BOINC: Rebirth of a computer in the horde (mondobyte)

[mondobyte]

The computer in my library has gone through a few upgrades:

Colossus was originally built in 1996 with a "Colossal" Antec SOHO File Server case (10 internal 3.5", 8 external 5.25", dual 400W Fault Tolerant Antec Power Supplies, and room for extended ATX boards and beyond).
[*]Motherboard: dual Pentium III Xeon Slot2 extended plus ATX form factor
[*]Processors: dual XEON 450's later upgraded to dual 850's.
[*]Memory: 1,512mb PC133 RAM <- A lot back then
[*]Adaptec Ultra160 dual channel RAID with 64mb cache
[*]SCSI Drives: Seagate Barracudas (8+), SCSI CD-R, SCSI DVD
[*]Geforce2 GTS with 64mb, Soundblaster Live, Dual Pro100+ NIC

In 2002, a major renovation was undertaken with these upgrades.
[*]Motherboard: Shuttle AN35N 400 Ultra
[*]Processor: Athlon Mobile XP3000+
[*]Memory: 768mb Golden Dragon (not Value) PC3200 (3x256mb)
[*]Geforce4 mx440 with 64mb

January 1 2006 saw, essentially, a complete rebuild
[*]Motherboard: Foxconn 6100K8MA-RS
[*]Processor: Dual-Core AMD Opteron 175
[*]Memory: 2048mb Patriot Signature Series 1GB (2 x 512mb) PC3200 Dual Channel Kit (x2)
[*]Processor Cooler: Zalman CNPS9500 LED
[*]Hard Drives: Hitachi Deskstar 80G 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA II x 2 = RAID0 or MIRROR
[*]The SCSI RAID controller remains for the SCSI CD-R, DVD-ROM, and ScanJet4c
[*]The ASUS DVD-R/W Dual Layer IDE drive remains[*]The Intel Pro100+ Dual NIC remains
[*]The front 2 92mm case fans were replaced with PC Power&Cooling "Silencer" fans
[*]The front and rear 80mm case fans were replaced with Evercool 80x80x35 High Volume, Low Noise Fans
[*]Adding a Zalman FAN adapter to run these 2 80mm fans off 5V instead of 12V makes these fans almost inaudible.

I put it all together and, as suspected, the Dual Antec Power Supplies in 400+400W power configuration didn't have the right rails to crank the beast over. The dual powers supplies had to go. I wanted a little bit of future "headroom" for future upgrades and additions so ...
[*]Power Supply: FSP Group FX700-GLN ATX / EPS / 4x12V Rails, SLI ready ... 700WATTS!!! Notice that it is quiet and extremely power efficient!

At present, this computer is NOT overclocked (although that will eventually NOT be the case)

Now for the real stats that everyone is drooling over
SETI BOINC Stats <--- check out the times on the results for an eye opener:Q Most WU finish in 20-50 minutes!!! ... and with 2 processors ... that means 2 WU every 20-50 minutes.

With this configuration and with SETI running full tilt ... the cooling fan on my Laserjet4m across the room (that I never really noticed before) is significantly louder than the computer. CPU temps are controlled to 41C but could go lower. Tweaking the CPU fan for low noise and minimum temp is an ongoing task. I use FanSpeed software control for this.

A supremely quiet machine that really performs quite well. Also, it doesn't suck for casual game playing This case is the biggest server case I ever saw ... current cases don't come close. Peeking inside ... the mATX motherboard is almost lost!

mondo

 

[Fardringle]

Can I live my fantasy geek life through you, Mondo? I just upgraded my home PC to the limits of my budget and it got scared and wet itself when I read your post while working on it.

Keep up the insane crunching!

 

[ken008]

Reminds me of 10 bay AT case I had. I dreamed of filling every bay with SCSI 2 drives with my Tyan dual pentium 200 MMX board. The thing was huge. So I assume Opterons are better than X2`s . What is your comparison between the two, I think you have both.

 

[dringdahl]

Any idea how fast that cranks out PrimeGrid WUs? I'm getting ahold of a 280 machine in about 14 days, would love to drewl early.

 

[Smoke]

Cool

Gotta luv it.

 

[RaySun2Be]

Pics?

/me goes to change shirts and put on his drool bib.....

very nice!

 

[networkman]

Nice setup.

I've got a couple of the larger Antec cases too - I found I needed them for the extended ATX boards like the Tyan S2462s that I use for my Dual AMD rigs.

