New System - 1st Ever Build - Gonna Need Help!

[randomhero1090]

Everything gets here today!!! Already got a couple parts at home.... Here's what we are looking at....

AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE
Cooler Master RR-B10-212P-G1 Hyper 212 Plus Cooler
ASUS M4N98TD EVO Mobo
Cosair XMS3 DDR3 1333mhz 2GB X 2
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB, 7200rpm, SATA 3g, 32mb cache
PNY XLR8 GeForce GTX 460 1GB Superclocked
Antec Trio 550w PSU
Cooler Master RC-600-KKN1-GP Gladiator 600 Mid Tower ATX Case


Case, HD and Mem got here Friday. Case is pretty impressive. Larger than I thought, which isn't a bad thing. Very slick design to install HDs and CD drives. Case is all prep'd and ready to go.

I only have 1 worry. Wires. But I guess that's every noob builder's worry. Might need a little help

I'll snap some photos as I progress.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

should be a decent build

 

[eloric]

Have you read either of these guides for building a machine? I likeTecmo's guide, probalby becasue that was the first one I ever used. Here is one referenced from an article in Tom's Hardware System Builder Marathon - How To Build A PC

Each of these articles discusses the wires and where they attach. Your case is one of the better ones for having openings in the wall to thread your cables behind your motherboard. The idea is to get as much as possible out of the way so as not to impede airflow. If you don't get them routed perfectly the first time, you can always go back and improve your cable management skills afterwords.

Might want to consider adding a couple of 120 mm fans later on - one on the side and one in the upper back. This will lower your temps a couple more degrees, especially when you overclock. Don't let that slow you down getting your initial biuld completed, though.

Read these documents carefully, take your time and have fun.

Good Luck!

 

[randomhero1090]

Thanks Screwy... I think it should be a nice setup. Already saving for another GTX 460 I know I will need a new PSU at that point.

Eloric.... I browsed through the guide a couple of times. Going to take some time to read if fully.

The case came with some screws that go on to the case which you mount the motherboard too, basically lifting the mobo about 1/4" off the case. So when you say openings in the wall... Maybe you can elaborate a little more? Looking at some pics of the case, I think I know what you mean, just not sure if I know how to utilize them.

I've got 3 of these coming, just didn't mention it....
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0026ZPFCK/ref=oss_product

1 for the upper back, 2 for the side panel. Combine that with 120mm fan in the front and 140 mm up top... I should be as good as I can be in terms of air cooling. Obviously need to get the wires out of the way.

 

[iknwnothing]

you should be fine but in the future if u planning to sli your gpu might have to get new psu

 

[randomhero1090]

you should be fine but in the future if u planning to sli your gpu might have to get new psu

Yes, thank you. I think I was posting at the same time as you

 

[randomhero1090]

Well that wasn't bad

Things come in 3s, so when I got the 1st mobo I ordred and found out that it wasn't true 16x PCIe 2.0, I returned it. So I knew 2 more issues were coming. Thank god they were small issues. I broke a small piece of plastic off one of the clamps for the PCIe slots and I had some issues with the I/O plate lining up. Both were really small issues that didn't stand in my way.

However, no issues with the heatsink, it fit nicely in the case. Massive beast. GPU has some room to spare. I got a bit of a bird's nest at the bottom, but I wanted to try booting the thing up last night. I was a bit suprised that it fired right up! Went into the BIOS.... CPU, mem, HD and CD drive all reading correctly showing the proper stats. I almost cried It was about 12:30am (3hrs of building) when I was done, so I just changed the boot order and shut it down. I will do the install of Windows 7 tonight. Got to clean the bird's nest in the bottom up. Cable management is NOT my strong suit.

I really only have 1 question.... The ATX power connector - It has a 8-pin connector, but 4 of the pins had a cover over them. So I used the 4-pin coming off my PSU. It booted fine. Should I be using the 8-pin? Is there an advantage? More power? More stability?

 

[Avro Arrow]

Everything looks good to me except the choice of nvidia GPUs but that's just a matter of personal taste (and not hating nVidia's guts like I do...lol). I'm actually surprised, until now I wasn't aware that nVidia made an nForce chipset for the AM3 platform. It's probably a combination of 2 things, 1)Since I HATE nVidia I wasn't looking for it, especially since AMD makes awesome Crossfire chipsets. 2)It's kinda like AMD making a northbridge for an Intel CPU. It looks like it will perform very well even if you chose green over red.

I may hate nVidia but I won't say that they don't make a good product because that would be lying.

 

[randomhero1090]

I've always used nvidia GPUs for 1 reason, but its such an outdated reason now.... When Counter-Strike BETA was first released (yeah, going WAY back), it had tons of issues with ATI graphics drivers. It was patchable, but a pain in the ass.

So when I got my 1st real gaming system together, my god, I wish I could remember what was in it, I went with nvidia. Just always went with nvidia. Hard to argue performance, esp in SLI. 2 x 460s should be pretty banging. Hell, I already bought a new PSU, Ultra 850w X3 Modular. I got sick of the extra cables in my new rig and I want SLI now



Update on the build.... Ran into a snag and a limitation. There are 2 vents on the case door for intake fans. However, 1 is right on top of the cpu (I assume by design). The 212+ cooler I got is so tall, I can't put the fan there. HOWEVER, since there is a fan on the cooler itself, it seems to be pulling fresh air in from the vent.

I have a Win 7 Pro 64bit "upgrade" version that I got from the wife's work (an edu). Installed fine, but was getting an "invalid product key" error. I said screw it and called Microsoft this morning. I guess you can bypass the product key by leaving it totally blank and hitting next. They said to try to activate it once Windows full starts up. If that fails, I can use MSDT with a passcode they already provided to me to run the "resetting licensing service" patch which should then allow me to enter the product key and activate. IF that doesn't work, I can do a phone activation. So it sounds like I will get this fixed one way or another

Once I get my new PSU it will be time for some overclocking 850w running through an 8-pin connection with a 212+ cooler and tons of intake and exhaust.... I really want 3.7ghz, but would love 3.8ghz+!!!

 

[eloric]

My case door is the same. The bottom door fan is all you need to keep the flow fresh on your graphics card. As for the CPU, I cranked mine up to a ridiculous level at first - just to see how far i could go, then rolled it back to an everyday moderate overclock. Stable and cool, since I want to keep this rig for awhile.

 

[randomhero1090]

Posting from my new system

1) Win 7 "upgrade" fix was easy.
2) Everything is running smooth.
3) This mobo is banging. It comes with so many cool toys and apps. Turbo V is nice. I know software overclocking isn't the greatest, but for a small OC, it seems to be working nicely.
4) Ran COD: Black Ops..... Holy crap! Now, I am only playing 1280x1040, but at 8x/8x with high graphics, shadows....i'm getting 75-100 fps steady. No dropoffs. Its lovely. Holy crap. Can't imagine what SLI will be like
5) Got TurboV running with a small overclock of 17.5 cpu ratio. No vcore change. 3.5ghz and while gaming the temp got to 36*c. That's low right???
6) GPU got up to 50*C, but that still low, right???

Man I am a happy camper. Thank you to all for the help. Thank you to all who post. Made this really fun and easy!!!!

OFF TO GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ScrewySqrl]

ENJOY AND HAVE FUN

 

[randomhero1090]

Thanks Screwy!

Temps after 45 minutes of gaming non-stop...
CPU ratio to 17.5, vcore 1.375 = 45*C MAX, idle 26.5*C
GeForce GTX 460 1 GB 62* MAX, idle 29*C

How's that?

 

[eloric]

right on.

 

[randomhero1090]

Sweet Eloric! Thanks for all the help again.

I mean, at this point. Not sure how much more to ask of this system. I could try to tweak the RAM, but for 267mhz more speed, not sure how much its worth it.

Probably push the CPU as high as it goes without going over 50*C. That seems to be the magic numbers in terms of CPU max temp.

 

[randomhero1090]

Using TurboV to test last night... Got my CPU Ratio to 19 without changing the vcore (vcore at 1.36). Played COD:BO for about 3 hours straight last night without a hitch. CPU temp max of 41*C, GPU max of 61*c. Extra graphics, 8xAA, 8xAF, all other settings ON... With the new patch and rig, game looks amazing. Loving it.


Ok, 1 issue!

I went in to do a BIOS OC. I sent the mem timings manually to match the manu's specs. Nice thing is my BIOS, when set to auto, shows the selected value, which was the same number as I set manual. But I set it to MANUAL anyhow.

HOWEVER, I could not change my CPU Ratio. It wouldn't let me select it. Any ideas? Could having TurboV installed be locking out that setting? TurboV does NOT start at startup and I always change the settings back once I am done gaming.

I mean, if I can't BIOS OC its not the end of the world. I was running CPU-Z & HR Monitor and both showed the exact same specs as TurboV.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

check for a bios update, as you should have an unlocked multiplier

 

[randomhero1090]

There is a recent BIOS update available through Asus. Its listed as "Updated CPU ratio limit and Turbo Booster function." Doesn't say anything about unlocking the multiplier.

I downloaded the file, its a .dos file. Does that mean I need to flash my BIOS???

Personally, not sure if I want to mess with that stuff. The TurboV seems to be running quite well. I can adjust ratios and vcore right it in and multiple system monitoring programs are detecting the changes.

Wait... I don't know if I turned OFF Quiet n Cool... Would that be stopping it???

 

[ScrewySqrl]

the CPU ratio limit is exactly what is not working for you right now. The DOS file is what you would use to flash the BIOS.

 

[randomhero1090]

Yeah....flashing a BIOS......not sure if I am up for that yet.....

 

[ScrewySqrl]

its just loading software (onto your motherboard in this case)

 

[randomhero1090]

Yeah....this bothers me. Having to run software that takes up resources to I can OC....

Ok, i'll try it. Need to do some reading. I know in the BIOS itself theres this "EZ Flash" program.

 

[randomhero1090]

LOL... Talk about user error. It is unlocked and I am able to adjust the ratio and everything else related to the CPU. I was hitting enter on "auto" figuring it would give me a menu.... You just need to type in number you want!!!!

So, I am going to play with the OC'ing a bit. I probably should do the BIOS flash, especially since they just released a new BIOS for my mobo.

 

[randomhero1090]

Best answer selected by randomhero1090.