-Post pics of your computer-

[nycdarkness]

So what is a good p67 mobo that supports both sli/cf, and has access for x16/x16 gpu's? Does one even exist? Most reviews I've read indicate the placement of the pci-e slots pretty much makes this impossible. I had to rma my new p67 mobo back to newegg but I still need to purchase another for my 2600k cpu; thanks.

edit - I've heard the gigabyte UD7 board might fit the bill?

So will the asus maximus and revolution I think.

[Dungeoncrawler]

So will the asus maximus and revolution I think.

I will check those out; thanks .

edit - maximus shows dual @ x8

PCI Express 2.0 x16: 4 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (single @x16, dual @x8, triple @x8, x16, x16 )

Update - Went with the Gigabyte UD7

[Jokerzwild]

Aww how cute, my 6870 found a friend to play with




So awesome... I'm blown away with with how well this setup scales. And, speaking of what you guys were just talking about, this Sabertooth is 8x8x as well, but I see no difference in my benchmarks and others with the full 16x16x so I'm not worried about it.

Also not pictured but tucked away in the drive bay is my new 320 series SSD that replaced my blown X-25 M. Sad thing about it is that for whatever reason the new drive is slower than the old one. Everything is setup right, just like I had the X-25, on a fresh install. It's not a whole hell of a lot slower (and slow is relative, I mean we are talking about SSD's here so it IS fast), I can only tell in benchmarks but it's there nonetheless. I guess OCZ wasn't the only one who had trouble moving to the 25nm NAND...

[BababooeyHTJ]

Joker could you hook me up with a couple of benchmarks on that 320 of yours? At least some AS SSD. I've been wondering how those smaller 320GB drives perform. Hell randoms on my 160GB 320 are slower than a 80GB G2.

Thats a sexy setup that you have there, btw.

[Jokerzwild]

Joker could you hook me up with a couple of benchmarks on that 320 of yours? At least some AS SSD. I've been wondering how those smaller 320GB drives perform. Hell randoms on my 160GB 320 are slower than a 80GB G2.

Thats a sexy setup that you have there, btw.

Sure man no prob, as soon as I get home tonight I'll make it happen.

[Jokerzwild]

[BababooeyHTJ]

Thanks, the randoms really aren't too much slower than a G2. Seems like a decent drive.

[shadow001]

Bit of an update regarding the water cooling portion for the video cards...I have received more parts and partially assembled them, but as the old saying goes, a picture is worth 1000 words...





After a lot of carefull mesurement, and even removing the 2 front fans that come stock with the case, this is the absolute maximum amount of cooling that can be installed vertically where the front hard drive cage is right now in this picture:





There's 5 millimeters left depth wise and less than 1 CM vertically, and the additional pump reservoir and lamptron fan controler seen in the first picture will occupy the last pair of 5 1/4 bays drive bays directly above....


I had to use EK radiators for the simple reason that they're the only ones i've seen that are 47mm thick, while other brands are 30 millimeters thick( not using all the room available and less cooling surface area overall), or too wide at 55 millimeters or even 60 m millimeters, wich i wouldn't be able to fit a pair of them in there vertically to begin with....The case is very large, but it's going to be crammed to the gills with hardware basically, and still allow for 4, 12 inch long video cards in Quad SLI or Quad crossfire if i want too, as there's no vertical reservoir or independent pump to deal with in terms of space requirements....I want it fully usable.

[moshpit]

Aww how cute, my 6870 found a friend to play with




So awesome... I'm blown away with with how well this setup scales. And, speaking of what you guys were just talking about, this Sabertooth is 8x8x as well, but I see no difference in my benchmarks and others with the full 16x16x so I'm not worried about it.

Also not pictured but tucked away in the drive bay is my new 320 series SSD that replaced my blown X-25 M. Sad thing about it is that for whatever reason the new drive is slower than the old one. Everything is setup right, just like I had the X-25, on a fresh install. It's not a whole hell of a lot slower (and slow is relative, I mean we are talking about SSD's here so it IS fast), I can only tell in benchmarks but it's there nonetheless. I guess OCZ wasn't the only one who had trouble moving to the 25nm NAND...

OOOoooo, NICE! Now, you need some more lights, like this:

[Jokerzwild]

OOOoooo, NICE! Now, you need some more lights, like this:

I know it, I'm lacking on the bling right now . Seriously though you bring up a good issue; the helper fan. My board temps on all sensors are perfect right now, but considering that I don't have a CPU fan going they recommend I insert a helper fan like you have installed there. I've been thinking about using the little fan I have on the NB off one of the old mobo's I have laying around but I gotta wonder how much difference that little thing will make. Do you notice a big difference with yours on there?

[moshpit]

I know it, I'm lacking on the bling right now . Seriously though you bring up a good issue; the helper fan. My board temps on all sensors are perfect right now, but considering that I don't have a CPU fan going they recommend I insert a helper fan like you have installed there. I've been thinking about using the little fan I have on the NB off one of the old mobo's I have laying around but I gotta wonder how much difference that little thing will make. Do you notice a big difference with yours on there?

