Thursday, May 23, 2013

My Next Build

When Bulldozer was in the works I thought my next build would be an AMD machine.  Then the early reviews came out and Bulldozer was a bust.  I ended up with a machine centered around the i7 2600K CPU from Intel.  It was the right choice and I do not regret it.  It's a solid machine with good performance all around.

Time has come for my next upgrade.  AMD has been working toward a better Bulldozer.  Late last year AMD came out with Piledriver, which improved overall performance by 12% - 15% from Bulldozer.  Much of the improvement centered around bumping up the clock speed.  Late THIS year Steamroller arrives.  With Steamroller AMD focused on making more substantial changes focused on improving single core execution.  Most people and tech websites recommend that people go with Intel, that AMD is not even competitive but...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu8Sekdb-IE

...that is not so.  Certainly Intel is superior in single core execution but not overwhelmingly so.  AMD focused on multi-threading and less on single core execution, as they felt that was the future (and it is).

Anyway, so my plan is to build a machine around AMDs AM3+ socket, which would include the FX-8350 as my CPU of choice, which will be replaced by a Steamroller CPU when they arrive for desktops in early 2014.

Here is what I have spec'd out for my build:

CPU:  AMD FX-8350
RAM:  Quad channel kit of 16GB, PC14900 (1866gHz) (CL8, 8.9.9.24 @ 1.525v)
STORAGE:  C drive will be 2 240 GB SSDs in RAID 0
                     U drive (data) will be 2 1 TB drives in RAID 0
MOBO:  ASUS Sabertooth 990FX
PS:  Corsair AX850 (Gold)
GRAPHICS:  Vapor-X Radeon 7970 GHz edition
COOLING:  Corsair H60, Extra Cougar Vortex fan
CASE:  Corsair Graphite 600T

I was going to go for 32 GB of RAM but I figured I couldn't use that much (unless I create a RAM drive but I don't think I will need that) and if I really feel like I have to have it, I can always upgrade the RAM easily.

I might not RAID the 2 hard drives and purchase an additional SSD for storage but...  they are still very costly.  So I probably WON'T do that.

So that's it.  That is what my next build is shaping up to be.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Vortex KBT Pure

My new keyboard arrived today!  Kudos to Tiger Imports for getting it to me in a timely fashion.

Aesthetically speaking the keyboard is rather plain.  It's black and the key lettering is difficult to see in low light without the back lights being active.  Since I don't spend a lot of time staring at my keyboard I don't really care how it looks, it is fine for me.  Black is sleek.

Size-wise, it is comparable to my HHKB Pro 2.  A typical 60% keyboard.  It leaves me plenty of room for my mouse even in my tight work space.



I took it out of the box and noticed there were absolutely no instructions with the keyboard, but Google was my friend and I quickly figured out how to activate the lighting using Fn+B... once back lit, you can immediately recognize most of the other available functions (light adjustment, special keys, etc.)  The keyboard worked immediately with Windows 8, no drivers, nothing required... just plugged it into a USB port and away I typed.

As far as back lighting goes, I have mine at the second dimmest setting... the brightest setting is REALLY bright.  I cannot see myself ever using it.  There are other lighting options as well, for example if you are gaming and want to focus on your WASD keys, there is a setting to only illuminate those keys.  The CAPS LOCK key has an additional LED that lights when you lock your caps.

Noise was a concern as I had heard that Cherry keys were noisy.  I bought the extra o-ring silencers but have not put them on yet because the keyboard is not as noisy as I expected it to be and pulling off key caps scares me.  It's quieter than my old Matias mechanical keyboard.  Perhaps a tad louder than my HHKB Pro, but that is to be expected since they already have a rubber stopper in the domes that cover the mechanics.  There IS an additional click noise in these keys where the key passes the mid/activation point.  It's a soft sound, not annoying.

Unlike my HHKB, the keys are generally exactly where you would expect them to be, and I will have to relearn my CAPS LOCK and CTRL keys.  That is not a big deal and I should figure that out quickly enough.  I am not as comfortable with the FN key.  It's placement could have been better, in a place where your fingers could easily reach and hold.  As it is, it will require me to figure out how to train my hand to use it.  My best bet is to use the thumb on my right hand, since it is next to the space bar.  But doing that limits the rotation of my right hand... but such is life.

I've been typing with a minimal amount of mistakes and my fingers are finding the keys quite nicely!  I am please with that.  Key depression is not too heavy, not too light.  Possibly a little heavier than the Topre keys with a little more travel.  I am a hard typist, so I bottom out a lot... I don't have a gentle touch and perhaps it MIGHT benefit me to apply the o-rings simply to dampen my impacts.  To do that I think I will have to purchase a key remover, I am afraid to remove the keys and break the keyboard... the base of the mechanical keys are connected to the controller board itself.  I need to think about it.

Haven't tried gaming with the board yet.  Having the click mid-depression seems a little weird in that regard but I don't think it will be an issue.  Topre keys do not have any indicator for key activation so I am used to a sort of silent activation.  Again, I don't really think it will be an issue.

So that is it for now.  The keyboard seems solid enough and the arrangement is good and of course the back lighting is great.  Really like the back lighting.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Nooooo ... My HHKB Pro has died.

I love mechanical keyboards.  My favorite keyboard for awhile was the Tactile Pro.  Love the noise and the feel of mechanical keyboards, it just feels right to me.  Unfortunately I have special needs in regards to space:  My workstation is in a closet.


