Crack Racks :)

Dexion · Feb 25, 2001

Ok I'm really thinking of building some cracking nodes. I know Russ and a few of us are running them. I'm thinking of building the bare minimum, fast CPU, adequate motherboard,little or no HD, 32mb generic ram, cheap video card and a ethernet card.
With Ram falling and Durons around $40-45, whats the best way to get the most keys for the buck?

RaySun2Be · Feb 25, 2001

I strongly suggest you run Klinux on those nodes. Then all you need is a MB, CPU, 8 to 16M RAM, floppy, vid card (unless you get a cheap MB with built in vid), kybd, Power Supply, and NIC (check the Klinux page for the supported ones).

Klinux is the way to go as far as OS. The only pain I've found is having to re-configure the client after a shutdown or power loss.

have fun building that rack..

nexus9 · Feb 25, 2001

Dunno about klinux, but most versions of linux you don't even need a video card - you can create a console with the serial port and a serial cable. I've been thinking about building some crack rack nodes too... here's what I'm thinking:

3.5" floppy drive (~$10)
250w (or smaller) power supply ($10-$15)
no case, no video card (might use a video card for install, then remove it)
128mb PC133 ram (~$60)
whatever network cards I can dig up (have a few lying around)

motherboard and CPU to your taste. Personally I've really wanted to build some dual cpu systems for a long time and was thinking of MSI 694D motherboard (~$120) and some pIII 866's(?) (~$185 x2).

I was also thinking of getting some celerons and BP6 mobo's as a cheaper alternative, but I see that the BP6 has been discontinued. Bummer.

-Nexus9

EDIT: wish AMD would hurry up and get the 760MP chipset out the door!

DanC · Feb 25, 2001

Duron 600 hands-down. They'll clock right on up to 950 and beyond. I've gotten 980 on a Klinux node.

I like the K7TPro2 from MSI - but that's just my preference. There are cheaper boards. For me the ease of use is worth it.

AppleTalking · Feb 25, 2001

Here's what I'm thinking: (all parts from www.tcwo.com)

MSI KT133 Motherboard ($119)
Duron 700MHz. ($54)
ATX 250 Watt PS ($38)
32MB SDRAM ($19)
1.44 Floppy Drive ($14)
ATI Xpert 98 Video Card ($35)
Shipping ($6.95)

Total Price: $285.95

Of course, I already have the network cards and a spare keyboard and mouse. If you need those, you'll have to add them in as well. You can save about $30 if you go with the MSI KM133 board with built-in video, but I feel better with a KT133 personally.
CAUTION: make sure your network card is compatible with KLinux.

Nick Klingaman
appletalking@home.com

RaySun2Be · Feb 25, 2001

You need a vid card for Klinux so you can configure the dnet client. I spent $15 for a used PCI vid card, not playing games or anything. Only need a monitor long enough to get the client running, then un-plug and move to the next node. Or you can get fancy and get KVM switches and just use 1 kybd and monitor. Don't need a mouse.

Dexion · Feb 25, 2001

<< no video card (might use a video card for install, then remove it) >>

Well, thats not possible. No mobo would post or boot without a video card.

Dexion · Feb 25, 2001

What are the dumping procedures? would I have to creat a network or proxy for them to dump without severe maintenaince?

RaySun2Be · Feb 25, 2001

Yes,
A network and a dnet perproxy running on a PC with Internet connection would greatly simplify things.

Rastus · Feb 25, 2001

Motherboards work fine without video cards.

You can get all the ISA video cards and network cards you need from mom and pop computer stores just for asking.

Green Man · Feb 25, 2001

<< Motherboards work fine without video cards >>

how? do you pull it when it's running?
I agree that used ISA vid cards are the cheapest way to go, & you can get them for ten at a time for a dime.

Windogg · Feb 25, 2001

My proposed crackrack system from Mwave:

AMD Duron 700 OEM W/ HS/Fan - $50
FIC AZ11 Mobo - $84
64MB PC100 SDARM - $19
250W PS - $26
3.5" Floppy Drive - $13.90
8MB Shuttle AGP (SIS) video - $25
CNet PRO120 (DEC Tulip - One of my favorite cheap NICs, work 100% in Linux) - $11
Shipping - $17.61

Total: $256.51

Add $5 for Duron 750

Not too bad.

Windogg

Dexion · Feb 25, 2001

Not bad at all Windogg

How is the overclocking on the FIC AZ11 board?

I'm thinking about build 2-4 of these racks to start. As for Linux, since I'm using Windows operating systems would there be any problems with networking? I'm a newbie when it comes to Linux.

