So I got a new toy today. The CoolIT Boreas MTEC cooler. I had NO idea how big this thing was, but I’ll definitely find some room for it on my test bench over the next few weeks. I want to test it in a variety of different configurations as follows:

Bone Stock
Stock with better CPU block
Stock with better pump & bigger tubing

I borrowed a kill-a-watt thing from work today to find out if I even have room in my build for this monster (power wise) and it looks like I’m going to be pushing my system to the max. Load readings for my system while running Prime95 and playing Batman Arkham Asylum peaked at around 710W. Once I add the Boreas I’ll be sitting at 850W of power consumption under load from my system. At 85% loading, many PSUs lose their efficiency and quiet operation, so we’ll see how well the HX1000 holds up to the task. Since the HX1000 is a multi-rail PSU, I’ll also have to consider the implications of which plug I put it into.

I’m thinking i5 is probably the platform most people are interested in, but I’m also curious to see how it stacks up against my current water cooling solution, in which case I would need to throw it on the i7… I’ll decide that later. Here are some pics for scale of this thing. I can’t think of a case anywhere you could actually mount this thing in. Not even the Corsair Obsidian 800D!

More to come.

I was given the task of creating an eye catching demo system for our new Aberdeen store which will be opening in the next little while. I decided to bring take it with me on Friday as a homework project for the weekend (as if I didn’t have enough to do this weekend…) and I’m quite pleased with the results. It’s a bit of an “all show and no go” configuration with the Intel X38 “BoneTrail” motherboard and an ASUS 8800GTX, but since those parts look slick I decided to run with it. Here are some day photos that I took. I will add some night ones once I have a chance to take them (maybe at night would be a good time for that)

edit: NIGHT SHOTS!!

This thing is really cool. I have so many random computer components lying around that I find it hard to imagine that I could *want* to use anything other than a computer for media, but I won’t be moving a media PC into the bedroom of my new place. This little DivX player uses smart server software from DivX that is really easy to configure, the GUI is fast, the streaming over wireless G for my moderate bitrate files is excellent, and the device is so small you can practically tuck it into a corner and forget about it.

It easily detects which outputs you’re using, and I’ve tried it with HDMI, component, and composite using an older Samsung 21″ widescreen LCD. I’ve got it playing (over wired, haven’t tested wireless yet) MKV files in both 720p and 1080p, although only lower bitrate 1080p files are supported by the device. There seems to be quite a community following for this thing and it took all of about 30 minutes of set up (physical + software) and googling around to get it working great. It’s a lot better than building a PC…

Tech Tips upcoming, but here’s how to get it working with MKV. I’m using the latest connector software (1.5) and the instructions work fine even though they’re written for 1.4.

Well a new Tech Tips is finally here. It’s not what we wanted to release (frankly) and we have some very exciting other stuff coming up soon, but we saw the weather outside, and it’s something I’ve toyed with a few times, so we thought “What the hey” and packed our junk outside.

Look for the Domino ALC to show up at an NCIX near you in the coming weeks!

I’ve had a chance to play around with a new processor from an undisclosed vendor, and there might be some other results on the web about these chips doing crazy LN2 and DICE clocks, but what it really comes down to for the end user is what performance HE can actually get out of a chip.

With modest air cooling (TRUE + random fan) 3.6GHz was doable easily with 8 hour quad Prime95 stability, and more than that with the water cooling setup featured above. We don’t know the prices of these new processors (though my crystal ball says they should weigh in under $400CAD).

Processor price is obviously not the only factor. I remember the good ‘ol days when a premium AMD motherboard cost 1/2 of an equivalent Intel one, and that’s what made it such a good value.

….. With some modifications. Here is a picture of the RAM Freezer 4 on top of a Gigabyte EX58-EXTREME motherboard with all of the DIMM slots populated.

As you can see, if you are running 3 modules in tri-channel, the RAM Freezer 4 is just wide enough to be able to get RAM spreaders on both sides, but you will need to remove the material in the middle of the RAM Freezer 4 in order to get a RAM spreader on the middle module. Overall with a Dremel the mod should not be very complicated and should not affect the structural integrity of the RAM Freezer.

Well here’s my real upcoming Nehalem build. My last post about it was a bit of a joke. I’m not really good at taking night shots so this one is a little bit overexposed, which is most evident in the tubing. I’m very happy with the results of this setup though. Looking forward to getting a CPU to pop in there.

The ES 965 I’ve been playing with had to go back to the person who owns it.

My APOGEE GTZ i7 hold down arrived today, and looking at it got me thinking, “Do I really NEED this thing?”

It looks like with some bolts, nuts, springs, and washers, it may be possible to mount your LGA775 block on LGA1366. This picture is a Swiftech APOGEE with the stock hold down from like 2 years ago using a bolt-thru mounting kit from the D-TEK FuZion V1 (any bolts and nuts would work I think).

The second pictures is me holding up my board by the CPU block… I think it’s secure enough to get some serious mounting pressure at least as a short-term solution.

PS I haven’t tested it because my FuZion V1 is in my system right now, but I believe it would also work on the FuZion V1 with the classic hold down plate.

My quest for a suitable X58 platform began with the requirement for SLI compatibility. All of the high end X58 boards I’ve seen so far have that checkbox filled. The next big requirement was slot layout. Currently I’m using two dual slot water cooled graphics cards (no desire to go full cover at this time), a PCI sound card (that can go as I’m only using it for mic in with an optical connection to my Onkyo TX-SR605), a PCIe 1x Intel gigabit NIC, and I’d really like to upgrade to a PCIe 8x RAID card in the near future.

Gigabyte really FUBARed the slot layout of the EX58-EXTREME with that weird heatsink that attaches to the northbridge… It blocks the top PCIe 1x and the PCIe 4x slot… But at least you can remove it. Boards like the Foxconn Blood Rage and the ASUS P6T, although appealing, simply won’t accommodate my expansion needs. The P6T Deluxe layout I just don’t understand… Why put the two bottom PCIe 16x slots next to each other?

The Gigabyte board has everything I need: Dual PCIe 16x physical with another that is electrically only 8x for a RAID card (3Ware tech I was talking to today says a lot of consumer boards will not properly work with an 8x card in a 16x electrical slot…). It also has a very robust cooling solution. Above you can see the naked board as well as a shot of how it’s attached to the board from the underside.

Here you can see the integrated water cooling solution with 3/8″ ID 5/8″ OD Primochill tubing on it. It fits great and these barbs are surprisingly good quality for an integrated affair. Gigabyte recommends 1/2″ OD tubing though and you can see the reason for it. With the Extreme Heatpipe dealie installed, 5/8″ OD tubing is a tight fit.

I was a little disappointed with the overall fit and finish of the water cooling solution. It does appear to be ALL copper (kudos to Gigabyte), and the base appears very flat and shiny, but the finish on the actual northbridge heatpipe assembly is VERY rough and not flat at all. I can’t imagine it will make very good contact, especially without thermal compound over the whole thing. That said, it’s good enough for my purposes and I’m not looking to set any world records.

They’ve landed! It’s been a long time coming, but these products really represent a tremendous value.

My original hesitation to bring in XSPC came about because of the reports I was hearing about some of their blocks leaking. That coupled with the low price made me think “cheap crap” and I don’t want to take a risk like that with my customers…

They’ve worked hard to turn that around though. They’re using a more expensive delrin substitute for their traditional plexi tops, and the machining on the base of the blocks looks more than adequate.

You can check out the range of XSPC products we’ve picked up at the XSPC store. I’m hoping to get images and product descriptions updated ASAP.