Well, then...the pc, I guess

[j2k4]

Any perceived ineptitudes are on the part of the beholder-

Part I: J2 Utterly Subdues Pissy Little CPU Cooler

Once I decided to use my size advantage, it didn't stand a chance.

The relevant aspects are obscured, using a shadow technique I learned in film school.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/P1010001.jpg

Different view, less obscurity, same crappy composition.

While I share Clocker's disdain for the push-pin mounting hardware, I added a dollop of outright loathing once I discovered the pins were also possessed of a peculiar (and cheaply-wrought) ingenuity.

On the other hand, I thought the fan retainers to be outstanding in design and function.

Lots of pretty colors and shiny stuff; massive memory overkill - I don't like empty DIMMs, ever since I couldn't afford to buy RDRAM for my first Dell - I had none of the trouble Clocker had seating any of the four sticks, but I used a hammer, so.

Anyhoo-

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/P1010002.jpg

This is more like it; lots of open space for...stuff

80mm fan in front, 120mm in the back, pretty straight-forward, really.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/P1010004.jpg

Front-panel stuff; the fans will both plug directly into the board, saving a bit of the ugliness seen here,

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/P1010003.jpg

which brings us to this-

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/P1010005.jpg

The vitals inside the box, with just the modularized cabling and FP stuff hooked up.

This is gonna drive me nuts, because I don't think I have the patience/eyesight to re-terminate all this stuff to proper length, but I'll do what I can.

I think I may look for something I can fashion into a venturi to tie the backside of the cooler to the rear case fan, then buy/fab a controller to overspeed the rear fan slightly relative to the cooler fan so as to draw in air from the sides of the cooler and evacuate the heat more effectively at the rear.

I'll drop the E-SATA/aux-power breakout to the bottom add-on slot to get that spaghetti on the floor of the case for better routing securement.

Something else, too, to get that ugly-ass sag out of my video card.

I'm using a Lite-On Lightscribe (yeah, I know) combo drive and a 250G Seagate to fire it up (Prophesy Vista 64-bit); the cabling leaves much to be desired. but what can I do - I want it to run, and right-frigging-now, but it is precisely this-

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/P1010006.jpg

kind of crap, plus the cables I'll be installing to connect additional hardware (two 250G Seagates in RAID 0, two 500G Samsung slaves, a card-reader, and another combo-burner) that will try my soul next...

Edit-

By the way, I think I'll call her The Immaculate Contraption.

[clocker]

And so it begins.

No doubt alternate- indeed, better- cable routing options will become obvious as you progress.

Contraption certainly fits, Immaculate, not so much.
Yet.

Fucking 28" monitor.

[j2k4]

That last is an aiming point, you see.

[clocker]

Pics of new monitor?

If I'm to be consumed by jealousy, I'd like to see the object of my lust.

[Acid_death69]

yerr i would like to see this big fuck off monitor. I would always be nervous about fitting such a big heatsinks to mobos. Mobo's aint exactly made out of strong stuff:dabs:

[clocker]

Mobo's aint exactly made out of strong stuff:dabs:
This is true-generally- but this series Gigabyte board has an extra heavy duty copper layer in it and is surprisingly heavy.
Maybe not stronger, but noticeably weightier.

[Acid_death69]

well long as it gives it a better structure so i can hold giant heatsinks like that. Heatsink manufacturers must see how much weight mobo's can take so obv they wouldn't sell a heatsink that'll break it.
But i can just see an unfaithful night where you move your pc and knock it over and snap your mobo in half.

[clocker]

Although the Xigmatech 1283 is really not as heavy as it might appear, my hatred of the "push-pin" mount- which is not only stupidly difficult to engage but also prone to spontaneously popping free- lead me to create a home brewed "screw down/backplate" mount.
Fortunately, I have far more loose hardware at my disposal than the average bear and no fear of implementing it.
In a perfect world the heatsink mounts would simply pass through the motherboard and actually mount to the case structure...the motherboard would locate the sink but not be responsible for actually supporting it.
I have done this myself and it works brilliantly but because every board maker places the CPU socket wherever they damn well please, it's hardly a universal solution.

