#computer construction

Now I will start with the fact that the build story of this computer is not complete yet … there will be at least two more parts. However, for the most part they are repair and reconfig parts to solve the cooling problem. But as for components that were meant to be in the build from the beginning this is the last part.

The Asus Wireless-AC1200 Dual-Band PCIe Wi-Fi Adapter is Asus’ version of the same card manufactured by other companies like Gigabyte and Asrock. This card is simply an M.2 to PCIe adapter card designed for M.2 WiFi cards. In this case the WiFi card is the Intel 8260 card. There were no drivers to install (Microsoft Windows 10 already included them), and the card just worked without a hitch out of the box (consult your motherboard user manual for installation instructions). About the only issue I can complain about is the design of the antennas for the card. Even though the antennas are free standing (meaning that there is a cable that goes from the card to the antennas) the antennas are really light, and can fall off the top of the tower easily.

A couple months ago I talked about my EVGA GTX 1070 FTW DT (for the win desktop edition) that I purchased (in September 2016) for my custom art workstation, and the card is working like a champ, and I wanted to add a second card just like it for more CUDA cores that Adobe’s software can use to boost graphics and video rendering performance (I was never going to SLI them together though). The problem is about the time I went to purchase the second card the Ethereum Bitcoin mining boom started (see my article entitled Want a GTX 1060 or 1070 be prepared to be gouged for it I wrote back in August). The prices for the EVGA GTX 1070 FTW and FTW DT skyrocketed to $1000 (I only paid $420 for the GTX 1070 FTW DT). And so we come to my second graphics card.

As I was looking for my second card I couldn’t find a 1070 or 1080 at my usual stores. B&H was out of stock, as was NewEgg, and SuperBiz. So I started searching on E-Bay and I bid on a few GTX 1070s and 1080s, and I got outbid on the first 4 attempts, but on my 5th attempt, a EVGA GTX 1080 FTW, I set a maximum bid of $530, and got it for the max bid.

Why am I not worrying about SLI? Well that is simple. When gaming on my 1920 X 1200 Apple 24” Cinema Display, or while working on my 2160 X 1440 Wacom Cintiq Companion 2 neither display will max out either of the graphics cards. The point of SLI is gang processing the frame rendering of video games to improve speed, resolution, and quality. One frame is rendered by the first card while the second frame is rendered by the second card … and so on. The speed increase isn’t two fold, and it also doesn’t double your memory as the second cards memory is lost to the cache for rendering. Even though you can SLI cards together to improve performance in creative applications you don’t really need to because many creative applications can directly access CUDA cores making more efficient use of the cards processing power and their memory. In the processing of graphics for art, animation, and video processing programs like Adobe Animate, Premiere, and Photoshop directly process images using the available CUDA cores that are not being used by the computer for display rendering.

The 1070 and 1080 have been providing plenty of extra processing power for art and media production. The system has been running rock solid, and I have yet to push it to it’s limit, and I really can’t wait to.

It turns out that the cooling system on my computer is actually being clogged by little bits of dust (and not really much dust at all). The problem comes from the slightly thicker (26mm) radiator on the Corsair H115i (the H110i GT radiator is 25mm) and the denser cooler fin structure of the radiator (based on the cooler fin structure of the H110i GT). This is causing a problem with Corsair’s high flow PWM fans that are attached to the liquid cooler because as dust gets into the radiator the radiator gets clogged and the fans cannot do their job as well. The only real solution to the problem is to replace the fans on the radiator with new static pressure fans to help alleviate the airflow problem. I might even consider a push - pull solution to ensure proper airflow. It  should all be doable for under $80.

This change will likely occur in in the spring because my system is running real cool due to the single digit and low double digit outdoor temperatures we are having this winter.

It might have happened again … and it comes back to the great debate of computer design, and one that I have with a friend of mine all the time … Liquid Cooling or Air Cooling. The “It” in question is that I think my Liquid Cooler is failing again. 2 different coolers, both from Corsair … Now I will likely be calling tech support shortly after my computer finishes logging thermals through a bench mark (right now it’s running warmer than normal, hence the concern).

