New system is up. Some Z9PA-D8 motherboard learnings:
- The bank of blue SATA slots on the side of the motherboard away from the CPUs are PSAS slots; don't do what I did and spend an hour trying to find out why neither the BIOS nor Windows will recognize your hard drive before referring to the manual. The normal SATA slots (4 3GB black, 2 6GB blue) are near the bank of blue slots, on the other corner.
- I had to install with the integrated VGA video; my PCI-E 650GTX was not being recognized. Hooray for keeping an old cable / monitor handy.
- I was getting machine errors / BSOD partway through installing Windows. Updating to latest BIOS with USB stick on mobo did not help. Being lazy and hoping for an easy fix, I pulled RAM 3 & 4 off both processors, and the PCI-E card. That fixed the problem, then the system continued to work after finishing the install and reinserting memory. I'm doing a burn-in on the processors with 32 gravitational wave units right now, and have not yet tested a video card in the PCI-E slot again. I'm hoping it was just poorly seated or a mobo+card compatibility issue that's been solved now that Windows is fully updated.
Apart from that issue, I was able to use a Windows 8 vanilla install key to install Windows 10 home, and then upgrade to Pro in the MS store. Yeah, yeah, I know, Linux etc.
- DEL is the key you need to enter BIOS and you have to poke it many times as the BIOS cycles the ASUS screen 3 times or so before it will go to setup.
- The CPUTIN in CPUID's Hardware Monitor program is showing 124c (!). However, it stays on that value and I found someone else on the web complaining about that exact number, so it's probably bogus. My temps right now on an open case running 100% CPU on grav waves are ~50c on CPU1 and ~60c on CPU2. I'm usng a HAF XB case, so CPU1 is getting loads of fresh air blown directly on it. CPU2, sitting behind CPU1, is sucking CPU1's exhaust. However, 60c is about what I am getting on my other dual core system running 2660's, and that one is in a closed case that better simulates CPU2's environment.
- I like the motherboard. Many fan headers, nicely spaced. USB 3.0 in the back, though no USB 3.0 header. The BIOS reports AC97 / HD sound options, but I don't see a header for sound, either. No big deal with HDMI sound, though I dislike having useless IO items on my front panel.
New system is up. Some Z9PA-D8 motherboard learnings:
Yes thanks for that, i received most of the components, still waiting on memory and one cooler. Mobo came with a small ASMB6 management board which after spending 20 minutes looking at the manual, decided it was surplus to requirements and removed it.
It is definitely a server board, as you say an array of connectors for a raid array. Now that i've seen the manual and the board, the Z9PA-D8C would be better as it does not have that that stuff, so it should be cheaper.
Been a while since i've seen a serial COM1 port on the backing plate... an internal USB3-0 header would have been more useful as you say. Haven't decided if i should buy a cheap sound card.
The manual is a bit terse, but it's got to cover all the raid and system management permutations. A full size map of the mobo would have been useful.
I'm fairly confident i can get the coolers to push air north out the top, rather than inline out the back.
All the power is in the corner, so it's tidy. The fun part is yet to come.
I forgot to add, USB 3 didn't work until Windows was installed; I installed from an external drive using a Win 10 install disc from Microsoft's ISO maker, off a USB 2.0 port.
The BIOS also defaults to many energy saving settings > performance settings.
It's looking like 32 full hyprerthreaded units is overwhelming the memory controller; I'm getting updates to percentage completions only every 4 ticks or so and the totals will come in much slower than the dual 2660. However, 16 concurrent / not hyperthreaded on the 2660 seemed to leave some memory bandwidth unused, resulting in fewer credits / 24 hours. I've dropped the concurrent tasks on the 2x2670 to 24, which is what I am running on the 2660 machine while running 2 GPUs doing 3 Parkes units each. It seems to be around the sweet spot for units / 24 hours, at least under Windows 10.
