PDA

View Full Version : My Rig, by alexnifty



alexnifty
08-11-07, 21:44
Resulting from this: http://www.aria.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=2954

We get this:

dead link

dead link

dead link

Pictures are pretty diabolical really, but I only have a cameraphone.
Wires are a bit messy, I have tried to stuff them all out of the way, but its cramped in there. Modular PSU will be a future purchase, but not before a fan controller for my 5 fans :)

Micky007
08-11-07, 21:46
man, from reading the title i thought you was going to tell us a story.

" My Rig, by alexnifty"

lol

alexnifty
08-11-07, 21:49
man, from reading the title i thought you was going to tell us a story.

" My Rig, by alexnifty"

lol


I had this awesome story, like the tights thing, but it didn't take :cry:


Have you noticed the professional installation of the patented 'tights' dust filter? I wasn't actually joking :lol:

EDIT: Thats right guys, my girlfriends tights on display!

Micky007
08-11-07, 22:02
I had this awesome story, like the tights thing, but it didn't take :cry:


Have you noticed the professional installation of the patented 'tights' dust filter? I wasn't actually joking :lol:

EDIT: Thats right guys, my girlfriends tights on display!

lol

M4T VW
09-11-07, 08:56
Not another antec 900. Damn case gets everywhere!

I dont have one btw...But my brother does:evil:

coiler
09-11-07, 10:21
Very nice! what PSU is that an xilence? not many reach the 24 pin on the mobos with the antec case.

Where are the tights? is it some kind of magic eye trick?

alexnifty
09-11-07, 11:43
Very nice! what PSU is that an xilence? not many reach the 24 pin on the mobos with the antec case.

Where are the tights? is it some kind of magic eye trick?

Check the window fan for tights: http://www.alexnifty.co.uk/images/case2.jpg


It is indeed a xilence, 700W. https://www.aria.co.uk/Products?search=POW-SPS-XP700

Reaches the 24-pin very easily, I actually wish it was slightly shorter!


And I know, its another bloody Antec-900, but they look good, and are affordable. Antec must be rolling in cash by now :D

coiler
09-11-07, 13:07
Oh to have shares in the Antec 900 :P

alexnifty
26-03-09, 20:48
OK time to post my rig as it is now! (Warning, contains very dark images :p)


Antec 1200 Case with AC Ryan UVLED Fans and 2 cold cathodes, with UV reactive cable sheaths. Speakers are Creative Gigaworks T20's. Keyboard is a Razer Lycosa Miroor Keyboard. Mouse is a Razer Deathadder. Screen is a Philips 20".


http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0396.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0401.jpg

UV Glow :) Could probably tidy away a few of those wires.
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0380.jpg

mac124
26-03-09, 23:14
1 or 2 upgrades then?

tystar
27-03-09, 08:41
You know those pics would work better if you had turned the lights on :D

alexnifty
27-03-09, 10:00
1 or 2 upgrades then?

Yeah actually, through all the upgrades it's now a totally different system, I don't think anything is left from my original 900 build. I'll see if I can find the original pictures for the 900 and fix the links.

Edit: I tell a lie, the arctic cooler 7 pro is from my original build :p


You know those pics would work better if you had turned the lights on :D

Tried that and it came out rubbish because of the energy saving bulb. Much better with the lights off :thumbsup:

tystar
27-03-09, 10:02
[quote=alexnifty;84612

Tried that and it came out rubbish because of the energy saving bulb. Much better with the lights off :thumbsup:[/quote]

i hope were still on about the keyboard. ;) lol

alexnifty
11-09-09, 13:23
My rig never stays the same for more than a week at the moment, I have been trying to braid the cables to get a nice tidy look.
Unfortunately the braiding I bought isn't very good quality (AC Ryan), the weave isn't very tight so you can see through it noticeably, the heatshrink is poor, and I don't like the color anymore.

Not for long! I have bought and received the complete MDPC Sleeve-Kit (http://en.mdpc-x.com/mdpc-sleeve/sleeve-kits-+-tools/mdpc-sleeve-kit.htm). I intend to completely rebraid my PSU and all the other wires in my PC. Can't wait to get this home!

Everything will be black braided and heatshrinked, except the SATA cables which will be red for a splash of color, like this (http://murderbox.com/img/gallery/mb.4654.jpg).

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/SP_A0085-1.jpg


You get a little bit of art drawn by the MDPC creator on the parcel. He also sent me a huge tutorial for braiding and links to tons of step by step pictures. A very impressive service, with lots of nice touches.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/SP_A0084.jpg

I'll add the odd picture about my progress.

:thumbsup: :mrgreen: :cool:

haroon
11-09-09, 13:30
That Antec 900 case is everywhere, I was thinking of getting one but it is just too common. I will be getting Antec 1200 instead. I like the look of this case better anyway.

coiler
11-09-09, 13:31
My rig never stays the same for more than a week at the moment, I have been trying to braid the cables to get a nice tidy look.
Unfortunately the braiding I bought isn't very good quality (AC Ryan), the weave isn't very tight so you can see through it noticeably, the heatshrink is poor, and I don't like the color anymore.

Not for long! I have bought and received the complete MDPC Sleeve-Kit (http://en.mdpc-x.com/mdpc-sleeve/sleeve-kits-+-tools/mdpc-sleeve-kit.htm). I intend to completely rebraid my PSU and all the other wires in my PC. Can't wait to get this home!

Everything will be black braided and heatshrinked, except the SATA cables which will be red for a splash of color, like this (http://murderbox.com/img/gallery/mb.4654.jpg).

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/SP_A0085-1.jpg


You get a little bit of art drawn by the MDPC creator on the parcel. He also sent me a huge tutorial for braiding and links to tons of step by step pictures. A very impressive service, with lots of nice touches.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/SP_A0084.jpg

I'll add the odd picture about my progress.

:thumbsup: :mrgreen: :cool:

LOL quality! what did that lot set you back?

alexnifty
11-09-09, 14:07
That Antec 900 case is everywhere, I was thinking of getting one but it is just too common. I will be getting Antec 1200 instead. I like the look of this case better anyway.

I have a 1200 now (pics above) I can highly recommend it. The only thing I feel it is missing is a hole in the back of the motherboard tray to mount screw-type heatsinks. Might be a future case-mod for me, pretty easy.



LOL quality! what did that lot set you back?

Uhh, £50

Monkey
11-09-09, 14:18
Does look cool, are your sig specs up to date?

And how big is your screen? Cos if your case is like my Cosmos it dwarfs my 24" monitor :P

alexnifty
11-09-09, 14:48
Does look cool, are your sig specs up to date?

And how big is your screen? Cos if your case is like my Cosmos it dwarfs my 24" monitor :P

Yeah my specs are up to date, the overclock varies a bit depending on if I have done some tweaking. I only have a 20" Philips Brilliance 200W screen, so yeah, it is completely dwarfed by my case!

I refuse to compromise on monitors so I'm waiting on the new 23" E-IPS panels in a 1920x1080 resolution to become more mainstream and then I'll snap one up for xmas :)

Monkey
11-09-09, 14:56
Ha, it will still be dwarfed :P

Your Antec is only slightly smaller than my Cosmos and like I say my screen looks tiny sat next to it, I wanna get a 30"er or bigger :P

alexnifty
11-09-09, 15:05
Yeah it would still be dwarfed but that just makes the PC look more awesome so I don't mind.
I think a 30" screen would be too big for my room, 23" will be just fine for me. With the NEC EA231WMi (http://www.necdisplay.com/Products/Product/?product=a8f8336f-6f87-4065-b3ad-c2fa8204f2a0) probably going to be priced at £220 its far better than a TN and it won't break the bank either.

