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Skulltrail Fury - Dual Overclocked QX9775 Madness

Overl0rd
By Overl0rd
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post-621-0-79753600-1426698055.png

 

Good day everyone and welcome to the Skulltrail Fury build log.

 

Have you ever looked at your system and thought "My system is too fast, cool, reliable and silent."? Well I have. My current setup (ASUS P8Z68-V, i7 2600K 4.3 GHz, 16GB 1600MHz) is very fast, quiet and reliable...but also very boring. It being boring isn't necessarily a bad thing, but, being a tech enthusiast, I wanted something else...something a bit more of a challenge. 

 

That's were this project begins. A couple of days ago I was browsing the web and came across a guy selling one of the illusive Skulltrails; the crème de la crème of hardware in early 2008. You'd have to have been out of your mind to have bought one back in the day.

 

Intel took the 771 dual socket server platform and added all the things computer enthusiasts want; nVidia SLI/ AMD (back then still ATi) CrossFireX support, four PCIe slots and overclockability and created the D5400XS, a.k.a. the Skulltrail.

Then they of course needed a CPU for it. After all, Xeons have a locked multiplier. So they cherry picket some 45nm Xeon Harpertown chips, removed all the restrictions and created the Core 2 Quad Extreme QX9775. They named it the Yorksfield XE, but at it's core it's just a Harpertown.

 

The downside of using a server platform however, was the Fully Buffered EEC DDR2 RAM. Consuming about 6W of power -per stick- this RAM isn't really that fast and runs as hot as a collapsed sun.

 

 

This (mostly) pure awesomeness unfortunately did come at a price, a very high price. The board and two CPU's were about $2600 in total; $600 for the D5400XS and $1000 for each CPU. And the Fully Buffered RAM wasn't cheap either...

 

 

As you can imagine, I wanted this badly. So I made him an offer and two days later I was the proud owner of the following hardware:

 

  • Intel D5400XS "Skulltrail"
  • 2x Intel Core 2 Quad QX9775
  • 6GB FB ECC DDR2 800MHz (2x2GB + 2x1GB)
  • 2x Scythe Ninja

 

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What's really interesting is that, by the looks of it, this board has rarely been used. Normally the chipset fan would collect dust really quickly, but both it and the Ninja's fans were absolutely spotless. Since the last owner worked in IT, I presume this system was used as a server backup of some sort and therefore rarely used.

 

 

Now, what plans do I have for such glorious components? Well, I'm not too sure yet, but this is what I've come up with so far:

 

  • Intel D5400XS
  • 2x Intel Core 2 Quad QX9775
  • 6GB Fully Buffered DDR2 800 MHz (will hopefully add more when I find some)
  • 2x EVGA GTX 570 2560 MB (from main machine)
  • OCZ Vertex 3 120 GB (from main machine)
  • Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB (from main machine)
  • Cooler Master V1200 Platinum 1200 W
  • A large full tower case
  • Many fans
  • 2x large CPU coolers (no all-in-ones)

 

I'll keep you guys up to date and thanks for reading along so far :D

There's a time and place for everything! But not now. - Professor Oak

i7 2600K 4.3GHz  -  GTX 1060 3GB  - ASUS P8Z68-V - 16GB DDR3-1600 CL9 - EIZO 1080p 120Hz VA

Intel Skulltrail: 2x Core 2 Quad QX9775 - Intel D5400XS - 16GB FB DDR2-800 CL5 Quad Channel

EVGA SR-2 Classified - 2x Xeon X5675 4.2GHz - 24GB DDR3-1830 C10 Triple Channel

Intel Skulltrail #2: 2x Xeon E5472  - Intel D5400XS - 16GB FB DDR2-667 CL5 Quad Channel

 

 

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Im following this bad boy

Desktop - Corsair 300r i7 4770k H100i MSI 780ti 16GB Vengeance Pro 2400mhz Crucial MX100 512gb Samsung Evo 250gb 2 TB WD Green, AOC Q2770PQU 1440p 27" monitor Laptop Clevo W110er - 11.6" 768p, i5 3230m, 650m GT 2gb, OCZ vertex 4 256gb,  4gb ram, Server: Fractal Define Mini, MSI Z78-G43, Intel G3220, 8GB Corsair Vengeance, 4x 3tb WD Reds in Raid 10, Phone Oppo Reno 10x 256gb , Camera Sony A7iii

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haha Thats sweet man. What did you end up paying him for the board and cpu's ?

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haha Thats sweet man. What did you end up paying him for the board and cpu's ?

I think I may have stolen it from him; 215 euros.

There's a time and place for everything! But not now. - Professor Oak

i7 2600K 4.3GHz  -  GTX 1060 3GB  - ASUS P8Z68-V - 16GB DDR3-1600 CL9 - EIZO 1080p 120Hz VA

Intel Skulltrail: 2x Core 2 Quad QX9775 - Intel D5400XS - 16GB FB DDR2-800 CL5 Quad Channel

EVGA SR-2 Classified - 2x Xeon X5675 4.2GHz - 24GB DDR3-1830 C10 Triple Channel

Intel Skulltrail #2: 2x Xeon E5472  - Intel D5400XS - 16GB FB DDR2-667 CL5 Quad Channel

 

 

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Old hardware make me drool; new hardware is so boring, doing everything for you and such. It's sad that nobody is really making truly enthusiast parts anymore :(, maybe EVGA will return and make another SR board like they did with the SR-X.

Mein Führer... I CAN WALK !!

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Old hardware make me drool; new hardware is so boring, doing everything for you and such. It's sad that nobody is really making truly enthusiast parts anymore :(, maybe EVGA will return and make another SR board like they did with the SR-X.

Yes indeed. Though I don't think Intel will ever release an overclockable Xeon like the QX9775 again. This might be the first and last.

There's a time and place for everything! But not now. - Professor Oak

i7 2600K 4.3GHz  -  GTX 1060 3GB  - ASUS P8Z68-V - 16GB DDR3-1600 CL9 - EIZO 1080p 120Hz VA

Intel Skulltrail: 2x Core 2 Quad QX9775 - Intel D5400XS - 16GB FB DDR2-800 CL5 Quad Channel

EVGA SR-2 Classified - 2x Xeon X5675 4.2GHz - 24GB DDR3-1830 C10 Triple Channel

Intel Skulltrail #2: 2x Xeon E5472  - Intel D5400XS - 16GB FB DDR2-667 CL5 Quad Channel

 

 

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Yes indeed. Though I don't think Intel will ever release an overclockable Xeon like the QX9775 again. This might be the first and last.

 

All 1366 Xeons are overclockable via BCLK........

 

My X5650 Xeons were 2.6,now 4.1..

 

 

Overclocking Xeons will not happen again due to Intel's desire to separate mainstream and server/workstation. BCLK is worthless now.

SR-2-2x X5650 Xeons-3x 670 FTW-1x 120Gb Force GT-1x 240Gb Force GT-1tb WD Green-12Gb Dom GT 1866-Platimax 1500w-2x HK3-2xD5-24v controller-3x RX 480's-3x NiBlk HK GPU blocks-Koolance tops-BP res-15x SP120's-Little Devil V8.

 

 

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All 1366 Xeons are overclockable via BCLK........

 

My X5650 Xeons were 2.6,now 4.1..

 

 

Overclocking Xeons will not happen again due to Intel's desire to separate mainstream and server/workstation. BCLK is worthless now.

Yes I'm well aware of the BCLK OC'ing, but I meant it in the way of the unlocked multiplier. BCLK OC'ing is extremely limited nowadays.

There's a time and place for everything! But not now. - Professor Oak

i7 2600K 4.3GHz  -  GTX 1060 3GB  - ASUS P8Z68-V - 16GB DDR3-1600 CL9 - EIZO 1080p 120Hz VA

Intel Skulltrail: 2x Core 2 Quad QX9775 - Intel D5400XS - 16GB FB DDR2-800 CL5 Quad Channel

EVGA SR-2 Classified - 2x Xeon X5675 4.2GHz - 24GB DDR3-1830 C10 Triple Channel

Intel Skulltrail #2: 2x Xeon E5472  - Intel D5400XS - 16GB FB DDR2-667 CL5 Quad Channel

 

 

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Dem those FBDIMMs... how hot is the AMB chip?

I haven't tested it yet. Still waiting for a PSU...

There's a time and place for everything! But not now. - Professor Oak

i7 2600K 4.3GHz  -  GTX 1060 3GB  - ASUS P8Z68-V - 16GB DDR3-1600 CL9 - EIZO 1080p 120Hz VA

Intel Skulltrail: 2x Core 2 Quad QX9775 - Intel D5400XS - 16GB FB DDR2-800 CL5 Quad Channel

EVGA SR-2 Classified - 2x Xeon X5675 4.2GHz - 24GB DDR3-1830 C10 Triple Channel

Intel Skulltrail #2: 2x Xeon E5472  - Intel D5400XS - 16GB FB DDR2-667 CL5 Quad Channel

 

 

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Overclocking Xeons will not happen again due to Intel's desire to charge for air.

 

FTFY.

Area 51 2014. Intel 5820k@ 4.4ghz. MSI X99.16gb Quad channel ram. AMD Fury X.Asus RAIDR.OCZ ARC 480gb SSD. Velociraptor 600gb. 2tb WD.

