• New Build Suggestion

    From Jeff Gaines@21:1/5 to All on Mon Aug 28 10:03:46 2023
    I feel a new build coming on, not sure I really need it but I've stopped
    using my HP Z620 and I'd like to use the case which is designed like a
    Rolls Royce.

    My last build was based on an Asus Z170K board and it's still in use as my
    main machine. Got really pissed off building it as I scrunched up the pins
    on the first board so had to bin it and start again. Even so it has served
    well and still does.

    Use is Office stuff and Visual Studio.

    What board/CPU is the modern equivalent of the Asus?
    Would it have significant benefits (apart from the satisfaction of
    building it)?

    thanks!

    --
    Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
    The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not
    expect to sit.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Jaimie Vandenbergh@21:1/5 to All on Mon Aug 28 11:01:40 2023
    On 28 Aug 2023 at 11:03:46 BST, ""Jeff Gaines"" <jgnewsid@outlook.com>
    wrote:


    I feel a new build coming on, not sure I really need it but I've stopped using my HP Z620 and I'd like to use the case which is designed like a
    Rolls Royce.

    My last build was based on an Asus Z170K board and it's still in use as my main machine. Got really pissed off building it as I scrunched up the pins
    on the first board so had to bin it and start again. Even so it has served well and still does.

    Use is Office stuff and Visual Studio.

    What board/CPU is the modern equivalent of the Asus?
    Would it have significant benefits (apart from the satisfaction of
    building it)?

    Not really.

    CPUs are a bit faster now, which won't affect office/browsing at all. If
    you compile big things in VS, you might get a 30% reduction in time that
    takes. Is that worth spending a grand on?

    I'm still using my 2016 build (Asus Z170i with i7 mumbleK, 2080Ti later
    update) as my gaming PC, still hits 4k60/1080p120 happily with modern
    games. Absolutely no point upgrading.

    Cheers - Jaimie

    --
    Sent from my Sinclair ZX-81

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Theo@21:1/5 to Jaimie Vandenbergh on Mon Aug 28 12:18:33 2023
    Jaimie Vandenbergh <jaimie@usually.sessile.org> wrote:
    On 28 Aug 2023 at 11:03:46 BST, ""Jeff Gaines"" <jgnewsid@outlook.com>
    wrote:


    I feel a new build coming on, not sure I really need it but I've stopped using my HP Z620 and I'd like to use the case which is designed like a Rolls Royce.

    I would check it takes standard parts. Some HP/Dell/Lenovo desktops use
    weird sized motherboards, strange power connectors and similar.

    What board/CPU is the modern equivalent of the Asus?

    You'd need to be more specific for what you want but I'd look at Ryzens,
    either the current crop or the previous generation.

    Would it have significant benefits (apart from the satisfaction of
    building it)?

    Not really.

    CPUs are a bit faster now, which won't affect office/browsing at all. If
    you compile big things in VS, you might get a 30% reduction in time that takes. Is that worth spending a grand on?

    I'm still using my 2016 build (Asus Z170i with i7 mumbleK, 2080Ti later update) as my gaming PC, still hits 4k60/1080p120 happily with modern
    games. Absolutely no point upgrading.

    The other reason is power consumption. I have a dual Xeon E5-2670v1 workstation (no GPU, just VGA) which takes about 100W idle and 400W peak -
    I'm sure I could get that down to say 20W idle 100-150W peak on a modern machine. If I used it a lot it would eventually pay in terms of electricity bill. (it is taking 10W just being 'off', running the BMC)

    Also, if you want to run Windows 11 there's the arbitrary cutoff of 'too
    old' things that it won't run on, although that can be bypassed.

    Theo

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Jaimie Vandenbergh@21:1/5 to theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk on Mon Aug 28 11:40:31 2023
    On 28 Aug 2023 at 12:18:33 BST, "Theo"
    <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:

    The other reason is power consumption. I have a dual Xeon E5-2670v1 workstation (no GPU, just VGA) which takes about 100W idle and 400W peak - I'm sure I could get that down to say 20W idle 100-150W peak on a modern machine. If I used it a lot it would eventually pay in terms of electricity bill. (it is taking 10W just being 'off', running the BMC)

    A z170 board takes CPUs with decent idle power profiles :) Mine runs at
    about 24W when it's not doing anything, 290W when it's caning it with
    benchmark gpu+cpu loading.

    Cheers - Jaimie

    --
    If you are not paying for it, you're not the customer; you're the product being sold.
    -- blue_beetle

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Jeff Gaines@21:1/5 to All on Tue Aug 29 08:08:35 2023
    On 28/08/2023 in message <Ptj*IcYoz@news.chiark.greenend.org.uk> Theo wrote:

    [snipped]

    Many thanks Jaimie and Theo :-)

    Looks as if there's no point in upgrading. It's a really nice case but as
    Theo said perhaps too customised to take a standard ATX board.

    --
    Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
    I can please only one person per day. Today is not your day.
    Tomorrow, isn't looking good either.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Jeff Gaines@21:1/5 to Gaines on Tue Aug 29 11:14:47 2023
    On 29/08/2023 in message <xn0o65t75p2vc79016@news.individual.net> Jeff
    Gaines wrote:

    [snipped]

    Just a follow up. I have re-installed the old mainboard. All my efforts to remove 300 screws were wasted as the holder under each screw has a nut one
    end, a slim "neck" and then a ball. Fit them all to the board first, put
    the board in place, slide it by half and inch, screw the plastic holder in place - job done!

    The connectors are colour coded and are so neatly tied in place it's
    impossible to connect them incorrectly.

    I forgot to put the memory fan back and got a BIOS warning that it wasn't
    in place so sorted that.

    I have one jumper that I found in the case. It boots without it and my
    service manual doesn't seem to cover jumpers, I will continue to
    investigate.

    --
    Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
    We chose to do this not because it is easy but because we thought it would
    be easy.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)