Help with 5520 Build

[neveroffline]

Was suggested that I post in here to maybe get some help from the Experts who run dual XEON setups. Sorry for the double post.

Just want to make sure I picked out a good setup/comments/suggestions.

Original post is here:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=245179

Thanks,
Dustin

[OldChap]

I don't have the experience but ...what will this be used for?

[Jaco]

Don't get those Intel heatsinks.
You can use any socket 1366 cooler (within reason, not too big). I have Thermalright HR-01's here on a Tyan S7002 board.
Get an SSD drive for your OS maybe?

[lkiller123]

I don't have the experience but ...what will this be used for?

[Blauhung]

your question about memory in the other thread

Hello All,

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...umber=17220888

Above is my public build list. I'm interested in help on the mb and the ram, and maybe the psu, but in general just comments/suggestions. I've set a budget of about $2800. Ram is negotiable from 24 to 12, just not sure with the QPI I can only populate the first 3 and the second cpu will be fine.

Thanks for any help. I currently have Dual XEON 5410's which I will be moving from to this and am also interested in speed comparisons if you know of any. My z7s is one of the few here still running, so also doing this in case that one bites it.

Dustin

I don't know if it will work with only 3 sticks of ram, but you will take a big performance hit if you do. Plan out how much memory you want to have then either do 6 or 12 sticks of ram to get there. Each CPU has 3 channels for memory bandwidth, so you need at least 6 sticks to get the full benefit.

The power supply you have listed there only has 1 8pin CPU power line and for dual Xenon's you will need 2 of them. Look for at the very least a PSU with 1 8pin and 1 4pin that can be adapted to an 8 pin

Motherboard looks great and we have some fans of supermicro here.

[neveroffline]

Don't get those Intel heatsinks.
You can use any socket 1366 cooler (within reason, not too big). I have Thermalright HR-01's here on a Tyan S7002 board.
Get an SSD drive for your OS maybe?

Any 1366 coolers you can recommend? I believe I read somewhere that the screws on the XEON boards do not fit with the regular 1366 coolers. I know that someone in the comments on newegg bought the 1366 XEON intel cooler and it didn't fit with his regular 1366 on a non server board.

As for the SSD, I need raid 1 on the OS because I cannot afford to lose it since it takes me about 2 days to install/patch everything onto it and it's a PITA. Much easier for me to swap in a spare 250 and get on with my day.

Thanks.

[neveroffline]

your question about memory in the other thread



I don't know if it will work with only 3 sticks of ram, but you will take a big performance hit if you do. Plan out how much memory you want to have then either do 6 or 12 sticks of ram to get there. Each CPU has 3 channels for memory bandwidth, so you need at least 6 sticks to get the full benefit.

The power supply you have listed there only has 1 8pin CPU power line and for dual Xenon's you will need 2 of them. Look for at the very least a PSU with 1 8pin and 1 4pin that can be adapted to an 8 pin

Motherboard looks great and we have some fans of supermicro here.

Dunno either, but I see your point. CPU2 would be asking CPU1 for memory. The board has 6 slots, so I added 6 sticks of 4 since I didn't know if 3 would do it. Also, it's triple channel, so it looks like I need to populate all 6, and might as well do it 4GB vs 2GB. Does the ram look ok?

Didn't know about the PSU, my Z7S works fine with the Corsair 620HX but I just checked the 750TX and it only has 1 4 pin. Any ideas? My 620 handles everything fine, 6 drives, 9 fans, both cpus and video though, so I doubt I need much more than that.

[Blauhung]

Dunno either, but I see your point. CPU2 would be asking CPU1 for memory. The board has 6 slots, so I added 6 sticks of 4 since I didn't know if 3 would do it. Also, it's triple channel, so it looks like I need to populate all 6, and might as well do it 4GB vs 2GB. Does the ram look ok?

Didn't know about the PSU, my Z7S works fine with the Corsair 620HX but I just checked the 750TX and it only has 1 4 pin. Any ideas? My 620 handles everything fine, 6 drives, 9 fans, both cpus and video though, so I doubt I need much more than that.

