Official GIGABYTE Forum
Questions about GIGABYTE products => Motherboards with AMD processors => Topic started by: soarwitheagles on November 20, 2010, 06:01:06 am
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Hi everyone!
Ok, I thought I would start a post in the hope I might learn more as I build my first AMD hex core with small bells and whistles. Please give me any suggestions, comments, constructive criticisms, etc. on my new build.
I will also share any struggles, challenges, victories I might encounter along the way in the hope others may learn from my mistakes, newbie errors, etc.
Everything seemed to go quite well during the first process of opening the new processor box, new MB box, and new H70 box. As I began to put it all together, I did run into some challenges...
First challenge was that somehow I did not place the1055t processor correctly into the beige looking box on the MB. I did match up the triangle, but the pins on the processor did not drop into the holes on the beige looking box on the MB. I noticed this when I carefully looked it over before pressing the silver looking rod on the beige looking box on the MB. Fortunate for me, I discovered this before I pressed that silver rod [I think if I had pushed that silver looking rod on the beige looking box on the MB before properly seating the 1055t processor, it could have been a golden loss]!
To remedy the situation, it only required that I carefully remove the processor and re-seat it again. After checking carefully for bent pins on the processor, I gently set the processor into the beige looking box on the MB and this time it dropped right into the holes on the beige looking box on the MB and was perfectly flush. Not sure what I did wrong on the first attempt. I should have took a pic though...
Before you give me a total tongue lashing, please remember, I have done nearly 100% Intel for my entire building experience....
Second challenge [and this included a rather large blunder on my part], was over tightening the Corsair mounting screws as I attached the H70 to the MB. I bent the motherboard 0.5 mm's by overtightening the Corsair H70 screws....[yeah, I know, OUCH]! BTW, the Corsair H70 instruction booklet and the Utube video on H70/AMD installation do not give clear and concise directions...
Here is a warning for anyone else desiring to use the H70 on an AMD MB: Think AMD, not Intel!
On the Intel mounting brackets, you really do tighten the screws until the plastic spacers are flush with the MB. When installing the H70 bracket with plastic spacers on the AMD MB, MAKE SURE TO LEAVE A 0.1 mm - 0.15 mm GAP BETWEEN THE MOUNTING BRACKET SPACERS AND THE AMD MOTHERBOARD OR YOU WILL BEND THE HECK OUT OF YOUR NICE GIGABYTE MOTHERBOARD JUST LIKE I JUST DID! The H70 spacers actually will drop down, into the MB holes if you keep tightening and soon, your nice motherboard will look just like the curvature on the Golden Gate Bridge here in California:
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_____ _____
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The Golden Gate Bridge is beautiful to look at....I just did not want to see in on my nice new Gigabyte Motherboard!
I just learned I cannot be singing Intel songs and dreaming about Intel hex cores while working on an AMD rig...I just discovered some very subtle differences between the two and made some beautiful mountains and valleys on my MB because I was not paying careful enough attention!
Now I am hoping I did not damage and/or permanently ruin my nice sweet looking 890-XA-UD3!
I suppose I will soon find out if my Gigabyte board will still fly!
Well, I have posted the first 2 pics of my new build...please be patient with me, I still am not done!
Soar
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I need some help on how to enable AHCI in the BIOS.
I am seeing [3] specific settings where AHCI can be enabled:
OnChip SATA Type
Onboard GSATA Mode
Onboard ESATA mode
Can someone kindly help me know how to set this BIOS up for running a SSD? I am not sure if all, some, or none are to be enabled.
Thanks,
Soar
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Hi Soar,
Set On Chip SATA controller to AHCI for your SSD and any other HDD's
Set GSATA to IDE for your DVD burner
Set e-SATA to AHCI if you plan on using external e-SATA drives or Disabled if you're not going to be using them.
Also Disable Floppy Drive in BIOS if you're not using that as sometimes it can cause problems when loading Windows.
I would suggest only running the SSD and your DVD/CD writer whilst you install your OS and then add any other hard-drives after it has been installed.
You shouldn't need to pre-load any drivers when you Install Windows 7 and don't be tempted to install the AMD ones once you're up and running as they are not as good as the Native Microsoft AHCI Drivers.
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Hi Soar,
Set On Chip SATA controller to AHCI for your SSD and any other HDD's
Set GSATA to IDE for your DVD burner
Set e-SATA to AHCI if you plan on using external e-SATA drives or Disabled if you're not going to be using them.
Also Disable Floppy Drive in BIOS if you're not using that as sometimes it can cause problems when loading Windows.
I would suggest only running the SSD and your DVD/CD writer whilst you install your OS and then add any other hard-drives after it has been installed.
You shouldn't need to pre-load any drivers when you Install Windows 7 and don't be tempted to install the AMD ones once you're up and running as they are not as good as the Native Microsoft AHCI Drivers.
Absic,
Thanks for the quick reply. I will set the BIOS now. So far, it looks real good!
Soar
UPDATE 1: Ok, BIOS updated to F6a. Loaded optimized defaults, everything looking A-OK!
Thanks again!
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see, I told you it would be easier once you came over to the light side......! ;)
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see, I told you it would be easier once you came over to the light side......! ;)
That's not a fair comment! Obviously things are easier when you can see what you're doing ::)
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see, I told you it would be easier once you came over to the light side......! ;)
I suppose there are great pros and cons on each side just as in the many other areas of this exciting life!
BTW, I just installed the SSD, but trying to discover the best way to partition and format it. Anyone here use GParted Live before to format a SSD?
I did read the post where Wonderwrench gave a very strong warning about not using Windows 7 set up to do the dirty work...
I carefully read his post and instructions, but I still have some questions...
Is he saying I can partition and format the SSD in any Windows computer and then slap it into this new AMD rig?
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Hi Soar. See us old codgers are not written off yet...Maybe better if you get a big spyglass....or even go to spec savers ::) only kidding really...keep going mateand you will soon hear the magic post beep.
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Hi Soar. See us old codgers are not written off yet...Maybe better if you get a big spyglass....or even go to spec savers ::) only kidding really...keep going mateand you will soon hear the magic post beep.
Jannie,
Thanks and yes, got the post now. Presently reading up on updating the firmware on the OCZ SSD. Apparently many folk deem it important, so I'm trying to read up on it and do it right!
This is definitely an exciting adventure!
Soar
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see, I told you it would be easier once you came over to the light side......! ;)
I suppose there are great pros and cons on each side just as in the many other areas of this exciting life!
BTW, I just installed the SSD, but trying to discover the best way to partition and format it. Anyone here use GParted Live before to format a SSD?
I did read the post where Wonderwrench gave a very strong warning about not using Windows 7 set up to do the dirty work...
I carefully read his post and instructions, but I still have some questions...
Is he saying I can partition and format the SSD in any Windows computer and then slap it into this new AMD rig?
Hi soarwitheagles, If you are going to partition and format the drive in Windows it must be a Windows Vista of Windows 7 PC. If that's not an option
follow the steps below. Use a single partition only!
Windows 7 Installation Advanced Drive Formatting
1 - Boot up from the Windows 7 installation disc.
2 - Choose Repair your computer.
3 - In the System Recovery Options screen, choose Use recovery tools... and click Next.
4 - Open the Command Prompt.
5 - Type diskpart and hit Enter.
6 - Type list disk . Find the disk you wish to install Windows 7 on. If you only have one disk then it will show as disk 0. If you have multiple disks find the drive you wish to install 7 on.
7 - Type select disk 0 (or use the number of the disk you wish to install Windows 7 on)(note - that is a zero)
8 - Type list partition. There shouldn't be any.
9 - Type create partition primary.
10- Type select partition 1.
11- Type active.
12- Type format quick.
13- When finished reboot and begin your installation.
The above info was a copy and paste from Tweakhound.com. I have known Tweakhound for close to ten years and can safely say he picked the right name and knows what he is talking about. His website is a wealth of information and well worth a visit.
Bill
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Bill,
Thank you for that post. Ok, I followed those instructions and sure enough, it worked perfectly! Thank you so much! I just finished installing the MB drivers and now the system is downloading all the Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit updates.
I am having a couple of challenges now in other areas and I am not sure what to do...
First, I must confess my sins...
I forgot to disable "Keep DMI Data" before flashing the BIOS!. I hope Absic does not shoot me. I was too excited with the new build and went a little too fast. Now I am not sure what to do...I hope there is someway to rectify my blunder...
Second issue, I downloaded OCZ's Firmware update [1.24] ran the updater, but Crystal Disk is still showing that I have Firmware 1.22. I am not sure what to do on that...
Last, I am not sure at what point in time I should plug in all the storage and program HD's. I only have the small 60gb SSD running at the moment....and I think I need to plug in the other HD's so I can begin to load my program files...
And now for a wonderful victory report: This new AMD system is transfering files from hard drive to flash drive literally 5 times faster than my Intel i5-750 rig I have posted in my sig. I am not sure why this system is smoking the Intel on the transfer rate yet...but I sure am happy about it!
Thanks again everyone for helping so much!!!! This has been really fun and exciting and the system is up and running just fine!
Soar
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I forgot to disable "Keep DMI Data" before flashing the BIOS!. I hope Absic does not shoot me. I was too excited with the new build and went a little too fast. Now I am not sure what to do...I hope there is someway to rectify my blunder...
Easiest way is, if everything seems fine, leave it alone! If you really, really, really want to do it right then all you have to do is re-flash BIOS, remembering to disable the "KEEP DMI DATA" option, and go through the usual steps of reconfiguring your BIOS afterwards. I know what I would do! :P (Note: firing squad has been sent home for Thanksgiving so you're OK....... just this once.)
