Building Your Own CG Workstation: Part Three
No Power
Push the power button as much as you want and everything is dead-o. Yikes!
Don't panic, I tell myself, because here's where one of the most important rules of problem-solving with computers comes in: think the problem through logically, reduce the amount of
variables to the problem until you have the fewest, then use the manual (or internet article)
to re-check those variables and possible solutions.
Of course, I was nervous, because even after building several computers it's possible to make a
mistake that will ruin the build (an unfortunate disadvantage of building your own system).
Now, I know that the power cord has power since it's coming from the same outlet that I used
for my previous computer, and the new power cord looks fine. Sniffing around the PSU, I
didn't smell anything burnt. The inside of the case looks fine once I take the side panel off.
Checking the power line from the PSU to the motherboard (2 of them) and they are both tight.
It seems like the problem is with the motherboard simply not getting the power it needs to
boot, since all the other hardware looks good right up to the motherboard.
Usually, a motherboard will have a few small lights on the board which start up when you plug
the power cord into the PSU. In fact, some have small LCDs on them that give you post codes
which, when checked in the manual, tell you what the problem is. ASUS doesn't have one of
these, but there still should be some small lights that work on the board. So, I undid the power
cord, made sure it was securely plugged into it's own outlet, re-checked the switch, plugged it
back in and...
Nothing. No Power to the motherboard.
Time to open the case back up and find out what the problem is. Got the monitor and all the
rest detached and carried this (heavy) case over to the work table to problem solve.
The first thing to do is to make sure that the two power plugs into the motherboard are correct
and secure. For the ASUS P6T, the motherboard manual states that there are two places
where you attach power: one is a large 24-pin connector and the 2nd is a small 8-pin (12 volt)
connector. No other sources of power (remember “reduced variables”?).
The first connector is tight and looks good. The 2nd one...ah, it's a 4-pin power connector,
where the manual says: "Do not forget to connect the 4-pin/8-pin EATX 12 volt power plug; otherwise the system
will not boot."
Page in ASUS manual on the power connections
Hmnn, it says 4-pin or 8-pin. If my memory is correct from my last build, it was an 8-pin
connector, but when I look at the actual connector on the ASUS motherboard there are only 4-
pins available. I grab my little flashlight and look closer.
What the hell? There seems to be some sort of black cover over 4 other pins on the board. A
quick Google search on my laptop brings up the problem: ASUS, without mentioning it in the
manual, has placed a black cover over 4 of the pins. This must be the problem; the
motherboard needs 8 pins in order to boot. So if I remove the black cover and plug in the 8-
pin connector instead of the 4-pin, the system should boot.
Left side: closed pins / Right side: open 8-pin connector
It seems that because it was dark in this corner of the case, I was unable to see the dark cover
on the 8-pin connector. Tricky getting it off, but a little work with a pencil and a pair of
tweezers did it and you can see the full 8-pins in the above picture (right side). After plugging
in the correct power connector and making sure the cable was snug behind the motherboard, I
closed up the case and brought it back over to my PC table to re-attach the monitor, power
cable, and all the rest. Fingers securely crossed this time.
YES! Power on and the machine is booting!
I think I'm taking back my thanks to ASUS because of this odd omission in their manual. They
should have stated that the 8-pin connector had 4 pins covered, and if you need the other 4 pins
- remove the covering. Strange that they'd have it there in the first place. I couldn't find an
answer after a bit of research. Be that as it may, we are onto the last part of our new computer
build.
Post Build Testing/Problem-Solving
Actually, I left out a step before you test the computer: you have to adjust the bios and load in
the operating system, in my case Windows 7, 64-bit. The testing comes after you have loaded
in the operating system.
The bios for a motherboard controls the basic in/out switches and levels for your computer.
Think of it as what's under the hood of your car. You interact with your car's engine (the bios)
by looking at the panels inside of your car, but the basic controls are under the hood. So it is
with your computer.
Accessing the bios is pretty easy as you simply have to hold down a particular keyboard key
when the motherboard logo flashes on the screen. You'll see the note at the bottom of the
screen to hold down the "delete" key to access bios. In my case, I have the American
Megatrends bios, which are excellent to work with.
Here's how you provide basic info to the bios and set it up to load your Operating system from
the CD rom. Once the computer starts booting and you get to the logo screen, you hit
"delete" until the main menu for the bios appears. At this point, you enter the date, time and
check to see if the drives and your ram show up. Each bios topic division is at the top of the
screen and you access each one by using the arrow keys and the enter key. Instructions are at
the bottom of the screen.
