Building Dual Xeon X5355 System - Suggestions/Review/Input...

[nobugging]

Hey guys, I was given a pair of X5355's (ES), wasnt sure what to do at first, I decided.... and here is my plan. I already have a bunch of stuff (X5355's, 4GB, BFG 7800 Card, and Plextor drive), so

Here will be final system specs: (I basically just need to buy the HD's, Precision 690 Barebone Case, Heatsinks, Cables)


Dell Precision 690 Workstation Barebones (Mobo, Case & 1KW Power Supply)
Dual - Intel Xeon X5355 2.66GHz Quad Core 1333MHz FSB - 8MB L2 with OEM Dell - FD841 Heatsinks
BFG GeForce 7800 GT OC 256MB GDDR3- PCI Express x16
4GB - 2-DIMMS IBM 2GB (2x1GB) PC2-5300 CL5 ECC DDR2 Chipkill FB-DIMM
SAS FUJITSU 146GB 15K SAS 3.5in Hard Drive MAX3147RC (OS Drive)
SATA HITACHI Deskstar E7K500 3.0Gb/s - 500GB 7200RPM (Scratch Drives)
Plextor 16x DVDRW


Opinions, Suggestions, any input.. anyone foresee any problems?
*I'm going to wait for HD-DVD/Blu-Ray Combo burner

Thanks a ton, I cant wait to get this thing built!!

[XenatR]

i am so jealous

although i dont envy your electricity bill.. two of those running at full load consume almost 450Watts xD

edit: OMG!! apparently they can do superpi 32m in just under 9seconds!!!!!!

[Movieman]

Hey guys, I was given a pair of X5355's (ES), wasnt sure what to do at first, I decided.... and here is my plan. I already have a bunch of stuff (X5355's, 4GB, BFG 7800 Card, and Plextor drive), so

Here will be final system specs: (I basically just need to buy the HD's, Precision 690 Barebone Case, Heatsinks, Cables)


Dell Precision 690 Workstation Barebones (Mobo, Case & 1KW Power Supply)
Dual - Intel Xeon X5355 2.66GHz Quad Core 1333MHz FSB - 8MB L2 with OEM Dell - FD841 Heatsinks
BFG GeForce 7800 GT OC 256MB GDDR3- PCI Express x16
4GB - 2-DIMMS IBM 2GB (2x1GB) PC2-5300 CL5 ECC DDR2 Chipkill FB-DIMM
SAS FUJITSU 146GB 15K SAS 3.5in Hard Drive MAX3147RC (OS Drive)
SATA HITACHI Deskstar E7K500 3.0Gb/s - 500GB 7200RPM (Scratch Drives)
Plextor 16x DVDRW


Opinions, Suggestions, any input.. anyone foresee any problems?
*I'm going to wait for HD-DVD/Blu-Ray Combo burner

Thanks a ton, I cant wait to get this thing built!!
Dump that dell unit and get a "real" board and case/
Get a supermicro X7DAE($450.00) at least a GOOD 750wPSU.
Anything else, PM me, I've been running a dual clover since december at 3200


i am so jealous

although i dont envy your electricity bill.. two of those running at full load consume almost 450Watts xD

edit: OMG!! apparently they can do superpi 32m in just under 9seconds!!!!!!

Where did you see that? They are monsters but not quite that good!:D

[nobugging]

I am not planning on OC, as I really will hardly utilize the 8-cores as is.
With that said, don't you think the Dell should be sufficient.

[SoulGG]

I have the tyan tempest i5000XT,GREAT board for a 2u/4u environment, dual clover & 8gigs of ram. It's running around 8 small dedicated servers at the moment.

http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content.asp?id=tyan5000&page=5&cookie%5Ftest=1

You can read a half decent review there. There is the XL model too. Both are sufficient.

[Movieman]

I am not planning on OC, as I really will hardly utilize the 8-cores as is.
With that said, don't you think the Dell should be sufficient.

