G.Skill makes some awesome memory. I haven't had that particular set, but I've had two other sets, and they've been champs.

The Retail C2D comes with a HSF, which should be fine for running stock. I've heard that the fan on it is a little loud though.

I am running a stock C2D fan on an E6400 in a caseless system. I've turned off all the machines in that room 'cept that one and I can't hear it running. So, I don't think it is loud at all.

...then again I had a lot of high powered machines running, so I may be going deaf!

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I am running a stock C2D fan on an E6400 in a caseless system. I've turned off all the machines in that room 'cept that one and I can't hear it running. So, I don't think it is loud at all.

...then again I had a lot of high powered machines running, so I may be going deaf!

This guy dims the lights on the strip in Vegas when he fires up his rig's. ck. his nick..no joke.
seriously some good suggestions have been made you won't be dissapointed with the 6600. Go for it and put it online.
heater

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Well I already have a dedicated crunching rig, although quite a bit slower than the boxes mentioned here, but I do have a relevant question for dedicated crunchers: do I need to have an antivirus program installed, or is that a waste for something that will not be used for general surfing?

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(Click for detailed stats)

Will it be sitting directly out on the internet, or is it hidden behind a router? I've had a number of cases where customers had infected machines that they thought were protected; only to find out that there were problems with their assumptions. My Win98 machines, hidden behind a router, don't have Antivirus protection. (I'm asking for trouble, but haven't been burned, yet.)

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Will it be sitting directly out on the internet, or is it hidden behind a router? I've had a number of cases where customers had infected machines that they thought were protected; only to find out that there were problems with their assumptions. My Win98 machines, hidden behind a router, don't have Antivirus protection. (I'm asking for trouble, but haven't been burned, yet.)

Mine is an XP rig and it's behind a router. Also, should I then scan it every now and then with one of those web based scanners? Thanks.

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(Click for detailed stats)

I am also putting a rig together. I found a decent deal I think on serversdirect.com for under $2500. I am looking for maximum boinc performance (largely main function of rig) in a single rig with an eye somewhat on the watts for the price. Does this look good? (You know you are a boinc addict when you dont mind an 8meg graphics card for a new rig).

Here are specs.

CS4094 CHENBRO SR10769-BK BLACK PEDESTAL 8X3.5" INTERNAL BAYS, WITHOUT POWER SUPPLY

PS0095 SPARKLE POWER FSP550-60PLG 550W PS/2 SINGLE EPS12V (24+8) ACT PFC POWER SUPPLY 1 O

MB8008 TYAN S2882G3NR-D THUNDER K8SD DUAL OPTERON PROCESSOR SERVER BOARD 1 O

CP2729 AMD OPTERON 275 DUAL CORE 2.2GHZ PROCESSOR 1000FSB 2MB L2 CACHE, RETAIL 2 O (two dual core CPUs)

RM5087 KINGSTON KVR400S4R3A/1G 1024MB DDR400 ECC REG SINGLE RANK X4 2 O (2 X 1024 meg)

HD3113 WESTERN DIGITAL WD3200SD 320GB SATA 7200RPM 8MB HARD DRIVE, OEM 1 O

MC9028 INTEGRATED SATA RAID 0, 1 1 O

CD9056 LITE-ON 16X16 DVDRW-DUAL ROM, BLACK 1 O

MC9040 INTEGRATED GIGABIT LAN 1 O

MC9001 INTEGRATED VIDEO FOR PARTNERLINK ONLY 1 O

BS1401 BASE SERVER ALTERNATIVE O/S W/1 YEAR DEPOT 1 O
4258 SDP-1450T 1 O

WRH001 1 YEAR DEPOT LIMITED SYSTEM WARRANTY 1 O

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Can anyone tell me if DDR Dual Channel PC3200 Memory will work with the new Core 2 Duo CPU's & Motherboards ... ???

No, you will need DDR2 RAM, which is different to DDR RAM.

No, you will need DDR2 RAM, which is different to DDR RAM.

Dang, all my PC's have DDR Memory, it's all good memory & I was hoping to use it & save a little money. Oh well I'll just have to get the DDR2 Memory then, Thanks ...

