J7SC_Orion

...digging deep in the old pics file...I think that's an AMD 9800 Pro GPU I picked up used for some early benching follies... .... @Bastiaan_NL - you probably like this, HWBot and all. LN2 pot, Phase cooler and a back of a mobo prepped with LET CM Storm Stryker w/ Asus X99w/ 5960X cpu and 2x 980s...a relatively recent rebuild for retro-gaming and file serving, now has a X79 E-WS board (my fav) and a very fast 4960X in it instead...

I don't mind RGB, as long as it does Cherenkov radiation blue ...the problem with current controller software (that by definition acts on low-level hardware) is security, the 'cost' in terms of CPU cycles, and also at times competing controller software. Microsoft Windows has become a big personal data snooping ops anyways, but at least with its new RGB software, one can eliminate various other 'leaks'.

I recognize a lot of it, such as the 56 K US Robotics PCI modem (still have one in storage). That was fast for its day Another trip down memory lane with the CPUID ClockGen applet in the Win XP look...I still think that XP Pro 64 was one of the best OS Microsoft has done - especially compared to that Win 11 monstrosity.. ---- A testbench run with 4960X in an Asus Rampage IV Black Edition, plus R290X Lightning. ...a quick look at a 980 Classified with a universal GPU cooler and retaining the custom cold plate that came with the card. And another testbench, a 5960X in a Rampage V Extreme from early 2015 - had that testbench for about six years; below it is used for a stock-air-cooled 3090 Strix to baseline before water-cooling.

Old hardware is still useful for 95 % of 'regular' daily tasks, apart from high-res gaming. One of the best upgrades is to eliminate spinning HDDs and go for at least SSDs if not NVME > breathes new life into old systems, especially on Win 7 Pro. Mobo below is from the fall of 2015, drives and GPU from late 2018.

Definitely worth keeping an eye on PMDG's 777 release when it comes out. For now, some more low-down sneaking-about action...with the Volocity copter and the Icon A 5

Your "2nd system aka first paycheck build (E6300 + 8600GS)" is very colourful (in a likable way). BTW, what was that neon-green yellow red purple mobo again you used to post at another forum / thread ?

E-c-l-e-c-t-i-c !

Built-in 12 V cig lighter ! First time I have ever seen that That custom case is in particular is neat - nice workmanship ! Also, OCZ gold RAM above that for serious oc-ing - I also still have a few sticks of that - used them in the (by now very dirty) Abit IC7 Prepping an oc+rendering work 'HEDT' with Quad Classifieds - inset pic is showing initial leak-testing...still have 12 or so of the universal GPU coolers (Copper, Swiftech)...very useful; just add heatsinks for the VRAM and a 120mm fan and results are as good if not better than custom GPU blocks.

...my raven friend is watching from a near-by cedar, eyeing lunch...he likes the Beemer's hood right where it meets with the A-pillar

Those are interesting cases, never mind the card reader setup on the lower left, complete with an extra USB, and floppy ? !

Looks like you also had some serious server cases there as well . Also, I remember those old CRT 4:3 monitors....nothing like playing MDK/2 or Duke Nukem 3D on a low-Hz 17 inch CRT, head-buzz migraine guaranteed. For some inexplicable reason, I keep a 90+ pds Daytek 20/21 inch monitor in storage downstairs.

It is time to wipe off the dust of your old flash cards and file folders and share some of your old computer parts pics ! FYI, when I was prepping a thread on a > tip for custom water-cooling yesterday, I had to go through a whole bunch of folders and flash cards to find the related pics. Of course it was only after I looked through a whole bunch of unrelated pics that I found what I was actually looking for. But in fact, I love to look at (most any) older system pics. So, don't be shy and post your oldies ! Ideally, your pics will show testbenches or pics of components going back to 2018 or before, rather than just completed build 'galleries'. Pic descriptions are welcome, but optional... --- To start things up... Delidded + LM 3770K housed in an Asus Maximus V Extreme trying to keep up with the demands of 4x GTX 680s... ...slippery slope of HWBot is kicking in... Time for work now... My first truly separate home office setup. checking all the wiring...also the beginning of my 'blue period' which lasts to this day Looking forward to see your pics & related stories ! That includes @ENTERPRISE @Bastiaan_NL @bonami2 @Sir Beregond @Avacado and all the rest of you !

While I still have more 'Intel' than 'AMD', the last three CPUs I have added to my stable are all AMD 16c/32t, and I couldn't be happier. I am starting to give some serious consideration to 7950X3D but per my earlier comments in other threads on that CPU, I first want to see some thorough third-part testing, including re. Windows scheduler challenges and such. Apart from that, AM5 X670E mobos are much pricier compared to their more or less direct X570 counterparts, never mind the need for different types of RAM. Finally, a 5.1+ GHz 5950X with 3800+ DDR4 is still great for productivity and in 4K gaming (which I exclusively do), the GPU is more important anyhow.

