Ordered a New PC at Last!

[Thrax]

Case: Gigabyte 3D Aurora (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811233003) w/ 3x Thermaltake SmartFan-II (120mm) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811999145)
MoBo: Asus P5B Deluxe (http://www.antaresdigital.com/customer/product.php?productid=17254&cat=0&page=1)
CPU: Intel E6400 (Allendale) [SL9S9/L626] (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115004)
HSF: Thermalright Ultra-120 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835109125) w/ Thermaltake SmartFan-II (120mm) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811999145)
RAM: 2GB OCZ PC2-8000 Platinum (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227091)
VID: eVGA GeForce 7950GX2 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130023)
PSU: HIPER Type-R 580w (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817128002) (Great reviews everywhere!)
Sound: Auzentech XPlosion 7.1 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829156001)
HDD: Western Digital 320gb SATA2 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822136003)
ROM: 2x NEC ND-3550A (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152058)
Monitor: Samsung Syncmaster 215TW (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824001078)

Finally, after four years, I am retiring my JIUHB/NF7-S 2.0/9700 Pro.. You've served me so faithfully. Like the Celeron 300 before you, and the Allendales after you, you were a diamond in the rough. I'm going to part you out to good people, my precious. Good people.

WOOOOOOOO I HAVE A REAL COMPUTER COMING

Overclocking will come in this thread.

[profdlp]

And Satan claims another victim... :(

Enjoy the new gear, Thrax - looks like a sweet setup. :)

[Kwitko]

Ooh, looky!
http://www.kwitko.net/images/hell.jpg

[Thrax]

Apparently Firefox's add-blocking engine is better than Hell's advertisement service.

[Kentigern]

Oh no !!!! I just turned GREEN.......

PS Thanks for the info

[Kwitko]

Apparently Firefox's add-blocking engine is better than Hell's advertisement service.

It's my 12,600-line long HOSTS file, actually. Quite effective at blocking ads.

[profdlp]

It's my 12,600-line long HOSTS file, actually. Quite effective at blocking ads.
Send it to me. Please. :cool:

[csimon]

Thrax has succumbed ...the end of days is near.:honoes:

Enjoy your new machine Thrax sir!
Please post benchies (as silentX used to call them) asap!

[airbornflght]

I suppose you got the allendale in hopes of a better oc? since it only has a 2mb cache, and a smaller die. This should be interesting how far you get with it, looks like a sweet setup.

[Thrax]

Yeah, 2mb cache vs. 4mb cache = 2-5% max performance difference, but a substantially better chance at high OCs in the Allendale's favour.

And benchies shall rain from the heavens, I promise.

[Daxx]

By the twitching of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.

http://home.comcast.net/~dlancep/clapping.gif

[airbornflght]

Yeh, that looks like a sweet rig, how much is it setting you back all said and done?

[Thrax]

Around $2500.

[airbornflght]

ouch.

although, I do have $3500 sitting around...though I better save it.

[Thrax]

Realize that I've been saving for a new PC ever since the Clawhammer was released. That was September 23, 2003.

[Daxx]

Realize that I've been saving for a new PC ever since the Clawhammer was released. That was September 23, 2003.
Congratulations, Thrax. I know you will enjoy your new system. Can't wait to see the benchies!

[muddocktor]

Sounds like a nice rig you are building, Thrax. I thought about going with a GX2 for my Conroe build but $100 more than what I spent for a video card wasn't affordable for me at the time. So I settled on an eVGA 7900GTX instead. I still need to buy a new hard drive for this machine and retire that old WD 80 gigger to a folding rig. But at least I got the Core ;) components together for it.

And I'm also sitting here with an e6300 that I plan to make a dedicated folding rig with, or maybe rebuild my daughter's old P4 system with.

[primesuspect]

AMD is spinning in his grave. That opteron you were saving for -- all those years.. /cry

[Leonardo]

Looking forward to reading this thread as the build is performed and the performance tests ensue. I'm glad you finally got your opportunity, Thrax.

