CPU considerations

[esimms86]

Peter, thank you again for your complete and thorough response to my veritable laundry list of questions about your server, etc. As you know, I was looking at a ?2012(if there is one) mac mini but now I have to seriously consider your new server as another option. In truth, the notion of having a server with XXHE already installed and personally set up by you is an attractive option, especially when I consider that the learning curve may start all over again with version 0.9z-7 of XXHE.

I assumed that the dongles would not be useful for us until XXHE's upgrade is released but I just wanted clarification of that assumption.

You're right about VAT not being the issue but, rather, customs transactions being the operative issue.

I'm looking forward to the release of 0.9z-7 for the improvements that I can only anticipate/dream about, plus the new software's compatibility with the bluetooth dongles.

Esau

[PeterSt]

Esau,

I sure hope my rediculously long postings weren't about trying to "sell" any of these machines to you. I only now see that you actually use a Mini 2010 in your (NOS1) chain; I thought you had arranged for a new machine ! (okay, by now there are too many of you out there, and I apparently can't keep track of things - but huray for the sigs !).

But now from the other angle : when you did *not* get yourself that dedicated Windows machine, we will have been spending quite some emails on it at least. So see ? it is a too difficult job for some to get there. This might be an example.

Btw, by now it is completely ready. Nobody in the house can hear any fan or noise, not even with an ear against an opening where a fan is right behind. All run under 800 rpm and cpu temperature is 37c (98F) while putting out 32/705600. That is more than I hoped for (but I aimed for the best cooling of course and maybe it's overdone now) and this while running the cpu at 4GHz (tonight I might try 4.6GHz or so).

The performance on the Library Area is superb, and faster than the SSD based Galleries of my own audio PC; in this "prototype" one I just use an USB connected spinning disc (SATAII) which otherwise is connected to my normal audio PC. So see ? I/O speed should be about the same, but the CPU really is involved here. With Galleries on the SATAIII SSD (IIRC it has read and write speed of 350MBs) it should be blazingly fast.

Glynn, have I hijacked your topic ?

[glynnw]

Peter, feel free to hi-jack any topic I post.  Reading your thoughts is always entertaining and informative.

Thanks again,

Glynn

[Bigear]

Hi Peter,

I was wondering if it would be possible to go to a 100% passive cooling solution for a 6core CPU. There might be an opportunity to make use of the variation in processor load (and thus dissipation) over time when playing a track.
My guess would be that the CPU load will be close to 100% directly after you pressed the play button and it starts upsampling the tracks and putting them in memory.
However during the actual playing (when happening straight out of memory) the CPU load is small?
Did you ever track that?

Cheers Quint

[PeterSt]

Did you ever track that?

Haha Quint. What do you think ?

What I didn't do yet is looking what happens when all fans are off under this more or less idle load. Chances are fair that it can take it within itself, but the next problem will be to get the heat out of the case (without fans). Also, ambient temperature is very important, and although I don't know the math, it can work out something like 50C at 20C ambient, but 80C with 27C ambient. And then it goes wrong of course.

In short : many things are possible but as many things are not under your control once the thing goes out on a commercial base and is used in a fashion which is beyond your control indeed. So, margins should be safe enough for that. Also, when something goes wrong in whatever software, one core will be running at 100% forever, which may be fairly short.

But why make it difficult when the cooling is inaudible in the first place ?

Peter

[esimms86]

Peter, is it time for you to update your signature with your new server? Also, what's the SFS setting on XXHE using your CPU and RAM maxed out, state of the art server? I also notice that your current signature specifies an SFS setting of 370. What happens to compromise the sound when go beyond that?

Esau

[PeterSt]

Esau - That new PC is not for me, so my sig reflects my own (old) audio PC. The SFS of 370 is a safe settings with 8GB of memory for the due 0.9z-7 and with the further settings. Beyond that anomalies may occur. This is not important for now and all will be explained later.

Peter

[PeterSt]

Btw, by now it is completely ready. Nobody in the house can hear any fan or noise, not even with an ear against an opening where a fan is right behind. All run under 800 rpm and cpu temperature is 37c (98F) while putting out 32/705600.

For those interested :

Chassis fans now run at ~200rpm and cpu temperature is 35 degrees Celcius (95F) (ambient is ~22C / 72F).

Am I overdoing things ? sure. But with the experience of the components which first had to fit in the first place, I had sent over different chassis fans and another PSU (the latter because the one which was in there at first threw DC on the mains). Chassis fans are voltage regulated now (not PWM) and if all is right the PSU is VR too (this is a bit hard to check). All super quiet.

Sound is in another leage and I thought my own audio PC was quite on par already. Well, it can always get better.
I am not quite the person that has time to tweak the BIOS for further improvement (especially the listening is killing for time of course), but I guess there things can be gained again as well.

So, done.

(don't ask me why the below picture is there, but I thought to capture the great sound somehow)

[PeterSt]

I also notice that your current signature specifies an SFS setting of 370.

Small update here :

I now tried 470 on that 16GB PC with 0.9z-7 and maxed out settings (so the memory is the most severely attacked). That worked at first, but later it did not; It might never have (consistently), also not with 0.9z-6.
Now I am using 430 with further the same settings, and so far that keeps on working (while that was tough with 8GB). Most probably 12GB is sufficient for this.

Peter

[esimms86]

Thanks Peter. I'm so looking forward to 0.9z-7 and I feel silly now having asked about SFS settings when the XXHE universe is about to undergo a major overhaul. Thanks for letting me in on the XXHE/NOS1 adventure. Diana Krall's "The Girl In the Other Room" may soon become the singer in my living room.

Esau

[earflappin]

Peter, is that a stripper pole next to the PC?  Hmmmm....is this part of getting the most out of the next version of XXHE....?

[PeterSt]

David, stripper pole, stripper pole ... I really was looking for a plier of some sort. Then I thought you may have somehow seen what's on that USB pen there, but ...

Sh*t, completely forgot to remove what you indeed would call a "stripper pole". We use an extra thin one for reasons which may come up by you yourself, but that marble table really does it. Sometimes I occupy a few things though.

Okay, now you know.

[esimms86]

David, thanks put the XX back into XXHigh End.

Esau

[PeterSt]

For those interested, here are a few more pictures of the final product.

What's more important though is how good it sounds.
Earlier on I valued it to 10K additional worth of amps (to express it into something), but now I'd really like to make that 20K. And then to think I don't even know what causes it. I'm just being honest ...

Anyway, I just offered it officially to someone for 1860 euros ex VAt and shipping and please never think I like to sell many of these, because already the OS installation and further configuration of everything (which I will do myself) is not much allowed to go for the cost price of the components of ~1150 doesn't allow this, and then to think it needs to be built as well. But it's okay if we can help out here or there.

Regards,
Peter

PS: Don't forget : this is excluding the price of the OS which is needed, and there will be no mouse, keyboard and monitor in the delivery.

[charliemb]

I see that the BeQuiet Power supply is assembled with some sort of blue rubbery-looking damper at each screw, which I presume is there to dampen vibrations. 
Did these dampers come with the power supply or did you get these separately.

And, did you use similar dampers on the spinning disk drives?