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Overclocking, building computers, etc. (split from Mac Pro thread)


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Overclocking, building computers, etc. (split from Mac Pro thread)
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Eugene
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Hillsborough, CA
 
2008-01-08, 21:09

I've waited this long, just built a $800 quad-core PC, and Nehalem is 9 months away. No price drop on the Mac Pros = no sale.
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Gargoyle
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Join Date: May 2004
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2008-01-09, 15:13

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eugene View Post
I've waited this long, just built a $800 quad-core PC, and Nehalem is 9 months away. No price drop on the Mac Pros = no sale.
No you didn't. You built an $800 POS!

Show us the links to the components you used and we'll se how they stack up?
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Eugene
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Join Date: May 2004
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2008-01-10, 00:49

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gargoyle View Post
No you didn't. You built an $800 POS!

Show us the links to the components you used and we'll se how they stack up?
Sorry the POS in the link below doesn't live up to your standards, even though it's OC'd to 3.6 GHz and will outbench the $2299 quad Mac Pro config.

A 320 GB HDD is $65. A decent PSU is $120. An 20x DVD-RW is $25.

http://forums.applenova.com/showthread.php?p=532022

All of those components are cream of the crop. I could build a near equivalent PC for $200 less that would be nearly as good for stock configurations, but I make a hobby out of overclocking.
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Gargoyle
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Join Date: May 2004
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2008-01-10, 15:36

Eugene

OK, it's not a bad system but it's still comparing Apples to Oranges (pun not intended).
  • Your Core 2 Quad is not a Xeon
  • Your mobo does not support 32GB RAM
  • Your mobo does not support 2 CPUs
  • Your mobo has not got a 1600 FSB (never mind a dual bus!)
  • I would also like to see benchmarks from your overclocked chip Vs a 2.8 Xeon - I would be surprised to see a massive difference and the Xeon wont have a shortened life!
  • You don't have an operating system listed
  • You don't have any bundled software listed.

I think the prices of the Mac Pros are very reasonable for a top quality system at the high end of the spec. At the end of the day I would be happy to put a Mac Pro in a server cupboard and let it run for years on end - I would not trust your components to run constantly for over 12 months.

I may have just been unlucky, but I have had my fair share of problems with abit motherboards!

OK, I have given up keeping this sig up to date. Lets just say I'm the guy that installs every latest version as soon as its available!
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2008-01-10, 15:49

Eugene, are you saying you made your own Mac? Does this thing run OS X, or did I miss something and it's another type of machine?

If it's a Mac, that's pretty cool for $850.

Would be neat if Apple sold stylish empty shell aluminum towers or cubes (a few different sizes/bay/port arrangements), and a listing of approved suppliers...



Would never happen, of course, but it would be need to easily build your own custom Mac, with just the components you want or need (save money on this part, splurge on that, etc.), and know that it's sanctioned and going to all work well.
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Moogs
Hates the Infotainment
 
Join Date: May 2004
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2008-01-10, 16:08

Oh NOZ de Hackintoshez live¡¡
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Eugene
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Hillsborough, CA
 
2008-01-10, 20:47

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gargoyle View Post
Eugene

OK, it's not a bad system but it's still comparing Apples to Oranges (pun not intended).
[*]Your Core 2 Quad is not a Xeon
What is the difference to you? A Yorkfield Core 2 Quad has all the functionality of a Harpertown Xeon. I could easily run it at 1600 MHz FSB even.

Quote:
[*]Your mobo does not support 32GB RAM
Oh man, that was almost a dealbreaker!

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[*]Your mobo does not support 2 CPUs
Anyone know if the single Xeon system supports two CPUs? Again, that was a conscious decision.

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[*]Your mobo has not got a 1600 FSB (never mind a dual bus!)
Actually the mobo easily supports 2000 MHz FSB. Read up on the IP35 Pro please. It doesn't need a dual-bus.

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[*]I would also like to see benchmarks from your overclocked chip Vs a 2.8 Xeon - I would be surprised to see a massive difference and the Xeon wont have a shortened life!
I've never lost a CPU to an OC. I keep them nice and cool.

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[*]You don't have an operating system listed[*]You don't have any bundled software listed.
I will get back to you as soon as I find a $1500 OS and software to install.