Windogg · Feb 25, 2001

Overclock? DOH!!! Scrap the AZ11 and go for the MSI 6340 then. It's the microATX version of the well loved K7T-PRO (Non 2A) which mean it should be rock stable and reliable. That one can be had for $9 more @ $93.

I know group buys are now verboten but maybe one of the trusted members can get a group buy together for parts needed for a crack rack. I'll be up for one. The discount might not be much but 30 people running 30 identical systems means problems will be easier to troubleshoot. We could also cut costs if we are able to but a lot of 50 2MB PCI 2MB Matrox Millennium at $5 each or something like that.

EDIT: Whoa!!! The MSI Bundle is cheaper to ship!!! $264.62 for the rack. Lemme see if I can do better.

Windogg

Russ · Feb 25, 2001

A motherboard will post just fine without video card. What nexus9 is talking about is managing the nodes by logging in to them from a server or node that has a monitor.

Dexion,

You don't really have to know anything about Linux in order to use Klinux. That's the beauty of the little distro; it is VERY easy to use.

Windogg,

Unless something has changed since I evaluated the board, the 6340 does not have the overclocking features of the 6330 series.

Russ, NCNE

Windogg · Feb 25, 2001

No OCing Russ? DOH!!!! Lemme try again. Take 3.

I'm pretty sure you can OC with the Epox 8KTA+. Sub that and your total is $266.62. The HS/Fan that comes w/ the MWave OEM CPU is good good up to 1.1Ghz according to the site. I've used 2 of them and they seem OK. Not the quality of the Alpha and GlobalWins but they come with thermal pad and seem to be a good size.

Windogg

Nohr · Feb 25, 2001

I have a friend with a 8KTA+ and it has no way to change the FSB. It does have multiplier and voltage controls on the board, however. Anyway, just thought I'd let you know in case you were planning on some FSB overclocking.

Windogg · Feb 25, 2001

DOH!!! Defeated again. :-(. I guess it's best to stick with the mainstream boards from Asus, Abit, and MSI.

rexfalk · Feb 26, 2001

Has anyone tried one of the ECS motherboards with integrated video? I found this barebones setup:

ECS K7VMA [ATX] Motherboard,
CoolerMaster CPU Fan & Heatsink,
MidTower Super Case w/250W PS
On-Board 32-Bit Sound
On-Board AGP Video
Your Choice Of AMD CPU...
W/ Duron 700 it's $199 plus shipping at CPU solutions.

Rex

kw3i · Feb 26, 2001

damn nice rex!

Fardringle · Feb 26, 2001

Watch out for that Coolermaster Heat Sink, though. You won't be doing much overclocking with that one...

cory · Feb 26, 2001

i have a bunch of boards in my rack running without video.

all you do is go into the bios and say halt on
no errors.

i dont even need video to config cause my
linux setup grabs all the config over the
network from another server
(they are running seti)

Windogg · Feb 27, 2001

Alright, I hate losing. Here is may next shot at a cheap crack rack system. The system is from ComputerGate. I;ve ordered from them for years and theyhave great prices and a good selection of obscure (IE. Cheap) parts. Theire prices get cheap as you order more per item. How about the following:

AMD Duron 700 OEM: $54.95
MSI KT7-Pro2A Retail: $104.95
32MB PC100 SDRAM: $15.99
10/100 ARCPC (RealTek) NIC: $9.95
250W ATX Power Supply: $24.95
3.5" Samsung Floppy: $9.95
4MB Trident AGP Video: $21.95
Coolmaster DP5-6H11 HS/Fan (Got OK reviews): $14.95
Shipping: $10.90

$267.58 Shipped UPS Ground.

The MSI is a proven to be rockstable when OCed and the Coolmaster should be able to take 900Mhz with no problems.

$.2973/per Mhz @ 900Mhz

Windogg

PG · Feb 27, 2001

I just saw a motherboard deal at Compgeeks. Maybe some of you would be interested. http://www.compgeeks.com/details.asp?invtId=4000494

It's an dual slot 1 extended ATX board for about $50. It has built in video and a built in NIC. It says it can handle a PIII 500, and maybe it can run more, but they don't say.

Or would a Duron end up being a better deal? What do you guys think?

Windogg · Feb 27, 2001

I'd stick with a Duron not only because you get the most Mhz per dollar on a pure power point of view but also because the AMD K7 core get better keyrates than the P6 core.

Like Dexion, I hope to get several systems together for a crackrack. I hope to get a system that can be OCed for less than $200 shipped.

Windogg

Crack Racks :)

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