Monkey
11-09-09, 15:10
Ill sell you my hyundai at a nice price if you like?

Will go towards some new screens for me :)

It is an amazing screen too, I JUST WANT A BIGGER ONE! :P

alexnifty
11-09-09, 15:11
No thanks, I have my heart set on an E-IPS monitor now :)

Monkey
11-09-09, 15:13
Ah well, it was worth a try, and I was gonna start the bidding at £250 as well :lol:

alexnifty
13-09-09, 20:27
Phwoar!

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0184.jpg


Braiding the ATX power connector next I think

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0183.jpg

Going to completely get rid of the blue braiding.

PeterStoba
13-09-09, 21:53
My rig never stays the same for more than a week at the moment, I have been trying to braid the cables to get a nice tidy look.
Unfortunately the braiding I bought isn't very good quality (AC Ryan), the weave isn't very tight so you can see through it noticeably, the heatshrink is poor, and I don't like the color anymore.

Not for long! I have bought and received the complete MDPC Sleeve-Kit (http://en.mdpc-x.com/mdpc-sleeve/sleeve-kits-+-tools/mdpc-sleeve-kit.htm). I intend to completely rebraid my PSU and all the other wires in my PC. Can't wait to get this home!

Everything will be black braided and heatshrinked, except the SATA cables which will be red for a splash of color, like this (http://murderbox.com/img/gallery/mb.4654.jpg).

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/SP_A0085-1.jpg


You get a little bit of art drawn by the MDPC creator on the parcel. He also sent me a huge tutorial for braiding and links to tons of step by step pictures. A very impressive service, with lots of nice touches.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/SP_A0084.jpg

I'll add the odd picture about my progress.

:thumbsup: :mrgreen: :cool:

Good old Nils :)

marsey99
14-09-09, 16:05
that is looking very good that nifty :D

alexnifty
14-09-09, 16:23
that is looking very good that nifty :D

Yeah I'm really chuffed with it so far.

It's all a learning process, my first braiding and heatshrinking I did with the blue stuff was awful, frayed edges, burned heatshrink, melted braiding, you name it, every rookie mistake was there.

Only thing that went wrong this time was I had to redo the heatshrink on the first SATA cable because I cut it too long so it didn't match the others.

I'll do some more tonight and post pics :mrgreen:

Aaron
14-09-09, 16:46
How long does each cable take you? ish?

alexnifty
14-09-09, 16:55
Hard to say, I didn't really think about it. With the SATA ones it doesn't take me very long at all now that I know what I am doing and they are easiest.

It's just: measure braid, cut and put on, secure and smooth ends with tape, measure heatshrink, cut and put on, apply heat to heatshrink, done!

I took pictures of above process but didn't post them because I thought they would be boring. I'll post them later.

I should imagine the 24pin ATX connector will be highly time consuming as you have to unpin all 24 wires and do the above process 24 times but smaller and fiddlier.

Aaron
14-09-09, 17:00
I'd be interested to see them, just to see the process and how much unpinning of cables you have to do, if any! Apart from my PSU cables, the inside my my case looks shocking..

alexnifty
14-09-09, 17:07
Ok well I'll probably work on the 6 pin ATX connectors, currently going to my GPU in blue, tonight. Not used my new unpinning toolkit yet so it will be interesting to say the least.

Should be fine if I can remember which wires go where :p

PeterStoba
14-09-09, 18:31
Ok well I'll probably work on the 6 pin ATX connectors, currently going to my GPU in blue, tonight. Not used my new unpinning toolkit yet so it will be interesting to say the least.

Should be fine if I can remember which wires go where :p

Masking tape or sticky labels FTW! ;)

alexnifty
15-09-09, 00:48
Spent ages this evening braiding two 6-pix atx connectors pic tomorrow.

For Aaron and whoever is interested. Here's what I did to braid the SATA cables in pictures step by step.

Braiding, sata cable, and heatshrink. Other tools are a stanley knife for cutting heatshrink, clipping pliers to cut braid, electrical tape to smooth the ends/secure, and my trusty iroda heat gun.
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0158.jpg

So you put the braiding on to measure it first, then mark where you want the cut to be for a snug fit then take it off and cut it. An important thing to do is singe the end so that it doesn't fray.
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0177.jpg

Tape the end to make it look smooth.
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0181.jpg

Measure the heat shrink and then cut as many pieces as you are going to need the same length (started by not doing this and had to redo).
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0166.jpg

If it wont go over properly then this is a neat trick to stretch it:
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0165.jpg

Heat the heatshrink. A couple of seconds in one spot is enough, keep the heat source moving so you don't burn it.
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0168.jpg

Done! (this pic is after I redid it with smaller amounts of heatshrink, less is more etc.)
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0182.jpg

Aaron
15-09-09, 00:56
Ah ok, thats interesting.. I thought you unpinned everything! Surprisingly good finish for a relatively simple job! I'll be interested to see how you did the power cables too :)

PeterStoba
15-09-09, 07:49
You have to unpin them all for the power cables.

alexnifty
15-09-09, 09:47
Ah ok, thats interesting.. I thought you unpinned everything! Surprisingly good finish for a relatively simple job! I'll be interested to see how you did the power cables too :)

I spent about 4 hours doing just two 6-pin atx connectors.

As Peter said, those you have to individually unpin, not to mention dismantling the PSU so you can run the braiding up inside it. Then you have to repeat the above process 12 times on a smaller scale.

malawi-gold
15-09-09, 09:53
I spent about 4 hours doing just two 6-pin atx connectors.

As Peter said, those you have to individually unpin, not to mention dismantling the PSU so you can run the braiding up inside it. Then you have to repeat the above process 12 times on a smaller scale.


thats the warranty out the window lol, but it looks good.

well done :thumbsup::thumbsup:

alexnifty
15-09-09, 10:03
Yeah I think cutting off their braiding and heatshrink, then unpinning the molex connectors is also warranty voiding :p

coiler
15-09-09, 10:09
Phwoar!

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0184.jpg


Braiding the ATX power connector next I think

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0183.jpg

Going to completely get rid of the blue braiding.


SMOKIN HOT! looks the business :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: :thumbsup:

coiler
15-09-09, 10:13
can you buy pre braided cables on the bay?

business opp for you there nifty

www.evil-niftys-braid-emporium.org (http://www.evil-niftys-braid-emporium.org) :D "purveyors of the finest braided merchandise"

Aaron
15-09-09, 11:35
Sounds like some dodgy hair salon..

malawi-gold
15-09-09, 11:53
Sounds like some dodgy hair salon..

hahahaha:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

"WE BRAID ANYONE AND ANYTHING YOU BRING IN!!"

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3547/3360287536_83da655728.jpg

alexnifty
15-09-09, 11:57
Well I was sort of thinking if this turns out ok I might be able to do it for other people. I don't really know how to advertise that service or how it would work. Probably only something I could offer to people I know and I don't know anyone who would be interested.

I know of at least one shop where they will braid fans or waterpumps you buy from them. Think it's £3 per fan/pump. That's not going to be very labour intensive, nor is braiding SATA, but braiding a PSU would be very time consuming and expensive.

Say if someone sent a PSU and SATA cables to me to braid, that's at least £20 total postage. Then to buy the MDPC sleeving kit is £50. So now it's £70 just on costs.
Then factor in a value for time/skill it takes to braid a PSU and your looking at well over £100 to braid a PSU.
I guess someone who wants braiding is going to be pretty flush, but to ask for the price of a decent PSU again just to braid it is surely too prohibative.

Aaron
15-09-09, 12:01
Yeah, I think you're right.. For a PSU, if you're going to spend say £80 on the unit itself and then say £80 on getting someone to braid it, then you may as well spend £160 on a very high end PSU which may well come pre braided..