Now you have got the OS installed you can add your other HDD's. When I do this I normally add one and let windows find it and do it's stuff, shut down and add the next, let windows find that one, etc., etc. I find that Windows prefers this method and it helps keeps things a little clearer if there is a problem, although you could add them all at once.
See, didn't I tell you that you had nothing to fear from building an AMD PC. I bet you wish that you had done it much sooner now!
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I forgot to disable "Keep DMI Data" before flashing the BIOS!. I hope Absic does not shoot me. I was too excited with the new build and went a little too fast. Now I am not sure what to do...I hope there is someway to rectify my blunder...
Easiest way is, if everything seems fine, leave it alone! If you really, really, really want to do it right then all you have to do is re-flash BIOS, remembering to disable the "KEEP DMI DATA" option, and go through the usual steps of reconfiguring your BIOS afterwards. I know what I would do! :P (Note: firing squad has been sent home for Thanksgiving so you're OK....... just this once.)
Now you have got the OS installed you can add your other HDD's. When I do this I normally add one and let windows find it and do it's stuff, shut down and add the next, let windows find that one, etc., etc. I find that Windows prefers this method and it helps keeps things a little clearer if there is a problem, although you could add them all at once.
See, didn't I tell you that you had nothing to fear from building an AMD PC. I bet you wish that you had done it much sooner now!
Hi again Absic! And thanks for your mercy toward me after I forgot the disable of Dmi data.
Everything was working so perfect and I was so happy...
Hooked up each of the HD's as you said, and they all are working well...
In fact, the entire system was working so well that it felt like a taste of heaven!
Then I received the shock of my life!!!
After spending lots of time routing wires real neat and tidy, I also decided to add the new Hauppauge 2250 tv tuner card PCI express 1 or 16.
I am not sure if it was a wrong wire or the TV tuner but immediately upon power up, my system soared immediately up to 60 something Celsius and then shut down...
I looked at everything carefully, then powered up again only to find the temps went vertical again and system shut down.
I began to be afraid that now my new 1055T is turning into a frying pan instead of doing the work of a processor.
I did two things...I changed the wire going to the Corsair pump, and rerouted a new wire to the Corsair. The TV tuner card kept bugging me too...I felt really uneasy about it, so I removed that as well.
Now the temps are back to normal. But I am not. My hair is much grayer, and so vertically straight I look like a genuine punk rocker now...
Ok, jokes aside, this just scared the heck out of me. I've never had a system shut off due to excessive heat.
Now I am trying to determine what or who is the culprit.
My first suspect is me. I have worked hour upon hour upon hour and have not had much rest.
My second suspect is the TV tuner card. Here is my question: Can a TV tuner card cause the processor heat to go vertical? Is it possible there is a short on the MB at the PCI-X1?
I am too tired at this moment to work anymore on it. I made the mistake of working too long at this. Need more patience.
I will grab some rest, then work on this again tomorrow sometime in the evening.
Please share any and all thoughts you may have with me.
BTW, the temps are hovering at 29.1 ever since I removed the TV tuner card and used a new wire for the Corsair pump.
I did feel every component of the build and the only parts that were HOT was the Corsair Pump and the two water cooling hoses that come out of the pump that are metal. Each of these two items were so hot that they could easily burn my fingers. The radiator was cool as a cucumber and so was everything else such as the GPU, HD's, PSU, RAM, TV Tuner Card, etc.
I think it is possible that I might have hooked up a wire wrong to the pump.
I'll try again tomorrow. I need some rest now. I feel as if I am 3,278 years old.
Soar crawls to bed....as most of his feathers fall out....
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I did feel every component of the build and the only parts that were HOT was the Corsair Pump and the two water cooling hoses that come out of the pump that are metal. Each of these two items were so hot that they could easily burn my fingers. The radiator was cool as a cucumber and so was everything else such as the GPU, HD's, PSU, RAM, TV Tuner Card, etc.
From your description, Soar, it sounds like the pump isn't actually pumping and the generated heat from the CPU is staying locallised to the pump header unit. I don't know why the TV card would have any bearing on it but that would be my first point of action.
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Tiredness can cause us to make some mistakes and as you have said, maybe the cabling for the H70 went a little awry when you added the TV Card. I would be surprised if the TV Card was actually causing the problem, although it can't be discounted.
Hopefully, after a little rest and looking at things with fresh eyes you will spot the problem. But, one good thing, at least you know the PC will shutdown if there's an overheating problem!
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I did feel every component of the build and the only parts that were HOT was the Corsair Pump and the two water cooling hoses that come out of the pump that are metal. Each of these two items were so hot that they could easily burn my fingers. The radiator was cool as a cucumber and so was everything else such as the GPU, HD's, PSU, RAM, TV Tuner Card, etc.
From your description, Soar, it sounds like the pump isn't actually pumping and the generated heat from the CPU is staying locallised to the pump header unit. I don't know why the TV card would have any bearing on it but that would be my first point of action.
Yes you would think if the pump was working one hose would be warm/hot and the other cool. I have the same card in my HTPC, Athlon II 240, **** M4A875M, 2x2 gig Corsair XMS2 DDR2 800, AX5670 1GBD5-NS3H, WD Blue 320 gig, Samsung HD321KA 320 gig, ASUS DRW-24B1ST, Corsair CMPSU-400CX* Win 7 pro 64 bit. The only thing I do not like about my TV-HVR-2250 is it slows the down boot and shutdown times big time. Never had any excessive CPU usage problems with it. There were lots of bugs in the software but the later versions seem fine as far as I can tell.
Bill
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Tiredness can cause us to make some mistakes and as you have said, maybe the cabling for the H70 went a little awry when you added the TV Card. I would be surprised if the TV Card was actually causing the problem, although it can't be discounted.
Hopefully, after a little rest and looking at things with fresh eyes you will spot the problem. But, one good thing, at least you know the PC will shutdown if there's an overheating problem!
Yes, and I was surprised it did shut down on its own accord. The shutdown was disabled in BIOS so I am not sure how it did it by itself.
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I did feel every component of the build and the only parts that were HOT was the Corsair Pump and the two water cooling hoses that come out of the pump that are metal. Each of these two items were so hot that they could easily burn my fingers. The radiator was cool as a cucumber and so was everything else such as the GPU, HD's, PSU, RAM, TV Tuner Card, etc.
From your description, Soar, it sounds like the pump isn't actually pumping and the generated heat from the CPU is staying locallised to the pump header unit. I don't know why the TV card would have any bearing on it but that would be my first point of action.
Thanks DM. I sure hope it is simply a matter of wrong wiring. Normally it would have been easy to trace the wire back to the source and find out exactly what was occuring...but I was exhausted. Poor choice on my part and I will chalk it up to a lesson well learned.
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I did feel every component of the build and the only parts that were HOT was the Corsair Pump and the two water cooling hoses that come out of the pump that are metal. Each of these two items were so hot that they could easily burn my fingers. The radiator was cool as a cucumber and so was everything else such as the GPU, HD's, PSU, RAM, TV Tuner Card, etc.
From your description, Soar, it sounds like the pump isn't actually pumping and the generated heat from the CPU is staying locallised to the pump header unit. I don't know why the TV card would have any bearing on it but that would be my first point of action.
Yes you would think if the pump was working one hose would be warm/hot and the other cool. I have the same card in my HTPC, Athlon II 240, **** M4A875M, 2x2 gig Corsair XMS2 DDR2 800, AX5670 1GBD5-NS3H, WD Blue 320 gig, Samsung HD321KA 320 gig, ASUS DRW-24B1ST, Corsair CMPSU-400CX* Win 7 pro 64 bit. The only thing I do not like about my TV-HVR-2250 is it slows the down boot and shutdown times big time. Never had any excessive CPU usage problems with it. There were lots of bugs in the software but the later versions seem fine as far as I can tell.
Bill
Bill, that sure makes sense about the pump being the suspect because both hoses were hot. Regarding the Hauppauge card, that is interesting about the slow down in boot and shut down times. Are you using Hauppauge's software [WinTV v7] or solely Microsoft's Media Center?
I've been using Hauppauge's 1600 PCI card on my old Q9950 build for years and it operated perfect when I used MMC. I had heard bad reports about WinTV v6 but now I am really interested in trying the WinTV v7. Most folk say the 2250 is much better than the 1600 for a number of reasons:
1. It uses two hardware MPEG-2 encoders so it does all the hard work, removing all the work from the processor.
2. It can record two programs at one time and permit you to watch TV too [I am kinda happy about that]!
3. It can live stream any program you want [so my wife's relatives can watch TV with us while we are in the US and they are in the Philippines]
4. It can record video from an external device such as cam recorder, cable TV, or satellite set top box.
The only thing it cannot do is bake bread and make cookies.
I can't wait to try it.
Did you install it in the PCI-X1 or X16, and will it work in my 890xa-ud3 PCI ex-8?
Soar
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I did feel every component of the build and the only parts that were HOT was the Corsair Pump and the two water cooling hoses that come out of the pump that are metal. Each of these two items were so hot that they could easily burn my fingers. The radiator was cool as a cucumber and so was everything else such as the GPU, HD's, PSU, RAM, TV Tuner Card, etc.
From your description, Soar, it sounds like the pump isn't actually pumping and the generated heat from the CPU is staying locallised to the pump header unit. I don't know why the TV card would have any bearing on it but that would be my first point of action.
Yes you would think if the pump was working one hose would be warm/hot and the other cool. I have the same card in my HTPC, Athlon II 240, **** M4A875M, 2x2 gig Corsair XMS2 DDR2 800, AX5670 1GBD5-NS3H, WD Blue 320 gig, Samsung HD321KA 320 gig, ASUS DRW-24B1ST, Corsair CMPSU-400CX* Win 7 pro 64 bit. The only thing I do not like about my TV-HVR-2250 is it slows the down boot and shutdown times big time. Never had any excessive CPU usage problems with it. There were lots of bugs in the software but the later versions seem fine as far as I can tell.
