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Cosmos II 3960X Sandy Bridge-E Workstation


sonic_agamemnon

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I was thinking this was a production only rig for some reason.

 

Unfortunately, my budget isn't large enough for two well-equipped systems, because it would be great to have strong, dedicated editing/engineering and gaming rigs. This build is a set of compromises, a hybrid system that attempts to handle both work and gaming streams well, but certainly not perfectly.

 

I would love to have an editing rig with dual 8-core Xeons and gobs of memory, using a high-end Quadro adapter with a similar storage plan used in this build. Yet that box would not support a good gaming experience, and it would surely bust an already tight budget.

 

In fact, the old workstation being replaced by this new build has dual Xeon 3.6GHz EM64T CPUs with a Quadro FX 4400 adapter, built in 2005. Yes, I've been riding that horse for seven years without a single upgrade . . . until now. I prefer to build rarely, but as strong as possible when I do build; I then ride it out for as long as possible without further expense . . . until I just can't stand it.

 

I hope this new build can last just as long as the unit it replaces. I think it will, especially if I break my rule and actually spend more to enhance it later on. For example, I do think the Sandy Bridge-E LGA 2011 platform will be around for a while, and I suspect Intel will eventually release an unlocked 8-core CPU at some point. The MSI mainboard has DIMM slots open to double memory capacity to 64GB eventually, and there's plenty of open bus slots for Tri or Quad-Fire, etc.

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What are the system requirements for Premiere Pro CS6 OpenCL processing?

AMD Radeon HD 6750M and AMD Radeon HD 6770M graphics card with 1GB VRAM in MacBook Pro computers running Mac OSX v10.7

This info is promising for you though. Take a look at this article that demonstrates how to manually add support for different Nvidia cards. It might not work for you at the moment, but when Adobe starts adding support for desktop AMD cards in the future you should be able to configure the file so that your 7970s are recognized :thumbsup:

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The stock CoolerMaster case fans are history, except for the 200mm front intake fan. For slightly better performance and less noise, all case fans (except the rear exhaust) will be from Enermax, using pull-through silicon mounts to reduce vibration. The rear exhaust fan is made by Be Quiet! in Germany, their Shadow Wings CPU/PWM controlled model:

 

  • Enermax T.B. Silence 120mm x 25mm "Twister Bearing" 3 Manual Speed Fan (UCTB12A)
  • Be quiet! Shadow Wings 140mm x 25mm PWM rear case fan (BL027)
  • Nexus Silicon Fan Mounts (SFM-1000)

The main storage and power components are isolated in the lower chamber with their own dedicated cooling. The middle drive cage in the main chamber is not needed and is just in the way, disrupting air flow into the case. Therefore, that cage is also going away, pronto.

 

 

 

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Take a look at this article that demonstrates how to manually add support for different Nvidia cards. It might not work for you at the moment, but when Adobe starts adding support for desktop AMD cards in the future you should be able to configure the file so that your 7970s are recognized :thumbsup:

 

Thanks. That blog trick is very sneaky, and it seems to work well for some of the older NVIDIA cards.

 

It appears Adobe ran out of time for the Premiere Pro CS6 release. The only AMD/OpenCL playback support they could add in time was (logically) for their most popular (and loyal) AMD user base: Apple. It always amazes me how many people edit video on their MacBooks, but the higher end laptops from Apple do pack a solid punch. The mobile AMD Radeon HD 6750M and AMD Radeon HD 6770M graphics cards are nothing to sneeze at...

 

I hope it is just a matter of time until support for the desktop AMD cards is added.

 

I also hope Adobe doesn't make CS6 owners upgrade to CS6.5 or CS7 just to gain AMD Mercury Engine playback support in Premiere Pro.

 

That is a whole bunch of hope, too much...

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Nice looking build so far sonic! Is there any way you can return the 7970s and grab the 680(s)? I agree, that is a lot of hoping. I am pretty confident AMD desktop support will occur eventually, but when is anyone's guess.

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It is time to install the stock fan replacement hardware and all of the storage components. I do consider this storage hardware the heart of my editing work stream, and these components represent (by far) the most expensive area of the build. Painful editing experiences have clearly revealed to me that it's nearly impossible to have "too much" storage capacity or memory.

