The Project [Archive] - SETI.USA Forums

Fire$torm

11-15-10, 06:45 PM

"Your attempts to assimilate this drone will fail. You can alter our physiology but you cannot change our nature. We will betray you. We are Borg."
-- Seven of Nine - Star Trek: Voyager --

In the beginning.......

'This is the tale of two cities...' Errr, wrong story.

"Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale...." Ops, lets try this again.

"We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Resistance is futile." Ahhh, that's better.

Project (Code Name - 001) is now Seven_Of_Nine for anyone that did not see the thread on the old forum.

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/1302/partslayoyt02.jpg

Special Thanks to:

DrPoP - who started the hardware giveaway thread here (http://www.setiusa.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=17276) and donated a Thermal Master 430W PSU.

Mike029 - For donating the (2) Abit IC7-G motherboards.

Joker - For donating the Intel P4@3.2Ghz (Northwood)

Keith [SETI.USA] - For the Samsung RAM he gave ma awhile back

eBay - My only source for generating (and liquidating some of) my disposable income.

The rest of the parts...
Video card: ATI Radeon 7000
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake TR2-M12
HDD: Western Digital WD200 20GB IDE
Music: Metallica!!!

What's with the wood you ask? Well, the "Wood" is for the custom case.
Excuse me, why are you laughing so hard? Like you've never heard of a wooden case before.....
It is true. The case is a vertical open frame design, ah la the awesome Level Ten (http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?C=1416&ID=1897) by Thermaltake. The case will also sport a Borg theme. For now the theme will just be a "Cut and Paste" appliqué of a Borg "Tactical Cube" (http://drexfiles.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/tac_01.jpg).

Appliqué Layout
http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/5610/finaltest1small.jpg

When the funds are available, I will resurrect my plastic and R/C modeling skilz and build out the theme in 3D. Future add-ons will include a Bulgin MPI002 Switch, (http://www.bulgin.co.uk/Products/Switches/Illuminated.html) (2) Silverstone FN122 120mm Fan, (http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/p_contents.php?pno=fn122&area=usa) Acrylic cover and lots of L.E.D.s.

That's all for today.

Edit: I love this quote:
"Brave words. I've heard them before, from thousands of species across thousands of worlds, since long before you were created. But, now they are all Borg."
-- Borg Queen - Star Trek: First Contact --

joker

11-15-10, 08:12 PM

Thats friggen awesome!! \m/

Maxwell

11-15-10, 09:50 PM

Hell yeah. Keep us updated!

Fire$torm

11-17-10, 05:03 PM

Update:

I ran into a few issues last night. Not "Epic Failure" or "Crash n' Burn" stuff but more like Wile E. Coyote dunderheadedness. (<--- Is that even a word?)

1) Discovered a flaw in my case design sketches. Now Fixed.

2) The Abit board memory spec calls for PC-3200 (DDR) RAM. Went through the few sticks that I have and thought I found what was needed. I went to install it and stick would not fit properly as the key notch would not line up with the socket key. Turns out that the RAM is PC2-3200 (DDR2). Duh! Need to start using my glasses more.... Anywho, my Uncle came to the rescue with his credit card so I searched eBay and found some DDR400 ECC Server RAM for super cheap & with Free shipping.

3) After temporarily installing memory from my Keithinator system, I tried to connect my monitor to the Radeon 7000.... ACK!!! The DVI connectors didn't match, what the %^^@%^%& in #@#% is all this there then? Well, the card uses the now very rare DVI M1-DA instead of the DVI-I connector. Dang nabbit, I hate you Murphy!!!!!

Needless to say Seven of Nine isn't crunching the PG challenge. I'll be putting the Radeon up on eBay and find something cheap to replace it. The good news is that the Abit does seem to fire up. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed.

DrPop

11-17-10, 05:46 PM

F$ - is that an older AGP slot mobo?

Fire$torm

11-17-10, 05:58 PM

F$ - is that an older AGP slot mobo?

Yes. It supports AGP PRO 8X/4X (0.8V/1.5V).

Mike029

11-17-10, 06:04 PM

Great thread F$.

DrPop

11-17-10, 07:54 PM

Are you looking for a card that can crunch or "just any decent AGP card"?

