Cheap Sandy Bridge-EP Xeons

[Scorpion49]

Originally Posted by kirk46

wow! what lighting have you used? it looks so bright in there....

im currently in the process of building a evga sr-2 rig with 2 5620 xeons

I have a single 12" CCFL mounted on the side panel to the right of the window kind of following the angle. The ballast is in the top drive bay so I can just unplug it when I need to take the door off.

[Nexxo]

Originally Posted by Slowlemon

Cooling issues
I am very tempted to go for water cooling, but it would add a lot of cost to the build. The question is how hard is it to cool these Xeon processors? Server chips have a large die size and run at relatively low clock speeds, this is a very different problem to an overclocked quad core chip with a small die size running at very high speed. The only temperature results I could find were using Corsair H100 coolers, people are getting core temps in the low 40s. This tells me that the H100 is more than adequate for this application. Using the CPU testing results on OC3D to compare the H100 to other coolers shows that it has equal performance to big twin tower heat sinks like the Noctua NH-D14. Good single tower heat sinks run about 10 degC hotter than the H100, that would mean temps in the low 50s for the Xeons. Thermolab say the Trinity is optimized for 150W to 200W loads so it might be enough heat sink after all.

Originally Posted by Scorpion49

I got mine running under water for ~300 USD. I think its worth it, as I will expand the loop to accommodate the upcoming EK full cover PCH/VRM block. I'm running a pair of XSPC Raystorms, an XSPC EX360, and an older MCP350 I got for cheap with a dual-bay res. Add in tubing and fittings and it was like $275 total. My temps went from 38*C idle 40-43*C load with the H100's to 33*C idle and 38*C load after folding for 48 hours straight at 2.8ghz, so I feel safe that I have enough radiator to expand the loop later. My ambients are pretty high as well, its been hovering in the high 80's (around 30*C).

Here is a pic of it up and running in the switch for some eye candy:

Just as a sloppy comparison: I liquid-cool a dual Opteron 250 (2x89W) and an ATi 1650XT (50W) on a single BIX with a 69CFM fan. Admittedly it does not run full-tilt all the time but even an hour's folding does not push temperatures above 56C. Water cooling does not need as big a radiator as people often think.

@Scorpion5: very nice eye candy.

[Bindibadgi]

I agree. I've done 95W CPU + 250W GTX 480 on a single 120x3 with a LOW FLOW (aqua computer) setup. Two 120W CPUs will fit in the same comfortably. You can't compare LCLC because the amount of liquid is much less and the block space is extremely small, so even if the H100 has a double rad it's not the same. FYI someone added a Swiftech res to a H80 and dropped the temps ~15C just by adding some extra water.

[Scorpion49]

The point of my loop was not to increase CPU cooling, but rather to extend the life of the board when the EK full cover block comes out. They announced it on facebook a while back. The VRM's and PCH get quite hot on this board when it is running 24/7 (VRM's are hovering around 102*C right now with fans blowing on them). They supposedly max out around 120*C but I don't feel comfortable running them that hot for an indefinite period. I may even water cool the RAM as it tends to get very warm as well. Again, I don't think it is too hot for its tolerance I would just rather have it last the longest amount of time after I spent the money on it. Plus is looks pretty nice

And yes, I am aware of modding H-series closed loops, I have done several and even used a running H60 pump as a water block in conjunction with another full sized pump. They are lots of fun to play with, and the 1/4" tubing is super cheap at Home Depot locally.

[Slowlemon]

Hi Scorpion49

That is a very impressive system you have and a very tidy build . I have some questions. Where is the hose from the pump to the rad? Is that a cross flow radiator? How do you keep the temps so low if your ambient temperature is so high? What speed are you running those fans at?

Have you considered running the rear fan as an intake to blow cool air over the board?

It sounds like this board will not be as easy to set up as I hoped.

[Scorpion49]

Originally Posted by Slowlemon

Hi Scorpion49

That is a very impressive system you have and a very tidy build . I have some questions. Where is the hose from the pump to the rad? Is that a cross flow radiator? How do you keep the temps so low if your ambient temperature is so high? What speed are you running those fans at?

Have you considered running the rear fan as an intake to blow cool air over the board?

It sounds like this board will not be as easy to set up as I hoped.

Thanks!

The return hose is hidden behind the radiator. It is an XSPC Multiport EX360 and I am using one of the vertical ports on the end tank and a 90* rotary to allow the tube to snake around the back, it is behind the radiator up until it gets to the front bay. I wasn't sure it was going to work because I just "eyeballed it" when I was ordering parts but it fits perfectly. I don't think it would work with thicker tube like the 1/2IDx3/4OD stuff.

To address the temps, I have the bottom fans as intake and all the top as exhaust, and I found the secret to dropping the temps: remove the front and top panels from the Switch 810. They are apparently pretty restrictive, my temps dropped a lot by taking them off. My heatsinks are now just barely warm to the touch now that air can flow freely. The top fans are BitFenix spectres at 1000rpm, I love them very much. Best fans I have ever used in the last 10 years easily. The front fans are the NZXT 140mm that came with the case x4 and these run at ~1400RPM I think. They are sort of loud but the machine is out of the way so it doesn't matter.