I'm just not a fan of mediocre boards. Now if you have those Dell parts in your hand that's a different story. Then I would use them.
The key to me is in the OC as with DDR2-667's you can take them using systool from 333 to 360 max and to 350 for 24/7 use.
Then add in that DDR2-800FBDimms will be here in 30-90 days and you start to see why I push the SM boards..
As to OC'ing, why not? Within limits why have a ford when you can have a ferrari?
I'm not talking taking risks to lose equipment.
Mine runs at 3200 24/7 at full load.
Thats all it does is run a DC app all day every day..:D

[nobugging]

** I do already have the Dell 690 Case, 1KW Power Supple, and Mobo **

Not sure I understand what your saying..

But I don't know the first thing about OCing, cooling, calculating PI etc...
I wouldnt have the first clue how to begin OCing anyways.

Lastly, not sure I want to start experimenting with this system anyways.

On a side note, my X5355's are (ES) & the RAM is 667mhz, would I even be able to do anything using the Dell Mobo.

[nobugging]

My little friends..

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/699/x5355esah6.jpg

[XenatR]

Where did you see that? They are monsters but not quite that good!:D

lol my bad..

http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content.asp?id=x5355&page=6

:X

[Movieman]

lol my bad..

http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content.asp?id=x5355&page=6

:X

ahh, ok, wPrime..Now I feel better..8.6 seconds huh! Damn thats fast!
Look here::D
http://www.wprime.net/search.cgi?CPU=All&MOBO=All&User=All&minclock=0&maxclock=99999&mincache=0&maxcache=99999&threadcount=128&testnum=6&limituser=on&limitdes=on&title=32M%20Hall%20of%20Fame

[XenatR]

ahh, ok, wPrime..Now I feel better..8.6 seconds huh! Damn thats fast!
Look here::D
http://www.wprime.net/search.cgi?CPU=All&MOBO=All&User=All&minclock=0&maxclock=99999&mincache=0&maxcache=99999&threadcount=128&testnum=6&limituser=on&limitdes=on&title=32M%20Hall%20of%20Fame

haha awesome dude

damn that hassan guy ;(

:D

[Movieman]

haha awesome dude

damn that hassan guy ;(

:D

:D Hassan's a buddy..Real good guy, gives me something to shoot for when I WC these next week.
We sort of have a running battle on this but a friendly one.
I want to see a number with a FIVE at the begining!;)

[nobugging]

So in a nutshell if possible...

How would I go about Overclocking my machine?
Will I HAVE to get better cooling etc...
Does anyone know if its even possible on with the Precision 690 Mobo?

What can I expect to get from these (ES) X5355's?

[Movieman]

So in a nutshell if possible...

How would I go about Overclocking my machine?
Will I HAVE to get better cooling etc...
Does anyone know if its even possible on with the Precision 690 Mobo?

What can I expect to get from these (ES) X5355's?

IF that board has the 5000X chipset and IF it uses the same PLL controller as the Supermicros and Tyans do then you could use systool and bump the ram from 333 to 355. That would give you 2840 assuming you have a locked 8 multi BUT you said these are ES chips..are the multi's locked?
Then you'd have to see what your temps were and if those heatsinks can handle it. I think the ones you showed me will. maybe have to add a fan to the side of each but thats cheap using the ones I linked you to.

[perkam]

you're lucky Movieman found your thread :)

99% of the resident experts on Xeon systems are in the Xtreme crunching forums :p

Perkam

[nobugging]

So I just got 4GB (2 Physical Dimms New Sealed in box) for $275 of the below memory
I will just say this.. I know a guy

http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/specs.aspx?EDC=1002813

4GB (2 x 2GB)
PC2 5300 667MHz
CL4 ECC Chipkill FB-DIMM DDR 2

[XenatR]

So I just got 4GB (2 Physical Dimms New Sealed in box) for $275 of the below memory
I will just say this.. I know a guy

http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/specs.aspx?EDC=1002813

4GB (2 x 2GB)
PC2 5300 667MHz
CL4 ECC Chipkill FB-DIMM DDR 2

can i have some of that for the same price? :P

[Movieman]

you're lucky Movieman found your thread :)

99% of the resident experts on Xeon systems are in the Xtreme crunching forums :p

Perkam

Thank you but really not true.
I'm no expert by any means.
I just like dual socket machines and got a chance to work with the 771's before most did.
There were/are a lot of people at 2cpu.com that did the groundwork for what we know now.
A guy named xeon tux worked out the BSEL mod and all the VID mods.
We owe him a lot of thanks.
There are others: Cronos, he's had some very good imput. Sharp dude.