Quote:
I think the prices of the Mac Pros are very reasonable for a top quality system at the high end of the spec. At the end of the day I would be happy to put a Mac Pro in a server cupboard and let it run for years on end - I would not trust your components to run constantly for over 12 months.
The Mac Pro prices are reasonable, but the point is it's not made for most of us. Neither is the iMac or mini. Ah, nice FUD on the end of that paragraph.

Quote:
I may have just been unlucky, but I have had my fair share of problems with abit motherboards!
More FUD. Okay sir, substitute the Abit for a cheaper Gigabyte, Asus, DFI or MSI.
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Eugene
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2008-01-10, 20:50

Quote:
Originally Posted by pscates2.0 View Post
Eugene, are you saying you made your own Mac? Does this thing run OS X, or did I miss something and it's another type of machine?
I'm going to install the "Kalway" hacked version of 10.5.1 sometime later. I'm still running Prime95 on this machine (>30 hours now) to test if the OC is stable.
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Gargoyle
http://ga.rgoyle.com
 
Join Date: May 2004
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2008-01-11, 12:23

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eugene View Post
The Mac Pro prices are reasonable, but the point is it's not made for most of us. Neither is the iMac or mini.
I think you have got your argument the wrong way round! The combined lineup of Mac Pro, iMac, etc would have a product to suit most of us. You however are the exception and clearly an enthusiast who enjoys tinkering and overclocking - as I did a few years ago.

That is besides the point though. My comment was directed at the fact that you basically bitched about the price and then compared it to a completely different system!


Quote:
Originally Posted by Eugene View Post
I will get back to you as soon as I find a $1500 OS and software to install.
Amazon has Vista Ultimate listed for £329.98 which xe.com tells me is $646.342US!!! Holy crap, that just doubled the price of your system!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eugene View Post
Ah, nice FUD on the end of that paragraph. More FUD. Okay sir, substitute the Abit for a cheaper Gigabyte, Asus, DFI or MSI.
Did I say I owned a Gigabyte, Asus or MSI??? No I owned an Abit board - a 7xxx something with an onboard Highpoint controller - It failed. Got replaced. and failed again.

OK, I'm not quite sure what FUD is supposed to mean or how it relates to what I would be happy running. As an IT consultant people pay good money for my experience and advice but you can have it for free and call it FUD if you want - I don't want this to become any kind of personal slagging match !

Like I said before - my gripe was with your comparison. In my eyes your system does not equal a Mac Pro.

An interesting question for this population would be how many other enthusiasts that have build their own systems (like you and I) think that your system (and it's price) are an accurate and equal comparison to a Mac Pro?

OK, I have given up keeping this sig up to date. Lets just say I'm the guy that installs every latest version as soon as its available!
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Eugene
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Hillsborough, CA
 
2008-01-12, 02:16

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gargoyle View Post
I think you have got your argument the wrong way round! The combined lineup of Mac Pro, iMac, etc would have a product to suit most of us. You however are the exception and clearly an enthusiast who enjoys tinkering and overclocking - as I did a few years ago.
That explains why you exclaimed the new Mac Pro to be your new gaming machine then? A gaming machine with 7 irrelevant cores? If only Apple made a machine that most gamers and SOHO users would want, maybe they'd actually get third parties to make video cards for them again.

In January of last year I predicted the gap between the iMac and Mac Pro would only widen come 2008.

http://forums.applenova.com/showthread.php?p=428756
http://forums.applenova.com/showthread.php?p=429128 s/Tigerton/Harpertown/

Quote:
That is besides the point though. My comment was directed at the fact that you basically bitched about the price and then compared it to a completely different system!
I can only compare my system to what actually exists. Since the iMac doesn't meet my needs, the Mac Pro is the only comparable Mac.

Quote:
Amazon has Vista Ultimate listed for £329.98 which xe.com tells me is $646.342US!!! Holy crap, that just doubled the price of your system!
Vista Ultimate 64-bit is US $179 at NewEgg.
Vista Home Premium 64-bit is $111.