Only S1 (fans still running) sleep state available in ACPI in BIOS, even fully updated. Nothing in manual about 5VSB jumpers, but I didn't look at the board since it's already stuffed into a case. S4 (hibernate) can be enabled, so I'm using this for less-than-full shutdown.
I forgot to add, USB 3 didn't work until Windows was installed; I installed from an external drive using a Win 10 install disc from Microsoft's ISO maker, off a USB 2.0 port.
Next time use a usb stick for your Win10 install, it is MUCH faster. It does take an 8gb stick though, even though MS says it will work on a 4gb one. I have found that some 4gb ones work and others don't, even formatting them doesn't always make a 4gb stick work, but 8gb ones always works for me. Look around if you need some cheap, I saw a deal the other day for 3 8gb ones for $10US.
lol, yes i admit it's over fanned - more a hair drier station. Despite my thinking of cpu only, it will probably end up home to the hd7990 and that needs four case fans to keep it just under control when running.
Not much stress to get deuteron++ up and crunching.
Put the memory in the wrong slots but i knew to check bios so that didn't catch me, this time.
The bios ugrade was easy, no need for a boot disk to install, just save it on a USB, and a nice bios update tool is built into the bios will allow you to search for it. A scary 30 second pause after you press "Are you sure", before a processing starts - Ubuntu 14.04 installed as normal,
It's not picking the boot disk quickly in the start-up, i need to look over why that is. I would not be happy using the in-build mobo VGA at all as a daily drive, lets say it is the minimum.
Thanks to locatusofborg ppa for up to date boinc, and we are cooking 32 tasks.
Bit early to say what task times are - i'm guessing around edit:24+hr for the AVXO1I tasks, temperatures are all 50-58C which is less than i expected. Maybe it will warm up, but it is quiet.
++ I give my hosts particle names, i don't know why. i think my first one was photon because i hoped it would be fast, some have had a very short half life before decaying into other particles.
I should add, both systems
)
I should add, both systems are / will run Windows 10 Pro.
New system is up. Some
)
New system is up. Some Z9PA-D8 motherboard learnings:
- The bank of blue SATA slots on the side of the motherboard away from the CPUs are PSAS slots; don't do what I did and spend an hour trying to find out why neither the BIOS nor Windows will recognize your hard drive before referring to the manual. The normal SATA slots (4 3GB black, 2 6GB blue) are near the bank of blue slots, on the other corner.
- I had to install with the integrated VGA video; my PCI-E 650GTX was not being recognized. Hooray for keeping an old cable / monitor handy.
- I was getting machine errors / BSOD partway through installing Windows. Updating to latest BIOS with USB stick on mobo did not help. Being lazy and hoping for an easy fix, I pulled RAM 3 & 4 off both processors, and the PCI-E card. That fixed the problem, then the system continued to work after finishing the install and reinserting memory. I'm doing a burn-in on the processors with 32 gravitational wave units right now, and have not yet tested a video card in the PCI-E slot again. I'm hoping it was just poorly seated or a mobo+card compatibility issue that's been solved now that Windows is fully updated.
Apart from that issue, I was able to use a Windows 8 vanilla install key to install Windows 10 home, and then upgrade to Pro in the MS store. Yeah, yeah, I know, Linux etc.
- DEL is the key you need to enter BIOS and you have to poke it many times as the BIOS cycles the ASUS screen 3 times or so before it will go to setup.
- The CPUTIN in CPUID's Hardware Monitor program is showing 124c (!). However, it stays on that value and I found someone else on the web complaining about that exact number, so it's probably bogus. My temps right now on an open case running 100% CPU on grav waves are ~50c on CPU1 and ~60c on CPU2. I'm usng a HAF XB case, so CPU1 is getting loads of fresh air blown directly on it. CPU2, sitting behind CPU1, is sucking CPU1's exhaust. However, 60c is about what I am getting on my other dual core system running 2660's, and that one is in a closed case that better simulates CPU2's environment.