[bigdaddy25fb]

Cronos is quite the man. Good luck with those ES's and w/e you planto do with them man. I hope its just not websurfing ;)

[Movieman]

Cronos is quite the man. Good luck with those ES's and w/e you planto do with them man. I hope its just not websurfing ;)

Give me time, I'll try and get him on WCG with us!:D
(brings out 30 years of sales skills);)

[nobugging]

Give me time, I'll try and get him on WCG with us!:D
(brings out 30 years of sales skills);)

I don't know what WCG is, but Movieman has taken very good care of me, and I will be glad to contribute in whatever form I can once I have my new machine up and running

I cant wait!!!!! :cool:

[Movieman]

I don't know what WCG is, but Movieman has taken very good care of me, and I will be glad to contribute in whatever form I can once I have my new machine up and running

I cant wait!!!!! :cool:

WCG is a distributed computing app that does cancer,aids,altzheimers and other research. What I like about it is they have one rule:
All is available to any lab as long as that lab shares the research with everyone else.
BTW: A clover is a monster on this app.. A dual xeon 3600 will do 5000 points a day..My clover at 3200 averaged 25,238 a day in March.
When your up and running, I'll come and bug you.
A very good use of that machine when your not working it.;)

[o2bme]

WCG is a distributed computing app that does cancer,aids,altzheimers and other research. What I like about it is they have one rule:
All is available to any lab as long as that lab shares the research with everyone else..;)

Just wanted you to know Movieman, you convinced me. I have a dual 2.4 xeon machine not doing anything so I am registering now on wcg.:D

nobugging - Good luck with your setup, it should be a great box.

[STEvil]

Just a note, but those are probably not 5355's. The last 5 denotes 1333fsb whereas ES chips end in a 0 and use 1066fsb.

'Course there could be 5355 ES's.. will be interesting to see when you power them on ;)

[Movieman]

Just wanted you to know Movieman, you convinced me. I have a dual 2.4 xeon machine not doing anything so I am registering now on wcg.:D

nobugging - Good luck with your setup, it should be a great box.
Thanks, Glad to have you. Use the Boinc client not the UD or grid client and make sure to join the XS team. Any questions, just ask in the WCG section and we'll be glad to help.

Just a note, but those are probably not 5355's. The last 5 denotes 1333fsb whereas ES chips end in a 0 and use 1066fsb.

'Course there could be 5355 ES's.. will be interesting to see when you power them on ;)

Agreed, I think he needs to see what they actually show when they are installed. I also heard rumor of a X5360:3000/8mb/1066 with open 6-11 multi..
Now that I'd like to see!:D

[STEvil]

Given the release of the 3ghz clovers in the mac systems i'd not be surprised of the existance of the 5360ES's ;)

[nobugging]

Just a note, but those are probably not 5355's. The last 5 denotes 1333fsb whereas ES chips end in a 0 and use 1066fsb.

'Course there could be 5355 ES's.. will be interesting to see when you power them on ;)

Now you have me concerned, how are they not X5355?
The part number on the CPU's read: HH80563KJ0678M

On the Intel Site it reads -- OEM Order Code: HH80563KJ0678M
See for youself...
http://processorfinder.intel.com/details.aspx?sSpec=SL9YM


Please explain why you dont think they are X5355's again, you have me a bit worried..

[o2bme]

I would not be concerned. The faster front side bus is a good thing. These guys know a lot more than me about these things so they can confirm, but it sounds like they think you have a newer 'enhanced' version of an ES, or a better non ES. The data you linked to shows the 1333 bus speed, so I think you should be happy. So on an even better not you may have just intrigued these guys into helping even more so they can see what you have there!:D

[nobugging]

A few ingredients...

