An Adventure Into LGA 771

[NobleX13]

Overview:

As many of you know, I have a thing for resurrecting older platforms for the fun of it, especially when they have dropped in price a few years later.

Fairly recently I decided to build a dual LGA 771 machine to act as my backup web server, and to run the SMP CPU client.

Before I begin, let me get the following out of the way. I am not building this because it will be extremely fast or efficient. Instead, I am building it because a.) I love hardware, b.) it is dirt cheap, and c.) I don't currently pay for power.

Parts:

Motherboard: MSI Speedster 2 5000X (Manu. Link)

Picked this up for a song over in FS/T. I am quite happy with the presence of a standard PCI-E X16 slot, among other features.​

RAM: 2x2 GB ECC DDR2

Pulled from an old 771 Dell PowerEdge server​

CPUS: Potentially 2x Intel® Xeon® Processor E5405 @ 2 GHz (quad-core) (Manu. Link)

Still waiting to hear the verdict from a certain someone on these... ​

PSU: Antec Neo Eco 520Watt

As for the rest of it, this will run nekkid until I get a suitable case for it, and I'll end up reusing an old HDD more likely than not.

Cooling:

The tricky part about any LGA 771 build (other than SkullTrail) is cooling! The stock server-style heatsinks are either monstrously loud, overpriced, or they scream like a four-cylinder Ford probe headed through Wolf Creek Pass. As such, I have ordered and will be modifying two non-compatible CPU coolers to fit.

SilenX EFZ-80HA2

According to the Intel CPU Design guides for LGA 771 and 1366, the spacing to the center of the mounting holes on a 771 motherboard are 38.1 mm x 81.28 mm.

771 Design Guide:

1366 Design Guide:

Compare this to the LGA 1366 dimensions, which are 80mm x 80mm, and you can clearly see that there might be some potential for modding the bracket on the above CPU. However, this introduces another problem. As you can see in the photo below, LGA 771 heatsinks are designed to mount to the chassis directly, rather than the board. As such, I purchased the following backplate from eBay for $8 worth of my accumulated eBay bucks: Backplate

Board Photo:

Backplate:

I may end up drilling out the threaded holes and bolting the heatsink on that way, but we will see how things go once the parts arrive.

Questions:

1.) Has anyone else here ever fabricated a custom 771 cooling setup?
2.) Who has numbers regarding the performance increase of SMP with the Ubuntu BFS kernel patches?

Coming Next:

Unboxing photos
CPU cooler modding
Total cost breakdown
Assembly
Benchmarks
More hardware pr0n

 

[Tobit]

In first, this is going to be cool.

 

[NobleX13]

Thanks Tobit. I build systems often but never bother to post them because they often get resold to pay rent the next month... This one is a cheapie, and I have a job interview Friday, so this one's a keeper.

God, I miss my SR2....

All parts are on their way, except for the CPUs of course.

 

[musky]

2.) Who has numbers regarding the performance increase of SMP with the Ubuntu BFS kernel patches?

Compared to what? Windows SMP or Linux without BFS? You are going to want to try a few different setups with this thing. I suspect Ubuntu + BSF + kraken wrapper is going to be the way to go with it, but it may have issues with BFS like AMDs do.

I ranged from 14% to 20% improvements over Windows. Dual processor machines saw closer to 20%, while sinhle procs were closer to 14%. This was all bigadv. I would have to guess smp will not see as much of an increase. On the flip side, dual and quad socket AMD G34 machine saw huge increases - up to 60%. Again, this is on bigadv.

It will be interesting to see. This looks like a pretty sweet project.

 

[Kendrak]

This sounds like a bunch of fun!

 

[Haitch]

Going from Windows 2008 BigAdv to Ubuntu BigAdv I saw a 65% PPD increase on a dual hex-core Socket C32. Just applied the new version of Tears' TheKrakken - could be another little boost in store.

H.

 

[pjkenned]

Going from Windows 2008 BigAdv to Ubuntu BigAdv I saw a 65% PPD increase on a dual hex-core Socket C32. Just applied the new version of Tears' TheKrakken - could be another little boost in store.

