first gen- SATA 1- drive and averages read speeds of 54MB/s compared to the 4-drive RAID 0 array's godlike 320MB/s).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/SSDHDT.jpg

Latency on the other hand, is almost nonexistent.

Surprisingly, the install did not take much- if any- longer than before and the OS was extremely responsive.
Hmmm...

I've been involved in a discussion of case cooling on another forum and in the process took some readings with a laser thermometer of various areas of my case interior.
The Coolermaster 4-into-3 module- packed with four Seagate 250 drives and cooled with a 140mm fan- was one of the biggest heat producers in the whole case.
Not terrible- only 5° c over ambient- but still...

This module is also responsible for most of the wiring in the case, so eliminating it would make a rather large impact visually and power consumption-wise.
Using the new external drive dock, access to drives for storage is now almost as simple as inserting a flash drive and because it's eSATA connected, just as fast as internal drives.

I think I'm going to keep this setup, at least for a while ( nothing seems to last very long when it comes to Sprocket's configuration).
This also makes possible a few other changes I've been considering, so I'll be posting more changes soon.

On a side note...
For some reason, Vista's sleep function is working again...I have no idea why, but it's fucking brilliant.
Instead of shutting down the PC, I can put it in sleep mode and a simple keystroke wakes it up to full functionality in under ten seconds. It actually takes about 5-6 seconds to display the desktop but a few seconds longer to initialize the network connection.

I have long made shortcuts- placed in the Quick Launch area- for "Off" and "Reboot" and searched for a way to make a similar shortcut to "Sleep".
Google turned up all sorts of fairly involved methods, none of which appealed.
Finally, I tried a way used in XP and, viola! it also works beautifully in Vista.

I'm a happy boy.

I've always thought you should publish (or link) those. :whistling

What will you do with the HDDs when they're not docked?

[clocker]

What will you do with the HDDs when they're not docked?
Not sure yet...doorstops maybe?

As usual, my little projects always seem to blossom into full blown nightmares.
Moderation is not something I do well.
Today was no exception, knowing full well I had social obligations to tend to.

Poor Sprocket.
Here's how she stands now...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/bones3.jpg

Have big plans but no time to execute them today.
Tomorrow, as they say, is another day.

[j2k4]

As usual, my little projects always seem to blossom into full blown nightmares.
Moderation is not something I do well.
Today was no exception, knowing full well I had social obligations to tend to.

Poor Sprocket.
Here's how she stands now...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/bones3.jpg

Have big plans but no time to execute them today.
Tomorrow, as they say, is another day.

Any wear and tear on your mobo has very little to do with voltage, I think.

Are the corners getting rounded yet.

[Detale]

LOL I always do the same exact thing, whenever I need to be somewhere I tend to start a project. What computer are you using while Sprocket is getting her makeover? Any teasers on the process?

[clocker]

Any wear and tear on your mobo has very little to do with voltage, I think.

Are the corners getting rounded yet.
Hey now, I'm a pro.
Besides, when shit like that happens it's called "patina"...I saw it on Antiques Roadshow.
People pay good money for old fuckups.


LOL I always do the same exact thing, whenever I need to be somewhere I tend to start a project. What computer are you using while Sprocket is getting her makeover? Any teasers on the process?
I have several old PCs, when neighbors upgrade they always ask me if I want their old machines "for parts".
Like any of their parts are worth a crap.

Oh, and here's your "teaser"...Sprocket decided that "resurfacing" was a lame idea- she's underwater again.

[Detale]

Hey now, I'm a pro.
Besides, when shit like that happens it's called "patina"...I saw it on Antiques Roadshow.
People pay good money for old fuckups.


LOL I always do the same exact thing, whenever I need to be somewhere I tend to start a project. What computer are you using while Sprocket is getting her makeover? Any teasers on the process?
I have several old PCs, when neighbors upgrade they always ask me if I want their old machines "for parts".
Like any of their parts are worth a crap.

Oh, and here's your "teaser"...Sprocket decided that "resurfacing" was a lame idea- she's underwater again.

Ahhh cool thanks, can't wait

[clocker]

Right then, a bit of backround.
At a recent holiday party (being a liberal I'm opposed to Christmas, doing all I can to ruin it for middlemerkins, but I do enjoy the associated festivities...), I was chastising my friend Eric for never even setting up the Stacker case I gave him which had a full water loop preinstalled.
"Hmmph" he said, "what about you? You have parts you bought and never even unboxed!"

Indeed, he had a point.
I started rummaging and came up with a Swiftech Storm (rev.2), a custom built Delrin reservoir and a Radiical top for a MCP355 pump- none of which I'd ever bothered to use.
Seemed a shame really.
I also have quite a pile of bits and bobs material-wise, so I wondered if I couldn't completely make over the TJ-06 without buying a single new part.

Yes, as it turns out but it wasn't easy.

The hard part turned out to be the raw material angle...I had lots of offcuts and previously made panels but nothing large enough to make the single large piece that I envisioned.
In a perfect world, Sprocket's new front panel would be a single virgin hunk of black anodized aluminum, but that was not to be, so I made do with what I had.
This (miserly) approach made the design and fabrication about five times more difficult than it needed to be but I was on a mission, so to the garage I went.

The new front panel was always going to be a complex undertaking.
It had to hold not only the radiator but also the optical drive and the fan controller.
Although having a completely gutted case makes for great freedom, it also means that everything you want mounted has to be custom fitted. No slotting the DVD burner into the cage and calling it quits...there is no cage there!
Furthermore, what if you want to use a stock faceplate and add a Lian-li optical drive cover and have everything line up with the opening in the front door?
It gets kinda hairy, let me tell you.

I shan't go into the gory details but about 20 hours later I ended up with this...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/bones4.jpg

It's made of two pieces- both of which had pre-existing 140mm fan holes cut in them, so they had to be spliced in such a way to line up with the triple rad mounting holes (using 140>120mm fan adaptors).
The radiator had to be mounted at a certain height so the barbs would line up with the not yet installed pump.
Unfortunately, that raised the rad too high for the remaining front panel necessities, so I fudged as much as possible to make everything fit.

