All We Know About Maximizing CPU Related Performance

[GermanyChris]

I'd search for them on E-bay, especially from Dinsdale, but I'd also recommend that you search for low priced new ones there. Used ones usually have very short warrantees and therefore it's difficult to tell whether you've made a wise choice before you've gotten stuck with a bad one and if you search this forum you can probably find the thread where some members are said to have found some for significantly under $1k.

I have a question for you if you'd be so kind.

If you were going to build another hack right now in February 2013 would you build a Sabertooth with a 3930k or an SR2 with a pair of 5620's. I can build them both for about the same money the 3930k new and the SR2 with ebay..

The benefits of 2011 are it's actually up-to-date the bad is no speed step until there is a 2011 Mac Pro.

The 1366 build should be pretty simple, but it's 1366 which is in essence dead.

I don't "need" a new computer right now I've just hit a point with the MP that I'm board and want a change with the upcoming house renovation this summer this will have to be my last play toy for a bit.

What say you?

 

[Tutor]

I have a question for you if you'd be so kind.

If you were going to build another hack right now in February 2013 would you build a Sabertooth with a 3930k or an SR2 with a pair of 5620's.
What say you?

Price not being a controlling factor, I base the decision on the software I intended to use: highly multithreaded -> Sr2 vs. fast low-moderate threaded -> 3930k.

 

[Corin2ne]

Going to give Apple until Wends 21st before i upgrade my current MP.

 

[PunkNugget]

Hi...

 

[Tutor]

Latest tweaks to WolfPackPrime0

By swapping fans on all four CPUs and tweaking QPI, I have been able to increase Cinebench 11.5 performance significantly - about 5.5 pts: about 3 pts attributed to better cpu cooling and about 2.5 pts attributed to forcing QPI to run always at 8 GT/s (4000 MHz). Now this 4-CPU (32-core/64 thread) system runs Cinebench 11.5 at almost twice the speed [ http://www.cbscores.com ] of dual E5-2690s [ http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Xeon/Intel-Xeon E5-2690.html ].

 

[DJenkins]

By swapping fans on all four CPUs and tweaking QPI, I have been able to increase Cinebench 11.5 performance significantly - about 5.5 pts: about 3 pts attributed to better cpu cooling and about 2.5 pts attributed to forcing QPI to run always at 8 GT/s (4000 MHz). Now this 4-CPU (32-core/64 thread) system runs Cinebench 11.5 at almost twice the speed [ http://www.cbscores.com ] of dual E5-2690s [ http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Xeon/Intel-Xeon E5-2690.html ].

Holy smoke Tutor that's awesome! So is a lot of your work done directly on this machine or does it just form part of the gang when you go to render?

 

[Tutor]

Holy smoke Tutor that's awesome! So is a lot of your work done directly on this machine or does it just form part of the gang when you go to render?

I did it because I feel the need to highly optimize each of my 19 systems (13 WolfPacks [currently one 32-core Sandy Bridge, two 16-core Sandy Bridges, two 12-core Westmeres, seven 6-core Sandy Bridges and Westmeres and one 4-core Nehalem], 4 Mac Pros [three 8-core Clovertowns and one 12-core Westmere] and two 2008 MacBook Pros) that form a part of my render farm.

Many of my systems that I have optimized are listed in the URL in my signature (although to compact the listing there for readability by others who explore optimizations, I have, over time, hidden some of the results for similar systems of the same kind/configuration that yielded similar/equal Geekbench 2 performance scores). Note that by just clicking on the column header(s) in the URL you can array the systems by, among others, Name, Processor, Frequency, Cores, Platform, and [Geekbench] Score to get an idea of what is achievable.