H.

Which CPUs BTW? I'm building one soon I think. Just trying to get a PPD ballpark.

 

[Tobit]

I build systems often but never bother to post them because they often get resold to pay rent the next month...

Same here, last year I actually built a replica of my first Linux system right down to the same model 14" VGA Monochrome monitor I ran on it. The system was an AMD 386DX40 with 8MB of memory, 40MB ESDI HD on a Western Digital controller, and an Jaton ISA VGA adapter. OMG that rig was the bomb back in the day. The 386DX40 CPU was an awesome chip in its day, out performing the 486SX-25 and running close to the same performance of some 486DX chips.

 

[Haitch]

Which CPUs BTW? I'm building one soon I think. Just trying to get a PPD ballpark.

Opteron 4180s on an Asus KCMA-D8. Currently pulling around 61K PPD.

If you want to wait until the Valencia BullDozers are out, I'll have a pair of the 4180's for sale

H.

 

[NobleX13]

Compared to what? Windows SMP or Linux without BFS? You are going to want to try a few different setups with this thing. I suspect Ubuntu + BSF + kraken wrapper is going to be the way to go with it, but it may have issues with BFS like AMDs do.

I ranged from 14% to 20% improvements over Windows. Dual processor machines saw closer to 20%, while sinhle procs were closer to 14%. This was all bigadv. I would have to guess smp will not see as much of an increase. On the flip side, dual and quad socket AMD G34 machine saw huge increases - up to 60%. Again, this is on bigadv.

It will be interesting to see. This looks like a pretty sweet project.

Thank you, Musky! I wish I could have held on to at least some of my i7 farm; man that was fun while it lasted. Can you believe I sold off those five D0 i7's to Kyle Bennett? He was replacing the C0 chips his editors had.

This sounds like a bunch of fun!

Oh yes it will be! Documenting a (hopefully) successful approach to getting some affordable 771 cooling is worthwhile in itself. I am NEVER buying those $60 Noctua 771 HSFs.

Edit: Although I am not foolish enough to try, I could always use some thermal epoxy to permanently bond the heatsinks to the CPUs... Now that would be [H]! Seriously though, I will get something fabbed up, even if I have to beg and whine to use the CNC mill during finals week.

The motherboard arrives tomorrow, I already have the ECC DDR2, and I am expecting the heatsinks and backplate by Saturday, although I won't get to play with those until Monday.

Just waiting on you, Patriot!

 

[Veeb0rg]

Don't know if this helps, but the 771 HSF mounting setup seems very similar to the 604 socket setup.

e. from http://www.orbitmicro.com/support/resources/xeon_sockets_heatsinks.html

Important Note: Even though the mount configuration of this processor is similar to that of the second generation Xeon processor mounting configuration, it is not. The hole pattern is the same, but the CPU heatspreader is actually shorter than the second generation processors. If you put a second generation heatsink on the LGA 771 processor, it won't touch it , and the CPU will end up overheating.

I was sorta right.

 

[NobleX13]

Don't know if this helps, but the 771 HSF mounting setup seems very similar to the 604 socket setup.

e. from http://www.orbitmicro.com/support/resources/xeon_sockets_heatsinks.html



I was sorta right.

Thanks for the info. I did know based upon preliminary research that these two were similar, but I couldn't find any decent 604 heatsinks either. As I am going with a bolt-through approach, the vertical height of the socket and CPU isn't terribly critical.

Keep the info coming, folks. I will update tomorrow when the motherboard arrives.

 

[Mtnduey]

I've had mixed results with the BFS under Ubuntu vs my normal CentOS 5.5 build. All of my hardware is server spec, fully buffered registered ecc dimms and no overclocking so I don't know if that has anything to do with it. But so far I've seen CentOS operate in a more stable (and quicker) than Ubuntu with BFS. Keep in mind I'm doing a command line only install (no gui) and iptables (firewall) turned off.