[Datsun 1600]

For F@H, I run an E6400 @ 2720Mhz and an E6600 @ 3006Mhz.
p775 - E6400 - 10h 18m
p775 - E6600 - 9h 5m

Datsun 1600

[TheLostSwede]

grats Thrax :)

You will have some fun and also some headaches during the overclocking sessions. Nothing worse than you have already encountered before though.

[Thrax]

Overclocking is a natural headache. ;D

Thanks for helping me pick parts.

[DogSoldier]

3 years savings for that sweet machine.. Now that's discipline folks!

How soon can we expect benches n' such?

[airbornflght]

I've been saving four around a year, and have another to go. I plan to do a new build right before I enter college. The quad cores should be out by then.

[DogSoldier]

Cool beans. I should be able to afford a new setup around the time octagonal cores come out...

[Thrax]

3 years savings for that sweet machine.. Now that's discipline folks!

How soon can we expect benches n' such?

I'd say Saturday, more than likely.

[Sledgehammer70]

Thrax good to see you're finally going to have a beast running at your finger tips... Nice rig, can't wait to see images and benchmarks.

Can I ask why you got the 7950GX2? are you running a screen larger than 24"

[Thrax]

Thrax good to see you're finally going to have a beast running at your finger tips... Nice rig, can't wait to see images and benchmarks.

Can I ask why you got the 7950GX2? are you running a screen larger than 24"

1) It's the fastest video card on the planet.
2) It'll HANDILY power my 21" LCD.
3) Because I'm running at lower rezzes than the 24", I can use even more image-enhancing features at higher settings.
4) It'll last longer into the future than a slower card.

[Sledgehammer70]

1) It's the fastest video card on the planet.
2) It'll HANDILY power my 21" LCD.
3) Because I'm running at lower rezzes than the 24", I can use even more image-enhancing features at higher settings.
4) It'll last longer into the future than a slower card.

Sounds good... to note the 7900GTX and ATI X1900XtX are much faster than the 7950 in resolutions at 1600 x 1200 or lower. But the 7950GX2 is the better bargain for the buck... the 7950GX2 was really developed for the user who want to power huge monitors at huge res. and still maintain good FPS. I pointed this out in another thread showing the performance difference isn't much until you hit resolutions higher than 1600 x 1200.

Also to note, there are no games on the market yet that can choke the 7950GX2 as it becomes CPU bound.. this is why AMD's 4x4 system is going to own the gaming market :)

[Thrax]

It's as fast below 1600 when you don't turn on all the goodies. I've been living with jaggies for a long time.. Looking forward to running around everywhere with 8x+ everything.

[Daxx]

It's as fast below 1600 when you don't turn on all the goodies. I've been living with jaggies for a long time.. Looking forward to running around everywhere with 8x+ everything.
It's a very nice vid card. I have one and I love it. Plus, if you have dual PCI Express slots, you have the possibility of running quad-SLI in the future. How's that for power! WOOO!!

[primesuspect]

What's next? A Mac?

YOU MAY LAUGH, BUT TWO YEARS AGO IF I SAID THRAX WOULD BE BUYING AN INTEL YOU WOULD HAVE LAUGHED THEN!!!! SO NYAH!

[Sledgehammer70]

It's as fast below 1600 when you don't turn on all the goodies. I've been living with jaggies for a long time.. Looking forward to running around everywhere with 8x+ everything.

You mean 8X AA and 16X AF :)

[Thrax]

That's right. 8x+ everything.

[Shorty]

Hell has indeed frozen over but alas.. Thrax would not be Thrax were he not also as shrewd as he is defiant ;D

Congratulations Rob, enjoy your new powerhouse :D

[Mt_Goat]

The sky is falling!!!
http://www.short-media.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=21021&d=1157019713

[Thrax]

Well, everything but the PSU, HSF and mobo arrives today :(

[profdlp]

Well, everything but the PSU, HSF and mobo arrives today :(
Why the long face? :(

Is this a Newegg no weekend deliveries deal?