However, the other cables are worth thinking about.. You could easily charge £15-20/hour for labour and make some money on the side..

coiler
15-09-09, 12:02
you could buy say x20 of these to save on postage

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Peripherals/Cabling/Serial+ATA/SATA+2+Straight+to+Right+Angle+cable+with+locking+ ends+?productId=37601

braid them, then decide on a fair price per cable for the bay shop :D

Personally my PSU being braided would be too much work and hassle , its already black mesh braided by PC + Power and cooling, BUT i think loads of people would be rather partial to braided sata cables in red.

alexnifty
15-09-09, 12:32
However, the other cables are worth thinking about.. You could easily charge £15-20/hour for labour and make some money on the side..


you could buy say x20 of these to save on postage

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Peripherals/Cabling/Serial+ATA/SATA+2+Straight+to+Right+Angle+cable+with+locking+ ends+?productId=37601

braid them, then decide on a fair price per cable for the bay shop :D

Personally my PSU being braided would be too much work and hassle , its already black mesh braided by PC + Power and cooling, BUT i think loads of people would be rather partial to braided sata cables in red.

It's a possibility, and looking on the bay I can't see any sellers for this kind of thing, but I think it is risky because people wont be looking for these things in the firstplace and you would have to buy a large number of SATA cables and braiding, which you may then not be able to sell.


@Coiler, I have a Silencer 750 which is pre braided, but I think the pictures I post tonight will show that there's braiding and then there's braiding...

coiler
15-09-09, 13:07
It's a possibility, and looking on the bay I can't see any sellers for this kind of thing, but I think it is risky because people wont be looking for these things in the firstplace and you would have to buy a large number of SATA cables and braiding, which you may then not be able to sell.


@Coiler, I have a Silencer 750 which is pre braided, but I think the pictures I post tonight will show that there's braiding and then there's braiding...


I look forward to the review! i suggest a new post ;)

marsey99
15-09-09, 17:37
i cant wait to see your psu, i have seen others do it and the difference is amazing, just make sure you take some pics and print them out before so you have it at hand when your repinning the 24pin one so you dont end up redoing it :D

only tip i can give you is to make a template once you have worked out how much shrink you want to use and then they should all be within a mm or so once you heat them.

mac124
15-09-09, 18:45
Each to their own but really whats the point? I have seen some and whilst they are nicely done i really didn't like the look of them after. Specially the ones with the pcie power and main power with the wires individually done right into the connectors.

Granted the sata cables do look good but if you do the others then don't go nuts and do each individual cable into the connector it just looks tacky.

katienifty
15-09-09, 19:20
Alex likes the braiding more than he likes me *sob*

PeterStoba
15-09-09, 19:26
I spent about 4 hours doing just two 6-pin atx connectors.

As Peter said, those you have to individually unpin, not to mention dismantling the PSU so you can run the braiding up inside it. Then you have to repeat the above process 12 times on a smaller scale.

Modular PSU then :)

Silverstone let you braid the cables and keep warranty :)

alexnifty
15-09-09, 21:59
Granted the sata cables do look good but if you do the others then don't go nuts and do each individual cable into the connector it just looks tacky.

For me it's a learning experience, having said that I don't think you'll like this :p

In my opinion this:
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0185.jpg

Looks better than this:
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0196.jpg

Here's a shot of some warranty voidage, those people from PCP&C may want to look away now.
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0186.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0190.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0192.jpg

Think I might try and cut those heatshrink to the same length though. So difficult to line them up exactly.

Wimped out of doing the 24pin connector tonight.

mac124
15-09-09, 22:14
You are right i do disagree its only marginally better than no braiding at all. You are only considering the last couple of inches of cable.

The idea of braiding the "whole" cable is to keep all them individual cables neatly together, better for airflow blah blah blah, braid them seperately and the cables will flop around all over the shop as per an unbraided cable and probably need cable tieing in several places to make them look neat and tidy defeating the whole point of braiding them, like in that shot with the psu taken to bits. Two neat bunches of cables nice and neatly braided together, and nearer the camera a whole mess of spaggetti

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y1/mac124/smilies/uugg.gif really not my cup of tea.

As i said though each to their own.

alexnifty
15-09-09, 22:22
Oh yeah, it does nothing for airflow and probably makes the cables less manageable. However I secure most things out of the way with cable ties anyway.

The braiding that comes with the PSU can be seen straight through to the wires underneath which I don't like. Same goes for the blue ACRyan stuff, it looks cheap and tacky to me.

I think it is an improvement :)

mac124
15-09-09, 22:33
I think it is an improvement :)

Which is all that matters mate :thumbsup:, what i, or anyone else, thinks doesn't really mean jack.

coiler
16-09-09, 09:46
What stops you from just braiding all the PCI-express 6 pin's together?

I like it anyhow, looks good. :thumbsup:

alexnifty
16-09-09, 09:53
What stops you from just braiding all the PCI-express 6 pin's together?

I like it anyhow, looks good. :thumbsup:

Nothing, except it doesn't achieve the look I am going for. If I decide I don't like it then I will just braid over.

coiler
16-09-09, 10:00
katie "alex where are going for my birthday tonight"

alex "mcdonalds drivethrough then back to mine for some braiding" :thumbsup: :lol:


Women know your limits! :chairfall:

alexnifty
16-09-09, 10:06
katie "alex where are going for my birthday tonight"

alex "mcdonalds drivethrough then back to mine for some braiding" :thumbsup: :lol:


Women know your limits! :chairfall:

She would be happy with that because of going to Maccy D's, even better if it were KFC!

coiler
16-09-09, 10:30
100% winner :D

katienifty
16-09-09, 19:48
katie "alex where are going for my birthday tonight"

alex "mcdonalds drivethrough then back to mine for some braiding" :thumbsup: :lol:


Women know your limits! :chairfall:

Are you kidding - I would LOVE it if Alex lets me eat junk food!

coiler
17-09-09, 09:22
Are you kidding - I would LOVE it if Alex lets me eat junk food!


He'd turn into a feeder! :closet

alexnifty
29-09-09, 15:57
http://www.prolimatech.com/products/megahalems.html

with

http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/acc/020/dfspwm_detail.html

and

http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/memory/ocz_pc2_9200_low_voltage_blade_series

Will be fitted tonight :)

coiler
29-09-09, 16:13
:knock::knock::knock: NIFTY IN UPGRADE SHOCKER!

alexnifty
29-09-09, 16:24
Gonna try and push my system with that kit.

Monkey
29-09-09, 17:52
Can't wait till i have enough money to upgrade my PC, gonna go all out, no holds barred :P

alexnifty
29-09-09, 23:58
Prolimatech Megahalems, OCZ Blade DR2-9200, Scythe Kama PWM

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0202.jpg


http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0212.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0214.jpg

Cleavage, phwoar! :p
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0213.jpg

Trusy Freezer 7 Pro looks like a dog next to this thing.
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0215.jpg

Mmmm OCZ, there's just no beating black pcb.
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0207.jpg

Out with the old.
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0206.jpg

In with the new.
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0217.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/DSCF0216.jpg


So much better RAM than before. I just did this quicky OC and it's flawless when the Patriot would no way have gone that high.
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/MegahalemsOC1.gif

I would say that's knocked at least 15c off my load temps, 4Ghz here I come!

coiler
30-09-09, 00:11
wow that heatsink is DIRTY!

is that the transformers logo on it too? :surprised:

I WANTZ :knock:

Aaron
30-09-09, 00:23
Looking good! :) Temps are impressive!

Monkey
30-09-09, 01:43
It does look rather swish, would it be worth getting another fan for on the back of the CPU cooler, or is that just overkill?

coiler
30-09-09, 09:34
nifty I take it that fan blows to the rear of case? so monk you reckon another rear blower then the rear exhaust too?


