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System Rebuild

Started by scuzzy, March 25, 2008, 14:07 hrs

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scuzzy

My main system (as listed in my signature) is in need of an upgrade. I've been having some problems that I thought were PSU related, but it's now obvious that my motherboard is preparing to give up the ghost.

I have decided to go to an Intel system this time around, and I'm considering one of these motherboards:

Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 $122

Gigabyte GA-EP35C-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 $142 (my current favorite)

They have similar specs, but the latter supports DDR2 and DDR3. Both of these motherboards have the features that I'm looking for, and I really like the layouts. SLI is not a consideration for me.

For a processor:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz $180 (my current favorite)

Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz $270

Both have an FSB of 1333MHz, although I have to be honest in that I don't know what that means anymore. Let me rephrase that, I know what the FSB is, but I don't know how much of a difference it would be compared to an equivalent CPU running at 1066MHz. I'm guessing that I'm better off with 1333MHz, but does it really matter? I'm more confused than ever at the choices.

As for memory, I just don't know. I notice that DDR3 is considerably more expensive than DDR2. Unless the speed difference is as noticeable as the price difference, I'll go with DDR2. But, there are a bewildering amount of choices there, too. I plan to get a matched pair of 1GB sticks.

Your advice is certainly welcome, especially if you can provide guidance on the memory. I'll continue to use WinXP SP2, and my guiding factor is "bang for the buck", while remaining flexible with the options. Regardless, the project must remain under $500. I'll reuse the remaining parts in my current system, while upgrading the PSU to the 450W Antec generously provided by Ace.
Antec Performance TX640B Case | WinXP Pro SP3 & Win7 64-bit | Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R | Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale LGA 775 3.16GHz Dual-Core | 8GB (4x2GB) PC6400 G-Skill RAM | eVGA 7600GT 256MB PCI-E | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 16MB Cache | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 8MB Cache | 320GB Seagate Barracuda SATA 16MB Cache | External 640GB WD Caviar SATA 32MB Cache | Sony DRU-V200S DVD/RW | PC Power & Cooling Silencer 500W | Samsung SyncMaster 2494 (24") LCD Monitor | LG Flatron W2361V (23") LCD Monitor

Buffalo2102

The motherboard choices are good.  I have the DS3 based on the P965 chipset and it's a great board.  The chipsets change but Gigabyte still produce the DS3 as it is at a great price/performance point in the market.

Unfortunately, the Intel processor bandwagon is very fast moving at the moment and whatever you buy now will likely be "old tech" very shortly.  However, that also means that some of the fairly new stuff is dropping in price quite quickly.  If you are not a bleeding edge gamer then a 1066MHz FSB will suit you nicely.  You will not get any noticable difference by spending more money on a 1333MHz FSB processor.  The 1066MHz FSB has never been a limiting factor for anything as far as I know, so increasing it is not going to make a great deal of difference.

Memory is an easier choice.  DDR2 is so cheap at the moment, I would grab a decent 4GB kit now (in fact I just did).  DDR3 on the other hand is so expensive and, once again, there is very little benefit to be gained by paying the extra money.

If I were you, I would look at the CPU and memory choices together.  Remember that the Intel FSB is basically quad-pumped.  e.g. a 1066MHz FSB processor means that the FSB (set on the board) is actually running at 266MHz.  This means that for best performance, running the memory at 1:1 (at stock), you would need 533MHz rated DDR2.  If you buy a 1333MHz CPU you would need 667MHz DDR2.  Therefore, spending more money on the 1333MHz CPU can also have a knock-on effect on the memory cost.

Personally, I would look for memory from a decent manufacturer such as Kingston, OCZ, Geil or G-Skill.  Patriot or A-data are pretty good too.  Most of them offer a lifetime warranty now.  I would also look for something that has a fairly low default voltage (around 1.8 2.0V) as there have been some issues with DDR2 at higher voltages.  Certainly with the early DS3 boards, some users of higher voltage RAM had to boot the board using a low-voltage DIMM just so that they could raise the RAM voltage in BIOS to suit their chosen memory.