 

[ProviaFan]

That's a very nice upgrade, mondo! Congrats, and here's to a long life for the new components. :thumbsup:

 

[TAandy]

Originally posted by: Fardringle
Can I live my fantasy geek life through you, Mondo? I just upgraded my home PC to the limits of my budget and it got scared and wet itself when I read your post while working on it.

Keep up the insane crunching!

ROFLMAO (and I haven't even started drinking yet )

 

[mondobyte]

Originally posted by: ken008
Reminds me of 10 bay AT case I had. I dreamed of filling every bay with SCSI 2 drives with my Tyan dual pentium 200 MMX board. The thing was huge.

This thing makes a my Antec AMG108010 bay case look like a Shuttle XPC ... Colossus
I DID fill this with LVD SCSI drives ... very, very quick ... but somewhat noisy ... Now, I'm into not hearing this computer except for the drive seeks ...

Originally posted by: ken008 So I assume Opterons are better than X2`s . What is your comparison between the two, I think you have both.

I have experience with both ... to tell the truth ... I don't see all that much difference. I haven't really had either long enough to really get down and tinker with OC'ing and such. My experience right now says that the Processor will overclock but the onboard video will not. If you want a to pursue overclocking, DO NOT buy a board with onboard video.

I didn't buy this with the intention of extreme overclocking so I am very pleased with the performance, as-is.

I wouldn't be able to make a value judgement on X2 vs Opteron at this time.

mondo

 

[mondobyte]

Originally posted by: RaySun2Be
Pics?

/me goes to change shirts and put on his drool bib.....

very nice!

Yeah, just for you ... give me a day or two to neaten up the wires ... I tried to use all round cables and sheathing and such ... but you know how it is bringing a new compuer up ... get it working then clean it up !!!

I know that I will be crucified when folks find out that this computer still has a 5.25" floppy drive in it .... he he he ...

 

[mondobyte]

Originally posted by: TAandy

Originally posted by: Fardringle
Can I live my fantasy geek life through you, Mondo? I just upgraded my home PC to the limits of my budget and it got scared and wet itself when I read your post while working on it.

Keep up the insane crunching!

ROFLMAO (and I haven't even started drinking yet )

I had champagne right away when it crunched it's first SETI units on the 5th ... :evil:

oh ... and the drool cup is out -- if you must ...

I was hoping to hear some opinions about how or where I went wrong on my component selection ... of course, price was an issue but I go with quality, "inexpensive" components as opposed to the lowest cost. I hope my choices demonstrate this.

Comments would be very welcome ... choices are difficult without experience to point the way and reviews are so problematic because it is impossible to determine the technical expertise and experience of the reviewer. Even more difficult is to determine if the reviewer has a private agenda.

mondo

 

[ProviaFan]

Hey, I wasn't really aware that you were asking for comments, so I didn't say anything about your hardware choices. Even now that you are asking, I really don't have much in the way of things that I would do differently. I would have spent a bit more on the motherboard and a bit less on the CPU cooler (something by ASUS and a cheaper Zalman). I can't argue with your PSU choice, though I'm a Seasonic fanboy personally. All in all, it looks like a very well thought out crunching system that shouldn't give you any troubles.

 

[mondobyte]

Originally posted by: ProviaFan
Hey, I wasn't really aware that you were asking for comments, so I didn't say anything about your hardware choices. Even now that you are asking, I really don't have much in the way of things that I would do differently. I would have spent a bit more on the motherboard and a bit less on the CPU cooler (something by ASUS and a cheaper Zalman). I can't argue with your PSU choice, though I'm a Seasonic fanboy personally. All in all, it looks like a very well thought out crunching system that shouldn't give you any troubles.

The Zalman wasn't optional .. I had the space and I wanted EXTREME quiet ... which I have achieved. The ONLY audible noise from the computer is the seeking of the SATA drives. No fan noise is audible!

I needed 3 PCI Slots AND I wanted onboard video to reduce costs ... the choice of the Foxconn board seemed like an advantageous compromise. The 6150 wasn't available or I would have gone with that one. Although it might not be apparent, I WAS on a budget imposed by my beautiful and intelligent bride. Must I say more ...

mondo

I applaud your sincere comments and will add them into my next buying decision(s). I, also, have enjoyed the quality and value of ASUS motherboards in the past. Thanks

 

[TAandy]

Sorry to crap your thread Mondo, you're an exceptional member of the team, but that post by Fardringle reminded me of a pm from Geoff (blame him )which reminded me of this thread I posted a couple of years ago and of Confused's reply as well as Geoffs Look Up It remark
Sorry
Edit:
Once again, sorry

 

[mondobyte]

Well ... it is time ... slowly inching up the OC ... this computer is a real performer ...