Next, I disassembled the ApogeeDrive (combined pump and waterblock) and installed the Radiical custom pump top.
While trying to visualize the loop layout, it occurred to me that the coolest solution would be to place the reservoir right on top of the pump, so I machined an adaptor and screwed the two parts together using Goop as a sealant.
The CPU waterblock, being new, required nothing more than installation.

Being a budget build, I didn't spring for new tubing (Tygon is expensive!), so I made do with the scraps I had laying around.
Naturally I would have preferred all new black tube but the clear on the intake side did make bleeding the air easier because I could see the bubbles.

Now we're here...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/bones11.jpg

This is the finished front inner panel...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/bones14.jpg

At the top are the knobs for the fan controller, below that is the DVD-RW with the Lian-li beauty panel and the shiny round thing centered below that is the "clear CMOS" button (Danger, Will Robinson!), the rest is radiator.
Covering most of this is a mesh screen.

The panels for the front door are not finished (OK, not made or even conceived yet...) but here's the door closed...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/bones15.jpg

And here you can see the optical drive mount and (if you look closely) the SSD, tucked away by the upper radiator area...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/bones13.jpg

Now all that's left is the wiring.
I threw her together- posting from Sprocket now, in fact- to see how it would work.
With luck she'll be finished by Monday.

Hope everyone had a jolly, holly Christmas.
Believe it or not, in the midst of all this bustle I found time to set my Mother's table for the Christmas dinner...my only contribution, she does everything else...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/xmas08-1.jpg

Somehow I also managed to kill the better part of a 1.75 litre bottle of Myer's rum.
Maybe that's why all this took so long...

[j2k4]

Cool(er).

I expect Wolfie will soon be brushing up against 5G, eh?

Myer's would definitely help expand the work to fill the allotted time; experience tells me this.

I'll remember that, next trip to the store. ;)

[clocker]

I expect Wolfie will soon be brushing up against 5G, eh?

I doubt it.
I am conflicted...on the one hand, I have a really sweet overclocker.
On the other, my sensors don't function below @65° C, so I have zero idea on temps- it reads a constant 24° all the time.

For the nonce, 4.2GHz has been very stable and problem free...not sure what more I need.
Beyond that I would need to do a bunch of BIOS tweaking and frankly, it gets old.

[j2k4]

I expect Wolfie will soon be brushing up against 5G, eh?

I doubt it.
I am conflicted...on the one hand, I have a really sweet overclocker.
On the other, my sensors don't function below @65° C, so I have zero idea on temps- it reads a constant 24° all the time.

For the nonce, 4.2GHz has been very stable and problem free...not sure what more I need.
Beyond that I would need to do a bunch of BIOS tweaking and frankly, it gets old.

Oh, okay.

You'll probably play at it for a day just to see, get another tenth or so, and call it good.

My guess.

[clocker]

You are probably right.

In keeping with my normal project trajectory, today I completely ignored the wiring.
I've had a concept in mind for a while and since it was going to require yet another complete teardown to implement- about the tenth in the last 4 days and trust me, it gets harder every time- I decided to bite the bullet and git 'er done.

Part of the attraction was just to see if I could actually do it.
Although it doesn't look like much...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/bones16.jpg

...fishmouthing the horizontal bar to fit the upright bar is normally a job I'd do on a mill.
However, I no longer own a Bridgeport so I was reduced to working on a drill press and working by eye.
I surprised myself by getting it right the first time...the old man still has some moves.

Next came mounting the mesh beauty panels...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/bones18.jpg

Which then get covered with foam...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/bones19.jpg

As did the floor and the backplane panel...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/bones20.jpg

And, just for kicks, a closeup of the pump/reservoir combo...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/bones17.jpg

So, even though I can't comment on temps (bloody stuck sensors!), this has still been a success because the PC is almost totally silent now.
Seriously, it is barely noticeable in a pretty quiet room.
Of course, a lot of credit for this must go to the solid state drive which makes nary a peep.
The waterloop/pump is also remarkably noise free as well.

The main noise (or more accurately- sound) is a faint intake whoosh of air.

Now, to the wiring- which for some reason I've been avoiding.
Not sure why, there really isn't very much.

First though I have to watch the Broncos blow their chance at the playoffs.

[j2k4]

First though I have to watch the Broncos blow their chance at the playoffs.

That is coming along swimmingly as well.

[clocker]

I should just give up and move to Detroit.

[Detale]

Clocker you have impressed me yet again and as always. It looks great. That font panel is orsum WHat did you use to cut it? Is that the AC ryan mesh or a piece of screen or some other MacGyver move you pulled ;)

[clocker]

The fan holes were originally cut with an adjustable trepanning tool (popularly referred to as a "widowmaker"). The rest of the fab was done with a drill press and a jigsaw.
The mesh did indeed come from AC Ryan and the black anodized aluminum came from a set of Lian-li v2000 sidepanels.
AC Ryan now sells black alloy panels in the 2mm thickness and that is what I'd go with if starting from scratch.

Knowing me however, as soon as I invested the $100 or so in new material, hacked it all up and installed it...I'd just decide to do something else.
Mostly I enjoy the process more than the finished product.

[Acid_death69]

clocker, what's that modded GPU cooler like? i know you've got the same one as me just wondered if having those two heffing fans on it makes that big of a difference.

[clocker]

Actually, I need to play with some more.
It is at least as good as the way it came and the two new fans are considerably quieter than the whiny original but it seems to me that the temps should be a lot better than before.

I plan on reversing the fan flow to see what difference that makes but have been busy with other mods and haven't gotten to it yet.

[Detale]

The fan holes were originally cut with an adjustable trepanning tool (popularly referred to as a "widowmaker"). The rest of the fab was done with a drill press and a jigsaw.
The mesh did indeed come from AC Ryan and the black anodized aluminum came from a set of Lian-li v2000 sidepanels.
AC Ryan now sells black alloy panels in the 2mm thickness and that is what I'd go with if starting from scratch.

