|
Post by vikingken on Mar 17, 2012 3:41:31 GMT
Since I took this picture, I took the 120 mm fan off. Because of the size of the rad, I cant mount a fan internally and it has to go on the outside. I have now cut the grill out of the perspex, drilled new holes and mounted a 140 mm fan. Its got an unrestricted blast right across the 2 graphics cards.
I have only got 2 x USB 2 ports in the front panel, a Firewire and headset connections. Wednesday I've got a 3.5" 2 x USB 3 module coming, which will go on the USB 3 header on the motherboard. I've got 5 or 6 USB 3 ports, but they are all at the back. I only lack an eSATA at the front, but my eSATA devices all stay connected and back connections are OK for them. I have got several USB 3 devices, that I only want to connect temporally. Things are looking better since I have got the BIOS sorted out and learned how to set up a RAID array. I now have the C:/ set up across 2 drive in a Suicide RAID 0. Windows wouldn't give me a rating on a mirrored RAID 1, but it does now. Its better to download the AMD RAID drivers from Asus website, than to use the Asus setup disk RAID drivers. I got that tip from Toms Hardware.I just noticed that Windows has said I've only got 4 processors. I know nothing is shut off, because I've got all 8 cores locked and I was watching the usage while Windows Experience was running.PC Pitstop got my resolution wrong on my main monitor. I'm 1920 x 1080 pix on both.
|
|
|
Post by gardengnome81 on Mar 18, 2012 5:26:28 GMT
Cool!
|
|
|
Post by Filly on Mar 18, 2012 11:18:11 GMT
looks gobbly de gooch to me folks
|
|
|
Post by vikingken on Mar 18, 2012 15:03:32 GMT
Dont give me that Ann, I know your pretty handy with a screwdriver yourself. Its only a netbook on steriods.
|
|
|
Post by Skhilled on Mar 19, 2012 14:16:56 GMT
I have yet to mod a case. Maybe that'll be my next PC project...
|
|
|
Post by vikingken on Mar 19, 2012 18:36:23 GMT
I bought that case several years ago Steve, but only used it for a couple of weeks. Now stuff has got so bulky, it was a job to fit it in. No way I was going to buy another one, even if I was going to build a lean to on the side. I bought an Icy Dock some time ago, so that the extra hard drives don't have to be mounted inside. That doesn't only make things easier, it allows better airflow to the board from the front fan. They say necessity is the master of invention. It should have only had two drives; C:/ and a storage, but having RAID 0 meant an extra one.
I had the power saving turned off until yesterday, then I got to thinking that electric works at the speed of light. I've not lost any output by turning it on and the V core temperatures have come way down. All the temperatures are looking very good now, so I must have done something right. Actually the graphics cards are about 5 C hotter than shown, but that is practically cold for them SOBs.
|
|
|
Post by supersonicdave on Mar 20, 2012 3:46:34 GMT
WOW
Looks great from here. I am sure it will make you very happy
|
|
|
Post by vikingken on Mar 20, 2012 4:51:32 GMT
Shes running like a Swiss watch now Dave. My USB 3 ports are supposed to be here tomorrow.
Hopefully then, I can put the lid on and forget about it until she needs cleaning.
I dont know if you had any trouble with your cooler drivers, but I think I found out the conflict. The downloads for .Net-framework 4, there's one has to be installed by itself. Instead of installing it, just hide it. That seems to be the culprit for knocking out the USB driver and then you lose control over the cooler fans. The forums indicate that every man and his dog was having driver trouble and no one could come up with an answer. I was sure it was a Windows update, but it took me ages to figure out which one. Then in the end the OS gave me the clue it was .Net, but not which update. Since hiding that one, all seems well.
|
|
|
Post by supersonicdave on Mar 22, 2012 2:47:59 GMT
Thanks but I havent had a problem with it. If it comes up though, like during a system rebuild, I will have an idea about how to fix it
|
|
|
Post by vikingken on Mar 24, 2012 15:34:28 GMT
I added the 2 x USB 3 to the front panel yesterday, so hopefully Beastly Bulldozer is boxed up now until it needs a clean out.
I connected up all the simulator hardware and took to the skies, only to find I couldn't put the undercart down and couldn't slow the plane down enough to land even if I could. Not a very good position to be in at 12000 feet. Then I remembered the Saltek disk only has XP drivers on it and the Windows 7 drivers are in a folder on one of the hard drives. I must sort that out later, before I crash and burn.
|
|
|
Post by nike on Mar 26, 2012 3:36:22 GMT
So you decided to use a standard style case this time Ken. I thought the skeleton was going to prove to be a bit of a hassle over time, and it definately would have been a dust magnet being open like that.
|
|
|
Post by vikingken on Mar 26, 2012 9:05:19 GMT
The main reason I chose the Skeleton Kev, was the Palet HD 4870 didn't blow the hot air out the back and it overheated everything. The sealed watercooling units weren't available then either. The HD 6870 do blow the heat out the back and watercooling makes a big difference as well. The Skeleton is very high maintenance, the board laying flat is a dust magnet and it needs cleaning every couple of months. It would be fine in a sterile computer room, but not really made for someones living room. This is the case I originally bought for The Beast, replaced with the Skeleton and its never been used since.
Got all the right flight sim drivers in, been flying all over the country and getting lost. My navigation skills have got terrible lately, but at least the hardware is working. Now I need to get a XP machine working, so I can sneak around in my U Boats. My favourite boats wont float on Windows 7 and I've got into Scapa Flow, but never got back out alive. If Günther Prien could do it in 1939, I should be able to.
|
|
|
Post by vikingken on Mar 29, 2012 15:32:56 GMT
Had a little play with the clock and found out something interesting. Although the official clock speed is 3600 MHz, AMD recommend a clock speed of 4200 MHz. Athough the computer is stable at 4200 MHz, the Windows rating drops to 7.7 for both processor and memory. Easing the clock back a little bit puts the memory, processor and both graphics readings at 7.8. Pulling it back to 200 x 18 = 3600 MHz; its true speed, processor and memory remain at 7.8 and the graphics top out at 7.9.
|
|
|
Post by vikingken on Mar 29, 2012 16:11:47 GMT
Still scores 4% in the pit; where I gained a point on the swings, I lost it on the roundabouts. Still I'm quite happy with 4%, with old graphics and slow RAM.
|
|
|
Post by vikingken on Mar 30, 2012 12:47:57 GMT
Haven't given up experimenting yet. Running a RAID0 increased the disk rating from the usual 5.9 to 6.3, so improved that a bit. My last experiment might be of use to someone. I expect everyone has noticed that Windows will always use a smaller paging file than the mathematical formula and adding Ready Boost does bugger all. I have a 16 GB eSATA flash drive, which is about half the size of Windows paging file on my OS. However I formatted it and dedicated it to Ready Boost. I then set my C:/ drive to No Paging file and rebooted. I cleaned up the OS and defragmented it, then run the Windows Experience again. I found I had gained point one for the disk. Not a lot I admit, but at least a step in the right direction. I put a 500 GB hybrid drive in poor old Molly, thinking the flash section might give her a bit of a boost and it didn't do a thing for her. They are a complete waste of money. I don't know about the Samsung hybrids, they came out a bit later and work on a different principle.It seems that Ready Boost might have a use after all, when used differently to what it was supposed to be. Of course you need a big enough drive for whatever your memory is and I think it needs to be an eSATA drive. A USB 2 wont be fast enough to do the job.
|
|