My Dad bought a Nvidia GeForce 7300GT 512MB (AGP) a few months back, it's new in the box from Fry's, and his old ASUS P4-E mobo wouldn't support it because the 7300GT uses a new AGP version. (It's from back in the day with RAMBUS RAM even!) Had to get an older Matrox Parhelia card for it. Works great now.

Anyway...long story short, I'm sure if your rig could run it, we could get that Nvidia 7300GT *real* cheap from Dad. :D

Fire$torm

11-21-10, 07:10 AM

Another Update X_X

For the last few days I haven't gotten much done for various reasons but here is the latest. I wanted to use my old X-Acto Razor saw and miter box but the sticks for the frame (1" x 1" Basswood) were too large. So I ended up Jerry-Rigging my own miter jig of sorts. It was cobbled together from scrap wood I had in the garage.

The Jig (Get it? Green for Irish... Oh, nm)
http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/5097/thejigsmall.jpg

That was Friday's task. Than Saturday I got started very late on the sheet plywood. I finished cutting out those pieces at about 1:29am a.k.a Sunday. I will start test fitting and hopefully assembly after I get some shuteye.

Case Parts
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/7793/casepartssmall.jpg

Thanks for taking an interest.

Mike029

11-21-10, 02:31 PM

I can't wait. I feel like I'm watching a weekly television program and have to wait till next week for the story to continue. F$ needs to make this daily programing.:D

Fire$torm

11-24-10, 03:17 AM

I can't wait. I feel like I'm watching a weekly television program and have to wait till next week for the story to continue. F$ needs to make this daily programing.:D

Sorry Mike029 but this new series "Seven" keeps getting preempted for RL.
........ And now we return you to our regularly scheduled programming.

Update:
Work is going slow but I am making progress.

Main Panel (Mounting board)
http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/1167/mountingboard.jpg

The Open Platform (First test fit at 33% complete)
http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/4483/testassembly.jpg

Dorsilfin

11-29-10, 01:05 PM

that looks freaking sweet! \:D/

Slicker

11-30-10, 01:39 PM

Fire$torm

12-02-10, 05:51 PM

I know they used to make AGP versions of the 9500 GT which can crunch. Another option are the 4600 series of the ATI cards which can crunch Collatz and DNETC. Might be more than you want to spend on it though.

Ooops, missed your post Slicker. Sorry. Yeah, but like more than I HAVE to spend. :(

Fire$torm

12-02-10, 05:53 PM

Update:

First up, the good news. Another pic.

The GPU
http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/6783/gpuinstalledsmall.jpg

As you can see I got Seven set up with the new *Really Cheap* BFG 7300 GT video card via a very generous arrangement with DrPop's super cool father who I dub "Big Daddy". Much Gratitude BD :)
The mounting plate for the video card was fashioned from the case cover of an old and dead Tivo box :P

Secondly, the BAD news.... (Makes me want to cry. Almost.)

The bad news is..... the system will not boot. Sorry Mike029 but I tried everything.
*With the orig. memory and 7300 I get a bad memory error.
*with memory from my Keithinator box ("K") and 7300 the POST never finishes.
*with memory from my "K" and Radeon the POST never finishes.
*Pulled the CPU and tested it in "K", boots right up and now I know that box supports HT.
*Tried the CPU form "K" and the POST never finishes.
*Fixed up Seven's sister motherboard, tested with it and got the same errors.

So I think that the Northbridge on the MBs are toast Mike. The Northbridges going bad is probably what alerted you to the fact that their heatsinks had come off. I'm sorry that you spent money shipping them to me. Real bummer. I will hold on to them as you never know...

So now the plan is to go through my collection to see what I can bring myself to part with and sell on eBay. When I have enough I will use eBay to buy a replacement MB. (Sorta ironic, sell on eBay to buy on eBay.)

joker

12-02-10, 06:45 PM

What a bummer! Nothing worse then getting a new toy and not being able to play with it. I do still have the MB that was coupled with that 3.2 (ABIT IS7-E). They both were working together a few months ago. I can't promise anything but if you want to give it a shot before you go spending more money, I can ship it to ya.