Bill
Bill, that sure makes sense about the pump being the suspect because both hoses were hot. Regarding the Hauppauge card, that is interesting about the slow down in boot and shut down times. Are you using Hauppauge's software [WinTV v7] or solely Microsoft's Media Center?
I've been using Hauppauge's 1600 PCI card on my old Q9950 build for years and it operated perfect when I used MMC. I had heard bad reports about WinTV v6 but now I am really interested in trying the WinTV v7. Most folk say the 2250 is much better than the 1600 for a number of reasons:
1. It uses two hardware MPEG-2 encoders so it does all the hard work, removing all the work from the processor.
2. It can record two programs at one time and permit you to watch TV too [I am kinda happy about that]!
3. It can live stream any program you want [so my wife's relatives can watch TV with us while we are in the US and they are in the Philippines]
4. It can record video from an external device such as cam recorder, cable TV, or satellite set top box.
The only thing it cannot do is bake bread and make cookies.
I can't wait to try it.
Did you install it in the PCI-X1 or X16, and will it work in my 890xa-ud3 PCI ex-8?
Soar
I'm using WinTV7 version 2.2d. The slow down in booting and shut down happens with only the driver installed which eliminates WinTV as the cause.
I would guess having the card installed adds 30 seconds to boot and shut down times. The problem may be related to my specific hardware config? Be sure and let me know if you notice the same on your new rig. If your going to install WinTV 7 download the latest version, do not install from the supplied software disk. Unless of course its the latest version. Place the original software disk an optical drive. If it auto runs cancel the installer and then run the installer you downloaded. Don't worry if you not exactly sure how you want the to configure the software during the install aka channel scans, save locations etc. as it can all be easily changed after the install. Just be sure to install the driver and WinTV 7. If you have the version with a remote it should work in both WinTV and MMC by default. I did have a problem getting my remote to work do to a poor connection where the remote sensor plugs into the card. Removing and reinserting the plug fixed it after a reboot. This looks to be a common problem with these cards.
My card in in a 1x slot BTW.
Bill
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Bill,
Thanks for your reply. Ok, I after making sure the overheating problem is solved [I must have hooked up a wrong wire to the water pump, my big mistake], I reinstalled the Hauppauge 2250, installed the newest Windows driver, ran set up, and it is absolutely amazing so far.
My wife and I both noticed a much greater clarity on our display [not sure if it is the Hauppauge 2250 or the new GPU]. Everything works fine. I have not noticed a slow down on boot times or shut down times...but I have not yet installed the WinTV v.7.
I am presently facing two larger challenges:
1. I cannot find my Western Digital Black Edition hard drive. Not sure what happened. It shows up in Windows 7 Disk Manager, but not when I click my computer....weird. I need that disk because I have chosen this WD for most of my program files. All other HD's are showing up and working just fine.
2. The Corsair H70 radiator is so big, it will not permit me to close my computer case! Ouch! I now must decide how to alleviate this challenge. My options are as follows:
a. Remove the 240mm side fan [I do not want to do that]
b. Remount the fan further toward the front [takes lots of work and may cause cosmetic flaws]
c. Rotate the radiator so the hoses face a different direction [requires I take the entire system apart and start all over again]
Now I wish I had looked at this more carefully before I began the start.
The best part of all is that this system is like lightening. Extremely fast and totally stable.
I hope I did not damage anything from the overheating issue.
Let me know if you have any suggestions.
Thanks,
Soar
PS Are you in Europe too?
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Hi Soar
With the H70 one option might be to mount it on the outside of the case rather than the inside. That would give you more room inside the case.
Regarding the hard drive have you initialised and formatted it for use? You can do that in Disk Management.
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Hi Soar
With the H70 one option might be to mount it on the outside of the case rather than the inside. That would give you more room inside the case.
Regarding the hard drive have you initialised and formatted it for use? You can do that in Disk Management.
Hi DM! I do not have enough room in the computer space to locate the the H70 externally. Thanks for the suggestion though. I am kind of disappointed in that I did not see the problem as I put the system together. You know, the Storm Sniper is a very large case [many people say it is a full tower size even though it is listed as a mid tower].
Not to worry...I know there is a way to make it work. I just need some time to think about the best way for my present needs.
I tried Disk Management and it kept saying not enough room. Not sure why. After trying numerous times I used Gparted and found that the disk was formated in some strange format, not NTFS [I probably formated it wrong earlier].
Windows immediately picked it up about 10 minutes ago and I am now loading MS Office 2010 Pro. Space is quickly being used up on the SSD [I am presently at 34 gigs left out of 55].
Not sure about the optional Windows updates...have you any suggestions on those [I already installed all the important updates]?
Also, I noticed Office automatically installed on the SSD [it did not give me an option], but I suppose that is good because I use it so often.
Anyway, how are you and how is life there?
Soar
UPDATE: I just discovered that the Corsair H70 mounting bracket on the backside of the MB is different than the H50. So now I should be able to simply loosed the bracket, turn the radiator 90 degrees, then spin the water pump to adjust for the 90 degrees and all should work just fine. It appears to be a much simpler solution than all the others I have considered so that makes me happy!
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Another possibility is to locate the radiator at the top of the case as opposed to the rear.
Regarding the optional updates for Windows they are exactly that...optional. Unless they are giving you some added value then just don't bother with them. You know what Micro$oft is like very free with anything that is worth nothing!
By the way Bill is in the US, one of your compatriots.
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Another possibility is to locate the radiator at the top of the case as opposed to the rear.
Regarding the optional updates for Windows they are exactly that...optional. Unless they are giving you some added value then just don't bother with them. You know what Micro$oft is like very free with anything that is worth nothing!
By the way Bill is in the US, one of your comapatriots.
DM, thanks again for the good advice on the optional updates...I suppose I won't touch them.
It is amazing how much better our minds work after a good night's rest. As I took my time and I looked at the case, the power cables, the H70, and all the different options, the solution became so utterly clear.
First, I considered the top mount you graciously suggested. It would work, but then I'd need to eliminate the 200mm fan on top of the case and I did not want to sacrifice it.
Here is what I did: I simply rotated the Corsair H70 radiator 90 degrees. Nothing else was needed. At first, it looked as if it would not work. I took the necessary measurements then tried it. There is now a 1-2 mm gap between the Coolmaster 200mm side fan and the fan on the H70! So it just barely made the fit. The radiator hoses are now located at the top of the case, barely clearing the top 200mm fan.
I found that I had routed the wrong power cable to the water pump. My bad. I had also left off all the case cooling fans for an entire day [the case temps were 29.1].
At this very moment, the CPU temp is 27.0 and the case temp is 27.3. Needless to say, I am deeply impressed with Corsair's H70. The only drawback I see on it is the dBA's of the fans. I can hear both fans above and beyond the dBA's of the system fans and for me, that is not acceptable. I will look into quieter fans in the near future or a fan controller where I might alter the speeds of both fans.
For now, I am very happy with my new dream machine. So far, it is exceeding my expectations in wonderful ways.
Have a wonderful day there DM!
Up, up, and away!
Soar
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Glad you've got sorted Soar and it sounds like a nice setup now (just don't tell absic I said that ;D)
Try a Scythe Gentle Typhoon for the radiator, quiet but powerful and fairly slow spinning.
Have a good one
DM
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I already know what a lovely build it is I have been watching. See Soar, I told you it would be a dream after all the problems you encountered on the Dark Side! ;)
As far as cooling fans go I personally think that you cant beat the Noctua fans.
http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=12&lng=en this one for your Corsair cooler would be an excellent choice.
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Glad you've got sorted Soar and it sounds like a nice setup now (just don't tell absic I said that ;D)
Try a Scythe Gentle Typhoon for the radiator, quiet but powerful and fairly slow spinning.
Have a good one
DM
DM,
Thanks again and I'm checking out those Scythe Gentle Typhoon's right now!
-
I already know what a lovely build it is I have been watching. See Soar, I told you it would be a dream after all the problems you encountered on the Dark Side! ;)
As far as cooling fans go I personally think that you cant beat the Noctua fans.
http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=12&lng=en this one for your Corsair cooler would be an excellent choice.
Absic, yes, it is a dream machine for me. Thanks again for helping me make this happen. I'm looking at the Noctua website now. I've great reports on their cooling fans.
Have a lovely day!
Soar
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just make sure the Ram is 1333 Mhz, (if it's AM3 Phenom II, aka, 890FX-UD5/UD7 MB's, otherwise you will be asking for ENDLESS trouble.
(at the least possible instability issues)
....and then send AMD a nasty email, saying you're not happy with thier memory-controllers'
;)
but, GL
Rick.
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Absic and Rick,
Rick I will do my best to not make this system unstable. Thanks for the warning!
Absic, I have run into some more challenges and not sure what to do...here's the challenge:
It began when I noticed the OCZ Agility 2 would not update from 1.22 to 1.24 firmware.
I went to OCZ's forum and they asked me several questions. We discovered that my AMD drivers were never loaded.
So I reopened the freshly downloaded files from Gigabyte and tried to reload the drivers [chipset, AHCI SATA, etc.]. As I attempt to load the chipset drivers, the screen says that the drivers loaded. But when I go into Device Manager, it is showing there are no AMD drivers. When I attempt to install the AHCI driver, it gives me screen that says, "this package requires ATI Catalyst Install Manager, but it is not found on this system.' The screen goes on to say to go to ATI.com and obtain and install the ATI Catalyst Install Manager.
I am really confused about all this. I did extract and install the ATI Catalyst Install Manager as well as the chipset drivers and the screen told me both were installed. It even gave me an install log that kept.
Wow! What is happening? Can you please help me to understand what to do with this?
Thanks,
Soar
PS Here is the install record:
Catalyst™ Install Manager
Installation Report
11/23/10 11:45:11
Hardware information
Name
Manufacturer ATI Technologies Inc
Device ID 0x5958
Vendor ID 0x1002
Class Code 0x060000
Revision ID 0x00
Subsystem ID 0x5958
Subsystem vendor ID 0x1002
Other hardware
Existing packages
AMD USB Filter Driver
North Bridge Filter Driver
Packages for install
North Bridge Filter Driver
Final Status: Success
Version of Item: 1.3.1.49
Size: 1 Mbytes
Other detected devices
Manufacturer ATI Technologies Inc
Device ID 0x43a0
Vendor ID 0x1002
Class Code 0x060400
Revision ID 0x00
Subsystem ID 0x0000
Subsystem vendor ID 0x0000
Manufacturer ATI Technologies Inc
Device ID 0x43a0
Vendor ID 0x1002
Class Code 0x060400
Revision ID 0x00
Subsystem ID 0x0000
Subsystem vendor ID 0x0000
Manufacturer ATI Technologies Inc
Device ID 0x43a0
Vendor ID 0x1002
Class Code 0x060400
Revision ID 0x00
Subsystem ID 0x0000
Subsystem vendor ID 0x0000
Manufacturer ATI Technologies Inc
Device ID 0x43a0
Vendor ID 0x1002
Class Code 0x060400
Revision ID 0x00
Subsystem ID 0x0000
Subsystem vendor ID 0x0000
Manufacturer ATI Technologies Inc
Device ID 0x43a0
Vendor ID 0x1002
Class Code 0x060400
Revision ID 0x00
Subsystem ID 0x0000
Subsystem vendor ID 0x0000
ATI Integrated SATA Support
Manufacturer ATI Technologies Inc
Device ID 0x4390
Vendor ID 0x1002
Class Code 0x01018f
Revision ID 0x40
Subsystem ID 0xb002
Subsystem vendor ID 0x1458
ATI Integrated SMBus Support
Manufacturer ATI Technologies Inc
Device ID 0x4385
Vendor ID 0x1002
Class Code 0x0c0500
Revision ID 0x41
Subsystem ID 0x0000
Subsystem vendor ID 0x0000
ATI Integrated SATA Support
Manufacturer ATI Technologies Inc
Device ID 0x439c
Vendor ID 0x1002
Class Code 0x01018a
Revision ID 0x40
Subsystem ID 0x5002
Subsystem vendor ID 0x1458
ATI Integrated Azalia Support
Manufacturer ATI Technologies Inc
Device ID 0x4383
Vendor ID 0x1002
Class Code 0x040300
Revision ID 0x40
Subsystem ID 0xa102
Subsystem vendor ID 0x1458
Manufacturer ATI Technologies Inc
Device ID 0x43a0
Vendor ID 0x1002
Class Code 0x060400
Revision ID 0x00
Subsystem ID 0x0000
Subsystem vendor ID 0x0000
Manufacturer ATI Technologies Inc
Device ID 0x43a0
Vendor ID 0x1002
Class Code 0x060400
Revision ID 0x00
Subsystem ID 0x0000
Subsystem vendor ID 0x0000
Manufacturer ATI Technologies Inc
Device ID 0x1200
Vendor ID 0x1022
Class Code 0x060000
Revision ID 0x00
Subsystem ID 0x0000
Subsystem vendor ID 0x0000
Manufacturer ATI Technologies Inc
Device ID 0x1201
Vendor ID 0x1022
Class Code 0x060000
Revision ID 0x00
Subsystem ID 0x0000
Subsystem vendor ID 0x0000
Manufacturer ATI Technologies Inc
Device ID 0x1202
Vendor ID 0x1022
Class Code 0x060000
Revision ID 0x00
Subsystem ID 0x0000
Subsystem vendor ID 0x0000
Manufacturer ATI Technologies Inc
Device ID 0x1203
Vendor ID 0x1022
Class Code 0x060000
Revision ID 0x00
Subsystem ID 0x0000
Subsystem vendor ID 0x0000
Manufacturer ATI Technologies Inc
Device ID 0x1204
Vendor ID 0x1022
Class Code 0x060000
Revision ID 0x00
Subsystem ID 0x0000
Subsystem vendor ID 0x0000
Error messages
Absic, to make this adventure even more exciting, OCZ's moderator just sent me these instructions:
Woah.. I've just done a little research on this mobo.. and things are not what they would appear to be.
It actually has a 790x Northbridge but the SB850 Southbridge.. and even more unusual, the GSATA ports are direct linked to the SB.
I would put both the FW and SSDUpdater file on a USB drive and then switch off/unhook everything except the Agility2 disable the GSATA ports in BIOS.
Then boot back into your Windows install on Agility2.. but run the Update from the USB drive (right click ssdupdate.exe and select "run as administrator").
See how you get on.
Regard
Absic, what do you make of these instructions? Do these guys know what they are doing [I do not want to mess my new build up].
Also, I thought I plugged the Agility 2 into ESATA. Am I suppose to be plugged into GSATA?
Please help me if you can.
Thanks,
Soar
-
Hi Soar,
Firstly I would never be happy updating the firmware of a Hard drive through the OS that is installed on it. Usually you would have to create a bootable CD or USB Drive and do it during the start-up process of the PC, a bit like using QFlash or going into BIOS. I would guess that the same applies for SSD's but that is only a guess.
If you have to go through Windows to update the Firmware then the instructions that the OCZ guys gave are pretty much correct. Remove all other hard-drives just leaving the SSD attached to the system and then use your USB stick for the update.
I don't understand which driver you are trying to install. If you followed my instructions you should be using the Microsoft AHCI Driver rather than the AMD version and the Microsoft Driver is actually better than the AMD one.
Your SSD shouldn't be plugged into the e-SATA (External) or the GSATA (White) ports but into one of the SATA3 Ports (the blue ones) on the motherboard.
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Hi Soar,
Firstly I would never be happy updating the firmware of a Hard drive through the OS that is installed on it. Usually you would have to create a bootable CD or USB Drive and do it during the start-up process of the PC, a bit like using QFlash or going into BIOS. I would guess that the same applies for SSD's but that is only a guess.
If you have to go through Windows to update the Firmware then the instructions that the OCZ guys gave are pretty much correct. Remove all other hard-drives just leaving the SSD attached to the system and then use your USB stick for the update.
I don't understand which driver you are trying to install. If you followed my instructions you should be using the Microsoft AHCI Driver rather than the AMD version and the Microsoft Driver is actually better than the AMD one.
Your SSD shouldn't be plugged into the e-SATA (External) or the GSATA (White) ports but into one of the SATA3 Ports (the blue ones) on the motherboard.
Absic,
Sorry for the confusion. Yes, I did follow your instructions and yes, I am using the Microsoft version of the drivers and yes, I do have the SSD plugged into the blue ports [SATA 3]. I do not have all the terminology down, so that is my mistake too. Sorry that I did not make it more clear. My bad! I'll do my best to use better communication and correct terminology in the future.
I am not sure why the SSD will not update, but I know it is not because of any fault on your part. I'm sure I failed to do something correctly and with time and patience, I know this last issue will be resolved too. A good friend gave me good advice a while back, and in that advice was a very special key to success. Do you know what that advice was: Here it is: "Never give up; Never surrender!" So with this good advice ringing in my ears, I know the last few challenges on this system will be resolved!
The moderator at OCZ gave me new instructions and sure enough, he is saying the exact same thing as you in regards to using a flash drive rather than the OS. Can you give me any advice before I attempt to do this procedure? Here is what he said:
1. Catalyst Control Center = CCC - Remove/Uninstall them. Restart if asked.. then switch off PC and remove ALL drives, including your SSD.
2. Re-boot your computer (by pressing <del> key during POST) into CMOS/BIOS Setup and go to the Integrated Peripherals Menu and temporarily set the following:
OnChip SATA Controller [Enabled]
OnChip SATA Type [AHCI]
x OnChip SATA Port4/5 Type AHCI
x OnChip SATA RAID5 Support Disabled these 2 will auto set once the others are done [Disabled]
Onboard GSATA/IDE Controller [Enabled] after setting below "mode" to AHCI set this to [Disabled]
Onboard GSATA/IDE Mode [AHCI]
Onboard ESATA Controller [Enabled] after setting below "mode" to AHCI set this to [Disabled]
Onboard ESATA Mode [AHCI]
3. Now press F10 and save and exit and boot back into CMOS (by pressing <del> key during POST). Switch OFF via PC pwr button.
4. Re-attach only the Agy2 SSD and switch on and boot into windows.
5. Plug in a USB Flash drive and copy the 3 FW updater files onto it:
FW_1.24_Update.pkg
ssdupdate.dat
ssdupdate.exe
6. Now point the mouse to ssdupdate.exe on the USB Flash drive, right mouse click and select "Run as Administrator". Say yes to UAC dialogue box and this will bring you to the Firmware updating screenie where the Agy2 should now be listed. Browse to the .pkg file by left mouse clicking the "..." to the right of Firmware Package File box is.. make sure the .pkg file is shown in the window and select the Agy2 fm the Drive List.. then select "Download Firmware to Selected Drive"
See how you get on..
Regards,
So Absic, these are the recommendations that OCZ is recommending.
Have you any thoughts on this?
Please let me know what you think on this.
Thanks,
Soar
-
Hi Soar,
The steps sound fine to me and if you follow them you should have no problems in updating the firmware on your SSD.