Nix my earlier specs. Found a much better deal at newegg.com building it myself. Chasis is not as fancy and warranty will be less clear but much happier with components. Decided to go Intel as processor is newer and very competitive (no flames please, capitalism works). Here are about best current specs for price imho for a boinc rig.

CHASSIS ANTEC|ATLAS 550W % - OEM (Qty=1, Price=$144.99)
CPU INTEL|XEON 5150 2.66G 771 4M R - Retail (Qty=2, Price=$1458.00)
SERVER_MB ASUS|DSBF-D/SAS I5000P R - Retail (Qty=1, Price=$579.99)
MEM 1G|CRU FB-DIMM CT12872AF53E R - Retail (Qty=2, Price=$279.98)
HD 250G|ST 7K 16M SATA2 ST3250620AS - OEM (Qty=2, Price=$159.98)
DVD_BURN SAMSUNG|SH-S182D RAM BK % - OEM (Qty=1, Price=$32.99)

Subtotal: $2655.93
TAX: $0
Shipping and Handling Charge**: $99.42
Rush Order Fee:$2.99
Total: $2755.35

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No, you will need DDR2 RAM, which is different to DDR RAM.

Dang, all my PC's have DDR Memory, it's all good memory & I was hoping to use it & save a little money. Oh well I'll just have to get the DDR2 Memory then, Thanks ...

Poorboy, if you aren't planning to OC much, if any, there are some Asrock mobos that you can use DDR and AGP on that use VIA chipsets or the 945, IIRC.

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Nix my earlier specs. Found a much better deal at newegg.com building it myself. Chasis is not as fancy and warranty will be less clear but much happier with components. Decided to go Intel as processor is newer and very competitive (no flames please, capitalism works). Here are about best current specs for price imho for a boinc rig.

CHASSIS ANTEC|ATLAS 550W % - OEM (Qty=1, Price=$144.99)
CPU INTEL|XEON 5150 2.66G 771 4M R - Retail (Qty=2, Price=$1458.00)
SERVER_MB ASUS|DSBF-D/SAS I5000P R - Retail (Qty=1, Price=$579.99)
MEM 1G|CRU FB-DIMM CT12872AF53E R - Retail (Qty=2, Price=$279.98)
HD 250G|ST 7K 16M SATA2 ST3250620AS - OEM (Qty=2, Price=$159.98)
DVD_BURN SAMSUNG|SH-S182D RAM BK % - OEM (Qty=1, Price=$32.99)

Subtotal: $2655.93
TAX: $0
Shipping and Handling Charge**: $99.42
Rush Order Fee:$2.99
Total: $2755.35

It's probably not cheaper, but I think you get better performance with 4x512 rather than 2x1gb with these new xeon processors. Also, you spec 533 mhz memory. I think they can use 667. Again this is if you want to max out speed.

Finally, this machine (without any graphics or OS) totals $2656 without shipping ot tax, right? You can get the same machine (with 667 memeory), way better graphics, OS, chassis/PSU (and a warranty!) by buying a Mac Pro for $2499 - $150 rebate = $2349 on Amazon. Can't beat that building it yourself. Apple has really priced their new machine competitively.

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Reno, NV
Team: SETI.USA

No, you will need DDR2 RAM, which is different to DDR RAM.

Dang, all my PC's have DDR Memory, it's all good memory & I was hoping to use it & save a little money. Oh well I'll just have to get the DDR2 Memory then, Thanks ...

Poorboy, if you aren't planning to OC much, if any, there are some Asrock mobos that you can use DDR and AGP on that use VIA chipsets or the 945, IIRC.

XS, if this is 1 of the Mobos you are talking about (ASRock 775i865G (Intel 865G)) thats what I ordered, I went back & looked at the specs on it again & it indeed does say it use's DDR400 Memory, which if I am not mistaken is PC3200 or above, correct me if I am wrong.

Thats the main reason I went with that board so I could use my AGP Cards yet & cut some costs. I ordered some OCZ Dual Channel 1024MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz Platinum (2 x 512MB) Memory before seeing this post so I don't know what I'll do with that now if I can use my DDR Memory.

I'll see how this upgrade goes and just order a DDR2 Mother Board for the next PC in line to get Upgraded. Right now I'm more after Stability and a little Overclock & to save as much money as I can. Thanks for the info though ...

