I thought I'd put together a list of recommended items to bring for those people who are interested in benching on LN2 at the Toronto event. For those of you who are already accustomed to extreme cooling I'm sure you already know what to bring, but this can still serve as a reminder, and for those of you who are new to extreme cooling this can be a good place to start.
Lets start with the obvious:
- CPU / GPU pot
- Thermal paste (something that doesn't freeze, like GC Extreme or Ceramique)
- Thermometer with k-type probes (usually not required for AMD benching)
- Thermoses (3 thermoses / person is usually a good number, but you can get away with using 2)
Insulation:
- LET (liquid electrical tape)
- Artist Eraser
- Neoprene
- Armaflex / Frost King
- Painters Tape
- Shop Towels / Paper Towels
- Vaseline
You certainly don't need to use all of the insulation that I listed, those are just some of the most commonly used forms of insulation. For a good insulation guide, see xxbassplayerxx's guide here: http://www.overclock.net/t/839959/bassplayers-insulation-guide-lots-of-images/0_50
Other:
- Digital Multi Meter (very useful for monitoring voltages, especially on volt-modded GPU's)
- Torch / heat gun (For the Toronto event only bring torches, because heat guns draw too much power)
- Soldering Iron (for those who are using volt-modded GPU's)
- Pliers and Screwdrivers
- Duct Tape
- Hex keys / Torx
- Adapters (SATA / molex)
- Power cords (PSU/Monitor)
More useful tips:
1: Know your hardware
Get to know your bios, your vmods, overclocking limits, ram timings, etc before you go
2: Have your installs prepared ready.
Have a fresh install of all the Operating Systems you are going to use ready on your disks, with drivers and benching software ready to go.
Backup installs are always a good idea,in case of corruption for those with extra hdd's available
3: Insulate your motherboard/s and gfx cards
Get your motherboards and cards ready in advance, this will save a lot of precious time during the event
4: Plan your bench session in advance.
Know what benchmarks you will run and in what order and prepare accordingly, e.g. Go for highest CPU frequency first and get to know your CB/CBB limit, then move on to Spi 1m, Pifast, Wprime 32m etc and prioritise the benches that are important to you,and those that will be of greatest advantage to you and the team.
5: Backup your hardware
If possible bring some backup motherboards and CPUs with you to the event incase the worst happens, you dont want to be stuck with dead components with a plentiful supply of LN2 available to play with.
Get to know your bios, your vmods, overclocking limits, ram timings, etc before you go
2: Have your installs prepared ready.
Have a fresh install of all the Operating Systems you are going to use ready on your disks, with drivers and benching software ready to go.
Backup installs are always a good idea,in case of corruption for those with extra hdd's available
3: Insulate your motherboard/s and gfx cards
Get your motherboards and cards ready in advance, this will save a lot of precious time during the event
4: Plan your bench session in advance.
Know what benchmarks you will run and in what order and prepare accordingly, e.g. Go for highest CPU frequency first and get to know your CB/CBB limit, then move on to Spi 1m, Pifast, Wprime 32m etc and prioritise the benches that are important to you,and those that will be of greatest advantage to you and the team.
5: Backup your hardware
If possible bring some backup motherboards and CPUs with you to the event incase the worst happens, you dont want to be stuck with dead components with a plentiful supply of LN2 available to play with.
If anyone has any more suggestions, feel free to speak up.
Also, for everyone who is attending the Toronto Event with the intent of benching, I thought that this thread could serve as a way of coordinating what everyone is bringing. This would help to cut down on the number of things to bring for those people who are travelling from far away.
Edited by HobieCat - 4/30/12 at 5:23pm
