Intel s2600cp Dual Xeon 2670 3D / VFX Rendering Node

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jdartnet

Member
Apr 7, 2016
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West New York, NJ
www.jdart.net
Build’s Name: Beast
Operating System/ Storage Platform: Windows 7 Ultimate
CPU: Dual Xeon E5 2670
Motherboard: Intel S2600cp
Chassis: Phanteks Enthoo Pro
Drives: Crucial CT128MX SSD, Seagate ST1000DM003, Seagate ST2000m001
RAM: 128GB (16x8GB) Kingston 2Rx4 PC3L-10600R+
Add-in Cards: NVIDIA Geforce GT640
Power Supply: EVGA 110-B2-0750-VR 80 PLUS Bronze 750W
Other Bits: HL-DT-ST BD/DVDRW

Usage Profile:
Rendering After Effects comps, as well as Blender, Maya, and Vray 3D scenes

Other information…
This was my first build using enterprise grade sever parts, and it was a ton of fun.

Will update more as I have time. This thread serves as a way to keep track of the build and its progress.

Current system photo:
Beast0527.jpg

Still need:
  • USB 3.0 Card
  • Better cable management
  • EPS cable extension (Can't stand that cord in the way!)
 
Last edited:

jdartnet

Member
Apr 7, 2016
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**This has been resolved. Check out post #5 for solution.

For anyone reading this, do you happen to know if this motherboard supports sleep?

In the BIOS there's a section where I could enable s3 as well as s6 states. Assuming this was a way to get it working I enabled both, however, in Windows 7 the sleep option is still grayed out.

Any help to resolve this would be appreciated.
 
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jdartnet

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Apr 7, 2016
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Thank you, @marv !
Upon further inspection, it seems that it's the second to latest BIOS version that has s3. Not knowing, I installed the very latest and it doesn't work on my board. I will update it and share my findings here.
 

jdartnet

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Apr 7, 2016
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New updates and things learned along the way:

  • Sleep is prevented by the presence of the built in video.
    • As far as I can tell, the only way around this is to install a video card in order to disable the on board video.
    • To complicate things further, the only way to disable the onboard video (with a video card installed) was to install the video card in the lower PCIe 16x slot. Check out the photo below to see what I mean.
    • PCIe-video-sleep.jpg
  • BIOS Recovery is a life saver
    • In trying to fix my S3 sleep issues (before I knew the previous point was a way to fix it) I was looking to downgrade my BIOS to the previous version, the one from June 2015.
    • However, in attempting to do so, I botched the current BIOS to the point where it was unbootable
    • In my hurry, I misread the manual and mixed the clear CMOS jumper for the recovery jumper. Thanks to the post below, I was able to recover the BIOS and be on my way.
    • To help anyone else who may make the same mistake I did, I labeled a photo with both BIOS jumpers.
      • CMOS = clears settings in curent BIOS
      • Recovery = In case current BIOS is corrupt and system does not boot.
    • biosRec.jpg
 
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heanwi

New Member
Apr 16, 2016
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Have you done any modifications to the bios for chassis fan speed? I have the same setup and my chassis fan are a tad bit too loud. Seems to be running at full speed.
 

jdartnet

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Apr 7, 2016
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Have you done any modifications to the bios for chassis fan speed? I have the same setup and my chassis fan are a tad bit too loud. Seems to be running at full speed.
Yes, I'll explain. There are two places that need to be set properly for quiet fans. BIOS, and FRU.

First, make sure that in your BIOS > Advanced > System Acoustic and Performance Configuration "Set Fan Profile" is set to acoustic. If there's no difference after this is set and saved, you need to also update your FRU configuration listed below:
  • From what I understand, the FRU information is used to establish that certain fans are plugged in, so that the motherboard knows what to monitor.
  • Take note of the fan headers used in your case ( CPU1, CPU2, SYS1, SYS2, etc)
    • This precise information is needed for the FRU update to be successful.
    • In my setup, I used SYS1 & SYS2, as well as both CPU fan headers. I only have 2 case fans, and SYS1 and SYS2 just seemed easier to remember.
  • Once you have this information, start by downloading the Intel Server Board Firmware Update Package for EFI, link is below:
  • Unzip contents of download to a blank usb drive
  • With usb drive plugged in, boot into EFI shell
  • Automatically, it will run "Startup.nsh"
    • This will update BIOS, Firmware, ME, and FRU
  • When it gets to the FRU section, select to update both FRU and SDR.
    • It will start asking your which fans you are currently using.
    • Answer these questions accurately using (Y)es or (N)o
    • If all goes well, you should see a successful notice and immediately the fans will spin down to a much lower speed.
  • It took a few tries on my end to get it right, mostly because I was nervous and would answer incorrectly. It's key that what's physically installed match what your answers are. Last, remember that if your fan configuration changes, you'll need to update the FRU again.
 

tanders12

Member
Apr 27, 2016
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Hey @jdartnet. Great build and thanks for sharing everything you're learning. I'm looking to get one of the Natex systems and the same Phantex case. Question: what coolers are you using and do you know if Cooler master 212 evos would work on the s2600cp?
 

tanders12

Member
Apr 27, 2016
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Hey, @tanders12 , as a matter of fact that's exactly what I'm using.

