GA-Z68XP-UD3 and Newb computer build

[eddie5250]

Hello everyone, I am building another computer with a different student this year (I am a high school teacher). We have purchased all the parts and have put it together and it seems to be running perfectly. However what type of teacher would I be if I didn't teach him how to check that everything is running correctly??!?! And then I realized I'm not 100% sure how to check in the BIOS if everything it set correctly. What should we be looking for in the BIOS to make sure that the machine is running correctly? In addition, are there items we can turn on/off to obtain maximum performance? We are also running a SSD so this technology is new and I am not sure if I need to set anything different in BIOS for this to work correctly. Even though this is a student project we are also covering a chapter on Discussion Forums so maybe someone can help me create a check list for my students (and myself) who are building new computers to go through once their build is complete to make sure everything is running correctly.  This is a great class project and I appreciate all of the help this forum has given me in the past.

First some information that you prob need.

SSD in SATA_0
HHD in SATA_1 (even though it is not SATA III) Is that ok?

DVD in SATA_2
Front Panel in SATA_3
Card Reader in SATA_4

What else do I need to change for correct specs / maximum performance. Are there certain items that everyone knows to just turn off/on that a newb would not know of?

Here is the build list of parts.  I do realize we have the ability to overclock this machine and I would like to do a safe overclock (if there is such a thing) after I make sure that I have the BIOS correct especially with the SSD. I am planning on following some of the tips in the guide to speed up the ssd.

http://thessdreview.com/ssd-guides/optimization-guides/the-ssd-optimization-guide-2/

- Rosewill CHALLENGER-U3 Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

- GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

- Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor

- CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

- CORSAIR Professional Series HX750 750 Watt Power Supply

- PNY VCQ600-PB Quadro 600 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Low Profile Workstation Video Card

- Rosewill RCR-IC001 40-in-1 USB 2.0 3.5" Internal Card Reader w/ USB Port

- LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer

- SSD - OCZ Vertex 3 VTX3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Segate 2tb Hard Disk Drive (removed from an external FreeAgent GoFlex Desk) Hey Hard Drives are expensive right now 

[Dark Mantis]

Hi again eddie.

Firstly congratulations on putting together a nicely specced list of components, couldn't have done better myself! 

If we look at the SSD for a moment as that is probably the single most unusual device in your list as I am sure that you are familiar with everything else. The main difference between SSDs and magnetic platter drives is that they don't like being used! To clarify that a bit each chip on a SSD has a maximum number of times it can be written to in it's lifetime, so we try to minimise those accesses and spread them evenly. Unlike a magnetic drive it makes no difference performance wise where the data is stored on the drive physically.

With this in mind we turn off things like disk defraggmenters and swapfiles as they only wear the drive out and have no speed benefit. As long as you have over 8GB or RAM you don't need a swapfile/pagefile. If you feel that you can't live without one put it on the other drive.

You will have to do some detective work on TRIM because I don't have the time to go into its details here but basically it helps keep the drive healthy by spreading the accesses all over the drive and not using one area more than others. In Windows 7 it is enabled by default and unless you are running a RAID array the commands should get passed to the drive. If you have RAID then it will still be enabled but the commands will not get through. There is however a similar utility called Garbage Collection which will do a similar cleanup operation as the name suggests.

The SSD should be installed on the SATA3_0 for the best performance and be run under AHCI mode. As well as HotSwap, it will allow NCQ to be enabled and speed up everything to do with the drive. The other hard disk can also be run under AHCI mode so no problem there if you want to put it on the same controller. The optical drive is better to be run under IDE mode though as certain problems can arise with them run as AHCI. So I would suggest a seperate controller's port for that. You will need to select the running mode prior to installing Windows unless you wanmt to hack the registry to stop BSODs!

THe Vertex3 that you have decided on is one of the faster SSDs available but there are PCIE SSDs that are much quicker. I run a OCZ Revo drive. It is only the x2 version which is getting a bit long in the tooth now but would still leave your Vertex in the dust. You might want to investigate the X3 for real speed. 

Well I think that covers the main points of the SSD use compared to a magnetic disk drive but I am sure that you can find out much more detail that I haven't had time to include. If yoiu have any further questions you know where we are...........