Also, for the curious, I have also left revealed, in the URL, a few scores where I populated only one CPU intended for use or slotted in a dual CPU system and tested the CPU. For example, of note is that a single 4-core 2.22 GHz Intel Xeon E5520 that originally came in my 2009 refurb, scores 9,224 in Geekbench 2 when I tweaked it on a Gigabyte EX58-UD5 {and both E5520s scored over 18,000 (just slightly under the score for two W5580s) when tweaked on an EVGA SR-2, but I cannot recover that 2009 result for that test}. Finally for example, a single Xeon X5680 when slightly overclocked to 3,680 MHz on an EVGA SR-2 scored 22,265 in Geekbench 2. I forgot to try underclocking it at that time, but I'm certain it would have scored much higher if I'd remembered to do so.

 

[Rampage Dev]

Tutor, I was wondering if you could post your OC settings for the Asus Rampage IV Extreme when you could. I would be interested in seeing what you did to get such a high geek bench. Thanks.

 

[Tutor]

Tutor, I was wondering if you could post your OC settings for the Asus Rampage IV Extreme when you could. I would be interested in seeing what you did to get such a high geek bench. Thanks.

My Asus is not the Rampage IV Extreme; it's the ASUSTeK Z9PE-D8 WS (dual CPU) system. It is not abled to be tweaked anymore than about 3%.

 

[Rampage Dev]

My Asus is not the Rampage IV Extreme; it's the ASUSTeK Z9PE-D8 WS (dual CPU) system. It is not abled to be tweaked anymore than about 3%.

Then who's system is this from from your first post?

http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/590733

 

[Tutor]

Then who's system is this from from your first post?

http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/590733

Ritetek's: http://browser.primatelabs.com/user/ritetek/geekbench2

 

[Cramletram]

Matching CPU Pairs explained

For those like me who wonder what is actually meant by "matched CPU pair" in upgrading a Mac Pro, here's what I've found from experience. I was confused about whether or not the CPU serial #'s and manufacture dates had to be consecutive. I've found the answer to be "no." All that needs to match is the actual CPU type (model, speed, stepping code, etc.), provided you know which CPU type(s) will actually work in your system. In short, as long as what's engraved on the metal cover of your chips is the same, that's your "matched pair." Don't worry about serial #'s.

Ex.: I'm no wiz, but I just successfully upgraded my Early 2008 MP from single-Quad 2.8 to dual-Quad 3.0. I found a pair of used Intel Xeon Quad-Core 3.0 SLANR E5472's on eBay, and second heatsink for $190 total. (I have already seen them for cheaper!) The chips had been pulled from a Windows server. "SLANR" corresponds to the stepping code - which, in this case, is "C0" - and "E5472" corresponds to the CPU model/speed category. The serial numbers printed on my two CPUs are not even close to matching, yet work flawlessly together.

That being said, I have seen "matching pairs" sold on eBay that do have very closely matching serial numbers. Whether or not that improves performance or compatibility... no idea. I just know mine work fine... so far.

Hoping to get another 3-4 years out this thing for my Pro Tools rig!

 

[Tutor]

For those like me who wonder what is actually meant by "matched CPU pair" in upgrading a Mac Pro, here's what I've found from experience. I was confused about whether or not the CPU serial #'s and manufacture dates had to be consecutive. I've found the answer to be "no." All that needs to match is the actual CPU type (model, speed, stepping code, etc.), provided you know which CPU type(s) will actually work in your system. In short, as long as what's engraved on the metal cover of your chips is the same, that's your "matched pair." Don't worry about serial #'s.

Ex.: I'm no wiz, but I just successfully upgraded my Early 2008 MP from single-Quad 2.8 to dual-Quad 3.0. I found a pair of used Intel Xeon Quad-Core 3.0 SLANR E5472's on eBay, and second heatsink for $190 total. (I have already seen them for cheaper!) The chips had been pulled from a Windows server. "SLANR" corresponds to the stepping code - which, in this case, is "C0" - and "E5472" corresponds to the CPU model/speed category. The serial numbers printed on my two CPUs are not even close to matching, yet work flawlessly together.

That being said, I have seen "matching pairs" sold on eBay that do have very closely matching serial numbers. Whether or not that improves performance or compatibility... no idea. I just know mine work fine... so far. ...