You got any pics of the motherbaord mounting bracket and how you fit it etc?

Does the fan come with the metal holding pins or are they with the cooler?

Like the orange rear fans, you got blacklight in there now to make them glow?

All these questions! :surprised:

alexnifty
30-09-09, 10:00
nifty I take it that fan blows to the rear of case? so monk you reckon another rear blower then the rear exhaust too?


Yeah the fan blows from front to back, I have seen people stick two fans on there with extra mounting brackets you can buy, I didn't see any need as I'm only cooling a 775 and not an i7.



You got any pics of the motherbaord mounting bracket and how you fit it etc?


I was going to take photos of putting it together but I didn't think anyone would care so much :( There are some pretty good pictures on this page: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/17486-prolimatech-megahalems-cpu-cooler-review-5.html

I found it pretty straightforward to mount. The only problem was caused by my case which doesn't have a hole on the back of the mobo plate, so I had to take it out completely. Probably would have done that anyway, I couldn't see you mounting this easily without it being flat.



Does the fan come with the metal holding pins or are they with the cooler?


The cooler comes with the wire mounting brackets. You get two of them in the pack and can buy more if you want to use 2 fans. Also you can get an AMD mounting kit sold separately.



Like the orange rear fans, you got blacklight in there now to make them glow?


They do have some UVLED's in them which lights them up. I have toyed with various blacklight kits but they seem to die after a few months or give off too much non-uv light, which defeats the object. Got one more kit I am going to try and then I'll give up.

coiler
30-09-09, 10:03
Right i'm going to have to stop getting tempted to make a purchase! LOL

Very impressive anyhow, those temps under load are like my temps at stock with the Freezer 7 pro :surprised:

The fans look decent in the pic where they glow :thumbsup:

coiler
30-09-09, 10:06
just checked that link out, i think all 775 should have a mounting bracket through the back by default and all 775 fans should screw on, its such a cleaner, stronger, easier method VS pushpins.


The OCZ memory is it just a touch below 1200? and needs ocing?

alexnifty
30-09-09, 10:49
just checked that link out, i think all 775 should have a mounting bracket through the back by default and all 775 fans should screw on, its such a cleaner, stronger, easier method VS pushpins.


The OCZ memory is it just a touch below 1200? and needs ocing?

Couldn't agree more. The mounting system on this is really impressive, it uses spring loaded screws to apply a lot of pressure between the heatspreader and the heatsink.
Really sturdy connection and, believe it or not, easier than pushpins which always seem to require a scary amount of force to get in. This is all just screwing things in.

Currently running the OCZ at stock 1.8v and a slight underclock at 1125Mhz. I'll up the FSB gradually so the RAM is at 1150 and then see about overclocking it. I kinda hope I can get 1200Mhz out of it :p

coiler
30-09-09, 11:03
It passes "passive cooling" test on the review when OC'd. Thats impressive.

I'm definetely going bracket mounted when I change my Freezer 7

alexnifty
30-09-09, 11:14
The good thing about this cooler is that you use a 120mm fan. Compared to the Freezer 7 (< 90mm?) fan, which would get noticeably noisy when at full speed, the 120mm isn't noticeable over my case fans which I usually run at 1000RPM.

El Wayneo
30-09-09, 11:55
Looks really good matey, you can see you lurrvvvve your PC, not often i get jealous but i am.

coiler
30-09-09, 12:07
http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Air_Cooling/prolima/ProlimaTech_Megahalems_install2.jpg

Does the plastic tab which sits over the heatsink here have a plastic tab which centres it in the middle of the heatsink hole?

alexnifty
30-09-09, 12:09
Looks really good matey, you can see you lurrvvvve your PC, not often i get jealous but i am.

Yeah, thanks, I think I enjoy upgrading and tinkering with it more than I enjoy actually playing games on it!

I am pretty much where I want to be with my system now. Just got to finish off the braiding which I'm doing a bit at a time (braided the new fan on the megahalems btw). That should be it for as long as I can make my Q9550 last.

Need to buy a new 24" monitor to replace my current 20" one. Going to put that off until next year though I think, I want to spend £400 but need to save up in order to do so. Something for the January sales maybe.

alexnifty
30-09-09, 12:13
http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Air_Cooling/prolima/ProlimaTech_Megahalems_install2.jpg

Does the plastic tab which sits over the heatsink here have a plastic tab which centres it in the middle of the heatsink hole?

PLASTIC?! Nonono, that's anodized aluminium :)

There are a couple of sockets on the heatsink with corresponding -need word- pointy out bits.

coiler
30-09-09, 12:19
Ah ok, i've seen some terrible bracket style cpu's which rely on "guessing" to centre it properly, or putting the brackets where you think best - can't beat a good solid centre pin, especially with something this size!

alexnifty
30-09-09, 12:25
PIN! Thankyou.

Yes in fact in the above picture you can see two holes where the pins stick out on the underside. Makes sure everything is 100% square.

coiler
30-09-09, 12:29
If I had the money I would right now be making a purchase :knock:

alexnifty
30-09-09, 12:33
Coiler ADMNIM cat in copying alexnifty SHOCKER!

We would have to start a Prolimatech Megahalems group! Bagsy #1 :p

But seriously, you don't need one do you? Or are you going for the double shock whammy and overclocking these days?

coiler
30-09-09, 13:35
Haha, things I don't need but really want. The list would bankrupt HSBC! :clap

Monkey
30-09-09, 14:46
Tell me about it, and Nifty, im jealous.

I wonder, does anyone know if the January sales will affect prices on Aria and other e-tailors?

Will
30-09-09, 16:19
Nobody seemed to rate my Scythe Mugen 2 :cry

Shed in SUICIDE SHOCKER :lol:

coiler
30-09-09, 16:42
Nobody seemed to rate my Scythe Mugen 2 :cry

Shed in SUICIDE SHOCKER :lol:

pics or it didn't happen?

Monkey
30-09-09, 16:56
I think he may find the task of taking pictures of himself a little tricky Coiler, don't you? :P

And anyway, that's not a good thing to talk about

coiler
30-09-09, 17:05
Pics of his fan upgrade :rofl:

katienifty
30-09-09, 17:07
Yeah, thanks, I think I enjoy upgrading and tinkering with it more than I enjoy actually playing games on it!

I am pretty much where I want to be with my system now. Just got to finish off the braiding which I'm doing a bit at a time (braided the new fan on the megahalems btw). That should be it for as long as I can make my Q9550 last.

Yeah, I know where you want to be with your system... in bed together!

Monkey
30-09-09, 17:13
Pics of his fan upgrade :rofl:
HA HA HA! DOH!

alexnifty
30-09-09, 17:41
Yeah, I know where you want to be with your system... in bed together!