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Yeah... I hate how Intel reinforced their "unlocked" CPUs. Making everything synchronous with the BCLK is a hard hit :(

Indeed. Luckily I won't be having such issues with these CPU's ;) I'm working on an update right now, so stay tuned :P

There's a time and place for everything! But not now. - Professor Oak

i7 2600K 4.3GHz  -  GTX 1060 3GB  - ASUS P8Z68-V - 16GB DDR3-1600 CL9 - EIZO 1080p 120Hz VA

Intel Skulltrail: 2x Core 2 Quad QX9775 - Intel D5400XS - 16GB FB DDR2-800 CL5 Quad Channel

EVGA SR-2 Classified - 2x Xeon X5675 4.2GHz - 24GB DDR3-1830 C10 Triple Channel

Intel Skulltrail #2: 2x Xeon E5472  - Intel D5400XS - 16GB FB DDR2-667 CL5 Quad Channel

 

 

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Damn, are we having a retro week and nobody told me? Not that I mind, of course. :D

BUILD LOGS: HELIOS - Latest Update: 2015-SEP-06 ::: ZEUS - BOTW 2013-JUN-28 ::: APOLLO - Complete: 2014-MAY-10
OTHER STUFF: Cable Lacing Tutorial ::: What Is ZFS? ::: mincss Primer ::: LSI RAID Card Flashing Tutorial
FORUM INFO: Community Standards ::: The Moderating Team ::: 10TB+ Storage Showoff Topic

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Before I got my SandyBridge 2600K, this Skulltrail setup you got going was on the list.

Looking forward to this thread being updated/completed.

Maximums - Asus Z97-K /w i5 4690 Bclk @106.9Mhz * x39 = 4.17Ghz, 8GB of 2600Mhz DDR3,.. Gigabyte GTX970 G1-Gaming @ 1550Mhz

 

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This is sexy, and I like it.

Main rig on profile

VAULT - File Server

Spoiler

Intel Core i5 11400 w/ Shadow Rock LP, 2x16GB SP GAMING 3200MHz CL16, ASUS PRIME Z590-A, 2x LSI 9211-8i, Fractal Define 7, 256GB Team MP33, 3x 6TB WD Red Pro (general storage), 3x 1TB Seagate Barracuda (dumping ground), 3x 8TB WD White-Label (Plex) (all 3 arrays in their respective Windows Parity storage spaces), Corsair RM750x, Windows 11 Education

Sleeper HP Pavilion A6137C

Spoiler

Intel Core i7 6700K @ 4.4GHz, 4x8GB G.SKILL Ares 1800MHz CL10, ASUS Z170M-E D3, 128GB Team MP33, 1TB Seagate Barracuda, 320GB Samsung Spinpoint (for video capture), MSI GTX 970 100ME, EVGA 650G1, Windows 10 Pro

Mac Mini (Late 2020)

Spoiler

Apple M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB, macOS Sonoma

Consoles: Softmodded 1.4 Xbox w/ 500GB HDD, Xbox 360 Elite 120GB Falcon, XB1X w/2TB MX500, Xbox Series X, PS1 1001, PS2 Slim 70000 w/ FreeMcBoot, PS4 Pro 7015B 1TB (retired), PS5 Digital, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo Wii RVL-001 (black)

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now that is a motherboard!

Rig Specs:

AMD Threadripper 5990WX@4.8Ghz

Asus Zenith III Extreme

Asrock OC Formula 7970XTX Quadfire

G.Skill Ripheartout X OC 7000Mhz C28 DDR5 4X16GB  

Super Flower Power Leadex 2000W Psu's X2

Harrynowl's 775/771 OC and mod guide: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/232325-lga775-core2duo-core2quad-overclocking-guide/ http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/365998-mod-lga771-to-lga775-cpu-modification-tutorial/

ProKoN haswell/DC OC guide: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/41234-intel-haswell-4670k-4770k-overclocking-guide/

 

"desperate for just a bit more money to watercool, the titan x would be thankful" Carter -2016

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Holy balls. Whens the last time you saw a good looking dual CPU board that wasn't an SR-2/X?

Specs: 4790k | Asus Z-97 Pro Wifi | MX100 512GB SSD | NZXT H440 Plastidipped Black | Dark Rock 3 CPU Cooler | MSI 290x Lightning | EVGA 850 G2 | 3x Noctua Industrial NF-F12's

Bought a powermac G5, expect a mod log sometime in 2015

Corsair is overrated, and Anime is ruined by the people who watch it

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Love how the RAM has its own vajazzles :P
 

Subbed, looks to be interesting.

