Pair of 1.6 GHz Xeons

[MichaelD]

Just thought I'd check back in.

This morning when I bought my pair of these, there were 56 sets left. There are now 47 sets left.

I've decided on pairing these with an Asus NCCH-DL Linky As soon as Newegg gets'em, I'm in.

 

[Vette73]

Yea these are the only 2 places that have it now that I have seen.

http://www.ajump.com/ajump/pro.....&dept%5Fid=5120
<br>[url]http://www.atacom.com/
[/url]


I am hoping that when Newegg.com gets it, it might come in UNDER $300. If not then I will go for a PC-DL

 

[MichaelD]

Hi Marlin,

Well, it depends on what you want/need. The PC-DL is GREAT, but the NCCH-DL is like "The New &amp; Improved Mega Badass PC-DL."

From what I've read, Asus essentially took all their "lessons learned" from the PC-DL and applied it to this board. Then again, the PCCH-DL will likely be about 1.75x the price of the PC-DL.

 

[Vette73]

Oh yea, don't get me wrong. I would rather get the NCCH-DL, but I don't need 6 SATA ports, 64bit/66Mhz slots, etc... I would like to have that and the better power abilities also. But if it is more then $100 over the PC-DL then I just can't eat that extra amount.

I REALLY want a dual Opteron system, but the nForce Dual AMD Opteron boards are not out yet and I can;t use the 1gig of Ram I have in a opteron system. So with a nice chunk of cheap Xeons out there and some good boards that allow me to use everything I have, it just made my decision easier.

 

[MichaelD]

I REALLY want a dual Opteron system, but the nForce Dual AMD Opteron boards are not out yet and I can;t use the 1gig of Ram I have in a opteron system. So with a nice chunk of cheap Xeons out there and some good boards that allow me to use everything I have, it just made my decision easier.

You just totally accurately read my mind. Now, the DK8N (dual Opteron, NF3250) board IS out, but at the whole TWO etailers that have it, it's $400+! Throw in a brace of Opteron 246's at $480 EACH and you're well into $1,400 and you still need ECC Registered Memory. :shocked:

The latter, bolded part of your quote is where my head is at right now. :beer:

Have you checked out the 2cpu.com forums? They are an incredible source for ANY duallie-related info. I have been surfing there all day and have recieved quite an education in "Xeon-Speak."

 

[MrBig]

Damn, I need to stop passing by and looking at all the good deals, throw my hat in for a pair. The wife is gonna kill me!

I'd love to hear what HSF and PS you guys have these thing running with!

MrBig

 

[Dubb]

I needed a new PS anyway, so I went for the antec 550 eps12v (I plan on having a dualie for a while, this is just the start...). Was something like $108 shipped at ZZF. found stock heatsinks&amp;fans on ebay for $22 shipped for two.

if I put my softquadro'd 5900 ultra (@FX3000) in this thing, that's gonna be one hell of a maya workstation for pretty damn cheap!

fingers crossed for dual 2.6s...

 

[MichaelD]

Originally posted by: Dubb
I needed a new PS anyway, so I went for the antec 550 eps12v (I plan on having a dualie for a while, this is just the start...). Was something like $108 shipped at ZZF. found stock heatsinks&amp;fans on ebay for $22 shipped for two.

if I put my softquadro'd 5900 ultra (@FX3000) in this thing, that's gonna be one hell of a maya workstation for pretty damn cheap!

fingers crossed for dual 2.6s...

From what I've been told over at 2CPU, 2.6GHz is pretty much a given with decent cooling and if you've got really good cooling (air cooling) that 3.2GHz (16x200) is a distinct possibility. Depending on the CPUs you get, of course. I'd be happy with 2.6GHz.

I'm getting PC3200 memory just in case, though. I've not decided on HSs yet. Stock ones from EBay seem to be the best deal, but there are so MANY different "stock heatsinks." I'm trying to find a pair of the new all-copper ones from the newer 3.0GHz Xeons.

Anyone know where I can get a pair?

 

[MichaelD]

Heheh, only 36 sets left! Think those that bought know something good? :wine:

Even if I "only" get to 2.6GHz (16*166=2656), that's STILL a set of 2.6GHz, 512KB L2 cache Xeons for $120! Now Newegg just needs to get my mobo in stock...

Bump

 

[bgmartin]

Sorry to ask again but would this type of setup make a good gaming rig?

Thanks,

bgmartin

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: bgmartin
Sorry to ask again but would this type of setup make a good gaming rig?

Thanks,

bgmartin

If you get a board with the 875 chipset it would not be to bad. BUT the majority of games are NOT smp (they can;t use 2 cpus at the same time) and the shared mem. line would slow things down a little.

If you want a gaming machine then get a AMD Athlon64 system.

 

[XeonTux]

Originally posted by: topdog
what the best hsf for these xeons . recieved em today.... quick del.

$6 P4 Orb (Model TWAFR01)
http://2cooltek.safeshopper.com/31/192.htm?144
<br>http://www.thermaltake.com/coolers/orb/A1053.htm
It's labelled as being for P4 423 but 4U Rackmount pointed out they are like the Indigo Orb and should do socket 603/604 too.

