The Ghost is Coming...

[-Jim-]

Hi Folks,

Here's my new Build. I should premise this with I'm not into glitz, flashy lights, side windows (which I never understood) or LEDs gone wild!. For me it's all about a well functioning Quiet (within reason) flexible Rig. I try to put my hard earned money where it can bring the best return. I don't try to over purchase just to have the latest and greatest. This is a purpose built box aimed (mostly) at Video Rendering using PowerDirector. That is the most intense program it will probably see. I stopped Gaming on my Rigs ages ago. I now build those for my Kids. (Hence the two year old Video Card here. It's from my youngest son's Box => as we gave him a GTX 660 for Christmas last year. And Dad gets the "old" one.)

Case: Bitfenix Ghost
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A
CPU: Intel Haswell 4770K
CPU Cooling: Cooler Master Seidon 240M
PSU: Corsair TX-750
RAM: 16 Gigs (2x8) Corsair Vengeance
Operating System Hard Drive: Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme 128GB
Data Hard Drive: Segate Barracuda 64MB - 7200 RPM - 1TB
Video Card: Gigabyte GTX 560
BluRay Burner: LG BH10LS30
DVD Burner: Samsung SH223F
Monitor: Samsung SyncMaster 245BW

 

[-Jim-]

Bits & Pieces - The Assembly

Here's the CPU, MB & Ram - just coming out of the boxes.

Here's partially installed:

The Backplane wire mess:

The Ghost Case open - running most cables connected-

Ghost Case open using (Stock) left hand hinge set-up (I switched it to Right Hand as the Box is on my Right) Note Optical Drives and Sata Mobile Rack Installed

Ghost Case open using right hand hinge

Ghost Case with Drives going into both Drawers

 

[-Jim-]

After assembling the above components I took a little break to play with the Intel 4600 on board (the CPU) graphics and the rest of the Box.

I was going to see what they performed like before jumping to install the GTX 560, and I was pleasantly pleased. I left the 2 Cables for the GTX 560 beside the PSU while I tidied up the rest. I also hadn't decided on the CPU cooler solution as I wanted to muck about with the Stock Unit for grins.

Here's a couple shots of the extra compartment for a 240mm cooler.

And here's the first Overclock The Ghost ever had:

 

[-Jim-]

3DMark11 test

I downloaded the 3DMark11 test and did it on The ghost:

 

[-Jim-]

Then it was time to install the Gigabyte GTX 560 and a USB2 Header.

I researched how to "Delid" my CPU but decided a saner approach would prevail. I boiled down the CPU Cooling to either a a Noctua NH-D14 and a Cooler Master Seidon 240M Watercooling Kit. I emailed Noctua and they advise it will fit in the case, but the Corsair Ram Heat Spreaders are too high (Grrrr... I wish NCIX had told me about that sort of potential issue when I bought it. I told them I was headed to Overclocking.) So the winner was:

 

[-Jim-]

GTX 560 & USB2 Header Installed

I'm moving into a new area with Water Cooling and Overclocking but that's the adventure

Here's the installed GTX 560 & USB2 Header:

 

[-Jim-]

only 3 times better

Here's the 3DMark11 Test for the GTX 560.

I was surprised it was only 3 times better than the on board Intel Graphics.

 

[-Jim-]

The Cooler Master Seidon 240M Watercooling Kit

It's time for the Watercooler install. This is when I joined this Board.

First it's off with the Intel Cooler:

Then I spent quite a while deciding which way I wanted to mount the Watercooler & Fans.

Here's a little tighter look:

The RED ARROW above points to the Fill /Drain spigot which interfered with mounting a little. It took me a while to mount this Cooler as there was no way to install the Rad on top without a little interference from the frame. I tried every conceivable mount, & scoured the Web but no joy.

I ended up cutting a small triangle off by an unused mounting hole to allow the fill /drain spigot that has a white sticker on it, a little clearance which let the mounting holes line up. (See Red Arrow for area)

 

[-Jim-]

Almost Done!

