The Last Thirty Years

When I first moved here, the plan was we would be here for three years, then we would go 'home'. Home at the time was Southern California.

If you've seen Braveheart, you'll understand what mean when I say 'The trouble with California is that it is full of Californians'.

Moving to Nova Scotia was a bit like stepping back in time. Halifax then, was nothing like what Halifax is now. For example, the recent outbreaks of gun play on the streets that are news here, would not, in many cases, have even made the papers there, then. That was just 'normal'....There....Then...it isn't 'normal' here or now, which really is a good thing.

When I moved here, I'd lived in many places, including Europe, for an extended period of time. And I'd visited several other places, for shorter durations. At first, all I could think about was getting 'home'.

Somewhere, somehow, somewhen, that changed. This place became home.

I've now lived longer, here, than I have ever, anywhere, by a very large margin. The fact that I've been here for 30 years boggles my mind. This outcome wasn't in the original plan, but if I didn't like it, I would've left a long time ago.....this is a pretty neat corner of the world.

Early on, in our stay here, I drove out to Peggy's Cove to catch a metor shower. At night. I'd never been there before, and the road at night was a challenge. Thirty years later I've made that exact same trip many times, in many different conditions, and yet the destination is never the same. Oh, to be sure, it is the same place. But it feels different each time.

I've been back to the US several times over the years. Invariably I get greeted with 'Welcome Home' by US Customs and Immigration. Gradually, over the years, that has become more incongruous....as each time I feel more and more like I am leaving behind my home country, and entering into a foreign land.

In one sense, it is a land into which I was born and raised. In another sense, that land, the one I grew up in, is long gone. It has changed, and I have changed, and we've both changed in different directions.

As an 'immigrant' I don't trust Ignattif. Canada has changed while he has been away, and coming back here, and staying for a while is not enough to get the full measure of who we have become and, more importantly, who we can be moving forward. He can insist he gets it, and us, all he wants, I don't believe him.

I like the NDP as the official opposition. I feel, in that role, they add some much needed heart to government, while their wackier ideas remain restrained.

If I could pick, I'd vote for the Liberals under Paul Martin....but I don't get that choice, because he's out. I do not want to see Harper's conservatives with a majority, though I'm quite content with them as a minority government that is forced to work with the NDP and (to a lesser extent) the Liberals. I.e. I really don't see a good reason why we have to have an election right now.....

No, the Tories aren't perfect, never said they were. But so far, the scandals they've been involved in pale in comparision to the Liberal sponsorship scandal. Many might find my support of Paul Martin ironic in light of that comment, but I'd suggest he was likely more an observer, than a participant, in that fiasco.

So, now, there is an election coming. If, like me, you aren't particularly dissatisfied with the status quo, here are your choices, as I see them:

1) Vote the same way you did last time
If everyone does this, the result will be the same. The risk is, maybe not everyone will do this.

2) Vote for the current incumbent in your ridding
Again, if everyone does this, or most seem to, things won't change a lot. The risk, of course, is that you have one vote, and 'everyone else' may vote differently.

3) Vote for someone else.
I, personally, am toying with this idea.....I want, above all, to send a message to all four parties....the message reads 'get along, work it out'. So, do I vote for the Green party? Can I, outside Quebec, vote for the Bloc?

And that, at the end of the day, is my current electoral dilema. How do I use my one, single vote, to send a message to Ottawa, in the clearest possible terms, that says 'Stop playing games, work together, and put the interests of the country ahead of your own'......?

Hexaputer Overclocking

You might be asking 'Why do you want to overclock a hexaputer?'. As I indicated in my original post, AMD processors have not kept up with Intel in recent years, but they represent a great performance per dollar proposition.

Especially, when you buy a Black Edition CPU like I did.

Way back in the dark ages of computers, people discovered you could run them faster than 'stock'. Early 8088 machines often had a 'Turbo' switch, which was usually superfluous, because (at least on my machines) it remained forever in one position......ON......

Later, computer manufactures started to get in on the game. They bought cheap low rated CPUs from Intel, overclocked them, and sold them to consumers as higher end PCs. Intel didn't like that, and savvy computer users knew they could do the same thing (for less), but then, as now, savvy users were at a premium.

Feeling left out of the party Intel (and later AMD) locked down what is referred to as the multiplier on the chip.