This doesn't look like essay writing! Don't let me catch you on steam either.

coiler
30-09-09, 18:21
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2279/2048158311_2c885dbe19.jpg?v=1195688785

Will
30-09-09, 19:04
wtf I have had pics!

http://forums.aria.co.uk/showthread.php?t=11752

alexnifty
30-09-09, 20:31
Nobody seemed to rate my Scythe Mugen 2 :cry

Shed in SUICIDE SHOCKER :lol:


wtf I have had pics!

http://forums.aria.co.uk/showthread.php?t=11752

Couple of people said it looked good shed, and it does, it's just that... Mine is better :p

M4T VW
30-09-09, 20:35
Its all about the 2 fans...Snigger

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r97/M4TVW/DSC00124.jpg

marsey99
30-09-09, 20:46
nobody read the links i post?

i posted one a while back about i7 coolers and they found that due to the position of the die under the ish you get better cooling by rotating the heatsink 90deg so the fan blows up the case.

looks good that tho :)

M4T VW
30-09-09, 20:55
I did read that but becuase my case is small that would mean blowing directly into my PSU fan, Accross the memory or down the case but heat rises remember so it would just go back up through the fan so its the only option really.

marsey99
30-09-09, 20:57
my bad :redface:

push pull does look like it means buisness tho :)

Aaron
30-09-09, 22:17
I used to have a dual fan cooler.. Infact I think I still do in a computer downstairs.. Looked a bit like this..

http://rdi.us/AK7-2B.jpg
:lol: :lol:

M4T VW
30-09-09, 22:25
WTF, I cant even work out how that mounts...:lol:

Will
30-09-09, 22:33
Am I right in thinking that push and pull would only lower temps by like 1-2C?

alexnifty
30-09-09, 22:37
I used to have a dual fan cooler.. Infact I think I still do in a computer downstairs.. Looked a bit like this..

http://rdi.us/AK7-2B.jpg
:lol: :lol:

That's epic! Nice one :clap


Am I right in thinking that push and pull would only lower temps by like 1-2C?

Yeah it's a diminishing return, I think it is mostly so you can run two fans at lower speeds than just the one, quieter. Obviously with two noctuas the objective is quietness instead of max cooling.

M4T VW
30-09-09, 22:42
I have been thinking that it really doesnt make a difference.
I run them flat out each but thinking about it the one pulling would need to be faster then the push one for it to work properly.
If i took the pull off it really wouldnt make a difference.

My main problem in the GTX280, Thats REALLY hot:fail

Sorry for the thread hijack Alex:lol:

coiler
30-09-09, 22:49
Aaron was that the old school pentium 2, it clipped in like a mega drive cartridge

http://dl.maximumpc.com/galleries/x86/Pentium_II.png

coiler
30-09-09, 22:51
nobody read the links i post?

i posted one a while back about i7 coolers and they found that due to the position of the die under the ish you get better cooling by rotating the heatsink 90deg so the fan blows up the case.

looks good that tho :)


I took your advise on my 775, (of freezer 7 pro wouldn't fit without bending it fame) and it worked a treat :idea:

Aaron
30-09-09, 23:06
WTF, I cant even work out how that mounts...:lol:
:lol: :lol:

It was from when I used to use my SlotA Athlon. The original Athlon, at 800Mhz.. So the cpu was in a cartridge type thing, and the HSF mounted on the side..

This was the CPU:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/185/381158222_ff96f8aa3d.jpg

And it would stand upright.. I remember overclocking mine from 800 to 950mhz. Had to open up the CPU and plug in a GFD onto the PCB of the CPU, and adjust everything using jumpers. None of this easy bios overclocking stuff.. :lol:

Like this:
http://www.dansdata.com/images/shirts/installed400.jpg

Those were the days.. :lol: :lol:

M4T VW
30-09-09, 23:13
Way before my time! :lol:

marsey99
01-10-09, 18:13
it was my uncle doing that that sparked my intrest in clocking a few years back :)

he also had a pot which he turned with a screw driver to up the vcore and had to check it with a multi meter.

funny how easy it is now, msi mobo and you just push 1 button and it will clock and test your cpu and ram to within about 3% of their limits.


coiler :D :clap

Aaron
01-10-09, 19:09
it was my uncle doing that that sparked my intrest in clocking a few years back :)

he also had a pot which he turned with a screw driver to up the vcore and had to check it with a multi meter.

funny how easy it is now, msi mobo and you just push 1 button and it will clock and test your cpu and ram to within about 3% of their limits.


coiler :D :clap
Yeah - had to do that with the jumpers on the GFD.. I still have it somewhere actually! I might have to try and find it sometime :)

alexnifty
08-10-09, 22:01
4GHZ on my q9550, seems stable on the small fft test and 3d mark, but wont pass the prime blend test. Not really sure why. I'll try it for gaming and see what happens.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/q95504037.png

Aaron
08-10-09, 22:03
The way I see it, if its stable for what you use it for, then its stable enough.. :)

marsey99
09-10-09, 09:02
sounds like its your ram if its ok other than blend, could be a nb strap that needs slackening?

coiler
09-10-09, 09:11
sounds like its your ram if its ok other than blend, could be a nb strap that needs slackening?

Could be a g.skill purchase on the horizon :ss:idea:

alexnifty
09-10-09, 09:40
sounds like its your ram if its ok other than blend, could be a nb strap that needs slackening?

Crashed in BF2142 last night after 30 minutes.

I don't understand nb strap :p To be honest I don't need 4GHz at the moment, it was just nice to see that my chip could do it.


Could be a g.skill purchase on the horizon :ss:idea:

No I don't think so.

alexnifty
09-10-09, 11:32
I just read the threads marsey99 pointed me at in the Q9550 thread. Still none the wiser as to what the following does:

CPU Voltage: 1.36
CPU GTL Voltage Reference (0/2): AUTO - Dunno what this does
CPU GTL Voltage Reference (1/3): AUTO - Dunno
CPU PLL Voltage: AUTO - Dunno
FSB Termination Voltage: AUTO - Dunno
DRAM Voltage: 1.8
NB Voltage: 1.4
NB GTL Reference: AUTO - Dunno
SBridge Voltage: AUTO
PCIE SATA Voltage: AUTO

Plenty of people say what their settings are but they never explain what any of it does.

Also I think I have FSB strap on auto at the moment and I just pick whatever RAM frequency I want from the list of DRAM Frequencies. Is a lower or higher e.g. 333 or 400 FSB Strap better for stability?

Aaron
09-10-09, 12:18
I got curious too - I havent finished reading these but from what I've skim read, they seem to explain a bit for a couple of the settings..

Adjusting A/GTL+ Levels for Increased FSB Signaling Margins and Overclocking
http://www.thetechrepository.com/showthread.php?t=87

alexnifty
09-10-09, 12:42
Sounds like there's a GTL sweet spot somewhere depending on what your FSB is at. Trial and error to find it.
What I don't get is why I have two, and should they be the same or different.

And then they start talking about actually modifying the mobo. No ta.

Aaron
09-10-09, 13:09
Yeah, when they started doing closeups of the actual motherboard and changing things, I stopped reading there :lol: :lol:

alexnifty
24-09-11, 22:29
Riiiise. Riiiise for a new PSUUUUU!!

Got a Corsair 750HX Modular to replace the PCP&C Silencer 750 because I was fed up of the birds nest:

Sort of before:
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/ade05768.jpg

What you get with the PSU (minus the 4890, and the bed, obviously):
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/f97e5425.jpg

Sussing out where stuff goes:
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/55bbda7c.jpg

More sussing out where to route cables, GPU still not in place yet:
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/8954b865.jpg

Finished! Much happier with the look:
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/b90aef59.jpg

El Wayneo
24-09-11, 23:14
Looks good dude, quality psu.

alexnifty
25-09-11, 00:26
Looks good dude, quality psu.

Thanks for recommending it, I didn't need it's bigger brother.

Bigian88
25-09-11, 08:42
Me likey the braided sata cables :D

alexnifty
25-09-11, 15:18
Me likey the braided sata cables :D

Does nothing but look cool :p :cool:

I really like the Corsair Sata and pci-e power cables, all black coated for a nice finish :thumb:

Zaim
25-09-11, 19:56
Looks good dude, quality psu.