I'm finally done with the install. Note the Unit Running has a little Blue LED to indicate the Pump is on! (See Red Arrow)

I guess I should show you the Rad installed, and then with the Screen on Replacing the Panel.

 

[tinytomlogan]

LOL @ assuming a shop should tell you the ram wont fit with the cooler. Thats YOUR job to find out and tbh its ALL over the net

 

[-Jim-]

You may be right, but I'm in Technical Sales and my Customers would be really miffed if I made such a faux pas. They look to me as the expert (or more realistically the conduit to expert advice) and I think a dedicated supplier like NCIX would be on top of things. Telling folks "it's all over the web" is not very helpful => especially after the fact.

 

[vorticalbox]

You may be right, but I'm in Technical Sales and my Customers would be really miffed if I made such a faux pas. They look to me as the expert (or more realistically the conduit to expert advice) and I think a dedicated supplier like NCIX would be on top of things. Telling folks "it's all over the web" is not very helpful => especially after the fact.

tbh it is and could of got a ruler and worked it out yourself.

but nice build

 

[Mark3Max]

Then it was time to install the Gigabyte GTX 560 and a USB2 Header.

I researched how to "Delid" my CPU but decided a saner approach would prevail. I boiled down the CPU Cooling to either a a Noctua NH-D14 and a Cooler Master Seidon 240M Watercooling Kit. I emailed Noctua and they advise it will fit in the case, but the Corsair Ram Heat Spreaders are too high (Grrrr... I wish NCIX had told me about that sort of potential issue when I bought it. I told them I was headed to Overclocking.) So the winner was:

If you would have gone to Noctua's website they are pretty clear what ram will fit , here is a link.
http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=compatibility_ram_gen&products_id=34&lng=en
It says at the top of the page ram over 44mm won't work with the NH-D14.

 

[-Jim-]

1-Click Overclock to 4.8Ghz - 4-Way Optimization on ASUS Z87

Yes Gents, had I done a little more homework well before purchasing the Z87-A, CPU, & Ram (all at one time), there would have been no issue in having the opportunity to go with the Noctua air cooler. :huh:

But don't get me wrong, the focus initially was to try a 240mm watercooler. Either now => or later. (Hence the Ghost Case.) I had done some research, (especially on the Intel i7 4770K) and if I had control of my madness, I would not jumped to buy it all so quickly after somewhat limited research on the Z87-A. I bought it so early after it's release, there wasn't much I could find out about the "A" version.

The initial information on the Z87-A was it was the entry board of the Family with accessories added as you move up the line. (Like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.) I asked the Salesmen (2 of them at NCIX) if there was any major difference between the "A" and the "Pro" version of these two Boards, as there was nothing on the Web (even the Asus Site) on them. They pulled out both Boxes and read off there was a couple more Sata ports (I only needed 6), different chokes, and nothing major on the Pro. Even the first YouTube Videos all say the overclock ability is the same regardless of what version of MB. They even said the AI Suite III applies to all.

But what they didn't say is they've don't enable the 4 Way Optimization on the Z87-A. That enables (on the Z87-Pro and above) a single click to automatically optimise everything in a stable cohesive O/C. It's amazing.

Overclocking on the Asus Z87-Pro may be far too simple to pass up. I want to make a point on this before someone else runs out and buys this Asus Z87-A MB without this knowledge.

For me it would have been about a $60 premium. Now I'm not saying I would have bought it, but had I known it wasn't on the Z87-A it would have certainly given me something to think about.

Asus says the software will get you within a hundred or two Hz (not GHz!) of the maximum achievable O/C for you individual Rig. (It compiles Fan performance cooling data, CPU cooling data, voltage levels in the CPU and Ram capability.)

Don't just take my word for it. If you want to check it out, search in Google with "1-Click Overclock to 4.8Ghz - 4-Way Optimization on ASUS Z87"

It's a little long, but if you are thinking about buying a Z87 motherboard, I think it'll be worth your time.

 

[-Jim-]

Gents,

I finally figured out the issue. It wasn't that the Z87-A didn't have the single click optimization, it was the latest version of AI Suite 3 from Asus didn't work right. A cyber friend at the Asus Republic of Gamer's (ROG) site posted he had a similar experience with his Asus Z-87 Expert motherboard and said to try the version that came on the Driver DVD.

