Watch High Quality please. Before you leave a comment, be sure you watch the entire video and read the entire description box.
YES, I KNOW the ASUS Z7S WS is NOT the Intel Skulltrail. But just having the word "skulltrail" in the title would turn out more views :)
This video is a PC Build Log of my Octocore (8 Core) computer built around the ASUS Z7S WS board. A board that is similar to the Intel Skulltrail, but more mature in several ways.
1. It has PCI-E 2.0 with CrossFire only (with the release of the ATi 4870x2, there really is no point in crazy SLi, unless you REALLY want an Nvidia card)
2. ATX Form Factor
3. Cheaper than Intel Skulltrail
4. Passive heatsinks for NB and SB
This computer consists of 2 Intel Xeon Harpertowns E5430 with a dual 771 socket motherboard.
8GB of FB-DIMM DDR2-800 RAM, a 4870x2 by ASUS, and 1.8TB of HDD space, 300GB of which is on a WD VelociRaptor.
This rig is water cooled by EK Supreme water blocks and a Thermochill PA120.3 radiator. Everything is housed in the Mountain Mods U2-UFO Original Mirror Top case.
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Drawback of this build:
1. Not really a drawback, but it uses DDR2-800, for a board that is screaming for performance, it wouldn't hurt to put in some different RAM slots in there. But remember these boards are meant to be "workstations" and used for multi-tasking, rendering, and the likes. Stability is what people want in a workstation, not insane 15 second benchmarking.
2. BIOS needs work, it NEEDS Vcore and VTT adjustments. This makes overclocking very limited, and because of no ability to adjust VTT, I can't push my rig over 2.92Ghz or prime95 fails. Other people have had better luck in OC though. I am just really unlucky.
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Overclocking:
I overclocked the CPUs from 2.66Ghz to 2.92Ghz. The FSB has been overclocked from 1333Mhz to 1460Mhz. Clock Generator is 365.
For water cooling, this isn't that great, but beggars can't be choosers.
This OC is 9 hour 100% prime95 stable with 0 errors.
I did achieve a 3.2Ghz OC, but it was not prime stable, thus I did not keep that OC profile.
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The sole purpose of a machine like this is not benchmarking, but rather practical everyday workstation use or server. As a designer, video editor and computer engineer I need a machine that would allow me to multi-task with freedom.
An 8 core computer will allow me to multi-task smoother and without hiccups.
Let me clarify the use of a 8 core computer so people don't get confused. The use of 8 core computers in this day in age is quite useless since no real program (except for 3d rendering programs, Microsoft Flight Simulator X, WCG and the likes) will ever use ALL 8 cores. The software engineers and programmers have not made it a standard to create programs that are threaded for more than 2-4 cores. There are exceptions, of course, but for the most part, as of 2008, there aren't that many out. Most of the standard programs such as Photoshop or Premiere, are created for 1 or 2 cores, even games do not use all 8 cores. So while, this rig might have more cores than any other computer out there, it won't necessarily run a single program as fast as an overclocked Quad Core or even Dual Core.
However, an 8 core computer does have it's major benefits in multi-tasking and programs that are well threaded. With multi-tasking, I will be able to open more programs than the average Quad core and run them all at NO performance loss. With programs that are well threaded, the processing speed is just MUCH faster period. Programs will only get better and better threaded, since Intel is soon to release their Nehalem chip.
Special Thanks go out to Anthony Cordon, for making the effort to come out and help me put this all together.
XtremeSystem Forms "jcool and friends", for all the gratuitous amounts of information provided.
Drew from Eprime Designs, for all the preliminary advice given on this build.
And of course, my family, for being so generous and supportive...
Anyways, thanks for watching and if have any questions or are interested in this build, please feel free to leave a comment.
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Download video link:
http://lolicious.net/compy/[milkmandan]_Octocera.aviXvid Video Codec with MP3 Audio Compression (128MB)
(less info)
