Ady's New Dual Quad CPU Build

[Adywebb]

On the strict instructions of Mucks , I am going to post the progress of my new PC build.

Its a bit different this time, in that it is effectively a server system - something I've never attempted before, so its going to be a case of learning and solving as I go along.

The Spec:

2 x Intel Xeon X5340 CPU's (8 x 2.4GHz/1066 FSB)
2 x Dynatron 4-Heatpipe CPU Coolers, fitted with Vantec Tornado 80mm Fans
Supermicro X7DAE Mobo
4 x 1GB Crucial DDR2-667 FB Dimms
80GB Samsung SATAII HDD
Sony DVD-ROM
Sony Floppy Drive
Supermicro SC743T-650 Case (650W Single Rail PSU)
Windows 2003 Server Edition

 

[Adywebb]

The Start....

First thing to do was BSEL mod the CPU's to 3GHz/1333FSB - this is done by placing a minute piece of electrical tape on the G30 pin, magnifying glass, tweezers and razor blade highly recomended!!

Here is the finished mod, note the tiny black dot over on the lower far right of each CPU covering the G30 pin:

And here they are nicely tucked up in their beds on the Supermicro mobo - how cute!

The next stage will be the fitting of the heatsinks and mobo

 

[crazylegs]

Nice...

Looking forward to seeing the rest of the build...Must have cost a tidy penny...

 

[PotGuy]

Ady you crazy sod

How you are you thinking this will take?

 

[Techy]

What you gonna use it for Ady?

 

[Adywebb]

It cost a lot less than you would think - I had some help from a friend in the States who managed to source some ES CPU's etc

I'm hoping to have it up and running by next weekend, unless I start feeling a little sick at work, in which case it might be sooner

Its going to start its life crunching, beyond that I have no idea!!

 

[Anon_F]

First thing to do was BSEL mod the CPU's to 2.66GHz/1333FSB - this is done by placing a minute piece of electrical tape on the G30 pin, magnifying glass, tweezers and razor blade highly recomended!!

Not into Modding so what does this do to the G30pin?

 

[Spezi]

Not into Modding so what does this do to the G30pin?

In the infamous words of Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor it's going to give him "MORE POWER".

 

[Adywebb]

It cuts out the connection of the G30 pin, which increases the FSB to 1333.

With Intel Xeons (and most other CPU's) the clock speed is determined by the Front Side Bus (FSB) multiplied by the multiplier. Unfortunately the multiplier is locked going upwards so you can't just increase the multiplier to gain speed - this leaves adjusting the FSB as the sole method of squeezing more clock speed out of a Xeon - however socket 771 mobos have few overclocking features, so pin-modding is the way around it.

 

[Ian]

I'm looking forward to see what this baby can do Are you going to have this plugged into your home network and then use RDP to connect to the machine to control it?

 

[PotGuy]

I hate it when they lock multipliers

Still at least you know your stuff Ady.

 

[Adywebb]

I'm looking forward to see what this baby can do Are you going to have this plugged into your home network and then use RDP to connect to the machine to control it?

Probably not - I don't know much about Remote Desktop Protocol, so it will be just connected via my KVM switch.

 

[Ian]

It's really easy to use and may be worth doing if you have it located quite far away. Just be sure to have allow remote connections under system properties when you first set it up (edit, link to setup example here). Once it's connected to the network, just run "mstsc" and then type in the server name or IP address, then log on exactly the same as if you were at the PC. If you have some Win 2k3 or Windows XP Pro PC's already on your network try connecting to their server names using mstsc as RDP will probably be enabled already.

It's really, really useful

 

[Adywebb]

Thansk Ian - I may just give it a go

 

[V_R]

Omgwtf!


Cant wait to see the finished product mate, its gonna kick so fu*kin crunching ass!

 

[floppybootstomp]

My goodness gracious me - 8 cores

But one just has to forward the question to satisfy one's curiosity - why?

Just crunching?

As noble as crunching is - and I've ben doing that thing for around six years now - I just hope a machine of that magnitude fulfills some other purpose.

Because if it doesn't I could think of a 101 more preferable ways to spend that dosh. St Lucia's really quite nice at this time of year I hear

Still, whatever gets ones rocks off, as they say

 

[itsme]

Whooossshhhhh what a whopper You have Ady

 

[Adywebb]

My goodness gracious me - 8 cores

But one just has to forward the question to satisfy one's curiosity - why?

Just crunching?

As noble as crunching is - and I've ben doing that thing for around six years now - I just hope a machine of that magnitude fulfills some other purpose.

Because if it doesn't I could think of a 101 more preferable ways to spend that dosh. St Lucia's really quite nice at this time of year I hear

Still, whatever gets ones rocks off, as they say

I know what you mean Flops - unfortunately I am now officially a crunching mental case with far too much money to waste

It didn't cost as much as one would expect to be honest due to some overseas help , and turns out quite a bit cheaper than 2 separate quad machines, but I suppose it still makes me a nutter

Perhaps folks here can suggest some additional uses for it whilst its crunching away?

And don't worry I still have plenty of cash for me hols, in fact I have 2 weeks coming up in Ibiza at my luxury apartment

 

[Me__2001]

this might be a stupid Q but is this one of the new 'V8' systems that intel have been showing off recently ?

you could put some hard drives in it and use it as a storage centre

Edit: oh and these engineering samples ? right ? so you're gonna OC them above what you've already done with the pin mod ?

 

[Adywebb]

I should be so lucky, the Intel V8 system is their test bed together with their upcoming 45nm Penryn processors - this is just a normal Xeon server system.

Your right, they are ES's - and I'm hoping to OC them a little bit more if I can, but its dependent on heat - they do tend to put out alot