 

The Enermax T.B. Silence and Be Quiet! Shadow Wings fans have been installed, and those silicon mounts were extremely easy to work with. The Cosmos II has plenty of room on top for mounting fans above/outside the main chamber, but there's plenty of clearance inside too; in an effort to minimize noise as much as possible, I decided to mount the top case fans inside the main compartment. However, all top fan cabling was routed above and directly to the front controller, since there's no need to expose all of that cabling on either side of the case.

 

Installing the SSD and disk RAID0 arrays also went quickly and without mishap. The drive caddies in each storage unit operate smoothly, and both units are very easy to remove from the lower storage bay without any tools. The Samsung SSD array will load applications and provide plenty of scratch space for each application, including Adobe Bridge, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Audition, SpeedGrade, Photoshop and Encore. I find myself using most of these applications together in various combinations, depending on the project. When each application's recommended memory and maximum scratch space requirements are summed, this build's 32GB of SDRAM and Samsung 830 1TB RAID0 SSD array don't appear lavish at all. In fact, I seriously thought about doubling down on the SDRAM, but that would have broke the budget and some other important hardware would have been sacrificed.

 

In all, there will be 16.2TB of total formatted storage capacity, 10.2TB internally and 6TB external archival RAID5 storage (Drobo). Both Western Digital RE4 RAID0 data arrays represent the primary data storage area. Having two independent RAID0 data arrays is critical for my editing work, since I have determined through experience that each separate RAID0 set allows clean editing of either two standard-definition (SD) timelines or one HD timeline in an absolutely defect-free fashion, meaning no I/O congestion with resulting stuttering or lost frames when quickly navigating around timelines while moving large chunks of content. By moving all scratch activity to a dedicated RAID0 SSD set and working with two additional RAID0 data sets, I can confidently take on editing projects that require up to four SD or two HD timelines without compromising productivity or quality. I wish I could afford three or four arrays, but my workload simply doesn't justify that level of capacity or expense. I have always had good results with Western Digital's RE4 disks, both in terms of performance and long-term reliability in RAID configurations, so I didn't hesitate to go with their highest capacity model for this build despite the added cost. The 2TB capacity is also another crucial factor when editing multiple projects at the same time. When striped together in a RAID0 array, each 4TB data set supports six large standard-definition projects (around 3 hours of content) or two equivalent HD (1080i) projects.

 

The RAID5 6TB external Drobo array stores infrequently used information and longer-term, near-line compressed project back-ups. I use Norton Ghost to schedule slow, overnight background archives. Eventually, really old projects are compressed and burned onto dual-layer BluRay discs for permanent archiving. Although I have a robotic disc duplicator/printer from Primera for bigger production runs (because most clients still demand CD, DVD or BluRay media in quantity), I added two Pioneer burners in this build to augment my burning capacity for higher-volume media projects, since that is a far cheaper option compared to upgrading or purchasing additional robotic hardware.

 

I didn't include two Western Digital VelociRaptor 600GB disks in this build's part list, mainly because they are being salvaged from my prior workstation. They will be used, however, as relatively fast but temporary/mobile storage via two hot-swap storage bays located in front, below the Pioneer BluRay burners. Occasionally, I need to quickly copy or move a project to another workstation, and these drives are just large enough to handle that sort of transfer work.

 

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How do I describe MSI's outrageously named, outrageously looking "Big Bang-XPower II" mainboard?

 

The over-the-top heat sink design deserves an intergalactic name, and despite its overblown design this board is actually very well thought-out otherwise. Connection points and headers are in the right places. The over-clocking features and numerous SATA ports are wonderful. The board's larger form factor provides good clearance, especially between the seven expansion slots, thus making it an excellent companion for the Cosmos II.

 

Regardless, I freely admit the whole "military class" theme is sort of creepy, campy, nerdy, etc.

 

What can I say?

 

I can only confess being a sucker for Gatling guns!

 

I don't even own a gun, but I have always been fascinated by them in the movies, Clint Eastwood, Predator, etc.

 

 

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The Cosmos II is so cavernous, even Noctua's enormous NH-D14 seems normal in size. Any object placed in this case recedes and appears smaller than it really is.

 

I am especially happy with clearances between the heatpipe towers and the rest of the case, especially the front and rear. Therefore, I decided to add a third BeQuiet! 120mm Shadow Wings PWM fan on the back side of the tower closest to rear exhaust fan. Noctua (located in Austria) quickly processed my request for extra fan mounting hardware, and shipped it Priority Mail, no charge. I am very impressed!