To their credit, Intel has specified a backplate as stock for their new socket, so the problem should be somewhat alleviated in the future.

[j2k4]

Pics of new monitor?

If I'm to be consumed by jealousy, I'd like to see the object of my lust.


yerr i would like to see this big fuck off monitor. I would always be nervous about fitting such a big heatsinks to mobos. Mobo's aint exactly made out of strong stuff:dabs:

Monitor pics will be posted sometime after work today.

It is incredibly easy on the eyes, even though I'm only running it at 1920x1200 'cuz it's hooked up to my old E521 with 7600GS.

Sure is nice to sit back in the chair and not squint.

I didn't feature wrestling it around the bench with I.C. (the 22" Samsung is plenty for that), and it'll stay where it is when I move I.C. upstairs, so.

As to the cooler/mobo question, I actually gave it some mild shaking to ensure the cooler was secure, then gave everything a minute inspection under the mag glass; the pins didn't move a bit - they still suck, but it's quality suckage, at least.

I don't handle mobos every day, either, but there's real heft to the Gigabyte - reassuring, and the accompanying blurbage lauds it's ability (again, the copper layer) to dump heat.

I like it. :)

[clocker]

You suffer an embarrassment of riches, boy.
A 22" LCD as a backup monitor?

Maybe SWMBO is due for a dual monitor setup...

[j2k4]

You suffer an embarrassment of riches, boy.
A 22" LCD as a backup monitor?

Maybe SWMBO is due for a dual monitor setup...

Well, she'll have two monitors, but the second one will be connected to her other computer - my Dell will be demoted to biz-only, and all the mods from the E521 (PSU, mem, Vid card, etc.) will be transferred to her primary (E520) machine.

I'll probably install the leftover Intel cooler from the E8400 too, 'cuz I think it's better than the OEM Dell setup with the remote fan/passive heat sink.

[clocker]

It probably is.

[j2k4]

For perspective - Mrs. J's 22" Samsung, then the HG...

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/P1010007.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/PC250001.jpg

...then from the chair, maybe 30" away?

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/P1010009.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/PC250003.jpg

[Acid_death69]

that is pretty huge like, same goes for the screen :lol: i jest yes it is a big screen:)

[Detale]

I.....I hate you.

[j2k4]

I.....I hate you.

I experienced about a nanosecond of self-loathing, myself. :whistling

[Detale]

Im sure you have, I got $250 in gift certs for Xmas and I may just have to gey a 21.5" inch with the good sales they're having ATM. Hmmm

[j2k4]

Im sure you have, I got $250 in gift certs for Xmas and I may just have to gey a 21.5" inch with the good sales they're having ATM. Hmmm


There should be scads of good deals just now, especially where you are.

Zip over to J & R; see what they've got.

[clocker]

So, about RAID.

I think you should try it.
Only by setting up an array can you tell whether it's practical for you and IC.

I have never lost an array during regular use...hardware has improved considerably since RAID was first used and, as you know, I don't value my OS install much...if it vanished, I'd just reinstall.
Data should be backed up to disk or external storage- but this holds true even for a non-RAID setup, so that's really no different.

For a multi-disk array such as you are considering, making a small partition just for the OS ("shortstroking" as we wonks call it) will give the most impressive results.
For a Vista install, 50-60GB should work fine.
This would be RAID 0.

The remaining space can be a separate RAID 0 array or -thanks to modern technology- could even be set as a RAID 1 array, although I'm not sure how useful that would be.
I'd say just hike up your skirt and spread 'em- go RAID 0 all the way.

Now, about those shortcuts...

Right click anywhere on the desktop, choose New>Shortcut.
In the location box type (no quotes)- "shutdown(space)-s(space)-t(space)0".
Looks like this in practice: shutdown -s -t 0.
Name it anything you like, mine is "KILL".
It will appear on the desktop as a generic label called "KILL" (or whatever you named it.
Right click on the shortcut and go to "Properties".
In the "Run" box, toggle it to "minimized".
You can change the icon here as well.

Drag to the QuickLaunch bar and delete the duplicate that remains on the desktop.
Done.

For a Reboot icon, the procedure is exactly the same but the target is "shutdown -r -t 0".