CPU speeds are determined by two things. The core bus speed, and the multiplier. If the multiplier is locked then you can't overclock the system that way. You can only mess with the bus speed. Note, jacking up the bus speed isn't a bad approach, but as I will detail, it can raise some issues.

Both AMD and Intel sell 'unlocked' versions of their CPUs. AMD charges a lot less for those than Intel does. AMD refers to them as 'Black Edition' CPUs, while I believe Intel usually appends an X to the CPU designation (eg. i7-980X, and yeah, go ahead, price one of those).

So my CPU is the (current) top of the line AMD 1100, in an unlocked Black Edition.

It turns out, that the initial overclocking I did via the motherboard's automated system, assumed I was using a 'locked' multiplier. So it didn't try to change it. For the 1100, the default multiplier is 16.5 and the bus speed is 200. Multiplying the two numbers yields 3300, which is the stock speed of 3.3 GHz.

When the motherboard's AI Overclock feature upped the system bus speed, it downgraded the speed of the memory to the next level to ensure the system would boot. Trying to force the system to apply the correct timings for 1333 RAM failed. So, with the 'bus overclock' approach, the system clock was around 3.8 GHz, but the RAM was running with a transfer rate around 980. Not exactly what I would call a great result.

I wanted 4+ GHz and 1333 RAM. And I got it.

The first step was to save the AI Overclock configuration. The ASUS Crosshair IV Formula motherboard lets you save (I think) 8 different BIOS profiles.

Next, I reset the BIOS to the factory defaults. This is where paying attention to which drive went into which SATA port would've paid off. When I did that, and rebooted, the system tried to boot into XP because it found the old 1TB XP System Drive. XP of course was horribly confused. It went to sleep in an NVidia world and woke up in an ATI one. I rebooted, re-configured the boot drives, then saved that configuration as well.

Once back in Windows 7 I verified that the memory was running at 1333 MHz via CPU-Z....sure enough. All good. Then, I went back into the BIOS and explicitly set the RAM settings.

DDR3 RAM usually has at least four numbers associated with it. Mine is 9-9-9-24. You can look up what that means, but once you know, it is easy enough to see where to enter it into the BIOS, and with this motherboard, when the RAM is on Auto (as it is by default) the actual value it is using is printed to the left in grey lettering. It is a fairly easy process to make sure the manually entered number matches the number displayed. Once that was done, it was back to Windows and CPU-Z to verify the configuration.

Check.

Next, I went back into the BIOS and increased the multiplier to 20.5, then explicitly set the CPU voltage to 1.4 (I have CPU Overvolt protection on). The official range is up to 1.475, but CPU-Z frequently shows it well over that without any complaints from the MB when the system is under a heavy load.

I picked those two numbers based on the results from a couple of reviews. I might be able to get away with a lower CPU voltage (that means less heat and less wear and tear on the CPU). But so far the system seems stable at those settings, and I may drive the multiplier up farther yet.

But, now, with very little work, I have a core speed of 4109 (4.1GHz), and the memory operating at its rated 1333 MHz. I haven't tinkered with the bus speed at all, and I could do that too. The trick with that is to up the bus speed a bit, then, when it becomes unstable, up the North Bridge voltage.

I should pause here and point out that upping voltages and speeds has the potential to put extra wear on your system. It might not last as long. And the secret to overclocking is not to max out everything, but to increase performance to a suitable stable point. I appear to be there, at least for now.

I ran a Passmark performance test and got 7903 for the CPU. This page http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html give you a sense of where that fits. It is well above the Intel i7-975 which comes in at 7035 with a price of $1044 (yeah, that's just the cost of the CPU).

Not a bad showing for a CPU that cost around $200. I'll take it.

So far, the air coming out of the case is nice and cool....CPU temps with the H70 cooler are in the 30C range......nice and cool. Maybe, if I drive the multiplier up a little farther, I'll be able to roast hot dogs over the case, but do I really want to do that? No, that's what the BBQ is for...... :)

Think about it. Six cores, each running at 4.1 GHz........

I processed the pics for the last post in Photoshop from RAW images taken with my DSLR. All I can say is 'Wow'......what was once slow is now so fast, I almost don't notice something happened. I didn't have time to go get a cup of coffee before, but I certainly had time to yawn. Now, if I blink, there's a good chance I'll miss it.

Welcome to The World of Hexaputing.....

