High Performance Processing Rig

Issues with C1 vs V2

So i clicked on your build and it shows an incompatibility between the case and motherboard. Simple fix: switch out the 750D for an Enthoo pro or an Enthoo luxe and you're all set (also saving some money). There are ways of obtaining a windows key for cheap (though Tek Syndicate does not endorse/encourage this or whatever, I'm sure there's members here who would be happy to help with this on the down low, again not encouraging/endorsing just a thought you might want to keep in mind), like $30/$40. Unless of course you run linux.

I believe the only issue with the case is the USB 3.0 ports on the front of the case, which I'm not that phased about. The case looks awesome so I think I'll go for that.

@KenPC could you elaborate abit, I'd like to start hunting for some cheap processors and I'm abit confused.

The issue with the 750D is that it doesn't support SSI EEB motherboards like the one you have selected (at least not officially). If you find that it actually does then you should be fine, but from what I've seen it's not supported.

I've had a look about and apparently it fits so ima go for it.

the C1 version (V1) has a broken VT-d extension. So it won't matter unless you planned on running VM's with PCI-e/GPU passthrough.

If you want VT-d, get V2

It fits physically since it's the same size as an E-ATX motherboard, but from what I've read SSI EEB uses different mounting holes so if you're not comfortable with drilling some new holes for the standoffs then it won't fit.

Yeah not running any VMs, ah cool Ill just drill holes then!

Well if you really wanted to go nutso you could call IBM about a POWER8 system.

Into the GPU?

Is it alright to use any RAM with the xeons, I saw a something about ECC memory? I want to use the PC for gaming also so would it/is it ok to use normal ram?

it doesn't really matter what ram you use. ECC ram will last longer but has lower clock speeds and won't crash or brick some system builds, but it's your choice for what ram you want to use for your capture rig/ gaming rig

I think im gonna go for normal ram, I've had a good look into why you would use ECC and apparently this only prevents maybe 1 crash a month, which I'm not particularly concerned about.

Ty again

If you could give us more information about that you are trying to do I might be able to help more with the processor/ram choices.

It sounds like you are just recording straight from a capture card and if that is your goal you do not need monster CPUs and you would be much better off spending the money on HDDs that could handle your throughput. If you are planning on re encoding/up sampling/editing these files then the CPU would be important as well as a graphics card solution for the programs you plan to use.

not just from one source capture card, he's looking for something that can handle up to 5 at once. hense the e5-2670 build

Lots of capture cards have hardware encoders on them. They dont use much CPU at all to capture video. You dont need a dual xeon for this kind of workload that is why I am trying to get more details about the intent of the setup. If you are interested in PCI lanes there are other setups that will provide lots of PCI lanes at a much better price point.

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This system is for my business, where I need to be able to capture using several capture cards at once. I am aware that this may seem overkill, however I could potentially need to capture up to 10 sources at once, so this will be future proof for my needs.

I also require the processing power for the rendering of the video files, this will be good because theres plenty of room for more RAM if I need to add it, but I will start at 32 and work my way up.

And of course, this will provide plenty of processing power for my gaming habits :)

Update: thinking of getting a 970 gtx off ebay, they seem to be going for about 180 which seems a steal for the power!

Update: I am struggling to get hold of the ASRock EP2C602-4L/D16 Motherboard here in England. Any other recommendations for motherboards? The ASUS alternatives seem to be a fair bit more in dollah!

Cheers

EDIT: what about something like this?

Although it doesnt have that many PCI-e 16 slots, which would be desirable.

I'm about to build such a system for video conversion and stuff. Will let you know how it works out.

OK, I just put it together and memtest is doing it's thing now. After that I wanna look what handbrake can do with those cores. I managed to fit an Asrock EP2C602 into a Corsair Carbide 400Q. The board covers the inside of this little tower pretty much completely. But it seems to be fine. Might gonna take some pictures if someone is interested.

[EDIT]

OK, here it is:

And another small update:

Cinebench is running around 2000 points as expected.
Handbrake with x265 is utilizing all cores, all threads, running at 3GHz.

I got what I wanted.

To complete the story, specs:

CPUs: 2 x Intel Xeon E5 2670
CPU-cooling: 2 x Noctua NH-U9S with ICDiamond paste
Mainboard: Asrock Rack EP2C602 (with ipmi, thanks Wendell :D )
RAM: 8 x 8GB Samsung DDR3 1333 ECC RDIMM
Storage: Crucial BX200 240GB SATAIII SSD
Network: Intel X540-T2 10GBit
PSU: Silverstone NJ520 (80+plat.)
Case: Corsair Carbide 400Q
Fans: 3 x NF-F 12 PWM (back & top) ; 1 x NF-A14 PWM (front)

Temps are around 35° to 40°C when idling and between 60° and 70°C under full load.
Power draw is around 330W when maxing out every core.


Just an edit to make the images appear again.

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