As for the cooling, I've done some fun cooling mods over the years, mostly for fun and to see what could be done as in a data center environment the AC units keep the ambient temp around 68-70 deg on good days. But the results have been pretty good for me. Taking the stock server cooling and just upgrading to AS5 saw a pretty substantial drop in temps, swapping out higher cfm fans made another big drop. I've never had a server setup with enough room to install aftermarket cpu cooling though.

Looking forward to how this turns out!

 

[itsrickjames]

I have seen some lga 771 2u passive coolers maybe you can strap a fan to SNK-P0025P.

 

[nalc]

Good luck with it. I want to thank you for enlightening me about the backplate. My Lian Li case came with one of those, and I had absolutely no idea what it was for. It confused and infuriated me. I saw no reason for the existence of a metal plate with eight standoffs on it. I could not figure out what it was for. Now I know it's a dual LGA 771 backplate. You have set my mind free.

 

[ND40oz]

Go for the Thermalright HR-01X. They bolt right up and if you have enough airflow you may be able to run them passive, but if you want the best performance, it's better to run them in a push-pull setup with three 120mm fans, as you have room between them for a fan.

 

[NobleX13]

I've had mixed results with the BFS under Ubuntu vs my normal CentOS 5.5 build. All of my hardware is server spec, fully buffered registered ecc dimms and no overclocking so I don't know if that has anything to do with it. But so far I've seen CentOS operate in a more stable (and quicker) than Ubuntu with BFS. Keep in mind I'm doing a command line only install (no gui) and iptables (firewall) turned off.

As for the cooling, I've done some fun cooling mods over the years, mostly for fun and to see what could be done as in a data center environment the AC units keep the ambient temp around 68-70 deg on good days. But the results have been pretty good for me. Taking the stock server cooling and just upgrading to AS5 saw a pretty substantial drop in temps, swapping out higher cfm fans made another big drop. I've never had a server setup with enough room to install aftermarket cpu cooling though.

Looking forward to how this turns out!

Thanks for the encouragement! I am most comfortable with Ubuntu, but am willing to benchmark Win 2k8 R2, Win7, and even CentOS.

I have seen some lga 771 2u passive coolers maybe you can strap a fan to SNK-P0025P.

I considered this route, but I didn't think those coolers would have enough surface area if I decided to try and pinmod these to 1600 FSB.

Good luck with it. I want to thank you for enlightening me about the backplate. My Lian Li case came with one of those, and I had absolutely no idea what it was for. It confused and infuriated me. I saw no reason for the existence of a metal plate with eight standoffs on it. I could not figure out what it was for. Now I know it's a dual LGA 771 backplate. You have set my mind free.

I'm glad I could do that for you. If I knew you had that backplate, I would have purchased it from you.

Go for the Thermalright HR-01X. They bolt right up and if you have enough airflow you may be able to run them passive, but if you want the best performance, it's better to run them in a push-pull setup with three 120mm fans, as you have room between them for a fan.

I also considered these, but at $50-$60 each, it was way too far out of my budget, just like the Noctua coolers are. With the availability of cheap heatsinks these days, I figured I would give modding the ones I purchased above a chance.

As far as updates go, that motherboard should be here today, along with another GTX 460.

 

[ND40oz]

I also considered these, but at $50-$60 each, it was way too far out of my budget, just like the Noctua coolers are. With the availability of cheap heatsinks these days, I figured I would give modding the ones I purchased above a chance.

If you go with another heatsink that's designed like the thermalrights (Xigmatek comes to mind), you may be able to use just the thermalright mounting hardware on it. It goes throught where the heatpipes come up, scissors out to match up to the Xeon bolt through points and then bolts down. I'm not sure how you'll make that heatsink you have linked work.

I have passive cooling on my 5160s and active intel stock coolers on my 5355s and you definitely don't want the stockers if you're running 100% 24/7. The passive cooling works fine provided you have good airflow, in my experience.

No idea how this vendor is, but here's the bolt down kit: http://www.coolerguys.com/840556082194.html

I would think it would be easily adapted to the Xigmatek 1283 or anything like it.