$9 Spire Coolers RackSper VII Socket 423/603/604 CPU Cooler
<br>http://www.compgeeks.com/deta...d=X33B0-PB&amp;cat=FAN
NOTE there have been reports these DO NOT WORK WITH PC-DL!!!

$18 Thermaltake Copper 2U Xeon Heatsinks
<br>http://www.newegg.com/app/Vie...=35-106-039&amp;depa=1
quieter than windtunnels

CoolerMaster Heatpipes or Intel APTWKTCOOLING KIT
<br>http://forums.2cpu.com/showth...ge=40&amp;pagenumber=5
These may be the "best", coupled with some fans for OCers. ^-- This is a good thread for Xeon cooling, it covers more than just these.

Intel Wind Tunnels
<br>[url]http://support.intel.com/supp...xeon/sb/CS-007773.htm
[/url]
Loud but they are effective, might be the most bang for the buck. There are several revisions. The oldest ones do not allow top mount of the fan (vertical). All allow mounting fan on side to blow thru the heatsink horizontally. Of the newest revisions there are also versions with 25mm or 38mm deep fans, and different heatsink materials. Need some modifications for horizontal operation on the PC-DL- the NB heatsink is in the way. Removing/replacing those heatsinks, and/or notching the fan housing may allow horiz mounted fan in the PC-DL. I believe you can hook up a fan on the top AND a fan on the side simultaneously, provided you have extra windtunnel parts. I think I may try this. With some 60mm to 80mm adapters you can also mount a quieter 80mm fan on top. Next International had these on pricewatch for $10 ea, I emailed them to find out which revision they were, they never replied, and now their IWT are no longer listed on pricewatch. I have some on the way from DaleV who is selling them on ebay and had also listed stuff on 2cpu.

Originally posted by: VooDooAddict
Hmm now what linux distro to use for the Dual Xeon PC-DL ... Onboard SATA, Onboard Gigabit, and an ATi 8500 ... I could give 2 shits about the onboard sound

Gentoo! Compile everything from scratch, optimized for your system! Its not so bad really, portage makes it easy. Hell with alot of things its easier to d/l, compile, and install than installing on other distros. Just type "emerge package" and thats about it in many cases. And it is hard to find a program that ISN'T in the portage tree, free or commercial. Ok sometimes something goes wrong, or you need to update config files too, but thats where the forums come in - they are great. 90% of problems can be solved with a search.

It does take a considerable amount of time to setup at first, and you'll need to read alot. Guaranteed tho you will have a better understanding of your system than if you installed Mandrake.

These $60 Xeons have Gentoo written all over them!

<br>[url]http://www.gentoo.org/main/en/about.xml
[/url]<br>[url]http://forums.gentoo.org
[/url]

and loose the ATI... nvidia drivers are the best for linux

 

[XeonTux]

sorry I don't know where those > 's in the urls came from. I keep getting server runtime errors when I try to edit too.

 

[Dubb]

my pc-DL showed up today... nice board....looks and feels alot more solid than the asus P4 boards I've seen.

while I'm waiting on my other parts I think I'll get this thing as ready as possible....replace blue gunk with AS, set the jumpers for FSB...hmmm, to do the vdim mod now or wait and see if I need it?

 

[Zim]

PC Surplus are selling these on ebay for $117.99 shipped, only they are not new.

"Pulled and tested working, with a 30-Day Hardware Replacement Warranty, does not cover installation incidents."

 

[VooDooAddict]

Originally posted by: bgmartin
Sorry to ask again but would this type of setup make a good gaming rig?

Thanks,

bgmartin

I'd been using my 2.66 Xeons (Natural 2.66s aquired before the deal hit) and PC-DL with 1 Gig of 2-2-2-5 333 for a while.

To say I'm quite happy with it is an understatement.

I've used it with a R8500, ti4600, R9800XT and lately the 6800.

Paired with a 9800XT or 6800 I havent' found anything faster at the Small LAN parties I've been going to.

I ussualy run a dedicated server and Client for BF1942 on the box (w/64 Bots) and have gotten no complaints about Lag. Ok i got complaints the time the power strip went out... but that was it

Right now I'm really strugling over buying these with another PC-DL
or
The Soltek SFF Qbic nForce3 250Gb with a 2.4Ghz 512k Newcastle Athlon64

I don't own any A64's yet so I figure I should stop getting my A64 Experience from my bro's box. (2Ghz Newcastle on Aopen mATX nForce 150)

......First I need to sell off some of these 9800's and 1900+ Athlon XPs

 

[MichaelD]

VooDooAddict,

Thanks for posting your postive experience with a dual Xeon box used as a gaming rig; I can't wait to get mine built!!

The 2CPU.com forums (Motherboards and Cases, Power &amp; Mods) have multiple threads on the PC-DL and Xeon overclocking, just FYI.

BTW, I'm torn b/t getting a PC-DL NOW or waiting for the NCCH-DL, which is essentially a PC-DL but with 64-bit PCI slots, better VRMs and other higher-end features.

