Ratdude's Main Rig V4.1

[ratdude747]

Re: Ratdude's Main Rig V4.1

Played with it tonight... she runs!

Issue was either a loose RAID card or bad RAM connection. Swapping CPUs didn't help (although given the Paxville rejection, it needed to happen anyway). Reflashed my SLIC BIOS, all better. Good as new.

[ratdude747]

Re: Ratdude's Main Rig V4.1

Decided to try her out again... still only showing 4 CPUs. I rebooted to try to shut off HT (to see how that affected things)... and dead. Spins fans.

Nothing was hot to the touch...

Tomorrow (or whenever I get to it) I'll pull the CPUs and see if installing the irwindales revives it. If not, she's dead...

[ratdude747]

Re: Ratdude's Main Rig V4.1

reflashed stock BIOS (in case SLIC was the issue), nope, no good.

My board is a revision 1.2

Looking on ebay:

found this, same thing without SCSI, but also a 1.2:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-Micro...IAAOSwCGha8FZj

The only other thing I saw that's worth my time was this, but it's also a 1.2:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Supermicro-...UAAOSw5JJZkv~b

Didn't see any reasonably priced DAi's or DA3's... so Paxville might be a fail for me? Grr...

Maybe I'm better off to reflow the dead X7DWA-N and put it in here.... Edit- off-topic, but those boards are re-appearing:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Supermicro-...oAAOSwwoZa5Cec

(who the hell puts a workstation board in a server, seriously?)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/X7DWA-N-Ser...kAAOSw3Sla373B

Too bad I'm about to blow a lot of money on travel... otherwise, 4.1 might be getting a REALLY BIG upgrade Maybe if nobody bids, they'll relist with a lower starting bid.

[Topcat]

Re: Ratdude's Main Rig V4.1

Nothing special, whatever the latest BIOS is from their site, I'd have to fire it up to get the version number. I'll also check the revision number of the board. My X6DAI also had no issues with the Paxies.

[ratdude747]

Re: Ratdude's Main Rig V4.1

My X6DA8 ran them, both sockets. The pic I posted was only one socket populated for POST testing purposes. I did however run into this with the X6DAL, as I mentioned in the thread, it would only run one CPU.

Missed this.

Anything "Special" done? Was the X6DA8 on the latest BIOS?

Both CPUs are good... maybe you have a different revision board?

[ratdude747]

Re: Ratdude's Main Rig V4.1

It might be an ampere limiter in the BIOS interfering. Possibly for artificial obsolescence...

Same BIOS as the board that will run them, so not likely. At least in software.

It's probably something really stupid... like less than 20 I/O connections to the CPU not existing or the like.

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: Ratdude's Main Rig V4.1

It might be an ampere limiter in the BIOS interfering. Possibly for artificial obsolescence...

[Topcat]

Re: Ratdude's Main Rig V4.1

My X6DA8 ran them, both sockets. The pic I posted was only one socket populated for POST testing purposes. I did however run into this with the X6DAL, as I mentioned in the thread, it would only run one CPU.

[ratdude747]

Re: Ratdude's Main Rig V4.1

I think I see what is going on here... and it's not good.

Topcat, your X6DA8 did the same thing:

https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showpo...72&postcount=3

Likewise, with either 1 or 2 CPUs installed I get the same screen. Device manager only shows 4 CPUs in either case. Both of my CPUs are good (ran it on one CPU using each). My CPU2 socket is also good, as I was seeing everything with the irwindales.

What I suspect is there is some board quirk making this thing max out at 4 CPUs, and that is why they're not listed as compatible on SM's site. Yes, sure, it will boot, but if you can't get all 8 threads, what's the point?

[ratdude747]

Re: Ratdude's Main Rig V4.1

^Son of a ******

Bad CPU? HT is enabled as per that screen. Will reseat and try again.

[Topcat]

Re: Ratdude's Main Rig V4.1

^
Only one CPU is showing up, thats why the results are off.


^^^^^^ You'll note that the "socket #1" dropdown is grayed out, there should be a live dropdown displaying socket #2.


^^^^^^ To confirm: If HT is enabled (which it is by default), that should show 8.

[ratdude747]

Re: Ratdude's Main Rig V4.1

Since Topcat was able to to make Paxvilles run in one of these, and I was able to get a pair for $20 shipped :jaw:, I figured I'd try it myself in this rig.

His benchmarks that I will be referencing: https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showth...947#post825947

First, some interesting pictures:

Thanks to it being dual die, these things are massive compared to irwindales:



It's so big it's bigger than the socket and overhangs a bit on the end:



Compare that to an Irwindale (same size as Nocona and Gallatin):




After the install... she posts!