I’m not sure which way I will go since each cooling method has it’s advantages and disadvantages. I cover that is an overly complex and slightly disjointed article called “Thermal Protection” (https://goo.gl/uPTSyj). So we have come back around to the same argument again. It started with an “I told you so” … I like liquid cooling, I think I just need to find a reliable liquid cooler. Maybe something from a company other than Corsair (maybe NZXT or EVGA).

Update:

My system was rock solid, but there was one problem … It came in the form of Adobe Creative Cloud. Adobe CC takes up allot of storage on a computer and the 240 Gigabytes that the Kingston Predator provided really seemed to fill up fast. I really just wanted to to purchase a larger Predator, but the 480 Gigabyte Predator cost more than $300.00. I started looking for a lower cost alternative. That came in the form of the 500 Gigabyte Samsung 960 EVO. It cost around $200.00, and it had allot of mixed reviews in 2016, but as Samsung’s production of the 960 EVO continued into 2017 their performance and reliability improved. I purchased and installed the card, and the system has been running reliably ever since. So far, so good as they say … I guess. I suppose, since this was a quick purchase to solve a problem on the spot, if it would have failed I would have written an article about my bad experience, but in this case everything is working well.

In mid-January the liquid cooler in my computer failed (without so much as a warning). When it failed I started the process of working with Corsair’s Customer Service (which did not work out at all … if you want to read more about it please follow this link - https://goo.gl/UaxrV6). Needless to say I needed to get my computer up and running while working with (then giving up on) Corsair’s customer support. So after a little research I decided to purchase a Cooler Master Hyper T4 after reading this review from DV-Tests (https://goo.gl/qixUvf). Once installed I was able to get back to work. But my configuration really called for a liquid cooler on the processor to allow the processor to work at it’s peak performance while staying nice and cool.

So I was really set on not getting another Corsair liquid cooler because of the poor way they handled my customer support claim (no phone support claims allowed, and poor management of the customer support claims and complaints). I looked into the NZXT Kraken X62, but even with the good reviews from Hardwarecanucks (their video review is at the end of this article) I was not able to purchase the cooler because it was brand new, and few units were available for sale. I ended up choosing the Corsair H115i liquid cooler after reading this review at Overclockers Club (https://goo.gl/xoWkZK). With the price at $125 and the good reviews I read (and having calmed down), I decided to take the plunge. So far so good.

The AMD Radeon R7 370 worked well, but the performance just wasn’t up to par for what I needed in a graphics card for a work station. I really didn’t have enough money for a Fire GL from AMD, or an Nvidia Quadro or Titan X Pascal edition. While looking around the Adobe Photoshop forums the favored config seemed to be a pair of Nvidia GTX cards.

It’s all about the RAM

Originally I was going to write about the difference between Apple TV and Android TV. I am going to put that on hold for a few weeks as I get a little more acquainted with the Nexus Player (Android TV). So I will be discussing the components I purchased in May 2017. Soooo … moving on ... I am going to discuss Memory and SSDs.

When I started researching this build I was originally going to install the Corsair Dominator Platinum. I read a ton of reviews discussing how fast and stable the modules are. They are also great for overclocking (and I considered that before I decided to go with a Xeon microprocessor). I was grumbling about the price Corsair is charging for their memory. I will admit that it is good memory, but it is also really expensive. I started researching other memory for my build, and through a review on TweakTown I came across the G.Skill RipJaws V. I also read reviews at ProClockers, TechPowerup, and Overclockers, and all of the reviews sealed the deal. So I purchased 8 sticks of 8 Gigabytes which was reasonably priced. This memory has definitely helped my machine stay fast and accurate

Speedy Drives Make Everything Seem Faster

Ok … let me be clear; there really wasn’t a lot of research done on M.2 SSDs. I talked to some professional outfitters I know (people who build custom PCs for businesses with special requirements), and I was told that the Kingston Hyper-X Predator was the best M.2 PCIe SSD in a desktop PC. These guys are some of the best in the business locally, so if they say it’s good it has to be. One year later and I have had no problems what so ever with it. But because reviews are important here are a couple from Tom’s Hardware, and this review from High Tech Point: