"Cheap" system with 64 bit / 66Mhz PCI slots?

[Stereodude]

I know I'm looking for old technology, but where might I find a ATX motherboard that has at least 1 64bit / 66MHz PCI slot on it, AGP slot, and support for a "decent" processor (preferably Intel).

Maybe a used server or something?

And, in case you're wondering why I'm asking, I'm basically sick of bad performance from my 3ware 7506-8 raid card that's in my server. It's been in several different motherboards (always in 32bit 33MHz PCI slots) and it's always been slow (under 15meg/sec read or write). I never got the type of performance they showed in RAID-5 benchmarks and reviews for the card (>100Meg/sec). I've used two different sets of IDE drives with similar results for both. I'm at a loss as to what the bottleneck could be other than card not working well in 32bit 33MHz PCI slots.

 

[MaxBurn]

This is from my old server:

http://scottjal.ath.cx:85/ebay/Bundles/ScottBundle1.htm

I guess I could part it and dicker if you were interested.

 

[Stereodude]

Hmm... That looks pretty good.

I just wish I knew for sure that that the lack of a 64bit PCI bus is the problem. It seems like the last possibility. The only other thing is that I've only ever had the card in AMD systems. That could address both possibilities. It's even on 3Ware's compatible list.

 

[Stereodude]

I should point out that even my RAID-1 array runs slow off the 3ware card.

 

[Stereodude]

Ok, now I'm really confused. HDtach says my 2TB RAID-5 array has an average read of >80Mbyte/sec (basically flat across the whole thing). It says my 320GB RAID-1 array has an average read of 56.8Meg/sec with the typical HD falloff from >65Mbyte/sec at the start to 38Mbyte/sec at the end. Yet in spite of these decent numbers the things are just dogs in actual use.

 

[Bozo]

Dig through 3Wares site in the FAQs. There was a registry fix for poor performance with some of their cards. But I forget the details offhand.

Bozo :joker:

 

[MaxBurn]

I can't answer to performance, I was running RAID5 with eight and later on four disks.

 

[Stereodude]

Ok, so I did some more testing of the arrays and found they're reasonably fast when copying files to or from them with Windows Explorer. But, I have two programs that just crawl on them.

1) The software for the Fusion 5 HDTV card in the PC. A raw HDTV transport stream is all of about 3Meg/sec, but I get terrible recordings with tons of dropped packets when I try to record to either of the RAID arrays. Works fine to a standard HD which HDtach says is slower than either of the two RAID arrays.

2) HDTVtoMPEG2 can only write at about 2Meg/sec when reading from the stand alone HD to either RAID array. Oddly enough, the same program run on another PC reading from the same source drive and writing to the same RAID array (via mapped network shares) runs happily along at ~12Mbyte/sec.

 

[Fushigi]

Not knowing anything about the apps myself, could you have them stage their output to a non-array drive & later copy the files to the array?

 

[Stereodude]

Not knowing anything about the apps myself, could you have them stage their output to a non-array drive & later copy the files to the array?

That's what I do for #1. There is a 250gig drive in there for that program to record to.

For #2 I use the program on one of my desktops and use mapped network shares.

 

[mubs]

It appears that the two progs are trying to write to the disks in a non-standard way, probably bypassing the 3Ware driver. Making calls they shouldn't be.

 

[Stereodude]

It appears that the two progs are trying to write to the disks in a non-standard way, probably bypassing the 3Ware driver. Making calls they shouldn't be.

Could be. I can get the source code for the HDTVtoMPEG2, but I wouldn't have a clue what to go looking for in it.

 

[Stereodude]

This is from my old server:

http://scottjal.ath.cx:85/ebay/Bundles/ScottBundle1.htm

I guess I could part it and dicker if you were interested.

Is that the current price for the whole setup as listed?

 

[MaxBurn]

Is that the current price for the whole setup as listed?

Yes it was. To high? Make an offer, its just sitting here in the box doing nothing...

I have been traveling so much recently I was supposed to put it on ebay long before now. Funny how stuff like that just slides, I have a ton of stuff here I need to sell.

 

[Stereodude]

Yes it was. To high? Make an offer, its just sitting here in the box doing nothing...

I don't know if it's too high or not, I haven't dug into it. I'm waiting to see what my tax return ends up being and if I get my bonus from work before I go spending a lot.

I have been traveling so much recently I was supposed to put it on ebay long before now. Funny how stuff like that just slides, I have a ton of stuff here I need to sell.

I know what you mean. Usually I end up sitting on it on stuff until it's worthless.

 

[Bozo]

This is from my old server:

http://scottjal.ath.cx:85/ebay/Bundles/ScottBundle1.htm

I guess I could part it and dicker if you were interested.

Odd, I have a Supermicro P4SCT+II, P4 3.0 GHz, and 2GB Corsair RAM sitting here gathering dust too.

All great minds think alike, I guess. :smile:

Bozo :joker:

 

[Stereodude]

Odd, I have a Supermicro P4SCT+II, P4 3.0 GHz, and 2GB Corsair RAM sitting here gathering dust too.

All great minds think alike, I guess. :smile:

Do I sense a reverse bidding war coming on?

 

[Stereodude]

Just by means of a quick post. I'm still interested to buy one of your used setups. Unfortunately I've spent my tax refund several times over, so I need to wait a little while until I get my bonus from work.

 

[MaxBurn]

Tax return? I filed way back in the third week of the year and that was absorbed long ago.

 

[Stereodude]

Tax return? I filed way back in the third week of the year and that was absorbed long ago.

Yeah, I put it off because I figured I would owe again. Thankfully I didn't.

 

[MaxBurn]

Yeah, I put it off because I figured I would owe again. Thankfully I didn't.

Coming in close to zero seems like a victory till you look at that number that was bled off you during the whole year.

I am all for withholding to get killed, if people get a wake up call by being presented a bill at the end of the year we will be in full out revolt mode.

But then again there are worse tax situations through the world.

 

[Stereodude]

I am all for withholding to get killed, if people get a wake up call by being presented a bill at the end of the year we will be in full out revolt mode.

The yearly bill would never work because no one would save enough. I like the monthly bill idea better. Give people their whole pay check and send them a monthly bill just like their credit card, utilities, or anything else. That'll start another revolution just as fast.

 

[sechs]

I know several consultants who couldn't grasp the idea of paying taxes quarterly -- as required by law.

And, to be honest, by giving the government their money monthly, we're saving a boatload in short-term borrowing.

 

[Stereodude]

And, to be honest, by giving the government their money monthly, we're saving a boatload in short-term borrowing.

The idea is to get people pissed off enough to vote out all the people in office and put in people who will drastically cut spending and lower taxes. Getting rid of automatic withholding would light a fire under the behind of the populous when they had had to send the gov't a huge check and they'd all be out on their butts in the street. I couldn't care less if it cost the gov't a pile in short term borrowing for a year or two before we got all the crooks out of office. The end result would be worth it.

 

[sechs]

The people can't get pissed-off enough to stop borrowing and get their own financial houses in order. How is screwing over the American people going to make it better?