Good luck!
Vista x64 Home Premium. Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Abit IP35, 4 Gig Kingston HyperX PC8500C5 DDR2, GTX260, Creative X-Fi Extreme Gamer, Antec 900 Gaming Case.

scuzzy

Thanks for the great tips. I definitely have to bone up on this.

I'll likely go with the 1333MHz FSB, since the prices are considerably better than 1066MHz. A quick look at these Intel Core 2 Duo options from Newegg shows much better prices for the 1333MHz models.

DDR2 memory still confuses me, but your advice certainly helps. 667MHz DDR2 memory is available in PC2 5300 and 5400, so I still have to figure that part out.
Antec Performance TX640B Case | WinXP Pro SP3 & Win7 64-bit | Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R | Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale LGA 775 3.16GHz Dual-Core | 8GB (4x2GB) PC6400 G-Skill RAM | eVGA 7600GT 256MB PCI-E | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 16MB Cache | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 8MB Cache | 320GB Seagate Barracuda SATA 16MB Cache | External 640GB WD Caviar SATA 32MB Cache | Sony DRU-V200S DVD/RW | PC Power & Cooling Silencer 500W | Samsung SyncMaster 2494 (24") LCD Monitor | LG Flatron W2361V (23") LCD Monitor

Buffalo2102

The difference between PC5300 and PC5400 is minimal.  PC5300 came first and is rated at 333MHz (667MHz).  This was then "superceded" by PC5400 which is rated at 337MHz (675MHz).  Performance-wise, there is very little difference.  Price-wise, the PC5300 modules will likely be slightly cheaper.  Value Ram is often PC5300 rather then PC5400.

Buff
Vista x64 Home Premium. Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Abit IP35, 4 Gig Kingston HyperX PC8500C5 DDR2, GTX260, Creative X-Fi Extreme Gamer, Antec 900 Gaming Case.

scuzzy

#4
UPDATE:

I just ordered some upgraded parts from Newegg. Unfortunately, I had to do this under pressure since my main system went belly-up. My primary 74GB WD Raptor SATA (16MB Cache) gave up the ghost, and SATA1 along with one onboard USB connector on the ASUS A8N5X motherboard also quit. The retail-purchased Raptor will be replaced under warranty, but I need something right now.

In short, I ordered the following products from Newegg with rush processing:

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $119.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail $187.99

G.SKILL HK 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL4D-4GBHK - Retail $44.99

WDigital Caviar WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive 32MB Cache - OEM $79.99

Total damage including S/H, etc., came out to $465.26.

The 640GB HDD will be used temporarily to get my system running again. For those who care, I'll be reinstalling WinXP Pro SP3. Once I get the replacement Raptor, I'll ghost the image over to the Raptor and use the new 640GB WD for an external HDD.

I considered the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz - Retail $189.99. With lots of time to think I might have gone with the 65nm 2.4GHz quad-core Kentsfield since it is only $10 more, but I opted for the 45nm 3.16GHz dual-core Wolfdale instead.

It looks like my next set of days off will be shot. Hopefully, all will go well and I'll get a blazing system out of the deal; even with my now outdated eVGA 7600GT.
Antec Performance TX640B Case | WinXP Pro SP3 & Win7 64-bit | Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R | Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale LGA 775 3.16GHz Dual-Core | 8GB (4x2GB) PC6400 G-Skill RAM | eVGA 7600GT 256MB PCI-E | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 16MB Cache | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 8MB Cache | 320GB Seagate Barracuda SATA 16MB Cache | External 640GB WD Caviar SATA 32MB Cache | Sony DRU-V200S DVD/RW | PC Power & Cooling Silencer 500W | Samsung SyncMaster 2494 (24") LCD Monitor | LG Flatron W2361V (23") LCD Monitor

Bill

#5
Scuzzy,
Those are some great choices!  I think you will love that motherboard.  The layout is very good and is an easy build.  Good luck.