Here are some pics of how the tubing is routed, from the back to the front:

[Slowlemon]

Hi All

I had to pay £35.38 in VAT and £13.50 clearance fee to get my parcel through customs. Parcelforce are still messing me about, I rang them up to chase it today and they say it will be delivered tomorrow (Friday). I got bored of waiting so I ordered the rest of the parts today, they should arrive on Tuesday.

[Slowlemon]

Hi All

The chips have finally arrived. It took the Japanese postal service 2 days to get the parcel from the seller to the UK, 3 days in customs and another 7 days for Parcelfarce to deliver it to me. The chips were very will packed and arrived in good condition.

First problem
The chips are not the same . One is labeled 2.00GHz and the other is labeled 2.80GHz. At first glance they look the same because the zeros have a line through the middle so they look like eights. I have no way to identify the processors from the markings on them so I will have to test them in a motherboard, the BIOS will tell me what they are. I don`t have a 2011 board so I will have to wait for my new board to arrive on Tuesday.

[One_Box]

Fingers crossed and hope the mobo works with both processors installed.

[Scorpion49]

Can you post pics of them?

[Slowlemon]

Hi Scorpion49

Sorry for the slow reply. Try this.

The main parts order will be delivered late this afternoon and I am going out tonight so I may not get much done till tomorrow.

[Nexxo]

Should work, albeit probably at 2.00Ghz. CPUs of different speeds are basically the same unit, just working at different maximum speeds due to manufacturing variances.

[coolamasta]

Thats deffo showing a 2.00ghz and a 2.80ghz CPU in the pic, just hope the motherboard picks them both up, I know people have used different model\speed Xeons on a SR-2 board without a problem.

I guess you will have to find a speed that both will run at the same freq, saying that I don't know if the Asus board you are using will overclock them? If not then I expect you will have to run them both at 2.00ghz...

Good luck though hoping to see good results

[Bindibadgi]

Originally Posted by Nexxo

Should work, albeit probably at 2.00Ghz. CPUs of different speeds are basically the same unit, just working at different maximum speeds due to manufacturing variances.

This. They probably will even work at their respectively different speeds. The only concern is there's no 2.8GHz E5 in Intel ARK and whether it's actually a Xeon (with appropriate QPI links) or a desktop CPU? And a lesser concern is the cache difference, since Intel does 4 sizes: 5/10/15/20MB.

[Slowlemon]

Originally Posted by Bindibadgi

This. They probably will even work at their respectively different speeds. The only concern is there's no 2.8GHz E5 in Intel ARK and whether it's actually a Xeon (with appropriate QPI links) or a desktop CPU? And a lesser concern is the cache difference, since Intel does 4 sizes: 5/10/15/20MB.

Exactly! The chip labeled 2.00GHz matches the spec advertised by the seller, the one labeled 2.80GHz may not even be an 8 core part. Both chips have the same code QARE, I think this is a good sign.

[Slowlemon]

Hi All

The major parts have arrived from Scan but I ordered the CPU coolers from another supplier and they are waiting for stock, so I still can`t test the CPUs . So far I have.

Motherboard Asus Z9PE-D8 WS
RAM Corsair XMS3 Classic
Case NZXT Switch 810 Black
PSU Corsair HX650
Adapter Akasa PCI-e to ATX 12V
HDD WD Caviar Green 500GB
DVD Samsung
GPU Gainward GT610 Silent

Anyway here`s some pics of my parts, no giggling at the back.

The box the case comes in is HUGE and the box the graphics card comes in is tiny.


Behold the mighty GT610 graphics processor, The card on the right is a 8800GT for scale.


I like the look of the XMS3 heat spreaders, they match the power supply and they even match the colours of the motherboard. The silver stripes are raised aluminium that`s machined with grooves at an angle. Not only do they look good but they provide extra grip when fitting in the DIMM slots. I hope they work as good as they look.

[big-bert]

Great stuff Slowlemon, hope the build works out great. Hoping to get a 2p xeon or a 4p magny up and running before the end of this year as well. Please keep us posted on your build. My latest build of a 3930k isn't doing as well as i was hoping. Mainly due to heat could only run it at 4ghz.

[Slowlemon]

Hi All

I have got the coolers and set the motherboard up on a table to test the chips. Chip "A" is the one labeled 2.00GHz and believed to be a Xeon 2650, Chip "B" is labeled 2.80GHz and is an unknown quantity. First test with one CPU, chip A in socket 1 and 4 DIMMs, the board posted and entered BIOS without any problems. The BIOS shows the CPU and RAM exactly as expected.

Test 2 with two CPUs, chip A in socket 1, chip B in socket 2 and 8 DIMMs, the board refused to POST . Test 3 with one CPU, chip B in socket 1 and 4 DIMMs, the board refused to POST. I have contacted the seller and sent him the picture of the chips I took for this thread. I could build the system up with one CPU for now but I will wait for a reply from the seller before I do anything else.

[Scorpuk]

Damn thats not good.

Hope the seller resolves this quickly.


Good luck.

[One_Box]

Really sorry to learn of this problem.

Hope your seller does the decent thing and refunds you for the duff chip or replaces it.