Did IBuyPower?... or did I Buy Junk...

[jake7]

Before I jump into this, i want to make it clear that I am quite the noob to this art of building computers.

Recently I decided I wanted to build my own gaming rig, but since I knew I had no experience, I decided to try a site I found called IBuyPower. After spending 8 hours or so researching parts, I thought I had created a respectable build. Before I go any further, here are the essentials of my build.

---------------------------

1 x Processor

Intel® Core™ i7-2600K Processor (4x 3.40GHz/8MB L3 Cache) - Intel Core i7-2600K



0 x iBUYPOWER PowerDrive

None



1 x Processor Cooling

Corsair Hydro Series H60 Liquid CPU Cooling System - ARC Dual Silent High Performance Fan Upgrade (Push-Pull Airflow)



1 x Memory

16 GB [4 GB X4] DDR3-1600 Memory Module - Corsair Vengeance



1 x Video Card

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti - 1GB - EVGA Superclocked - Core: 900MHz - SLI Mode (Dual Cards)



1 x Video Card Brand


Major Brand Powered by AMD or NVIDIA



1 x Motherboard

[SLI] ASUS P8Z68-V Pro -- 3x PCI-E 2.0 x16, On-Board Bluetooth, Lucid Virtu Technology



0 x Intel Smart Response Technology

None



1 x Power Supply

850 Watt Corsair CMPSU-850TXV2



1 x Primary Hard Drive

2 TB HARD DRIVE -- 64M Cache, 7200rpm, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive



0 x Data Hard Drive

None



1 x Optical Drive

[12X Blu-Ray] LG BLU-RAY Reader, DVD±R/±RW Burner Combo Drive - Black



0 x Flash Media Reader / Writer

None



0 x USB Expansion

None



1 x Sound Card

Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy SE



1 x Network Card

Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)



1 x Operating System

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional + Office Starter 2010 (Includes basic versions of Word and Excel) - 64-bit


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Now I am sure that this build is full of noob mistakes, however that is not what this thread is about.

After a nightmarish month-and-a-half long wait for my computer to arrive, It is starting to act up within 4 days. To me, it seems like the computer was not configured quite correctly. One issue is that the IBuyPower "preparing your computer for first time use" screen has never gone away. I have since restarted the computer several times, but this nice little welcome screen is still present during boot up. Also, every time the computer logs into windows there is always a command prompt stating something like "closing down sleep mode".

The last issue that I have had is more concerning. When I leave the computer alone for perhaps 5 minutes without giving it a command via keyboard or mouse, it locks up on me. The mouse and keyboard are completely unresponsive, giving me no control. (yes, both the keyboard and mouse ARE connected 😛 and have drivers). It almost seems like the computer went into sleep mode without blacking the screen out... and I can't wake it back up.

I'm sure these are only minor issues with configuration that can easily be fixed by someone with the right knowledge, but I don't have that knowledge... yet.

But that's where you fine folks come in, I do believe.

Can anyone help my diagnose these issues?

 

[Ubrales]

Welcome to Tom's Hardware Forums!

The components that you selected are all good quality components.

Since the computer is new and under warranty, give the custom builder an opportunity to correct these annoyances.

When you talk to them, suggest "Maximum performance" under Power Options in Control Panel.

 

[jake7]

Thank you!

Alright, I will give customer service a call as soon as they are availiable, Monday.

Also, might I ask what you mean by suggest "Maximum performance"?

 

[Ubrales]

Thank you!

Alright, I will give customer service a call as soon as they are availiable, Monday.

Also, might I ask what you mean by suggest "Maximum performance"?

In Windows, Control Panel, there is a setting for 'Power Options' - the three options are 1) Balanced, 2) Power Saver, and 3) High (Max) Performance

I set mine to High (Max) Performance.

My display is set to turn OFF after 20 minutes (it goes into low power mode and any keyboard or mouse activity will awaken it).

My computer is set to Sleep - NEVER.

Tech Support at IBuyPower will help you solve these issues. Again, the components that you selected are good components.

Let us know how things work out.

 

[jake7]

Thanks Ubrales.

I switched over to maximum, however sleep mode was already on - NEVER which is a little concerning.

Also, after looking around at the advanced power settings, I saw an "allow hybrid sleep" setting.

What exactly is hybrid sleep?

 

[jake7]

Best answer selected by Jake7.

 

[Ubrales]

Thank you Jake!

'Allow Hybrid Sleep' sounds more like a marketing term. I am wary of these 'Sleep' modes and how they are achieved. Another term that I am not a fan of is 'Hibernate'.

'Sleep - Never' should not be a cause for alarm. All it means is 'Always ON', and less probability for glitches.

 

[jake7]

I know its been a while, but thanks for all your help Ubrales.

I followed your advice and called customer service. The man told me to just reload windows through the recovery disk.

Unfortunately they sent me a "corrupt" disk.

They sent me a new disk within the week, and the reset fixed... Most issues.

In the end I sent the machine back, because reality hit me and I realized i didnt need to lug around such a massive machine at college.

Time to post for help on my laptop build!

 

[Ubrales]

Laptop build?

Spec out a good laptop and then look for promos. I bought a decent one refurbished for a little over $200 - older technology, but works well. If it gets lost/stolen I am not out of a lot of money!

 

[jake7]

Yeah ive been searching for a good desktop replacement / gaming laptop for over a year now. much more frequently recently.

And I said build because I'm probably going to upgrade a few components on whichever laptop I choose.
I've already narrowed it down to 2, but thats for a different thread.

 

[Ubrales]

Please keep in mind that gaming will tend to overheat laptops, and laptops run hot to begin with. Laptop coolers (fans ventilated base) help but not by much.

 

[jake7]

Will do, Thanks for the help. If you want to take a look at my conjectures on good laptops, I just started my thread under general discussion of Notebooks/Laptops.

 

[Ubrales]

OK, I will take a look