The Hexaputer Project

What is a Hexaputer?

In general terms it is a six core computer. Both AMD and Intel make six core CPUs now. That's like having six computers in one little package of silicon bliss.

My last computer was an EMachine T6250. Bought almost exactly six years ago it was at the time a reasonably good computer for the $800 I paid for it at FutureShop. It was the first 'full' system I had ever bought myself. Before that, I'd always bought just a new CPU, or a new monitor, or upgraded the CPU, or....well, you get the idea.

The T6250 is based on the Athlon 64 3200+ CPU and is a 64 bit capable CPU. I confess I never really leveraged the 64 bit abilities. A lot of things, at the time, didn't run under 64-bit XP, and I had an XP Pro copy that I received (free) when I attended the launch event. It was 32 bit, so I flattened the XP Home the machine came with, installed XP Pro 32bit, and only looked back once in a while.

In hindsight, I'm surprised it lasted me this long. That it did is a testament to the amount of headroom that little beast had. In the days before XP supported SATA, it had SATA ports. The factory configuration didn't use them, but I eventually did. Over time, I added more memory, a nice 24" Dell monitor, a BFG 8800GTX NVidia card, and 2 1TB SATA drives to that box.

Recently, I was considering trying to upgrade the CPU. The factory CPU cooler was making ugly noises, so I bought a replacement unit, but never ended up installing it. I sat on the fence for over a year, debating what to do. Meanwhile, friends of mine bought i7-920 Intel systems, and other newer machines.

Oddly enough, the breaking point came when I got a new DSLR. The new camera is 16Mp and the images are just enough larger that copying and processing them in CS4 was starting to become a pain.

So, I did some research. No point in getting a 64 bit computer, with a 64 bit copy of Windows 7 if the things I use a lot weren't going to work. Adobe CS4 works. Spyder 3 Pro (my monitor profiling tool) works, my photo printer and day to day printer from Canon appear to have 64 bit drivers.....the planets were starting to align.

The next question was what to get. I like the look of the Alienware computers from DELL, and friends of mine have them. They're nice. I customized one one night. When I was done, let's just say the $ figure I arrived at was more than enough to send me to bed empty handed. It wasn't that I couldn't afford it, but if I had bought it, it would have hands down been the most expensive computer I've ever owned.

I felt I could do better.

I've been happy with the AMD Athlon. Even though AMD has been lagging behind Intel for quite some time in raw performance, they have some things in their favor. But there was a LOT to learn.

First of all, with any motherboard out there, you can run a single graphic card (either ATI or NVidia) no problem. The potential for trouble arises when you want to run two cards that communicate with each other. Both ATI/AMD and NVidia have well proven solutions for that, but the catch is, most motherboards only support one or the other (and from what I've read, although some might let you mix and match, you really don't want to go there).

This led me to realize that the choice of components was a tricky one. First, I decided on an AMD 6 core processor. They do not have the same raw performance as the Intel CPUs, but in 'bang for buck' terms, they rock.

Then, after thinking about it, for reasons I'll get into shortly, I decided to go with an AMD/ATI Crossfire motherboard instead of an NVidia compatible solution.

My current graphics card was long ago eclipsed by newer technologies, so there was little sense in trying to bring it across. And Tiger Direct has barebones kits.

These are a great solution for someone who wants to save a little money, build a computer, and know first hand the details of everything that is in the box, without having to make sure everything works with everything else. They do that latter part. So, I ordered a barebones kit with one addition. Here is the Hexaputer:

CoolerMaster 932 HAF Case w/700W Power Supply
ASUS Crosshair IV Formula Motherboard
AMD Phenom II 1100T Black Edition
8 Gb 1333MHz DDR3 RAM
XFX Radeon 5850 Graphics Card Black Edition
Corsair H70 Liquid CPU Cooler
1 TB HD
Sony Optairic DVD/CD
Windows 7 Ultimate

I didn't, upon seeing it, buy it right away. I read several reviews. There are cheaper AMD 6 core chips that appear to overclock just as well......but the price differential was not that great. Certainly nowhere near like the difference between the AMD and Intel CPUs......

So I pulled the trigger. The packages arrived while I was away but Shauna was able to pick them up (thank god, I hate dealing with UPS). So when I got back from my latest trip, I had a new computer. There was only one catch.

Some assembly required.

I unpacked everything, looked it over, browsed the manuals, cleared a place to work (the dining room table is a great place to assemble a computer when you're single, especially if, like mine, your dining room has a wooden floor) and got started. The power supply was pre-installed, so the first thing I did was install the bracket for the cooler on the motherboard.

The H70 uses a custom bracket. I was glad I didn't wait until I had the motherboard mounted in the case. There is a cutout that lets you get at part of the back of the CPU mount, but it wouldn't have been enough to mount the custom H70 cooler bracket if I had already installed the motherboard. Fortunately, removing the stock bracket and installing the H70 mounting system was the first thing I did.

The next thing I had to do was set the standoff screw mounts for the motherboard in the case. This isn't too hard, you look at the holes in the motherboard, lining it up roughly where you want it to go, look for a nearby hole in the case, and screw in a brass standoff screw mount.

I had 3 screws in the motherboard itself before I realized I'd forgotten to install the backing plate in the case......and no, you can't 'finesse' it. I undid the motherboard screws, put the plate in, then got back to the business of screwing in the motherboard.

The next step was to put the CPU in the socket. This isn't hard.

Next, I hooked up the Corsair H70 cooler. This was not part of the kit, it was something I ordered separately at the same time. I decided to buy this system because the reviews said it was fairly easy to overclock. They also said, if you were going to do that, some form of liquid cooling was a very good idea. The H70 has a radiator sandwiched between two fans. One pulls cold air in, the other pushes hot air out. The idea is, you mount it so that cold air comes in from outside the case, blows through the radiator and then gets sucked out of the radiator and into the interior of the case.

Doing this in many system cases could pose real problems, as you're dumping a lot of hot air into the case. The HAF 932 though should handle this without trouble. It has a large fan near the floor to suck in cold air, and a large fan on the top to blow out hot air. I've checked, they're both working properly. High Air Flow for sure I think. The only catch was, I had to remove one of the 'stock' case fans to give me a place to mount the H70. Four screws....no problemo.

Next, I installed the CD/DVD Drive and the 1Tb hard drive that came with it, and hooked up the relevant SATA cables. I didn't pay a lot of attention to which SATA port I plugged what into, which really isn't that big a deal, but, as I'll detail later, can lead to some excitement.

Then I hooked up all the leads from the front panel and a plate that occupies an expansion port back panel (it provides more USB, etc). And, of course, I connected all the fans.

After installing the memory and the graphics card, it was time for the first power on test. I didn't install a monitor for this. I didn't really care if anything appeared on the screen. Instead, I just wanted to see it turn on properly and I was especially hoping for a lack of any sizzling sounds.....the first power on was (after a double check of the connectors) a complete success.

After that, I hooked up a monitor, and played with the overclocking functions a bit, then installed Windows 7, Adobe CS4 and MSOffice (200-and old). All without difficulty.

At that point, I decided, it was time to take the plunge. I'd done all the Windows 7 updates (that was a chore), updated the BIOS (that was easy), and generally had enough experience with the system that I decided to decommission my old computer.

So, I shut everything down, pulled the 1Tb drives from the old 'puter (along with their SATA cables), plugged them into the new box, hooked EVERYTHING up (my USB collection resembles a Christmas tree) and turned it on.

Pretty much everything worked. The Hexaputer didn't like the new USB keyboard at first (no drivers), but the on screen mouse oriented keyboard fixed that (gotta figure out how to turn that off now), the drivers for all the USB devices and printers appeared to install OK (getting that in top shape remains a todo) and generally, everything just worked.

There was one catch. CPU-Z showed my memory was running at a much lower rate than it should be. This bothered me (maybe it shouldn't have, but it did), so I set about learning how to overclock.

Keep in mind.....I was overclocking computers before some of you were born. Yes, a lot has changed since then, but I used to low level format my hard drives at certain pre-determined interleaves to ensure they gave me the best performance. Trust me, that makes a few reboots and performance tests look like a cake walk. Still, there are things to learn, which, at the end of the day, was part of the reason I embarked on this project in the first place.

Stay tuned for The Care And Feeding of Hexaputers....... :)

In the meantime, here are some photos:

The back side of the case, showing cable routing:



The motherboard, showing the cooler:


Last, but not least the drive bays. Note, in order to use all of these I'm going to need a beefier PSU..... :)