Just so you understand why you need to remove all other SATA devices except for your SSD, the firmware will attempt to flash any device attached to the SATA Controller not just the SSD. Other hard drives and DVD/CD Writers can have their firmware damaged by this process so it is really a case of safety first.
Once you have updated the firmware then it should just be a question of re-attaching your other hard drives.
-
Hi Soar,
The steps sound fine to me and if you follow them you should have no problems in updating the firmware on your SSD.
Just so you understand why you need to remove all other SATA devices except for your SSD, the firmware will attempt to flash any device attached to the SATA Controller not just the SSD. Other hard drives and DVD/CD Writers can have their firmware damaged by this process so it is really a case of safety first.
Once you have updated the firmware then it should just be a question of re-attaching your other hard drives.
Absic,
Ok, I tried the instructions the OCZ tech gave and the results were totally disastrous!
First, one of the BIOS settings he requested was impossible to perform [OnChip SATA RAID5 Support was not able to be disabled].
Second, after I did change all the possible BIOS settings the OCZ tech shared, my computer would not even post! [I could not even get into the BIOS anymore].
Third, suddenly my computer would start turning on all by itself [and it happened as my wife and I were talking about what to do next]!
Fourth, my keyboard stopped working
Fifth, computer would not boot or load Windows after I reattached the SSD
Sixth, when I connected an old keyboard [PS3] then I was able to get into the BIOS. I tried to return everything to it's prior settings, but one of the settings on the blue BIOS screen is completely missing now!
Seventh, it is Thanksgiving day, now I have a headache, a tummy ache, and all dark ale is gone! What a bummer of a day!
Ok, everything is true with the exception of number 7, my head is fine, my tummy is fine, and I don't drink!
But I do feel angry at the OCZ tech!
I think you and DM should open a OCZ forum now too!
Anyway, I am not sure what to do now...
I thought about removing the MB battery, and clearing CMOS, but I am afraid I would screw up my system even more now.
Any suggestions?
I was thinking about finding this OCZ tech, gluing his finger to the Gigabyte motherboard, then turning on the power and watch as his hair gets real straight and vertical. But, since it is Thanksgiving Day, I suppose I should instead count all my blessings and be thankful that I even have a computer [I heard somewhere most of the world has never even seen a computer let alone touched a computer]...
It is me,
Sad Soar
-
Hi Soar,
Ouch, what a way to "celebrate" Thanksgiving Day.
Right what I would do is this:
Go back to the start and completely clear CMOS.
Once CMOS has been reset reload the BIOS settings that I gave you originally.
See if you can create a bootable USB Drive or CD for the SSD Firmware Update.
If possible, using another PC or bootable CD delete everything on the SSD so it is like new
Reattach the SSD to your AMD PC and then, using the bootable USB Drive or CD do the firmware update. (I think it is better to perform firmware updates on drives when they are empty but I took on faith, like you, what the OCZ Tech said regarding this)
Then re-install the Windows OS.
Hopefully this will sort it out for you.
-
It would appear that not only the OCZ products have declined in quality recently. Their Technical Support seems to be following close behind. ::)
-
Hi Soar,
Ouch, what a way to "celebrate" Thanksgiving Day.
Right what I would do is this:
Go back to the start and completely clear CMOS.
Once CMOS has been reset reload the BIOS settings that I gave you originally.
See if you can create a bootable USB Drive or CD for the SSD Firmware Update.
If possible, using another PC or bootable CD delete everything on the SSD so it is like new
Reattach the SSD to your AMD PC and then, using the bootable USB Drive or CD do the firmware update. (I think it is better to perform firmware updates on drives when they are empty but I took on faith, like you, what the OCZ Tech said regarding this)
Then re-install the Windows OS.
Hopefully this will sort it out for you.
Thanks for the encouragement. Well, for now, due to other time commitments, I must leave the computer as is...
I did change back all settings to the original we had at first, and everything seems to work fine again.
It will require some hours to reformat and reload Windows and all the programs I just installed. I can't make that time commitment at the moment.
I was wondering...is it all that important to have the SSD updated from 1.22 to 1.24? What am I missing out on? Are my present benchmarks at least near normal?
Those are the questions I have.
Have a nice day Absic!
Soar
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It would appear that not only the OCZ products have declined in quality recently. Their Technical Support seems to be following close behind. ::)
DM, well, I am happy to be able to use a SSD. I just wish it had been a little more positive of a first experience with it.
The top moderator at their site has intervened and is offering to personally walk me through the process through PM's. I thought I might try it if I do not have to reformat the SSD.
I told him I was so upset that I kicked our Thanksgiving Turkey so many times that now I had to go out and purchase a new Turkey.
Well, at least it is better to kick the Thanksgiving Turkey than the OCZ tech turkey, or my computer....
LOL, life is still good and I refuse to let this get me down.
Up, up, and away!
Soar
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That's it Soar, dont get bogged down by numbers. Your speeds are a little lower than I would have expected but there again it is an AMD platform I suppose ::)
No I think they are better than a normal old drive and maybe a little of the dark rum will work on it. Certainly works on the Intel side.
New way of tenderising the meat though!!! ;D
-
Hi Soar,
I don't know enough about SSD's to actually say if the speeds are OK compared to others but I know they are better than I get from my WD SATA3 HDD.
-
That's it Soar, dont get bogged down by numbers. Your speeds are a little lower than I would have expected but there again it is an AMD platform I suppose ::)
No I think they are better than a normal old drive and maybe a little of the dark rum will work on it. Certainly works on the Intel side. New way of tenderising the meat though!!! ;D
LOL, well, I suppose I will remain happy no matter what [and that dark rum might help me]!
Happy Thanksgiving you guys and have a wonderful evening there...
Soar
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Hi Soar,
I don't know enough about SSD's to actually say if the speeds are OK compared to others but I know they are better than I get from my WD SATA3 HDD.
Absic,
Ok, well, for now I suppose I will be happy with what I have.
The specs for this Agility 2 say this:
Sequential Access - Read: up to 285MB/s
Sequential Access - Write: up to 275MB/s
There is a wee difference from 142 mb/s and 95 ms/s.
I suppose "up to" infers if all components are top of the line, the wind is blowing the right direction, and voltages are higher than normal too....
Oh well, such is life!
On the brighter side of things...we just experienced the greatest November snow storm ever recorded in the mountains here...my wife and I went up to the higher mountains yesterday to try out our new snowshoes. The only challenge was it was several feet of fresh 'powder" snow. It was the coldest I have ever been in my entire life! And it was absolutely beautiful! I am so glad my wife was with me...I fell off a hill and was stuck under the snow. I could not get out. I am so glad my wife loves me. She came to my rescue. If not, poor Soar would be an ice cube today. We caught our maximum limit of high mountain trout, got lots of exercise, and were in awe of the beauty. So life is good. I only wish I could have brought both of you with us! Do you have snow in England, and if yes, how deep and do you ever snowshow there? We just received 9ft [nearly 3 meters] of snow in a 5 day period]. If I was not wearing the snowshoes, the pic would show me up to my ears in snow...
If I cannot fix the OCZ Agility 2, then I will take it with us to the snow next time...and leave it!
LOL! Have a great day guys!
Soar
-
Absic,
Ok, I finally found the problem. It was my bad mistake all along! As I mentioned before, when I updated the Gigabyte 890XA-UD3 BIOS from F5 to F6a using Qflash, I did not disable the "KEEP DMI DATA" option. I believe this was the crux of the problem. Once I reflashed and updated the MB BIOS with the "KEEP DMI DATA" option disabled, the OCZ updater worked just fine.
I did use the OCZ updater in Windows rather than with a flash drive [I forgot again], with all my HD's and DVD writer still plugged in. I hope I did not cause unknown problems. I cannot find anything wrong at the moment. I will take my time next time and not be in such a careless hurry.
Hopefully everything will work fine now.
Have a wonderful day there!
Soar
PS I posted some pics of the before and after benchmarks [test one was done in IDE instead of AHCI so that probably had an effect too].
-
Sounds more like it Soar. That's a substantial improvement in speed. I would think you are happy with that.
The snow looks lovely and is so much nicer than when we get any in the UK as it is always sort of slushy as it isn't that cold here. When I used to live in Bulgaria then we used to have snow like you but yet it was less of an inconvience than it is here in England. 1" of snow and everything grinds to a halt ::)
Have a good day Soar.
DM
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Sounds more like it Soar. That's a substantial improvement in speed. I would think you are happy with that.
The snow looks lovely and is so much nicer than when we get any in the UK as it is always sort of slushy as it isn't that cold here. When I used to live in Bulgaria then we used to have snow like you but yet it was less of an inconvience than it is here in England. 1" of snow and everything grinds to a halt ::)
Have a good day Soar.
DM
Thanks DM! Have a wonderful day there and stay warm!
-
Ok, I discovered the reason the OCZ updater would not work. When I forgot to disable DMI data during the Gigabyte F6a BIOS upgrade, it did something to the system so that the OCZ updater would not work.
Now my system seems to work ever better.
Here are my ATTO benchmarks after rerunning Gigabyte BIOS Updater and OCZ updater:
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Hi Soar,
Pleased you sorted that little problem out and the speeds look much better now. At least it wasn't a hardware problem so that has to be good.
Now all you have to do is go outside, dig a hole and bury that other thing you possess, that came from the dark side!! ;)
Repeat after me.........
"AMD Good, Intel Bad!" ;D :D ;D
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Hi Soar,
Pleased you sorted that little problem out and the speeds look much better now. At least it wasn't a hardware problem so that has to be good.
Now all you have to do is go outside, dig a hole and bury that other thing you possess, that came from the dark side!! ;)
Repeat after me.........
"AMD Good, Intel Bad!" ;D :D ;D
LOL! Absic, thanks again for all the help you have given me and let's hope DM doesn't read your comment on Intel!
