Operation: Tune-Up PC and Server for 2017

[Kursah]

Hey folks,

Getting an early start on this so I can state my plan as things stand. I am doing a couple of upgrades, changes to my main PC primarily and also my server since I'll have the stuff to get both systems done at the same time.

If you want the TL;DR, it's simply that I'm going to delid my CPU's, see if I can push the gaming rig OC up any further, server undervolting. Install new RAM in gaming PC, possibly OC it or undervolt.

I am using CLU for the TIM, just showed up. Have some other supplies and parts on-order, and due to recent winter weather are delayed a bit. Hoping to start this next weekend, around Jan 13th.

Let me break things down.

Main PC - Gaming Rig

Spoiler: Main PC Upgrades/Goals

System Specs Before:

• Intel i7 4790K -> Noctua U14S w/Dual Fans & NT-H1 TIM
• Asus Z87-Pro
• 4x4GB Crucial Ballistix DDR3 1866
• MSI GTX 980Ti 6G LE
• Samsung EVO850 250GB + 960GB Crucial
• EVGA 750G2 PSU
• Corsair 600C Case -> Fan Speed on Lowest Setting

System Specs After:

• Intel i7 4790K Delidded with CLU, lid glued back on with Permatex. -> Noctua U14S w/Dual Fans & HT-H1 TIM
• Asus Z87-Pro
• 2x8GB Corsair Dominator DDR3 2400
• MSI GTX 980Ti 6G LE
• Samsung 850EVO 250GB + 960GB Crucial
• EVGA 750G2 PSU
• Corsair 600C Case -> Fan Speed on Lowest Setting

CPU

• Delid 4790k and apply Coolaboratory Liquid Ultra between die and IHS.
  • Hope to reseat the IHS with a thin layer of RTV to make this a long-term/permanent solution.
• I will be using Noctua NT-H1 or AC MX-4 between IHS and my Noctua cooler.
• Overclock is currently 4.8GHz @ 1.26v under air (Noctua U14S, dual-fan/single tower).
  • Overclock goal is 4.9-5.0GHz on air.
  • Other goal is 4.8GHz at lower voltage and temps.

RAM

• Currently: 4X4GB Crucial DDR3 1866 CL10 1.50v, OC-d to 2133 @1.55v, bootable to 2400 @1.65v.
• Upgrade: 2*8GB Corsair Dominator Pro 2400 CL12 1.65v.
• First goal is to undervolt the RAM at 2400 XMP profile settings/timings.
  • I have read others have been able to get down into the low 1.5x's at that speed. This would reduce wattage consumption and heat output, while gaining performance against the older Corsairs using 4 DIMMS for less speed.
• Second goal is to overclock the RAM and see how close to 2800 I can get.
  • Some even claim 3000, but I'm not pushing my luck..I want long-term stability.

Other things accomplished:

• Reseated cooler on MSI GTX980Ti 6G LE.
  • Dropped temps around 2-5C, depending on situation. Fan speed profile stayed the same (custom Afterburner profile). GPU running stock clocks and turbo...for now...
• Added 2nd fan to Noctua U14S cooler. It brought temps down by 1-3C in the current configuration.
  • I'm debating testing the difference after the delid/relid process to see if the difference is worth the extra fan or if I should make it the rear exhaust fan instead, replacing the stock case fan.
• Replaced first-gen Corsair HX750 PSU with an EVGA 750G2.
  • The Corsair has been excellent, never faltering and is now powering my son's gaming PC (in sig), the 750G2 is pretty solid though, more-so in readouts than the Corsair unit. Though some more ripple at that age is expected.

Spoiler: CPU-Z

CPU-Z

These results haven't changed before or after at this point, so I am including them in the before section. These are purely to prove what clocks and voltages I'm running at with CPU-z validation.

CPU @ STOCK (4400MHz) and Undervolted -0.060v

Validation Link - http://valid.x86.fr/rda16t

CPU OC @ 4800MHz, Undervolted -0.60v Non-Turbo with Turbo voltage at 1.261v

Validtation Link - http://valid.x86.fr/rwvaba

Spoiler: AIDA Memory Bandwidth - DDR3 1866 & @2133, then 2400

AIDA Memory Benchmark

I used this as a simple guideline. I ran the test 3 times in a row and uploaded the best result. If folks want I can upload all 3, but in reality they're all quite close so for now the best result shall suffice.