As you can see my Tactile Pro does not fit well in my workspace.  This was not a problem until today, when my Happy Hacker keyboard died.  The HHKB Pro 2 is a wonderful keyboard.  It is uses Topre key switches which are tactile AND quiet.  They are also absurdly expensive and I expected this keyboard to last me a looong time.  Somehow, while plugging/unplugging a dongle I broke it.  I think some component associated with the USB port broke loose; I hear something rattling around inside (the keyboard, not my head).

I cannot justify paying the crazy high amount for another HHKB so I shopped around a little and decided on a Vortex KBT Pure.  The Pure is another mechanical keyboard that uses Cherry MX Blue switches.  They are noisier than Topre switches so I also purchased Cherry red rubber o-rings to silence them.  From what I have read the Cherry MX Blue switches are the most popular Cherry switches, a good, general switch (not specifically for gaming, not specifically for typing... in the middle).

The Pure is also a backlit keyboard which is nice in my dark little closet where sometimes I need to realign my hands with the keys.  The Pure is also a 60% keyboard, which is what the HHKB was as well.  60% means more or less what you think it means, it's about 60% of the size of a regular keyboard with a minimal amount of keys which, with the help of a function key, play multiple roles.

I requested second day shipping so hopefully it will arrive by mid-week.  It's difficult typing on my Tactile pro with this orientation and you can see by the photo that my Anywhere MX mouse has very little room for maneuvering.

If anyone has experience with Vortex products, particularly the Pure, please feel free to share your thoughts. I've heard about the paint jobs on the key caps, the occasional bad LEDs, but I am more interested in how they last and perform mechanically.

Thank you!

Friday, May 17, 2013

Steamroller

While I have been happy with my now aging, pre-Ivy Bridge intel processor, I am planning on returning to AMD.  I know, your first thought is "he's gone off the deep end."  You would probably be right to think that, too...

I have a little bit of a soft spot for AMD CPUs.  I admit that is part of my reasoning, if not a GREAT part.  But I fell in love with the idea of the Bulldozer CPU when AMD first announced it years ago.  The technology was different, uniquely AMD.  Even so, I was cautious and did not buy into Bulldozer but instead went with Intel for my current computer iteration, replacing my Phenom 6 core with my 2600K build.  At the time it was the right decision, as Bulldozer's performance was... not good.

When Piledriver was introduced performance (overall) increased between 12% and 15%.  It helped but while heavily threaded applications had soaring performance (even better than the top-of-the-line Intel CPU in some cases), single core execution still fell WELL short of Intels offerings... and unfortunately the vast majority of the applications you use in your day-to-day interaction with your computer execute on a single core.  The top-of-the-line Piledriver (which is the followup to Bulldozer) is about on par with an Intel i3 or a low end i5 as far as non-threaded performance goes.  That's not to say Piledriver is a bust, it isn't.  It out performs the last generation top-of-the-line AMD CPUs (pre-Bulldozer) and in some aspects, such as certain types of encryption/decryption, it out performs Intel CPUs across the board.  It also still performs well in general use, just not on the level of an i7.

HOWEVER... there is hope.  AMD is finishing work on the Bulldozer architecture with its final release, Steamroller.  Steamroller starts "rolling out" late in 2013.  There have been widely varying claims as to the performance of Steamroller which reportedly tweaks the architecture in all the right places to maximize single core performance and instruction caching/access, which have been the weaknesses of this architecture from the get go.

Steamroller fits in the same socket as Bulldozer and Piledriver, AM3+.  So this is my plan:  Build my system based on the best Piledriver CPU available, the FX-8350, and in 6 months when the desktop Steamroller CPU is available, swap it out.  Keep in mind that the top-of-the-line FX-8350 costs about the same as a low to mid-range, locked i5 CPU.  It's very inexpensive.  When the Steamroller arrives it will be about the same price.  I would be able to purchase two CPUs for a little more than the price of a high-end i7.

The rest of the components would be solid... AMD 7970 gHz edition graphics card, decent-speed DDR3 RAM, 2 SSDs in RAID 0 and 2 enterprise class hard drives in RAID 0 for data storage, water-based CPU cooler... and a pretty superior case to hold all the components.

Well, that's it for now... just thought I would share.

What's wrong with this?

Loud segment of Republican Party makes them all look like fools. ... When the Republican party lets loudmouths lead their group and blames the world on "others" it makes all Republicans look foolish.
1. There is little or no substance to the argument[s].
2. It's just a broad brush ad hominem attack.
3. The person seems to assume that he, and only he, is able to perceive the failings of a group of people and that no one else can think for themselves.

This is the kind of junk I see all the time on the internet.  Sometimes these posts are in appropriate forum topics but lately they are extending to random posts in technical boards, science boards, ART boards... everywhere.  People just like to deal poo for the sake of spreading the malice they feel in their own hearts.  It's frustrating.  It's tiring.

If I am on a site to talk about the latest CPU architecture from a given company, that's what I want to discuss, not politics, not religion, not baseless, unsupported arguments for "this CPU is crappy!  This other one is BEST!"  I want to hear discussions about how the instructions are fed from the cache into the processor, how the scheduling of instructions takes place, how many instructions are handled per time unit.

But even in a thread designed to discuss politics... what is the point of a post like this ^^^ ?  What does it serve?  Does the person even understand that what they are trying to apply to the "loud mouths" is precisely what they are doing in this quote?!

And I am the worst... I often get worked up by trolls and posts of this nature and allow them to raise my own blood pressure and respond unfavorably.  Instead of pointing out their own issues, I should just keep quiet and pretend I didn't see the post at all.

Ah well.  Such is life.