The main bios topics for the ASUS P6T Deluxe v2 are: Main, AI Tweaker, Advanced, Power,
Boot, Tools and Exit. The bios set up program is under the Main topic. Just use the down
arrow keys to get to the section you want. All of the hard-drives, etc. and their
names and sizes, along with CD Rom drive, should appear here. Mine are all there, so I'm
looking good.
Changing the boot order in the motherboard Bios
Not much to change in the bios for simply loading in the operating system, but I do need to
disable the floppy disk since I'm not using one. What I need to do now is to change the boot
order so that the machine boots from the CD Rom first. This is pretty easy to do, so once that's
done I hit F10 (save and exit bios) and the system re-boots, only this time, it will start with the
CD Rom with the Windows 7 disc ready to install.
Sure enough, the Windows disc starts to load in files for the build and we are ready to install
the operating system.
In the past, windows would take about 30-40 minutes to format the hard-drive and then load
the operating system. In my system with the i7 920 CPU, it took about 15 minutes (or less,
because I didn't expect it to be so fast and went to get a cup of coffee).
I decided not to use my old hard-drive as I was just going to have to load Windows XP back on
to the drive at some point since I want to use my old computer as a render farm for CINEMA 4D. So, I bought a new Western Digital Caviar Black 640Gb drive and plugged it into the first
SATA port on the motherboard. It's unformatted, so Windows asks you if you want to
partition the drive (create separate sections like an E drive or an F drive). I generally don't like
to partition my drives, so I use the whole drive and it
took about 5 minutes. Amazing.
Oh, one little trick you should keep in mind when the Windows install wants to re-boot and
continue: go back into the bios and change the boot order again so that you are booting
from the hard-drive you just formatted. Be careful that you pick the correct drive, as I had two
drives installed: one for the operating system and one for storage. You should be able to tell
which drive is which by the size of the drive and the letters in front of the numerical values. In
my case, I have Western Digital 640Gb (WD) and a Seagate 1.5 Tb (SG) drive, so it's easy to
tell them apart.
Now, when the system starts it will boot into the Windows 7 installation to finish up. And, as I
said, it was the fastest install I've ever had the pleasure to witness.
From fear that my install was wonky, to a Windows 7 desktop and a new CG workstation that
is purring along very nicely. It's really a good feeling to know that something you put together
with care actually works. This is one of the reasons I build my own systems.
Testing the Build
Windows 7 loading screen
While I can heave a big sigh of relief that the computer I've researched and assembled actually
works, there is still testing to do to make sure that the system components will function well
under stress. I bought a quad core CPU which, when you add Hyper-Threading, kicks the
amount of computing threads up to 8, but can they stand up to several hours worth of
continuous function at close to 100%? This is where you find out if the components of your
build are all that they are cracked up to be.
Most home-builders like myself, either use free programs like memtest or prime9 to test their
builds, but I like a more complete system of tests that will also give me information about my
system components, as well as testing practically every piece of hardware in my build. For that,
you have to shell out a few bucks. I chose PassMark Software's Burnin Test 6.0 and
Performance Test 7.0. PassMark is an established software company whose programs have
become standard at major review sites like Anandtech.com and Tomshardware.com. I added
the Performance Test application because Passmark had a special on both for $44.
But before we get into testing, I want to mention why I chose Windows 7, 64-bit for my new
operating system. I've had little faith in Windows since the major screw-up of Vista, but
many positive reviews at trusted sites, plus running for several weeks on my new laptop
convinced me that it was worth the money. The 64-bit version allows for a higher amount of
RAM for the system ( I plan on upgrading to 12Gbs sometime this year). And practically every
major CG application runs much better (and faster) on a 64-bit system, so I chose that version
of Windows 7.
It's usually much better to do a clean install rather than an upgrade (lots of driver issues), and
since there really is no viable upgrade from XP to Windows 7 (it's essentially a new
installation), I decided to simply buy a new OEM version of Windows 7. The OEM version is
cheaper as it doesn't come with a manual, etc., and is essentially limited to one machine, but
that's not an issue for me. Newegg.com ships Windows 7 64-bit Professional OEM for around
$140. Took me a bit of research to realize that I didn't need the Ultimate version of Windows
7; the Professional version is just fine for my needs.
