It snowed!

It was love at first sight....

More Tuesday ;)

Waterblocks!

On Tuesday I should get the 2 waterblocks (EK) for the 7970s.

Wish me luck.

I also learnt that, if you install a waterblock on a 7970, you can get a replacement bracket that changes the card to a single-slot space, rather than two slots. This has the crucial benefit of freeing up the PCIe 1x slot right underneath one of the cards, something I desperately need.

More about that later ;)

A word about intel Smart Response Technology

As you know, the new PC is based on the SandyBridge Z68 which can benefit from intel's Smart Response Technology (SRT).

SRT lets you use an SSD drive (up to 64gb) to boost the speed of a platter drive significantly. Essentially, intel's SATA controller uses the SSD as a cache for the HDD, and hence most frequently accessed files are sped up significantly.

A common misconception about SRT is that you can only use to to boost your boot drive, ie you have to install Windows on an HDD to benefit. THAT IS FALSE. You can have windows installed on another SSD and use a separate SSD to boost an HDD of your choice.

As an example, my system has an OCX Vertex LE as the Windows drive, and an intel 311 SSD to boost a 1TB SpinPoint that has my games installed on it.

SRT offers two modes: "maximised" and "enhanced". Think of it as RAID 0 and RAID 10. Maximised (RAID 0) offers faster reads AND writes, but comes at the risk of losing data. If you set up a maximised SRT boost, the controller will sync the SSD with the HDD at set intervals. If anything happens between a write to the SSD and then (for example you crash) then you lose that data.

"enhanced" mode is more secure. Data is read from the SSD and written back to the HDD in real time. This means that, compared to maximised mode, write times are much slower. Read times are the same.

Initially I had SRT set up as "maximised", mainly because that was what all the reviews had used. Due to system instability recently (as you've read :P) I crashed quite a bit, and funnily enough lost quite a bit of data! I had downloaded ChopLifter HD from steam for example, only to find that the game had disappeared and was found much later on in an archaic "FOUND000.CHK" folder. Similarly, Steam had lost some files causing it to refuse to log in.

I've now set it up as "enhanced", and as I'm boosting a games drive, ie I don't need fast writes but fast reads, then things have been fine since then. If you crash, you don't have that extra risk of losing uncached data.

I guess if you want to use SRT to boost a drive that you use for massive writes (example video/audio/photo editing) then maximised mode makes the biggest difference, but with the risks above.

If, like me, you want to speed up your gaming system, then make sure you set SRT to "enhanced". The last thing you'd want is to lose gamesaves, or your rank in Battlefield 3 :D

Finally, it's worth mentioning that you can defrag an SRT-boosted volume. As you know, SSDs shouldn't be defragged but with SRT, defrag entirely ignores the SSD thankfully.

Hello world. Again

Replacement CPU worked fine. Thankfully.

Now I've got to send back the mobo that I don't need, and RMA the CPU. Wish me luck.

You really gotta laugh

So, a few nights ago my 5-day-old PC died again. I got a BSOD, I rebooted, and I faced a black screen. A serious one at that, because the monitor was still on standby. Meaning the PC was failing to complete POST.

Even more worryingly, the motherboard's diagnostic LEDs were pointing to a VGA problem. Fuck. Double fuck 'cos the VGA happened to be a 2-day-old HD7970. I removed the VGA, and attached the other HD7970: nothing. I attached the 5870: nothing.

I then remembered that SandyBridge has a built-in iGPU, so I attached the monitor to that and removed all other VGAs: nothing.

A quick google tells me that such an issue has happened before to other people with similar set ups, and it turned out to be the motherboard. I ordered a replacement, with a view to sending the faulty one back for a refund once the replacement is working.

Amazon promptly delivered the new mobo yesterday, so I thought I'd quickly breadboard it, with just a stick of RAM and CPU. Guess what: nothing! And the diagnostic LED was stuck in the same place, ie at VGA.

I can only assume that the CPU is dead. Probably what was happening is that the POST process was stalling after detecting VGA, hence the diagnostic led wasn't turning off (the motherboard doesn't have any diagnostic LEDs after VGA, so it's the last one).

Funnily enough, it's universally accepted that CPUs very rarely are the cause of a dead PC. I've now gone through trying to start the PC with 5 different GPUs, 10 different sticks of RAM (seriously), and two motherboards. Still nothing.

