posted
Yeah, I can't even get in to BIOS setting. I can't see anything. I'm 99% positive my video card is seated properly and connected properly. About the CPU power, are you saying that there should be a cord going from the power supply to that four pin CPU power slot? If so, I didn't see a viable candidate in the cords the power supply box provided, but I can check again.
Posts: 2827 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Dr Strangelove: The connector on my video card? The connector on my video card is a 6 pin and the cord that came with it goes out to a four pin, but not like the one in your picture. It's actually just a three pin. Then put that in to my power supply. I can't find pictures but... yeah.
Ok, that should be a six pin PCI-Express connector. The one you're looking for should look like a smaller version of that, a four pin PCI-Express connector.
posted
Some sort of disk with boot data on it, like a Windows installation CD or a hard drive with an OS installed.
Posts: 9945 | Registered: Sep 2002
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posted
Oh, put your windows disk in the CD/DVD drive. The computer *should* automatically boot from the CD/DVD and bring up the installation wizard. You might need to press a key to get the computer to boot from the disk, though, so watch for the prompt.
Posts: 1813 | Registered: Apr 2001
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posted
You should just be able go into the Bios and select the boot order. Choose your CD drive first, then your Hard Drive. Put the windows disk in, reboot, and go from there!
Technically you don't have to set the boot order, but its a good setting to keep.
Posts: 1937 | Registered: Nov 2006
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posted
Ok, I keep hearing about this BIOS... how do I get there? Now I'm installing Windows, so how do I get there after I've installed Windows.
Posts: 2827 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Be careful. The settings of the bios are not to be taken lightly. This is where you can set boot drives, processor settings, video cards (sometimes), etc.
Posts: 688 | Registered: Nov 2008
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posted
You can access setup (the BIOS settings) on your motherboard with the Delete key.
When the computer first turns on, but before the 'Loading Windows' screen is displayed, you can press that key to access the BIOS settings. You might have to be quick...some computers don't hang around and wait.
By the way, an online copy of your manual (PDF) is here: MSI Global
(Assuming you got the 790GX-G65 motherboard you talked about ordering earlier.)
Posts: 1813 | Registered: Apr 2001
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posted
... I just used the stock one. I'm thinking I might end up getting a different one though because this one is just ridiculously loud. Recommendations?
Posts: 2827 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
Yeah, I actually just looked it up and it appears that my CPU just tends to run a little hot. Most people said low 60's isn't anything really to worry about. It is loud though.
Posts: 2827 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
There are a lot of good options that aren't terribly expensive for aftermarket heatsink/fans. I'd just find one on Newegg with decent reviews and make sure it's compatible with your socket. Follow installation instructions carefully. Make sure the heatsink comes with thermal compound or that you buy some before starting the installation.
(Quad cores generate a lot of heat.)
Posts: 4287 | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
Alright, I am up and running and installing games! Woohoo! Now I just need to find space for this thing...
Posts: 2827 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:Originally posted by scifibum: There are a lot of good options that aren't terribly expensive for aftermarket heatsink/fans. I'd just find one on Newegg with decent reviews and make sure it's compatible with your socket. Follow installation instructions carefully. Make sure the heatsink comes with thermal compound or that you buy some before starting the installation.
(Quad cores generate a lot of heat.)
I had to buy a more powerful heatsink for my quad core processor because it got too hot. It still runs hot. I am running two 8800GT's right now which are known for running hot as well. I thought a new case would help out so I bought one that had two 120mm fans built into the side of it. That helped a little but my computer still locks up due to overheating. I have a feeling that the reason is because I have both monitors hooked up to the Video card that sits on top, and it blows so much heat onto the video card below it that it overheats and locks my computer up.
I am going to upgrade to two of the new GTX 460's in about a week, (They run a lot cooler) but do you think plugging the monitors into the lower video card would help, as there is a lot more room underneath that card?
Posts: 1937 | Registered: Nov 2006
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quote:Originally posted by rollainm: Stick one of these in there.
edit: ooohhh...I didn't know they'd updated the Raptor line. I have the 74gb in my old pc.
I had a friend looking at these. Note that it claims high speed, but it's official transfer speed is only 3.0 Gbps (which isn't any faster than a fast traditional drive).
If you're building a mid-range computer and want a speed boost, you're FAR better off spending extra cache on processor / ram / video card than you are on a SSD. Unless all you care about is a fast boot drive.
Posts: 688 | Registered: Nov 2008
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posted
I would say Dr Strangelove's build is more in the mid-high range.
True, the hard drive may not be the most budget-smart upgrade, but there is a significant performance improvement. I know from personal experience that the 10k rpm is, at least. Not so sure about these new hybrids.
Posts: 1945 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
I've been looking at some SSD's to stick in my machine for my Operating System. I can pick up a 64 GB drive for about $150, but I could also pick up a traditional drive for the same price. I know the SSD would never really go bad, but I don't know if I want to give up all of that space.
Posts: 1937 | Registered: Nov 2006
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posted
If he hadn't built his PC yet, I would have argued that buying a Core i7 would be the best investment he could make, if he wanted to add $100-$200 and make the biggest power contribution.
Ehh, his system is high mid range, not mid high range. He'd need the i7 to breakout.
Posts: 688 | Registered: Nov 2008
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posted
Herblay, most SATA 2 hard drives don't even come close to utilizing all of the 3.0 Gbps interface speed. There's tons of room for that hybrid drive to deliver faster performance.
It is only designed to boost the speed of repetitive reads...but if you boot up and run the same applications every day, this could be really noticeable.
(I'm going to keep an eye on those...thanks for linking, rollainm)
Posts: 4287 | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
Yeah, if I was going for a "mid high range" I would have gone to an i7, but I really didn't feel like I could justify it. I'm happy with high mid range. Honestly, I probably would have been happy with mid mid range but I got kind of carried away. Posts: 2827 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
They say that even the lowest end i7's eat everything else alive. It's because the new Core i's dumped the old front-side bus model. Before, everything on your motherboard was limited to the front-side bus speed when talking to the processor die. Now, with the Core i's, the whole board can talk at the die speed (except for the limitations of the interface, like the ram speed, pci or pci-e ports).
I've been trying for a year, but I still don't think that I can justify one. . . .
Posts: 688 | Registered: Nov 2008
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posted
I've been thoroughly enjoying StarCraft 2 on my new system. I'm not in love with Windows 7, but that's okay since I specifically selected parts known to be compatible with OS X for hackintoshing purposes.
My case is pleasantly quiet. The case fans are nice and big, and even the stock CPU cooling fan (Core i5 750) is pretty quiet. I chose the video card vendor in part because their Radeon 5850 1GB is quieter than others. The HDD (640GB WD Caviar Black) is the most frequent source of noticeable noise, but I'm thinking SSD in Q4 (anticipated price drops), at which point things will get much quieter.
Edit: Geez, I got so caught up in thinking about my own build that I forgot to congratulate you on yours! Congrats! Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000
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twinky, I've actually been reading about your system over on Sake and been meaning to chime in. Congrats yourself for getting a new rig .
I'm probably gonna wait a few months before I get Starcraft 2. I figure I've got a healthy little backlog of games that will keep me happy until the price drops a little. Though who knows how long that might take.
Posts: 2827 | Registered: Jul 2005
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