GA-A75M-D2H... SLOW?!?!?!?

[ChilliConCarnage]

Insanely slow!

Just installed WIN7 64 ENT SP1 for the 5th time. Runs incredibly slow with an a8-3850 CPU.

Have tried:
Different SATA cables / ports.
Different RAM (2x4GB Kingston 1333, 2x4GB Corsair 1600)
Different HD (WD Green 1TB, Seagate 1.5TB).
Turned off most features in BIOS (no USB3, no serial, etc.).
Tried both AHCI and IDE.
Downloaded latest drivers from Gigabyte site and installed lates (F5) BIOS (took hours to complete!).  
No overclocking.  Use auto settings for RAM and CPU.

Steps taken:  Boot from Win7 DVD.  Delete partitions.  Install (takes over an hour to complete!).  Install drivers (have them burned to CD) - takes forever!  

Windows still runs incredibly slow.  Everything I do on it causes the little "busy" icon to spin for a long time.

Note: Task manager does not show high CPU usage, and it gets slower and slower the longer it is left on.  When first booted, it seems to be somewhat snappy.  But after just a minute ot two, it becomes almost unusable.  CPUID shows CPU running at correct 2.9Ghz speed.

Any ideas?

[Dark Mantis]

Hi and welcome.

What temperatures are you getting reported ?

I take it that you have inserted the ATX 12v plug for the power ? What PSU are you using ?

It sounds like something is drastically wrong with this setup somewhere. Have you made sure that the CPU is seated properly and none of the pins are damaged. It might be worth trying to run the system from a Live CD like one of the Linux Live OS. That way at least you will know that it isn't the setup etc that is causing the problems.

If it still doesn't work properly I think I would take the board and CPU back to the retailer and ask for a replacement.  

[ChilliConCarnage]

What temperatures are you getting reported ?
Sub 50c

I take it that you have inserted the ATX 12v plug for the power ? What PSU are you using ?
OCZ 650W 80plus Bronze certified

If it still doesn't work properly I think I would take the board and CPU back to the retailer and ask for a replacement.  
Purchased from Frys months ago, only got around to building it up now

It looks like it's defective.  I've built 100+ systems and had so few DOA motherboards, but it looks like this one is a dud.

[absic]

Hi there,

before throwing everything away, have you tried a different HDD? The "Green" drives can cause similar problems and are not really recommended as BOOT drives.

[ChilliConCarnage]

As noted in my first post, I have tried both a WD and a Seagate.

[absic]

Did you check that the HDD's had the latest firmware? There are some Seagate drives that I got hold of that need new firmware to function correctly.

Might be worth checking out for Seagate you can go here: http://seagate.custkb.com/seagate/crm/selfservice/search.jsp?DocId=207931&NewLang=en

I couldn't find a firmware update for the WD Green drives but it might be worthwhile running a diagnostic to see if that highlights any issues.You can download the appropriate software here: http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?wdc_lang=en&fid=wdsfCaviar_Green

[Dark Mantis]

Another thing that might be worth just checking is if you have your memory timings too tight it can cause  a slow response. I don't know what your timings are but it might be worth loosening them off a bit.