CPU Stock (4400), MEM @ 1866 CL9

CPU OC (4800), MEM OC @ 2133 CL10

CPU Delidded + OC (4800), NEW MEM @ 2400 CL11

Spoiler: OCCT Results

OCCT CPU:LINPACK Stress Test

This is one of my go-to stress and stability tests before I'll resort to games or work-specific software for stability testing. For this situation I have decided to utilize mostly default settings. 1-hour test, 90% RAM.

I also checked the box to Use all Logical Cores. OCCT's sensor readings aren't the most accurate, and I was messing with them a little bit (what it showed and what the labels said) after I did the de-lid process. I have also taken off the 85C CPU thermal test limit since Haswell and Devils Canyon can run up to 100C before throttling.

CPU Stock (4400), MEM @ 1866 CL9

CPU OC (4800), MEM OC @ 2133 CL10

CPU Delidded + OC (4800), NEW MEM @ 2400 CL11

Spoiler: Asus RealBench

Asus ROG RealBench

I have really come to like this test suite, since it uses AVX, CPU testing, GPU testing, encoding, etc. Plus it is relatively fast to get through if you decide to benchmark, or you can have it run a stress test for hours.

For this situation, I have opted to run 5 loops of the stress test, and I took the System score and averaged it, but provided all the separate results.

CPU Stock (4400), MEM @ 1866 CL9

Average = 128,252.6

----------------------------

Tue Jan 10 2017
22:27:24


Image Editing: 179876
Time: 28.286

Encoding: 165905
Time: 57.792

OpenCL: 86908
KSamples/sec: 2243

Heavy Multitasking: 169473
Time: 57.708


System Score: 133158



----------------------------

Tue Jan 10 2017
23:13:45


Image Editing: 166443
Time: 30.569

Encoding: 151080
Time: 63.463

OpenCL: 86908
KSamples/sec: 2234

Heavy Multitasking: 157910
Time: 61.934


System Score: 123203



----------------------------

Tue Jan 10 2017
23:18:24


Image Editing: 187292
Time: 27.166

Encoding: 152023
Time: 63.069

OpenCL: 86908
KSamples/sec: 2232

Heavy Multitasking: 158388
Time: 61.747


System Score: 128771



----------------------------

Tue Jan 10 2017
23:23:05


Image Editing: 187017
Time: 27.206

Encoding: 149793
Time: 64.008

OpenCL: 86908
KSamples/sec: 2231

Heavy Multitasking: 157244
Time: 62.196


System Score: 127858



----------------------------

Tue Jan 10 2017
23:27:45


Image Editing: 187811
Time: 27.091

Encoding: 150470
Time: 63.72

OpenCL: 86908
KSamples/sec: 2232

Heavy Multitasking: 157432
Time: 62.122


System Score: 128273



----------------------------



CPU OC (4800), MEM OC @ 2133 CL10

Average = DID NOT FINISH

-----------------------------

Apparently, even though all other tests were stable. RealBench would fail to finish with this configuration. Leaving CPU OC, MEM OC as disqualified for this test. Sorry folks!