Nix my earlier specs. Found a much better deal at newegg.com building it myself. Chasis is not as fancy and warranty will be less clear but much happier with components. Decided to go Intel as processor is newer and very competitive (no flames please, capitalism works). Here are about best current specs for price imho for a boinc rig.

CHASSIS ANTEC|ATLAS 550W % - OEM (Qty=1, Price=$144.99)
CPU INTEL|XEON 5150 2.66G 771 4M R - Retail (Qty=2, Price=$1458.00)
SERVER_MB ASUS|DSBF-D/SAS I5000P R - Retail (Qty=1, Price=$579.99)
MEM 1G|CRU FB-DIMM CT12872AF53E R - Retail (Qty=2, Price=$279.98)
HD 250G|ST 7K 16M SATA2 ST3250620AS - OEM (Qty=2, Price=$159.98)
DVD_BURN SAMSUNG|SH-S182D RAM BK % - OEM (Qty=1, Price=$32.99)

Subtotal: $2655.93
TAX: $0
Shipping and Handling Charge**: $99.42
Rush Order Fee:$2.99
Total: $2755.35

It's probably not cheaper, but I think you get better performance with 4x512 rather than 2x1gb with these new xeon processors. Also, you spec 533 mhz memory. I think they can use 667. Again this is if you want to max out speed.

Finally, this machine (without any graphics or OS) totals $2656 without shipping ot tax, right? You can get the same machine (with 667 memeory), way better graphics, OS, chassis/PSU (and a warranty!) by buying a Mac Pro for $2499 - $150 rebate = $2349 on Amazon. Can't beat that building it yourself. Apple has really priced their new machine competitively.

Holy crap Mac competitive with anything pricewise. The times are a changing. Thanks for the info. Gasp I might actually buy a damn Mac lol.

---

bump

G.Skill makes some awesome memory. I haven't had that particular set, but I've had two other sets, and they've been champs.

The Retail C2D comes with a HSF, which should be fine for running stock. I've heard that the fan on it is a little loud though.

I am running a stock C2D fan on an E6400 in a caseless system. I've turned off all the machines in that room 'cept that one and I can't hear it running. So, I don't think it is loud at all.

...then again I had a lot of high powered machines running, so I may be going deaf!

DCManiak, please say more about the physical construction/configuration of your 'caseless system'. A photo would be great!

For all: is anyone running a homemade "blade" system with multiple MBs with, say, a shared bulk PS? Experiences? Info would be much appreciated.

I have in the past built "caseless" machines by just placing some "standoffs" (plastic, long nuts that go on suitable screws for the holes in the motherboard) and connecting the essential hardware to the motherbaord, spreading it around as needs be. If you want to be more fancy, get a piece of MDF/Plywood/Chipboard or similar and screw the motherboard and components to it. Costs next to nothing if you're doing it for a few systems.

Sharing power-supplies becomes a bit difficult if you don't have easy access to either tools and connectors to split the power up or soldering tools to hard-wire the power onto the motherboard [better make sure your powersupply is good quality of you want to use this method, as it's harder to replace it when you have to desolder it and solder it back on again]. There is also a potential problem of noise transfer between one motherboard and another, but that could be solved by placing sufficiently large capacitors on the relevant power-lines).

However, small power-supplies aren't very expensive, so the cost-saving between two small and one larger is possibly not great - and the consequences of a PSU-failure is greater. Most blade-systems have redundant shared power, so if one PSU fails, the other one(s) keep the system powered, and you can hot-plug the new PSU into the system. That takes more messing about to make it work from simple components, and completely negates any cost saving - unless you get a few really big PSU's to power several boards - which is hard work if nothing else from a wiring logistics perspective.

--
Mats

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I have in the past built "caseless" machines by just placing some "standoffs" (plastic, long nuts that go on suitable screws for the holes in the motherboard) and connecting the essential hardware to the motherbaord, spreading it around as needs be. If you want to be more fancy, get a piece of MDF/Plywood/Chipboard or similar and screw the motherboard and components to it. Costs next to nothing if you're doing it for a few systems.

Sharing power-supplies becomes a bit difficult if you don't have easy access to either tools and connectors to split the power up or soldering tools to hard-wire the power onto the motherboard [better make sure your powersupply is good quality of you want to use this method, as it's harder to replace it when you have to desolder it and solder it back on again]. There is also a potential problem of noise transfer between one motherboard and another, but that could be solved by placing sufficiently large capacitors on the relevant power-lines).