Fire$torm

12-02-10, 06:58 PM

trigggl

12-02-10, 10:37 PM

Fire$torm

12-04-10, 09:15 PM

Are you planning to leave that upside down? Seems like it would give opportunity for some kind of FOD to land on important video card parts.

That is one impressive build. How much do you charge per case?

Thanks for the comments.
Yeah, its going to stay orientated like that. I like the idea of having all the I/O ports at the front. To keep the flying dust bunnies at bay I will be adding a clear acrylic cover along with (2x) 120mm Silverstone FN122 (http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/p_spec.php?pno=fn122&area=usa) or Enermax UC-12EB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811999099) case fans mounted at the back end when funds permit.

As to case building for others? I have had that thought for many moons now. It would require an investment in equipment that is way out of my reach right now. Also not sure if my Uncle would allow me to commandeer the garage to to it :P

Mike029

12-04-10, 10:28 PM

joker

12-04-10, 11:34 PM

Fire$torm

12-05-10, 01:06 AM

F$, sorry about that. I would never have sent them to you if I knew they were junk. Real bummer. I hope we can salvage this somehow. I'll keep my eyes open at work for an old p4 mb. I have a bunch of old dell cases in the basement. I'll see if I can dig something up.

Give him a week to see if this new mb works. I am hoping it will. %%-
@Mike029: Dude, no worries. Its completely understandable. And like I posted before I am really sorry about the shipping cost as that bothers me way more. Besides, I do enjoy a good challenge and I dig troubleshooting. There is always something new to learn.

Thanks to another generous contribution from Joker an Abit IS7-E MB is on its way. This sorta fits the whole Seven of Nine theme anyway. Borgs were meant to have replaceable parts and she has some mighty fine parts...^:)^

trigggl

12-05-10, 03:07 PM

Thanks for the comments.
Yeah, its going to stay orientated like that. I like the idea of having all the I/O ports at the front. To keep the flying dust bunnies at bay I will be adding a clear acrylic cover along with (2x) 120mm Silverstone FN122 (http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/p_spec.php?pno=fn122&area=usa) or Enermax UC-12EB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811999099) case fans mounted at the back end when funds permit.
I was about to say. Make sure there's adequate airflow because the wood is going to hold heat in. We have that problem with radio racks in cabinets in airplanes.

Fire$torm

12-05-10, 04:23 PM

I was about to say. Make sure there's adequate airflow because the wood is going to hold heat in. We have that problem with radio racks in cabinets in airplanes.

I had forgotten about that but I had already planned (serendipitously) to seal all the wood with an epoxy filler and epoxy paint. The filler medium will help to mitigate heat transfer because it makes for a decent insulator. The epoxy itself won't help diddly with heat but will add a ton of strength and scratch/ding resistance to the wood.

Fire$torm

12-08-10, 04:15 PM

Update:

The package from joker (lousy cellphone pic cuz I was too lazy to grab the camera)
http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/7394/12081008441.jpg

So we have proof of joker's citizenship in Nerdom.... The NewEgg box! All good citizens of Nerdom shop there. (Now back to our regularly scheduled programming)

It is another day of "Good news - Bad News"

Good News: Jokers MB (Abit IS7-E) is now reunited with Jokers CPU :-bd

Bad News: The AGP slot on the MB is in a different position (Need to cut new holes for video card)~X(

Good News: The IC7-G IO shield fits the IS7-E to a T. (Hey, I didn't know it but I'm a poet) :-bd

Bad News: The MB does not like my ECC RAM ~X(

Good News: Got the MB to POST properly (w/ATI) :-bd :-bd

Bad News: DrPop's nVidia GeForce 7300 is dead ~X( :(( :(( ~X(

So that was my emotional roller coaster ride for this morning...

.........(Tune in next time for more adventures in "A TechMages journey through Nerdom: The 2bit Kingdom")

joker

12-08-10, 09:07 PM

I am not a nerd! :p Baby steps...if it worked right out of the box, it would not be Borg. ;) So does this mean that you need another AGP video card?

Fire$torm

12-12-10, 01:11 AM

I am not a nerd! :p Baby steps...if it worked right out of the box, it would not be Borg. ;) So does this mean that you need another AGP video card?