Quote:
Did I say I owned a Gigabyte, Asus or MSI??? No I owned an Abit board - a 7xxx something with an onboard Highpoint controller - It failed. Got replaced. and failed again.
You questioned the reliability of Abit boards, so you have a huge list of alternatives. You can even buy a vanilla Intel branded board if you'd like. My old DIY PC has been chugging along just fine for 3 years now (other than a PSU lost to a massive power surge that also killed several other devices around my house). I expect this one to last me just as long.

Quote:
OK, I'm not quite sure what FUD is supposed to mean or how it relates to what I would be happy running. As an IT consultant people pay good money for my experience and advice but you can have it for free and call it FUD if you want - I don't want this to become any kind of personal slagging match !
You are casting fear, uncertainty, doubt on my DIY PC's reliability with basically zero authority.

Quote:
Like I said before - my gripe was with your comparison. In my eyes your system does not equal a Mac Pro.
The Mac Pro is the only 'comparable' machine Apple sells.

Quote:
An interesting question for this population would be how many other enthusiasts that have build their own systems (like you and I) think that your system (and it's price) are an accurate and equal comparison to a Mac Pro?
The Mac Pro is the only 'comparable' machine Apple sells.

Last edited by Eugene : 2008-01-12 at 02:42.
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Gargoyle
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Join Date: May 2004
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2008-01-12, 06:02

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eugene View Post
That explains why you exclaimed the new Mac Pro to be your new gaming machine then?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yonzie View Post
The Mac Pro as compared to a Quad-core gaming rig is still a very bad deal. The fact is that Apple does not make anything that a gamer would be interested in buying, like the one in my sig.

...

In January of last year I predicted the gap between the iMac and Mac Pro would only widen come 2008.
And I think chucker nailed it on the head back then.

Quote:
Originally Posted by chucker View Post
You know what, never mind. It seems to be the hip thing to do to confuse one's personal preferences and desires with what Apple "ought to be doing".
You think Apple should make a headless system between the iMac and the Mac Pro because that is your market - the hobbyist / enthusiast gamer. But in the big scheme of things that is a very tiny market for Apple to consider! (Additionally, do you really thing that upgraded graphics cards would be any more readily available for such a system than they are for the Mac Pros?)

Basically, if your a Mac user you have limited (legal) options. You ether play your games on a slightly underpowered iMac (depending on the games you play), you maintain two machines, or you fork out a bit more on a single machine that does both.

The first option sucks if you want to play modern games and I got fed up with my desktop clutter with the second option - so for me the Mac Pro is just about hitting the sweet spot. I can do my day-to-day work/email/itunes etc, and then boot camp into Windows and have a decent gaming experience (without breaking any EULA's).

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eugene View Post
That explains why you exclaimed the new Mac Pro to be your new gaming machine then? A gaming machine with 7 irrelevant cores?
So you won't be playing any games that use a modern engine such as the Unreal Engine 3 or cryEngine 2?

And your operating system does not keep running in the background? (how strange)

And you don't use 3rd party comms software while your playing?

Now who's the one spreading the FUD?

OK, I have given up keeping this sig up to date. Lets just say I'm the guy that installs every latest version as soon as its available!
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Eugene
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Hillsborough, CA
 
2008-01-12, 07:53

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gargoyle View Post
So you won't be playing any games that use a modern engine such as the Unreal Engine 3 or cryEngine 2?

And your operating system does not keep running in the background? (how strange)

And you don't use 3rd party comms software while your playing?

Now who's the one spreading the FUD?
At resolutions like 1680x1050 and 1920x1200 your games are not even CPU bound, but GPU bound. When I play a games, I usually have various chat clients open and ventrilo open. Those apps and the OS in the background would probably utilize under 10% CPU on average, so a dual-core CPU still is the basis for the most practical gaming system.

And back to the statement about there being no room for the xMac because it's only enthusiasts. Bullshit. It's less of a niche product than the Mac Pro is. The vast majority of desktop Mac users could get by with an iMac.

Last edited by Eugene : 2008-01-12 at 08:21.
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Gargoyle
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Join Date: May 2004
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2008-01-12, 10:05

OK, Eugene - whatever. I think this has already got way off topic and I suspect that we could continue until Brad gets fed-up with our bickering and slaps us with an amusing picture and a padlock

So, without any further delays, this topic will be resuming normal operations.

The new xserves seem to lineup at around the same level as Dell PowerEdge 1950's. I am currently working on a clustered database solution using some pretty deep linux tools which don't seem to have any similar competition from ether Windows or OS X.