 

[NobleX13]

If you go with another heatsink that's designed like the thermalrights (Xigmatek comes to mind), you may be able to use just the thermalright mounting hardware on it. It goes throught where the heatpipes come up, scissors out to match up to the Xeon bolt through points and then bolts down. I'm not sure how you'll make that heatsink you have linked work.

I have passive cooling on my 5160s and active intel stock coolers on my 5355s and you definitely don't want the stockers if you're running 100% 24/7. The passive cooling works fine provided you have good airflow, in my experience.

Thanks! I plan on drilling extra bolt-through holes on the mounting bracket and mounting it that way. The LGA 1366 spacing should be adequate in one direction, so things shouldn't be too complicated. I don't plan on using that backplate for much; it's more of a fall-back option, really.

I did consider those bolt-thru kits, and may fall back to them if need be. I'm pretty sure either SVC or FrozenCPU had them as well.

 

[ND40oz]

I just worry about that heatsink being to wide, there's not a whole lot of room to work with between the two heatsinks. Just food for thought, good luck.

 

[NobleX13]

I just worry about that heatsink being to wide, there's not a whole lot of room to work with between the two heatsinks. Just food for thought, good luck.

Thanks! I'll figure something out, even if I have to purchase different mounting hardware or drastically alter the stock bracket.

 

[jebo_4jc]

so, about the RAM situation.....

Only one pair of dual channel dimms are shared between the CPUs? No wonder this platform struggled a bit with performance.

 

[Mtnduey]

by the way I have quite a bit of DDR2 FB ECC DIMM's to donate to your project if you like. I have a metric ton of 1gb dimm's, pretty sure I even have some 2gb dimm's to toss your way. Let me see if I can find which box they're hiding in (just moved a few weeks ago) and I'll ping you. Let me know what speed the ram you have now is so I can try and match things up if possible.

 

[ND40oz]

so, about the RAM situation.....

Only one pair of dual channel dimms are shared between the CPUs? No wonder this platform struggled a bit with performance.

It's performance was fine for the times, quad channel if you use 4 sticks. That platform (Blackford/Greencreek/Seaburg) went from netburst based Dempseys' all the way to Penryn based Harpertowns, pretty good range with sizeable improvements each step of the way.

 

[NobleX13]

so, about the RAM situation.....

Only one pair of dual channel dimms are shared between the CPUs? No wonder this platform struggled a bit with performance.

Compared to the early Netburst Xeons that I just sold to a colleague, these are a vast improvement.

by the way I have quite a bit of DDR2 FB ECC DIMM's to donate to your project if you like. I have a metric ton of 1gb dimm's, pretty sure I even have some 2gb dimm's to toss your way. Let me see if I can find which box they're hiding in (just moved a few weeks ago) and I'll ping you. Let me know what speed the ram you have now is so I can try and match things up if possible.

YGPM. Thanks for the generous offer! My current memory is PC2-3200R, but I don't know if it is even compatible with my board.

It's performance was fine for the times, quad channel if you use 4 sticks. That platform (Blackford/Greencreek/Seaburg) went from netburst based Dempseys' all the way to Penryn based Harpertowns, pretty good range with sizeable improvements each step of the way.

I agree with this, I was following the exact same upgrade cycle with my personal rig, and things changed pretty fast. I miss my old Celeron D.

Anyway, as far as an update goes, no packages arrived today, and once I get the CPUs lined up I will post more about that. Thanks guys!

 

[Patriot]

you find any heatsinks yet?

I will dig through my drawer in the morn...

the dual 2ghz quads are yours... if anyone else is interested I can upload a list of older procs I have salvaged... I probably have around 20 misc chips left...

 

[NobleX13]

you find any heatsinks yet?

I will dig through my drawer in the morn...

the dual 2ghz quads are yours... if anyone else is interested I can upload a list of older procs I have salvaged... I probably have around 20 misc chips left...

Thanks for the update, Patriot! I am going to mod some 1366 heatsinks to fit. See my OP.