 

Unfortunately, clearances between the towers and the Dominator SDRAM modules was poor, and I was forced to remove the heat sinks on top of each module.

 

The BeQuiet! fans replace the stock Noctua hardware. Essentially, at full-RPM, the Noctua fans are slightly better performers but also slightly louder. I decided to give up a little CFM to gain a little reduction in decibel level. If performance turns out to be an issue, I can always bring back one or both Noctua fans.

 

The Enermax power supply is rather small given its modular design and power rating. Installing the Enermax PSU was a far easier process than I first imagined: remove the rear Cosmos II back-plate, attach it to the power supply, slide it in from the outside, and then attach a very handy security clip. This clip attachment above the power chord adapter is a nice touch, safeguarding inadvertent pulling of the plug.

 

The roomy lower chamber isolates power and storage components from the rest of the case. The hardware should remain cool with three dedicated 120mm intake fans, along with adequate passive exhaust on the other side and rear of the case.

 

Why no liquid cooling? I didn't venture into Waterworld for a few reasons:

 

  • My lack of knowledge dealing with water cooling, especially the custom setups
  • Therefore, a general fear my attempt at plumbing would result in damaging very expensive components
  • Noctua's simpler heatpipe is easier to maintain and offers very good cooling performance
  • No significant performance gain going with all-in-one water cooling solutions from Corsair
  • No real need to over-clock anything at this point, given the hardware's strong stock performance

 

 

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I'm probably making the wrong call, but I've decided to keep the 7970s despite only partial Adobe support for AMD and OpenCL in CS6. I am gambling Adobe will implement OpenCL in a broader selection of AMD cards later this year. However, the sphincter factor on this situation is about 8.5...

 

Two 7970s is probably overkill, especially since I don't game that much, but when I do I prefer high-end rendering quality at 2560 x 1600 whenever possible. I use an old Apple 30" Cinema HD display, and my standard desktop resolution is 2560 x 1600. I selected XFX because I wanted slightly lower noise and better cooling numbers compared to stock hardware. I didn't want to risk installing after-market cooling myself, so I decided to go with XFX and its Double Dissipation and Ghost air cooling approach.

 

When under heavy gaming load, these cards will be the source of significant heat. To help keep them relatively cool, open space provided by the Cosmos II and MSI mainboard are key factors, allowing plenty of clearance for air flow around/between the CrossFireX configuration. Two rear exhaust slots remain open on either side of both video cards. Also, two 120mm fans mounted on the side case door intake cool air directly into the GPU space.

 

This solution is probably the most that can be done without resorting to liquid. Essentially, the entire build is an experiment to determine what kind of performance can be attained with a purely air-cooled configuration.

 

 

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The Cooler Master Cosmos II Achilles heel is the fan controller, which causes many fan models to tick, sometimes with loud clicking noises whenever fan speeds are changed. I'm beginning to think people who simply switched to a third-party controller took the right path. However, I decided to take Cooler Master's free replacement offer, and after a three-week wait an entirely new head/controller assembly arrived.

 

As a back-up measure, I also decided to go with Enermax manual-control case fans, which override and regulate fan speed locally with a small adjustment switch-box. If the Enermax fans misbehave with this Cooler Master controller, the plan is to keep the Cosmos II controller set on high for maximum power, and then manually regulate each fan down based on fan role/location/performance requirements.

 

It is a shame the case's fan controller is so problematic, given its otherwise excellent design. I probably should have just went with an entirely different fan controller...

 

Before totally removing the original Cosmos II head/fan controller assembly, I decided to wire up all eight Enermax TB Silence (manual speed control model UCTB12A) 120mm case fans to determine how the manually controlled hardware performs with the problematic fan controller. Several fan makes/models emit clicking or humming noise as speed adjustments are made with the controller. To my surprise, the Enermax fans worked perfectly with the original fan controller. No issues whatsoever moving from low, medium or high speed settings.

 

I soon realized the replacement fan controller Cooler Master sent me recently may not be necessary, given the good results encountered with the original hardware. However, I decided to proceed with moving to the latest fan controller since it should provide even better fan support, and the fan/led and mainboard cabling is now entirely black and that fits my color preference as well. I was a bit concerned The God of Irony would strike, and I would discover issues with the latest fan controller and the Enermax fans.

 

Thankfully, I can report both the original and new fan controller work extremely well with Enermax TB Silence manual-control fans.

 

 

 

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