Does anyone manage small clusters, say 4 to 6 nodes, using OS X?

OK, I have given up keeping this sig up to date. Lets just say I'm the guy that installs every latest version as soon as its available!
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chucker
 
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2008-01-12, 12:10

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eugene View Post
Sorry the POS in the link below doesn't live up to your standards, even though it's OC'd to 3.6 GHz
Overclocked‽ The only "standards" overclocked computers "live up to" are the pimples of a 16-year old. Who the frack is ever going to use an overclocked computer in a production environment? And when you find someone, can I beat him up with a clue stick?
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Eugene
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Hillsborough, CA
 
2008-01-12, 12:21

Quote:
Originally Posted by chucker View Post
Overclocked‽ The only "standards" overclocked computers "live up to" are the pimples of a 16-year old. Who the frack is ever going to use an overclocked computer in a production environment? And when you find someone, can I beat him up with a clue stick?
If you think changing the multiplier on chip from 9 to 10 or upping the FSB from 266 to 333 MHz is going to be devastating, then maybe Apple should be warned of doing the same (putting RX1000SC 7455s in MDD 1.25 GHz Power Macs).

Meanwhile Intel's fabs are pumping out nearly identical chips and binning them as lower clocked models just for product differentiation.

Last edited by Eugene : 2008-01-12 at 12:53.
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chucker
 
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2008-01-12, 13:10

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eugene View Post
If you think changing the multiplier on chip from 9 to 10 or upping the FSB from 266 to 333 MHz is going to be devastating
No, I think comparing a self-built machine with bizarre modifications for nutty gamers to a retail model for professionals with full warranty makes you look disingenuous.

Quote:
, then maybe Apple should be warned of doing the same (putting RX1000SC 7455s in MDD 1.25 GHz Power Macs).
A manufacturer, by definition, does not overclock. If you think they didn't perform comprehensive tests for those machines, you're crazy. (And yes, I remember the PSU problem. That's unrelated.) Overclocking is using a chip at frequencies it wasn't intended for; a manufacturer defines what frequency a chip is intended for.
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Banana
is the next Chiquita
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
 
2008-01-12, 13:38

Quote:
Originally Posted by chucker View Post
A manufacturer, by definition, does not overclock. If you think they didn't perform comprehensive tests for those machines, you're crazy. (And yes, I remember the PSU problem. That's unrelated.) Overclocking is using a chip at frequencies it wasn't intended for; a manufacturer defines what frequency a chip is intended for.
Just out of curiosity, I understand that manufacturer basically made chips from same recipe, and those that weren't "cooked" (metaphorically speaking) as well are classified as underclocked chips and thus priced lower while those a bit more "well-done" are given a higher rating. Is that right?
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chucker
 
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2008-01-12, 13:56

Quote:
Originally Posted by Banana View Post
Just out of curiosity, I understand that manufacturer basically made chips from same recipe, and those that weren't "cooked" (metaphorically speaking) as well are classified as underclocked chips and thus priced lower while those a bit more "well-done" are given a higher rating. Is that right?


@throw NSParseFailureException(@"Failed to parse sentence. Please rephrase.");

Chip manufacturers use various tricks to maximize yield. For example, if a dual-core CPU has a core that failed tests, it'll be rebadged and sold (cheaper) as single-core. The failed core will be shipped, but disabled; the other core will work fine, and the customer will never know. Likewise (and I think that's what you were asking), if a CPU fails tests at a certain frequency but passes them at a lower one, it'll be rebadged as well, and sold (cheaper) at that lower frequency.
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Eugene
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Hillsborough, CA
 
2008-01-12, 14:02

Okay chucker, so you're saying a system builder like Apple who takes a 1 GHz rated part like the XPC7455 RX1000SC and then runs it +25% out of Motorola's spec...that's not overclocking?

What Apple did in 2003 is no different that what Alienware/Dell and graphics card makers do. There's even a term for it: factory overclocking!
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chucker
 
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2008-01-12, 14:11

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eugene View Post
Okay chucker, so you're saying a system builder like Apple who takes a 1 GHz rated part like the XPC7455 RX1000SC and then runs it +25% out of Motorola's spec...that's not overclocking?
Correct.