Knowing me however, as soon as I invested the $100 or so in new material, hacked it all up and installed it...I'd just decide to do something else.
Mostly I enjoy the process more than the finished product.Jigsaw really. Damn good work man the Jigsaw is a hard tool to use when trying to make smooth round cuts like those appear to be. Hats off to you my man. Also any close ups on that GPU cooler would be cool if you had the time.

[clocker]

the Jigsaw is a hard tool to use when trying to make smooth round cuts like those appear to be. Hats off to you my man. Also any close ups on that GPU cooler would be cool if you had the time.
Ah, the reading comprehension skills of today's yoot.
All of the round holes were made with a tool like this...
http://www.tedbartinkerhire.co.uk/Images/Drilli18.jpg

...in a drillpress.
One of the first lessons a craftsman must learn is to know what he can't do well and my attempts at hole cutting with a jigsaw look like they were gnawed by beavers.
A circle is one of- perhaps the- easiest shapes for the untrained eye to find fault with.

I should be working with the vid card in the next few days, I'll get pics when I do.

[clocker]

Yesterday I obtained Windows 7 (build 7000) and it is everything Vista should have been when first released.

Haven't had a lot of time on it yet but what I've seen so far is promising.
It's using about a third less memory at idle, the control panel is much more logical, the install is easy and all my drivers- the ones that it didn't automatically install itself (for instance, Win7 was internet capable out of the box)- are working fine in Vista compatibility mode.

Even though this is a 32 bit system, it seems to recognize (and use) all 4 GB of RAM- not sure how that works.

The Performance Index has been upgraded- the new high score can be 7.9.

Sprocket seems perfectly comfortable, which of course, is all that matters.

[j2k4]

All of the round holes were made with a tool like this...
http://www.tedbartinkerhire.co.uk/Images/Drilli18.jpg

...in a drillpress.

I went there and couldn't find it.

I think I want one; I've got bi-metal blades up to 3", but that would be aces on my Delta.


Yesterday I obtained Windows 7 (build 7000) and it is everything Vista should have been when first released.

Haven't had a lot of time on it yet but what I've seen so far is promising.
It's using about a third less memory at idle, the control panel is much more logical, the install is easy and all my drivers- the ones that it didn't automatically install itself (for instance, Win7 was internet capable out of the box)- are working fine in Vista compatibility mode.

Even though this is a 32 bit system, it seems to recognize (and use) all 4 GB of RAM- not sure how that works.

The Performance Index has been upgraded- the new high score can be 7.9.

Sprocket seems perfectly comfortable, which of course, is all that matters.

How big a file is it?

I think I want to try it before I finalize my 64-bit; I could play with it on the bench first.

[clocker]

2.43 GB.

MS will be releasing the official public beta within the next two weeks (I hear).
No word on the availability of a 64 bit version...although I'm amazed- and somewhat disgusted- that the 32 bit version even exists.

Are we RAIDED now?

[j2k4]

2.43 GB.

MS will be releasing the official public beta within the next two weeks (I hear).
No word on the availability of a 64 bit version...although I'm amazed- and somewhat disgusted- that the 32 bit version even exists.

Are we RAIDED now?

Found it; DLing it now...the Softpedia blurb said next month for release, but.

It is kinda disgusting, but I think only because there isn't a concurrent 64-bit version.

Marketing would seem to dictate 32-bit first, although one can (and should) certainly blame them for not just doing away with it several years ago.

We are indeed RAIDed; I am re-installing Prophesy, as it's install requires a bit of extraordinary attention to prompts in order to avoid an easily mis-chosen option to install all the "really neat" add-on proggies.

It also seems Prophesy is a eight-tenths "Vista" version of XP, although it is 64 bit.

At this point, I'm not sure how much I mind - if it's pretty, I'll keep it a while.

Still mulling cabling options and another Newegg order.

The pending display of imagery must adhere to certain standards, you see.

Thinking about another sound-card, too - maybe this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102017

[clocker]

The constant pandering to "legacy" hardware and software has slowed progress to an unacceptable degree.
If you aren't running a newer Intel dual/quad or at least an AMD Hammer, then you have no business trying to use the OS anyway.
If your software/peripheral vendor hasn't built 64 bit Vista drivers yet, then it's time to find new software and devices...they have just been lazy and are not worthy of your patronage.

Ditch "Prophesy" and try Win 7.
Why use a tarted up version of XP when you could have the real deal?

[j2k4]

As it turns out, Prophesy actually is Vista; however, I now have the Win7 beta - maybe I'll try my hand at VM, if I have time...your post is well-reasoned, though, as ever.

[clocker]

I'd forgo the VM option and just full install the 7.
It's that good.

[j2k4]

Huh.

Whole lotta mulling goin' on, here...

BTW-

I DLed the patch, too - did you, and was it pretty straightforward.

[clocker]

Yeah, I've got the patch but haven't applied it.
Don't see much point in "activating" this OS as I expect to be getting the official public beta- hopefully in 64 bit form- in the next few weeks.

[j2k4]

Then I'll wait.

Honestly, this thing is such a pleasure to play with as is.

BTW-

At 3.6G did 1M in 13 flat on SuperPi.

[ryan20021982]

Have you heard anything about a 64bit version???

just ordered new pc parts and want 64bit since I got 6gb ram coming
but dont want vista thats for sure

[clocker]

I fully expect that Win & will have a 64-bit version, hopefully the beta release will include it.
I've read that this will be the last major release to come in 32 bit , from now on it'll all be 64 bit or nothing.

[Detale]

the Jigsaw is a hard tool to use when trying to make smooth round cuts like those appear to be. Hats off to you my man. Also any close ups on that GPU cooler would be cool if you had the time.
Ah, the reading comprehension skills of today's yoot.
All of the round holes were made with a tool like this...
http://www.tedbartinkerhire.co.uk/Images/Drilli18.jpg

...in a drillpress.
One of the first lessons a craftsman must learn is to know what he can't do well and my attempts at hole cutting with a jigsaw look like they were gnawed by beavers.
A circle is one of- perhaps the- easiest shapes for the untrained eye to find fault with.