Passed Passmark RAM and CPU tests
Both RAM and CPU tests crunched for over an hour, and both of them performed
flawlessly. I also downloaded Real Temp (a CPU temperature program that reads all 4 core
temps in real-time) and an essential application, CPU-Z, which reads all of the information
about your CPU you'd ever want to know.
I decided to wait on over-clocking the CPU until I've had a chance to test everything and
conduct more research on the best techniques for overclocking an i7 920 CPU. It's more
complicated with this CPU and chipset, so I want to be sure I'm fully aware of what I'm doing
before I start making changes to the bios. I don't plan on doing a large over-clock, but
something more modest like 3.4 Ghz (the CPU standard clock speed is 2.66 Ghz).
Running Real Temp at the same time as I'm testing the RAM and CPU gives you a good idea of
how the Prolima Megahalem heat sink is cooling the CPU when it's under stress. The results
were good, but a little higher than I expected. At idle, the cores run at about 32 C and under full
load (98%) they can get as high as 56 C. Most of the test results I read indicated that the
Megahalem heat sinks kept the CPU under 50 C, but many forum posts indicated that my
results were pretty standard. Plus, 56 C under load for an hour is well below any kind of overheating,
so I'm good here. Still, I decided to go back to the "push/pull" arrangement of
120mm fans on the heat-sinks (I had taken one off and placed it at the bottom of the case
pulling in air). Once I did this, I dropped a couple degrees C, so I'll keep it that way.
AeroCool Temp/Fan gauge/controls
Also, I added a cheap Aerocool front fan/temp indicator to keep track of my fan speeds and
temps. The touch 1000 adds the ability to control 4 fans and check temps for the PC case, the
GPU, the RAM and hard-drives. Installing was a bit of trouble as I suddenly had a lot of new
connectors to hide/bundle, but it took about an hour and I was all set. I left the main fan on
the heat-sink connected to the mobo so I won't get an alarm from the bios. Plus, you can't
really attach a thermal sensor to the CPU once it's been installed and has a huge heat-sink
attached, so I just placed a sensor near the center of the case for basic system temps.
Wrap Up & Suggestions
And there you have it. From selecting/researching the components, assembling them,
problem-solving, installing an operating system and testing, I've got a very fast machine that's
designed specifically to create machinima and computer graphics. From here, it's simply
taking the time to load in back-up files and all of my applications. I've designed this computer
to be a true workstation devoted solely to animation, so most of my daily emails/etc. will be on
the new laptop I got for xmas (and where I'm typing this now). That way the system is kept
clean of too many unnecessary software installs, etc.
Ricky and his new workstation
I've mentioned at the beginning of this project that the new workstation is built around
CINEMA 4D and MachStudio Pro, but I'll also be loading in Moviestorm, IClone 4, Blender,
Steam and the entire HL2 saga + tools, Dragon Age and it's toolset, plus the Torque Engine
and Second Life (both of which I plan on learning a lot more this year). I've got plenty of space
with a fast 640 Gb hard-drive, so it's onto installing.
Some of you have commented that after reading my posts on building a CG workstation, you'd
like to try building your own system. I'm very glad to hear that since that was partially my goal
in writing these articles chronicling my process of building a computer. If you are serious, there are
several step-by-step guides on the net that would come in handy. GeekTeks has a nice
overview of the process and Newegg.com has got a good tutorial which includes a review of the
case I used (the HAF 932). If you like written tutorials, here's a nice one that goes into great
detail: mysuperpc.com. I'm partial to Scott Mueller's Upgrading and Repairing PCs, since it
comes with video tutorials and a written text as well. It's also a great bible for troubleshooting
computer-related problems.
I'd also like to point out that choosing the components for your build is a subjective thing.
What I'd pick, someone else might not. My choices are based on experience and research, so
I'm comfortable. But you might end up with something else, since everyone's computer needs
are different. Use this article as a starting point in figuring out what computer components
work best for you.
Cost? My new workstation cost approximately $1000, but I used several parts from my old
computer which brought the price down a bit. If I did this entire build from scratch, I estimate
it would be about $1400, which is damn good considering the power and speed that this
workstation is capable of.
However, I'd recommend that if you want to build your own computer, don't go with the i7
CPU as they are much more expensive than the i5 CPU, and the motherboards/Ram are much
cheaper. Tomshardware.com has a nice series of system builds that include an i5 in the mix.