Sleep is a whole 'nother animal.
First, navigate to Power Options in the control panel.
You should be running "high performance", go to the advanced settings.
Disable "hybrid sleep".
Next you have to disable "hibernation".
Go to Start>All Programs>Accessories>Command Prompt.
Type in "powercfg –h off" (again, no quotes).
Hit enter.

Now make the shortcut.
Procedure is the same as before, target is: "%windir%\system32\rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,SetSuspendState"
Done.

Before using the shortcut, make sure your BIOS is set to sleep properly.
The fastest way to do this is just to use the stock Windows "sleep" button.
Hit "Start" and in the lower righthand corner are three icons- a power icon, a padlock and a little arrow.
Hover over the arrow and choose "sleep" from the submenu that appears.

In a perfect world, you machine shuts down, just as if you shut it down normally.
Wait a minute or two.
A simple keystroke or mouse movement should wake it right back up...very quickly.
That's if everything is just right.
If not, the PC will go into an endless reboot sequence.
Should this happen, kill the power by shutting off your PSU.
Let it sit a few minutes, then turn the power supply back on.
If you're lucky, nothing will happen.

Hit the power button and it should just turn on normally.
Now you know if "Sleep" works or not.

If it DID work, try the shortcut.
It should work also and life is good.
If not, I anticipate a phone call.

Merry Christmas.

[j2k4]

Muto obrigato.

[j2k4]

Just an update-

It's been up and running since immediately post-last-picture, then new sata cables, a fan controller, Vista Ultimate 64 in RAID 0, blah, blah, blah, I took pictures (it's still kind of a mess inside), but the fucking things are defying my efforts to spin them right-side up in PhotoBucket.

Aaaaaaaargh!

[Detale]

Use imageshack man. It's waay easier and they have a really neat toolbar ;)

You can easily take screenshots or upload multiples from your HDD. I find it better

[j2k4]

Okay - as is obvious, some sort of housekeeping (the time-consuming type) is in order...I am toying with the idea of treating the sata cables to a bath in boiling water in an attempt to make them more pliable during installation - smoother bends, dontcha know.

The power cables will need some sort of surgery; some transplanting/grafting is in order.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/P1090005.jpg

A view towards the front end - again, she's pretty full, and temp-probe leads from the controller are a bit of a dilemma; maybe I can find a variety of them somewhere to lend to neater routing.

Big hands and failing eyesight are another problem...

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/P1090004-1.jpg

A general view of the floor...I may just cover it somehow.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/P1090006.jpg

A close-up of the new sata cabling... little bastards are stiff.

I think a hot dip may be just what the doctor ordered.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/P1090007.jpg

Never thought I'd abide a picture window, especially when it opens on such a bird's nest.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/P1090008.jpg

I'm a sucker for this stuff; it elicits such emotion I can't hold the camera still.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/P1090009.jpg

I think any more pic-worthy mods will be a bit slow in coming, as I will have to learn the proper surgical techniques, so.

[clocker]

Ah, Glasshopper.
The learning curve is steep and you are a stout person, plogless will be srow.

I could whip that baby into submission in about 4 hours.
Nah nah nah nah nah!

[Detale]

Looking good J. You don't have to do it all at once you know. Do a little at a time and it'll be done before you know it man ;)

[j2k4]

Ah, Glasshopper.
The learning curve is steep and you are a stout person, plogless will be srow.

I could whip that baby into submission in about 4 hours.
Nah nah nah nah nah!


Looking good J. You don't have to do it all at once you know. Do a little at a time and it'll be done before you know it man ;)

I feel I should be conflicted over this, but thankfully my lazy streak is taking over.

Actually, I'm farting around with airflow through the front of the case - I was blocking this, opening that, and decided to momentarily remove the front cover altogether...and got a 6c drop in ambient case temp.

Much to do, I think.

[clocker]

I was blocking this, opening that, and decided to momentarily remove the front cover altogether...and got a 6c drop in ambient case temp.


A 6° drop measured from where?

[j2k4]

About an inch-and-a-half from the top of the case, about two inches from the PSU.

Must be (I'm not looking at it just now) about three inches or so above the CPU cooling fan.