I should be working with the vid card in the next few days, I'll get pics when I do.

Now that's just cheating :P . Even easier than that would be a hole saw. Living in Brooklyn I have no room for a drill press, the table saw takes up too muc room in the basement :( .In my business anything that looks like shit when you're done with it like your beaver reference we call a "Shark Attack".

I was waiting until someone tried W7. I have the 7000 release as well but I was wondering about drivers, can you use the vista driver for it? I guess Ill just wait for the 64 bit as well before trying it too

Could someone please PM me the link to the patch ;) Thanks guys

[clocker]

Yes, Vista drivers work fine.
I only need two drivers after install anyway...the Creative x-fi and the Intel .inf driver.
Both installed easily using the compatibility mode.
You don't really need the patch but if you want it, just PM me.

[clocker]

Found a Swiftech GPU waterblock- a "universal", chip-only unit- and plumbed it into the loop.
Dropped GPU temp by almost 10°c (was averaging @ 35°c before) with no apparent impact in CPU temp.
Deleted the two 80mm fans on the aircooler in the process, so noise was also decreased.

Good deal all around.

[Detale]

pics homie??

[clocker]

OK, a quickie.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/bones19-1.jpg

I'm playing around with some different hard drive configurations now, may make a decision tomorrow.
I DL'ed a 64 bit version of Win7 but it's an earlier build- 6801, IIRC, and it's not nearly as nice as the 7000 release. Lacks the taskbar functionality, for one thing.

I'll keep ya'll posted on what happens.

[Detale]

Please do. The loop looks nice and clean man. Clear tubing?? I thought you were partial to the black stuff.

[clocker]

I am partial to the black tube but this is a budget build, remember?
Anyway, made what I hope are the final mods to the case today.
Required stripping out a lot of stuff but that's OK- every time I disassemble the case it gets refined just a bit more when put back together.

This time I added a hard drive cage...the gen 1 SSD was just not getting it.
Here she is going back together...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Bones20-1.jpg

A (blurry) closeup of the cage...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Bones22.jpg

This is a Scythe part, meant to install drives into a 5.25" optical bay.
Basically just two plates with 6 rubber isolators which make up the difference in width.
I machined six rods and hung the assembly just like the DVD-RW is mounted.
Seems very quiet so far.
I also drilled/trepanned for a 120mm fan, mounted on the outside back of the case, set to blow in over the HDDs.

And a shot of Sprocket all back together...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Bones21.jpg

So now she's got 2 x 250GB in RAID 0, 1 x 500GB and 1 x 1TB- both for storage.
The Vantec external eSATA has another 1TB drive and there are two more 250GB drives to cycle through the external dock.
Altogether, 3.5TB...which should hold me for a while.

That probably ends this stage of Sprocket's metamorphosis but we all know that the next change could come at any time.

Ciao.

[j2k4]

Wow.

[Detale]

I love when you start with the aluminum rod. Damn you're good. Dude you should do a step by step on how you drill and tap the rods like you do.

About the rods holding the HDD cage. How are the mounted? Is it simply screwed through the back of the case into the rod supporting those drives? Also I took a quick look for that cage by scythe and I cant seem to find it, wher'd ya get it?

[clocker]

Here. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811998049&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Accessories+-+Case+/+Rackmount-_-Scythe+USA-_-11998049)

The back of the case is actually quite complex.
I made a new mounting panel for the PSU (so I could flip it upside down) which extends all the way to the top of the I/O panel.
I also made a panel for the inside which goes from just below the PSU to the top of the I/O panel.
The original caseback is sandwiched between the two.

The rods supporting the HDD cage are screwed through the inner panel with 6-32 screws.
There's really nothing to show about making the rods.
Chuck the round stock up in a lathe, drill the appropriately sized hole and thread it.
The rod stock is 3/8" aluminum and I use 3/8" plastic electrical clamps as hangers.
All material came from Ace Hardware, nothing exotic about it.

[Detale]

Any why may I ask have I never seen any pics of these mounting panel then hmmmm?

Maybe there's nothing exotic about the material, but the man is a different story. Dude you need your own domain http:Clockersthemotherfuckinman.org ;)

[clocker]

T'were there sufficient bloodflow, I'd be blushing.

Here is a blurry and intentionally ambiguous shot of the clockworks as it sits tonight...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Bones22-1.jpg

Twin 20" IBM ThinkVision monitors, a Vantec external eSATA enclosure, Saitek Eclipse keyboard, Logitech MX1000 mouse and last but hardly least...Sprocket.

Sprocket now hosts an Intel e8400 (4.1GHz, eVga 8800GT GPU- both watercooled- on a Gigabyte EP45-UD3R motherboard populated with 8GB of G.skill RAM.
3 TB of installed storage with provision for external docking.
SATA DVD-RW, Corsair 620w modular PSU, custom Silverstone TJ-06 case.
Windows 7 (build 7000) OS.

In case anyone was wondering.

[ryan20021982]

looking nice

I got that same keyboard

how is the windows 7??

Got a copy of build 7000 in 64bit burnt gonna install in the mornin

[clocker]

Got a copy of build 7000 in 64bit burnt gonna install in the mornin
Wow, where did you get it?
The only 64bit build I could find was 68-something and the taskbar hadn't been changed to the new version yet.
I switched back to 7000 32bit to get the full working package even though it doesn't use all the memory.
Can't wait to get the 64 version...

[ryan20021982]

SCT has it

Microsoft.Windows.7.Beta.1.Build.7000.x64.DVD-WinBeta


And TPB

Microsoft Windows 7 Beta 7000.0.081212-1400 Ultimate 64Bit Engli

[clocker]

Humor me...what is SCT.