The memory you have picked out looks great. I would gauge if you need 12GB or 24 GB depending on what kinds of work loads you plan on running. 12 should be fine for crunching, with 24 being better if you start getting into database apps and other more traditional server type work.


for the PSU, anything around 700w will run what you have there just fine. Basically just look for something with 2 CPU lines and some form of efficiency certification.

[neveroffline]

The memory you have picked out looks great. I would gauge if you need 12GB or 24 GB depending on what kinds of work loads you plan on running. 12 should be fine for crunching, with 24 being better if you start getting into database apps and other more traditional server type work.


for the PSU, anything around 700w will run what you have there just fine. Basically just look for something with 2 CPU lines and some form of efficiency certification.

Will def be doing DB work (about 4GB DB). This is my dev machine, so basically a match of what I have running in production, only from Dell, so actually newer since those are Harpertowns.

How about this PSU - Corsair 650HX?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139012

I see 3 4 pins??? Also single rail vs triple. Thanks again.

[CaptMorgan]

Welcome to WCG- your DP experts

[CaptMorgan]

Noctua has heatsinks I use for my DP system

[neveroffline]

Thanks for the comments guys. Looks like I'm left looking for a compatible PSU and some heatsinks. The HR-01's are way too big (I remember jcool having to cut his..lol), but open to alternatives assuming I don't have to use a special mounting kit etc. I'm not too worried on 5-10c diff between the coolers either, so if that's all they help, not enough for me to double the cost - besides this MB won't OC. Kinda the same for me on SSD vs HDD, $260 for 2 intel x25's @ 40 GB isn't enough to give up 210G's for my OS drive's in raid 1 which are $95 - I also have about 5 spare 250's lying around (better safe than sorry). On the PSU I'm having a hard time. Can't I use a PCIe 6+2 pin for the extra 8 pin for the CPU (no clue)? Anyways, I'm having a hard time finding a compat PSU on newegg.com (the Corsair 1000HX looks like it might work though).

Looks like I might hit $3k here. LOL

Thanks again guys, you are great.

[sierra_bound]

Most Thermaltake PSU's at 750W or higher have at least two 8-pin connectors. The Corsair HX 750W has four 8-pin connectors.

Cases are a matter of personal preference. I have a Supermicro ATX dualie system and use a E-ATX server case. Even though you're looking at an ATX board, you may one day decide to upgrade to a bigger one. Things can get pretty cramped in a mid tower case with dual heatsinks. Although server cases tend to be more expensive, they generally have a lot more room. Chenbro makes some decent ones that aren't too pricey.

[neveroffline]

Most Thermaltake PSU's at 750W or higher have at least two 8-pin connectors. The Corsair HX 750W has four 8-pin connectors.

Awesome. Still a bit confused, does the 6 + 2 pin pcie work as a connector for the 8 pin CPU or do you need the 8 pin pcie? Either way, thanks for the tip on the thermaltake, I think I will go with this one (since I need a pice 6 for the video unless the 8 pin will work):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817153104

My Apevia is huge and won't fit under my desk unless sideways. That is primarily why I am looking for a smaller case for this new build. Haha. I will checkout the chenbros.

[Blauhung]

Awesome. Still a bit confused, does the 6 + 2 pin pcie work as a connector for the 8 pin CPU or do you need the 8 pin pcie? Either way, thanks for the tip on the thermaltake, I think I will go with this one (since I need a pice 6 for the video unless the 8 pin will work):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817153104

My Apevia is huge and won't fit under my desk unless sideways. That is primarily why I am looking for a smaller case for this new build. Haha. I will checkout the chenbros.

I'm pretty sure that 8 pin pcie's have a different pinout then the cpu ones

[neveroffline]

Thanks poppa. Can you check the PSU just above and see if the 8 pins will work? Why won't the 6+2 work, isn't it designed to be either a 6 or an 8 for the video cards? Is it not the same 8 for the CPU? Sorry, just confused.

