I'm researching the parts for a dual quad LGA 1366 computer build. I'm not very tech savvy but have a friend who is. He knows nothing about computer music however. I'm currently looking at the "ASUS Z8PE-D12 Dual LGA 1366 Intel 5520 Tylersburg SSI EEB 3.61 Dual Intel Xeon 5500 Series". In the specs it mentions "1 x MIO Slot for Audio card (PCI-E x1 is not supported)" although it has "3 x PCI-E x16 (Gen2 x8 Link) and 1 x PCI-E x16". Does this mean a RME PCI card won't work on this motherboard? If someone could suggest a motherboard/cpu that works well for VSL I can figure out the rest of the components.
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which server MOBO for a dual Quad computer build?
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MIO (stands for Module-In-Out) is again one of those proprietary connection-*standards* for devices like audio cards and i'm 100% sure there are no professional drivers (like for ASIO) out there for this type of device.
every PCIe-x8 slot will be able to hold your PCIe-x1 card, but according to http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=z1K4qLpLmyLfwXtw you should not populate slot 5 to keep the x16 slot operating as x16 for your grafic card.
every 5520 motherboard will do the job - just consider you need a PCIe-x16 slot for a modern grafic card (so pure server boards will not fit your needs) if you're intending to have a larger display attached.
christian
and remember: only a CRAY can run an endless loop in just three seconds. -
Thanks for the info Christian. Like I said, I'm not very tech savvy. I'm only looking at this rig because the MIR recommendations for large orchestra is dual 5520's. I found a bare bones setup from Super Micro. http://www.supermicro.com/products/system/4U/7046/SYS-7046A-3.cfm Would this do well with a couple Xeon E5520's?
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Out of curiosity, how many voices/instruments in VE Pro could a 24 gig 2 processor (say, nehelem 5520's) handle? Would it be able to use almost all of the 24 gigs?
Mahlon
(I ask the second question because on my 12 gig i7, I'm not getting stability above 9 gigs or so.... Something seems wrong, but I can't identify the bad behavior so far..whether motherboard or processor. Ram checks out fine in Memtest.)
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@Mahlon said:
how many voices/instruments in VE Pro could a 24 gig 2 processor (say, nehelem 5520's) handle?example at 256 latency, but tested within MIR (means including convolution) before crackles appear:
5520: 100 1000 voices from 30 instruments at 63% CPU
i7: 890 voices from 27 instruments at 65% CPU
what in detail means *not getting stability*? your i7 running VE PRO should be more than bored all the time ....
leave say 1/2 GB memory free (i.e. fill only up to 11.5 GB physical memory) for keeping some headroom ...
christian
typo edited
and remember: only a CRAY can run an endless loop in just three seconds. -
@Mahlon said:
how many voices/instruments in VE Pro could a 24 gig 2 processor (say, nehelem 5520's) handle?example at 256 latency, but tested within MIR (means including convolution) before crackles appear:
5520: 100 1000 voices from 30 instruments at 63% CPU
i7: 890 voices from 27 instruments at 65% CPU
It seems that a I7 compares well with the dual 5520's. I can get an I7 960 ready to go with all the trimmings and 12 gigs of ram for about $1500 less than what it would cost me to build a Dual Quad 5520 with 24 gigs ram. BTW, this is out of context, but I own Altiverb. I would suppose several instances of Altiverb would be less CPU hungry than MIR in which case I could just skip the MIR aspect.
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@Mahlon said:
how many voices/instruments in VE Pro could a 24 gig 2 processor (say, nehelem 5520's) handle?example at 256 latency, but tested within MIR (means including convolution) before crackles appear:
5520: 100 1000 voices from 30 instruments at 63% CPU
i7: 890 voices from 27 instruments at 65% CPU
what in detail means *not getting stability*? your i7 running VE PRO should be more than bored all the time ....
leave say 1/2 GB memory free (i.e. fill only up to 11.5 GB physical memory) for keeping some headroom ...
christian
typo edited
Christian, thanks for the stats. By "not getting stability", I mean the computer freezes/locks up. I don't believe this has anything to do with VEPro. Rather, it's most likely a fault on the motherboard, either with the way it handles memory timings/settings or actual physical problem (or maybe with the processor, though tend to think the motherboard at this point). My RAM timings and voltages are set very conservatively and I'm still getting the occassional freeze, but so far only when I've crossed the 9.5 gig barrier of RAM filled.
The RAM has checked out OK multiple times with MEM test and the system has run innumerable prime95's without crashing. Still, there could be a discrepancy between the motherboard/bios and RAM. Well, there IS some discrepancy. I just don't know exactly who the culprit is. And I don't have the luxury of trading out parts to find out at the moment.
Thanks again,
Mahlon
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Mahlon, also think on the power supply which may work on its limit ...
sometimes it helps to take out and put back again the memory modules, just make sure the computer is disconnected from power and have your hands not statically charged (un-charge touching the metal housing before)
hth, christian
and remember: only a CRAY can run an endless loop in just three seconds.