Loading the drivers from the Gigabyte DVD can be quirky.  In my case I finally had to d/l the audio driver from the Gigabyte site and install it separately.  And others have reported similar experiences.  Not really a big deal but it took me awhile to figure out why the onboard sound wasn't working.

Bill
Antec 3700 | Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R | Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz | 4 GB (4x1GB) DDR2 PC 5300 Kingston RAM | Antec NeoPower 550W | eVGA GeForce 9500GT 1GB 128 bit PCI Express 2.0 | Intel SSD X25-M 80GB | VelociRaptor 150GB | WD 80GB 7200rpm |Samsung 22x SATA Burner |Windows 7 32-bit

scuzzy

Thanks for the advice, Bill. That's useful information.

I just went back and took a look at your last build and I noticed that you bought the same motherboard. I'm glad you're happy with it and I hope that I will be able to say the same. I have had major problems with every single Asus mobo, so I jumped ship to Gigabyte. At the moment they seem to offer best bang for the buck.

I see that you also bought an Intel Wolfdale processor. Did you keep the stock heatsink/fan or did you upgrade? If you kept the stock, did it work out well?

I bought 4GB of RAM due to the excellent price, although my 32-bit WinXP setup probably won't utilize more than 3GB. But I am interested in Windows 7 when it becomes available, and I would likely purchase the 64-bit version. Heck, I might go back and get another 4GB within the next few days.
Antec Performance TX640B Case | WinXP Pro SP3 & Win7 64-bit | Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R | Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale LGA 775 3.16GHz Dual-Core | 8GB (4x2GB) PC6400 G-Skill RAM | eVGA 7600GT 256MB PCI-E | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 16MB Cache | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 8MB Cache | 320GB Seagate Barracuda SATA 16MB Cache | External 640GB WD Caviar SATA 32MB Cache | Sony DRU-V200S DVD/RW | PC Power & Cooling Silencer 500W | Samsung SyncMaster 2494 (24") LCD Monitor | LG Flatron W2361V (23") LCD Monitor

Bill

I kept the OEM heatsink and fan.  I am not a fan of second guessing the manufacturer. At the moment the motherboard is 33C, both Hard drives are at 32C, and what Everst reports as AUX, which I think is the processor, is 41C.

The case has  2 120mm fans, the front one sits directly in front of the HDD cage blowing across them.

This is my second Gigabyte board and I liked the first one but the current one is definitely better than the last one and runs cooler, probably because of the copper core.

Bill
Antec 3700 | Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R | Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz | 4 GB (4x1GB) DDR2 PC 5300 Kingston RAM | Antec NeoPower 550W | eVGA GeForce 9500GT 1GB 128 bit PCI Express 2.0 | Intel SSD X25-M 80GB | VelociRaptor 150GB | WD 80GB 7200rpm |Samsung 22x SATA Burner |Windows 7 32-bit

scuzzy

Thanks, Bill.

I plan to start out with the OEM fan. If it performs well and is reasonably quiet, then I'll leave it alone. Otherwise, I'll look for an upgrade.

I have never overclocked a processor, so it shouldn't be an issue.
Antec Performance TX640B Case | WinXP Pro SP3 & Win7 64-bit | Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R | Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale LGA 775 3.16GHz Dual-Core | 8GB (4x2GB) PC6400 G-Skill RAM | eVGA 7600GT 256MB PCI-E | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 16MB Cache | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 8MB Cache | 320GB Seagate Barracuda SATA 16MB Cache | External 640GB WD Caviar SATA 32MB Cache | Sony DRU-V200S DVD/RW | PC Power & Cooling Silencer 500W | Samsung SyncMaster 2494 (24") LCD Monitor | LG Flatron W2361V (23") LCD Monitor

Bill

The OEM is very quiet, I should have mentioned that. 

The other thing worth mentioning is the 4 push and turn mounting posts that hold the processor that Intel uses.  Once I figured out that you need to turn them in the direction that is contrary to the way the arrows on the top point, it went smoothly. 
The Gigabyte manual mentions only once that the arrows are for removal.