[Thrax]

It's an "Inexplicably, the smallest package with the shortest shipping distance took longer to ship than packages of 5x the weight and 2-4x the distance" deal, in addition to a "The mobo was not purchase at Newegg and I'm spoiled by their customer service" deal. :( :( Staring at a conroe, RAM, a case, a sound card, a video card and all sorts of other stuff will drive me batty.

[Daxx]

It's an "Inexplicably, the smallest package with the shortest shipping distance took longer to ship than packages of 5x the weight and 2-4x the distance" deal, in addition to a "The mobo was not purchase at Newegg and I'm spoiled by their customer service" deal. :( :( Staring at a conroe, RAM, a case, a sound card, a video card and all sorts of other stuff will drive me batty.
You need time to go faster. Since you cannot speed up time, you need to enter a state that gives you the perception of time passing quickly. May I suggest a large dose of sleeping pills...

[profdlp]

I can certainly sympathize with your frustration. Ironic, isn't it? Wait for three years, then the last three days is agonizing. :-/

[primesuspect]

meditate on this, my friend. your attachment to your motherboard will only cause you suffering. :ninja:

;D

[Thrax]

meditate on this, my friend. your attachment to your motherboard will only cause you suffering. :ninja:

;D

Om mane padme hom Asus P5B Deluxe sambuddhasa

[Thrax]

What would be a build without shwagshots? ;)

More to come when the mobo, PSU, HSF and monitor arrive.

[Thrax]

Motherboard, HSF and PSU arrived! More pictures to come!

[TheLostSwede]

Lets get to business Thrax. Lemme know when you have opened the box with the mainboard. Ger a pair of pliers (spelling?) out. You MUST change the goop under the chipset m8. It's a crime not to. At least in Michigan :P

[profdlp]

...You MUST change the goop under the chipset m8. It's a crime not to. At least in Michigan :P
Using expensive Tequila to clean the chip, of course. :D

[Thrax]

Okay, she's up, not posting from her yet, however first (Default BIOS) boot reports 43*C idle with speedstep off. Is that good or bad?

[GHoosdum]

Using expensive Tequila to clean the chip, of course. :D

Or you can go ahead and use Sauza like our buddy Sledge. ;)

[Leonardo]

Okay, she's up, not posting from her yet, however first (Default BIOS) boot reports 43*C idle with speedstep off. Is that good or bad?
If the ambient temperature (room) is warm, then the 43*C at idle is OK. If the room is normal or cool, than that temp is a little bit high. I'm assuming at this point the CPU is at default frequency.

EDIT: Are you using the stock CPU heatsink or aftermarket? What's installed?

[muddocktor]

That sounds a bit warm to me, Thrax. But then, I don't know how the P5B reports temps either. My folding temps (2 clients) run from 40-42 C on my Conroe, but I have the P5W DH instead of the P5B.

[Leonardo]

I'm running D9XX (dual core Presler) series CPUs now. They are also 65nm, but run hotter than Conroes. At idle in comfortable room temperature, the CPUs are at 38-40*C, and that's with a 1000MHz overclock each. At full load, both cores at 100% utilization, same overclock, they run at 52-56*C.

[profdlp]

Using expensive Tequila to clean the chip, of course. :D
Or you can go ahead and use Sauza like our buddy Sledge. ;)
Unless they're giving it away, it's expensive in my book. :vimp:

[Thrax]

It sounded very warm to me too. I'm going to try reseating the HSF, or changing its orientation. We'll see what happens.

//EDIT: Going to change orientation, I don't think the heatpipes like being aligned vertically. The manual suggests a horizontal installation, though I didn't catch that initially. I thought having the fan blowing through the sink and into the exhaust fans was a great idea. I'll also use more grease..

News at 12:00.

[Leonardo]

"More" thermal paste? Come on Thrax, you know better than that. Do you still have gaps in between the heatsink base and the CPU heatspreader?

Speaking of which, I have now tried and have switched to Zalman thermal paste. I'm getting 1-2*C better performance with it than Arctic Silver 5. It applies with a brush and has the consistency of a thick model paint. You literally paint it on the surface to be cooled and the contact area on the heatsink. Assuming availability, I doubt I'll go back to Arctic Silver unless they come out something similar. The Zalman solution is so much easier to apply uniformly and doesn't create air pockets if the first attempt at mating the components isn't precise.