What you have fits my definition of matching.

 

[Tutor]

The most powerful portable multi-OS machine just might be a Dell Windows laptop

With a Windows 7 Geekbench 2 score of over 20,000, the Dell Alienware3 M17X R4 [ Intel Core i7-3940XM @ 2.99 GHz (3.9 GHz Turbo) 1 processor, 4 cores, 8 threads ] just might be a great place to start building your next portable multi-OS machine. See USMC's laptop's Geekbench 2 scores here: http://browser.primatelabs.com/user/usmc362/geekbench2.

specifications
display 3D Full HD 17.3" 120Hz WLED LCD
CPU / processor Intel i7-3940QM 3.0 Ghz (x 8 threads) | 3.90 GHz (x 4 Threads) | 6 MB L3 Cache | 55 Watts
graphics / video card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M Graphics with 2GB GDDR5
System memory (RAM)
32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3 1600MHz

hard drive 512GB SSD1 + 1TB 5400rpm HDD2
optical drive Blue-Ray ROM SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW Dual Layer
Webcam Integrated HD
Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium x64
Color Black
microphone / Headphone jacks 1 x Microphone, 1 x Headphone
usb / Thunderbolt Ports

4 x USB 3.0
ethernet ports 1 x RJ45(Lan)
VGA / HDMI / Display Ports 1x VGA, 1 x HDMI, 1 x mini DisplayPort
Bluetooth 4.0
Wireless Intel WiFi 2230 a/g/n
battery

High Capacity 9-cell Lithium Ion (90whr)
dimensions
16.14(w) x 1.75-1.77(h) x 11.96(d)

Weight 9.39 pounds
warranty (Manufacturer) 1-Year Limited Global Warranty & 1-Year Accidental Damage Warranty

 

[GermanyChris]

With a Windows 7 Geekbench 2 score of over 20,000, the Dell Alienware3 M17X R4 [ Intel Core i7-3940XM @ 2.99 GHz (3.9 GHz Turbo) 1 processor, 4 cores, 8 threads ] just might be a great place to start building your next portable multi-OS machine. See USMC's laptop's Geekbench 2 scores here: http://browser.primatelabs.com/user/usmc362/geekbench2.

specifications
display 3D Full HD 17.3" 120Hz WLED LCD
CPU / processor Intel i7-3940QM 3.0 Ghz (x 8 threads) | 3.90 GHz (x 4 Threads) | 6 MB L3 Cache | 55 Watts
graphics / video card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M Graphics with 2GB GDDR5
System memory (RAM)
32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3 1600MHz

hard drive 512GB SSD1 + 1TB 5400rpm HDD2
optical drive Blue-Ray ROM SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW Dual Layer
Webcam Integrated HD
Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium x64
Color Black
microphone / Headphone jacks 1 x Microphone, 1 x Headphone
usb / Thunderbolt Ports

4 x USB 3.0
ethernet ports 1 x RJ45(Lan)
VGA / HDMI / Display Ports 1x VGA, 1 x HDMI, 1 x mini DisplayPort
Bluetooth 4.0
Wireless Intel WiFi 2230 a/g/n
battery

High Capacity 9-cell Lithium Ion (90whr)
dimensions
16.14(w) x 1.75-1.77(h) x 11.96(d)

Weight 9.39 pounds
warranty (Manufacturer) 1-Year Limited Global Warranty & 1-Year Accidental Damage Warranty

How does this compare to the 3930K/3970X Sager's?

 

[Tutor]

How does this compare to the 3930K/3970X Sager's?

Clock Tweaked 3970X Windows Geekbench 2 scores <22,691: http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/search?utf8=✓&q=i7-3970X
Clock Tweaked 3930k Windows Geekbench 2 scores >28,000: http://browser.primatelabs.com/processor-benchmarks
Other OSes currently score lower than Windows systems on these CPU's because native power management can't be invoked. Compare, e.g., [ http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/1441824 ] with [ http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/1110813 ].

