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Alienware Aurora Photo Review - 56k DIE!!! - Page 9

post #161 of 291
8/26/05 at 10:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zelly
Run while you still can Col. Wild
LOL. Thanks for the warning.

I'm reading up on ALX right now.
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post #162 of 291
9/8/05 at 2:06am
Thread Starter 
New Processor: Athlon 64 X2 3800+



Processor and Heatsink



The processor



Processor installed. Videocard is currently on air cooling.



Waterblock installed



CPUz report for the 3500+ Notice that the memory is running at DDR316 instead of DDR400. This is the fault of the A64's memory controller.



CPUz report for the 3800+ The memory is at DDR400 again.

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post #163 of 291
9/8/05 at 2:13am
Thread Starter 
My new 2001fp. The center speaker mounts on the display.



I took this when I was having memory issues 6 weeks ago. Notice that there are over 700,000 reported errors. RMA'd memory to Corsair and I am back at 2gb.

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post #164 of 291
9/8/05 at 2:23am
so how good is the 3800 compared to ur old cpu, do you notice a big difference, or do you only notice it when multi tasking ? and also does ur stock heatsink got coolpipes ? cuz i cant really tell by the picture

btw, nice system, how efficient at cooling is the koolance with your new cpu and all other stuff attached, cuz i r jealous of all u lot with water and me with just noisy ass fans, so i am really considering water cooling, but i dont know first thing about it, but i know basically the koolance is a kit that you just hook up, if its any good i may give it a shot...
so any advice would be cool.....
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post #165 of 291
9/8/05 at 4:04am
Thread Starter 
Here are some prelim benchmarks. Everything in this screen shot is at stock speeds so i exect higher scores when I get around to overclocking. I don't have a PC Mark 05 score from the 3500+ to compare to...

For reference in the sandra benchmarks I used the Pentium D 820 (2.8ghz), the A64 3200+ (2.0ghz), the Fx-55 (2.6ghz), and the X2 4000+ which is not yet available. Basically the 4000 is a 3800 with 1mb of cache. You will notice in the Sandra scores that my 3800 appears to hand the FX-55 it's ass. This is because Sandra supports SMP and it equates the second core into the final score.

For some odd reason Motherboard Monitor is reporting the 3800 being at 3ghz which it is not. The only explination I can come up with for this is it is adding 50% of the clock speed of the second core. Also keep in mind the video cards are not on water right now which is why the temps are high.

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post #166 of 291
9/8/05 at 4:10am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by EVIL-SCOTSMAN
so how good is the 3800 compared to ur old cpu, do you notice a big difference, or do you only notice it when multi tasking ? and also does ur stock heatsink got coolpipes ? cuz i cant really tell by the picture

btw, nice system, how efficient at cooling is the koolance with your new cpu and all other stuff attached, cuz i r jealous of all u lot with water and me with just noisy ass fans, so i am really considering water cooling, but i dont know first thing about it, but i know basically the koolance is a kit that you just hook up, if its any good i may give it a shot...
so any advice would be cool.....
I have had the 3800 in for about 24 hours now so I do not have a definitive answer on that yet. For day to day use I do not anticipate seeing a performance increase or decrease. What I am looking forward to is being able to use my computer while encoding video.

By coolpipes, do you mean heatpipes? The heatsink has standard fins on it. It is almost identical to the heatsink that came with the Alienware except that the fins are angled instead of vertical.

The Koolance is very easy to set up. Everything uses compression fittings so there is no chance of leaks. And the liquid is non conductive so if there is a leak, it should not kill anything. Although i am not willing to test that.
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post #167 of 291
9/8/05 at 5:43am
yea, i meant to type heat pipes, but i must of put cool in by mistake, my bad,
but yea heat pipes is what i meant, as i thought you would of got them aswell, cuz apparently they are stock for the x2 range.

The main reason i am interested is, ive had problems with dualcore and applications that arent dualcore optimized crash like mad, i know you know your shit when it comes to pc's and i would like to know if you come across any problems like that in the future, i have to use procaff for a good few of my games, or they just crash within seconds or i get like 1-2 fps, also i would like to know once you have broke the chip in, if you think it was worth it or would you still prefer to use your 3500+ for certain programs, i am curious as i only got an amd 3000+ and that isnt fast enough to compare to this thing, so i cant really compare, and i am wondering if i chose the right cpu or should i of went for the fx55/57.