Took a few starts to make it boot to windows... odd. Hopefully this isn't a repeat of the 3.6 ES chips from the start of the thread. So far it's rock solid though.

Confirmed in CPU-Z:



....

I ran a novabench benchmark on it a few weeks ago, which I can use to compare the 3.8 Iriwindales to these Paxvilles. Lucklily the latest version of Novabench safes old results and allows for convenient comparisons:



Funny, it's showing the Paxvilles as slower, the exact opposite of Topcat's findings. My Windows Experience index also dropped.


All I changed was the CPUs and the AS5 compound (and monitors, as per my last post... it's higher resolution...). Same RAM (16GB DDR2), GPU (Geforce 9800 GT EE), and HDDs (two 7200RPM 160GB's on a RAID 0 9650 w/BBU).

BTW, the 1080p@60 youtube buffering issue didn't go away either.

[ratdude747]

Re: Ratdude's Main Rig V4.1

Finally got around to recapping the 24" 1080P slim LED Hanns-G LCD... which was a complete success:



Coke can for scale. It's not nearly as massive as Topcat's 30" monster, but it's it's the biggest LCD I have currently (Second place: my 2 22" 16:10 LCD's on main rig V6 in the office). Really nice display quality too. Not bad for $10 at Goodwill, a random >3A 12V brick, and < $10 of caps?

------------

The Acer Gaming LCD died... won't turn on at all. Recapped it, still no good. No power light or anything... bad power switch? Until I got the above unit fixed, I picked up a HP S2031 unit to get me by (not a bad LCD, minus some weird crosshatch pattern on the screen which I read is probably a misaligned polarization filter (panel defect from the factory?).

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: Ratdude's Main Rig V4.1

Edit- they're still in business, but now in Greenfield, IN (much safer place east of Indy on I-70).

Is it like Greenfield, NH? (A tiny town that don't allow much businesses) (In Greenfield, NH, you're lucky to find a convenience store, a police station and >maybe< something like a Goodwill, if not a Goodwill. Greenfield, NH is nothing like a major chunk of Hillsborough County, NH, which is pretty much New Hampshire's version of Massachusetts, such cities in Hillsborough County, would be Manchester, Nashua, Amherst and Hollis. (IIRC))

[ratdude747]

Re: Ratdude's Main Rig V4.1

Coming soon:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Xeon-...EAAOSw-RFaZkGr

As it turns out, apparently these things do run Paxvilles (unofficially, at least), and at that price I'd be a fool not to try a pair. Not sure how twin 2.8's compare against single 3.8's on windows 7.

If this works, I have some spare DDR1 400 sitting (spares for V2.8 that were not needed), so maybe it's time to hotflash (revive) my spare X6DAE-G from the start of the thread and keep my eyes open for a case and coolers (and a few other odds and ends I'll need)?

[Topcat]

Re: Ratdude's Main Rig V4.1

Probably made by a 'sheltered workshop' (physically/mentally challenged people) or prison inmates.... You can tell by looking that it's hand-made. Quite classy compared to pressed wood garbage.

[ratdude747]

Re: Ratdude's Main Rig V4.1

Finally found a desk:





Nice solid wood. I think this used to be a dorm/school desk, because of this sticker inside:



You know things are real when the desk has a legal disclaimer. Also must be old, as nothing good is made on Washington St. in Indy any more (other than skyline chili by 465)... Poor Flick can back me up on this one. Edit- they're still in business, but now in Greenfield, IN (much safer place east of Indy on I-70).

Still, for $25, not too shabby?

[Topcat]

Re: Ratdude's Main Rig V4.1

Glad its back in action. I reread the whole thread just to refresh myself of this system....and realized this is where my X6DAI originated... I still use that system to this day!

I don't have the heart to retire it.....it functions great for what I demand of it.

[ratdude747]

Re: Ratdude's Main Rig V4.1

...and a year and a half later, I have a use.

I recently bought a house and ended up adding a front entry area LAN connection.

I don't have a desk for her yet, but I do have the other goodies:



That's a 20" Acer P205H 1600x900 glossy "Gaming" (low latency) monitor. I have a 24" 180p LED-backlit Hanns G unit to upgrade with if I ever get around to recapping it. For now, this will do.

[ratdude747]

Re: Ratdude's Main Rig V4.1

I'll bump this with a little thing to note. While it is currently sitting (having been replaced by the faster V3.8), it was quite the nice rig to web surf on (and the like). Very smooth. With 16GB of RAM I doubt it really ever hit the page file... I will have to find a use for it, even if that's hooked to a TV or something as some sort of media box. IDK, it's too nice to abandon. Too many rigs I guess...