Well its that time again to start another build log but before getting the tools and paint out i thought it would be an idea to have a closer look at the hardware being used and get the system up and running on the bench as its not the usual run of the mill hardware and well worth a post on its own. I've always tried to come up with something a little exotic in terms of hardware and as i got hooked on dual processor boards a few years back with the Tyan K8WE and Tiger and more recently a few Skulltrail systems i obviously jumped at the chance when Intel offered their latest dual CPU S5520SC platform. I've had excellent previous experience with Skulltrail and Smackover systems so can't wait to get to grips with this monster they call Shady Cove and just hope i can build a case to do it justice. A few bits of kit will change along the way as and when new products hit the market but the basic hardware will remain as is from the offset though i'll be adding a couple of new SSD's come January courteous of Kingston who have also supplied 12GB of server class ECC memory and still not totally sure on graphic cards but first and foremost is getting the system up and running on air with what i have so i'll update with pictures asap. The mod will be loosely based on a Windows 7 theme but more to come on that later so please be patient as this may take some time Parts list so far: Intel S5520SC Shady Cove Kingston 12GB KVR1333D3D8R9SK3/6GI Memory Kingston SSD's GTX 295's Coolermaster Case (not sure which just yet) Coolermaster UCP Ultimate 1100 PSU Hardware Labs SR-1 240 & 360 X-Flow Sponsors Include: Coolermaster Intel Kingston Technology HWLabs
I really can't wait to see how this will turn out. I have seen your past mods and they were all over the top.
Yay. Paul is doing something silly again! Can we start a petition to bring back the good old Wavemaster?
Damn, i nearly forgot about this one what with CeBIT coming up next week Anyway, result Not really a mod update as i'm still getting the hang of this board but thought it worth a mention in case anyone else stumbles over the thread with similar issues. Ran into all sorts of weird problems while loading Windows 7 and once it was loaded, i couldn't get internet access so have been running XP64 bit without any issues at all but it was like taking a step back in time. Anyway, long story short - i had a tip from Intel tech support who suggested loop linking the NIC1 and NIC2 with a Cat5 cable and try loading W7 with the wireless network card installed. Worked a treat linking straight up to my network so once i get all updates done i'll be able to start seeing what these CPU's can do Also got to thank Michael at MIPs for getting me a couple of limited Nickel POM Black Edition RAM Freezer 5's and a matching pair of HEATKILLER® CPU Rev3.0 1366 LT Finally, i just received a couple of Kingston's new V+ Series drives for this build. Kingston SSDNow V+ Series Drive Spec Bit-Tech just ran a review on the 128GB version When i get a chance, i'll load a fresh copy of W7 in RAID 0 and see how they cope
Just curious, what BIOS options for the board? (ie any OCing options at all). Yes, I do realize it's a server board most likely (all the 2Ps I'v used lack any OCing options) to lack any OCing settings, but you never know till you ask.
Another Coolmeister mod? Subscribed And I know what you mean, I am just as giddy whenever I build a new computer as the first time I ever did.
I have one of these - no OC options in the bios apart from turning turbo boost on or off Coolmiester, can you not request a special bios from intel? Also, what procs will you be using - I see some in the pic but not in the parts list... Oh and I forgot to say I am really looking forward to seeing your results with this board
You're spot on murtoz, absolutely no overclocking features at all but i live in hope I'm actually doing two builds at once and both running W5580's at present but i'm sure you know what both builds will be running. Just on a side note murtoz - have you tried Sli on the Shady Cove board?? pics of other build
Nope - I have it on good authority that it doesn't work and I don't have two nvidia cards to try it out. Crossfire should apparently work though. What board is in that obsidian? Is it the same dimensions as the shady cove? If yes, that case is even more massive than I thought! I currently have my Shady Cove in an intel chassis but am looking for a decent replacement chassis, how do you rate the corsair?
Yeah murtoz, i thought i might be able to get Sli working on Shady but with two GTX295's it won't boot at all which is surprising as i managed it on many similar Supermicro boards. The 800D is using a SM X8DAi board which is the same size etc (and does run Sli using a BIOS hack). I remember reading Bit's review of the 800D a while back where they stated "The final product is an all black (and we mean all) beast about the size of a Cooler Master ATCS 840" but having the benefit of having both cases standing next to each other i can say the 800D is slightly taller at 61cm tall where as the 840 is only 57cm but both cases are ideal.