New Build with GA-990FXA-UD3

[Bezert]

Hello
I am a forum Newbie, please excuse any mistakes. I attach a Word doc. to explain my build, which is almost done, just a few donor parts to fit. I would like to pass on a tip to anyone building with this board, about CPU cooling. I bought an "Alpenföhn" heat sink & Fan to cool the Phenom II which is overclocked to X4. Unfortunately, the fins block the lower RAM socket, so it is not possible to populate all 4 RAM sockets. Not a problem for me, as I have enough at (2x4GB) sticks for my purposes, but may affect anyone needing 16 GB. Please NOTE: this is not a ram HEIGHT issue, it is a WIDTH issue in that the heatsink fins project a small amount over the lower ram socket. Also, some cases may leave very little clearance between the side of the case and the cooler.
Now I have a question: does this board have a UEFI BIOS? Will this give problems installing my system? I have cloned my old system to one of the (2x) 500 GB Hdd's, which I intend to fit in the new build. This has my Windows 7/64 bit O/S and all my previous stuff on it. My Win7 disk is a Full Retail copy. I will install the cloned Hdd, leaving the Cache SSd and the 1 TB Hdd unplugged, to prevent any Drive Letter issues. Any advice will be appreciated, thank you.

[Tiger]

The motherboard has four revisions, (Rev. 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 3.0). Revision number 3 has a UEFI BIOS while the earlier ones have a legacy BIOS. The revision number is printed on the motherboard. Consult the opening pages of the motherboard manual for instructions on where to find it.

It is unrealistic to think a Windows 7 installation from an Intel socket 775 motherboard will work on an AMD system. You need to do a clean install of Windows 7. I believe the default SATA configuration is IDE mode. You can opt for AHCI SATA configuration and add the AMD AHCI driver at the beginning of the Windows 7 installation if you prefer AHCI mode.

[Bezert]

Hello TIGER and thank you for the response.
I have BIOS Version 2.1, therefore not a UEFI BIOS. I was not aware that I could not simply take the cloned Hdd from my old Intel system and install it into an AMD system. I am a Senior who has used his retirement from being a workshop foreman in the motor trade, to learn about and build computers, but am mostly self-taught so there are "holes" in my knowledge. I have a grandson who is a Network Engineer, but he has a high-pressure job with long hours and I do not like to bother him after he finishes work. That is why assistance from persons such as yourself, is invaluable.
Another lesson learned, many thanks! I shall now tempt my grandson with a good meal and ask for his help!

[SeruX]

Run away from this board... this is nothing but trouble.