My (ES) Clover's - X5355
IBM 4 GB (2 x 2 GB) PC2-5300 FB-DIMM DDR2 667 MHz
BFG 7800 GT OC

http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/6540/clovers4gb7800gtocfk7.jpg

[Movieman]

That will make you a very nice machine that will do almost anything..
just curious, what is the 4 letter code on the chips? Something like QQX0..

[nobugging]

QVQF

Isnt this the sSpec # thats required to be the same for a pair?
Both chips have the same imprint..

[Movieman]

QVQF

Isnt this the sSpec # thats required to be the same for a pair?
Both chips have the same imprint..

Actually you don't have to have a matched pair, but it's better that way.
Let me see if I can find any info on them.
After a fast look nothing listed on them.
maybe with the ID#..app 12 digits usually with an H in front, but send that by PM..

[Noob-ftw]

Remember to fold with those 8 cores!

[nobugging]

I plan on it, but first I need to actually figure out how...

Here is what I am throwing everthing into..

Closeup of Dual Socket & OEM Heatsink (Pretty impressive for Dell right)
http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2006/0626/intel2_16.jpg

Heatshield Removed
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j148/ND40oz/DSC00928.jpg

Heatshield On
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j148/ND40oz/DSC00929.jpg

[perkam]

Nicey.

Perkam

[Movieman]

Remember to fold with those 8 cores!
:hrhr:

I plan on it, but first I need to actually figure out how...

Not a worry there, I'll show you all thats needed..:D

Nicey.

Perkam

Agreed..Never thought we'd say that about a Dell?:eek:

[nobugging]

Yeah I think Dell deserves credit on a job well done for the Precision 690

I use a Precision 490 @ work with Dual Dempsey 5060's @ 3.2 w/ 2GB and that thing is pretty dam fast (mainly used for J2EE development) I cant wait to get my machine up and running...

Any takes on what the WinRAR Benchmark will be?

[Movieman]

Yeah I think Dell deserves credit on a job well done for the Precision 690

I use a Precision 490 @ work with Dual Dempsey 5060's @ 3.2 w/ 2GB and that thing is pretty dam fast (mainly used for J2EE development) I cant wait to get my machine up and running...

Any takes on what the WinRAR Benchmark will be?

:rofl: This makes a dual dempsey look like a P1 my friend. God's truth, no comparison.
As to winrar: 1621
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2099427&postcount=14

[nobugging]

:rofl: This makes a dual dempsey look like a P1 my friend. God's truth, no comparison.
As to winrar: 1621
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2099427&postcount=14

This is what i'm talking about I want to break the 2k mark...

How the hell did this guy do this..
Is that OCed 6800 faster then dual 5355's ?


http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?p=2109973&postcount=347
2067kb/s
Intel Core 2 X6800 @ 3603MHz
Asus P5W DH Deluxe mobo [ 450MHz FSB ]
Corsair Dominator PC9136C5D @ DDR2-900 3-3-3-4

http://www.benchzone.com/datas/users/2-2067kbs%20winrar.jpg

[Movieman]

Look at the memory..;)
We're stuck with DDR2-667FBDimms at 5-5-5-19
BIG factor..

[nobugging]

How about this for an xtreme system - Intel Tigerton
Source: http://www.2cpu.com/gallery/tigerton_caneland_beta

What about a Winrar Benchmark on that thing...

http://www.2cpu.com/albums/tigerton_caneland_beta/P1000169.sized.jpg

http://www.2cpu.com/albums/tigerton_caneland_beta/P1000167.sized.jpg

[Movieman]

How about this for an xtreme system
Source: http://www.2cpu.com/gallery/tigerton_caneland_beta

Go look in the WCG section..We're ahead of you..:D

[perkam]

Makes me want to get an FX-7x system for some reason X(

As for the Dell, yea...whenever even an ounce of copper finds its way into a dell system, which is usually guarded by huge fan-less aluminum sinks for the sake of cost cutting...its a good thing :p

Perkam

[Movieman]

Makes me want to get an FX-7x system for some reason X(

As for the Dell, yea...whenever even an ounce of copper finds its way into a dell system, which is usually guarded by huge fan-less aluminum sinks for the sake of cost cutting...its a good thing :p

Perkam

Perkam: It's funny but those sinks look to be better than any we can get aftermarket. I'd scoff a pair if I wasn't afraid that dell had some damned prioritized mount arrangement or different hole pattern.
The one downside is those have the"curved" side on the side where you'd want to mount a fan.Of course that is gotten by with a little tin cutting.
Make a bracket that takes that curve into account..Not too hard.

