Batman's CaseLabs Mercury S8 Work Computer

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Ordered the Intel Optane 900P 280GB AIC just now for the build, and hated every minute of it.

Had one back in May 2018, loved the drive, yet returned it within the 30-day window back to Newegg because the 905P with cool blue LEDs was announced and assumed Intel would make available the lower capacities 280GB and 480GB at Computex 2018 in June, or at the very least August 2018 or at least by Christmas 2018 or at least by CES 2019. NEVER Happened.

My office apps need more than 32GB capacity, so whatever Intel.


...on the positive side, the drive is very umm DARK.


Making a negative into a positive, oh I like that.

 

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Over at the MOD-ONE website looking at sleeving, the MDPC-X looks very nice and they have three or four shades of gray.

The custom lengths would be a nice improvement over the stock Seasonic cables, but not sure I'm gaining much in aesthetics, do my cables really look so bad? They have a certain industrial appeal.

Found a pic online of a Z390 DARK with black sleeved cables, yea not sure it's so much an improvement, maybe I'm wrong.

... when decisions become difficult and not so apparent, maybe it's time to step back from this build for a few days. lol

 

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Buildzoid gets his hands on the Z390 DARK.

So much to talk about and cover he split the overview into two parts.

Part 1:

 

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Noctua introduces CPU and cooler wipes.

I really don’t see any positive use or any reason to purchase these new Noctua wet wipes.

Unless Noctua is getting on about these picnic wipes being “lint-free” vs Bounty dry towels, but that’s what the Datavac blower is for and close inspection of the CPU and cooler surface before proceeding with any proper installation.

I guess if you are a very fast builder and convenience is more important to you than performance, then maybe these Noctua towelettes are right up your alley.

Yet if performance is paramount, use Bounty dry towels (select-a-size) and 99% isopropyl alcohol (1% water and other impurities) for the bulk removal of TIM and then cotton tips for the fine cleaning. The 99% isopropyl alcohol solution is highly flammable, so do not light any matches and keep away from heat, and store responsibly and all that jazz.

-----

On a positive note: Noctua also introduced a brand new thermal compound NT-H2. The NT-H1 seems like has been around for so many years, it’s really great stuff.

I use a combination of Noctua NT-H1 and Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut for every 1151 CPU install - utilizing the higher performing attributes of each compound.

Not mixed. Yet delineated and positioned separately on the IHS surface.

That’s my secret sauce, so I can’t say anything more about it.

 

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Component Void Alert!

The build needs something in the PCIe area to fill that big void!

(outlined in red)

The Optane 900P 280GB PCIe SSD "DARK" Edition just shipped to fill the void ... in my heart.


...looks like I need to do some more cable tucking, missed one down on the bottom.


It's Hyper-Functional - not Beautiful!

 

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EVGA throws this PCB with screen printed topology map into the box with the motherboard.

It's pretty cool, let's you know where everything is located and which PCIe lanes are shared with which device sockets, both CPU and PCH lanes.

I do believe it's only a single-layer PCB and not 10-layers like the board itself.

A nice touch.

BTW: Amazon is now selling the Z390 DARK, and the EVGA webstore is again, sold out.

 

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There it is! New TechPowerUp.com Cinebench Single and Slightly Threaded Record High Score!

243

5.5Ghz with the 8086K on the very first run at 5.5. Got a 236 and 237 at 5.4Ghz. I don't even know the bios yet, but thought I'd give it a try. lololololol

The CPU clock speed is visible in CoreTemp, I couldn't get CPU-Z to move at all after the run, maybe it doesn't know the motherboard yet, idk?

Woooooooooo! I love this Z390 DARK board.

On Noctua Air baby!

...a cigar for you and a cigar for you and a cigar for you

 

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Since I don’t know the Z390 DARK’s bios - I went with what I do know.

For the base settings:

Those ROG bios settings from the ROG Apex 10 I could locate within the EVGA bios - I translated over verbatim.

Those ROG bios settings "I could not locate" in the EVGA bios, I used Vince KingPin’s memory overclocking CPU settings as a guide and then adjusted up or down knowing the safe voltage characteristics of my 8086K.

I first set up XMP #1 3200Mhz 14CAS in bios, Saved and Exited out of bios, Then back in bios - 55 on the multiplier, and 1.45volts.

Also, disengaged the (4) SATA hot-swap SSDs from the drive cage to remove them electronically from the boot equation, and increased the Noctua 140mm Industrial fan from 680rpm to 1200rpm, and that’s it.

The EVGA bios lost all my settings upon reboot, even though I clicked SAVE and EXIT. So I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. With EVGA bios do you have to SAVE to Profile?

I know all my settings by memory so nothing lost but still having to set up all the base settings all over again, what a pain. This time I will SAVE to a Cinebench ST 8086K profile, and backup on a USB drive.

First pic below is the SATA drives disengaged, and second pic is KingPin's CPU settings for training memory. I only used these “as a guide”, not the exact values.


Also the link to Vince Kingpin’s memory overclocking guide for the Z390 DARK, where I got the ballpark values.


Where Vince uses 1.361V in VCore Override and VCore Target Voltage of 1.35V for his memory overclocking base settings, I used 1.45V and I did not use the Adaptive value at all.


https://forums.evga.com/EVGA-Z390-DARK-and-BDie-based-low-latency-memory-overclocking-m2913749.aspx

 

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243 again, ho hum.

At least the result is reproducible I guess. Yet, how do I move higher?

 

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gf: you shouldn't put anything more up here, since they don't give you any likes at all

Yea, I guess you're right, no likes at all.

This Thread. The End.

gf: ba pa bya ba, ba pa ba pa pa dee dee doo doo

 

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Goodbye and Thank You.