I remember ages ago (10 or 11 years ago) the same thing happened to me. I ended up buying a new everything including a PSU and it turned out to be the CPU. Back then when I sent it back they refused the RMA because the CPU had magically acquired bent pins (it hadn't when I sent it). I wished I'd taken a picture of it before sending. This time, there are no pins on the CPU to bend, as I know full well.

A replacement CPU is on the way.

RIP 5-day-old mobo

 That's right. Replacement arrives tomorrow. 

This has become fucking irritating. 

then...

Tonight the PC decided to die again. Seriously.

An innocent reboot and the motherboard won't POST. Why, I don't know. I've tried every solution known to man.

Sigh.

SO....

SO.....

The PC was dead. Either the motherboard or the CPU, or maybe both. Problem is, to find out which one it is, you need a spare of each. My initial reaction was to order a cheap replacement motherboard as well as a CPU. First of all I'd replace the motherboard and if all's ok, just send the CPU back.

Of course, the problem is the original Core i7 processors (LGA1366) have more or less been discontinued, having been rapidly replaced by SandyBridge. The cheapest Asus motherboard I could find was a Sabertooth X58, for £160. The only CPU I could find was a 950, for around £240. Ironically, both the motherboard and processor would cost more than if I'd go for a SandyBridge!

I was, as you probably guessed, very annoyed. Worst case scenario I'd be spending around £400 to resurrect the same PC. I toyed with the idea of getting a SandyBridge-E set up, but then again the tech is new, not targeted at my PC use (gaming), and expensive.

Even more annoying was the fact intel would soon be releasing their IvyBridge CPUs, with full PCIe 3.0 support.

A LOT of research later (thank you Mr Jobs, wherever you've resurrected, for giving us the iPad!) and I discovered a few interesting revelations:

1\ IvyBridge processors are socket LGA1155 (ie current SandyBridge) compatible.

2\ Most current P67 or Z68 SandyBridge motherboards on the market will be IvyBridge compatible, some may need a simple BIOS update

3\ ASUS has already released 3 motherboards that have PCIe 3.0 ports already, and have shown the press in private events these motherboards running in full PCIe 3.0 mode (for a fully-functional PCIe 3.0 system, the processor, motherboard, and GPU must be PCIe 3.0. Currently, ATI's HD7970 is the only PCIe 3.0 GPU, and there are no CPUs yet).

4\ My Triple-Channel DDR3 RAM is fully compatible with IvyBridge's Dual-Channel set up, albeit I'd only run 8gb from my total of 12.

5\ SandyBridge Z68 chipsets benefit from two things: a built-in GPU (of no benefit to me), and something called Intel Smart Recovery Technology (SRT). SRT is a rather clever idea: attach an SSD and a platter HDD to the intel controller, and you can set the SSD as a cache to significantly boost the most frequently accessed files on the HDD. You can do this to boost your OS drive, or any platter drive. The only problem is that the SSD will be wiped (there's a slightly complicated workaround to fool SRT in to using a partition). Anandtech have a rather remarkable chart of the gaming benefits of SRT here.

6\ Fortunately, the Antec Kuhler 920 is LGA1155 compatible out of the box.

So I decided to do a little sidegrade. I can't really call it an upgrade as such, but I thought it made a lot more financial and future sense to get a SandyBridge build. I settled on the following components:

1\ Asus P8Z68-V Pro/Gen 3 motherboard. This is one of their 3 certified PCIe 3.0 boards.

2\ Intel Core i5 2500K CPU. Why Core i5 you ask? The main difference between the i7 and i5 is the number of threads (four i5, eight i7). For a gaming PC, there is absolutely NO difference whether you have four threads, or eight. Some people even advocate turning off hyperthreading all together. If you use your PC for other stuff (video editing, large photoshop file editing etc) then the i7 is a better proposition. The i5 is also £100 cheaper :)

(the K at the end of 2500K means that the CPU multiplier is unlocked, to a max of 57).

3\ Intel 311 SSD. You might remember I have an OCZ Vertex LE SSD already, with the OS on it. The Intel SSD is only 20gb, but is SLC-based, and is specifically built with SRT in mind. Anandtech's article above used this very SSD.