I did and it worked great. See below:

 

[Willock]

Gents,

I finally figured out the issue. It wasn't that the Z87-A didn't have the single click optimization, it was the latest version of AI Suite 3 from Asus didn't work right. A cyber friend at the Asus Republic of Gamer's (ROG) site posted he had a similar experience with his Asus Z-87 Expert motherboard and said to try the version that came on the Driver DVD.

I did and it worked great. See below:

And do you know what voltage that's running at?
If you let your motherboard set it automatically then it tends to go BONKERS on the voltage and you could seriously decrease the lifespan / kill your CPU.
I learned the hard way when my old P8P67 wanted to run my 2500k at 1.69v. I was like, errrrrr no.
So yeah, go look up the maximum voltage your CPU is rated at and see if you can get it to within a margin of that; if you're lucky and the silicon gods are smiling at you you might not even have to move the clocks.

 

[GnarKore]

And do you know what voltage that's running at?
If you let your motherboard set it automatically then it tends to go BONKERS on the voltage and you could seriously decrease the lifespan / kill your CPU.
I learned the hard way when my old P8P67 wanted to run my 2500k at 1.69v. I was like, errrrrr no.
So yeah, go look up the maximum voltage your CPU is rated at and see if you can get it to within a margin of that; if you're lucky and the silicon gods are smiling at you you might not even have to move the clocks.

Sometimes i wish i could 'like' a post.
This would definitely deserve one.

 

[-Jim-]

And do you know what voltage that's running at?
If you let your motherboard set it automatically then it tends to go BONKERS on the voltage and you could seriously decrease the lifespan / kill your CPU.
I learned the hard way when my old P8P67 wanted to run my 2500k at 1.69v. I was like, errrrrr no.
So yeah, go look up the maximum voltage your CPU is rated at and see if you can get it to within a margin of that; if you're lucky and the silicon gods are smiling at you you might not even have to move the clocks.

One of the benefits to AI Suite 3 is in Auto mode it is restricted not over-volt the CPU beyond conservative limits. It actually ramps voltage levels up depending on CPU load. It displays this voltage on a summary page. I check it almost every time I boot up and so far it's worked well. But thanks for the caution.

 

[NeverBackDown]

One of the benefits to AI Suite 3 is in Auto mode it is restricted not over-volt the CPU beyond conservative limits. It actually ramps voltage levels up depending on CPU load. It displays this voltage on a summary page. I check it almost every time I boot up and so far it's worked well. But thanks for the caution.

Then it's kind of a fake overclock isn't it? You change a number then have the computer do the rest. What's the point in that? Besides you will get a better overclock by setting it up MANUALLY and doing it correctly. In the end you also learn more about your system and the expierence to apply in the future.

Edit: No matter what Asus advertises it's precious "restricted non overvolt" feature will always give more volts than not. It ramps up higher than doing it yourself would have.

 

[-Jim-]

I'll just let AI Suite 3 get me close enough for my real purposes...

Hi NeverBackDown,


Fake O/C ?? Maybe - just depends on your definition. I'm old school and used to try O/Cing by tweaking / testing / loading each parameter in kind (and it took hours & hours to do it right), but now this software does it from within Windows automatically. Of course it doesn't tweak everything (like in the olden days) as the Intel Haswell CPU really doesn't require much to max it out. According to Asus, AI Suite 3 gets you within hundreds of Hz of maxed out settings - which is amazing.

My purposes are to keep the Box quiet except when a program needs max HP (mostly Video Editing Rendering - say 2% of the time). The rest of the time (98%) I couldn't stand listening to the excessive noise max settings require. The Box is only a couple feet away at ear level. This software gives me what I wanted in a painless way.

Of course I expect I'll sit down one day (more?) and go over the Box the old fashioned way and tweak everything just to see what this Rig is truly capable of => and file away the settings. But in the end I'll just let AI Suite 3 get me close enough for my real purposes.