Processing astronomy pictures has always stressed computer systems. New image processing techniques, such as drizzle and deconvolution algorithms, are extremely computer-intensive. (More on the equipment used to capture the images is here.)
Mid 2011: I was toying with the idea of upgrading my computer system, then Fry's sealed the deal by putting the motherboard and processor I wanted on sale! I'm using the fastest Intel Sandy Bridge processor chip. These new chips bring top of the line processing power to a cool running and affordable CPU, reducing the cost for Intel's top performance by many hundreds of dollars, and reducing the power use (and heat generated) by your computer. It also has a very decent display processor as part of the chip, which performs much better than the dedicated graphics card in my previous (4 year old) system. This means a cooler, quieter case because I don't need a that graphics card (at least so far). Here are the specs for the major components of the new system:
ASUS P8Z68V Pro Motherboard, Intel® Socket 1155 for 2nd Generation Core™ i7/Core™ i5/Core™ i3 Processors
Corsair 115GB SSD (Solid State Drive) - Force CSSD-F115GB2-BRKT-A 2.5" 115GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Intel® Core™ i7-2600K Processor (8M Cache, 3.40 GHz), LGA 1155 (I am overclocking this to 4.4 GHz for about a 30% speed increase.)
Corsair XMS3 3x4GB DDR3 2000MHZ memory (looking for a 4th module)
2 x Hitachi 3TB Coolspin 32MB Cache SATA3 (5400 rpm model)
CPU cooled with a Noctua NH-C14
Corsair 600W GS 600 PSU
LG 12x Blu-Ray writer
And went to an ASUS RT-N56U Dual Band router
Here are some overclocking references on the setup as I sort everything out. It looks like people are hitting 5.0 GHz with some frequency and 4.5 GHz range just about always with a setup like mine. As noted above, as of 7/15/11 I'm running at 4.4 Ghz:
HardOCP, hardforum, Toms, HardwareCanucks, Overclock.net,
Scroll down for 4 pictures of the new PC, which I just finished up. The massive Noctua CPU cooler assembly was the last major component to go in, and after that it was time to hide the wires..

Dick's Summer 2011 Computer Project
The front fan doors are open in this shot. There are 7 large (120mm) fans that come with the DF85 frame (2 on top you can't see). Plus the CPU has two monster (140mm) fans. The big fans move a lot of air. I run the case fans on low, and the CPU fans on the medium setting, making for a surprisingly quiet package providing enough cooling for 4.4 GHZ overclocking stress tests. As for the case style, it does look like something an 18 year old might choose, and I'm not sure an interior decorator would put this color combination together. The case was the best Fry's had in the store the day I was putting the system together, so fate pretty much determined it. I'm more of a function over form guy, but I may decide to get an LED side case fan to maybe balance everything out ;-)

Cooling Transplant Coming Up! Note the relative size of the currently installed Intel "stock" cooler. The Intel guy did not like first stress test I threw it (board temp exceeded 85 deg C), so I knew I had to step up the cooling. The new cooler keeps the temps under 70 under the worst conditions, at least so far.

Hitachi 5400 RPM drives (bottom, 2x 3GB) provide the pure space part of the storage system, while a 115GB SSD drive (out of sight at the bottom of the case) holds Windows 7 and the applications for a super-responsive system. The case provides plug-in disk drive ports for simple disk swaps. There are 4xSATA 3 (6GBit/s) 4xSATA 2 (3Gbit/s) ports, plus an E-SATA port providing support for up to 9 SATA storage devices.

The right side panel will cover the wires. Believe it or not, I tried to be very careful where I placed the wires on the computer, since the case I ended up with has a clear side door. The case provides a number of convenient routing paths that make this a bit easier. The disk drive wires were tough (yellow and red) to run to the bottom as a pass through area didn't quite line up with the board connectors.
What about software? It turns out I've acquired and use quite a number of astronomy and image processing titles. The following work OK with Windows 7, 64bit:
CCDSoft - This came with my SBIG ST-8300 camera. Prerelease v206 controls the new filter wheel. This software performs many of the functions of the separate programs below. I find it also has many annoying behaviors, especially when focusing with the focus windows being tiny and partially hidden.
GoldFocus - Software that works in conjunction with a bahtinov mask to analyze and announce focus corrections
Nebulosity - Control the CCD camera, capture .fit files...
Photoshop - Check image quality while imaging, and final processing; it is the last tool I use to process images for publication (CS2 and CS5)
Registar - Combine images, my primary "stacking" tool
ImagesPlus - Process DSLR images
Neat Image - Noise reduction
Noel Carboni's Astronomy Tools - Photoshop actions to do things like select stars and tighten them up
AIP4WIN - deconvolution
GradientXterminator - Photoshop plugin to remove unwanted gradients
Deep Sky Stacker - Drizzle combinations and some stacking
The Sky (I have 5, 6, and X)
Laptop Upgrade Discussion:
Multiple Core Computers are critical for image processing! I found my 2004 model single-core laptop just wasn't cutting it when processing images in the field, and I've been watching laptop prices and features carefully since the new Intel "Core I-" processors came out. Best Buy had a good deal and 11/2010 I acquired a Dell Inspiron N7010 laptop with these features: 17.3" LED screen, Blu-ray optical drive, 640GB hard drive, 6GB memory, Windows 7 64-bit OS, and a Intel Core I5-460M processor. (There has been a worldwide shortage of blu-ray drives for notebook computers, and laptops with blu-ray are hard to find and command a premium price.) Complete specs for the true geeks are further below.
Compatibility: I recently cautioned people regarding 64-bit Windows for astronomy applications due to possible compatibility issues. The advantage of 64-bit operating systems and software is that they can address (use) more than 4GB of memory, which is helpful in processing large amounts of image data. My QHY8 CCD Camera now has 64-bit compatible drivers, which opened up the 64-bit door for me.
Astronomy software compatibility problems with Windows 7:
As of early 2011 just about everything is working with Windows 7. However, William-Bell's Megastar will not install. I have not received a response to my emailed request for information about work-arounds or future support for 64 bit windows. However, you can manually copy files to your computer and get Megastar to run.
Happily haven't had any other problems!

New Quad Core, widescreen laptop (left), old workhorse dell on right

The Sky X on the new Dell, The Sky 6 on the right
| Dell | Inspiron N7010, Service Tag, DK5YCN1 |
| Quantity | Parts # | Part Description |
![]() | ||
| 1 | F073F | Dual In-Line Memory Module,2GB1333MHZ,256X64,8K,200 |
| 1 | Y619H | DVDRW/BD-ROM,12.7,SATA,PLDS |
| 1 | MC13K | Liquid Crystal Display,17.3HDF+,White Light Emitted Diode,True Life,V2,Legend |
| 1 | P7J74 | Hard Drive,640,S2,2.5,5.4,P11,SMSN-M7E |
| 1 | 13M23 | Processor,I5-460M,2.53,3MB,Arrandale,K0 |
| 1 | 4YRJH | Battery,Primary,48WHR,Vmware 6 Core Processor,Lithium,SANYO |
| 1 | X830D | Dual In-Line Memory Module,4GB1333MHZ,512X64,8K,200 |
| 1 | FJT7K | Assembly,Camera,1.3M,14/15/1764 |
The new Monitor: An wide gamut HP LP2475W, reviewed in detail here.
The old quad core computer details:
Click on the thumbnail to see a view of the inside of my desktop computer. There's a very small chip underneath the big heat sink. To the left is the video card and some rear panel eSATA and USB ports. On the far left, the bottom of this case when standing up, you can see a bit of the power supply. There are three large, adjustable speed fans: One below the sink, one above, and one to the right that you can't see. Below there are 4 GB of memory (2 x 2gb, blue sticks). Further details are buried at the bottom of the web page.
· Case = Antec P182 SE
· Intel Quad Core Q6600
· PSU CORSAIR|CMPSU-520HX RT - Retail
o A Slightly tweaked Seasonic M12
· MB GIGA GA-P35-DQ6 P35 775 - Note: MOBO is Rev 1.0
· http://www.gigabyte-usa.com/Support/Motherboard/BIOS_Model.aspx?ProductID=2505
<http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/hardwarecanuck-reviews/1909-gigabyte-p35-dq6-s775-motherboard-review.html>
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128046
· Scythe SCNJ-1100P 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler - Retail
· DVD BURN LITE-ON|LH-20A1S SATA R - Retail
· Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM (1st DOA)
· Seagate 750 GB SATA/300 7200RMP 16MB Cache
· G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
· VGA ASUS EN8600GT SILENT/HTDP/256M - Retail
· EN8600 Series - search for that
· http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814121076
· http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us
· LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model LH-20A1S - Retail
· http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231122
· Scythe heat sink mfr page: http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/cpu/026/scnj1100p.html
· http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/std/sku=scythe_mine_b
· MOBO Review: http://www.techreport.com/reviews/2007q2/p35-mobos/index.x?pg=4
· Power Supply Review: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article692-page1.html
· Disk Drive (this will be the boot drive): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136131&Tpk=western%2bdigital%2b750gb
· Memory (4gb total): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231122&ATT=20-231-122&CMP=OTC-Froogle
· Case: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article741-page1.html
· Case 2: http://www.anandtech.com/printarticle.aspx?i=2966
· Video Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121076
Hard drive installed
http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1499&p_created=1170348551&p_sid=pTwfW5Gi&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=989&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9NSZwX3Byb2RzPTIwMyZwX2NhdHM9MTIzJnBfcHY9MS4yMDMmcF9jdj0xLjEyMyZwX3NlYXJjaF90eXBlPWFuc3dlcnMuc2VhcmNoX2ZubCZwX3BhZ2U9MSZwX3NlYXJjaF90ZXh0PXZpc3Rh&p_li=&p_topview=1
Video Drivers
http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us
http://www.scythe-eu.com/en/support.html
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article251-page6.html
http://www.gigabyte-usa.com/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=2505
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