Intel Core i7-3940XM (4-core) appears to be comparable to Factory i7-3970X (6-core) in Geekbench 2 performance. Chips used in Sager are tweakable if bios allows it and can then easily outperfom i7-3940QM used in Dell laptop when running Windows. However, the Intel i7-3940QM system can be had for about $2K [ http://www.mall-best.com/dell-alienware-m17x-r4-3d-fullhd-i73940xm-2gb-680m-32gb-512gb-s-p-1433.html ] and since it's a chip made for laptops, unlike the Sager's i7 desktop chips, the i7-3940QM may perform better in a laptop which may not have cooling capacity that desktop i7s require. Overheating causes throttling and prevents/lessens turbo boosting.

Moreover, the Sager, comparably equipped, costs more money:

17.3" Full HD LED-Backlit Display featuring 90% NTSC Color Gamut in Super Glossy Surface (1920 x 1080) - Back Order!
(ETA: March 15, 2013)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 680M GPU with 4GB GDDR5 Video Memory
2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3930K Processor ( 12MB L3 Cache, 3.20GHz / 3.80GHz in Turbo Mode, 6 Cores )
Genuine MS Windows® 8 64-Bit Edition
32GB Quad Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz - 4 X 8GB ** Select Windows 8, Windows 7 Pro or Ultimate to enable this option.
480GB Intel 520 Series SATA3 Solid State Disk Drive
1TB 5400rpm SATA2 Secondary Hard Disk Drive
8X DVD±R/RW/4X +DL Super-Multi Drive & Software
Internal 802.11 B+G+N Wireless LAN + Bluetooth Combo Module
Smart Li-ION Battery Pack
Fingerprint Reader

Unit Price: $3,514.00

VERSUS

$1,992.00
Dell Alienware M17X R4 3D FullHD i7-3940XM 2GB 680M 32GB 512GB SSD + 1TB Blu-Ray
display 3D Full HD 17.3" 120Hz WLED LCD
CPU / processor Intel i7-3940QM 3.0 Ghz (x 8 threads) | 3.90 GHz (x 4 Threads) | 6 MB L3 Cache | 55 Watts
graphics / video card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M Graphics with 2GB GDDR5
System memory (RAM) 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3 1600MHz
hard drives 512GB SSD1 + 1TB 5400rpm HDD2
optical drive Blue-Ray ROM SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW Dual Layer
Webcam Integrated HD
Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium x64
Color Black
microphone / Headphone jacks 1 x Microphone, 1 x Headphone
usb / Thunderbolt Ports
4 x USB 3.0
ethernet ports 1 x RJ45(Lan)
VGA / HDMI / Display Ports 1x VGA, 1 x HDMI, 1 x mini DisplayPort
Bluetooth 4.0
Wireless Intel WiFi 2230 a/g/n
battery High Capacity 9-cell Lithium Ion (90whr)
dimensions 16.14(w) x 1.75-1.77(h) x 11.96(d)
Weight 9.39 pounds
warranty (Manufacturer) 1-Year Limited Global Warranty & 1-Year Accidental Damage Warranty

[ http://www.mall-best.com/dell-alienware-m17x-r4-3d-fullhd-i73940xm-2gb-680m-32gb-512gb-s-p-1433.html ]

Finally, what other OS laptops currently use the Intel i7-Ivy Bridge mobility series CPU so that invoking native power management should not be much of an issue?

So that's why I'd recommend the Dell over the Sager for a multi-OS laptop. But if you'll only be running Windows and you can tame those i7 desktop CPU temps, then you might opt for the Sager if money is no object.

 

[GermanyChris]

Clock Tweaked 3970X Windows Geekbench 2 scores <22,691: http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/search?utf8=✓&q=i7-3970X
Clock Tweaked 3930k Windows Geekbench 2 scores >28,000: http://browser.primatelabs.com/processor-benchmarks
Other OSes currently score lower than Windows systems on these CPU's because native power management can't be invoked. Compare, e.g., [ http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/1441824 ] with [ http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/1110813 ].