[eddie5250]

Dark Mantis...So nice that you are helping out again.

For the SSD I was planning on following most of these steps found on this site:

http://thessdreview.com/ssd-guides/optimization-guides/the-ssd-optimization-guide-2/

I will make sure to turn off Defrag and Swapfiles and will read into trim this evening.

Windows 7 is already installed but I have no issues making BIOS changes you recommended and then re-installing. Maybe you can walk us through checking the different SATA settings?

The SSD is installed on SATA3_0. How do I check in bios about AHCI mode and HotSwap?
What would be your recommendation on what ports to plug in the rest of the SATA devices?
How do I change the optical drive to IDE Mode in BIOS?
Do the front port and Card reader need to be in IDE mode also?

Our class will be going over HDD next week so I will definitely make sure to mention your suggestions about the SSD in that unit. Thanks again!

[Dark Mantis]

Hi eddie,

I will by all means go through it with you but it will have to be tomorrow now as an early night is called for as I was woken at 4.00am to be told I am agrandfather again! Long day!

[eddie5250]

Saving the world one motherboard at a time must be exhausting. Talk with you tomorrow. Thanks again. Congrats BTW!

[Dark Mantis]

Well with the BIOS if everything is working and the system is booting (and POSTing) without any problems then chances are that everything is correctly set. There are of course various options that can make for a nicely streamlined BIOS that you can alter if you understand the various options and your hardware.

A good place to start is to make sure that the BIOS you have running is the latest or a newish version. On Gigabyte motherboard there is also a Backup BIOS chip along with the Main BIOS chip that is used to boot from. As far as the general public goes the Backup BIOS is only there for emergency and is not available for normal use. If in emergency the Main BIOS gets corrupted the Backup BIOS should flash the Main BIOS chip with whatever version the Backup holds. In reality this chip is accessible but we won't go into that now.

Right now that you have checked and if neccessary updated the BIOS you should make sure that Optimised BIOS Default options are loaded. These will give a better list of settings and a superior feeling to the system in general. Obviously these are used as a starting point and then depending on your personal hardware installed and usage requirements you can "tweak" or customise the settings. Also at this point there is the option to overclock (make the system run faster than it was intened or designed to) however that is a major section all of it's own and with neither the time nor space to go into it here.

So as we are going to run the system at the default speeds etc we will leave most settings on "Auto". This make things a lot quicker and easier and also lessons the chances of errors creeping in. There is a list of the function keys and what they do in the manual and often printed on the main BIOS screen for hot keys and just to save time when navigating the BIOS. The first page that you are shown when entering the BIOS is the main menu screen. This just allows you to find the parts you want to use that much easier.

What we are looking for first is the Date and Time as that will be on the initial page or one called Standard BIOS Features normally. Make sure it is correct and then leave that page. Most of the MIT section can be discounted for now as it involves fine frequency and voltage settings that as I mentioned earlier can be left on Auto.

If we move on now to the Advanced BIOS Features section you will see that there are many settings that interest us more. I will approach these settings in the same way as I would normally have them set. You can do it differently if you would prefer.
Hard Disk Boot Priority - make the boot drive the first bone followed by any other drives installed.
Quick Boot - Enable (once you are happy that the system is running ok.)
First/Second/Third Boot Device -  once again set the hard drive that contains the boot files and OS at the top of the list, followed by the DVD, etc
Password Check - decide on whether you require this security, usually by where the machine is located.
HDD S.M.A.R.T. Capability - Enable
Full Screen Logo Show - Disable. It is only advertising for the manufacturer and will cover useful boot information often.
Init Display First - PEG. The most common use will be this as usually the PCIEx16 slot will be used for the GPU. (PEG - PCIE Enhanced Graphics)
That will normally conclude this section.

Integrated Peripherals is the next page of interest.
PCH SATA Control Mode - AHCI (options are AHCI, IDE, RAID)
SATA Port 0-3 Native Mode - Enabled
USB Controllers - Enabled
USB Legacy Functions - Enabled (Gives access to USB devices before Windows loads drivers)
USB Storage Function - Enabled ( Allows use of USB drives before Windows loads drivers)
Azalia Codec - Auto ( make sure that this is enabled for use of on board sound chip)
Onboard USB3.0 Controller - Enabled if you want to use USB3.0 ports
eSATA Controller - Disable unless you want to use it.