[ryan20021982]

lol

scenetorrents

I added thepiratebay proly after you starting posting

[clocker]

Ah, thanks...getting it now.
This should be interesting.

[ryan20021982]

There are a few reports on tpb of errors so ya well see, and the one on sct is the exact
same version I dled both because they didnt list the file name on that one, so after extracting its the exact same file.

[clocker]

ETA is 1h 12m.
Shall install either late tonight or early in the morn.

It's the real deal!
I was a tad skeptical having read that the build 7000 64-bit version had not been released but this is definitely it.
Sweet.

Anyone else noticed that Win7 creates a separate 200MB boot partition during install?

[Detale]

I have why is that?? I have to say I like it quite a bit. Also Clocker could you email me the attachment when you get a chance please :)

[clocker]

I already did...have you not received it?
I can remail if needed.

Edit: resent.

Daytime pic of the desk...slightly better lighting...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/bones23.jpg

[j2k4]

Got a deal on IBMs out there?

[clocker]

Yup.

An ex-coworker is now with a PC recycling company and they have been flooded with equipment from companies going under.
Literally, pallets of workstations, etc. are piling up at their warehouse.

Naturally, most of the stuff is pretty mundane- corporate drones didn't rate the good stuff- but there are gems amongst the dross, and this pallet of 20 IBM monitors was one such find.

I scooped up the pair for $100...at first I just got one and then went back a few weeks later and lucked into the second. The second monitor had been returned as non-functional but it turned out to be a bad VGA cable or port...not really sure, all I know is that it works fine with DVI and that's all I care about.

At first I thought twin monitors was a luxury I didn't need- which is why I only bought one initially- but now that I have two I find them increasingly handy.

I'd still like a giant monitor like yours and when that becomes possible I'm sure I'll have no trouble unloading these things at a profit.

Now I'm in the market for a dual monitor stand.

[Detale]

Im sure you'll just make a monitor stand handy as you are ;P just remember to take pics for the rest of us

[j2k4]

Those have that real wide mount and pivot, I think; just guessing, a length of round stock to spear them both would probably be a good start.

Have you loaded Win7 64 yet?

I got shut out on the Microsoft offering - I think I was a bit late; server overloaded, then they just seemed to shut it down.

I do have the torrent version, though, and I'll probably go with that - just waiting for a few other things to finish.

I'm gonna guess, too, that it'll take/use most of the appropriate Vista 64 drivers/progs?

[clocker]

Oh yeah baby, been on x64 for a few days now. I do have both versions- official MS and leaked torrent- of both 32 and 64 .ISOs...will probably reinstall using the MS version tomorrow, just to see if anything changed.

You won't need many drivers- Win 7 installed on my RAID array and discovered almost all my hardware without intervention.
Probably just the Intel .inf and maybe the sound.
Vista drivers work fine.

[j2k4]

Excellent.

Waiting for the MS DL to start ATM.

[clocker]

During this lull in actual construction- not really much to do ATM- I've been playing with the config of the dual monitors.

First thing I did was relocate the Win7 taskbar to the left side of the screen, which freed up a bit of space for forum viewing.
Then I noticed that most of the fori that I frequent had all sorts of deadspace on the sides and thought of repositioning my main display in portrait mode to kill the lost space and maximize the useable area.

Unfortunately, these IBM monitors don't rotate but since they use a standard VESA mount- which is thankfully symmetrical- I was able to simply unbolt the display from the stand and reinstall in the desired mode.
This more or less killed the nice even layout of the desk but seems to make for a much more productive workspace.

Here is one of my patented dark and blurry pics of the layout now...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/2Mon1.jpg

And here is a screen grab of FST as displayed on both monitors.
Note the diffence in the number of threads displayed between the two positions...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/2Mon.png

I just did this yesterday and am still coming to grips with it but I think I'll end up liking this layout a lot.

That is all.

[j2k4]

Hmmm.

I kinda like that.

Might have to buy another monitor.

Hey, why don't you put the other one in portrait mode, too?

You'll get your symmetry back, and you might like that.

Just a thought.

[clocker]

Yhe normal one-landscape mode- is good for watching movies.
And stuff.

[Detale]

Oh yeah baby, been on x64 for a few days now. I do have both versions- official MS and leaked torrent- of both 32 and 64 .ISOs...will probably reinstall using the MS version tomorrow, just to see if anything changed.

You won't need many drivers- Win 7 installed on my RAID array and discovered almost all my hardware without intervention.
Probably just the Intel .inf and maybe the sound.
Vista drivers work fine.

Haven't been in here in a few days. Looks odd Clocker, I don't know if I could get used to it though. Have you tried the extended mode at all?

Oh I did have to install the raid drivers on mine dunno why :( no biggie I was prepared for it this time

[clocker]

I needed to install the drivers again to get the Matrix storage console but W7 saw the array (therefore, had the basic driver) without help from me.

[Detale]

Hmmm. For me it didn't see the array at all until I installed them form a USB stick. I was using the 32 bit "acquired" version, I plan on reinstalling the 64 genuine version soon, Ive just been sick and lazy lately

[clocker]

I know it worked for J2 without drivers also...your version may have been doctored or something.

[j2k4]

I know it worked for J2 without drivers also...your version may have been doctored or something.

It worked, but I gave up on Win7 for now; too much fiddling around getting things to work.

Basic setup worked nicely, though; I got to do a performance index - all 7.2 or higher, with a 7.9 gaming graphics score for my lowly, untweaked 9600GT (!) - but with the 3.0 HDD score DeTale had...I tried your policy alteration, but to no avail.

Anyway, I'm back on Prophesy for the nonce.

[clocker]

It worked, but I gave up on Win7 for now; too much fiddling around getting things to work.


Anyway, I'm back on Prophesy for the nonce.
Weenie.

[j2k4]

It worked, but I gave up on Win7 for now; too much fiddling around getting things to work.


Anyway, I'm back on Prophesy for the nonce.
Weenie.

Admittedly.

[clocker]

Just for the record- what required "too much fiddling around" to deal with?

