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Post by supersonicdave on Jul 4, 2011 6:21:30 GMT
Hello Everyone,
I have rebuilt the Supersonic PC into an OC machine. In the past I was reluctant to get into something like this just because my Intel processors were plenty fast to do what I wanted them to do. In recent days, the games are getting really demanding on the hardware so I thought I would look into the whole OC thing.
so here goes:
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth X58 Processor: Intel I7-960(overclocked to 4.01 standard/4.3 on turbo boost) RAM: 12 GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 RAM HDD: primary: 1 TB SATA RAID 0 Array Secondary: 2TB SATA Storage PSU: Coolermaster Silent Pro 1000 watt Video: EVGA NVIDIA 580 GTX (1.5 gb) Case: Coolermaster 932HAF CPU Cooler: Thermalright Venomous XRT
Accessories:
Monitor: 42 inch Vizio LCD TV @ 120 hz Keyboard: Logitech Illuminated Keyboard Mouse: Cyborg R.A.T. 7
While I dont have the exact sizes, the case has 4 giant fans in it, the smallest 2 being 120mm
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Post by nike on Jul 4, 2011 6:43:05 GMT
That's a bit like the case I used Dave. The Antec P193 has two 140mm fans in the top plate, two 120mm fans in the front, a whopping 200mm fan in the side cover, and two 120mm fans on the Corsair CPU liquid cooler radiator. The PSU has 2 x 120mm fans as well. You can see the guts in "Introducing BlackHeart" in this section.
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Post by vikingken on Jul 4, 2011 6:55:50 GMT
A strange choice to fit 12 Gb RAM Dave, on a motherboard made for 4 x4 DDR 3 dual channel. In theory your only using 8 Gb, when you need 16 to get it up to speed.
No wonder you are working all that overtime, if your still building on the Intel Sandy Bridge chip. Do yourself a favour and join the AMD Brigade and build a real computer.
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Post by vikingken on Jul 4, 2011 7:02:57 GMT
Sorry about that that Dave, I was looking at the Sabretooth 67 and not the x 58. You have got the 6 slots of DDR3 triple channel.
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Post by nike on Jul 4, 2011 7:04:30 GMT
I was just about to correct you there Ken....
Triple-Channel DDR3 1866/1800/1600/1333/1066 support The motherboard supports DDR3 memory that features data transfer rates of 1866/1800/1600/1333/1066 MHz to meet the higher bandwidth requirements of the latest 3D graphics, multimedia, and Internet applications. The triple-channel DDR3 architecture enlarges the bandwidth of your system memory to boost system performance.
I have no doubts that Daves new rig kicks butt!
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Post by supersonicdave on Jul 4, 2011 7:26:26 GMT
Its all good...
The RAM in it is a 12 GB kit (4 GB x 3). There are (as mentioned earlier) 3 more empty slots on that board. I was considering going out and getting another 12Gb kit to max out the board with 24 Gb of DDR3. I am just wondering if I will EVER use that much RAM.
I also have another (slightly related) issue with my old parts. I now have a complete I7 Build in old parts from the SupersonicPC. Ive got the I7-920 (2.66 ghz), DX58SO motherboard, and 6Gb of Corsair DDR3. I was going to put those into a new build for my oldest boy. The issue is that right now he is running a machine with a C2D 3.0 ghz E8400 processor, Asus P5ND motherboard, and 4 GB DDR2. I am looking at clock speeds here and I am thinking that his current build might be a little faster in some non-multicore situations than the 920 while being slower during the times when all 4 cores kick on.
I have seen threads on other sites like this and no clear answer. What is better for gaming, a good dual core or an average quad core?
Any help you could provide with this one would be appreciated.
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Post by nike on Jul 4, 2011 7:48:59 GMT
Ya can't beat a good fast dual core for that stuff Dave. An average quad wouldn't run fast enough at the right time for some games, however, a fast quad would do the job much better.....
The best thing to do if you have both systems, is to run the same game on both and watch the results. Pick a high spec game to try it out, and then you can speak with some authority on the subject. I'm sure we would all like to know the results.