It is worthwhile to download the MB manual, in advance, from the Gigabyte USA site although it isn't easy to find.

Bill
Antec 3700 | Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R | Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz | 4 GB (4x1GB) DDR2 PC 5300 Kingston RAM | Antec NeoPower 550W | eVGA GeForce 9500GT 1GB 128 bit PCI Express 2.0 | Intel SSD X25-M 80GB | VelociRaptor 150GB | WD 80GB 7200rpm |Samsung 22x SATA Burner |Windows 7 32-bit

scuzzy

Thanks again. I did read some comments complaining of the Intel mounting posts, so that's great info for me to keep in mind.

I downloaded the manual yesterday, so I'm good there.
Antec Performance TX640B Case | WinXP Pro SP3 & Win7 64-bit | Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R | Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale LGA 775 3.16GHz Dual-Core | 8GB (4x2GB) PC6400 G-Skill RAM | eVGA 7600GT 256MB PCI-E | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 16MB Cache | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 8MB Cache | 320GB Seagate Barracuda SATA 16MB Cache | External 640GB WD Caviar SATA 32MB Cache | Sony DRU-V200S DVD/RW | PC Power & Cooling Silencer 500W | Samsung SyncMaster 2494 (24") LCD Monitor | LG Flatron W2361V (23") LCD Monitor

Buffalo2102

If you make sure that the mounting posts are twisted fully in the direction contrary to the arrows before mounting, you only have to push them in - no twisting.  As Gigabyte state, you then only have to twist in the direction of the arrows to unmount.

Most complaints are from people who don't understand this and I have found the system to be very easy and secure.  I have had several systems using this mounting method and nowhere have I seen it explained properly.

Looks like a good selection of components there Scuzzy - there's no real reason to choose the quad core over the dual at the moment.  Gigabyte make excellent mainboards.

Good luck with it.

Buff
Vista x64 Home Premium. Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Abit IP35, 4 Gig Kingston HyperX PC8500C5 DDR2, GTX260, Creative X-Fi Extreme Gamer, Antec 900 Gaming Case.

scuzzy

Thanks, Buff. I'll take a close look at the whole thing once my order arrives.

At the moment I'm disappointed with Newegg. Last Friday morning I rushed my order well within the allotted time frames. More than 48 hrs later it is showing as "your order has been charged to your credit card." Newegg has banker's hours and is closed on weekends, so I can't get any help from them.

Dang it. I need the parts right now.

Scuzzy; and I paid extra for the privilege.
Antec Performance TX640B Case | WinXP Pro SP3 & Win7 64-bit | Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R | Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale LGA 775 3.16GHz Dual-Core | 8GB (4x2GB) PC6400 G-Skill RAM | eVGA 7600GT 256MB PCI-E | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 16MB Cache | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 8MB Cache | 320GB Seagate Barracuda SATA 16MB Cache | External 640GB WD Caviar SATA 32MB Cache | Sony DRU-V200S DVD/RW | PC Power & Cooling Silencer 500W | Samsung SyncMaster 2494 (24") LCD Monitor | LG Flatron W2361V (23") LCD Monitor

pat

Newegg is currently closed for inventory and nothing will be going out until Monday or Tuesday.
http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/454222.aspx

I've been following the eggxpert forums for the past few weeks and there seems to be an unusually high number of complaints. Their resellerratting seems unaffected though with many high marks still being given.

Anyway, I like those parts you picked out and good luck with the build.
SeaSonic S12 550W, Athlon 64 X2 6000+, Asus M2N SLI-Deluxe, nvidia 9600 GSO, 2x2 gig Crucial Ballistix, LG DVD/RW, 2x Western Digital Black Edition 640gb,  SAMSUNG 226BW Black 22", Canon PIXMA MP600,  Logitech X-230 speakers, Logitech Comfort Duo keyboard & Mouse, Windows 7 64 Home Premium & Vista 64

scuzzy

Well, that's more frustrating than ever. It would have been nice to know that before I placed my order - so that I could have purchased it elsewhere. I was depending on having the items by Tuesday. It's more upsetting that Newegg had no problem charging me for the rush order that they obviously knew could not be fulfilled.