Only on the USB 3.0-1 and PCIe-1. Both of those were running up to 50C or higher. Installing the fan dropped both down significantly. 41-43C is now average temp for both. Which raised a good question I still haven't been able to answer, what exactly IS being monitored by the PCIe-1 and PCIe-2? It's not the GPUs that are in those slots for sure, I've done enough testing now to be sure of that. I think it's just a temp probe sitting on the lane traces themselves. I do know the USB3.0-1 is for the first add on USB controller chip of which there's actually two on the board.

[Jokerzwild]

I just stuck this little fan on my board, and it did lower temps down in those exact areas, but only by 3 or 4 degrees (this fan is a dinky little thing, yours looks much newer and more efficient). Temps were mid 40ish before, now they're lowish 40's. I think I'm gonna take it back off, because believe it or not I can hear it and it's annoying me. It's got a faint buzz type sound to it, probably because it's old and more than half dead. I'll find one sooner or later will be a good fit there.

[moshpit]

I just stuck this little fan on my board, and it did lower temps down in those exact areas, but only by 3 or 4 degrees (this fan is a dinky little thing, yours looks much newer and more efficient). Temps were mid 40ish before, now they're lowish 40's. I think I'm gonna take it back off, because believe it or not I can hear it and it's annoying me. It's got a faint buzz type sound to it, probably because it's old and more than half dead. I'll find one sooner or later will be a good fit there.

The temps I had before the fan were worse then yours, but only by a few extra degrees. But the fan I have in there is actually a 60mm fan that I jury rigged into the socket using a lock washer to lock it in place. But it's a VERY powerful little 60mm pushing a whole 23CFM, and not nearly as noisy as one would think for supposedly being rated at 32Db. In fact, it's the nicest little 60mm fan I've ever seen and snagged it the moment I found it.

http://www.coolerguys.com/ec60ledalum.html

At 7 bucks for 20+ CFM of air pushed under the Thermal Shield, I was all over it like white on rice.

Edit: As a point of reference, the average 50mm fan only pushes 10-12CFM, with the very highest screamer pushing a whole 17CFM while screaming like a tiny jet engine taking off. This thing doubles the average 50mm, and without making any detectable noise over the other fans in the case.

[Falcon1]

[Greasy]

Looooove that case. How's it working out for you so far?

[Falcon1]

It's a great case. Never had a cleaner setup than with that case

[junglist1996]

That's one sweet looking rig! Me wants that case.

[junglist1996]

Some pics of my rig after going Tri-Fire.






To allow a bit more air flow to the 6990, I've wedged a button between the 2 cards to make an artificial gap. Looks ghetto, but at least I haven't fried the card yet after around 2 weeks of use although temps do hit 90+C during a gaming session. Ideally, I should look into water cooling but I probably don't have the time and expertise to take on such a project.

[moshpit]

To allow a bit more air flow to the 6990, I've wedged a button between the 2 cards to make an artificial gap. Looks ghetto, but at least I haven't fried the card yet after around 2 weeks of use although temps do hit 90+C during a gaming session. Ideally, I should look into water cooling but I probably don't have the time and expertise to take on such a project.

Oh my!!! I guess your example must be all in our minds, that AMD screwed up on the cooler design and what you had to do with the card separation trick is more common then SOME around this forum seem to think. AMD screwed up the cooler design and this is a PRIME example of it. That's a NICE motherboard, you shouldn't have to worry about things like that. The UD5 isn't a bottom feeder motherboard, AMD screwed up, period.

[nycdarkness]

Oh my!!! I guess your example must be all in our minds, that AMD screwed up on the cooler design and what you had to do with the card separation trick is more common then SOME around this forum seem to think. AMD screwed up the cooler design and this is a PRIME example of it. That's a NICE motherboard, you shouldn't have to worry about things like that. The UD5 isn't a bottom feeder motherboard, AMD screwed up, period.

Trust me I know the pain. However, tmr got some goodies coming in, a ud7, h70, and a new psu, and some new ram

[Falcon1]

I do not totally agree that it's AMDs fault. Gigabyte should have put the secondary PCIe x16 slot down a bit, like ASUS does on nearly all boards. That way, there's one free PCIe (Usually third PCIe x16) slot between the two cards. That really works fine with my two 5870 and standard AMD cooler.

[moshpit]

I do not totally agree that it's AMDs fault. Gigabyte should have put the secondary PCIe x16 slot down a bit, like ASUS does on nearly all boards. That way, there's one free PCIe (Usually third PCIe x16) slot between the two cards. That really works fine with my two 5870 and standard AMD cooler.

It's AMD's fault in that it's a simple mistake to avoid. A small gap around the fan, like Nvidia does, is all that's needed to avoid this problem AND massively increase the compatibility of multi-GPU setups with existing motherboards. AMD is ignoring this issue out of pride and aesthetics (a particular issue I have NO respect for when it gets in the way of functionality like this), and as long as they are, I'm ignoring their multi-GPU setups for personal use.