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post-621-0-21361400-1426874561.png

 

 

Update 1: Power Supply, First Boot & Benchmarks

 

 

I first want to thank everyone for the kind comments. It's really much appreciated :D

 

 

Since this monster of a board uses two 8-pin CPU connectors, I was forced to get a new power supply. I wasn't sure how many Watts I was going to need in total; the QX9775's each have a TDP of 150W at stock speed. I therefore opted to go overkill and bought a Cooler Master V1200 80 Plus Titanium. Not only does this unit run fanless until a couple hundred Watts of use, it also has the connectors I'm ever going to need.

 

 

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Time to add the two Scythe Ninja coolers and EVGA GTX 570 2560MB video cards.

 

 

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Since I don't want to hurt your eyes with the cable choas that ensued when everything was plugged in and laying on my desk, I'll continue straight to the first tests.

 

 

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IT'S ALIVE! :D

 

 

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...and all 8 cores are running nicely.

 

 

Well this was all for this update. Next up is overclocking these monsters  B) 

There's a time and place for everything! But not now. - Professor Oak

i7 2600K 4.3GHz  -  GTX 1060 3GB  - ASUS P8Z68-V - 16GB DDR3-1600 CL9 - EIZO 1080p 120Hz VA

Intel Skulltrail: 2x Core 2 Quad QX9775 - Intel D5400XS - 16GB FB DDR2-800 CL5 Quad Channel

EVGA SR-2 Classified - 2x Xeon X5675 4.2GHz - 24GB DDR3-1830 C10 Triple Channel

Intel Skulltrail #2: 2x Xeon E5472  - Intel D5400XS - 16GB FB DDR2-667 CL5 Quad Channel

 

 

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I have no words

"The of and to a in is I that it for you was with on as have but be they"

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Love how the RAM has its own vajazzles :P

 

Subbed, looks to be interesting.

Thanks! Fully Buffered EEC RAM (which this is) produces tons of heat so those "vajazzles" are a must. At idle the sticks run at around 60C ;)

There's a time and place for everything! But not now. - Professor Oak

i7 2600K 4.3GHz  -  GTX 1060 3GB  - ASUS P8Z68-V - 16GB DDR3-1600 CL9 - EIZO 1080p 120Hz VA

Intel Skulltrail: 2x Core 2 Quad QX9775 - Intel D5400XS - 16GB FB DDR2-800 CL5 Quad Channel

EVGA SR-2 Classified - 2x Xeon X5675 4.2GHz - 24GB DDR3-1830 C10 Triple Channel

Intel Skulltrail #2: 2x Xeon E5472  - Intel D5400XS - 16GB FB DDR2-667 CL5 Quad Channel

 

 

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Thanks! Fully Buffered EEC RAM (which this is) produces tons of heat so those "vajazzles" are a must. At idle the sticks run at around 60C ;)

Damn that's hot.

 

Thanks! Fully Buffered EEC RAM (which this is) produces tons of heat so those "vajazzles" are a must. At idle the sticks run at around 60C ;)

 O.o

Main rig on profile

VAULT - File Server

Spoiler

Intel Core i5 11400 w/ Shadow Rock LP, 2x16GB SP GAMING 3200MHz CL16, ASUS PRIME Z590-A, 2x LSI 9211-8i, Fractal Define 7, 256GB Team MP33, 3x 6TB WD Red Pro (general storage), 3x 1TB Seagate Barracuda (dumping ground), 3x 8TB WD White-Label (Plex) (all 3 arrays in their respective Windows Parity storage spaces), Corsair RM750x, Windows 11 Education

Sleeper HP Pavilion A6137C

Spoiler

Intel Core i7 6700K @ 4.4GHz, 4x8GB G.SKILL Ares 1800MHz CL10, ASUS Z170M-E D3, 128GB Team MP33, 1TB Seagate Barracuda, 320GB Samsung Spinpoint (for video capture), MSI GTX 970 100ME, EVGA 650G1, Windows 10 Pro

Mac Mini (Late 2020)

Spoiler

Apple M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB, macOS Sonoma

Consoles: Softmodded 1.4 Xbox w/ 500GB HDD, Xbox 360 Elite 120GB Falcon, XB1X w/2TB MX500, Xbox Series X, PS1 1001, PS2 Slim 70000 w/ FreeMcBoot, PS4 Pro 7015B 1TB (retired), PS5 Digital, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo Wii RVL-001 (black)

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Damn that's hot.

 

 O.o

 

Damn that's hot.

 

 O.o

Quote twice for effect

Specs: 4790k | Asus Z-97 Pro Wifi | MX100 512GB SSD | NZXT H440 Plastidipped Black | Dark Rock 3 CPU Cooler | MSI 290x Lightning | EVGA 850 G2 | 3x Noctua Industrial NF-F12's

Bought a powermac G5, expect a mod log sometime in 2015

Corsair is overrated, and Anime is ruined by the people who watch it

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Nice to see that there still pretty decent for being so old. Looking forward to more benches and pics.

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