However, small power-supplies aren't very expensive, so the cost-saving between two small and one larger is possibly not great - and the consequences of a PSU-failure is greater. Most blade-systems have redundant shared power, so if one PSU fails, the other one(s) keep the system powered, and you can hot-plug the new PSU into the system. That takes more messing about to make it work from simple components, and completely negates any cost saving - unless you get a few really big PSU's to power several boards - which is hard work if nothing else from a wiring logistics perspective.

--
Mats

Thanks for your thoughts, Mats! For power, I'm probably going to use several large power factor-correcting PSUs in a redundancy arrangement; since I have been building for... well a very long time (starting with building an amateur radio rig when I was a kid)... Have been wondering about noise transfer or other RF coupling between MBs; caps as filters are good, maybe even ferrite cores. I'm going to approach it as an experiment as far as shielding both between MBs and to/from the ouside environment.
I'm thinking of trying a "subrack" arrangement with mobos or their mounting sheets held vertically between "U" channels might lead to a rather clean arrangement; cooling is for another day.
And finally... I don't see anything wrong with 'messing about'! :-))
Thanks again, and happy crunching!

Nix my earlier specs. Found a much better deal at newegg.com building it myself. Chasis is not as fancy and warranty will be less clear but much happier with components. Decided to go Intel as processor is newer and very competitive (no flames please, capitalism works). Here are about best current specs for price imho for a boinc rig.

CHASSIS ANTEC|ATLAS 550W % - OEM (Qty=1, Price=$144.99)
CPU INTEL|XEON 5150 2.66G 771 4M R - Retail (Qty=2, Price=$1458.00)
SERVER_MB ASUS|DSBF-D/SAS I5000P R - Retail (Qty=1, Price=$579.99)
MEM 1G|CRU FB-DIMM CT12872AF53E R - Retail (Qty=2, Price=$279.98)
HD 250G|ST 7K 16M SATA2 ST3250620AS - OEM (Qty=2, Price=$159.98)
DVD_BURN SAMSUNG|SH-S182D RAM BK % - OEM (Qty=1, Price=$32.99)

Subtotal: $2655.93
TAX: $0
Shipping and Handling Charge**: $99.42
Rush Order Fee:$2.99
Total: $2755.35

It's probably not cheaper, but I think you get better performance with 4x512 rather than 2x1gb with these new xeon processors. Also, you spec 533 mhz memory. I think they can use 667. Again this is if you want to max out speed.

Finally, this machine (without any graphics or OS) totals $2656 without shipping ot tax, right? You can get the same machine (with 667 memeory), way better graphics, OS, chassis/PSU (and a warranty!) by buying a Mac Pro for $2499 - $150 rebate = $2349 on Amazon. Can't beat that building it yourself. Apple has really priced their new machine competitively.

Holy crap Mac competitive with anything pricewise. The times are a changing. Thanks for the info. Gasp I might actually buy a damn Mac lol.

09/19/06 Update - Well I bought the Mac Pro after all and all I can say is it rocks! https://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/show_host_detail.php?hostid=302792 . I added an extra gig of (512m x 2) of Kingston memory (dont need the stupid huge apple heat sinks for 512s) and the new box screams. I hate windows but I hope I am not taking too big a hit for running Mac OS (love the bsd command line but UI bloated IMHO). Also if you order this computer be sure to spend the a few extra bucks and use FedEx. UPS really sucks even for 2 day air and you will regret it.

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09/19/06 Update - Well I bought the Mac Pro after all and all I can say is it rocks! https://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/show_host_detail.php?hostid=302792 . I added an extra gig of (512m x 2) of Kingston memory (dont need the stupid huge apple heat sinks for 512s) and the new box screams. I hate windows but I hope I am not taking too big a hit for running Mac OS (love the bsd command line but UI bloated IMHO). Also if you order this computer be sure to spend the a few extra bucks and use FedEx. UPS really sucks even for 2 day air and you will regret it.

Sweet! Which speed processors? BTW, clovertown will be a drop-in replacement (8-way!!). Due early 2007.

=;^)

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Reno, NV
Team: SETI.USA