I understand closing up for an inventory, but that should have been clearly stated on their website.

Scuzzy; they'll get an earful tomorrow.
Antec Performance TX640B Case | WinXP Pro SP3 & Win7 64-bit | Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R | Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale LGA 775 3.16GHz Dual-Core | 8GB (4x2GB) PC6400 G-Skill RAM | eVGA 7600GT 256MB PCI-E | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 16MB Cache | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 8MB Cache | 320GB Seagate Barracuda SATA 16MB Cache | External 640GB WD Caviar SATA 32MB Cache | Sony DRU-V200S DVD/RW | PC Power & Cooling Silencer 500W | Samsung SyncMaster 2494 (24") LCD Monitor | LG Flatron W2361V (23") LCD Monitor

pat

I feel your frustration. I'm of the opinion that newegg is slipping lately, they have done a couple of things that just doesn't make sense to me. My first and main complaint is that they have removed the shipping costs from the product page, you now have to add items to your shopping cart and then view your shopping cart in order to see a shipping cost. My second complaint is the distinction between free shipping and free 3 day shipping. Used to be free shipping meant free 3 day shipping, now free shipping means a DHL hand off to USPS and anywhere from 8-10 days with no reliable tracking. Of course 3 day shipping is still there for an upgrade in shipping price.

Now that doesn't exactly mean I won't be shopping at newegg anymore, but it does certainly mean I will be shopping around more. If newegg wants to remove some of the things that made them such a great place to shop at I have to ask myself, where's the distinction that sets them apart from all the rest? Shoot Tiger Direct is only one state away and I always get stuff from them in one day with no extra charge for expedited shipping.
SeaSonic S12 550W, Athlon 64 X2 6000+, Asus M2N SLI-Deluxe, nvidia 9600 GSO, 2x2 gig Crucial Ballistix, LG DVD/RW, 2x Western Digital Black Edition 640gb,  SAMSUNG 226BW Black 22", Canon PIXMA MP600,  Logitech X-230 speakers, Logitech Comfort Duo keyboard & Mouse, Windows 7 64 Home Premium & Vista 64

scuzzy

I guess I'm not feeling as generous toward Newegg right about now.

I just put this message in their EggXpert forum.
Antec Performance TX640B Case | WinXP Pro SP3 & Win7 64-bit | Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R | Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale LGA 775 3.16GHz Dual-Core | 8GB (4x2GB) PC6400 G-Skill RAM | eVGA 7600GT 256MB PCI-E | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 16MB Cache | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 8MB Cache | 320GB Seagate Barracuda SATA 16MB Cache | External 640GB WD Caviar SATA 32MB Cache | Sony DRU-V200S DVD/RW | PC Power & Cooling Silencer 500W | Samsung SyncMaster 2494 (24") LCD Monitor | LG Flatron W2361V (23") LCD Monitor

pat

Nice one and the fellow that responded is correct the newegg fanboys will certainly be all over it. I have noticed though if you send Jason or one of the other moderators in that forum a PM they do try to work out issues.

SeaSonic S12 550W, Athlon 64 X2 6000+, Asus M2N SLI-Deluxe, nvidia 9600 GSO, 2x2 gig Crucial Ballistix, LG DVD/RW, 2x Western Digital Black Edition 640gb,  SAMSUNG 226BW Black 22", Canon PIXMA MP600,  Logitech X-230 speakers, Logitech Comfort Duo keyboard & Mouse, Windows 7 64 Home Premium & Vista 64

scuzzy

Well, I'm now a new TigerDirect customer. I just ordered a Sony DRU-V200S/BR SATA DVD burner from them.