Also in the back of my mind is the fact that my mobo was broken and i dont know if that has damaged the cpu, as its auto voltage is just below 1.3, now supposdly the proper voltage for them is 1.35-1.40, i get 1.29, i couldnt say if that is affecting performance, so i really would like someone who knows about pc's i.e. not just a customer who bought an AW so they can claim to have a leet pc without knowing shit about it, and also who's pc is similar or identical to mine, so that i/we can compare what we both get in some bench programs, it would help ease my mind, because at times this cpu can drive me crazy, either that or windows severly doesnt like the dualcore cpu's on my pc :P

as for the koolance, i am really interested in WC, but i dont want something that sits on top of my pc, i would prefer something that sits next to it or is actually built in/onto the pc, sitting on the top of the pc wouldnt be a problem if the case was flat at the top, but as you know its got a slight curve and it would look stupid if something was sitting ontop of an AW in anycase , but as i say any tips and also if you are willin to hook up and go over a few things in the future once you got ur chip running the way you like and also get to know it properly "from head to toe" that would be really cool.... as i am paranoid that i am the only one who's having problems with there x2

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post #168 of 291
9/8/05 at 6:03am
Thread Starter 
Did you get a 4400 with your system or did you upgrade to dual core later?

Here are the steps I went through

1. Updated NVIDIA chipset drivers to 66.65. Required for Bios 1013
2. Reboot
3. Updated Bios to 1013 (Required for X2)
4. Reboot
5. Configure Bios Settings
6. Test, reboot
7. Install processor
8. Windows detects and installs new hardware
9. Reboot
10. Install X2 processor driver
11. Reboot
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post #169 of 291
9/8/05 at 6:54am
4400 came with my pc, but i have an amd 3000 from insurance company after my 2600+ died a horrible slow death

i using bios 1011, not 1013 as last time i looked Aw only had 1011, i know asus 1013 been out for a few weeks, but AW wont allow you to do it or i kill my warranty.

i using 66.6 nvid drivers

i using latest cpu drivers from amd

basically everything is latest except bios, i had severe problems with sound drivers, but i have kinda sorted em out, or they are behaving themselves, 1 of the 2

the bios is all set properly, in every category

the only problem i having is, either windows doesnt like x2 cpus for certain games, or when my mobo was busted it did something to my cpu, i have read that other people get same problems in games that i do, like stutters, 1-2fps and have to dedicate a core to the actual application for it to run properly, now as i dont know anyone except you and maybe a couple others on these forums who have an x2 chip, i cant ask anyone how they are getting on, but since you got one i can pick your brains and see if you are getting same kinda problems, mainly its just with games i have problems. alot of the time its online gaming, single player seems to work for most games np, but when i go multi the problems start, and as soon as i use procaff it fixes it ? but i was also wondering if it was cuz my board was faulty when i got it and maybe somehow my cpu is damaged, cuz the voltage is kinda low, just under normal, 1.29* compared to 1.35 min - 1.40 now i dont know if that being that little touch low can affect it, but i was just that little bit paranoid, the voltage is set to auto in the bios, and when it does go over 1.3, i mean its like 1.301 or something like that, maybe thats cool, but seriously i cudnt tell ya, but now u got x2 i have at least one other person i can relate to in terms of problems and stuff, when you have more time with it, maybe you can tell me if you suffer same problems with games, and also if we can name a few bench programs and we can both do them just to get a rough estimate of whats what, if you dont mind, i am not in no hurry to do that, so you just enjoy your new chip and get to grips with it first, then when you think you have it all sussed then we can go do some shit with it, cuz i am seriously wishing i had bought single core chip instead now... maybe its just that the games am playing are not optimized for Dc and will always run into problems, but it seems to be the majority of my games except hl2 farcry and COD/CODUO and il2+fb+aep+pf, the rest need procaff to work properly....

also when you say 1013 is required for x2 ? when i got my second board it had 1004, and i had to update it cuz it wouldnt even give me the name of my cpu, but the bios i had in the first board was 1011 and i just flashed 2nd board with same bios 1011, and it picks up chip, chip name, mhz etc etc and seems to be working ok, so if 1013 is needed then why did AW give me 1011 ? as it picks up the cpu alright in the bios with that version...