[Thrax]

I fear my application was too thin, sir Leo. I think, however, the SNAFU was in the heatpipe orientation. Working on transferring files from my old HDD before I go spelunking in the aluminum wilds.

[muddocktor]

I've gone to the pea sized blob in the middle of the IHS application method with AS5 and AS Ceramique myself. It seems to work better for me on processors that use an IHS.

Leo, I'm curious as to how long the Zalman stuff keeps performing well. Keep us informed if you see any difference in performance down the road. :)

[Thrax]

Only a few C difference by re-silvering and rotating. Going to look at case temps next; I just have this feeling that the diodes might be off.

[Datsun 1600]

Download Core Temp, (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=103638) it reads the temp off the CPU.

Datsun 1600

[TheLostSwede]

The board over-reads the temps by a bit. Don't worry about it. Also, the IHS may be concave. Mine looked like a serial bowl :/

A blob big as a ricecorn in the middle and let the heatsinks pressure take care of the rest is the thing. You don't need to have goop all over the ihs. Only 60% from the middle.

[Leonardo]

Only a few C difference by re-silvering and rotating. Well, what are the temps? What's the ambient temperature?

43*C at idle is not great, but it's certainly not a show stopper. If you lowered that by a "few", perhaps you are right where you need to be. The Conroes run cool, compared to P4 Presscot, Pentium D8XXX/9XXX, and even somewhat compared to Athlon dual cores, but don't expect miracles.

[Thrax]

Alright, thanks to Datsun's links, I've got temps for idle...

Core 1: 37C/99F
Core 2: 42C/107F

In other news, the Auzentech drivers have no idea what to do with a copy of windows not installed on C:\. I had to force them.

[Thrax]

Alright, something is wrong with my case cooling, or the CPU/HSF have some serious concave issues I'm not aware of. I'm idling at around 45/48C on both cores after 12 hours of uptime.

In other news, anyone considering the Auzentech X-Plosion 7.1 should be aware that the card cannot be installed unless Windows is installed to C:\. I learned the hard way.

[TheLostSwede]

It's pretty normal Thrax. The board reports a little higher temperatures that other boards. Both my cores are over 65c load but your should be a little lower. Lifted the HS yet to check contact?

[Thrax]

Yeah, contact seems to be good. There's a really nice suction seal when I try to lift up the heatsink, doesn't come off terribly easily.

I think I'm not used to the heat this 7950 turns out, the ambient temps are reporting in the 90s, and that's not right.

[TheLostSwede]

It does get very hot, yes. Some serious wattage in that case. Have you used the rig yet? Feel any difference compared to before?

[Thrax]

Here's a few shots...

Q4 at 1600x900, 8xS AA / TSAA / 8x AF.

[Thrax]

Did I mention "Ultra" quality? ;)

[TheLostSwede]

Pretty slick huh?

[Thrax]

HL2, same settings + HDR.

[Thrax]

And more.

[airbornflght]

nice, just gotta wait another year and I can have a kickass rig like that.

[GHoosdum]

That's wicked cool, Thrax. Congrats on the new PC purchase, and I particularly applaud your discipline in saving for this PC. The delayed gratification really seems worth it when you get results like this.

[Thrax]

I'm going to go ahead and install the other case fans I purchased, which have a much higher rate of airflow, and see how the CPU temps drop then. I think the HSF is fine, at this point. I think the 7950 is just churning out heat like a freak. I've got load temps down to within 5c of idle, however the ambient is just warm.

Once I get that figured out, it's on to overclocking.

[Leonardo]

You might just need one of the blower-powered slot coolers. One little card blower can be more effective than 200cfm of case fans. The objective is to remove the heated air created by the GPU, not necessarily to increase the volume of air moving through the case. If the primary exit of hot air is through the case's rear exhaust fan, an increase in airflow might (maybe not, but might) not change much, as the rear exhaust fan will still draw the GPU's heated air across the CPU heatsink's vanes. In my experience with air cooling, directed airflow is just as important, if not more so, than airflow volume.