[clocker]

After a bit of tweaking...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/bones26.jpg

Tee hee.

Have also run a bunch of "Experience Index" tests at various speeds.
Apparently, a dual core will not breach the 7.1 barrier for CPU no matter what as it remains the same from 4.0 to 4.5GHz.
With my limited understanding of BIOS settings on this P45 board, I've been unable to boot any higher than 4.5GHz (500 x 9) although I was able to achieve this at only 1.275v (which droops to 1.2375v when in Windows).

I'm sure that with some study I could do better although my motivation is weak since I saw the upcoming Intel price drops and have started lusting after a (relatively) cheap q9550- supposedly around $250-275 street price.
Going to see about lining up a buyer for this excellent e8400 and find out where I can go...

[Detale]

I know it worked for J2 without drivers also...your version may have been doctored or something.
It may have been but I don't think it was. Im using J2 also and I had to install the drivers in windows after as well. I think something fishy is going on here as well. Getting weird reboots again when I OC.

The q9550 is only $282 now, is the $50 the deal breaker for you or do you just feel like moving on? With the bios settings I am mostly lost other than turning off EIST and the other thermal management options. I still have no clue what to disable or enable :huh:

[j2k4]

You're a bad man, man.

As to Win7:

I didn't do myself any favors by starting the install at night, but after a "fits-and-starts" install (not too off-putting) I tried to load mobo drivers and it would hang; tried again, it hung again - then a re-boot showed the install seemed to be proceeding, but the screen image had stalled.

Just to satisfy my curiosity, I restarted the whole shebang, this time the OS install went a bit better, but the mobo driver install hung again; this time I plowed ahead by cycling the drive tray, which gave me the screen back, apparently picking up the install at step 4 (I can't remember what it was; maybe the onboard HD audio?), and it finished, though somewhat haltingly.

I let it auto-update, then tried to install the COMODO internet suite; the install hung, so I backed out of that and installed Avira AV, which went over cleanly, and looked around for a firewall I liked but couldn't decide which to go with - at this point I did the perf-index while I was kicking things around - scores were pleasing, but I ran into the HDD thing, which I've already recounted.

Next came the straight-from-Nvidia Win7 drivers (should work great, right?); that hung, and then, trying to get moving again, the mouse and keyboard hard-locked.

I forced a shut-down and brought it back up only to have it continue to hang.

The next day I tried the whole thing again with the torrent version, but much the same hanging problems.

Fatigue set in, and I decided to retreat to Prophesy.

[clocker]

Given that we share almost identical hardware, I can only assume a PEBKAC issue.

[j2k4]

Given that we share almost identical hardware, I can only assume a PEBKAC issue.

Yes; while the hardware is similar, the rest is most assuredly not.

I am being punished for a certain ideological insufficiency, I think.

Barry has found me out.

[clocker]

Silicon for Obama!

[Detale]

Given that we share almost identical hardware, I can only assume a PEBKAC issue.

Yes; while the hardware is similar, the rest is most assuredly not.

I am being punished for a certain ideological insufficiency, I think.

Barry has found me out.
:lol::lol::lol::lol:

I didn't vote for him and mine is working fantastically, should I worry :ermm:

[j2k4]

Yes; while the hardware is similar, the rest is most assuredly not.

I am being punished for a certain ideological insufficiency, I think.

Barry has found me out.
:lol::lol::lol::lol:

I didn't vote for him and mine is working fantastically, should I worry :ermm:

I was too vocal in opposition, obviousment.

You were properly reticent, hence your success.

[Detale]

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

I didn't vote for him and mine is working fantastically, should I worry :ermm:

I was too vocal in opposition, obviousment.

You were properly reticent, hence your success.
I can't believe I didn't say this before. The "Man" is oppressing your rig....Man

[j2k4]

I was too vocal in opposition, obviousment.

You were properly reticent, hence your success.
I can't believe I didn't say this before. The "Man" is oppressing your rig....Man

I'm not used to being oppressed.

Of course, I reject white guilt as well, so I suppose it's my lot for the duration of the Obama administration.

Oh, well.

[clocker]

Of course, I reject white guilt as well, so I suppose it's my lot for the duration of the Obama administration.


Oh please.

I'm sure that Obama will be happy to forgo your suffering over white guilt in exchange for renouncing Republicanism.
You know you wanna.

[j2k4]

Of course, I reject white guilt as well, so I suppose it's my lot for the duration of the Obama administration.


Oh please.

I'm sure that Obama will be happy to forgo your suffering over white guilt in exchange for renouncing Republicanism.
You know you wanna.

Obama can forego my suffering?

Hmmm.

That's going a step further than Clinton's "I feel your pain"...downright messianic, actually.

[clocker]

Messianic, indeed.
We should be used to that by now...wasn't Bush getting all his support direct from above?

Anyway, we digress.

[Detale]

New section-Politacal HardWare (http://www.ronpaulrules.com/who-gives-a-shit.png)

[clocker]

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maximum culpa.

Please, no.

On a sidenote:
Got a line on a cheap (well, relatively cheap...$200) q9550.
Gotta love early i7 adopters.
Should have it in my hot, sweaty palm on Tuesday.

[clocker]

New chip- q9550- installed.
Seems OK so far...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/9550ie2.png

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/9550pcps1.png

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/9550sp.png

[Detale]

Damn!! Where did you see it for that price man? I think th ewin assesment with that CPU at that speed should be higher that 7.5 no? Also how the HELL do you get your HDD at 182Mb/sec

[clocker]

Craigslist.
Yeah, I was surprised as well...I just checked on a whim and hark!, there it was.

He was a very nice, bright guy...ended up tossing 2 x 2GB sticks of g.Skill DDR2 into the deal.

I was surprised to get as high as a 7.5 frankly.
MS didn't leave much room for the i7 performance superiority in the CPU test.

About the HDD score.
It's actually low compared to HDTach.
In HDTach I get an average read of near 250MB/s.

That's 3 x 250GB drives in RAID0.