Idle temps on this system with these coolers is around 38-40c, which is awesome.
Fantastic. Overall, how has your experience been? I've been wanting to do a new desktop build for a while and the 2670 situation seems like a perfect excuse. I would love to have 32 cores and a ton of RAM available for programming and data processing (I do bioinformatics). Eventually I'll add a decent video card and get into some VR/AR development. But I'm a little concerned about buying hardware that's already 4 years old. If the mobo burns out in 2 or 3 years I might not be able to find another one. Thoughts?
 

heanwi

New Member
Apr 16, 2016
3
1
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33
Yes, I'll explain. There are two places that need to be set properly for quiet fans. BIOS, and FRU.

First, make sure that in your BIOS > Advanced > System Acoustic and Performance Configuration "Set Fan Profile" is set to acoustic. If there's no difference after this is set and saved, you need to also update your FRU configuration listed below:
  • From what I understand, the FRU information is used to establish that certain fans are plugged in, so that the motherboard knows what to monitor.
  • Take note of the fan headers used in your case ( CPU1, CPU2, SYS1, SYS2, etc)
    • This precise information is needed for the FRU update to be successful.
    • In my setup, I used SYS1 & SYS2, as well as both CPU fan headers. I only have 2 case fans, and SYS1 and SYS2 just seemed easier to remember.
  • Once you have this information, start by downloading the Intel Server Board Firmware Update Package for EFI, link is below:
  • Unzip contents of download to a blank usb drive
  • With usb drive plugged in, boot into EFI shell
  • Automatically, it will run "Startup.nsh"
    • This will update BIOS, Firmware, ME, and FRU
  • When it gets to the FRU section, select to update both FRU and SDR.
    • It will start asking your which fans you are currently using.
    • Answer these questions accurately using (Y)es or (N)o
    • If all goes well, you should see a successful notice and immediately the fans will spin down to a much lower speed.
  • It took a few tries on my end to get it right, mostly because I was nervous and would answer incorrectly. It's key that what's physically installed match what your answers are. Last, remember that if your fan configuration changes, you'll need to update the FRU again.
For the remaining options, after SYS Fan and CPU Fan options, such chassis info and a bunch of others, did you you select (N)o? What do you use for ramp up speed (1 slow, 2 medium ,3 fast)?
I just tried it and it had no effect on the chassis fans.
 

jdartnet

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Apr 7, 2016
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Fantastic. Overall, how has your experience been? I've been wanting to do a new desktop build for a while and the 2670 situation seems like a perfect excuse. I would love to have 32 cores and a ton of RAM available for programming and data processing (I do bioinformatics). Eventually I'll add a decent video card and get into some VR/AR development. But I'm a little concerned about buying hardware that's already 4 years old. If the mobo burns out in 2 or 3 years I might not be able to find another one. Thoughts?
Overall, I'm blown away to have an opportunity to build this system, at this price. Just a couple of months ago, I shopped around to build it on my own, and brand new it would cost me well over $4k. The current setup cost no more than $800.

Certainly, this project isn't for everyone. A good few on this forum are tinkerers and people in fields that would benefit a system such as this. If your budget allows it, go for it. Even if it's hardware that's a few years old, it's far from obsolete and very high quality, and even if it gives out after 2-3 years, it's quite a bang for the buck at the price paid. Most cell phones don't last this long :/
 

jdartnet

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Apr 7, 2016
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West New York, NJ
www.jdart.net
For the remaining options, after SYS Fan and CPU Fan options, such chassis info and a bunch of others, did you you select (N)o? What do you use for ramp up speed (1 slow, 2 medium ,3 fast)?
I just tried it and it had no effect on the chassis fans.
For the remaining options, I just put No. For ramp speed, I put it on slow, although I am considering redoing it and setting it to medium, since I noticed on my system it gets close to 80c before fans really kick in. I discovered this while using Prime95 to stress the system.
 

rubylaser

Active Member
Jan 4, 2013
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Michigan, USA
Nice build. I would just do two things that are eyesores for me. One, run your back CPUs 4-pin power behind the motherboard and down from the top of the case (probably would require an extension to reach), and that blue SATA cable running over the ram is not the best either. I'd just get a longer black one that you could hide behind the wall like the others. But, if appearances don't bother you, I'm sure this system works great. Congrats on the build!

P.S. I'm not one to talk as my two 2011 builds still aren't the best cable management jobs either :)
 
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jdartnet

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Apr 7, 2016
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West New York, NJ
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Nice build. I would just do two things that are eyesores for me. One, run your back CPUs 4-pin power behind the motherboard and down from the top of the case (probably would require an extension to reach), and that blue SATA cable running over the ram is not the best either. I'd just get a longer black one that you could hide behind the wall like the others. But, if appearances don't bother you, I'm sure this system works great. Congrats on the build!

P.S. I'm not one to talk as my two 2011 builds still aren't the best cable management jobs either :)
You're right on the money there. Those items are on my to-do list. In my excitement to post progress and share what I've learned, I posted a work-in-progress photo. Those two cables are eyesores!
 

RyC

Active Member
Oct 17, 2013
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It would definitely not fit the top x16 slot, but it's x8 electrically anyway, so you're not losing anything putting it in the other open ended x8 slots. I think it should fit, I have a 7870 in the bottom x8 slot now and it fits fine.