Scuzzy; I would have bought from Newegg, but...
Antec Performance TX640B Case | WinXP Pro SP3 & Win7 64-bit | Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R | Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale LGA 775 3.16GHz Dual-Core | 8GB (4x2GB) PC6400 G-Skill RAM | eVGA 7600GT 256MB PCI-E | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 16MB Cache | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 8MB Cache | 320GB Seagate Barracuda SATA 16MB Cache | External 640GB WD Caviar SATA 32MB Cache | Sony DRU-V200S DVD/RW | PC Power & Cooling Silencer 500W | Samsung SyncMaster 2494 (24") LCD Monitor | LG Flatron W2361V (23") LCD Monitor

Mark H

I ordered some RAM I needed quickly from Tiger Direct. They had a better price than NewEgg at the time and I found their delivery and service to be on par with New Egg.

I hope you build comes along very well.

Mark H; There is always another company willing to get my business
Enjoy the nature that is around you rather than destroying it.

scuzzy

My Newegg order went out Monday before I could get hold of a CS rep to bump up the shipping. So, the order will arrive tomorrow instead of today as I had hoped.

I made a lot of noise at Newegg's EggXpert Forums over the fact that I was allowed to place a rush order (and charged) on Friday, 1/2/2009. The problem was that nothing was processed on Friday due to their year-end inventory.

In the end, I was contacted by js1dog (egg staff) who apologized and refunded the rush and shipping fees. The order will still arrive late, but I have to give Newegg credit for doing at least this much.

As dumb luck would have it, I ended up with unexpected time off from work this week. This has given me some time to work on the loft bed, and an extra day to fix the computer.

The Sony DVD burner that I ordered from TigerDirect will arrive today, and I went ahead and ordered another set of 4GB G-Skill RAM through Newegg. I know that 8GB of RAM for WinXP is a total waste, but I plan on giving Windows 7 a go when the 64-bit version becomes available.

Scuzzy; life continues.
Antec Performance TX640B Case | WinXP Pro SP3 & Win7 64-bit | Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R | Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale LGA 775 3.16GHz Dual-Core | 8GB (4x2GB) PC6400 G-Skill RAM | eVGA 7600GT 256MB PCI-E | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 16MB Cache | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 8MB Cache | 320GB Seagate Barracuda SATA 16MB Cache | External 640GB WD Caviar SATA 32MB Cache | Sony DRU-V200S DVD/RW | PC Power & Cooling Silencer 500W | Samsung SyncMaster 2494 (24") LCD Monitor | LG Flatron W2361V (23") LCD Monitor

Bill

Good for you.  Also nice to know Newegg hasn't lost it's customer service focus.  They have certainly diversified their product lines.

Bill
Antec 3700 | Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R | Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz | 4 GB (4x1GB) DDR2 PC 5300 Kingston RAM | Antec NeoPower 550W | eVGA GeForce 9500GT 1GB 128 bit PCI Express 2.0 | Intel SSD X25-M 80GB | VelociRaptor 150GB | WD 80GB 7200rpm |Samsung 22x SATA Burner |Windows 7 32-bit

scuzzy

#22
My system is finally back up and running, and is for the most part working well.

The reinstall did not go without problems, though. Once I got all the parts in place, I was unable to install WinXP Pro. Each time I tried I would get a BSOD, and I began to suspect a defective part. After googling the problem, I learned that this motherboard cannot accept an original "Gold" WinXP installation - it must be SP2 or higher.

So, after a lot of effort (this is another story in itself, but I'll spare the details) I managed to create a slipstream of Win XP with SP2. All went well after that and I managed to install Windows. After activating Windows (surprisingly without a problem), I installed SP3 and then got all the updates, etc. The performance seemed okay, but I was a little disappointed that it wasn't better.

But then I noticed a problem. I bought the Intel Wolfdale 3.16 GHz CPU with 1333MHz FSB, but Windows was reporting a 2.8GHz processor. So I checked the BIOS and it was reporting a 2.8GHz CPU at 1066MHz. It took a while to figure out how to adjust the BIOS for the correct CPU, but I finally got it corrected. Now the system performs noticeably better.

Everything else went well, including the installation of the motherboard drivers.

I do appreciate the advice I got here, though. I may be fairly adept at dealing with computer problems, but you folks sure have made my life easier. :)

For now, I'm still going through the process of tweaking my system and reinstalling/updating programs, printer, scanner, etc.