Intel Core i7-3940XM (4-core) appears to be comparable to Factory i7-3970X (6-core) in Geekbench 2 performance. Chips used in Sager are tweakable if bios allows it and can then easily outperfom i7-3940QM used in Dell laptop when running Windows. However, the Intel i7-3940QM system can be had for about $2K [ http://www.mall-best.com/dell-alienware-m17x-r4-3d-fullhd-i73940xm-2gb-680m-32gb-512gb-s-p-1433.html ] and since it's a chip made for laptops, unlike the Sager's i7 desktop chips, the i7-3940QM may perform better in a laptop which may not have cooling capacity that desktop i7s require. Overheating causes throttling and prevents/lessens turbo boosting.

Moreover, the Sager, comparably equipped, costs more money:

17.3" Full HD LED-Backlit Display featuring 90% NTSC Color Gamut in Super Glossy Surface (1920 x 1080) - Back Order!
(ETA: March 15, 2013)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 680M GPU with 4GB GDDR5 Video Memory
2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3930K Processor ( 12MB L3 Cache, 3.20GHz / 3.80GHz in Turbo Mode, 6 Cores )
Genuine MS Windows® 8 64-Bit Edition
32GB Quad Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz - 4 X 8GB ** Select Windows 8, Windows 7 Pro or Ultimate to enable this option.
480GB Intel 520 Series SATA3 Solid State Disk Drive
1TB 5400rpm SATA2 Secondary Hard Disk Drive
8X DVD±R/RW/4X +DL Super-Multi Drive & Software
Internal 802.11 B+G+N Wireless LAN + Bluetooth Combo Module
Smart Li-ION Battery Pack
Fingerprint Reader

Unit Price: $3,514.00

VERSUS

$1,992.00
Dell Alienware M17X R4 3D FullHD i7-3940XM 2GB 680M 32GB 512GB SSD + 1TB Blu-Ray
display 3D Full HD 17.3" 120Hz WLED LCD
CPU / processor Intel i7-3940QM 3.0 Ghz (x 8 threads) | 3.90 GHz (x 4 Threads) | 6 MB L3 Cache | 55 Watts
graphics / video card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M Graphics with 2GB GDDR5
System memory (RAM) 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3 1600MHz
hard drives 512GB SSD1 + 1TB 5400rpm HDD2
optical drive Blue-Ray ROM SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW Dual Layer
Webcam Integrated HD
Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium x64
Color Black
microphone / Headphone jacks 1 x Microphone, 1 x Headphone
usb / Thunderbolt Ports
4 x USB 3.0
ethernet ports 1 x RJ45(Lan)
VGA / HDMI / Display Ports 1x VGA, 1 x HDMI, 1 x mini DisplayPort
Bluetooth 4.0
Wireless Intel WiFi 2230 a/g/n
battery High Capacity 9-cell Lithium Ion (90whr)
dimensions 16.14(w) x 1.75-1.77(h) x 11.96(d)
Weight 9.39 pounds
warranty (Manufacturer) 1-Year Limited Global Warranty & 1-Year Accidental Damage Warranty

[ http://www.mall-best.com/dell-alienware-m17x-r4-3d-fullhd-i73940xm-2gb-680m-32gb-512gb-s-p-1433.html ]

Finally, what other OS laptops currently use the Intel i7-Ivy Bridge mobility series CPU so that invoking native power management should not be much of an issue?

So that's why I'd recommend the Dell over the Sager for a multi-OS laptop. But if you'll only be running Windows and you can tame those i7 desktop CPU temps, then you might opt for the Sager if money is no object.

I agree that 22 vs 28 isn't worth the money and neither are worth the battery life. The idea though that you can get a 6 core desktop and a quadro in a portable seen a bit intriguing don't you think?