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Post by vikingken on Jul 4, 2011 7:59:29 GMT
RAM is more a question of what you want it for Dave. I replaced 8 Gb of Corsair Dominator, with 16 Gb Corsair XMS3. The Super Beast rates about the same with both. Having more of the slower RAM is better for graphics work. As my simulator doesn't really need to work that fast, it seems to like having more RAM. I think real speed is only needed for these high powered online games. Otherwise more is better and speed doesn't make a lot of difference. I use Coral PSP Photo Pro and it likes a lot of RAM, but speed isn't important. There wasn't any 4 Gb modules here, when I fitted the Dominator. I fitted the 16 Gb when they became available and they were cheaper than the 8 Gb. Another expensive learning curve.
Dual or Quad?? Don't rightly know. If you were talking AMD, I would say a small quad. Intel is a different kettle of fish.
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Post by supersonicdave on Jul 4, 2011 8:26:40 GMT
I was just thinking back to the toms hardware article where they overclocked their 920 to 4.1 ghz on air........
As much as people flap on about these new "2nd generation of core processors..." they are really just knock offs of the original 900 series
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Post by vikingken on Jul 4, 2011 9:12:52 GMT
I have noticed the first generation always seem to OC better than the 2nd generation Dave. I think the second generation are the same chip with a higher rating. It looks bigger, but you wont get the extra revs out of it.
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Post by supersonicdave on Jul 4, 2011 19:05:27 GMT
I got a chance to do some stress testing today and the news is good.
I ran prime95 and the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility, both with similar results.
Idle: 31c - 33c
Full load: 59c - 62c
This measurement was taken at the CPU using the ASUS Fan Expert Utility. Further, the computer had been left running all night long downloading from Steam. All testing taking place while still downloading. While downloading doesnt task the CPU that much, it does add a small amount to the pile so the results are actually skewed a small amount higher.
Since we all know that more heat is worse, I would say that this is a pretty good result from an Over Clocked machine. I have been reading up and many people are reporting 6 to 10 degrees hotter than I am.
This indicates that the Thermalright Venomous X-RT CPU cooler I am using its doing its job very well. This probably bears some recommendation for the product. Look for it in the appropriate section on these pages.
Regards in running fast and cool
Dave
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Post by vikingken on Jul 4, 2011 20:03:49 GMT
You would do much better with Corsair water cooling Dave. I get worried if it goes over 50º C under stress and I'm running a 3 GHz at 3.8+ GHz. It will go to 4.2 GHz without any real increase in temperature, but it runs nice and smooth at 3.8+ GHz and gets a bit wobbly at 4.2 GHz.
And I'm sitting in my underpants sweating here today
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Post by nike on Jul 4, 2011 20:55:49 GMT
Ahhh.... I posted in the other thread before I came in here. Like Ken says, the Corsair Liquid cooling system is pretty bloody good. Under full load, my 6 core 1090T processor barely gets to 39ºC.
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Post by vikingken on Jul 4, 2011 21:45:18 GMT
As you can see here Dave, water cooling soaks up the heat better than air. When I pushed the clock up the computer went unstable, but the temperature didn't change. I would have expected it rise a bit under pressure, but the computer wouldn't have taken much pressure at that clock speed. Anyway its better to run at the speed the computer is happy at, than to push it into instability. Left to its own devices, the processor will choose to run at 3.8 GHz and it cant get any happier than that.
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Post by supersonicdave on Sept 6, 2011 4:40:06 GMT
I've just finished installing the Antec liquid cooling system in the new supercomputer. Load testing at the 4.01 OC shows a solid 43.6c at full load (at the end of a 5 minute testing cycle) with 39c at idle. Another improvement is a quieter startup cycle. You will find the pictures here: www.supersonicdave.com/supercomputerIf you download the Hi-Res pictures you will see the results of my OC load testing as well as a before shot and a few other pictures which didnt make it onto the web page. Regards in finally putting it all together Dave
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