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Re: Zeus
Turns out the MBB was dead...might just have been a bad BIOS chip, maybe not. I might try fixing it later. Either way, I decided this was a good time for an upgrade.
So, the previous components are up for sale (or already sold) in the trading post, and I went and visited Micro Center today. :D
Asus Crossfire IV Formula (for ~50% off! :banana: ), Phenom II x6 1090T, 2x4GB DDR3-2000 Corsair XMS3, Koolance CPU-360 (for $40 off! :banana: )...funny story...the CPU-360 was incorrectly SKU'd as $59.99 HDD..no clue why, and I didn't even notice it until the cashier pointed it out, but they honored it. I love Micro Center. :D
Fired it up tonight to make sure everything works, and it's good so far. I haven't dropped my 260's in yet because of a problem I ran into with the CPU-360.
In general, I am very impressed with the CPU-360. The heat dissipation fin design makes the pins in my old DD waterblock look massive in comparison, the backplate is a sheet of 1/8" nickel-plated steel, with a thick layer of silicon between it and the MBB, and the top plate is 1/4" nickel-plated steel. The whole thing is amazingly solid. ..just one problem...the retention screws.. For some reason, Koolance thought it would be a good idea to use these things:
Basically, the tiny screw portion at the end screws into the backplate, then the rest rises up through the silicon buffer, the MBB, the top plate, and the thumbscrews. Problem is, because the lower threads are so short, a) I can't imagine they provide a very strong interface, and b) they aren't as cleanly cut as the threads on the upper part. As a result of this, it is incredibly difficult to get them to thread into the tapped holes in the backplate...so hard that I ended up getting one stuck, and then snapping it in half trying to get it back out. :eek: So, I got the broken-off portion out of the hole, re-tapped the holes (I think they plated it after tapping the holes, so it felt just a tad off from 6-32), and I'm gonna be picking up some new screws the proper length tomorrow.
..and now it's 4am...damn...soo..
The doorbell works, so now I am going to bed.
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Re: Zeus
that cheap? dang, I'm gonna have to jump on your car next time you go :D
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Re: Zeus
Quote:
Originally Posted by
StormRider
that cheap?
Which one? The 360 was just a fluke. ..and, well, actually the Crosshair was too. It was on open-box clearance for $160 (normally $225), and since I was also buying a qualifying CPU, I got another $40 off.
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Re: Zeus
50% off the mobo. that would be awesome to get:(
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Re: Zeus
I finally got it all assembled and up and running over the weekend, and I gotta say....it is soooo nice to have it back. :D After surviving on my laptop for ~4.5 months (MBB and sound card died on 11/11), it is so nice to a) actually have a nice amount of screen real-estate again, b) be able to game again, and c) not be limited in what I want to do by the capabilities of my system. ..also, I finally cleaned off my desk for the first time since I moved...which is also nice. :P
One thing I noticed is that the temps on my second GTX260 are ~7C higher than on the other one. This didn't make any sense to me, since they both have DD Tieton full-coverage blocks on them, they're both under full load (folding), and the one with lower temps is a 216 model, vs the one with higher temps is a 192 model. But then I remembered..when I was putting the waterblock on the second one, I was out of AS5 and wanted to just get it running as quickly as possible..so I just used whatever thermal paste I had lying around...and then when I later had it dismantled again and had AS5, I forgot to redo it. So, incase anyone still doubted that AS5 does make a difference compared to the generic white stuff, there ya go. ;) Next time I tear down my loop I'll have to remember to replace that paste with AS5.
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Re: Zeus
Glad to hear that 260 is working for ya. Gl with the temps...