[neveroffline]

Ok, what PSU's are you guys using on Tylersburg? I'm still having a hard time finding one with 2 8 pin outputs that are NOT pcie's. I did check the thermaltakes, can't find one out of 20 with 2 8 pin powers that are non pcie. Am I missing something?

[sierra_bound]

If the 8-pin connector says "EPS12V", then you are fine. EPS stands for "Entry-level Power Supply Specification." This connector was developed specifically for server boards. It's sometimes referred to as the "+12V Connector" on spec sheets. This is different than the PCI-E connector.

You can also combine two 4-Pin ATX12V connectors to form an 8-pin.

I need to correct what I said earlier. The Thermaltake PSU's usually have at least two 8-pin "PCI-E" connectors. My apologies.

[neveroffline]

If the 8-pin connector says "EPS12V", then you are fine. EPS stands for "Entry-level Power Supply Specification." This connector was developed specifically for server boards.

Yeah, can find plenty with one, just not 2 which this board requires. Hopefully someone with dual 5500's chimes in on what they are using. Thanks man.

[[XC] gomeler]

I know the HX1000 has 2 EPS connectors, one hard wired and one with a blue connector that plugs into the PSU. The HX850 and HX750 have the same blue connectors, perhaps you can buy a second EPS connector from Corsair?

[Blauhung]

Just cruising down the list of 600-700w psu's

for instance here's an OCZ one with an 8pin and a 4 pin
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341018

and one from Antec
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371021

you can use a 4-8 adapter for the 4 pin one which will be just fine while running at stock speeds and voltage.

in the specifics look for the connectors section and it should say something like this
1 x Main connector (20+4Pin)
1 x 4 Pin ATX 12V
1 x 8 Pin EPS 12V
9 x Peripheral
9 x SATA
1 x Floppy
4 x PCI-E

[neveroffline]

Thanks for the help again guys. I have a email into Corsair as we speak. I couldn't find any cables in their store.

Has anyone ever used one of these?

http://www.pcpartscollection.com/4posuto8atxm.html

It takes 2 molex power and puts them into a 8 pin 12+V power. This would def open up my options on PSU's if it works. I am a lil bit worried about using a built in 4-pin (ATX power) to 8 since those are hard wired and generally meant to use one or the other but not both. Also the HX 1000 is overkill and I doubt I will breach 450 watts load. I do need at least 2 pcie 6 pins for the video though (in case I add another 5750 at some point).

Quick specs:
2x 80w
6 drives, 4 HDD, 2 DVD (round up and say 100w)
MB (no idea of wattage) 100w
Single 5750 vs dual 3870's (may go dual 5750's though) 108w max (single)
4-5 fans

So around 500ish? If so looks like the 650HX will work fine with the 8 pin molex adapter.

[OldChap]

PSU's...I just had a look at some of mine...coolermaster 900 ucp, coolermaster 1100 ucp, pc power & cooling 910 all have what you need and if not current are recent

seasonic x series, enermax modu87 700 and 800, are both ok, modern and efficient too ....especially if you run in the 50%ish load band. For efficiencies once you find a candidate go to http://www.80plus.org/manu/psu/psu_join.aspx and check it out.

for reviews try http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php...at&recatnum=13

[jcool]

Read.
Any questions left, just ask. Provided that you will crunch on it, I'll answer

Oh, and with that config listed above, you are not going to use more than 300W, ever. 7200RPM drives are at ~7W operating each, and the mobo takes 40-50W tops with pwm losses.

[trn]

well jcool's post handles most anything.

I run a dual E5520 setup as a work computer for rendering. It's good for a work computer because it's easy to cool vs. an overclocked setup. At home I run a w3520 overclocked at 4.2GHz. I have them both crunching away on the WCG. Look me up "trn-xs" if you want to see how the two setups crunch (pretty equal, I think the w3520 is doing better.) both are running 100% and I'm on vacation this week so it's a good test of crunching.