Quote:
What Apple did in 2003 is no different that what Alienware/Dell and graphics card makers do. There's even a term for it: factory overclocking!
There's a term for that, too: oxymoron!
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Eugene
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Join Date: May 2004
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2008-01-12, 14:12

Quote:
Originally Posted by chucker View Post
Chip manufacturers use various tricks to maximize yield. For example, if a dual-core CPU has a core that failed tests, it'll be rebadged and sold (cheaper) as single-core. The failed core will be shipped, but disabled; the other core will work fine, and the customer will never know. Likewise (and I think that's what you were asking), if a CPU fails tests at a certain frequency but passes them at a lower one, it'll be rebadged as well, and sold (cheaper) at that lower frequency.
Or if demand for a lower frequency chip outstrips supply, manufacturers like Intel will start stamping higher rated chips as lower frequency parts. This is typically the case when a fabrication process matures and yields of low frequency parts begin to shrink.

It's also why the lowest of the low-end chips like the 1.86 GHz Core 2 Duo E6320 easily hit 3.0 GHz with no adjustments other than upping the FSB.
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Eugene
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Join Date: May 2004
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2008-01-12, 14:22

Quote:
Originally Posted by chucker View Post
Correct.
Just to get this straight.

If Apple, a customer of Motorola, buys a CPU and then CLOCKS it at 25% OVER its stamped operating frequency, it's not overclocking?

You have very unique definition of overclocking.



Dell knows exactly what it's doing by running Intel chips outside of their stamped clock frequencies.
  quote
Banana
is the next Chiquita
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
 
2008-01-12, 14:34

Quote:
Originally Posted by chucker View Post
Chip manufacturers use various tricks to maximize yield. For example, if a dual-core CPU has a core that failed tests, it'll be rebadged and sold (cheaper) as single-core. The failed core will be shipped, but disabled; the other core will work fine, and the customer will never know. Likewise (and I think that's what you were asking), if a CPU fails tests at a certain frequency but passes them at a lower one, it'll be rebadged as well, and sold (cheaper) at that lower frequency.
That's what I thought. Now, does that mean overclocking is taking in a CPU spec'd for lower frequency and allowing it to run at higher frequency, which it had failed the test prior to sale? Or is there such thing as overclocking without going against manufacturer's recommendations?
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chucker
 
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2008-01-12, 14:44

Quote:
Originally Posted by Banana View Post
That's what I thought. Now, does that mean overclocking is taking in a CPU spec'd for lower frequency and allowing it to run at higher frequency, which it had failed the test prior to sale? Or is there such thing as overclocking without going against manufacturer's recommendations?
Over- or underclocking is clocking a CPU irrespective of the manufacturer's recommendations.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eugene View Post
Just to get this straight.

If Apple, a customer of Motorola, buys a CPU and then CLOCKS it at 25% OVER its stamped operating frequency, it's not overclocking?
Yes.

Quote:
Dell knows exactly what it's doing by running Intel chips outside of their stamped clock frequencies.
E-fricking-xactly. They know what they are doing. That is the promise they make to you as a customer. They choose the components of the product they sell you.

When they sell you a laptop and its hard drive dies, that's their responsibility, even though they don't manufacture that hard drive. They have picked the drive; therefore, you as a customer couldn't care less who actually made it. By picking it, they implicitly approved of it.

When they sell you a machine and say its CPU is clocked at X, you as a customer couldn't care less that the CPU manufacturer said it's only recommended to be clocked at Y. When it doesn't run properly at X, that's Dell's and Apple's problem, not Intel's and Motorola's. Therefore, it is not overclocking, because it doesn't go over anything. That CPU manufacturer recommendation just plain frigging does not exist for you as a customer.

That is why people buy complete systems from companies like Apple and Dell to begin with: so that they don't have to deal with CPU manufacturers directly.
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Eugene
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Join Date: May 2004
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2008-01-12, 14:50

Quote:
Originally Posted by Banana View Post
That's what I thought. Now, does that mean overclocking is taking in a CPU spec'd for lower frequency and allowing it to run at higher frequency, which it had failed the test prior to sale? Or is there such thing as overclocking without going against manufacturer's recommendations?
To me, overclocking is taking a component and running it outside the spec given to it by its original manufacturer. In the case of CPUs, Apple is nothing but a customer of Intel. Intel's not selling them unrated/unmarked CPUs, so if they were to sell you a Mac Pro with a Xeon X5482 running at 3.4 GHz instead of its original 3.2 GHz, then that would be overclocking.