[perkam]

Perkam: It's funny but those sinks look to be better than any we can get aftermarket. I'd scoff a pair if I wasn't afraid that dell had some damned prioritized mount arrangement or different hole pattern.
The one downside is those have the"curved" side on the side where you'd want to mount a fan.Of course that is gotten by with a little tin cutting.
Make a bracket that takes that curve into account..Not too hard.Dell in the past 2 years has really improved the heatsinks they use in their systems....I remember in the days of the old Black Dell Dimensions, my northwood was cooled by a spikey block of aluminum with no actual base X(

Since then I've seen more willing to go the copper and heatpipe route.

Perkam

[nobugging]

dam dam dam dam dam dam dam

I just found out theres an issue with some of the Precision 690's mobo's and they don't work with X5355. So I might end up building this thing from ground up.

Ugh, I can already feel the headache

[Movieman]

dam dam dam dam dam dam dam

I just found out theres an issue with some of the Precision 690's mobo's and they don't work with X5355. So I might end up building this thing from ground up.

Ugh, I can already feel the headache

Bios issue? Explain..and if clovers won't work with that board I think I can find you some woodcrests that will..beat the hell out of the dempseys and cheap.;)

[nobugging]

OK... Problem solved with Precision 690 Barebones, the one I am getting now shipped from Dell with a X5355 in it (I verified this though Service Tag Lookup), the CPU has been removed, along with RAM, and Video, I am just getting the Mobo, Case, PSU, and a few extras

I think its safe to say that my (ES) X5355's should be able to just be thrown right into it. (Comes with dual socket) - Anyone disagree?

Ordered 2 OEM Heatsinks from Dell today

Barebones should arrive by end of the week, maybe early next week
Can't wait to have her up and running.

I'm still trying to decide if I should run RAID 0 w/ (2) 150gb Raptors
I've never run RAID before, with price in mind, will I really notice a huge difference in performance with my current system setup?

[nobugging]

Picked up WD 150gb Raptor X w/ the Crystal See Through Panel @ Bestbuy (Never really buy computer stuff there) but all WD drives were 20% off and I had a $25 gift card
Heatsinks come today, and tomorrow the system!!!

http://images.pcworld.com/reviews/graphics/124852-2404p066-2b.jpg

[cursivearmy1]

will this be good for gaming though? like will you see much performance over a dual, or quad core?
I know it will be kick ass for editing and stuff.

[nobugging]

Unfortunately, I am not a gamer, so I wouldn't be able to tell you the first thing with regards to game benchmarks and speed

I deal however deal with plenty of HD (1920x1080) streams that I chop up re-master, convert to regular dvd5/9, DVD-A Conversions using Besweet and a multitude of other audio/video editing Wavelab etc...

Dont let me forget my other little friends...
NewsLeecher, QuickPar, WinRAR

I need to look into NewsLeecher/QuickPar and multi-threaded mode, I know WinRar does it...

[lutjens]

nobugging, I'm a little confused as to what system you have. The two pics with the memory riser installed (and dual Quadro FX 4600s) look a lot like those posted by a user ND40oz over at 2CPU.com last fall.

http://forums.2cpu.com/showthread.php?t=79398&highlight=5000x+sli

Post#9.


Does your system have the graphics riser option?


The ES CPUs you have may or may not work with the system (it may depend on stepping). My Stepping 4 (B0) 2.4/1066 chips refused to work with anything but the A01 BIOS, so be prepared for that possibility. Also, ensure you have a VERY long Phillips screwdriver handy....those heatsinks are too tall for the 4" drivers;)

Also, if you need, I can help you out with some part numbers for the Precision 690. You'll need 2x hard drive caddys at the least. Also, you'll need another cable that connects the sound card to the front panel if you decide to use an X-Fi. Also, you should get two more 2GB DIMMs to ensure better memory performance.

