[geeks] anyone know about this? 72-core, 48GB computer?

[Nate]

On Oct 18, 2009, at 1:53 PM, velociraptor wrote:

> On Sun, Oct 18, 2009 at 8:38 AM, Phil Stracchino  
> <alaric at metrocast.net>
> wrote:
>> velociraptor wrote:
>>> On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 8:05 AM, Joshua Boyd <jdboyd at jdboyd.net>  
>>> wrote:
>>>> Maybe I am just chicken, but I don't really want to install the CPU
>>>> myself.  I suppose it might not be as bad as it was in the P4 days
>>>> though.

Bad as the P4 days?  As in Socket 478?  Socket 478 was trivial to get  
on - push down the four corners with the levers open, close the two  
levers (which is what applies the pressure between the heatsink and  
the CPU), done.  Getting it off was annoying because after opening the  
two levers, you had to use a flathead screwdriver to release the four  
clips at the corners, but it wasn't *too* bad.

Maybe you meant AMD Socket A... either as a single center clip, or  
when it was expanded to support three clip positions on each side, it  
could be a bit tricky to get on and off because you had to use a  
flathead screwdriver or other tool to pry the clip and you had to  
worry about slipping and potentially jabbing the motherboard or nearby  
components.

>>> It's really not that bad now.  The CPUs drop right in these days,  
>>> and
>>> the heat sinks attachments are better designed if you go Intel (no
>>> !#%^* clips, just screws through the top down to the backing plate
>>> behind the mobo).  Unfortunately, AMD still has those !#%^* clips.

Huh?  AMD clips are typically trivial now, because they added a simple  
latching lever.  Open the level, it relieves pressure between the  
heatsink and CPU, and you can pretty easily lift the the heatsink off  
because the clip is loose.  And getting it on is easy.

>> I thought AMD boards used bolt-through heat sink mounts now, too....

Bolt-through kits are optional on both platforms, and more common in  
server/workstation configurations from major manufacturers (you see  
them a lot in rack-mount kit).

> The backing plate and support are, but the heat sink still uses a
> clip.  The Intel bracket for the heat sink is screwed on.

Not the Intel OEM heatsinks.  Since LGA 775, OEM Intel heatsinks have  
four plastic pushpins that have two positions depending on the  
rotation of the top part, latch when down and unlatch.  So to install  
you have to get the outer part of the pushpins through four holes  
around the CPU socket, then push down so a center part of the pushpin  
goes down through the middle and spreads the outer part of the pushpin  
on the underside of the socket out so that it latches, and you have to  
do this in a criss-cross X order or you won't be able to get all the  
pushpins locked due to the amount of board flex that occurs as the  
heatsink puts pressure on the socket with no backing plate (this is by  
design).

Of course they also designed the Intel sockets to support optional  
backing plates, but that is not what you get from Intel when you buy a  
retail CPU for mainstream desktop sockets.

- Nate