MSI K7D Master + 2 XP/MPs

It's all over. It's really finished.

Nearly 4 years since i set out to build my dream rig, and i've finally finished. Sad, i know.

It all started with my first few paychecks from my first job in highschool. I had a few hundred bucks to burn, and i wanted to upgrade my computer. After getting a new video card, i decided a new motherboard was in store. Without doing much of any research (or even having knowlege of this board's existance), i purchased a Tyan Tiger MPX. When it arrived, one of the sockets was dead, so i returned it.

I then decided i better read around before getting a new one. So i come across this board, and decided to go with the MSI K7D Master. I opted for the non-L version b/c i had a few ethernet cards on hand, and wanted to save that extra 20 bucks.

The processor i was using at the time was a Duron 1.3ghz (not sure of the core). I read that those procs supported mps, so i bought another offline. After tinkering for many hours, i finally got the mobo to detect 2 cpus. However, windows wouldnt boot, so damn - no dice.

I then proceeded to buy 2 XP-2500 Barton core, right after they came out. Long story short, i tried to use a brush to paint on the conductive gunk i was using (defogger repair kit) and the paint got all over the place.

Note well, that i somehow managed to do this not once - but twice. Yes, after having them for only weeks, i had managed to ruin 2 perfectly good unlocked Bartons. Brilliant. However, they still worked in single mode, but their destiny was for duallage. I later attempted to scrape the paint off of everything and actually broke them this time. I didnt care about single processors... i wanted 2 procs at 2ghz each... that's 4ghz man!! (I know now how it works, please save your flamethrowers).

So, a year later or so, i'm in college and i decided to tackle the dually again. I order a newly released XP-M 2200 (i chose this model for its low operating voltage) with the understanding that they were out-of-the-box ready for smp. So i buy a pair, naturally. Turns out, they're very unstable in dual mode. So, until a fix was found, i just ran it nice and overclocked at like 2.4ghz at 1.7vcore. That is, until..

disaster

My idiot roommate destroyed one of my processors, and a waterblock (heat caused it to warp and leak). It's a miracle he didnt destroy the motherboard, although there is a nice big black mark in one of the sockets.

So, i give up hope, give my remaining good XP-M to my girlfriend as an upgrade to her computer, and fall back on my trusty duron for daily computing.

Now, 2 years later, i've aquired an unlocked barton and a regular locked one, they have been MP modded, and they are up and running. I couldn't be happier. Well, i suppose if they were magically 64bit opterons i'd be happier, but for the time being - i'm quite satisfied.

Here's a few stats:
K7D Master v1
XP Barton 2500+ unlocked @ 12.5x140
XP Barton 2400+ locked @ 12.5x140
(sorry, forgot to write down steppings)
GeForce MX440 64mb
2 80gb 7200rpm seagates
1gb crucial pc2100 registered

12v pump
tc-4 v1 wb
tc-4 v2 wb
pimp *** acrylic res
~120mm x ~240mm radiator + pimp *** shroud (from classifieds)
2 120mm panflows at lowest speed (silent)
10/90 antifreeze/h2o

idle temps:
abmient: 29C
underdesk:~32C
case: 36C
cpu0:45C
cpu1: 46C

load:
case: 36C
cpu0: 46C
cpu1:48C

I was especially pleased with the closeness of cpu temps. I expected more like a 3-4 C difference. The next step would be some pin modding for higher multis, and possible some faster memory.. maybe that samsung pc2700 i've read so much about.

Props if you read it all,
David

Congratulations - I know what its like to go through hardware along the way of trying to get your computer where you finally want it. Took me a while When you finally get it runing and then you fiddle with the fan mounting and chip a core, then you're without a computer till you have money again, then a waterpump gets unplugged etc etc. It can seem like an impossible goal at times but is worth the effort in the end. What kind of pump/rad/tubing/fans are u using?

alright, specifics..

the pump is a Swifttech MCP650. It's the one that has a 4-pin molex connector. Very handy. The pump i used previously was a Via Aqua 1300, with the impeller mod. It killed itself after about a year of running, as you can read about here. And the way my roommate fried one of my procs was by not turning on the pump, so i liked the idea of a pump that fed off the psu.

Anywas, the tubing is all 1/2". The blocks are a D-tek TC-4 rev1 and rev2. As i said, the heatercore is a 240x120mm and it's like 1.5" thick. It's covered by a nice SS polished shroud with 2 panflos on it.

Other cooling things.. heatsink on the NB, 4 80mm case fans on the outflow - probably the reason for the high case temps. but i'd prefer that to high cpu temps.

-David

nice system

my 2500's should be in any day now. dont think ill be going back to watercooling, i just cant seem to find a quiet pump.

and now i cant afford it

Congrats and sympathies, I know how that goes. I bought a major upgrade in early 02 and turned out to have a lemon mobo and a sucky PSU, took 2 years to get another PSU in there and figure out all the issues