You guys certainly seem to be the experts on MP folding systems, hence why I registered here to ask about them.
I found a really good deal on 4 used E5-4650, but I've never attempted an MP build before and am somewhat hesitant to spend that kind of money. The deal's almost suspiciously good ($850 each), but that could be because they're Engineering Samples. The seller does have a very good sale history (an eBay score of 5627 with 99.8% positive feedback).
I looked around and saw that you're not allowed to put up ES's on the FS/FT, but that's not what I'm planning to do and I didn't see anything explicitly saying they couldn't be mentioned at all (though Rule 15 regarding copyrights/TOS/NDAs could apply here). If I'm wrong on my interpretation, I apologize.
So, how concerned should I be over that deal? Are there any oddities regarding ES's that I should know about?
The only 4P LGA 2011 mobos I saw were by Supermicro, the X9QR7-TF+ and the X9QRi-F+. I do realize that they're both at least a grand. Does anyone know of any other 4P 2011's out there? Newegg doesn't even have the Supermicro's and from looking at their websites it appears that Intel, Tyan, and Asus don't even make quad-socket 2011 mobos at all. I wouldn't expect any that I've missed to be that much cheaper, mind you, I'm just wondering if there's a larger selection than just the two I found.
A major concern I had is what enclosure I'd be able to use. They're both super-large proprietary form factors; the X9QR7-TF+ is 16.8"x16.4" and the X9QRi-F+ measures 17"x17", which I know is much bigger than even a 4P G34 mobo. I saw the case recommendations in the 2P/4P thread, but they were all designed for a normal form factor; would they even have enough space for one of these without some serious modification? Are there any other cases that would be able to fit something this large?
I'm somewhat wary of leaving it naked, since I live in an apartment that doesn't exactly have a great spot for something like that.
Memory shouldn't be a problem, since it seems like the best solution is to just populate each slot with 1 or 2 GB desktop memory sticks that are as fast as the motherboard supports.
Does anyone know what size power supply I'd need for this? From other 4P builds it seems like an 850W PSU is more than enough. I do, of course, realize that my power bill would shoot up a fair amount (currently I've got a dedicated i7-930 pulling 230W and a box with an i7-3770K & 2xGTX 460s pulling about 360W; I'd certainly shut down the 930, maybe cut back on the other one).
Can I assume that there's no weirdness in the server 2011 sockets, and that any normal 2011 HSF would fit without any difficulty? That, of course, assumes no issues with the size of the case.
Also, my internet speed could be something of a concern. I've got a Cox 25 Mb/s down/ 2 Mb/s up connection, and I don't really have any better options in my area, nor am I particularly motivated to pay an extra $35/mo to upgrade to their top-tier 50/5 service. Would that slow an upload speed be a significant enough factor? I forget how large bigadv results files are. Of course, considering how quickly this would chew through the work, the upload time would likely be worth it anyway.
I found a really good deal on 4 used E5-4650, but I've never attempted an MP build before and am somewhat hesitant to spend that kind of money. The deal's almost suspiciously good ($850 each), but that could be because they're Engineering Samples. The seller does have a very good sale history (an eBay score of 5627 with 99.8% positive feedback).
I looked around and saw that you're not allowed to put up ES's on the FS/FT, but that's not what I'm planning to do and I didn't see anything explicitly saying they couldn't be mentioned at all (though Rule 15 regarding copyrights/TOS/NDAs could apply here). If I'm wrong on my interpretation, I apologize.
So, how concerned should I be over that deal? Are there any oddities regarding ES's that I should know about?
The only 4P LGA 2011 mobos I saw were by Supermicro, the X9QR7-TF+ and the X9QRi-F+. I do realize that they're both at least a grand. Does anyone know of any other 4P 2011's out there? Newegg doesn't even have the Supermicro's and from looking at their websites it appears that Intel, Tyan, and Asus don't even make quad-socket 2011 mobos at all. I wouldn't expect any that I've missed to be that much cheaper, mind you, I'm just wondering if there's a larger selection than just the two I found.
A major concern I had is what enclosure I'd be able to use. They're both super-large proprietary form factors; the X9QR7-TF+ is 16.8"x16.4" and the X9QRi-F+ measures 17"x17", which I know is much bigger than even a 4P G34 mobo. I saw the case recommendations in the 2P/4P thread, but they were all designed for a normal form factor; would they even have enough space for one of these without some serious modification? Are there any other cases that would be able to fit something this large?
I'm somewhat wary of leaving it naked, since I live in an apartment that doesn't exactly have a great spot for something like that.
Memory shouldn't be a problem, since it seems like the best solution is to just populate each slot with 1 or 2 GB desktop memory sticks that are as fast as the motherboard supports.
Does anyone know what size power supply I'd need for this? From other 4P builds it seems like an 850W PSU is more than enough. I do, of course, realize that my power bill would shoot up a fair amount (currently I've got a dedicated i7-930 pulling 230W and a box with an i7-3770K & 2xGTX 460s pulling about 360W; I'd certainly shut down the 930, maybe cut back on the other one).
Can I assume that there's no weirdness in the server 2011 sockets, and that any normal 2011 HSF would fit without any difficulty? That, of course, assumes no issues with the size of the case.
Also, my internet speed could be something of a concern. I've got a Cox 25 Mb/s down/ 2 Mb/s up connection, and I don't really have any better options in my area, nor am I particularly motivated to pay an extra $35/mo to upgrade to their top-tier 50/5 service. Would that slow an upload speed be a significant enough factor? I forget how large bigadv results files are. Of course, considering how quickly this would chew through the work, the upload time would likely be worth it anyway.