 

[Tutor]

I agree that 22 vs 28 isn't worth the money and neither are worth the battery life. The idea though that you can get a 6 core desktop and a quadro in a portable seen a bit intriguing don't you think?

Totally agree that it's intriguing; that's why I raised the possibility for those with such a need. Thanks for also pointing out that they're likely battery hogs.

For now I'm sticking with my 13'' and 15" 2008 MacBook Pros because they do all that I need done by laptops. If I need more speed, I'll get it with big(ger) iron.

 

[GermanyChris]

Totally agree that it's intriguing; that's why I raised the possibility. However, for now I'm sticking with my 2008 MacBook Pros because they do all that I need with laptops. If I need more speed, I'll get it with big(ger) iron.

Thats my opinion, my '09 runs snow leopard just fine gets about 6 hours on the battery and does what it's supposed to..I have other computers for crunching.

 

[Tesselator]

The alienware laptop linked to get's about 4 hours on the battery in lite gamming or youtubing mixed with web surfing about 50/50. We tried one here a few months ago. Very nice machines BTW...

The only problem with them IMO is that they're too heavy at around 10lbs.

Absolutely wonderful if you need to render in your hotel room the night before a lecture or something like that. But just too heavy for a student.

 

[Tutor]

The alienware laptop linked to get's about 4 hours on the battery in lite gamming or youtubing mixed with web surfing about 50/50. We tried one here a few months ago. Very nice machines BTW...

The only problem with them IMO is that they're too heavy at around 10lbs.

Absolutely wonderful if you need to render in your hotel room the night before a lecture or something like that. But just too heavy for a student.

Tesselator, I agree with you that the alienware laptop is very heavy - it is truly an anchor. But not everything heavy is, and not all boat weights are, bad.

It's been too long since I've heard from you. Where does our pasts reside? In our memories? In the present thoughts we have of those memories? In the things we do influenced by those memories? In the lives of others for whom we have been anchors during times of storm? Or maybe, our pasts are always present everywhere, throughout all time (past, present and future), and in every life that has touched us and in those that we touch. Like anchors, our pasts have a stabilizing effect. Thus, I'm very happy to hear from you and hope that you are happy and in good health. Age has its own reward and curse - I hope to see 60 this fall. I wish you the very best for the present and the future. I will never forget, and will always cherish, your advice and wisdom. So, let your opinions keep flowing.

 

[Tutor]

The i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz: $330 low-end champ

This $330 quad-core chip is the low-end champion and should be given serious consideration by self-builders on a budget: [ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116501 ]. A complete, very fast system can be easily built for a little over $1k. You'd have most of the latest technologies such as PCI-E 3, USB 3 and SATA 6.

If you use CUDA capable apps [ http://www.nvidia.com/docs/IO/123576/nv-applications-catalog-lowres.pdf ] such as, but not limited to, DaVinci Resolve, Adobe After Effects, Autodesk Maya, Maxon Cinema 4d or Autodesk 3d Max, just add a GTX 580 3GB video card {or two - adding additional GTX cards increases rendering speed linearly, but I'd also recommend the $110 EVGA 04G-P4-2647-KR GeForce GT 640 4GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card [ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130818 ] for scene viewing and manipulation support while rendering} and Otoy's Octane [ http://render.otoy.com ] for 3d and video rendering. That'll give you a powerful workstation for about $2.5k, depending on the number of video cards you add (the more on-board memory the better, with 1.5 (but I recommend 3) GB being the least). With proper cooling, this quad-core CPU can be overclocked to 4.7 - 5.0 GHz, especial on this: ASUS Maximus V EXTREME LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard for $369 [ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131858 ]. For about $2.5k, such a build would easily out render multiple 12-core factory systems, even if the i7-3770k was left at it's factory speed, thanks to CUDA and Octane. So you could get by with a less expensive motherboard so long as it has an adequate no. of PCI-e slots for the video cards.

 

[DJenkins]

This $330 quad-core chip is the low-end champion and should be given serious consideration by self-builders on a budget

That's an incredible score from a quad core, I can hardly believe it! Would it be close to that in OSX?