Luckily, the couriers behaved themselves again and my packages arrived on Wednesday as scheduled.

What happens next is a story for next time :)

Happy New Year. Here's a dead PC

Happy new year!

Now that the formalities are out of the way, here's a little promise: I'm going to update this blog a lot more often than the dismal effort that was 2011. You can blame Twitter. Or, more specifically, @anmarmansur for introducing me to micro-blogging in the first place.

This year decided to start with a PC disaster. If you remember, I had a core i7 920 CPU cooled by a Noctua DH14, overclocked to 4.2ghz. All ok until the last couple of weeks or so. As I played Battlefield 3, the PC would lock up and turn itself off. No BSODs, no error messages, nothing. This made me think that something was overheating. Badly.

The GPUs and NorthBridge are all watercooled, and the Reserator wasn't overheating. So, it had to be the CPU, right? Of course, I hadn't cleaned the PC not once since installing it (I know I know, papa don't preach!). I decided to upgrade the CPU cooler to one of those all-in-one water solutions, specifically an Antec Kühler 920. I couldn't really add the CPU to the reserator's loop, it would have overheated.

I dismantled the (very dusty) PC on Friday night, and was very pleased when the delivery man delivered the Kühler at 08:30 in the morning. Always a good start when the courier company gets it right! I put Kraftwerk's excellent Minimum-Maximum DVD on, prepared my handheld vacuum cleaner, and some cans of compressed air.

I worked away feverishly, and carefully! I cleaned anything that could be cleaned. I dusted all the surfaces, washed all the filters, cleaned all the fans and even emptied the watercooling fluid. I took the CPU out gently and cleaned the thermal paste off it. By the end of it all, I had a shiny new PC, and a very painful back.

I then tried to decipher the Kühler's installation instructions. In typical German style, it was just a bit more than useless. It wasn't as difficult as the Noctua though, but it did take me a while to figure it out. I installed it, and then decided to turn the PC on "bareback", ie just CPU and RAM to make sure the cooler actually works before shoving everything in to the case.

I turned the PSU on and the reassuring gentle throbbing of the asus logo on the mobo came on. As did a nice Antec logo on the CPU cooler itself. A quick press of the motherboard's "start" button, and then........

Nothing.

I tried again. Nothing. I pressed the case main power button. Nothing. I disconnected all PSU cables and reattached them. Nothing. I took the cooler off. Nothing.

You probably get my drift. I tried at least 25 different variations. You guessed it, nothing. Nothing means no POST, no fans spin up, no bleeps, literally as if there's no CPU installed.

Could it be the CPU then? I removed that and even tried to power on (nothing). It was then that I noticed that some of the pins in the CPU socket were bent out of place. At least eight of them, in two seperate locations! How? Why? What? Who?! I ran through how I'd cleaned up and, as of this moment, I still can't remember going near those pins.

A quick glance online and I found many people with issues like this, mostly accidental bending/breaking of pins. The good news was that, if you're careful and very lucky, you could bend them back and they sometimes worked. I sat myself in a brightly-lit area, got a small tweezer, and set about bending things back in place. Worryingly, one of the pins seemed as loose as a child's milk tooth. But, you know how it is, a blind sort of optimism grabs hold of you during crises like this, and you cling on to the hope that maybe, just maybe what you're doing is going to work, all the while you're trying to ignore the sensation of dread and despair that's creeping up from that horrible dark place in your mind that knows from years of experience that you and your PC are well and truly fucked.

That horrible dark place was right. The PC was well and truly fucked. No matter how many times I tried, no matter what I did, or how I realigned the pins, it just wouldn't turn on. After about the 50th time in total trying to resurrect this dead puppy, I gave up. I admitted sour defeat and decided to replace the motherboard with the cheapest alternative.

But, you're gonna have to wait till tomorrow for that story :p

Merry Christmas!

Have fun, hope Santa pops by with all the stuff you wanted :)

RIP Steve Jobs

1955-2011

Dark Souls is out this Friday

Oh HELL YEAH!

I can't wait for this, at all. I've cleared all my schedules, took the week off (seriously), and I can't wait to rot in hell.

This is gonna be one hell of a ride. See you in Lordran - if you dare......