CPU Delidded + OC (4800), NEW MEM @ 2400 CL11

Average = 135,430.4

----------------------------

Sun Jan 15 2017
13:03:08


Image Editing: 174115
Time: 29.222

Encoding: 164338
Time: 58.343

OpenCL: 86908
KSamples/sec: 2241

Heavy Multitasking: 168684
Time: 57.978


System Score: 131129



----------------------------

Sun Jan 15 2017
13:07:38


Image Editing: 197784
Time: 25.725

Encoding: 162695
Time: 58.932

OpenCL: 86908
KSamples/sec: 2238

Heavy Multitasking: 168495
Time: 58.043


System Score: 136588



----------------------------

Sun Jan 15 2017
13:12:08


Image Editing: 197109
Time: 25.813

Encoding: 163623
Time: 58.598

OpenCL: 86908
KSamples/sec: 2237

Heavy Multitasking: 168792
Time: 57.941


System Score: 136726



----------------------------

Sun Jan 15 2017
13:16:38


Image Editing: 196334
Time: 25.915

Encoding: 163277
Time: 58.722

OpenCL: 86908
KSamples/sec: 2238

Heavy Multitasking: 167005
Time: 58.561


System Score: 135999



----------------------------

Sun Jan 15 2017
13:21:08


Image Editing: 197354
Time: 25.781

Encoding: 162690
Time: 58.934

OpenCL: 86908
KSamples/sec: 2236

Heavy Multitasking: 169415
Time: 57.728


System Score: 136710



----------------------------

Spoiler: HWInfo Results

These results were gained from running all tests and validation passes. I only took an initial screenshot of the top section where the CPU and main board information is displayed.

CPU Stock (4400), MEM @ 1866 CL9

CPU OC (4800), MEM OC @ 2133 CL10

CPU Delidded + OC (4800), NEW MEM @ 2400 CL11

Server

Spoiler: Server Upgrade

CPU

• Delid/relid 4790k, this one is a so-so sample...never really OC'd well but did respond decently to mild undervolting for stock speeds that were stable.
  • Will be the same CLU process as the gaming PC.
  • Will be using either Noctua NH-T1 or AC MX-4 TIM between IHS and the air cooler, which in this case is a stock Cooler Master 212EVO with a single 120MM fan.
• Main goal is to reduce power consumption and temps, don't plan to OC this CPU, and if I do will be in my main PC.
  • Going to undervolt again, was previously removed due to a board stability issue and never returned to settings...uptime and stock volts won out. Too many services provided to take it down for very long in my household...at least until I'm replicating the VM's.

Spoiler: CPU-Z

Coming soon!

Spoiler: AIDA Memory Bandwidth - DDR3 1600

Coming soon!

This section is done more to just have a record of what my home server setup is capable of in a stock state. Not planning to make any tweaks or performance-based changes that may risk stability for the operating environment.

Spoiler: OCCT and HWINFO

Coming soon!

Spoiler: HWInfo Results

Coming soon!

Spoiler: Asus RealBench

Coming soon!

I'm looking forward to keeping this system going. The original build happened in June 2013 and has progressed some since then. 4770K sold and 4790K purchased, 2*4GB DDR3 2133 G.Skill Sniper CL11 semi-retired (now back in action in son's PC) for 4*4GB Crucial Ballistix DDR3 1866 CL10. And the changes detailed above.

So far this 4th gen build has been pretty damn solid from day 1, even with the early quirks, I'm still very happy with this PC. The performance is great and really as of the start of this thread...running 4.8GHz on air is pretty damn good if I say so myself for a Haswell/Devil's Canyon. But I want to see if I can get any more OC-wise or cooling-wise out of it.

I hope to document some before and after, maybe even some pictures...we shall see. I am running some tests now for the before documentation. Looking forward to this!

 

[t_ski]

What is the purpose of the server? I see you mentioned VMs...

 

[Kursah]

What is the purpose of the server? I see you mentioned VMs...

Sorry for the delayed response. The server has a few tasks for home and lab testing. I run 2012 R2 on it, with Hyper-V to run my VM's. I have anywhere from 8-12 running at any given time on it. Several other server VM's in 2012 R2 or Debian. I run a local domain so I can mess around with policies, ACL's, replication, GPO's, etc. File server, print server, Google Cloud Print server, Plex server, Teamspeak 3 server. MineOS Server (Debian-based iirc) that runs 4 Minecraft servers of various versions, modded and unmodded. I have several Windows and Linux desktop OS VM's for lab work and testing. A virtual PFSense router for more lab stuff. I'm sure I'm forgetting something...but you get the point...I do all sorts of shit with it.

It's been a great build, very stable and fast, especially when I brought the SSD for the core OS into the picture...wish I could afford more SSD storage. Currently, my disk IO can get floored if I have everything too busy at once...for a budget at home solution, it works great though...I can't complain. Has been very useful on the lab-side as well, for certs and work.