Hello Water-Cooling Enthusiasts ... Meet 'Frankenstein', based on an earlier HEDT build from late 2018 but recently heavily modified. Having been replaced by more modern systems for primary use purposes, it now serves as a secondary work & play setup and backup in my home office... It can still throw quite a punch, especially for rendering and even light ML, what with 19,200 CUDA, 218 ray tracing and 1,416 tensor cores. All that requires a lot of cooling, and since I love doing custom water-cooling, I like to share some tips on how to make your own 45 degree and 90 degree copper adapter turns - and also use copper tubing in conjunction with flexible tubing. I only treat the 'front' part of Frankenstein in this thread; there is also a Linux system on the back with a > rebuild AIO cooler that is by now in its 10th year... At full boil, Frankenstein with its three GPUs and the Threadripper can peak at 1,700 W. That requires a lot of cooling, never mind that I like my systems to be whisper-quiet. Apart from five RX 360 rads, there are also three D5 pumps to keep it all circulating at good speed and pressure. That in turn means somewhat nightmarish tubing arrangements...in addition, I wanted to use as much rigid 1/2 inch copper pipe (ie. the long white horizontal tubes above) as well as elbows as possible, in conjunction with my favourite soft tubing (the only type I use) which is 1/2 ID - 3/4 OD PrimoChill PrimoFlex Advanced LRT. The copper elbows are either 90 degrees or 45 degrees - and only cost pennies. The question was how to combine the copper parts with the PrimoChill PrimoFlex Advanced LRT tubing. Simply sliding the soft-tubing over the copper will not work as both have the same inner diameter. What is more, the seal has to permanent, work with both the soft-tubing and the copper and survive both pressure and temperature swings and some 'mechanical movement' (below). After some research regarding materials compatibility, heat and pressure resistance - and also trial and error - I settled on Oatey's HD PVC cement as the bonding agent. The real trick is to apply it only to the copper bits with about a 1/8th inch gap to the end of the copper piece. Then - wearing gloves as I found out the hard way ('duh' re. copper's heat transference rating) - you use a heat gun to heat the PrimoChill PrimoFlex Advanced LRT tubing and the copper pipe with the Oatey bonding agent on the copper with the tiny gap as described. As the soft tubing warms up, it expands slightly and you can slide it over the copper pieces in question. As it cools down, it will contract and seal. Bonus: The Oatey agent is recommended to cure with a bit of heat anyway... I have used this method for about five years now on something like none feet (total) of copper tubing and twelve 90-degree and four 45 degree elbows, and never had a leak, nor any problems with the cooling liquid itself. For extra safety, I add nylon zip ties on both ends of the joint(s), though hose clamps would also work. This should be done fairly soon after you slide the heated tubing over the copper parts, though. FYI, when I added the RTX 3090 Strix recently and made other substantial changes to the original build, I had to twist, turn and relocate these four-plus year-old home-made joints: No problemo

@Andrew ...DC3 at Lukla ...very sluggish to fly, but that aforementioned drop-off into the valley definitely helped

takes about 2 minutes or so to hit its stride...

...nothing new under the sun, apart from scale, and of course disinformation > misinformation > "information"

...in that case, I'll try the DC3 on the Lukla (Himalayas) runway ...it's downhill and then just drops into a deep valley which is good for getting some air over the wings

....I was looking at the DC3 yesterday when I chose plans for my evening excursions...probably will try it tonight. Weren't there some early hack mods where you could add a gazillion horsepower / pds/thrust / kW and exceed 75,000 feet altitude ?

From what i have read so far, it seems specific to the 2 TB 980/990 Pro models.

I have a few 1 TB 980 Pros which seem ok (just checked), but it is in the back of my mind. My other system has bigger drives but not by Samsung. My fav PCIe 4 NVME is the 2TB WD SN850 - a bit faster than the 980 Pro and runs a few degrees cooler.

...well, well, well...the PR / marketing department strikes again Wait, How Much Slower!? - RTX 4090 Desktop vs RTX 4090 Laptop

The last thing I want to do is to go on and on about fps and all that on the 4090 (or 3090), not least as these are also work investments for me. FYI, if you check early in this thread, you'll see that I managed to get 2x 2080 Ti working w/NVLink in what is called CFR-SLI in DX11 FS 2020 ('checkerboard rather than AFR SLI). It was an undocumented feature in the NVidia drivers from late 2018 to mid 2019. The age of the driver is obviously a drawback re. other games and apps when used now, but it actually still works (DX11, DX 12 is spotty). If you see a used RTX 2070 + NVL bridge in a market place... Then again, if you are in the market for a bigger GPU upgrade, I would definitely recommend the RTX4K family...the visual enhancements touted for that gen really do work. With DLSS3/FI (which also automatically enables NVReflex on the 4090) and GSync, I regularly see 120 fps (monitor max) at 4K 'ultra' but as mentioned before, the 4090 can get by just fine with any DLSS. Below is the cockpit of the 787 Dreamliner (per DLSS3/FI/NVReflex). ...and if you look really closely, you can spot the cockpit readouts in this one ...and some older cockpit screenies...(some with too much HDR re. background )

The new 990 Pro are apparently affected as well (2 TB again); firmware update still a question for the 990s:

Thanks for the trip down memory lane --- I built a 3770 K / Z77 Maximus V Extreme back in late 2012 (still have all the bits). That was also the first CPU I ever delidded (razor blade in those days, with blood splatter) and applied liquid metal to...accidental LM droplets 'skillfully placed' between mobo traces. It could (can) run up to 5.2 giggles on water. But that was then, these days, hardware is a lot more capable and much easier to handle. As @bonami2 suggested above, an AMD AM5 setup might be a fairly good bet as it is a fairly new socket, while Intel's competing LG 1700 is expected to be replaced soon. For video editing, there are also the much more expensive HEDT platforms (Threadripper / Pro and the like), but these days, it may make more sense to get an AM5 Ryzen (12c/24t or 16c/32t), some fast large-capacity NVME and other storage. I would spend the rest on the latest and biggest GPU that fits your budget...FYI, on video editing, OBS Studio now has support for the RTX 4090 dual AV1 encoders. I use that card and 24 GB of GDDR6X is highly useful there...beyond that is the RTX 6000 Ada w/ 48 GB of regular GDDR6 (for more than double the $s) Lots of options for you in a slowing market.