# 1U PC Slave



## chimuelo (Aug 1, 2017)

Fast, lean 32GB Machines for Orchestral Mock Ups.

Finally getting around to doing the VEPro w/ 1 x Master + 3 x Slaves.
This is the first one, 3 x more for a total of 4, all in a 4U portable rack.

Supermicro CSE 512f-600B 1U ATX Chassis
ASRock Rack H97m WS Micro ATX
Intel i7 4790k w/ Dynatron Copper HSF
32GBs DDR3-1600
Plextor 2X M.2 512GB 
Samsung 850 EVO 1TB SSDs
Custom sleeved SATA Cables
Dynatron Cross Blower Exhaust Fan

Memory DIMMs are parallel to PCI Slots (server style) so triple 22k fans
Have Fin flow for maximum cooling.
1250 USD

My main build will cost 1800 USD though as it will be the new Xeons.
I need max RAM on the main DAW.

For now my 4U main DAW is still needed for cloning purposes.


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## Publius (Aug 2, 2017)

I work with computers and some of us refer to these 1u computers as 'pizza boxes' due to their shape. This is interesting, but my own experience has been that the 1u form factor can have loud fan noise. Have you experienced that and if so, how did you address it?


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## chimuelo (Aug 2, 2017)

Actually I can hear mine transferring data and I'm in my living room.

22000rpm fans are on standard.
On silent they still can be heard.
On full they are as loud as my Shark Vacuum cleaner.

But noise never bothers me.
This is for live performance not recording.

I never trust something I can't hear...


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## chimuelo (Aug 3, 2017)

I bought this because a fellow performer uses a single 2U for live work and a single controller.
Hes a monster with String articulations, way above my pay grade.
His tribute does old Motown and Disco hits and they are equally impressive.
His string articulations sound so real I asked him tips.
I use Bidule so I can get some of his tips working but he uses Max 4 Live Ableton, no sequencer, but triggers articulations and somehow uses tap tempo if he hears his automated tempo/MIDI track veering off.
So its his articulations that are pre recorded and he just gets to concentrate on his playing.
LIke I said way past my pay grade.
But he advised me to get a less featured server board like the H87 or H97.
Said they are much faster because consumer boards have add on SATA Controllers, excessive slots, etc.
I tested my drives with Samsung magician and just didn't believe what I saw.
Tested with AS SSD and similar results were showing.
All I know is my rig is incredibly snappy and fast, instant loads, so this guy gets my 100% attention.
I need to learn Max 4 Live Ableton next.

Check out these insane scores....

I can understand Samsung juicing up their in house caching software, but I ran AS SSD with 1 and 10GB tests...!!
Maybe less is really more.


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## chimuelo (Aug 3, 2017)

Just to verify a 3rd time here's the Sample drive.
Stream really fast but I seriously doubt these numbers are accurate.
Obviously fast enough to trip out benchmarks though....


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## chimuelo (Aug 4, 2017)

Here's my live rig. 
The Master using the other 1U slaves will be in a 4U.
Compose on down time.

Now I can go broke buying big Orchestral libraries.
But realize the Master will need 128GB Xeon E2600.
So much for a 5000 dollar rig.
More like 6500 for Master + 3 Slaves, doubling as a live rig.


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## Tyll (Aug 5, 2017)

Looks like much more power than I have ever needed yet. What kind of live shows are you doing with this?


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## vicontrolu (Aug 5, 2017)

Yeah..specially if you are playing with this in gigs..is it necesario to use the latest bestest 55x rr true hyperlegato libraries?


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## chimuelo (Aug 5, 2017)

Just Tribute style shows and more recently freestyle rap.
I automate the Main Consoles in both groups.
Mostly vocal FX.

This is just a cheap 1200 Dollar Slave.
Haven't built the main DAW for composing yet.
Have 2 x more 32 GB 1U Slaves I'm building ATM.
This H97 with Samsung 850 SSDs is so fast and cheap I decided these would be great Slaves.
I'll be back here seeking advice from guys running 64/128GB Machines w/ VEPro.

I just can't wait anymore for Workstation boards with great PCBs and Rack solutions.
It's a mess out there.
Z170 then Z270 now another chipset.
None of these motherboard/chipset combos are mature so Rack mount versions don't exist.
I had to go with Z97 or H97.
And they're old cheap and thick, not like consumer boards.
They are definitely faster too. Not so many slots or added SATA or excessive gunk.
Just the meat and potatoes.

But I'm slowing down scheduling so I can start composing more.
Hence the fast slaves and a Xeon based Master DAW.
FWIW These 2x PCI-e speed NVMe devices are as fast as 4x speed Samsung 960 Pro. I've benched them and Sansungs appear faster. But the performance for audio shows no advantages other than price and heat. Where the 2x speeds win hands down. SATA III is fast enough, 768MBps read and 120,000 random is about all ASIO can consume IMHO.
Our software can't keep up with the hardware I suppose.

Got my fast set up rig working. So much better, smaller.
Just for gigging as a sideman.
800GBs of sounds for every occasion.


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## chimuelo (Aug 11, 2017)

Final rig for a long time to come.
Just being a side man is going to be fun.
Last 2 pieces are the new SE-02 and a Bellari RP562.
Tubes are old NOS/NIB RCA 5771 Black Triple Mica from 1957 Surplus.

PCI-e 1X connector sits on a riser card in the 1U PC.
Audio out to XITE-1 DSP Rack. Out to Bellari Tube Processor.
To FOH and Stage Monitors.

The quality of less featured faster Server boards is really nice.


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## woodslanding (Aug 15, 2017)

do you think the H97 boards are better for this than Z97? It looks like you used an ASRock mobo, not supermicro?

the 5775c is still rocking. Wondering if I would still choose that cpu/mobo building a new studio rig..... 

Interested to note you like the chip without using onboard graphics. Do they slow it down? I'm just a hair shy of 64, but 128 feels okay to me. But if I got a mobo with built in m2, I could free up my pcie for graphics. Using a gigabyte z97 mini-atx board right now. Maybe squeeze under 64.

I guess I could try overclocking, but there's not much room in there, and I don't want things getting too hot. Especially on sunny stages in the summer. Next live build will be carbon fiber, and I'll leave room for a normal sized mobo and lots more ventilation.


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## woodslanding (Aug 20, 2017)

hmmm. Wondering about swapping out my consumer gigabyte board for this one. It looks like it is compatible with the 5775c. Also can't tell if it supports the onboard graphics. Boy is there ever a lot less crap on this mobo! Love no onboard audio. And the parallel slots will allow better airflow....

ASRock E3C226D2I Mini ITX Server Motherboard LGA 1150 Intel C226 
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157466


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## chimuelo (Aug 20, 2017)

C226 are No GFX.
I love boards without gunk
It does help with audio, but you can disable lost of start up processes and devices in Device Manager on Windows 7/8 machines then store settings in BIOS but what a pain.

Intel is releasing so much stuff right now I'm waiting a while before I get anything.
By that time 1U designs might be available.
They dumped 4 different chipsets in the last year alone.
So until cheaper consumer boards are cycled out we won't see anything for at least a year.


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## chimuelo (Sep 27, 2017)

Well I must say, a 64GB Quad Core i3-8350k looks bad ass.
OC Gurus have hit 4.8GHz on air and only adding 12 watts to the 91 watt CPU.

The price makes this a really good choice too.
Boards without gunk will show up by Christmas.
We're talking 1000 dollar Slaves.

Once again we see what competition does.
Thank You AMD....

https://www.anandtech.com/show/1186...ation-coffee-lake-hex-core-desktop-processors


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