Overall, I am extremely please with this AMD build and I look forward to many years of solid, stable, use.
Have a wonderful day!
Soar
-
DM ....in the background muttering dark incantations 8)
-
DM ....in the background muttering dark incantations 8)
DM, LOL! Thanks for showing up! BTW, I still use the Intel system too! My main rig now is the AMD 1055T simply because I have never tried out an AMD system as my main rig. Thanks again for making it possible for me to have an Intel i5-750 with Gigabyte MB up and running.
Both systems are awesome and work well because of both of you.
I appreciate you!
Soar
-
Taken from Soar's signature
Question: which system is better?
Answer: The one that is working properly! ;)
-
Taken from Soar's signature
Question: which system is better?
Answer: The one that is working properly! ;)
Wrong, neither! The better system is the one you would have built if money had not been a factor ;D
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I'm sure I heard WAGBO sing in rap..AMD is the one for me ::)
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Wrong, neither! The better system is the one you would have built if money had not been a factor
If money were no object it would still be an AMD machine!!!
-
Hey, no problem. You are all entitled to your wrong opinions. ;D
-
My opinions are always correct it's just that you are too blind to see that.
By the way, how is your guide dog these days? :P
-
Don't know haven't seen it for ages ::)
-
Don't know haven't seen it for ages ::)
Typical! :P
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Hi, nice build. I cool my 1055t with a H70 also. Great cooler, used a cooler master V8 but when oc-ing my temps were alittle higher than i would have liked-not that 48c @ 3.6 is that bad lol.
What are your temps as i like to compare to my own. Mine are 20 idle and never seen it go above 34c @ 3.3
My mount of the rad is different than yours, i chose not to mount in the back of the case and suck up the hot air discharged by the graphics cards and psu. I mounted the rad (pressure fit lol-works wonderfully) into the front drive bay of my 932. It sits a few inches from the top exaust fan so the hot air never really enters the case and i can keep the rear 120mm fan for extra cooling. A second plus to this is it does not take the whole back of your case up, covering the mobo from veiw :)
Hope the pics work
Anyways great build, looks very nice.
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Nice pics, I hope you are going to add them to our Members computer pics in the Customising section too.
http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php/topic,2373.0.html
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Hi, nice build. I cool my 1055t with a H70 also. Great cooler, used a cooler master V8 but when oc-ing my temps were alittle higher than i would have liked-not that 48c @ 3.6 is that bad lol.
What are your temps as i like to compare to my own. Mine are 20 idle and never seen it go above 34c @ 3.3
My mount of the rad is different than yours, i chose not to mount in the back of the case and suck up the hot air discharged by the graphics cards and psu. I mounted the rad (pressure fit lol-works wonderfully) into the front drive bay of my 932. It sits a few inches from the top exaust fan so the hot air never really enters the case and i can keep the rear 120mm fan for extra cooling. A second plus to this is it does not take the whole back of your case up, covering the mobo from veiw :)
Hope the pics work
Anyways great build, looks very nice.
Cravinmild, awesome build! I really like the way you mounted your Corsair H70...very creative. You system looks beautiful!
My temps vary somewhat depending upon the temps of my computer room. Right now the CPU temps are at 25.2. Heavy gaming can knock it up to 35.
You know, this morning I was in Fry's Electronics after church and they had the CoolMaster HAF 932 for $65 with a free $60 Frio CPU cooler and heatsink. Here's the ad: http://newspaperads.mercurynews.com/FSI/Page.aspx?advid=200177&loc=53824&fsi=14894&version=Mercury&facing=false&pagenum=3
I have been comparing Coolmaster's HAF and Coolmaster's Sniper for some time now and I am still wavering as to which one to go with.
Although the HAF 932 is labeled as a full and the Sniper as a Mid case, each case is nearly the same in dimensions, with the Sniper being 1" wider.
The pros of the HAF are many:
240mm fans vs. 200mm
More room for HD's ect.
Very nice look..much better than the Sniper
The pros of the Sniper are also interesting:
Fans have adjustable speeds with built in controller
LED's may be turned on or off
Nice dust filters on all intakes
I sat there in Fry's this morning staring at and debating whether or not to purchase a couple of the HAF's....then decided against it for now. The price was right [half price]! I am not sure if I made the right decision.
Is it ok if you and DM can give me clear reasons why you two went with the HAF 32 vs. Sniper?
Please help me understand the why's behind the what's of the HAF 932.
I'm just not sure it would be all the much better than the Sniper and worth all the effort of transferring all the guts from the Sniper to the HAF 932. The salesman at Fry's said I don't need a HAF 932 if I have a Sniper...hmmmm...interesting...but I am not so sure I agree with him.
I think the sale is good for two more days, so I can always run back and pick up a couple of the HAF 932's, sell the FRIOS on Ebay, and pay less than $25 per HAF 932.
Thanks,
Soar
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Nice pics, I hope you are going to add them to our Members computer pics in the Customising section too.
http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php/topic,2373.0.html
DM, thanks for the nice compliment. I would like to ad both the Intel build and the AMD build to the Customizing section. I will wait until I can take some nice pics.
Your system looks absolutely awesome. When I saw all the nice blue lights, I turned green....with envy!
LOL! Excellent job DM!
Now, please tell me what are the reasons you went with the HAF 932. Our local store has an awesome sale on then this week and I almost bought two this morning...but am still debating which is better, the Sniper or the HAF 932 [please see my post before this one].
Happy Holidays to you from my family to yours!
Soar
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Its a great price for that case but if yours if doing as it should, being you can fit your cards and the heat is exceptable then i would stay with your case and put the money into a ssd-now there is some BAM! for your machine. One of the single best upgrades you can do IMO. I saw my Intel 40 gig for $65 recently.
The reasion i gots the 932 was purely fluke. It was the last part of my upgrade and decided that that was the day i would get a case-hell or high water lol.
Scoured the city and the only thing i could find were cheap looking things, one store took pitty on me and sold me the case (HAF 932 AMD Edition) from a future instore promo build they were planning.
Its very upgradeable and future proof too
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Its a great price for that case but if yours if doing as it should, being you can fit your cards and the heat is exceptable then i would stay with your case and put the money into a ssd-now there is some BAM! for your machine. One of the single best upgrades you can do IMO. I saw my Intel 40 gig for $65 recently.
The reasion i gots the 932 was purely fluke. It was the last part of my upgrade and decided that that was the day i would get a case-hell or high water lol.
Scoured the city and the only thing i could find were cheap looking things, one store took pitty on me and sold me the case (HAF 932 AMD Edition) from a future instore promo build they were planning.
Its very upgradeable and future proof too
Cravin, ok, thanks for your good input. I believe both cases have excellent qualities and good points.
Yes, my two Sniper cases are doing their jobs wonderfully. If I cannot see a major improvement over the Sniper with the HAF 932 then I suppose I will stick with the Sniper cases. We live on a ranch so there is lots of dust out here and this requires excellent filtering in computer cases or we would have dust monsters and that would not do.
I did hear the HAF 932's have a modification that uses ladies stockings for filters. I am not sure how well that works.
Have you heard about this mod?
Soar
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Hi Soar and thanks for the good wishes and the same back to your family.
The HAF 932 is an excellent case but I don't think I would swap the Sniper for it in your circumstances. I had to do a lot of modding to mine to get it how I wanted it (still messing now). The filters on the Sniper are a good bonus point and I had to make up my own, see below. I ended up adding most of the good points of the Sniper to the HAF but it has taken some work. The price is another story though and I can imagine why you are tempted. That's nearly FREE and is the best price in my book!
In all seriousness I don't think it 's worth the trouble Soar but I would still be tempted to buy a couple at that price for future builds.
(http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/6893/dsc01326e.jpg) (http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/6893/dsc01326e.jpg)
(http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/2377/dsc013280.jpg) (http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/2377/dsc013280.jpg)
(http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/6660/dsc01327u.jpg) (http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/6660/dsc01327u.jpg)
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Hi Soar and thanks for the good wishes and the same back to your family.
The HAF 932 is an excellent case but I don't think I would swap the Sniper for it in your circumstances. I had to do a lot of modding to mine to get it how I wanted it (still messing now). The filters on the Sniper are a good bonus point and I had to make up my own, see below. I ended up adding most of the good points of the Sniper to the HAF but it has taken some work. The price is another story though and I can imagine why you are tempted. That's nearly FREE and is the best price in my book!
In all seriousness I don't think it 's worth the trouble Soar but I would still be tempted to buy a couple at that price for future builds.
(http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/6893/dsc01326e.jpg) (http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/6893/dsc01326e.jpg)
(http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/2377/dsc013280.jpg) (http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/2377/dsc013280.jpg)
(http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/6660/dsc01327u.jpg) (http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/6660/dsc01327u.jpg)
DM, absolutely beautiful machine you have made there. I like the mods. Very creative and perhaps very necessary to keep the dust monsters out!
I suppose I will follow you and cravin's good advice and pass on the HAF 932's for now. I am sure better deals will come, and hopefully on some of the newer cases.
I have attached a pic of my twin monsters.
I'll take a pic of the interior guts a little later...I am so happy because I finally found a super deal on a EVGA GTS 450 Over clocked edition [$59 instead of $150], as well as a killer deal on Creative's PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Series Sound Card [$69 vs. $199]. I look forward to installing these two components and then showing the pics.
Have a wonderful day!
Soar
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Ah! Twins! They look very nice Soar and will look forward to seeing some completed photos soon inside and out. Your Snipers are painted black on the inside aren't they? The 932 isn't and i had to strip it all out and spray it one day. It does look better for it though. The dust isn't so bad now as I got rid of the carpet and put down a nice hard floor which stops about 90% of the dust.