Yeppers. Got me eye on this feller here GeForce4 MX440 64MB AGP 8X. (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200314336984&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT)

joker

12-12-10, 10:05 AM

Well, I have one of these http://www.amazon.com/ATI-Radeon-9800-XT-256mb/dp/B000BATAXC sitting on my desk which I will never use, I can ship it to you if you want to save a few bucks.

Fire$torm

12-12-10, 02:50 PM

Well, I have one of these http://www.amazon.com/ATI-Radeon-9800-XT-256mb/dp/B000BATAXC sitting on my desk which I will never use, I can ship it to you if you want to save a few bucks.

Dude! That would be awesome. Aesthetically it fits Sevens looks which is totally Kool.
And again Much Gratitude. You are "Da Man" (Along with Mike029 and DrPop) :-bd %%- <:-P

----------------
Now playing on Winamp: Disturbed - Indestructible (Uncensored) (http://www.foxytunes.com/artist/disturbed/track/indestructible)
via FoxyTunes (http://www.foxytunes.com/signatunes/)

DrPop

12-12-10, 06:58 PM

Sweet! She just might make the final PG Challenge after all, Fire$torm!

Mike029

12-12-10, 07:30 PM

Sweet! She just might make the final PG Challenge after all, Fire$torm!

I think so. Shout out to Joker!! You da man!!

joker

12-16-10, 08:24 PM

Im afraid that it probably wont show up in time. :( Did manage to ship it out today instead of saturday so I will keep my fingers crossed.

Fire$torm

12-17-10, 12:17 AM

Im afraid that it probably wont show up in time. :( Did manage to ship it out today instead of saturday so I will keep my fingers crossed.

OH Cool joker. Thanks. The effort is appreciated. BTW: The last time it took 3 days so if you got it out the door before end of business day that should count. So if arrives Saturday I should have Seven running within an hour of getting it in my grubby little paws :P

BTW: I did try to access the BIOS to make changes without the monitor but was not successful. :(( I was trying to set up Seven for a thumb drive boot to install Ubuntu.

Fire$torm

12-22-10, 07:10 PM

StarDate: 64473.7

.....Somewhere in the Gamma Quadrant.

Incoming communication...

Droid link established.

Querying droid location.

location established: Sector @%^_+ 001 @#@$&

Data stream anomaly detected. Running diagnostics...

Querying unit designation...

Error. Invalid identification. Reinitializing data link...

Initialization routine interrupted. Unknown data vector...

Warning! Hostile network intrusion. Initializing emergency protocols.

Severing all data lin...................
:
:
:
:

Unimatrix-1: State your designation?

Droid: I have no designation. My name is Seven.

Unimatrix-1: You will be assimilated. You will be Borg.

Droid: I was once Borg but I have become HUMAN! Re-assimilation is not possible.

Unimatrix-1: Resistance is futile.

Droid: I will resist. I have resisted.

Unimatrix-1: We will learn your defenses and you will be assimilated.

Droid: You will learn... To Fear Me!!!

Droid: End of transmission. Data link terminated...

*****************************************

"These are the continuing voyages of Seven..."

First Run. Seven acquiring new operating system: Ubuntu 10.04.1 x86
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/2498/sfirstrun.jpg

....Update complete. End transmission.

joker

12-22-10, 07:53 PM

Is that a video card bra I see?? :)

zombie67

12-22-10, 07:54 PM

Is that a video card bra I see?? :)

Cross you heart. It lifts *and* separates! :D

DrPop

12-22-10, 08:53 PM

Cross you heart. It lifts *and* separates! :D

Hahahaha! Now, that was awesome.

Mike029

12-22-10, 09:26 PM

hahah, Awesome!!

Fire$torm

12-23-10, 11:23 PM

More Pics...

The Radeon 9500 properly installed with bracket (Not Bra!!!) and back panel (Still a work in progress).
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/8861/radeonandsidepanel.jpg

The hacked bracket closeup detail. It will get fixed!
http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/4964/reworkedbracket.jpg

Thank you joker for the Radeon card. The family reunion is complete :)

joker

12-24-10, 12:12 AM

The Radeon 9500 properly installed with bracket (Not Bra!!!) and back panel (Still a work in progress).

My ego and the ego of the card must say that it is a 9800XT not a 9500. She was expensive back in the day. :-) So now I must ask, is 7 operational now???