It's not necessarily about failing tests at higher frequencies.

Cheaper parts sell in higher quantities. As the chipmaking process matures, fewer defective or lesser quality chips are produced. If demand for the lower priced chips outstrips supply and a manufacturer also has an excess of higher rated chips, they will mark those high-quality chips as low-end parts to make the sale rather than sit on excess inventory.
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Banana
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Join Date: Feb 2005
 
2008-01-12, 14:57

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eugene View Post
Cheaper parts sell in higher quantities. As the chipmaking process matures, fewer defective or lesser quality chips are produced. If demand for the lower priced chips outstrips supply and a manufacturer also has an excess of higher rated chips, they will mark those high-quality chips as low-end parts to make the sale rather than sit on excess inventory.
Well, that's why I started asking questions because I was thinking about that exact statement and how it doesn't make sense to me. If the frequency a chip runs at isn't even influenced by fabbing process, but rather by the quality of process, it'd stand to reason that it'd be easier to sell those chips at one frequency and adjust the price based not on the frequency but rather on the quality or something like that, no?
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Eugene
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Join Date: May 2004
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2008-01-12, 14:59

Quote:
Originally Posted by chucker View Post
When they sell you a machine and say its CPU is clocked at X, you as a customer couldn't care less that the CPU manufacturer said it's only recommended to be clocked at Y. When it doesn't run properly at X, that's Dell's and Apple's problem, not Intel's and Motorola's. Therefore, it is not overclocking, because it doesn't go over anything. That CPU manufacturer recommendation just plain frigging does not exist for you as a customer.
Overclocking is about a system-builder's promises now? Where does the distinction end? If I sell someone a PC built around a 2.4 GHz Q6600 and then configure it to run at 3 GHz, can I claim it's not overclocked because I tested it for a couple of days?

It doesn't matter if Dell makes a promise. Dell has gone outside normal parameters and changed settings to allow a CPU to run out of spec. That same CPU when dropped into a reference motherboard will be automatically configured at a different clockrate!
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chucker
 
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2008-01-12, 15:02

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eugene View Post
Overclocking is about a system-builder's promises now?
No, it's about ignoring the recommendations of the CPU manufacturer or, if you buy from a vendor, those of that vendor.

Quote:
Dell has gone outside normal parameters
Doesn't matter.

Quote:
and changed settings to allow a CPU to run out of spec.
That's something a user should never have to care about.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eugene View Post
That same CPU when dropped into a reference motherboard will be automatically configured at a different clockrate!
What kind of person buys from Dell, then replaces the motherboard? If you're gonna modify such guts, you might as well skip buying from Dell to begin with.
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Eugene
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Join Date: May 2004
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2008-01-12, 15:18

Quote:
Originally Posted by Banana View Post
Well, that's why I started asking questions because I was thinking about that exact statement and how it doesn't make sense to me. If the frequency a chip runs at isn't even influenced by fabbing process, but rather by the quality of process, it'd stand to reason that it'd be easier to sell those chips at one frequency and adjust the price based not on the frequency but rather on the quality or something like that, no?
It's not that the frequency isn't affected by the fabbing process...it's that pricing isn't affected by it. The chipmakers want to control the pricing of their chips even if it means putting some top bin processors in the bottom bin to sell every chip they make. They'd rather do that than drop the prices of all their chips. They'd be dropping the price of their low-end chip, making it even more popular when they don't make as many...all the while having the high-end chip be cheaper too...
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Eugene
careful with axes
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Hillsborough, CA
 
2008-01-12, 15:19

So...

If I sell someone a PC built around a 2.4 GHz Q6600 and then configure it to run at 3 GHz, can I claim it's not overclocked because I tested it for a couple of days?

Quote:
What kind of person buys from Dell, then replaces the motherboard? If you're gonna modify such guts, you might as well skip buying from Dell to begin with.
Why does it matter how unlikely the scenario is? Why does the CPU run at a different clockrate when automatically configured in any other motherboard?
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