 

[APOLLO]

the dual 2ghz quads are yours... if anyone else is interested I can upload a list of older procs I have salvaged... I probably have around 20 misc chips left...

What frequency ranges and which lithography?

 

[Patriot]

What frequency ranges and which lithography?

SLAP2 is what he gets... range is 1.86 - 3.73 45 and 65nm might be some older on the amd side...

 

[APOLLO]

SLAP2 is what he gets... range is 1.86 - 3.73 45 and 65nm might be some older on the amd side...

Are you selling these?

 

[Patriot]

Are you selling these?

no... this falls into ... one mans scrap another treasure ... part of the 45 some odd rescues from the move 1.5yrs ago... just had no interest till now.

 

[APOLLO]

no... this falls into ... one mans scrap another treasure ... part of the 45 some odd rescues from the move 1.5yrs ago... just had no interest till now.

Where were you last year, LOL?

I'm not in an acquisition phase but may be interested in upgrading my Skulltrail's E5430 chips. PM me when you know more of what you have in your inventory. I'd be interested solely in 45nm stuff and something higher binned than my 5430s. TIA

 

[NobleX13]

no... this falls into ... one mans scrap another treasure ... part of the 45 some odd rescues from the move 1.5yrs ago... just had no interest till now.

And trust me, these WILL be treasured...

Where were you last year, LOL?

I'm not in an acquisition phase but may be interested in upgrading my Skulltrail's E5430 chips. PM me when you know more of what you have in your inventory. I'd be interested solely in 45nm stuff and something higher binned than my 5430s. TIA

I didn't know you had a skulltrail platform, APOLLO. I remember how much I wanted that when it launched in 07......

 

[APOLLO]

I didn't know you had a skulltrail platform, APOLLO. I remember how much I wanted that when it launched in 07......

I got it in late '08 but didn't get it up and running until January '09. I have six S-771 systems including the Skulltrail.

 

[Tobit]

Fuck you NobleX13.. I hate you.

Because of you, I am about to embark on an old school project.. something I've wanted to play with for awhile now. More details to come.

 

[Patriot]

Where were you last year, LOL?

I'm not in an acquisition phase but may be interested in upgrading my Skulltrail's E5430 chips. PM me when you know more of what you have in your inventory. I'd be interested solely in 45nm stuff and something higher binned than my 5430s. TIA

I will make a public google spreadsheet or something...

I don't have any matching quads save the 2ghz ones.... had 3 of those...

 

[APOLLO]

I will make a public google spreadsheet or something...

I don't have any matching quads save the 2ghz ones.... had 3 of those...

I have a pair of matching low-end duals that I haven't touched in a year and are collecting dust. They're hardly useful at all now except to power a couple of GPU clients or some classic clients.

 

[Tobit]

I have a pair of low-end duals that I haven't touched in a year and are collecting dust. They're hardly useful at all now except to power a couple of GPU clients or some classic clients.

Send 'em here brother, I'll meet you at the NH border crossing.. I'll put them to use for the Horde. Wait til you see my new project, worse than what you have collecting dust.. I am sure.

 

[APOLLO]

Send 'em here brother, I'll meet you at the NH border crossing.. I'll put them to use for the Horde. Wait til you see my new project, worse than what you have collecting dust.. I am sure.

Do you have or will be getting a dual-socket 771 board? That's where they can be best utilized running the standard SMP client with four cores. I'd rather put them in a GPU system, but then they're not that good for SMP tasks, and that's why they're collecting dust being nothing more useful than troubleshooting tools.

 

[Tobit]

Do you have or will be getting a dual-socket 771 board? That's where they can be best utilized running the standard SMP client with four cores. I'd rather put them in a GPU system, but then they're not that good for SMP tasks, and that's why they're collecting dust being nothing more useful than troubleshooting tools.

I have no problem acquiring a S771 board for them. I'd probably put them to use on my uniprocessor farm which, as you know, has always been important to me. I'll send you a PM as to my next project, want to tease NobleX13 a bit more.