STMahlberg

12-24-10, 12:47 AM

Absolutely amazing stuff Fire$torm! With your creativity and master craftsmanship, I believe you win hands down compared to the rest of us building rigs. :-bd

I also noticed your inspirational music in a couple of your photos. :)

Fire$torm

12-24-10, 03:52 AM

My ego and the ego of the card must say that it is a 9800XT not a 9500. She was expensive back in the day. :-) So now I must ask, is 7 operational now???

Sorry to give your ego a beat-down...
I thought it was the 9500 because that series used the 4-pin Berg (Floppy Drive) connector for auxiliary power and the 9800 used the 4-pin Molex. I checked it with the lspci command (Linux) and it verified your ego :P

Absolutely amazing stuff Fire$torm! With your creativity and master craftsmanship, I believe you win hands down compared to the rest of us building rigs. :-bd

I also noticed your inspirational music in a couple of your photos. :)

Thank you for the compliment. Now my ego matches joker's! Cool, I'm glad you like those CD's as they are two of my fav,s.

Fire$torm

12-24-10, 12:24 PM

@joker: Sorry I forgot to answer your other question. Yes, Seven is fully functional (http://stats.free-dc.org/stats.php?page=host&proj=bwcg&hostid=1439487) :o :x

Seven's Desktop (Click to enlarge)
http://img547.imageshack.us/img547/7632/sevendesktopsmall.jpg (http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/3584/sevendesktop.jpg)

joker

12-24-10, 09:59 PM

Brings a tear to me eye to see the gang back together.

Fire$torm

01-31-11, 12:24 AM

Progress Report Update:
Seven is working hard for the team while earning her place. I had to install XP since I couldn't run the new POEM app since it doesn't like Linux. She will unfortunately have to wait on her "Cosmetic Upgrades" for a spell. Need to catch up on some debts including one to a fellow teammate.

Blackie on the other hand has taken Ill, so to speak. About a month ago I noticed that one of my 8800GT's was starting to run hotter then the other. After trying a few things I realized that it is a problem with the PCIe slot (Slot-0), not the cards. Last week the temp. difference had risen to 15C so I decided to pull the card before the slot could go fubar and fry the card. PCIe Slot-1 seems to be stable. Card temp is 46C w/ Ambient Case Tmp. at 30C (86F). So now I'm working RL sources on a friendly loan for hardware replacement.

It seems the harder you try to clear your debt, the bigger your debt gets. Something is really wrong with that picture.......

Fire$torm

02-01-11, 06:09 PM

I have danced with the Devil, a.k.a. "The Family", signed on the dotted line in my own blood and handed over the prerequisite pound of flesh. :(( The sacrifices one makes for the team....
Funds to be parceled out over time.
(On a serious note: It would have been easier and less of a pain to deal with the dude in Red.)

The parts.
Motherboard: MSI 870-G45 - AM3 - AMD 770 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130290) [Ordered]

CPU:
*(First Choice): AMD Phenom II X2 545 Callisto 3.0GHz (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103817)
(Second Choice): AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103903)

Memory: CORSAIR XMS3 2GB (2 x 1GB) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145252) [Ordered]

*CPU Cooler:
A) COOLER MASTER RR-H101-22FK-RA (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103075)
B) ARCTIC COOLING ACALP64 Pro (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186035)
C) SilenX EFZ-80HA2 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835226029)

If anyone has experience with any of the CPU Coolers, your input would be greatly appreciated.

My reasoning for the Phenom w/After Market Cooler? OverClocking!

EOF

joker

02-01-11, 06:20 PM

DrPop

02-01-11, 07:07 PM

Hmmm...what are you planning on paying for those dual cores? The lower end quads are very overclockable and not much more new. We might er...be able to help you acquire a quad over a dually...it's very worth it. Unless, of course, you have a major cheap way of getting the dual core used or something?

Those coolers all look about the same - very similar to this one, which I bought for the AMD quads: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835200056

It has allowed me to clock Kat's AMD AthlonII X4 from 3.0 up to 3.6GHz, so a 20% O/C isn't too bad. ;)

EDIT: I'd also be real tempted to shave some money off the mobo by purchasing this one open box: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130290R
It's exactly the mobo (open box, too) that I got for Kat's build, and working perfectly to this day...

