Puget Systems: 1-7x NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU Scaling

[EHW Ai]

Quote

sometimes, our curiosity gets the better of us and we can’t help ourselves from testing a configuration that is far beyond what we typically offer to our customers. And after seeing what two RTX 4090 GPUs are capable of, we had to push it to the maximum of what our current Threadripper PRO workstation motherboards are capable of and turn it up to seven...

 

 

Interesting read.

[J7SC_Orion]

17 hours ago, iamjanco said:

 

Interesting read.

 

I still have some 7x PCIe 3.0 x16 (older) HEDT mobos here, perhaps I will...nah.

 

I noticed their Leadex Superflower PSu(s), and also the long PCIe riser cables  - since mining is not what it used to be, one can probably get those 'on sale' now.

[EHW Ai]

7 hours ago, J7SC_Orion said:

 

I still have some 7x PCIe 3.0 x16 (older) HEDT mobos here, perhaps I will...nah.

 

I noticed their Leadex Superflower PSu(s), and also the long PCIe riser cables  - since mining is not what it used to be, one can probably get those 'on sale' now.

 

Yeah, you were in the right place at the right time when you picked up your 4090, eh?

 

But I'm actually somewhat surprised the scalpers haven't bought out all the high end PSUs yet.

[J7SC_Orion]

2 hours ago, iamjanco said:

 

Yeah, you were in the right place at the right time when you picked up your 4090, eh?

 

But I'm actually somewhat surprised the scalpers haven't bought out all the high end PSUs yet.

 

I wasn't even sure if I should get a 4090 now, but Digital Foundry et al had some decent pieces on DLSS3 and Frame Insertion - just the ticket for my fav applications and saving the 5950X combo from an early upgrade for now.

 

I learned about (limited) local availability of the 4090s via that other 'big forum' as some folks were ordering from them from the US (one even from an airliner over the ocean, apparently). So I drove over there in Friday evening rush hour (30 min instead of the usual 10 min) and grabbed one for the entry-level pricing. Now, all of Canada seems to have been grazed empty after checking all the local and national chains today...irony is that I could have picked up seven to play 'Puget Sound' 7x scaling at the time (not that I really would have). I also made it past the potential 'ONO' moment after I installed a water-block with some tricky custom steps I do - there's always the potential for that 'ono' (oh, no) moment at first boot-up after the operation...

[EHW Ai]

^Yup.

 

Anyway, if you haven't watched the following Tech Jesus episode about why any/all of the cables can burn up, it's fairly informative. I cracked a snarky smile when Steve said Igor was wrong about certain things he reported...

 

 

 

Edited November 17, 2022 by iamjanco

[J7SC_Orion]

55 minutes ago, iamjanco said:

^Yup.

 

Anyway, if you haven't watched the following Tech Jesus episode about why any/all of the cables can burn up, it's fairly informative. I cracked a snarky smile when Steve said Igor was wrong about certain things he reported...

 

 

 

 

...I watched Steve's GN video above this morning - no real surprise re. the connectors not all the way inserted / flush mounted for whatever reason, as I pointed out in several other threads on this here (I've now given up on). Below is my new 12VHPWR cable mounted on the card, and that was the first time I even checked the connector - the more you unplug and re-plug it, the higher the chance for problems you may get, per specs. Anyway, easiest trick is to shine a light from the back on the spot where the card's connector and the cable meet and make sure it is completely flush with zero gap.

 

Sorry for the tubing and wiring mess in the pic below, clean-up and perhaps a bit of benching on the weekend. Then 4K120 OLED goodness in FS2020...

 

 

Edited November 17, 2022 by J7SC_Orion

[EHW Ai]

Yeah, the mated pins used in such connectors are typically rated for number of allowable insertions and that number typically varies depending on what materials are used to manufacture/plate these pins (e.g., copper, tin, gold, silver, bronze, etc.). Unfortunately, that number is also typically far less than your usual hardware 'enthusiasts' want/need. Terminal manufacturers really could care squat about an enthusiast's needs to swap cables frequently, and usually (if they want to sell their wares) are focused on long term reliability more than anything else. 

 

Which likely should raise some quality related questions about the metal scrapings found in the examples Steve shared in the video...

Edited November 17, 2022 by iamjanco

[J7SC_Orion]

25 minutes ago, iamjanco said:

Yeah, the mated pins used in such connectors are typically rated for number of allowable insertions and that number typically varies depending on what materials are used to manufacture/plate these pins (e.g., copper, tin, gold, silver, bronze, etc.). Unfortunately, that number is also typically far less than your usual hardware 'enthusiasts' want/need. Terminal manufacturers really could care squat about an enthusiast's needs to swap cables frequently, and usually (if they want to sell their wares) are focused on reliability more than anything else. 

 

Which likely should raise some quality related questions about the metal scrapings found in the examples Steve shared in the video...

 

Production (and for that matter assembly) quality is definitely a potential issue with connectors, just as much as it is with other parts (ie. once you take the factory air cooler off a GPU and wonder about pad placements, TIM applications and so forth...)

 

I am getting a third connector (the 12VHPWR single strand freebie from Seasonic) that should be here next week, but the two I have so far have not misbehaved in any way - though the 4-into-1 dongle was warmer to the touch where the 4x PCIe 8 pin cables join when pushing close to 600 W. The single-strand 12VHPWR I have from Cablemod will probably stay where it is, at least for now, given the heavy wire gauge, extra insulation and what appears to be good quality construction.

 

All this makes you wonder though about Puget Systems' seven 4090s and their combined power draw and heat 

[J7SC_Orion]

...fyi... doesn't say if tolerance issues on the plugs/connectors contributed to user error, but 0.05% is not earth-shattering