I have delidded my main rig CPU, and have some results I'm preparing. Haven't gotten the server CPU delidded, but did get some before results. Will post some info up soon. So far I'm happy with the results.

 

[t_ski]

Thanks. I asked because I would usually just go with a lower TDP proc if trying to keep power and heat down, but that doesn't help you much if you're hosting VMs. The delid goal was weird to me for a sever

Have you looked any into low-end Xeon chips for your server?

 

[Kursah]

Thanks. I asked because I would usually just go with a lower TDP proc if trying to keep power and heat down, but that doesn't help you much if you're hosting VMs. The delid goal was weird to me for a sever

Have you looked any into low-end Xeon chips for your server?

It's pretty much a gaming build sans a video card, with a RAID card in its place. Simply take the RAID card out, slap a graphics card in, and I've got a gamer ready to go...and I'm kinda keeping it that way for now.

Ironically I got everything super budget style... CPU was $180 because it ran hot, MB was $50 without accessories, RAM I got for a steal a few months ago... I got the RAID setup (card, BBU for card, drives and drive cage) for around $100. The case was $50 shipped with fans. I had the PSU from a $30 Best Buy sale. For me it has been tough to justify trying to shell out the cash to replace the consumer parts with server gear just because I don't have the budget now to do it...I chose to buy myself a nice laptop for when I'm on the road instead.

The adjustments I made to the server keep it below 100W power consumption actually, so I can't complain. Then my networking gear consumes another 50W or so. Really not too shabby...my main rig idles at around 70W without VM's.

I have considered a Xeon, but then I have this 4790K sitting around doing nothing...I figure I'll keep this rig as-is, and eventually replace it with a real server in the future.

So some adjustments I made to the Haswell on both my rigs that made the biggest power consumption differences were A. Undervolting and B. CPU Cache Mangement. So with Haswell, you get to control cache voltage and multipliers. By default, the 4790 runs the cache at 40X (4GHz), min and max. I set mine to do 8X and 40X. That cut around 10-15W off if idle and low-usage consumption as measured by my UPS.

Undervolting saved a couple of watts, really helps on the top-end.

The heat issue is because it has a bad die-to-IHS contact...so while in most situations my CPU stays below 50C, OCCT testing takes it above 80C and heavy stressing from VM CPU load can take it up into the 70s if they're going while backups are churning away, etc.

Nothing too worrying as that CPU doesn't even throttle till 100C, it's more something I want to do to see what I can get out of the CPU rather than for a functional purpose. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the server as it runs now. Excellent uptimes, has been very reliable and stable, and really for home/home lab use, its performance and power consumption are great...and it's quiet as hell. Someday it'll be re-purposed...but for now I can't afford to really do much else as if I do decide to I want a better combo that will consume more power, have more threads, RAM, better RAID with SAS drives, etc. So I'm just making work for myself and gonna see what the best is I can get out of it.

 

[peche]

im glad you decided delid your CPU, i no see reason for glue back ihs, since its a server and you aren't taking parts apart frequently,
mine has been running delidded so long ... without pasting back ihs...

 

[Kursah]

im glad you decided delid your CPU, i no see reason for glue back ihs, since its a server and you aren't taking parts apart frequently,
mine has been running delidded so long ... without pasting back ihs...

Ya I see the logic there. But I want it to be setup like an OEM chip and not worry about the TIM cracking/separating and failing. Also when I take the CPU out of the socket (if I ever do), I don't want to have to re-apply TIM if I don't happen to have some CLU on-hand. I planned to make these mods long-term and OEM-like at the end, so far with my main PC's CPU I have achieved that.

A super thin layer of permatex did the trick on my main PC's CPU when I delidded last weekend without issues, I have experience with that stuff as an automotive mechanic for 10 years before becoming a network sysadmin. So spreading it thin and consistent is easy for me.

 

[Kursah]

Added a lot of stuff to the OP for the main PC upgrades I have performed for results. Hopefully some folks out there will find them useful!

I will be happy to have a place online I can point to what difference were made by which changes and upgrades. Hopefully these little tweaks will keep me going for another few years at this rate too.

Now onto the server stuff...to find a time to take it down when the kids or wife aren't using one of its services...now there is the challenge.