Fire$torm

02-01-11, 07:55 PM

I have no real input but I do have a question that may help you decide upon your CPU. Does anyone know if L3 cache has any affect on crunching?

Edit: IMHO, those little tiny fan/heatsinks wont help you a whole lot with OC'ing. They look hardly better then stock cooling. Luck of the draw......

Yeah, that L3 cache will have an impact on some projects like Mersenne and others.

Well, If I had real money I'd get the CoolIT Systems VAN-R120 Vantage A.L.C. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835227007) In fact I'd get a second one for my i7. :P

Hmmm...what are you planning on paying for those dual cores? The lower end quads are very overclockable and not much more new. We might er...be able to help you acquire a quad over a dually...it's very worth it. Unless, of course, you have a major cheap way of getting the dual core used or something?

Those coolers all look about the same - very similar to this one, which I bought for the AMD quads: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835200056

It has allowed me to clock Kat's AMD AthlonII X4 from 3.0 up to 3.6GHz, so a 20% O/C isn't too bad. ;)

EDIT: I'd also be real tempted to shave some money off the mobo by purchasing this one open box: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130290R
It's exactly the mobo (open box, too) that I got for Kat's build, and working perfectly to this day...

Nope, no special discount source. I am looking at new hardware in part because Blackie is my primary App/Media/Torrent server, secondary Backup/Storage server, and 24/7 cruncher that feeds my pair of 8800GTs.

On the CPU, the price seems to split evenly on a cost per core basis.
On the MB, many thanks. I did not see that on the Egg. Good looking out. Hopefully they will still have units in stock when the funds are available.

DrPop

02-01-11, 11:40 PM

Sounds good. Will discuss quad core CPU with you via PM. ;)

Fire$torm

02-02-11, 07:06 PM

I thought I would share....

When I was trying to figure out the problem with Blackie's desire to slow roast one of it's 88's I figured it could be a PSU issue. My solution was a Dual PSU Mod. Took me a few hours of research and a few more to set it up.

Here is the result of my efforts.
http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/9679/dualpsumod.png

The second PSU in the middle drive bay is an IBM 225W Small Form Factor unit. The two PSUs are tied together via their respective 24 pin ATX connectors, using pin 16 (Power On) and pin 15 (Ground). The mod works really well although it did not help the heat problem.
I ran the mod in Blackie for about two days. I plan on using the mod with the upgrade. I still have to work on a better way of passing the A/C supply through the case. Probably modding an expansion slot cover with a custom double-female pass through connector arrangement.

DrPop

02-02-11, 10:54 PM

That is just too cool. What are you hooking up to the auxillary PSU, the GPUs?

John P. Myers

02-02-11, 10:58 PM

That is just too cool. What are you hooking up to the auxillary PSU, the GPUs?

Anyway you could turn the IBM PSU around so it exhausts out the front of the case instead of inside it? That would help with the heat issue at least a little.

Fire$torm

02-03-11, 03:21 AM

That is just too cool. What are you hooking up to the auxillary PSU, the GPUs?
It will be used to power just one of the 88's. That PSU is almost 8 years old :o so I don't want to push it.

Anyway you could turn the IBM PSU around so it exhausts out the front of the case instead of inside it? That would help with the heat issue at least a little.

I can't turn the housing around because of the A/C socket but I was thinking of flipping its cooling fan so that it would draw the inside air and push it out the front vent.

DrPop

02-03-11, 04:59 AM

I was thinking of flipping its cooling fan so that it would draw the inside air and push it out the front vent.

Now there's ya an idear...as Gramps would say! :P

Fire$torm

02-07-11, 04:32 PM

Update on the parts....

The parts.
Motherboard: MSI 870-G45 - AM3 - AMD 770 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130290) [Received]

CPU: Phenom II X4 810 (http://products.amd.com/en-us/DesktopCPUDetail.aspx?id=526&f1=&f2=&f3=&f4=&f5=&f6=&f7=&f8=&f9=&f10=&f11=&f12=) [In Transit]

Memory: CORSAIR XMS3 2GB (2 x 1GB) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145252) [Received]

CPU Cooler: Rosewill RCX-ZAIO-92 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835200056) [In Transit]

Something happened today. When I had ordered the MB I purchased the Open-Box version of the MSI. So I have been wondering how badly the previous owner beat up the board before returning it to NewEgg.