- I like the motherboard. Many fan headers, nicely spaced. USB 3.0 in the back, though no USB 3.0 header. The BIOS reports AC97 / HD sound options, but I don't see a header for sound, either. No big deal with HDMI sound, though I dislike having useless IO items on my front panel.
RE: New system is up. Some
)
Yes thanks for that, i received most of the components, still waiting on memory and one cooler. Mobo came with a small ASMB6 management board which after spending 20 minutes looking at the manual, decided it was surplus to requirements and removed it.
It is definitely a server board, as you say an array of connectors for a raid array. Now that i've seen the manual and the board, the Z9PA-D8C would be better as it does not have that that stuff, so it should be cheaper.
Been a while since i've seen a serial COM1 port on the backing plate... an internal USB3-0 header would have been more useful as you say. Haven't decided if i should buy a cheap sound card.
The manual is a bit terse, but it's got to cover all the raid and system management permutations. A full size map of the mobo would have been useful.
I'm fairly confident i can get the coolers to push air north out the top, rather than inline out the back.
All the power is in the corner, so it's tidy. The fun part is yet to come.
I forgot to add, USB 3 didn't
)
I forgot to add, USB 3 didn't work until Windows was installed; I installed from an external drive using a Win 10 install disc from Microsoft's ISO maker, off a USB 2.0 port.
The BIOS also defaults to many energy saving settings > performance settings.
It's looking like 32 full hyprerthreaded units is overwhelming the memory controller; I'm getting updates to percentage completions only every 4 ticks or so and the totals will come in much slower than the dual 2660. However, 16 concurrent / not hyperthreaded on the 2660 seemed to leave some memory bandwidth unused, resulting in fewer credits / 24 hours. I've dropped the concurrent tasks on the 2x2670 to 24, which is what I am running on the 2660 machine while running 2 GPUs doing 3 Parkes units each. It seems to be around the sweet spot for units / 24 hours, at least under Windows 10.
Only S1 (fans still running)
)
Only S1 (fans still running) sleep state available in ACPI in BIOS, even fully updated. Nothing in manual about 5VSB jumpers, but I didn't look at the board since it's already stuffed into a case. S4 (hibernate) can be enabled, so I'm using this for less-than-full shutdown.
RE: I forgot to add, USB 3
)
Next time use a usb stick for your Win10 install, it is MUCH faster. It does take an 8gb stick though, even though MS says it will work on a 4gb one. I have found that some 4gb ones work and others don't, even formatting them doesn't always make a 4gb stick work, but 8gb ones always works for me. Look around if you need some cheap, I saw a deal the other day for 3 8gb ones for $10US.
RE: The fun part is yet to
)
So far so good everything just fits
RE: RE: The fun part is
)
Is it also a drone? :>)
RE: Is it also a drone?
)
lol, yes i admit it's over fanned - more a hair drier station. Despite my thinking of cpu only, it will probably end up home to the hd7990 and that needs four case fans to keep it just under control when running.
Not much stress to get
)
Not much stress to get deuteron ++ up and crunching.
Put the memory in the wrong slots but i knew to check bios so that didn't catch me, this time.
The bios ugrade was easy, no need for a boot disk to install, just save it on a USB, and a nice bios update tool is built into the bios will allow you to search for it. A scary 30 second pause after you press "Are you sure", before a processing starts - Ubuntu 14.04 installed as normal,
It's not picking the boot disk quickly in the start-up, i need to look over why that is. I would not be happy using the in-build mobo VGA at all as a daily drive, lets say it is the minimum.
Thanks to locatusofborg ppa for up to date boinc, and we are cooking 32 tasks.
Bit early to say what task times are - i'm guessing around edit:24+hr for the AVXO1I tasks, temperatures are all 50-58C which is less than i expected. Maybe it will warm up, but it is quiet.
++ I give my hosts particle names, i don't know why. i think my first one was photon because i hoped it would be fast, some have had a very short half life before decaying into other particles.