[nobugging]

nobugging, I'm a little confused as to what system you have. The two pics with the memory riser installed (and dual Quadro FX 4600s) look a lot like those posted by a user ND40oz over at 2CPU.com last fall.

http://forums.2cpu.com/showthread.php?t=79398&highlight=5000x+sli

Post#9.


Does your system have the graphics riser option?


The ES CPUs you have may or may not work with the system (it may depend on stepping). My Stepping 4 (B0) 2.4/1066 chips refused to work with anything but the A01 BIOS, so be prepared for that possibility. Also, ensure you have a VERY long Phillips screwdriver handy....those heatsinks are too tall for the 4" drivers;)

Also, if you need, I can help you out with some part numbers for the Precision 690. You'll need 2x hard drive caddys at the least. Also, you'll need another cable that connects the sound card to the front panel if you decide to use an X-Fi. Also, you should get two more 2GB DIMMs to ensure better memory performance.


Any Precision 690 pics I posted came from 2CPU and were used as mere examples

The system that I'm getting was shipped from Dell with (1) X5355 in it, I am going to keep my fingers crossed and hope my (2) ES X5355's just work.

The system was not used (so I suspect the BIOS has not been upgraded)

I know about the Dell Heatsinks, I have delt with them before.
I plan on getting another 4gb (2 dimms), and I already ordered extra HD sleds

[nobugging]

Its late, I need to pick up another WD Raptor X tomorrow and figure out how to setup Raid 0, then upgrade video card.. (dam blu-ray requirments), and then get 2 500gb drives

Initial benchmarks are looking good...
Turns out ES Chips are X5355 Quad Core 2.6ghz as suspected

One wierd thing I noticed, Windows says I have 3gb of Ram??
(I physically have 4gb)


http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/3015/mxbench1tn4.jpg

[cursivearmy1]

how did u acquire these chips ?

also are u using 64bit os?

[nobugging]

The ES chips are from a very close friend

I thought about a 64-bit OS but I've never used 64 and plenty of the programs I use would probably have driver problems so I will probably just go with plain XP-32 MCE for now, after a while I will probably switch over to 64

[Ramaistro]

nice system you got there:slobber: The problem you have with 3 Gb is windwos 32bit related if I'm saying this correct. When using 64 bit the problem should be solved. And make sure that movieman helps you thru WCG it is a good thing to do and the guys doing it are nice ( sometimes in a weird way tho :p: )

[MixManSC]

Nice build !! - My first post here. I've also recently built up a Precision 690. I've talked about it more over at HardForums. I'm waiting for pricing to come down a little more before I go for dual quads. You setup the RAID in the SAS controllers BIOS. You should get a prompt after power on to go into that utility.

I dont really need high end 3D on this machine as it's main purpose is dealing with very large images (2+GB) in Photoshop and Flexisign Pro and folding the rest of the time so it only has a cheeseball video card in it. I'm running Server 2003 Enterprise (32 bit) on it since the large format printer drivers are not available for 64bit. Enterprise allows you to beyond the 4GB limit without too much hassle. But I still only have 4GB dedicated for Windows and apps - I'm using Qsoft Ramdisk Enterprise to allocate the other 8GB as a high speed ramdisk for Photoshop and Flexi's scratch disk use. I'm hoping to eventually snag a good deal on a couple of 5355's or (5360's when they hit the market).

Right now it's configured as below along with some pictures. I've wrapped the front aluminum panel in shade-shifter vinyl which goes from blue green to purple depending on the angle and light. Also the machine is remarkably silent which was a nice surprise. The Cisco switch I have ten feet away is much louder... Machine is currently configured as

Dual, Dual Core Xeon 5150 2.66Ghz 4x2MB Cache 1333FSB
12GB DDR667 FB DIMMS (12x1GB on quad channel mode)
1KW Power Supply and Chassis Configuration
4 146GB 15K Fujitsu MAX SAS Hard Drives
Single 128MB PCIe x16 ATI FireGL V3300 (this machine is not for gaming)
8GB of the RAM is configured as a 8GB RAMDISK with Qsoft Ramdisk Enterprise
Windows Server 2003 Enterprise SP1
Dual 16x DVDRW Drives
Mitsumi Multi Card Reader / Floppy Drive