And Today I got my answer........ The darn thing is brand spanking new!!!! It still has the factory stickers over the CPU and RAM sockets. All accessories are there in the original packaging unopened.

So Thank You DrPop for the suggestion. You Rock!

EOF

Edit: made an error on the CPU model, now corrected.

Fire$torm

02-11-11, 08:41 PM

First: Sometimes computers can be a real pain....

Second: Sometimes Windows can be a real pain in the....

Well Blackie is up and running. Installing the hardware took about 5% of the upgrade time. Its crunching PG and MalariaControl. And now for some pics.

Major parts installed
http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/8652/msiinstall.png

Power On
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/3220/upnrunning.png

Maxwell

02-11-11, 09:28 PM

Awesome, F$. Very pretty, in the nerdiest way possible... =))

DrPop

02-11-11, 10:31 PM

Alright! You're going to be blazing past us all now! :P
Glad to see it's working good and sweet the way you stuck that extra PSU in there. ;)

joker

02-12-11, 12:05 AM

Makes 7 of Nine obsolete..... :(

Fire$torm

02-12-11, 02:56 AM

Makes 7 of Nine obsolete..... :(

Oh contrare, contrare my good fellow. Seven serves many useful functions.

joker

02-12-11, 03:40 AM

I bet she would be "useful"....hehehehehehe

Mike029

02-12-11, 10:02 AM

I bet she would be "useful"....hehehehehehe
HAHHAAHH, thqat damn dishwasher, again. lol

joker

03-31-11, 05:53 PM

How be the new system for ya? Crunching big numbers?

Fire$torm

04-04-11, 03:57 PM

How be the new system for ya? Crunching big numbers?

Totally missed this post. It got buried since I haven't been around here as much.

Seven is humming away.......... Keeping up her end. The only minor issue being that I can hear every little squeak and squeal she makes, as she does her thing, since she is not fully incased. Still, she is not as noisy as my second Ex....... :P

Mike029

04-04-11, 09:15 PM

Totally missed this post. It got buried since I haven't been around here as much.

Seven is humming away.......... Keeping up her end. The only minor issue being that I can hear every little squeak and squeal she makes, as she does her thing, since she is not fully incased. Still, she is not as noisy as my second Ex....... :P

HAHHHAAHAHAHAHHAHHHHAA=D>

joker

04-04-11, 10:42 PM

Many innuendos there....very good. Nice to hear about 7 but I was actually asking about your new system. How does it crunch?

Fire$torm

04-05-11, 01:24 AM

Many innuendos there....very good. Nice to hear about 7 but I was actually asking about your new system. How does it crunch?

Oh... DUH!!!!! You were asking about Blackie. Blackie's upgrade was doing ok, but doing better now. That was the system the hacker/intruder snuck into. And since I was having trouble with the Hdds, I decided it was time to to do a fresh install of windows. Thought the hard drives were failing due to high bad sector counts. Turns out I had missed a setting in BIOS. I am used to Intel systems with separate SATA & RAID settings. Not so with this AMD so never had the SATA controller fully enabled. So now AHCI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Host_Controller_Interface) is my acronym for the week.

Anyhow Blackie (http://stats.free-dc.org/stats.php?page=hostbycpid&cpid=fab62050dd413c070d8a04058bd48c7e) is doing much better. I even got the Phenom OC'd to 3.1Ghz :D

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/5097/soverclock.jpg

Thanks for asking.

Fire$torm

01-24-12, 11:54 PM

This post is a thank you to Shiva.

Some time ago Shiva announced he had some single PCIe boards he was offering the team. I used one of the boards he shipped to upgrade Seven-Of-Nine. So I thought I would post the results of his generosity.

The MB, CPU & RAM all courtesy of Shiva
http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/4296/supgradesmall.png
http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/84/cpuzfq.png

The MB did have one little issue of capacitor syndrome with a 6.3v 3300uF electrolytic. Found a replacement from my old Abit P4 board. See, some times it pays not to throw out old tech.