[clocker]

Still struggling with the setup.
Looks like I'm going to finally come to grips with the BIOS settings...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/q95593.png

This setup seems to pretty stable, anything beyond and things fall apart pretty quickly.
All indications point to increased northbridge voltage (which might be eased if I removed 2 sticks of RAM but I'd prefer to run fully populated as long as possible) but since I went water and lost the airflow from the CPU heatsink, the northbridge gets rather toasty at stock voltage.
Gigabyte uses a weird 65mm hole spacing for the NB, so no generic chipset blocks will fit.
Probably have to make my own mounting plate to get around this issue.

My luck with Intel temp sensors continues to suck...two of the four are non-responsive at low temps, the other two have relatively low movement.
I've pretty much been reduced to watching my vid card temps to track overall loop performance.
Fortunately, all seems well- no giant spikes in temp- and I have a ton of cooling headroom, so I'm not very concerned.

[Detale]

3.5 still isn't a bad oc man. personally I think you may be spoiled :P Maybe because I have 2 750gb Hdd's they are slower? Was the chip new or used? Looking good as usual bro.

[clocker]

3.5GHz ain't bad for a start but there's a lot more left...she hit the 500FSB on the first try.
The problem of course, is my bullheaded insistence on running all four DIMM slots.
Four memory modules and four cores really puts the wood to the northbridge and that's where I'm going to be concentrating next.

RAID 0 scales linearly with the number of drives.
More drives= higher read/writes/burst...it's just that simple.

The chip was used, for a total of three months- I saw his sales receipt from Tank Guys.

[Detale]

Shit that aint bad at all man. Quit being so stubborn and pop two of them sticks outta there man. or why not WC the northbridge? the EK5 fits I think it looks about the same as my other GB board

[clocker]

why not WC the northbridge? the EK5 fits I think it looks about the same as my other GB board
No, the EK5 won't fit...at least not unmodified.
The hole spacing in the board is 64mm, which is a non-standard distance.

I'm going to pick up a Swiftech MCW30 and make some brackets to adapt to the board.

As far as the RAM goes...
Ever since the days of s939 it has bugged me that 4 sticks of memory cause the board to flake out.
Especially since I was buying (then) top of the line DFI boards, it seemed like for the money, I should get the functionality.

This relative cheap Gigabyte board looks like it can do it if I spend the time to figure it out.
If I can't, well, we'll cross that bridge when it falls on us.

[Detale]

Sounds good man. Make sure you charge your camera battery ;)

[clocker]

OK, here we go.

First off, here's the stock heatsink setup...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/stocksink.jpg

The northbridge and the mosfet sink are tied together with a heatpipe.
A very loose and poorly clamped heatpipe as it turns out...all it took was a gentle twist and the pipe easily parted company with the sink and the two were again separate.
As impressive as the stock setup looked, I have to wonder how effective the heatpipe could have been. It was so loose that contact had to be crummy.
Oh well, all gone now.
While I had the board out I decided to upgrade the southbridge sink as well- I have several Zalman passive sinks and one of them was already cut for vid card clearance, so what the hey?, says I, and on it went...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/zalmansout.jpg

I also hardmounted the mosfet sink...say bye to the plastic pushpins.

Back to the northbridge.
The stock mounts for the Swiftech MCH30 chipset block were indeed too short to match the Gigabyte's mounting holes.
So I decided to do a quick and dirty mockup mount so I could measure for new brackets.
Turns out, this was rock solid and I decided to just leave it as is...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/MCW301.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/MCW302.jpg

As I feared/suspected, the distance between the CPU block and the northbridge was just too close to avoid tube crimping.
Ultimately the only satisfactory routing led from the CPU up to the vid card, then down to the northbride and out to the pump.
Like so...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/mcw303.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/mcw304.jpg

This made bleeding slightly more difficult as the tubing didn't follow a bottom to top route, instead it went bottom> top> middle.
This caused a big bubble to get trapped between the vid card and the northbridge, but some creative tipping of the case finally freed it up and all was good.

Of course, I have no way to monitor the northbridge temp, so whether or not this was useful, I have no idea.
The stock sink was getting very warm to the touch and I have to assume this setup is better (why do I HAVE to assume this? Mainly because I spent the time, that's why...), so we'll see.

Right then- back to our sad little lives...

[Detale]

Lookin good man. I love the cut down heatsink. a few questions if you don't mind

1) What kind of barbs ar those?
2) how do you like those hose clamps? I had them and dreaded taking them off
3) I cant really see how the NB sink is mounted could you please elaborate a touch?

[clocker]

1. Barbs are Swiftech, supplied with the blocks.
They are plastic and I generally don't care for them, but they were handy and fit the budget.

2. I know what you mean but I don't anticipate removing them often (yeah, right!) and they fit the color scheme.

3.The block is basically just clamped down.
I made some threaded aluminum standoffs that are just shy of the waterblocks installed height. These are screwed in from the bottom of the motherboard.

From the top, I used large plastic washers that overlap the (too short) stock mounting bracket.
Like so...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/NB1-1.png

I suck at Paint.

[j2k4]

I suck at Paint.

Me, too, though I've found a sure fire solution - I don't even try it.

It works every time.

[clocker]

Yippee!
Another "hardware" issue solved....this time my car's emissions.

In Colorado a car gets tested every two years and this can be a trying time when you own a car that was barely capable of meeting the standards in effect the year it was built, much less the new, tougher limits.
In their infinite wisdom, legislators believed that making it difficult- almost impossible- for an older car to pass (vehicle must be older than 25 years to be exempted from new car standards) would lead to more people buying new cars and ditching their old, dirty hoopties.

Ha!

What happened- which anyone with a pulse could have foreseen- is that people just got more sophisticated about spoofing the test.

In my case this involved putting a restrictor pill in the fuel pressure relief valve which makes her run lean.
The bypass air control valve was disabled so the cat was fed full air all the time.
Finally, the gas was drained and diluted 50/50 with denatured alcohol.