Tutor just throwing a question out there regardingt he SR-2 before I hit the EVGA forums. I am having increasing troubles with BIOS resets again, very similar to when I first started and the battery needed replacing.

How often should the battery need to be replaced?
It's been under 6 months, but hopefully this fixes the problem again. Every few weeks I get a BIOS reset and it takes between 20 mins and an hour to get the settings to stick! Even loading optimal defaults doesn't stick most of the time.

It's for this reason lately I have been running on stock settings, no OC, so I can sleep and wake the machine without needing to shut down and fear a BIOS reset every night.

If it's not the battery I was having awful thoughts of trading down to a more simple/reliable build... and those amazing quad core scores aren't helping the fate of my SR-2!!!

In your opinion what would be a realistic Geekbench score for a 6 core build with a solid permanent OC on a reliable mother board running OSX10.8?

I would need PCI slots for GTX580 GPU, Areca 1213-4i card and firewire, so hopefully the onboard NIC would work. I invested so much time learning only about the SR-2 that suitable 6 core CPUs and motherboards are foreign to me!

 

[Tesselator]

Tesselator, I agree with you that the alienware laptop is very heavy - it is truly an anchor. But not everything heavy is, and not all boat weights are, bad.

Absolutely! I know you would love the Eurocom Panther as much as I do for example! But it seems the rest of the world has gone lightweight on us. Maybe when we weren't looking? I don't mind either way actually. A purpose and time for everything.

It's been too long since I've heard from you. Where does our pasts reside? In our memories? In the present thoughts we have of those memories? In the things we do influenced by those memories? In the lives of others for whom we have been anchors during times of storm? Or maybe, our pasts are always present everywhere, throughout all time (past, present and future), and in every life that has touched us and in those that we touch. Like anchors, our pasts have a stabilizing effect. Thus, I'm very happy to hear from you and hope that you are happy and in good health.

I see you haven't changed a bit! Still it seems your charm and genteel disposition are exceeded only by your sublime erudition.

Age has its own reward and curse - I hope to see 60 this fall. I wish you the very best for the present and the future.

Respek brutha! Almost sixty aye? You youngian you... The 60's are the best set I think - so you're in for the good times now bro! Make'm count!

I will never forget, and will always cherish, your advice and wisdom.

It makes great TP graffiti for sure! Hmm odd thoughts... As office paper usually gets recycled into TP I'm sure I've probably flushed some of the most important old documents ever written down the drain - or particles of them anyway. But what happens to old forum posts? Huh? Huh? Scary stuff man!

So, let your opinions keep flowing.

Being in broadcast video for so long myself there's little chance of stopping them oozin' along on your floor as they will from time to time.


.

 

[Tutor]

To DJenkins:

I hope that you are well and happy.

Q - Would it be close to that in OSX?
A - I don't know because I haven't tried it yet, but I suspect that it will be closer than on the i7 3930s and 3960s.

Comment - Tutor just throwing a question out there regarding the SR-2 before I hit the EVGA forums. I am having increasing troubles with BIOS resets again, very similar to when I first started and the battery needed replacing.

Q - DJenkins, what bios version are you using? Some are flakey overall and some are flakey unless you are running only Windows. Also, what OS version are you running. I'm running SL and its been rock solid for over two years.

Q - How often should the battery need to be replaced? A - Same as any other PC (unless mobo is bad): 5-8 years at a minimum. I got some Apple, Atari and Commodore systems with 25 year old fully functioning batteries. Use patterns control.

Q - In your opinion what would be a realistic Geekbench score for a 6 core build with a solid permanent OC on a reliable mother board running OSX10.8? A - See posts nos. 444 and 450: 22,000 - 23,000+ for OSX / 26,500 to 28,000+ for Windows. I don't recall my Linux scores.

----------

To Tesselator,

Thanks for brightening my day. Hope that yours is wonderful.