Now on to the
Power Management Setup section.
Soft Off PWR-BTTN - Delay 4 Seconds
HPET Support - Enabled
HPET Mode - 64 bit if running a 64 bit Operating System oitherwise 32 bit.

The next section that you might be interested in is the PC Health Status. You will have to determine the best settings for your system here as each will be different but is mainly for fans speed and alarms.

Any other settings not covered here leave as the default settings unless you are sure that you understand what you are doing. Once complete you should press F10 to Save and Exit.

[eddie5250]

Wow thanks so much for the information. I have all of my settings done and I am re-installing windows 7 right now.

One area I was confused about was eSATA Controller - Disable unless you want to use it.

I did not have that option. I had GSata3 Controller and the next line is GSata3 ctrl mode. I am assuming they are similar or the same and I have disabled that controller.

Restarted a few times and all seems to be working well. I re-installed Windows 7 and drivers then followed the guide in the earlier post and optimized my SSD. I am in the process of Windows updates and installing my software. After I get those done I have to open the case back up and run my wiring nice and neat now that everything is in the correct port and my system appears to be running smoothly. I will keep you updated and let you know tomorrow my progress. Taking pictures as I go so the students can see on monday.

[Dark Mantis]

Forget the eSATA it isn't available on your motherboard and is only the external version of the SATA that is used for internal drives. It just allows a SATA drive to be connected directly to the bus without using an intermediary like USB. It also supports HotSwap or hot pluggability via AHCI.

[eddie5250]

What is GSata3 Controller then? Should I enable or disable. Currently installing software....

[Gloup_Gloup]

Hi eddie5250, 

Shortly :

The Intel SATA3 is true SATA3! The Marvell controller, as I understand it, is an emulated SATA3.

The Sandy bridge is the first (and only) platform to have Native SATA3.

So forgot GSata3 (Marvell Controller). Use only Intel ICH Controller. This is not a obligation ... but is the best for performance.

Gloup_Gloup

[Dark Mantis]

The GSATA ports are controlled by the Marvell 9172 controller chip as opposed to the Intel controller that manages the others. This is fine and as far as I know it works well. It is just Gigabyte's way of making a deliniation between the two different sets of ports. The Intel ones are called SATA3, the Marvell ones are called GSATA3 as both meet the 6GB/s standard of SATA3.

As Gloup_Gloup said I would stick to the main Intel ports for your important drives and use the GSATA for the optical and backup drives.

From the spec sheet:

Chipset:
2 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors (SATA3_0~SATA3_1) supporting up to 2 SATA 6Gb/s devices
4 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors (SATA2_2~SATA2_5) supporting up to 4 SATA 3Gb/s devices
* The SATA2_5 connector will become unavailable when the mSATA connector is installed with a solid state drive.
Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10
* When a RAID set is built across the SATA 6Gb/s and SATA 3Gb/s channels, the system performance of the RAID set may vary depending on the devices being connected.
1 x Marvell 88SE9172 chip:
2 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors (GSATA3_6, GSATA3_7) supporting up to 2 SATA 6Gb/s devices
Support for SATA RAID 0 and RAID 1

[eddie5250]

Thanks for all of the great info. I got side tracked fixing a few other computers on campus earlier in the week but I have finished the build and everything seems to be running smoothly. Thanks again Dark Mantis for all of your help and knowledgeable information. My students and I enjoyed using this forum and they are all so excited to build a computer now. 

[Dark Mantis]

Glad to be of service eddie.  You don't need to stay away until next year though you know! We would be more thjan happy to see you and your students frequent the forum regularly. Even if they are  not particularly knowledgable yet we all had to start somewhere. 

[eddie5250]

I am very happy with the  prices and the quality of the Gigabyte motherboards. I will be using them in many future builds so you will definitely see us on here. All of the students are asking for computer components for the holidays and they are really interested in building custom computers for the games they play. Once again thanks for the help and we will see you on the next build. 

[teknology9]

Hi eddie5250,

Why not give your students a budget, fictional amount of $'s, and ask them to select components in order to build a PC? This will involve some research and also make a good piece of homework.........and alot of marking for you!!!!


Teknology9