Indeed, looks very nice :thumb:

coiler
28-09-11, 09:37
sexy sexy sexy!

what board is that?

it shares the Asus 6 engine of my Asus P5Q-e winner edition

alexnifty
28-09-11, 10:43
Look carefully at the bottom picture coiler ;)

Quick update, I redid the wiring a bit and moved HDD's about to sort out a dodgy connection my wiring was causing on the pci-e modular power supply cables.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/18041584.jpg

coiler
28-09-11, 10:53
Look carefully at the bottom picture coiler ;)

Quick update, I redid the wiring a bit and moved HDD's about to sort out a dodgy connection my wiring was causing on the pci-e modular power supply cables.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/18041584.jpg


ah! recall you having same board :)

what chip and ram you running?

my Q9550 with 4gb 800 ddr2 + gtx 560ti is still pwning

alexnifty
28-09-11, 11:03
ah! recall you having same board :)

what chip and ram you running?

my Q9550 with 4gb 800 ddr2 + gtx 560ti is still pwning

It's a Q9550 @ 3.6GHz with 4GB OCZ Blade 1500 DDR2 (http://www.ocztechnology.com/ocz-ddr2-pc2-9200-low-voltage-blade-series-eol.html) + Sapphire Vapour-X HD4890 (http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/product/?cid=1&gid=3&sgid=570&pid=262&psn=&lid=1&leg=0)

I remember when we had the exact same system. Same patriot memory and a GTX260 :p

I'll be upgrading the GPU after BF3 comes out.

MSI ATI Radeon HD 6950 OC Twin FrozR III Power Edition 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/ATI/ATI+6900+Series/MSI+ATI+Radeon+HD+6950+OC+Twin+FrozR+III+Power+Edi tion+2048MB+GDDR5+PCI-Express+Graphics+Card+?productId=44455)

or


EVGA 1280MB GeForce GTX 570 HD Superclocked NVIDIA Graphics Card w/ FREE Steam Voucher Batman: Arkham City! (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/NVIDIA/NVIDIA+GTX+570+Series/EVGA+1280MB+GeForce+GTX+570+HD+Superclocked+NVIDIA +Graphics+Card+w%2F+FREE+Steam+Voucher+Batman%3A+A rkham+City%21+?productId=46086)

Would be my choices right now, but we'll see in a month :p

Ninjacat
29-09-11, 08:56
Saphire Radeon 6950 !!!!

great card and why move away from saphire :)

coiler
29-09-11, 09:25
my vote would be for the mighty gtx 570!

El Wayneo
29-09-11, 09:40
I would vote for the HD6950 Twin Frozr II 2GB, the III isn't £25 better and the 1280mb of VRAM on the GTX570 will show before you upgrade again.

alexnifty
29-09-11, 10:03
I'll have to see what things look like at the end of next month. Can't really afford it at the moment :p

El Wayneo
29-09-11, 10:05
Posho Nifty in skint shocker!


Spent too much on grooming the swans i see.

alexnifty
29-09-11, 10:07
Posho Nifty in skint shocker!


Spent too much on grooming the swans i see.

Hey I just forked out for a new PSU and it's the GF's birthday today so that's run up a nice tally this month :p Not to mention going to London for the meet etc.

Ninjacat
29-09-11, 10:13
look at it its georgous ^^

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/bahamut_jr/PC%20Pics/DSC00019.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/bahamut_jr/PC%20Pics/DSC00021.jpg

^^ get the saphire !!!!!!

alexnifty
29-09-11, 10:14
look at it its georgous ^^

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/bahamut_jr/PC%20Pics/DSC00019.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/bahamut_jr/PC%20Pics/DSC00021.jpg

^^ get the saphire !!!!!!

:lol: We'll see at the end of next month :thumb:

Ninjacat
29-09-11, 10:16
:lol: We'll see at the end of next month :thumb:

good man :)

EDIT: i feel your pain on the GF birthday thing.

Mines costing me £200 >.<

aidan2007
29-09-11, 11:34
When are you planning on using the rest of this:

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/SP_A0085-1.jpg

;)

alexnifty
29-09-11, 11:37
When are you planning on using the rest of this:

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/SP_A0085-1.jpg

;)


Good question. Some of it went onto my old PSU. I'd like to braid my last SATA connector and then the fan power cables. Maybe put some braiding over the existing Corsair stuff too.

It's just a matter of finding the time!

aidan2007
29-09-11, 11:39
Sweet :) You know I love a bit of sleeving :D

Have fun getting the pins out of that corsair PSU though, they're famously b*stards when it comes to removing them :P

alexnifty
29-09-11, 11:41
Sweet :) You know I love a bit of sleeving :D

Have fun getting the pins out of that corsair PSU though, they're famously b*stards when it comes to removing them :P

I'm hoping not to have to unpin anything. I'm not going to do all the individual wires because if the PSU dies I want that 7 year warranty!

I'll just see if I can slip a big sleeve over the whole thing, might not be doable, we'll see!

(if I ever get round to it)

aidan2007
29-09-11, 11:45
Lots of people use sata sleeve over the 6pin/8pin pci-e cables in groups of 3 or 4 cables, looks nice :) But I doubt you'd get sata sleeve over a 6pin connector let alone an 8pin and big sleeve might be too big. You'll have to take pins out :/ If you single sleeve then you can do it one at a time and never lose where the pins go :)

Btw corsair let you sleeve their PSUs, seen it on loads of threads where people have asked them about it and they say they will uphold the warranty. Not sure if that applies to opening the PSU casing to shrink inside the PSU though :P

If your pci-e cables are modular then do those first ;)

alexnifty
29-09-11, 11:52
Lots of people use sata sleeve over the 6pin/8pin pci-e cables in groups of 3 or 4 cables, looks nice :) But I doubt you'd get sata sleeve over a 6pin connector let alone an 8pin and big sleeve might be too big. You'll have to take pins out :/ If you single sleeve then you can do it one at a time and never lose where the pins go :)

Btw corsair let you sleeve their PSUs, seen it on loads of threads where people have asked them about it and they say they will uphold the warranty. Not sure if that applies to opening the PSU casing to shrink inside the PSU though :P

If your pci-e cables are modular then do those first ;)

I'm happy with all the PCI-E and molex cables because they are all black plastic.

When I did my last PSU it took me ages and ages to it so I think this time I want to go for the best look achievable in the shortest time. If I can get a big sleeve over the 24-pin then I'd rather do that.

I don't think I can open up the PSU because there's a big warranty sticker over a screw.

alexnifty
25-10-11, 12:49
Quick update for my new GPU. Asus HD6950 DirectCUII 2GB.

Unboxing / benchmarking was done last night, need to overclock / bench tonight and will give a review. A quick OC got me to 950Mhz easy with a tiny boost in volts :) 64C is the highest temp so far!

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/4de9593e.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/bf617eef.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/b3a297bd.jpg

Ninjacat
25-10-11, 14:09
looks good mate, tested any games on it yet ?

alexnifty
25-10-11, 14:12
looks good mate, tested any games on it yet ?

Yeah I've done benchmarks on Crysis, Metro2033, Street Fighter4, Resident Evil 5 and 3D Mark 06 Vantage and 11. They will be in part of my review with stock/overclock comparison. Just need to find my highest stable overclock and then do another benching run.

Can anyone suggest other games to benchmark with? Ones which have easy benchmarking tools or built in tests.

marsey99
25-10-11, 14:19
any futuremark game mate :P

looks sweet that nifty :D

alexnifty
25-10-11, 14:24
any futuremark game mate :P

looks sweet that nifty :D

Thanks. There was a moment there where I thought I was going to have to move all my HDDs but it just fits with about 5mm clearance.

Something that my early overclocking might be revealing is that I'm now CPU limited. A 150Mhz bump gave me 1fps average increase in Metro2033. I didn't manage to do anything thorough last night so it could be that I need to up the GPU memory clocks.

marsey99
25-10-11, 14:26
how is your oc coming?

you got that cpu around the same time i got mine so it should go around the same speeds as mine too dude.

alexnifty
25-10-11, 14:30
how is your oc coming?

you got that cpu around the same time i got mine so it should go around the same speeds as mine too dude.