Are you sure they actually sell hardware at that price over there and you are not just saying that to wind us up? :o
I do find it hard to believe. There would be a riot over here if someone started selling hardware for those sort of prices!!!
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Ah! Twins! They look very nice Soar and will look forward to seeing some completed photos soon inside and out. Your Snipers are painted black on the inside aren't they? The 932 isn't and i had to strip it all out and spray it one day. It does look better for it though. The dust isn't so bad now as I got rid of the carpet and put down a nice hard floor which stops about 90% of the dust.
Are you sure they actually sell hardware at that price over there and you are not just saying that to wind us up? :o
I do find it hard to believe. There would be a riot over here if someone started selling hardware for those sort of prices!!!
Hi DM!
Thanks for your nice compliments on my twin monsters...and yes, I will take some pics after installing the two new pieces of hardware [GTS 450 and the Creative Fatality Sound Blaster Titanium]...
Regarding prices on hardware...yes, this last week was the well advertised "Black Friday" event in the USA when vendors drop prices significantly all over the nation...and there were some awesome deals. I purchased several items...Western Digital had External 2TB HD's dropped to under $70 so I bought everyone I could find. Some people purchased hundreds of them. I'll sell the units I purchased here in the states in the new year...it is a nice way to fund my computer building hobby DM!
Years ago, before we had the recession, the deals were even better.
Alright, have a wonderful day there and again, kudo's on that incredible 932 build with the magnificent mods...wish I had more time to play around with computers...I would definitely try a mod on a 932 here...at $25 a unit it would have been a great deal!
Soar
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I heard about the filters for the 932 but choose not to have any, I perfur the lower temps and i just clean extra with cans of compressed air. Nice grab on the sound card, i have the same one. One thing i have noticed with that card is it doesn't like heat, pressed between two graphics cards would cause it to overheat and stop functioning. Most pics i see of the card instaled show it loaded above the gc so you may want to take that into acount when you instal it. Also, there is a front panel header for the frount 3.5mm jacks at the back of the card........amazing to see how many people hook their front headers to the mobo because they did not realize that.
Enjoy,
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I heard about the filters for the 932 but choose not to have any, I perfur the lower temps and i just clean extra with cans of compressed air. Nice grab on the sound card, i have the same one. One thing i have noticed with that card is it doesn't like heat, pressed between two graphics cards would cause it to overheat and stop functioning. Most pics i see of the card instaled show it loaded above the gc so you may want to take that into acount when you instal it. Also, there is a front panel header for the frount 3.5mm jacks at the back of the card........amazing to see how many people hook their front headers to the mobo because they did not realize that.
Enjoy,
Cravin,
Thanks for the fresh info on the HAF 932 and the filters and sound card and the jacks...
You are very fortunate to be able to use a computer with no filters...I need an excellent filtration method because we live out in the country side on a large ranch with lots of horses, goats, pigs, chickens, turkeys, snakes, etc. and there is dust everywhere here...esp. in the dry months...I normally need to blow out all computers every month due to the dust...even with the excellent dust filters that the Sniper has....
Believe it or not, I use an air blower that I normally use to blow up Omni-Kin Balls! It works perfect!
Now about that sound card...thanks for helping me understand the heat issue...I will definitely do my best to keep it away from the other cards and give it proper ventilation. Will this sound card work well for music and is there an accompanying equalizer or is it more manufactured for gaming purposes?
My main purpose in purchasing this card was for even better sound quality for music and movies...am I barking up the wrong ally on this? The Gigabyte MB seems to have have excellent sound quality already but I thought I might be able to improve upon it. Will I see a noticable difference or should I just be happy with the onboard Gigabyte sound card?
Soar
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Going from onboard sound to a dedicated sound card is like turning your speakers on for the first time. Even mobos with good sound (including xfi) are not as good as a dedicated sound card. The creative sb card is a gaming card, all though far better than onboard sound but at the end of the day its still a gaming card and after awhile you start to notice that. Im not saying i have an awsome sound system and im no audiophile but any one who is would tell you to go for a better card for movies and music probley more expensive.................... in our world but maybe not where you come from, land of the almost free computer parts lol. Still a great buy as i like to game so no buyers remorse here.
PS looks awsome in the side window with its little white X-FI lite shining out all bright and all.
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Going from onboard sound to a dedicated sound card is like turning your speakers on for the first time. Even mobos with good sound (including xfi) are not as good as a dedicated sound card. The creative sb card is a gaming card, all though far better than onboard sound but at the end of the day its still a gaming card and after awhile you start to notice that. Im not saying i have an awsome sound system and im no audiophile but any one who is would tell you to go for a better card for movies and music probley more expensive.................... in our world but maybe not where you come from, land of the almost free computer parts lol. Still a great buy as i like to game so no buyers remorse here.
PS looks awsome in the side window with its little white X-FI lite shining out all bright and all.
Cravin, thanks for the education on sound cards. I have only owned on sound card in my life and that was some years ago. I never realized most dedicated sound cards are much better than the onboard sound cards...but it sure makes sense when you compare the difference between onboard GPU's and dedicated GPU's.
Speaking of GPU's I just installed the long awaited GTS 450 SC and I am very happy with it. After waiting an entire year I now have Direct X 11!
Now about this new sound card...
I've just completed reading over 60 reviews on this Creative PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Series Sound Card...
I noticed a pattern: most people either were totally in love with it and gave it stellar reviews, or, they hate it with a passion and vowed to never purchase Creative ever again!
Not many in-between'ers.
Most Creative Sound Blaster Hater's were complaining about 1] Driver issues, 2] Poor tech support, 3] Wires that broke easily.
I did find two reviews where the guys explained very carefully how to do the install. I was hoping to ask you if you have any comments on this...
Here's one guys recommendations:
Other Thoughts:
Install Log: Made sure onboard sound in bios was disabled
1) Uninstalled audio drivers, which included using device manager for uninstall of motherboard sound drivers then shut down.
2)Connected cables to pci-e card then put card in slot.
3) Connected cables to external I/O drive BEFORE slipping drive into case.
4) Start Win 7 and shut off Anti Virus and all other progs.
5) started Creative Install disk then rebooted at completion.
6) Ran Creative autoupdate and basically repeated entire install process, restarted.
7) Ran windows update and voila new update for creative gets installed, restarted
8) Ran creative autoupdate again and once more 2 more updates were installed bringing me to final driver version of 2.17.7. BTW it took this last update to get the lights on I/O drive to come on. LAST THOUGHT...after every update and restart, make sure you shut down all running programs every time, this will minimize potential conflicts. Good Luck and enjoy the awesome sound!
So that is quite a detailed instruction.
Other reviewers swore to never use the auto updater but to go directly to Creative's website for the drivers...
Have you any thoughts on the install process?
I'm hoping to do it right. If do experience lots of trouble with it and cannot troubleshoot it, I can always pack it up and sell it for more than I paid.
But I really would like to have a nice sound card operational on this system.
Can you share any insights you learned?
And, where are you? Which part of this beautiful planet/
Soar
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I have read many reviews including instals for this card also. Most are not overly possitve but to play devels advicate, most people are idots. Both of my instals were different. The first one was basic the second i custom instaled and it allowed me to instal the parts i wanted-drivers and creative console launcher, the rest is filler.
My process was easy, first i shut down the pc and put the card into the mobo-plugging in the front panel FIRST (3.5mm jacks or the front panel device as in your case) to the sound card as its easyer this way. Start up the pc > bios > disable onboard sound (will not disable front jacks even if plugged into the mobo) > restart > launch the software (dont use the disk it came with-dl from creative labs here):
http://support.creative.com/Products/ProductDetails.aspx?catID=1&CatName=Sound+Blaster&subCatID=208&subCatName=X-Fi&prodID=17813&prodName=PCI+Express+X-Fi+Titanium+Fatal1ty+Champion+Series&bTopTwenty=1&VARSET=prodfaq:PRODFAQ_17813,VARSET=CategoryID:1
only use these drivers if your sure that is your card other wise get the drivers for the card you have, it does make a differance
Cut and paste to your top bar if the link does not lite up lol-its a long one. I assume your card will come with the front device and not just the card, other wise you either got the pro series or never recived the front panel control box. I have the pro series so my card does not have that extra device.
You can go for a complete instal (i did it the first time and it took forever) or custom instal and pick the parts you want-mostly garbage extras, you really only have to instal the drivers NOT the whole package. My sound card crapped out everytime it over heats which causes me to pull the card- replugg the card in > uninstall drivers > reinstall drivers, it works everytime.
Im from beautiful BC Canada, mid way up the and in the centre. 110c in the summer and -30c in the winter, Lots of sun. We have alot of cattle ranches and orchards around. Im about 3 hours away from Vancouver which is ranked one of the most beautiful citys in the world and the most expensive place to buy a home in Canada..........go figure.
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Wow that's really hot in the Summer :o Just as well you Canuks are a hardy bunch.
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About sound cards - Soar, there's a certain rule regarding sound quality. Same as with many other things, really. It says that final sound quality will be as good as the worst part in the whole sound related setup.
This is a trap some people fall into. For best sound you should have speakers / headphones of comparable quality to your sound card.
I'm also in agreement with cravinmild regarding Creative's market. They're cards mostly for gamers, though movies will be just fine with a card like this. Music... there are better choices but there's also the issue of whether or not an average person will notice a difference.
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I have read many reviews including instals for this card also. Most are not overly possitve but to play devels advicate, most people are idots. Both of my instals were different. The first one was basic the second i custom instaled and it allowed me to instal the parts i wanted-drivers and creative console launcher, the rest is filler.