Pics
Full Front Shot - this thing is MASSIVE and HEAVY
http://www.sl-digital.com/mixmansc/dell1.jpg

Vinyl wrap closeup 1 looking green
http://www.sl-digital.com/mixmansc/dell2.jpg

Vinyl wrap closeup 2 looking blue/red/purple
http://www.sl-digital.com/mixmansc/dell3.jpg

Inside with wind tunnel cover installed over ram and processors
http://www.sl-digital.com/mixmansc/dell4.jpg

Inside with wind tunnel cover removed
http://www.sl-digital.com/mixmansc/dell5.jpg

[cursivearmy1]

i got to admit for a dell that's sexy inside
how much that set you back?

[adamsleath]

well; it looks awesome; i hope it's fast....always wanted a 'dual' cpu machine (well you got 8 :shock:), but i'm in the poorhouse.

[MixManSC]

i got to admit for a dell that's sexy inside
how much that set you back?

Well - I snagged it on http://www.dell.com/outlet catch it every once in a while they will put a machine up at a freaking killer price. When they do the machine goes fast. This one was a "scratch and dent" - it had about a 2" scratch on the right cover which a sharpie made nearly invisible. As configured on Dell Outlet it came with

Single 5150 Processor
2GB RAM
Single 73GB 15K SAS
DVDRW Drive
128MB FireGL Video
XP Pro

I paid $1289 for it in that state and it includes the full 3 year Dell warranty. Retail on dell.com right now as configured it's $3122.

I somehow managed to snag the second processor on eBay for $240 - new pull from an HP server - they sent the HP VRM and heatsink with it which I turned around and resold on eBay for $75. The Precision 690 does not need add-on VRM's for the processors. Then I bought the additional 10GB of ram on eBay (new Kingston DDR667 FB-DIMMS) for $800, then the 4 146GB 15K Fujitsu MAX SAS drives for between $180 and $290 each, those also came on Dell server trays which I resold on eBay for $30 each, and finally the Mitsumi Floppy / combo card reader for another $20. Also sold the original 73GB SAS drive for $165 locally. By the way - the Black Mitsumi Model FA404M 7in1 Card Reader with Floppy Drive will plug directly onto the Dell's mothers board USB header and floppy controller without any problems and works great. So my total cost ended up being right around $3000. As it's now configured, retail on Dell.com would be $7538.96 :eek: (6147 plus 4 x 347.99 for the additional ram). I think I made out pretty well for 3 grand. :D

[nobugging]

Looks all to familiar.. and yes I agree, the machine is amazingly silent!!

My system cost
$1000 * Dell Precision 690 Workstation Barebones (Mobo, Case & 750KW PSU)
(also came with 80gb SATA & DVD-R not using though)
$500 * ES Pair - Intel Xeon X5355 2.66GHz Quad Core 1333MHz FSB - 8MB L2
Free * BFG GeForce 7800 GT OC 256MB GDDR3- PCI Express x16 (Replacing)
$275 * 4GB - 2-DIMMS IBM 2GB PC2-5300 CL5 ECC (Getting another 4GB)
$375 * (2) WD Raptor X 150GB 10k
Free * Plextor 16x DVDRW
$75 * Second Dell OEM Heatsink & HD Caddy's

Total System Cost $2225
Dell Retail is like 5-6K

All in all, the system is incredibly fast, but I need to get a new video card, the current card just is not going to cut it. Secondly I need to get another 4GB to utilize the quad channel memory and crank up the memory bandwidth.
I will also throw in 2 500GB drives, they should drop in price soon also because of Hitachi's announcements of the 1TB Drive

The 150gb 10K Raptor X drives in Raid-0 is amazing!!
I Unrared a 700mb XviD in 5 seconds


Also... MANY MANY thanks to Movieman, I havent put together a machine in so long, his expertise was absolutely priceless!! Especially for a NOOB move like I did when trying to power up the machine without the one of the Heatsinks attached, needless to say I thought the ES chips were bad..

[STEvil]

Dang, for those prices I wish I had looked up ebay!!