It took three attempts (the mods were done in stages to monitor the effect) but this morning I finally squeeked through...in fact, the scores were so low that the software redflagged the results and I had to "discuss" my results with the technician.

It was rather amusing...he knew something wasn't right, he knew I knew and he tried to trick me into admitting I'd done anything other than set to factory specs.
I couldn't play dumb- I'd just spent ten minutes pointing out and describing the stock, factory emissions systems- which are all in place, if not exactly functional- but I was not about to admit to any tweaking.
Despite the fact that my car literally reeked of alcohol...but not much he could do about that, I guess, he really had no options.

It required a "manager's override" to submit my results and pass the car.
We were both grinning as he typed in his ID and password...he knew he'd been taken and I knew he knew.

Whew.
Only cost $50 for the tests (each test is $25 with one free retry) and $15 for the denatured alcohol (why is that shit so expensive anyway?) and I'm good for another two years.
It's only going to get harder as apparently my cats are beginning to fail.
Mazda wants $3200- just in parts!- to replace the two precats and the main cat...and it's doubtful my car is even worth that much.

Oh well, I'll cross that bridge in two years.
Meanwhile I'll be spewing hydrocarbons all over the Front Range.

I'll suffer the guilt pangs while enjoying the ride.

Now I can get back to the important stuff.

[tesco]

So which mod was it that affected the results so much? The alcohol?

[clocker]

Bypassing the air control valve got the CO below the limit.
Leaning out the fuel delivery got the HC down to 1.52 PPM...unfortunately, the limit is 1.50.
The alcohol dropped the HC down to .475 PPM.

The other problem my car has is the transmission...it's a manual.
The car is put on a dyno and the tech has to follow a preprogrammed profile- accelerating (thus, shifting) to keep an arrow on a moving line on a screen.

If the operator is a crappy shifter- as all mine were- he is overshooting the line and abruptly letting off the gas (which causes a nice spike in unburned fuel) or, like my second tech, he doesn't shift at all, just revs the piss out of it.
What I needed was someone who could shift smoothly, get into fourth gear as soon as possible and NOT downshift for every slight lowering of wheel speed.

The last guy wasn't too terrible but was too short...my seat is bolted straight in- no sliders (this gains me about 1 1/2" of headroom)- and he could barely hit the pedals.

All three testers were visibly shocked by the short throw shifter also...the second guy couldn't master it so he decided just not to shift.
The third guy asked about it and complimented it's precise (albeit very short...the top of the knob moves less than 2" going from first into second...)
action.

So basically, in Colorado, every two years you have to go to a testing station (they're run by a company called Envirotest) and let clowns put your car on a dyno and hope for the best- clowns who, under normal circumstances, you would refuse to allow to valet park your vehicle.
It's a great system and we're all glad it's in place.

Yup.

[lynx]

Well, the current financial crisis seems to have been caused by uncontrolled borrowing, and according to most government thinking the solution is more of the same.

Obviously then, given that climate change is being blamed on excessive CO2 emissions, the obvious solution is ... more of the same.

Bring on the gas guzzlers!

[clocker]

My CO² was never the issue...it was CO that got me.

[Detale]

Despite the fact that my car literally reeked of alcohol...

So basically you got your car drunk then:ermm:

When I lived in California a friend of mine did the denatured alcohol thing and got me by as well. I had a piece of shit 80 something volvo turbo at the time. I just moved out there and was broke I spent a whopping $400 on that car. A week later i noticed that the exhaust driven Turbo flange that was supposed to have 3 bolts had only one screw ( thats right I said screw) and a tiny pair of vise grips holding it on. How I missed it I'll still never know :idunno:

[clocker]

I used to have an '85 740 Turbo.

Had great seats, it did.
Used to eat the turbo about every 30k miles and had a fondness for waterpumps as well.

Finally lunched a rear wheel bearing and I gave up.

[Detale]

Yeah I went through a couple water pumps as well.The "Grand Finale" was the passenger side rear caliper ATE the rotor snapping right through the pads and taking the entire thing off while I was braking on the highway. Not fun at all. That car is prob still sitting on the side of the 405 where I left it.

[tesco]

Yeah I went through a couple water pumps as well.The "Grand Finale" was the passenger side rear caliper ATE the rotor snapping right through the pads and taking the entire thing off while I was braking on the highway. Not fun at all. That car is prob still sitting on the side of the 405 where I left it.
Sounds scary, hope you survived. :O

[j2k4]

Yeah I went through a couple water pumps as well.The "Grand Finale" was the passenger side rear caliper ATE the rotor snapping right through the pads and taking the entire thing off while I was braking on the highway. Not fun at all. That car is prob still sitting on the side of the 405 where I left it.
Sounds scary, hope you survived. :O

This post begs the use of a certain smilie.

Because of my oath I cannot use it, to my eternal and unremitting regret.

C'est la guerre.

[clocker]

You're a better man for it.

[j2k4]

You're a better man for it.

Yes, but apparently I've taken to using the odd French fraise.

It's a zero-sum deal.

[clocker]

'Specially for the French.

[j2k4]

'Specially for the French.

Much to their chagrin.


(See what I did there)

[clocker]

You should be ashamed.

[j2k4]

You should be ashamed.

Oh, I am.

As usual.

[Detale]

Yeah I went through a couple water pumps as well.The "Grand Finale" was the passenger side rear caliper ATE the rotor snapping right through the pads and taking the entire thing off while I was braking on the highway. Not fun at all. That car is prob still sitting on the side of the 405 where I left it.
Sounds scary, hope you survived. :O

Barely, but if left me with the obvious brain damage.

[Skiz]

I was bored today and looking for a different thread and came across this one. Read the whole thing, I did.

You still utilizing the same setup clocker?

[clocker]

No.
A few months ago Detale generously gifted Sprocket a full coverage EK block for the 8800GT.
Installing the EK block necessitated losing the NB waterblock (hose routing conflicts), and I took the opportunity to make a few other detail changes.

Haven't really messed with Sprocket much since March...been too busy working on cars.