There are many different slot coolers available. Avoid the ones with small, high RPM fans. They are annoyingly high pitched in sound.

[Thrax]

Installed the new case fans: 31C/36C Core1/2 idle.

[Thrax]

Uhhhhh...

2.8GHz at 1.0v? WHAT THE ****.

I set the VCORE to 1.25v in the BIOS, it said "CPU overvolt error" and kept going. And I've got THIS ****.

Core temps even suggest 1v at this speed!

I THINK WE HAVE A WINNER, CHAPS. :woowoo:

[Leonardo]

Well done. As it turns out, your case was indeed asphyxiating. Now it can breathe again. I even the low power draw. For once Intel's hype had substance behind it.

[TheLostSwede]

You can remove the fan on the heatsink at 3 ghz if you want. Won't hit 65c. These cpu's are perfect for HTPC.

[muddocktor]

Thrax, CPU-Z seems to have trouble reading correct core voltage on the retail Conroe's; I have mine set at 1.525v and CPU-Z shows it at 1.213v vcore. As for core temp, I think it must be reading the minimum vcore set in the proc for when EIST is in use and the proc is idle. If you want to read the proper vcore in windows, try the Asus monitoring app. You can also try Speedfan too; it reads correctly on my P5W DH, but it might not be able to read correctly on your board because the p965 chipset is so new.

[Thrax]

I dunno, Mud. It was reading it correctly at the "SPD" voltage if you will, and at 1.3v when I bumped it up to there to start with.

[TheLostSwede]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16812156101

That is supposed to work great, but i know there is adapters where you can put them on the usb header on the board instead. That way, you don't need the cable going outside. Pretty smart actually.

[Thrax]

;)

[TheSmJ]

Thrax, check out widescreengamingforum.com for info on playing games in widescreen format that don't initally support it. It'll save you a headache or two.

[Thrax]

All the games I already play natively support 16:10. It's been a breeze.

[TheSmJ]

Not all of them do it well though, for instance Farcry letterboxes the 4:3 image, giving you a smaller FOV. Editing the ini fixes the issue.

And FYI, HL2's campaign maps don't support HDR or most of the other new features added to the Source engine over the past 2 years. You'll need to play Episode 1 to see them. :)

That reminds me... we need someone to upload good demos to benchmark with for comparison.

[Thrax]

I now have reason to believe that my 7950GX2 is not, in fact, running in SLI mode to run a game. Setting the video card to "single-display performance mode" and "Multi-GPU rendering" kills my framerates.. IT only works right when I enable "Multi-display performance mode" which disables SLI.

[TheSmJ]

There's a thread about this over on NVNews here:

http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=74875

[Thrax]

Confirmed: I currently only have 1GPU working for me. Trying to enable both makes things to to hell in a handcart.

This is real ****ty.

[airbornflght]

Still F'ing awesome. hope you enjoy it.

[Thrax]

The video card is $550. Anything short of "Working as intended" is not f'ing awesome.

[TheLostSwede]

I'm checking into this Thrax. Beep me when you wake up.

[airbornflght]

The video card is $550. Anything short of "Working as intended" is not f'ing awesome.


yeh, but im sure it is just a minor issue like a setting or something. but yeh, you have apoint with the $550, that would cover the cost of my mobo/cpu/memory/psu...

[Thrax]

I'm checking into this Thrax. Beep me when you wake up.

Thanks, mate. Right now I've got the GPU on "Multi-Display Performance Mode," which disables SLI and makes one GPU power the whole display. If I enable Multi-GPU and single-monitor, my frame rates just roll over and die. I'm just totally stumped.. There is so much potential here! I hope I can unlock it.

I have a few things I'm going to try when I get home from work, and I finally have a way to see whether or not the SLI is working with different settings.

[Sledgehammer70]

Hey Thrax you have any images of the beast put together yet?