And here's an excellent article on building a balanced Game PC from Tom's Hardware that
goes over a lot of possible hardware choices.
And that's it for this 3 part article on building your own CG workstation. It's been a lot of fun
for me to do and I hope you all have found it interesting.
And here are my final workstation specs:
Ricky's Machinima/CG Workstation Build:
Main Software: CINEMA 4D, MachStudio Pro, Poser 8, Vue Frontier, Adobe Premiere Pro CS4/Audition,
Moviestorm, iClone, Blender 2.4, Torque Game Engine, Steam Games (Half Life 2 SDK),
Dragon Age Toolset
Misc: Aereocool 1000 LCD temp/fan speed indicator for front panel
And, of course, a basic LCD monitor, keyboard and mouse. I use a 24” Dell monitor, a Saitek
keyboard which lights up under the keys at night (and while you are playing games) and a
Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse.
February Update: BSOD and Over-Clocking Results
I built this new system in January and have been tinkering with it ever since. In addition to
overclocking the computer, I've been using it to do extensive digital audio work, 3D animation
and DV editing. I've also recently over-clocked the CPU to 3.46 Ghz and I'm proud to say the
new build is purring like a jaguar. Rendering is 3 times as fast, the quickness of the system is
noticeable and Windows 7 is everything the reviewers say it is: fantastic.
I won't go into detail on the overclock, but after doing considerable research, I found a superb
guide to overclocking the i7 920 written by Clunk at clunk.org.uk. I wanted to overclock this
CPU because it would improve rendering speeds, and because the 920 is designed with
significant head room, so a medium-level overclock is fairly simple. I was also concerned about
heat, so I didn't want to push the CPU so far that the higher heat levels would affect the rest of
the system.
Using the ASUS bios it was fairly simple (after carefully reading Clunk's instructions) to
overclock to 3.3 Ghz (the default CPU speed is 2.66 Ghz) and the top temps were in the 50 C
range. I tried an overclock to 3.8 Ghz (with a slight increase in voltage) and the heat jumped
up to the 64 C range. While this is a fairly safe temp (trouble starts coming in at the 70 C range),
I wasn't comfortable with this amount of heat and brought the overclock back down to 3.46
where the top CPU temp was a reasonable 52 C. I've been running at this speed for over two
weeks now and the system is stable and fast. Looks like the Prolima heatsinks are doing their
job well.
According to MAXON's new CINEBENCH 11.5, I was able to improve Open GL rendering and CPU rendering by
about 10% with the overclock. Plus, the overall system temperature during testing only rose by
about 2 degrees. Not bad for such a simple overclock.
CPU overclocked to 3.46Ghz. Peak temp 53 C
And Windows 7 64-bit has certainly lived up to it's reputation. Easily the best of any
windows OS I've ever had and the problem-solving (with one exception) is fantastic. Hooking
up wifi with my workstation and laptop was a nightmare with Vista, but I had both working
under Windows 7 in 10 minutes. I did find that the sleep function is a problem though. I
usually leave my computer on 24/7 and was looking forwad to saving energy with the
Windows 7 sleep function, which powers down your computer after a set time period and then
springs to life on using your mouse or pressing a key. This all worked fine, except I would get
the blue screen of death (BSOD) after every sleep session. A lot of research led me to the
conclusion that this is most likely a problem with my ATI graphics card drivers and Windows
7 (it's also been suggested that it's a USB related issue). Tried a dozen fixes, but nothing works,
so I'll wait for an update from Microsoft that addresses the problem as it's widespread.
Also, note that all of my non-64-bit programs and games work perfectly. I've got at least a
dozen open source programs (including the new Blender 2.5) and they are all running well.
The only addition I'll be making in the future to this new rig is a new sound card for advanced
audio functions, but that's several months away. As it stands, this is the best computer I've
ever built.
Remember: building a computer is not as hard as it seems. If I can do it, you can too!
Be sure to read Ricky's related articles:
 Ricky Grove [gToon], Staff Columnist with the Renderosity Front Page News. Ricky Grove is a bookstore clerk at the best bookstore in Los Angeles, the Iliad Bookshop. He's also an actor and Machinima filmmaker. He lives with author, Lisa Morton, and three very individual cats. Ricky is into Hong Kong films, FPS shooters, experimental anything and reading, reading, reading. You can catch his blog here. |
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