Best. Bobblehead. Ever.

From RAGE :)

It's a Pheasant Plucking Life

I'm not a pheasant plucker, I'm a pheasant plucker's son

I'm only plucking pheasants 'till the pheasant plucker comes.

Me husband is a keeper, he's a very busy man

I try to understand him and I help him all I can,

But sometimes in an evening I feel a trifle dim

All alone, I'm plucking pheasants, when I'd rather pluck with him.

I'm not a pheasant plucker, I'm a pheasant plucker's mate

I'm only plucking pheasants 'cos the pheasant plucker's late !

I'm not good at plucking pheasants, at pheasant plucking I get stuck

Though some pheasants find it pleasant I'd rather pluck a duck.

Oh plucking geese is gorgeous, I can pluck a goose with ease

But pheasant plucking's torture because they haven't any grease.

I'm not a pheasant plucker, he has gone out on the tiles

He only plucked one pheasant and I'm sitting here with piles !

You have to pluck them fresh, if it’s fresh they’re not unpleasant,

I knew a man in Dunstable who could pluck a frozen pheasant.

They say the village constable had pheasant plucking sessions

With the vicar on a Sunday ‘tween the first and second lessons.

I'm not a pheasant plucker, I'm a pheasant plucker's mum

I'm only plucking pheasants 'till the pheasant plucker's come.

My good friend Godfrey is most adept, he's really got the knack

He likes to have a pheasant plucked before he hits the sack.

I like to give a helping hand, I gather up the feathers,

It's really all our pheasant plucking keeps us pair together.

I'm not a pheasant plucker, I'm a pheasant plucker's friend

I'm only plucking pheasants as a means unto an end !

My husband's in the forest always banging with his gun

If he could hear me half the time I'm sure that he would run,

For there's fluff in all my crannies, there's feathers up my nose

And I'm itching in the kitchen from my head down to my toes.

I'm not a pheasant plucker, I'm a pheasant plucker's wife

And when we pluck together it's a pheasant plucking life !

Don't ask!

Happy Eid

Happy Eid everybody! Ramadhan is finally over!

I thought I'd blogged this morning, but my email-to-blog function seems to have gone tits up.

Yes, I just said tits.

Stay safe.

HDR shots

Quick HDRs chucked together from some holiday snaps this year. Who'd have thought black and white HDR looks so good?

Amy Winehouse RIP

I can't say it's that unexpected, drugs and alcohol addictions were her main vice.

Still, she was a superb talent and voice. She died aged 27.

Here's to you Amy, and may be you should have gone to rehab after all.

The Rise and Rise of Rameses II - Part 1

It was the beginning of the 19th century. King Rameses II, was leading his glorious Egyptian empire to a peaceful existence. Four cities made up his civilization, each city focusing on a peaceful endeavour: culture, knowledge, agriculture, and production. The crown in the jewel of this wonderful empire was Thebes, an ancient city founded by the original settlers and one of many wonders, great people, knowledge, and science.

The Egyptian people were enjoying the fertility of their land: many mountains, planes, and rivers ensured that they had access to all the essential resources they needed, as well as many luxury resources to keep them happy, not to mention to help their democratic needs.

To the North was an uninhabitable tundra; to the East some military city states and a sprawling Mongolian empire. The West was bordered by impassable mountains, and beyond them were the Persian people.

One morning, Rameses II ordered a scout to traverse the land to the West, in pursuit of inhabitable areas for his kingdom. The scout came back to his king's court with a worried look on his face. "I'm afraid there might be trouble your highness" he reported. Rameses II wasn't very concerned - after all, the Egyptian and Persian people enjoyed a friendly relationship.

"There are many troops just outside our borders your highness, and I fear they come for the worst". The king could hear the concern in the scout's voice, and invited King Darius to his court to reassure his people.

Darius attended personally, and after enjoying a lavish banquet and watching the famous Egyptian entertainers, he reassured Rameses II that the troops were just passing by, en route to other business. King Darius even addressed the people publicly, and all around the empire a massive cheer was heard, for the Egyptian people had great respect for their Persian neighbours. The rumours and nervous looks in the streets and markets of Thebes all but disappeared, and Egypt continued it's peaceful existence and continued its pursuit for culture.

But not for long.