It's a 9550 at 3.6Ghz. I couldn't be bothered putting in the time to get 4Ghz stable. It would boot to 4Ghz but fail burning, I lost patience with the myriad settings to get it stable so I dropped back to 3.6 which was easy.

Now I might have to open that can of worms again.

OC on the card is great. I'm hoping for 1Ghz, should be better than a stock 6970 according to benchmarks I have seen. But there's no point if I have hit my CPU limit.

marsey99
25-10-11, 15:00
i think you can get 4.2 from it if you put the time in getting to know the board.

alexnifty
26-10-11, 10:45
Well I might need to have another bash at it because having apparently unlocked shaders in my 6950 I saw a jump in performance in Crysis and 3D Mark 11, but nothing in Metro2033 or Heaven benchmark.

So it seems like my CPU is causing some bottlenecks. I sort of hit a wall where overclocking the GPU doesn't do anything to my FPS :p

marsey99
26-10-11, 17:26
when you look hard enough mate you will find there is always something holding something else back.

to continue from the other thread i would also look at static tread, 8 would be nice but i would say 9 or 10 is a safer bet.

see if clunk forum has a bios template for you to use as they really are a godsend to print out and use as you test stuff.

alexnifty
26-10-11, 17:29
Ok well I'll go for a 4GHz run on metro and see if that improves anything. If not then I'll just clock my GPU up to where I hit the wall and leave it there.

Thanks for your help :)

alexnifty
26-10-11, 18:45
So how does:


1.4vcore
1.35vtt
1.3vmch
471fsb
1:1 ram ratio

Translate to:

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/2371e979.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/alexnifty/Computer/8494fb92.jpg

marsey99
26-10-11, 19:20
CPU Host Clock Control................: [Enabled]
x CPU Host Frequency(Mhz).............: [471]
PCI Express Frequency(Mhz)............: [Auto]
MCH Frequency Latch................: [400]
System Memory Multiplier......(SPD)...: [2.00]
Memory Frequency(Mhz)...........800...: [942]
Load-Line Calibration.................: [Enabled]
CPU Vcore..............1.28750V.......: [1.3625v]
CPU Termination........1.200V.........: [1.3v]
CPU PLL................1.500V.........: [1.5v]
MCH Core...............1.100V.........: [1.32]
CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E)...............: [Disabled]
C2/C2E State Support..................: [Disabled]
x C4/C4E State Support................: [Disabled]
CPU Thermal Monitor 2(TM2) ...........: [Enabled]
CPU EIST Function.....................: [Disabled]
Virtualization Technology.............: [Disabled]

thats what i changed for 4ghz dude, the rest was auto/normal.

alexnifty
26-10-11, 20:03
Not sure how those come across to mine. Things have different names. Here's my settings:


ASUS P5Q-E Template:

AI Overclock tuner: Manual
CPU Ratio Setting: 8.5
FSB Frequency: 425
PCI-E Frequency: 100
FSB Strap to North Bridge: Auto
DRAM Frequency: DDR2-1133MHz
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel A1: AUTO
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel A2: AUTO
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel B1: AUTO
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel B2: AUTO
DRAM Timing Control: Manual

1st Information :

CAS# Latency: 5
DRAM RAS# to CAS# Delay: 5
DRAM RAS# Precharge: 5
DRAM RAS# Activate to Precharge: 5
RAS# to RAS# Delay : 18
Row Refresh Cycle Time: AUTO
Write Recovery Time: AUTO
Read to Precharge Time: AUTO

2nd Information :

READ to WRITE Delay (S/D): AUTO
Write to Read Delay (S): AUTO
WRITE to READ Delay (D): AUTO
READ to READ Delay (S): AUTO
READ to READ Delay (D): AUTO
WRITE to WRITE Delay (S): AUTO
WRITE to WRITE Delay (D): AUTO

3rd Information :

WRITE to PRE Delay: AUTO
READ to PRE Delay: AUTO
PRE to PRE Delay: AUTO
ALL PRE to ACT Delay: AUTO
ALL PRE to REF Delay: AUTO

DRAM Static Read Control: DISABLED
DRAM Read Training: DISABLED
MEM. OC Charger: AUTO
AI Clock Twister: AUTO
AI Transaction Booster: AUTO

CPU Voltage: 1.28125
CPU GTL Voltage Reference (0/2): Auto
CPU GTL Voltage Reference (1/3): Auto
CPU PLL Voltage: Auto
FSB Termination Voltage: Auto
DRAM Voltage: 1.80
NB Voltage: 1.20
NB GTL Reference: AUTO
SBridge Voltage: Auto
PCIE SATA Voltage: Auto

Load Line Calibration: DISABLED
CPU Spread Spectrum: DISABLED
PCIE Spread Spectrum: AUTO
CPU Clock Skew : AUTO
NB Clock Skew : AUTO
CPU Margin Enhancement: Optimized

Advance CPU Settings
CPU Ratio Setting: 8.5
C1E Suppport: DISABLED
Max CPUID Value Limit: DISABLED
Intel® Virtualization Tech: Enabled
CPU TM Function
Execute Disable Bit: Enabled

adamj97
26-10-11, 21:04
Resulting from this: http://www.aria.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=2954

We get this:

dead link

dead link

dead link

Pictures are pretty diabolical really, but I only have a cameraphone.
Wires are a bit messy, I have tried to stuff them all out of the way, but its cramped in there. Modular PSU will be a future purchase, but not before a fan controller for my 5 fans :)

Thats what it came up as on my screen :( wish I could see your build

marsey99
26-10-11, 21:05
ASUS P5Q-E Template:

AI Overclock tuner: Manual
CPU Ratio Setting: 8.5
FSB Frequency: 425 471
PCI-E Frequency: 100
SB Strap to North Bridge: Auto 1:1 or x2
DRAM Frequency: DDR2-1133MHz so this is double fsb
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel A1: AUTO
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel A2: AUTO
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel B1: AUTO
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel B2: AUTO
DRAM Timing Control: Manual

1st Information :

CAS# Latency: 5
DRAM RAS# to CAS# Delay: 5
DRAM RAS# Precharge: 5
DRAM RAS# Activate to Precharge: 5
RAS# to RAS# Delay : 18
Row Refresh Cycle Time: AUTO
Write Recovery Time: AUTO
Read to Precharge Time: AUTO

2nd Information :

READ to WRITE Delay (S/D): AUTO
Write to Read Delay (S): AUTO
WRITE to READ Delay (D): AUTO
READ to READ Delay (S): AUTO
READ to READ Delay (D): AUTO
WRITE to WRITE Delay (S): AUTO
WRITE to WRITE Delay (D): AUTO

3rd Information :

WRITE to PRE Delay: AUTO
READ to PRE Delay: AUTO
PRE to PRE Delay: AUTO
ALL PRE to ACT Delay: AUTO
ALL PRE to REF Delay: AUTO

DRAM Static Read Control: DISABLED
DRAM Read Training: DISABLED
MEM. OC Charger: AUTO
AI Clock Twister: AUTO
AI Transaction Booster: AUTO

CPU Voltage: 1.28125 1.3625c
CPU GTL Voltage Reference (0/2): Auto
CPU GTL Voltage Reference (1/3): Auto
CPU PLL Voltage: Auto 1.5v
FSB Termination Voltage: Auto 1.3v
DRAM Voltage: 1.80
NB Voltage: 1.20 1.3v should be enough for 471fsb
NB GTL Reference: AUTO
SBridge Voltage: Auto
PCIE SATA Voltage: Auto

Load Line Calibration: DISABLED enable
CPU Spread Spectrum: DISABLED
PCIE Spread Spectrum: AUTO
CPU Clock Skew : AUTO
NB Clock Skew : AUTO these 2 might need 50ms or more as you get high fsb
CPU Margin Enhancement: Optimized no idea what this is

Advance CPU Settings
CPU Ratio Setting: 8.5
C1E Suppport: DISABLED
Max CPUID Value Limit: DISABLED
Intel® Virtualization Tech: Enabled leave on if you need if not off
CPU TM Function enabled, this is important
Execute Disable Bit: Enabled



im in red :D

alexnifty
26-10-11, 21:49
Thats what it came up as on my screen :( wish I could see your build

That original post is 4 years old. Skim the rest of the thread for pictures to see up date stuff.