i spent 3 weeks trying to figure out how to get bfv to work, in the end i had to use procaff on teh shortcut for bfv, and also use procaff on daemon tools then it would work, and when i didnt use it on d-tools it would crash as soon as i loaded an online map. it drove me crazy, but i spose that most new games will be more optimized for DC than the game sthat are already out.....
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post #170 of 291
9/8/05 at 10:36pm
Thread Starter 
I had problems with the 66.66 drivers on the NVIDIA website, but the 66.65 I download from ASUS appear to be fine.
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post #171 of 291
9/28/05 at 10:24pm
Thread Starter 
Because I am never satisfied....


Here is what my comuter currently looks like:




More to follow...
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post #172 of 291
9/29/05 at 4:36am
Your such a tease.
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post #173 of 291
9/29/05 at 4:17pm
omg ewolff posted AW pr0n :P meh just loves to see a AW nekkid...
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post #174 of 291
10/8/05 at 6:45am
so beautiful
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post #175 of 291
11/12/05 at 6:01am
Thread Starter 
Well, it's been almost a month since my last update, and I have finally implemented phase one of my watercooling update. I added a Black Ice Extreme along with the Exos and my procesor is running about 4 degrees over ambient. The loop is currently as follows:

Exos > GPU 1 > GPU 2 > BIX > CPU > Chipset > Exos

Phase two of my watercooling project will see the demise of the Exos, but I am still deciding how exactly I am going to implement the gift Darth provided me a month or two back.

I also added an active memory cooler from Abit and stuck a 120mm fan on the drive cage to add some more airflow inside the case. Without further adu, here's the pics.



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post #176 of 291
11/12/05 at 6:08am
Thread Starter 
You may have noticed that I now have an HTPC listed in my signature. It's still a work in progress, but it is getting close to completion. Most of the components are from my original Alienware; the Abit motherboard, AMD 3500+ Processor, floppy drive, memory card reader, and a few other things here and there all came from my original purchase.

For graphics, I picked up an ATI All in Wonder X800xt from Dell for about 250 after rebate. I will eventually add an ATI HDTV wonder so I can record standard and High Def broadcasts.

The case is an Antec Overture I got on clearance for around 50 bucks. I had been holding out for an Ahanix HTOC case, but they run 250.00.

I still need to pick a pair of 250 or 300gb drives for media storage. I also need to get some memory and I have my eyes on an L.I.S. MCE compatable LCD for the lower 5 1/2" Bay.


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post #177 of 291
11/12/05 at 6:31am
Thread Starter 
Idle Temps. Ambient inside the case is 27c.




Temps while running 3dMark. Ambient inside the case is 27c.

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post #178 of 291
11/12/05 at 6:56am
hey ewolff, whats that stuff you got over your 120mm exhaust fan ?

is it for dust etc ?
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post #179 of 291
11/13/05 at 12:48am
Thread Starter 
Here are some more pictures of the work I recently did.


I bought a clear PSU cover with a 120mm fan mount in the hopes of adding more cooling to my PSU.



It turns out that my PSU is longer than a standard PSU, so I had to scrap this project.



One of the things that irked me from my previous wiring job was the cables for the FrontX Panel. I routed them through the drive cage so they would be hidden away.



Because the Front Audio connector is located so far away, I had to create an extension by using a USB 2.0 cable and some pins I had laying around from an old project. This is the result.



Having the cables come up behind the floppy bay gives for a cleaner look.



With a few zip ties and an anchor, I had the wiring mess nicley contained.



The end result is a much cleaner wiring job.



With the FrontX cables out of the way, I had plenty of room to mount a 120mm fan to the drive cage.



Here is the Radiator, it is a Black Ice Extreme with Innovatek 10mm compresion fittings. Because Koolance tubing is 8mm, I had a bitch of a time getting it on. I ended up having to use a more rigid tube on the radiator.



Finally we have two pictures of my leaktesting the radiator.




My next project will be to buy a pair of IDE to SATA converters for the CD-Rom drives. That will eliminate one of the bulky IDE cables, and eventually I will replace the IDE hard drives with SATA drives.
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post #180 of 291
11/13/05 at 2:17am
Nice work and pics Ewolff! Wish I had the time (not to mention the patience) to do something like that.
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