Last year I decided to try one of the "massively multicore" builds using am ASRock Rack EP2C602-4L/D16 motherboard and a couple of E5-2670 processors. Stuck in 32gb of ECC RAM, GTX 970 video, some kind of mid-range audio card (no pun intended) and a USB expansion card. Used an EVGA 850 B2 (or something like that) Supernova in a big Corsair Obesity 750D case. Used a 250gb Samsung 850 SSD as the system drive and another identical drive as the primary work file drive. Also a 1gb and 2gb spinners for longer term storage. Used a couple of big Supermicro CPU HSFs to keep the CPUs cooled. A handful of low speed case fans to push air around inside the case.
(My previous system was based on an AMD FX-8350. It would bog down under load and run warm even with a large Zalman copper cooler.)
Tried a few operating systems, liked one of the Linux Mint distos, but finally decided to use Windows 7 Ult because I had a few licenses laying around and needed the full compatibility of MS Office software.
Since the final build around a year ago, the system has been generally stable with a minor exception or two. No obvious software issues.
I've never seen more than 20% total CPU usage. CPU temps are cool never exceeding 60C, idle at 30C to 40C. Mem temp doesn't seem to exceed 50C.
The system is fast. Very fast. CPUs barely break a sweat. No real hesitation for app load and hesitation. No load seems to create a slowdown. On the contrary, I don't use a combination of applications that have created enough load to impact performance.
I do have a bit of an issue with the keyboard and mouse losing contact with the system. They just kinda time out for a few seconds as if the USB driver crashed as reloaded. Sometimes it can take 10 - 15 seconds to recover. It is an inconvenience. But it doesn't seem to occur often when I'm using the keyboard a lot. Rarely, but occasionally happens when I'm editing documents. So when it's in fairly continuous use, no real issues. Web browsing is another matter. Also no problem with MS Flight Sim X. Haven't really looked for a solution. Maybe a different keyboard driver would help. (I use a backlit AULA gaming keyboard for improved visability.)
AND
There seems to be a cold start with the system related to fan control. It may take a couple of cold starts to get the fans operating at low speeds. On some boots, the fans start and continue at high speeds even after the full boot is complete. IPMI shows cool CPU, system and memory, but the fans sound like an Air Force Base flight line. Once the system boots with the fans operating more normally, the system is quiet unless the load drives up temps a few degrees. I have tested some motherboard BIOS settings without any luck correcting the issue.
Neither of these items is a showstopper. More like an inconvenience.
In conclusion, I'm very satisfied with the system. After a year, I find myself not wanting better performance or setup. System is pretty much up 24x7 (mostly due to the cold-start fan issue). I may replace the primary system drive SSD to avoid problems from read writes even though I have disabled the pagefile.
Thanks to the members of this forum for steering me in the right direction and providing support during the build of this system.
(My previous system was based on an AMD FX-8350. It would bog down under load and run warm even with a large Zalman copper cooler.)
Tried a few operating systems, liked one of the Linux Mint distos, but finally decided to use Windows 7 Ult because I had a few licenses laying around and needed the full compatibility of MS Office software.
Since the final build around a year ago, the system has been generally stable with a minor exception or two. No obvious software issues.
I've never seen more than 20% total CPU usage. CPU temps are cool never exceeding 60C, idle at 30C to 40C. Mem temp doesn't seem to exceed 50C.
The system is fast. Very fast. CPUs barely break a sweat. No real hesitation for app load and hesitation. No load seems to create a slowdown. On the contrary, I don't use a combination of applications that have created enough load to impact performance.
I do have a bit of an issue with the keyboard and mouse losing contact with the system. They just kinda time out for a few seconds as if the USB driver crashed as reloaded. Sometimes it can take 10 - 15 seconds to recover. It is an inconvenience. But it doesn't seem to occur often when I'm using the keyboard a lot. Rarely, but occasionally happens when I'm editing documents. So when it's in fairly continuous use, no real issues. Web browsing is another matter. Also no problem with MS Flight Sim X. Haven't really looked for a solution. Maybe a different keyboard driver would help. (I use a backlit AULA gaming keyboard for improved visability.)
AND
There seems to be a cold start with the system related to fan control. It may take a couple of cold starts to get the fans operating at low speeds. On some boots, the fans start and continue at high speeds even after the full boot is complete. IPMI shows cool CPU, system and memory, but the fans sound like an Air Force Base flight line. Once the system boots with the fans operating more normally, the system is quiet unless the load drives up temps a few degrees. I have tested some motherboard BIOS settings without any luck correcting the issue.
Neither of these items is a showstopper. More like an inconvenience.
In conclusion, I'm very satisfied with the system. After a year, I find myself not wanting better performance or setup. System is pretty much up 24x7 (mostly due to the cold-start fan issue). I may replace the primary system drive SSD to avoid problems from read writes even though I have disabled the pagefile.
Thanks to the members of this forum for steering me in the right direction and providing support during the build of this system.