There are only two USA etailers that have the NCCH now...and it's $400.

 

[Mloot]

Wait for the NCCH-DL. You know you're going to want the better PCI-X slots (or whatever they're called) for your SCSI drives. You could get the PC-DL now and get instant gratification, but you'll kick yourself later, especially if your SCSI drives start getting bottlenecked by the standard PCI slots.

 

[VooDooAddict]

No problem MichaelD.

I just wish I had some numbers to back that up for you... Though I'm not one to spend all day benchmarking my systems. If I do it ... I do it once to compare on the same system if I think there's a problem with a new driver.

But work has been hectic ... so just using them for gaming makes me plenty happy ... even if I don't find the time to benchmark them.

XeonTux,

Thanks for the gentoo recomendation ... Unfortunetly ATi is what I was concerned about. Guess I'll have to find someoene willing to part with a GF4ti for cheep if I want to get that working. I've got some old GF2MX cards laying around ... but wanted something with DVI output.

Though I think I'm probably just going to hook myself up with a new Athlon64 box and let my current 2x2.66 get back to file serving and TestAutomation Runs for work (Dual Xeons sure run VMWare nice)

 

[MichaelD]

Originally posted by: Mloot
Wait for the NCCH-DL. You know you're going to want the better PCI-X slots (or whatever they're called) for your SCSI drives. You could get the PC-DL now and get instant gratification, but you'll kick yourself later, especially if your SCSI drives start getting bottlenecked by the standard PCI slots.

Ah, the Little Bird of Reason has pooped on my shoulder. How lovely.

You are right. I know you're right. I DO want those PCI-X slots....but my CPUs will be here on Friday!

*itch-itch-itch* &amp;lt;--need to scratch!!

I just wish Newegg was carrying the darn NCCH!! Atacom.com has it...for $400. :Q

 

[MaskedAvenger]

I took the plung and ordered the pair of Xeons and the ASUS PC-DL mb.

Does anyone know the size of the fans supplied with the stock Intel heatsinks'windtunnels? I'm thinking of buying two off ebay and using better fans if the fans are a standard size. The stock fans are cheap ($25 for two including shipping) but I also like my PC's quiet and the name "windtunnel" does not sound very quiet . Any cheap ( &amp;lt;$45 shipped) heatsinks that would outperform the stock ones and could be made quiet?

 

[mikeg]

Ok people for those of you who think you can get a cheap Dual Xeon and oc it to 2.6+ Gigs and have a value system this is not for you. First the mobo will cost you almost double the CPU cost. Second if you don't have the right type of PS you will just be waisting your time. Get a good PS for the system it really makes a difference on the PC-DL. Third this mobo is so picky about what memory it will take make sure you have memory that will work with it. Yes they say it will run PC3200 if you run the FSB at 200 but also remember that the PC-DL mobo undervolts the memory at about 2.45-2.50v. 4th The HS &amp; fans are not as easy to find as for other cpus. Just giving people a little more info before they take the plung and invest on these CPUs. For those of you waiting for the NCCH-DL that would be a waist with these CPUs because it will make that much of a difference even if you do have the PCI-X. Just my thoughts on the subject. BTW I do have 2 pair of these CPUs and after the trouble I went though I think it was a good deal but only if you are ready to put in the work to get all the stuff to work properly
Mike

 

[htne]

Originally posted by: MaskedAvenger
I took the plung and ordered the pair of Xeons and the ASUS PC-DL mb.

Does anyone know the size of the fans supplied with the stock Intel heatsinks'windtunnels? I'm thinking of buying two off ebay and using better fans if the fans are a standard size. The stock fans are cheap ($25 for two including shipping) but I also like my PC's quiet and the name "windtunnel" does not sound very quiet . Any cheap ( &amp;lt;$45 shipped) heatsinks that would outperform the stock ones and could be made quiet?

The fans on the Intel Wind Tunnels are 60 mm, and yes they are a bit noisy. Some have reported success using a 60 to 80 mm fan adapter, but you do have to modify the fan adapter a bit to make it fiit on the heat sink.

 

[superHARD]

Originally posted by: MaskedAvenger
I took the plung and ordered the pair of Xeons and the ASUS PC-DL mb.

Does anyone know the size of the fans supplied with the stock Intel heatsinks'windtunnels? I'm thinking of buying two off ebay and using better fans if the fans are a standard size. The stock fans are cheap ($25 for two including shipping) but I also like my PC's quiet and the name "windtunnel" does not sound very quiet . Any cheap ( &amp;lt;$45 shipped) heatsinks that would outperform the stock ones and could be made quiet?

I have the same question

 

[Dubb]

got my chips and PS today.

Does anyone else have the antec 550 12v eps? it looks like mine is missing a wire on the 24 pin main connector...pin 18, according to the manual, is a white -5v line...and it's non-existent on my PS. Called antec, they're supposed to be open (4pm est) but neither customer service or tech support will pickup the damn phone.

the computer gods hate me this summer.