When I have some spare change, I'll upgrade the PSU and the video card.

Scuzzy; it never ends.
Antec Performance TX640B Case | WinXP Pro SP3 & Win7 64-bit | Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R | Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale LGA 775 3.16GHz Dual-Core | 8GB (4x2GB) PC6400 G-Skill RAM | eVGA 7600GT 256MB PCI-E | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 16MB Cache | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 8MB Cache | 320GB Seagate Barracuda SATA 16MB Cache | External 640GB WD Caviar SATA 32MB Cache | Sony DRU-V200S DVD/RW | PC Power & Cooling Silencer 500W | Samsung SyncMaster 2494 (24") LCD Monitor | LG Flatron W2361V (23") LCD Monitor

Bill

Congratulations! And good luck.  Did you look at the memory settings when you were fiddling with the bios?

Bill
Antec 3700 | Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R | Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz | 4 GB (4x1GB) DDR2 PC 5300 Kingston RAM | Antec NeoPower 550W | eVGA GeForce 9500GT 1GB 128 bit PCI Express 2.0 | Intel SSD X25-M 80GB | VelociRaptor 150GB | WD 80GB 7200rpm |Samsung 22x SATA Burner |Windows 7 32-bit

scuzzy

Thanks!

Yes, memory settings were fine without having to make any changes.
Antec Performance TX640B Case | WinXP Pro SP3 & Win7 64-bit | Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R | Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale LGA 775 3.16GHz Dual-Core | 8GB (4x2GB) PC6400 G-Skill RAM | eVGA 7600GT 256MB PCI-E | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 16MB Cache | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 8MB Cache | 320GB Seagate Barracuda SATA 16MB Cache | External 640GB WD Caviar SATA 32MB Cache | Sony DRU-V200S DVD/RW | PC Power & Cooling Silencer 500W | Samsung SyncMaster 2494 (24") LCD Monitor | LG Flatron W2361V (23") LCD Monitor

pat

Great, glad the hold up on parts didn't delay the build too much.

SeaSonic S12 550W, Athlon 64 X2 6000+, Asus M2N SLI-Deluxe, nvidia 9600 GSO, 2x2 gig Crucial Ballistix, LG DVD/RW, 2x Western Digital Black Edition 640gb,  SAMSUNG 226BW Black 22", Canon PIXMA MP600,  Logitech X-230 speakers, Logitech Comfort Duo keyboard & Mouse, Windows 7 64 Home Premium & Vista 64

scuzzy

Just an update on my Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R motherboard...

Since I'm slowly preparing my system for Windows 7, I decided to flash my BIOS to the latest version (F11). My previous BIOS version was F5. I went to Gibabyte's site and downloaded the latest BIOS without much ado. The site did want to know if I had Rev 1.0 or Rev 1.1. I couldn't figure out which motherboard revision I have, but the all files are identical for either version. I went ahead and downloaded the BIOS, drivers & utilities for version 1.1.

The update worked without a problem, except that I forgot to note my BIOS settings before flashing it. Not a big deal, other than it took some time to get the settings back to something similar to what I had before. I should have made some notes of my previous settings, since flashing the BIOS pretty much puts everything back to factory defaults.

Other than having to reset my settings, it worked perfectly.

Scuzzy; I should be ready to install Win 7 in a few more months.  :P
Antec Performance TX640B Case | WinXP Pro SP3 & Win7 64-bit | Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R | Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale LGA 775 3.16GHz Dual-Core | 8GB (4x2GB) PC6400 G-Skill RAM | eVGA 7600GT 256MB PCI-E | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 16MB Cache | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 8MB Cache | 320GB Seagate Barracuda SATA 16MB Cache | External 640GB WD Caviar SATA 32MB Cache | Sony DRU-V200S DVD/RW | PC Power & Cooling Silencer 500W | Samsung SyncMaster 2494 (24") LCD Monitor | LG Flatron W2361V (23") LCD Monitor