I absolutely love that I can't hear anything except the seeks on the hard drive ... the fans are inaudible ... temps running at 41C

How is 41C for an Opteron since I have no baseline on which to judge ... High Low ... Mid ???

I could use some quidance.

If I crank up the CPU Cooler fan, I can get it down to 30C ... but the quiet seems to be worth the extra temp provided it is not too high ... but I have no clue how high too high is ...

mondo

 

[Smoke]

Originally posted by: mondobyte
Well ... it is time ... slowly inching up the OC ... this computer is a real performer ...

I absolutely love that I can't hear anything except the seeks on the hard drive ... the fans are inaudible ... temps running at 41C

How is 41C for an Opteron since I have no baseline on which to judge ... High Low ... Mid ???

I could use some quidance.

If I crank up the CPU Cooler fan, I can get it down to 30C ... but the quiet seems to be worth the extra temp provided it is not too high ... but I have no clue how high too high is ...

mondo

You'll know when the temp is too high.

 

[dringdahl]

From my reading I'd keep it below 48, here is an Anandtech member thread, similar system.

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=28&threadid=1761935

Hope that helps.

 

[CheesePoofs]

Nice comptuer! But I still demand more pics!!!

For comparison, my Athlon 64 (single core, though) @ 2457mhz (from 1800) stays steady at about 38 while running SETI with a thermalright xp-90 heatsink )It'd probably be a bit hotter, but our thermostat is at 60. ) You've got a dual core system, so it'll definately run hotter than that. I'd say anything up until high 50s is ok, my system was running at almost 58C during the summer before I replaced the stock cooling with the XP-90.

EDIT: I'd guess with your system its not the temps you're going to have to worry about - they really won't rise that much thanks to your cooler - its the volts. From what I've read about Athlon 64 X2's (which should apply to dual core Opterons also), you should stay below 1.45v, or maybe even a little lower.

 

[mondobyte]

my vcores are at 1.22 and 1.34 ... dunno which is which ...

The cooler I have will drop the temp to 31C with SETI and with some slight fan noise with an ambient room temp of 70 or so ... The noise isn't really loud ... you just notice it.

With NO noise, the processor runs at 41C with SETI. With the computer halfway between the door and the Laserjet ... if I stand in the door, I notice the laserjet fan, not the computer! The Laserjet fan is very quiet until there is nothing making noise in the room. (Gotta fix that now and put in a quieter fan!!)

It is really neat to work on the computer in a QUIET room.

So ... if 41C is an acceptable temp ... I will just leave it be ...

BTW ... the dual core X2 at the same speed and with same cache runs at 46C no load and 57C full load in the same room temperature range.

One thing that I have noticed ... the computer now introduces significantly less heat into the room. This means the thermostat must be set a little higher to keep the room comfortable.

 

[dringdahl]

Interesting, so your saying the Opteron with the same basic cache and speed is that much cooler than with the X2s??? Does your X2 have a similar cooling setup?

I'm looking at watercooling some of the new boxes for work. We were going to go with Opteron 275's, in a 3U rack mount. Quiet sounds good too. I have a dual AMD 2000+MP box sitting next to me, and it's loud...

 

[CheesePoofs]

The opteron he has should be the exact same chip as an X2. The only difference between X2 cores and socket 939 opterons is the tests they put them through, Opterons are only the highest grade chips, which is why the OC so well. They are both the exact same design, though, not a single difference between them; they are manufactured on the same wafers and a piece of silicon only becomes an X2 or an Opteron after going through the quality control tests.

 

[mondobyte]

Originally posted by: CheesePoofs
The opteron he has should be the exact same chip as an X2. The only difference between X2 cores and socket 939 opterons is the tests they put them through, Opterons are only the highest grade chips, which is why the OC so well. They are both the exact same design, though, not a single difference between them; they are manufactured on the same wafers and a piece of silicon only becomes an X2 or an Opteron after going through the quality control tests.

Good information to know ... thanks very much ...