Art Attack Central
Fixing stuff, myself included…
Waiting for New/Old Refurbished 6-Core CPU
So which one did you get?
I got an Intel Xeon W3680
6-Core
Hex Core 3.33GHz LGA1366 Processor on Ebay for $77.00. Already have a long hex screw driver for removing the heatsink, from working on the Northbridge sink in my 2008 Mac Pro (MP)3,1. Previously I noticed via Hardware Monitor, the Northbridge Chip in the 2009 MP5,1 seemed to be running hotter (68c) than it should at an ambient temp in low to med 20s Celsius. So I was planning on removing the processor heatsink anyway, to check on the plastic clips that hold the Northbridge heatsink which is under the processor heatsink. If I am removing the processor heatsink, I figured I might as well go for the processor replacement at the same time.
Hmmm, that’s some gobbledegook if you ask me?
Nobody’s asking you! Remember you’re the one who asks questions, not the one who answers. The “gobbledegook” is for my record, of what I hopefully can accomplish without any mistakes.
Geekbench scores before the switch:
single-core = 2513 and multi-core = 8601 and openCL = 16147
The big difference should come on the multi-core score; it should nearly double. Little to no difference will occur on the single-core or the openCL score, because it still testing one core for single, and the video card, which is the openCL score will be the same (ATI Radeon HD 5870 1 GB) Won’t have any results till next week when I make the switch. Fingers crossed!
By the way if you click on the cpu photo, you can see the metal casing/lid I was referring to in the February 8th post. De-lidding is the removal of the casing via heat to reveal the naked processor.
Upgrading the Processor
Oh no, now what? More geeky stuff?
Well yeah, that’s who I am today. I have a 2009 Mac Pro single quad-core, and I’m going to attempt to replace the processor with a faster 2010 6-core. The dual processor would be much harder to turn into a 12-core machine. Even though I thought I would wait, sell the quad-core and get a dual quad-core, I’ve decided not to.
Why not get the dual quad?
Because the replacement of processors in the dual quad, requires de-lidding the processors. And by the way, both the 4-core and 8-core 2009, need to be flashed with the 2010 firmware. I’ve done the firmware upgrade, and it went smoothly
Whaaat? De-lidding?
There are varying descriptions of what to use and how to do it, from heat guns to household irons. All methods involve using a razor blade to “gently” open the sides of the metal case covering the cpu before heating it up. The removal of the casing is called de-lidding. I guess if I had acquired an 8-core to begin with, I would attempt to go for the 12-core. However, after learning about the pitfalls, (many failures) of the dual quad replacement procedure, I’ll be quite content with uping my 4-core to a 6-core.
Old Tricks
I’ll ask right off the bat; what do you mean by “Old Tricks?”
Fooling around with the “underpinnings” of this website, from server to WordPress – Speed of loading, ssh/sftp and other “stuff,” behind the curtain.
I should have known you’d revert back to your “old ways.”
Not so fast, I’m not completely entangled in “nerd-speak.” Also, I’ve been thinking more about dyeing and death. I searched on Google for, “the science behind life after death, and found some pretty interesting “stuff.”
Ahh, I see more of “what’s behind that curtain?” Gotcha!
Here’s an URL worth reading.
Do you remember reading all the Carlos Castnada books and Robert Monroe on Astral Projection?
Yes, I remember lots of “stuff.” I remember amazing, mesmerizing moments of time spread out over my brief lifetime.
So maybe you should talk about those “times.”
I might, but not right now.
Dying and Death
My father “passed away,” about 6 months ago. “Passed away,” is defined in Webster’s as going out of existence. He died. I brought his ashes home from the anatomy board last week.
What? Wait a minute. You said six months ago. Where were the ashes all this time?
He donated his body to science; he wasn’t cremated until recently.
Yikes! How do you feel, or what do you think about donating a body to science?
On my way downtown, all I could think about was, “dad in a box.” Then I thought about my mother’s death. Our family on a sailboat, spreading her ashes over the bay. She also donated her body to science. However; since my father was alive when she died, he received her ashes. So I didn’t think about, “mom in a box.” But now… it’s:
tick toc, tick toc mom in a box
tick toc, tick toc dad in a box
tick toc, tick toc…
So are you going to donate your body to science?
I don’t know about my body. tick toc, tick toc…
What are you going to do with your father’s ashes?
When spring comes, he can swim in the bay with my mother. For now he’s in the box on top of my dresser, and I speak to him when I notice the box.
What if you still need your body after you’re dead?
I don’t know why you ask questions like that. Who knows if we’ll need our bodies after we die? Will there be “anyone home?” Will consciousness, (the I of me) exist somewhere? That nebulous idea of me. Who knows? See, a question like that, only leads to more questions. But, then again isn’t life a question?; we spend a “lifetime” trying to answer.
Oh dear, I sense you are going to start talking about time travel again.
Maybe…
Well… Yes Time Travel
Hun, what? Time Travel?
I did travel from there to here, you know, and at least “this time” 6 months didn’t go by. Perhaps all of time is really quite compressed, and the moving through it at different speeds gives us the illusion of progression.
Unhun, so where have been in this pressure cooker of time?
I can’t tell you right now; I’ll try to come back later.
Would that be kind of like visiting the past?
Okay, just put a lid on it.
Time…
On my way out the front door for a cigarette, my sister stoped me to show me how young some actor was in his first movie.
Some actor?
Yeah some actor; I can’t remember his name 5 minutes later! So, I said, “we were all young once.” Once is not enough. I’d settled for twice right now.
1 x 1 = 1; 1+1 = 2. It’s the time issue that creates the problem. Ah yes these are the times. If addition were the answer, we’d all be young twice over.
I’d think twice about that logic if I were you.
But, you are me. Over here, Over there, I can see your “underwhere.” As the timeline keeps rolling along. Sung to the tune of, the Caissons go rolling along.