ASUS P5Q-E Template:

AI Overclock tuner: Manual
CPU Ratio Setting: 8.5
FSB Frequency: 425 471
PCI-E Frequency: 100
SB Strap to North Bridge: Auto 1:1 or x2
DRAM Frequency: DDR2-1133MHz so this is double fsb
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel A1: AUTO
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel A2: AUTO
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel B1: AUTO
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel B2: AUTO
DRAM Timing Control: Manual

1st Information :

CAS# Latency: 5
DRAM RAS# to CAS# Delay: 5
DRAM RAS# Precharge: 5
DRAM RAS# Activate to Precharge: 5
RAS# to RAS# Delay : 18
Row Refresh Cycle Time: AUTO
Write Recovery Time: AUTO
Read to Precharge Time: AUTO

2nd Information :

READ to WRITE Delay (S/D): AUTO
Write to Read Delay (S): AUTO
WRITE to READ Delay (D): AUTO
READ to READ Delay (S): AUTO
READ to READ Delay (D): AUTO
WRITE to WRITE Delay (S): AUTO
WRITE to WRITE Delay (D): AUTO

3rd Information :

WRITE to PRE Delay: AUTO
READ to PRE Delay: AUTO
PRE to PRE Delay: AUTO
ALL PRE to ACT Delay: AUTO
ALL PRE to REF Delay: AUTO

DRAM Static Read Control: DISABLED
DRAM Read Training: DISABLED
MEM. OC Charger: AUTO
AI Clock Twister: AUTO
AI Transaction Booster: AUTO

CPU Voltage: 1.28125 1.3625c
CPU GTL Voltage Reference (0/2): Auto
CPU GTL Voltage Reference (1/3): Auto
CPU PLL Voltage: Auto 1.5v
FSB Termination Voltage: Auto 1.3v
DRAM Voltage: 1.80
NB Voltage: 1.20 1.3v should be enough for 471fsb
NB GTL Reference: AUTO
SBridge Voltage: Auto
PCIE SATA Voltage: Auto

Load Line Calibration: DISABLED enable
CPU Spread Spectrum: DISABLED
PCIE Spread Spectrum: AUTO
CPU Clock Skew : AUTO
NB Clock Skew : AUTO these 2 might need 50ms or more as you get high fsb
CPU Margin Enhancement: Optimized no idea what this is

Advance CPU Settings
CPU Ratio Setting: 8.5
C1E Suppport: DISABLED
Max CPUID Value Limit: DISABLED
Intel® Virtualization Tech: Enabled leave on if you need if not off
CPU TM Function enabled, this is important
Execute Disable Bit: Enabled



im in red :D

Ok I tried those voltage vales and intel burn test crashes on the standard test.

In fact it only boots to windows occasionally.

Some progress with your values there but with a FSB bump to 1.4v and FSB termination to 1.42v.

I can now get through the High Intel burn test. What CPU temps are acceptable? I'm getting between 60 and 70 at the moment.

marsey99
26-10-11, 22:12
72c is max iirc but i have seen 80s and not had any issues yet.

Mr Moose
26-10-11, 22:31
Maybe a shady bump in vcore if its not stable.

Jacksb4
26-10-11, 23:51
Can anyone suggest other games to benchmark with? Ones which have easy benchmarking tools or built in tests.

Battlefield 3? Assuming of course that that has a built in benchmarking tool.
GTA 4 as well, I find that is pretty good.

alexnifty
27-10-11, 00:30
Following settings pass the Intel burn test at highest setting and have run about 20 loops of Crysis and Metro33.


ASUS P5Q-E Template:


AI Overclock tuner: Manual
CPU Ratio Setting: 8.5
FSB Frequency: 471
PCI-E Frequency: 100
SB Strap to North Bridge: 400
DRAM Frequency: DDR2-942MHz
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel A1: AUTO
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel A2: AUTO
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel B1: AUTO
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel B2: AUTO
DRAM Timing Control: Manual


1st Information :


CAS# Latency: 5
DRAM RAS# to CAS# Delay: 5
DRAM RAS# Precharge: 5
DRAM RAS# Activate to Precharge: 5
RAS# to RAS# Delay : 18
Row Refresh Cycle Time: AUTO
Write Recovery Time: AUTO
Read to Precharge Time: AUTO


2nd Information :


READ to WRITE Delay (S/D): AUTO
Write to Read Delay (S): AUTO
WRITE to READ Delay (D): AUTO
READ to READ Delay (S): AUTO
READ to READ Delay (D): AUTO
WRITE to WRITE Delay (S): AUTO
WRITE to WRITE Delay (D): AUTO


3rd Information :


WRITE to PRE Delay: AUTO
READ to PRE Delay: AUTO
PRE to PRE Delay: AUTO
ALL PRE to ACT Delay: AUTO
ALL PRE to REF Delay: AUTO


DRAM Static Read Control: DISABLED
DRAM Read Training: DISABLED
MEM. OC Charger: AUTO
AI Clock Twister: AUTO
AI Transaction Booster: AUTO


CPU Voltage: 1.36875
CPU GTL Voltage Reference (0/2): Auto
CPU GTL Voltage Reference (1/3): Auto
CPU PLL Voltage: 1.5v
FSB Termination Voltage: 1.42v
DRAM Voltage: 1.80
NB Voltage: 1.4
NB GTL Reference: 0.635
SBridge Voltage: 1.2
PCIE SATA Voltage: 1.5


Load Line Calibration: Enabled
CPU Spread Spectrum: DISABLED
PCIE Spread Spectrum: AUTO
CPU Clock Skew : AUTO
NB Clock Skew : 100ps
CPU Margin Enhancement: Optimized


Advance CPU Settings
CPU Ratio Setting: 8.5
C1E Suppport: DISABLED
Max CPUID Value Limit: DISABLED
Intel® Virtualization Tech: DISABLED
CPU TM Function Enabled
Execute Disable Bit: Enabled



However it didn't seem to improve my average FPS. So somewhere I have a bottleneck. I upped my GPU by 50Mhz and it got 1FPS in the highest Metro settings so I'm a bit stumped on that front.

Thanks for the help getting 4Ghz though. I'll do a proper test at a later point to make sure it's good for prolonged gaming.

marsey99
27-10-11, 01:35
i wouldnt go over 1.45v on the term for 24.7 use dude but now you are getting somewhere :D

alexnifty
27-10-11, 13:22
i wouldnt go over 1.45v on the term for 24.7 use dude but now you are getting somewhere :D

I had the northbridge on 1.4 for ages but term was on auto. Afaik term is just a limit on the nb volts? I think it will be fine, I have good airflow and my temps are in the low 60s on the CPU.

It's so odd that my benches haven't benefitted though.

marsey99
27-10-11, 13:36
iirc term is cpu>mch so too much v can cause issues you think are ram but are really chipset.

nb/mch on these can take loads of volts, i have given it more juice than i gave the q9550 :lol: