What drivers do I need for ASRock H97 Pro4?

[spencer casey]

Hello I just got an ASRock H97 Pro 4 and I was wondering what drivers I should get off of the website (link to all the driver downloads: http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/H97%20Pro4/index.us.asp?cat=Download&os=Win8a64) because I saw all the different drivers and I didn't know which ones I needed so can someone please tell me which ones are needed and which ones are just extras.
-thanks

 

[damric]

I have that board. I installed the ethernet driver and the audio driver. I also installed A-tuning utility for placing browser cache on a small RAM disk.

The rest you might want on a case by case basis.

 

[spencer casey]

I have that board. I installed the ethernet driver and the audio driver. I also installed A-tuning utility for placing browser cache on a small RAM disk.

The rest you might want on a case by case basis.

Ok thanks but which drivers are the chipset drivers? Also what are the drivers that have the Intel logo as the picture?

 

[damric]

There isn't a northbridge chipset driver because it's on the CPU die now, but there is one for integrated graphics if you use that. There are southbridge drivers if you are running some exotic RAID array. All those special Intel drivers you can experiment with for fast booting. I couldn't be bothered with that since my PC is never off.

^^ all of that I did not need.

 

[spencer casey]

There isn't a northbridge chipset driver because it's on the CPU die now, but there is one for integrated graphics if you use that. There are southbridge drivers if you are running some exotic RAID array. All those special Intel drivers you can experiment with for fast booting. I couldn't be bothered with that since my PC is never off.

^^ all of that I did not need.

Ok thanks for the help

 

[spencer casey]

I have that board. I installed the ethernet driver and the audio driver. I also installed A-tuning utility for placing browser cache on a small RAM disk.

The rest you might want on a case by case basis.

Do I need the audio driver if I am using headphones and also what is the INF driver and the two HDD drivers?

 

[damric]

Yes get the audio driver. The INF and HDD drivers are optional.

 

[spencer casey]

Yes get the audio driver. The INF and HDD drivers are optional.

Ok thanks. Lastly I have a Sapphire R9 270 graphics card and I was wondering if I should get the driver from AMD or Sapphire?

 

[damric]

AMD.

 

[spencer casey]

AMD.

Alright thanks for all the info

 

[damric]

No problem. If you run into trouble, just post again.

 

[spencer casey]

No problem. If you run into trouble, just post again.

Alright thanks

 

[spencer casey]

No problem. If you run into trouble, just post again.

Hey I have a few questions
1) should I clean the thermal paste off the old CPU and leave it in the motherboard and put it in an antistatic bag?
2) can I use 91% isopropyl alcohol and a micro fiber cloth to clean off thermal compound?
3) can I put a towel/beach towel down on the surface I will be working on (when switching motherboard and CPU) or will a towel/beach towel be conductive to static?

 

[damric]

1) Yes clean off the old stuff. You can store it in a drawer or whatever it won't matter.
2) Yes. I usually use a paper towel at first to get the most off then I go back over it with a q-tip or coffee filter.
3) I would just use a piece of cardboard.

 

[spencer casey]

1) Yes clean off the old stuff. You can store it in a drawer or whatever it won't matter.
2) Yes. I usually use a paper towel at first to get the most off then I go back over it with a q-tip or coffee filter.
3) I would just use a piece of cardboard.

Alright thanks and this is probably the last question sorry if I am bugging you with questions but I have 3 fans in my case. I have 1 intake fan and 2 exhaust fans. So my question is should I get another fan for another intake fan or should I just leave it the same and does that fan set up give me good airflow?

 

[damric]

More = better 😀

Plus more fans means you can run them slower and still get good airflow while being quiet. I prefer positive airflow myself to keep dust in one place.

 

[spencer casey]

More = better 😀

Plus more fans means you can run them slower and still get good airflow while being quiet. I prefer positive airflow myself to keep dust in one place.

How would I get positive airflow?

 

[damric]

Slightly more intake than exhaust. You could run your intake fans just a little faster or use more intake fans, ect. This way your dust build-up is mostly by your intake fan filters instead of all over the inside of your rig.

The way to test for positive/negative pressure is with a piece of tissue paper. Put it near a hole in the case, not near a fan.

 

[spencer casey]

Slightly more intake than exhaust. You could run your intake fans just a little faster or use more intake fans, ect. This way your dust build-up is mostly by your intake fan filters instead of all over the inside of your rig.

The way to test for positive/negative pressure is with a piece of tissue paper. Put it near a hole in the case, not near a fan.

When I put a peace of tissue paper on the side panel where there are holes for another fan it will stay there so does this mean i have positive airflow? If not should I make my rig have positive air flow by taking one of the exhaust and making it a side intake fan? Will this keep temps cool and safe and will it prevent less dust form settling?