[nycdarkness]

I do not totally agree that it's AMDs fault. Gigabyte should have put the secondary PCIe x16 slot down a bit, like ASUS does on nearly all boards. That way, there's one free PCIe (Usually third PCIe x16) slot between the two cards. That really works fine with my two 5870 and standard AMD cooler.

Think Trifire you got 3 cards on top of each other no matter what. It doesn't matter what board (including asus maximus iv) I put my 3 cards on they will be stacked on top of each other. Thanks to the cooler edge it makes a perfectly closed pack.

[moshpit]

Think Trifire you got 3 cards on top of each other no matter what. It doesn't matter what board (including asus maximus iv) I put my 3 cards on they will be stacked on top of each other. Thanks to the cooler edge it makes a perfectly closed pack.

Your situation is significantly more difficult then mine was, and that pissed me off pretty badly. If I had a 3 card setup and was having that issue, I'd be next to irate.

[junglist1996]

Oh my!!! I guess your example must be all in our minds, that AMD screwed up on the cooler design and what you had to do with the card separation trick is more common then SOME around this forum seem to think. AMD screwed up the cooler design and this is a PRIME example of it. That's a NICE motherboard, you shouldn't have to worry about things like that. The UD5 isn't a bottom feeder motherboard, AMD screwed up, period.

Thanks to you who've pointed out this issue in my previous 6970 CF config, I agree that this is a pretty stupid mistake. Hopefully, AMD will take corrective measures with the 7000 series Radeons. Put function over form, DAMMIT!

I, like you, am a certified Mac hater...

[moshpit]

Thanks to you who've pointed out this issue in my previous 6970 CF config, I agree that this is a pretty stupid mistake. Hopefully, AMD will take corrective measures with the 7000 series Radeons. Put function over form, DAMMIT!

I, like you, am a certified Mac hater...

Looking at my 5870's, I think those would be easier to mod in a way to fix the issue then the newer 6x00 series would be. The slope on the end of the 5x00 series that comes down to the "bat nostrils" would be easy to cut into the top edge of, cutting a direct path for the air to get to the fan when the fan intake itself is blocked. It would be a warranty killing mod, obviously.

And while it's a neat idea, it's not necessary since I broke my CrossfireX pair of 5870's up and put em the other rigs.

[clerick]

Just finished my sandy bridge build. 2500k 4.8 ghz, 8gb ram, msi GD65. Also still rocking my CM stacker T01 that I modded all those years ago. I don't think I'll ever get another case.

[UDHA]

Just finished my sandy bridge build. 2500k 4.8 ghz, 8gb ram, msi GD65. Also still rocking my CM stacker T01 that I modded all those years ago. I don't think I'll ever get another case.

This. This is uber.

[clerick]

I just noticed my cat at the bottom right !

[moshpit]

I just noticed my cat at the bottom right !

LOL! Gotta luv da kittehs! Always finding ways to get in on the act

[Arghuin]

I just noticed my cat at the bottom right !

[Hapatingjaky]

Cat beside an open computer chassis, I predict good things in your future.

[Falcon1]

Think Trifire you got 3 cards on top of each other no matter what. It doesn't matter what board (including asus maximus iv) I put my 3 cards on they will be stacked on top of each other. Thanks to the cooler edge it makes a perfectly closed pack.

As described, Tri-Fire with three cards wouldn't work with my board. That's the downside of how ASUS arranges the PCIe slots.

But, Tri-Fire with a Dual and a single GPU card will/would work very well. That's the way I would go.

Cat!

[nycdarkness]

New parts YAY



2600k added, ud7 added, corsair 1000w added, new ram added (other 8gigs didn't come yet >>), h70 added, GPU Water cooming SOON!! Surprisingly my raid didn't have to be rebuilt booted just fine. Odd crap though If i dont use the power cord that came with the hx1000 my comp cant even stay on.

Best part is the upgrade didnt cost me a dime =p

[moshpit]

Sweeeeeeet!

[Ristogod]

How in the world do those cards cool themselves?

[moshpit]

How in the world do those cards cool themselves?

Barely. Welcome to AMD's screw up. It's AMD's screw up because Nvidia doesn't suffer it. On any of this or last generations cards.

[nycdarkness]

How in the world do those cards cool themselves?

Not well. I used paper to create some gaps. I am using custom fan profiles. IT gets very loud to say the least but I game with headphones so I don't hear it. However, water is coming. In gaming i get temps of low 80s,70s, and 60s from top to bottom card with fans going from 50% to 75% across the cards.

[Dungeoncrawler]

My new P67 mobo and rig:

edit - for h50/70 owners - how do you have the fan's airflow set on the rad?

[clerick]

From what I read the h70 want to have intake on the back for max cooling on the cpu. Of course this will raise gpu temps a bit (unless you flip that side fan).