[Thrax]

Not until I sort out the wiring. :D

[Krazeyivan]

Hey man your using the Aurora Case - it was reviewed by CustomPC - check out the website www.custompc.co.uk and then head over to "labs" then go to "ATX cases" you can of course read up on how they tested the various models

Here is the review

In addition to it being a chassis manufactured by Gigabyte, the Aurora is also rumoured to be a top-secret US spy plane, allegedly capable of streaking through the upper atmosphere at Mach 6. In contrast, the Gigabyte 3D Aurora looks more like a Cylon Centurion from the awesome new series of 'Battlestar Galactica'.
The 3D Aurora is available in silver or black, but whichever model you buy, the entire case is illuminated by the blue LEDs embedded in the fans. Cooling is provided by a single 120mm fan that draws in cool air through a vent in the front and sides of the front panel; the air is then pushed out the rear of the case by two additional 120mm fans. Further ventilation is provided by a large grille that occupies nearly half of the left side panel. Behind the intake fan is the hard disk cage, which has room for five 3.5in drives, while above it are five 5.25in external and two 3.5in external drive bays.
A lot of thought has obviously gone into the creation of the 3D Aurora, as it boasts several unique features designed to make building your PC much easier. Foremost among these are the two pre-cut holes in the rear panel,
which are ideally placed for the tubes of a water-cooling kit, negating the need to drill holes in the case, or remove a PCI bracket. There are also several sensibly placed clips inside the case to hold cables out of the way, so that they don't obstruct airflow.
On paper, the placement and number of fans inside the 3D Aurora is impressive, but the transversely mounted hard drive cage impedes much of the air drawn in by the intake fan. This has a terrible effect, as air isn't able to flow freely over the hot components before being blown out the back of the case by the two exhaust fans. Even with the test PC sitting idle in Windows, the temperatures of all the main components inside the 3D Aurora, with three 120mm fans, were much hotter than those of the other cases. For example, the GPUs were a toasty 67C, compared to 60C in the Antec P180 or 61C in the Akasa Mirage.
With the PC fully warmed up by 3DMark06, the 3D Aurora proved to be even worse, with some components running incredibly hot.
For example, the GPUs were heated to a sizzling 106C, some 5C hotter than those in most of the other cases tested. Even more worrying was the hard disk, which was almost cooking at 52C, only a few degrees shy of the maximum temperature recommended by most hard disk manufacturers. The infrared photograph shows what happens inside the 3D Aurora - the hard disk is practically glowing, since insufficient cool air is being drawn into the case.
Despite the 3D Aurora's very stylish sci-fi appearance and three 120mm fans, its design is fatally flawed by the lack of clear airflow through the case. When you can buy the superior Antec P180 or Akasa Mirage for just £10-20 more, the 3D Aurora isn't worth shortlisting.

[Krazeyivan]

Here is the photo of the case - taken with the FLIR P60 Infrared Camera (£30,000 pounds worth)

Sorry for the bad news with your new computer, may be causing the high temps you are seeing

Notice the HDD lit up - so its rather hot!

21109

[Leonardo]

Thanks for the mini-review, but you provided it AFTER Mr. Thrax had already purchased his case. Something about a cart before the horse? :scratch:

[Krazeyivan]

I know sorry bout that just caught this thread this afternoon - and there was mention of temp issues from my scan of this thread - just thought I would mention it - but you are correct a tad late!

[TheSmJ]

The Gigabyte case is designed with water cooling in mind, hence the lackluster performance when air-cooled (not suprising). The Antec P180 on the other hand is excellent choice for air cooling, but is a royal pain to rig up for water.

[Thrax]

This case is fine for air-cooling, you just have to intelligently air-cool it. I've done so, and my 3GHz conroe is a frosty 101F/38C idle. Using default fans in any case is just a silly practice, in my opinion. They're almost always designed for silence, rather than performance, the latter of which can be struck without creating noise.

[profdlp]

...Using default fans in any case is just a silly practice, in my opinion. They're almost always designed for silence, rather than performance...
Or just plain cheap and ineffective. :-/

[Datsun 1600]

One of the Auroras I have, runs a 920 @ 3.8 Ghz at a toasty 38C with standard fans and an ambient of 24C.

Datsun 1600