My process was easy, first i shut down the pc and put the card into the mobo-plugging in the front panel FIRST (3.5mm jacks or the front panel device as in your case) to the sound card as its easyer this way. Start up the pc > bios > disable onboard sound (will not disable front jacks even if plugged into the mobo) > restart > launch the software (dont use the disk it came with-dl from creative labs here):
http://support.creative.com/Products/ProductDetails.aspx?catID=1&CatName=Sound+Blaster&subCatID=208&subCatName=X-Fi&prodID=17813&prodName=PCI+Express+X-Fi+Titanium+Fatal1ty+Champion+Series&bTopTwenty=1&VARSET=prodfaq:PRODFAQ_17813,VARSET=CategoryID:1
only use these drivers if your sure that is your card other wise get the drivers for the card you have, it does make a differance
Cut and paste to your top bar if the link does not lite up lol-its a long one. I assume your card will come with the front device and not just the card, other wise you either got the pro series or never recived the front panel control box. I have the pro series so my card does not have that extra device.
You can go for a complete instal (i did it the first time and it took forever) or custom instal and pick the parts you want-mostly garbage extras, you really only have to instal the drivers NOT the whole package. My sound card crapped out everytime it over heats which causes me to pull the card- replugg the card in > uninstall drivers > reinstall drivers, it works everytime.
Im from beautiful BC Canada, mid way up the and in the centre. 110c in the summer and -30c in the winter, Lots of sun. We have alot of cattle ranches and orchards around. Im about 3 hours away from Vancouver which is ranked one of the most beautiful citys in the world and the most expensive place to buy a home in Canada..........go figure.
Cravin, You live in a beautiful area of Canada! One of my friends flies up there every year for the Steelhead Trout fishing and he loves it up there.
I visited Vancouver in the 1970's, so it has been quite a while. I do remember the people were exceptionally nice there.
Thanks for your insights on how to install this sound card. I think I have the same card as you, but I am not 100% certain. And yes, this model did arrive with the Sound Card itself [Model #:SB0080] and the Front Panel [Model #SB1110]. I have included a pic of these items as well as the box it arrived in.
The box says this is the Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion 1 series. I am not sure what that all entails but I know I received a good deal on it because it is new, normally cost $199, and I was able to purchase it for under $70.
I will proceed slowly but surely on this install because I need it done right.
Please let me know if you have any more good advice on this install.
Thanks again!
Soar
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About sound cards - Soar, there's a certain rule regarding sound quality. Same as with many other things, really. It says that final sound quality will be as good as the worst part in the whole sound related setup.
This is a trap some people fall into. For best sound you should have speakers / headphones of comparable quality to your sound card.
I'm also in agreement with cravinmild regarding Creative's market. They're cards mostly for gamers, though movies will be just fine with a card like this. Music... there are better choices but there's also the issue of whether or not an average person will notice a difference.
BytheWayer,
Thanks for your informative post. It sure made sense that the final sound quality will be as good as the worst part in the whole sound related setup!
I see now I must have good speakers as well.
I do own the Altec Lansing Surround Sound 7.1 system at the moment, and I think it a great speaker system. I hope this sound card will truly enhance this speaker system!
Mostly for gamers...well, I do not game very much, but it will be nice to "hear" my enemies before they see or hear me! Wish Creative made something like this for real life scenarios!
Ok, after installing this baby, I will post the quality results later.
Have a good one!
Soar
PS I included a pic of my new GPU!
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I hope your going to keep the 2x 250gts for sli action on the intel machine (your amd mobo wont support it) or you could run the 4xx series card and a 250 as a dedicated physx card (amd mobo) as they are both nvidia cards. Not alot of games use it yet but its comming around and where its done right.......OH BOY! I hate an empty board, makes it look naked..and not in a good way.
Just thought id mention that, some thing to think about if your going to shelf a card.
Thanks for the compliment on where i live, it really is a special place. I remember river rafting in the interior (movie: a river runs through it >brad pitt) and just above us was a place horses would be lost to quick sand. A few hours after that run we were in the rain forests fishing while surrounded by 400f moss covered trees, then we went to the ocean. All that in a day.
Most peoples here are very nice, we are pretty layed back IMO.
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I hope your going to keep the 2x 250gts for sli action on the intel machine (your amd mobo wont support it) or you could run the 4xx series card and a 250 as a dedicated physx card (amd mobo) as they are both nvidia cards. Not alot of games use it yet but its comming around and where its done right.......OH BOY! I hate an empty board, makes it look naked..and not in a good way.
Just thought id mention that, some thing to think about if your going to shelf a card.
Thanks for the compliment on where i live, it really is a special place. I remember river rafting in the interior (movie: a river runs through it >brad pitt) and just above us was a place horses would be lost to quick sand. A few hours after that run we were in the rain forests fishing while surrounded by 400f moss covered trees, then we went to the ocean. All that in a day.
Most peoples here are very nice, we are pretty layed back IMO.
Cravin, I am not sure if my Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3 v.1 will support SLI. Even though I have heard alot about SLI, I am still not sure what it does! If it is very helpful, I would want to install a second card because I still have several of them laying around. Is it very difficult to set up a SLI in my Intel system? Also, what are the benefits? Last, must I use the exact same cards?
Do you run the dedicated physx card and if so, what does it do?
Hope I am not asking too many questions!
Soar
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A quick look up shows that even though its an Intel mobo it only supports dual ati cards @ 8x or single cards (ati or nvidia) @ 16x so NO it wont sli and nor will your amd mobo as its a crossfire board also (sorry my bad for not looking it up befor i opened my big mouth). You can still use the amd mobo with two nvidia cards-one as the main card and the second dedicated as physx this can be done with different series nvidia cards ie. 450 main and 250 physx. This set up would benifit you in games that use physx (mafia2-batman) but not for much else. In the nvidia control panel you can choose which card does which OR you can set the cpu to run the physx calculations allowing you to keep a single gc. I have done tests and the cpu (your cpu) will come very close (fps) that your 250 will offer you. For general day to day use nither of the dual card setups will have any noticable gains- sli/crossfire is more for increasing fps in games.........for the most part. This is assuming that the amd mobo has 2x pcie slots lol.
I have a 280 and a 250 instaled but the 250 is only used when a game that allows for physx is played. For movies or music single cards will work well.
I do like what physx offers (lots more eye candy) but much like Nvidia 3d vision (which i own and love) its slow to take off also if your not a big gamer these "extras" will not be noticed anyways lol.
I dont mind answering your questions and they arent very numerous either :)
I just was hoping for you to get the most out of your system, not make work projects for you as we all have lots of those.
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A quick look up shows that even though its an Intel mobo it only supports dual ati cards @ 8x or single cards (ati or nvidia) @ 16x so NO it wont sli and nor will your amd mobo as its a crossfire board also (sorry my bad for not looking it up befor i opened my big mouth). You can still use the amd mobo with two nvidia cards-one as the main card and the second dedicated as physx this can be done with different series nvidia cards ie. 450 main and 250 physx. This set up would benifit you in games that use physx (mafia2-batman) but not for much else. In the nvidia control panel you can choose which card does which OR you can set the cpu to run the physx calculations allowing you to keep a single gc. I have done tests and the cpu (your cpu) will come very close (fps) that your 250 will offer you. For general day to day use nither of the dual card setups will have any noticable gains- sli/crossfire is more for increasing fps in games.........for the most part. This is assuming that the amd mobo has 2x pcie slots lol.
I have a 280 and a 250 instaled but the 250 is only used when a game that allows for physx is played. For movies or music single cards will work well.
I do like what physx offers (lots more eye candy) but much like Nvidia 3d vision (which i own and love) its slow to take off also if your not a big gamer these "extras" will not be noticed anyways lol.
I dont mind answering your questions and they arent very numerous either :)
I just was hoping for you to get the most out of your system, not make work projects for you as we all have lots of those.
Cravin! Wow, what an education! Ok, thanks for helping me to become more up-to-date on the SLI, crossfire, and Physx bonuses. I had only heard about them, but never really had much of an understanding about what they do to improve performance.
After reading your clear explanation, it seems that I should be ok with setting the 1055t to run the physx calculations allowing me to use a single card.
To be honest with you, I do not game much at all now. When I did game, I played the Crysis demo, Delta Force [all versions], and a simple flying program. It was so much fun and I was able to run each game at high settings using the GTS 250. I did receive a free full version copy of Modern Warfare 4 in one of the GTS 250 boxes. I am not sure how much GPU it requires, but I hope to play it soon.
I like first person shooter games esp. stuff that simulates destroying terrorists! I'd rather be doing the real thing in Afghanistan right now, but my time there is over...I spent some years on/near the Afghan/Pakistan border....and if I was younger, I would want to be there now.
Lastly, I must limit my playing time due to much more important commitments...my wife does not like it if I play for hours on end...and I don't blame her!
Ok, thanks again for helping me understand this stuff...I always wondered about SLI, Crossfire, and Phsyx.
Have a good one!
Soar
PS
Thanks for the compliment on where i live, it really is a special place. I remember river rafting in the interior (movie: a river runs through it >brad pitt) and just above us was a place horses would be lost to quick sand. A few hours after that run we were in the rain forests fishing while surrounded by 400f moss covered trees, then we went to the ocean. All that in a day.
Most peoples here are very nice, we are pretty layed back IMO.
Cravin, you are so fortunate to live around so much beauty and ruggedness and diversity! Lots of BC is still unspoiled and pure. Rain forests are like an entirely different world! I enjoyed living 5 years in the Santa Cruz Mountains some years ago and we had the rain forest effect there...what made it most amazing was the 75-80 meter Redwood trees...these trees are the largest living things left on planet earth at the time. It brings back good memories...we used to have contests on who could climb to the top the fastest! It was excellent exercise and the views were spectacular!
Enjoy the beauty!
Soar