| Windows 7: First computer build |
05 Aug 2011
|
#2 | | Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Southern California |
77273GU,
I'm very happy with the performance I'm getting from my Crucial m4 128gb SSD drive and as it is both Sata II/III capable it's a solid choice. A good DVD/CD drive I go cheap but good quality with a Lite On unit. The rest of the build I will need to spend some time with but they are all great names and solid performers. Don't forget you will still need a good spinner HD for data as the SSD will only be for OS and Applications. | My System Specs | | System Manufacturer/Model Number A blend of brains, brawn and dumb luck, ask me about rig #2 ! OS Windows 7 Ultimate 64 CPU i7 3770k OC'd 4.6 @ 1.17v, still love my FX 8120 Motherboard MSI P67A-GD80 b3 Memory 16 gb Crucial Ballistix Tracer DDR3 9-9-9-27 @ 2000 Graphics Card XFX Radeon 7870 Sound Card On board HD audio with lossless 24 bit/192 sample rate Monitor(s) Displays (2) LG LED 23" 1920 x 1080 2ms Monitors via mini d-port Screen Resolution 1680 X 1050 p Keyboard (2) Logitech Illuminated Keyboards (1) usb (1) wireless K800 Mouse Logitech G9x & T-BC21 - nano nx for the laptop PSU Ultra X4 modular 1050 watt 80% silver rating & APC 1200 RS Case CoolerMaster Storm Styker Cooling 6 case fans 140mm & 120mm, Thermaltake h2o extreme Hard Drives Samsung 256 gb 830 SSD sata III
(2) 1 tb Hitachi deskmates/sata II
(1) 1 tb WD green/sata II
(2) 2 tb WD My Book/esata
(1) 500 gb Sea. Freeagent/esata
(2) 250 gb Sea. Freeagent go's/usb
(1) WD 2 tb Green 64 sata III
(1) 120 gb OCZ Vertex SS Internet Speed Upgraded from bottom of the barrel to bareable Other Info 4 Noctua case fans + 3 Noctua in p/p on H100 cooler
Integrated hot swap drive bays for 2.5" Drives
(2) Lite-on dvd/cd optical 22X
Integrated fan controller and led on/off
HP Officejet Pro L7680 all-n-one
HP 4 laserjet (the beast)
Hot swappable 3.5" hard drive bay
Belkin Play N600 HD router
Asus USB 3 & sata 6 PCIe card
Vantec IDE to sata adptr./Ultra sata adptr
HP Probook i3 laptop |
05 Aug 2011
|
#3 | | 64-Bit Windows7 Ult-SP1 UK |
the motherboard has a manual which will explain all about the BIOS - it's available online as well: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Motherboards- ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.1)
you shouldn't need to worry yourself too much about settings, etc - there'll be a set-up disc as well.. | My System Specs | | System Manufacturer/Model Number benchtec, built to personal specs OS 64-Bit Windows7 Ult-SP1 CPU i7-965 Extreme Edition (8 Cores) at 3.3GHz (no OC) Motherboard BloodRage QuantumForce X58 (Socket1366) Memory 6G Corsair Dominator DDR3 - tripled Graphics Card 2xMSI AMD6870's in crossfire Sound Card Sonar(SB)X-Fi onboard Monitor(s) Displays SyncMaster P2050 20" Screen Resolution 1600x900 (widescreen) Keyboard Logitech G19 (wired) Mouse Logitech G9 Laser (wired) PSU 1000w Corsair Case ANTEC 900/2 all blue lights, etc.. Cooling Noctua SE1366 NH-U12P - a tight fit, but a monster cooler!! Hard Drives 64G\OCZSeries2SSD, 60G\OCZVertex2SSD, 1TB\spinpointF1SATA Internet Speed 50mb |
05 Aug 2011
|
#4 | | Windows 7 Pro X64 SP1 Danbury, CT |
SSD: 120 GB OCZ Vertex 3: Newegg.com - OCZ Vertex 3 VTX3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
or, for less money, OCZ Agility 3: Newegg.com - OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
DVD burner: I've had short lifetimes from a couple of LiteOn drives. (Maybe it's just me.) My Samsung drive is no longer available. Here's another: Newegg.com - SAMSUNG CD/DVD Burner 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model SH-222AB - CD / DVD Burners
For the mechanical hard drive, I suggest a Western Digital Caviar Black: Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1502FAEX 1.5TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
(1.5 TB, 6Gb/s SATA, 64 MB cache, dual processors. Slightly lower cost per terabyte than the 1 or 2 TB versions.)
Overclocking a 2500k is about as easy as it gets: you raise the multiplier. It gets trickier if you wish to try for 5GHz, but 4+ GHz is easy.
If you're looking for a third-party cooler, this one is popular: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835103065
It's not the best available, but for $28, it's good. (Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus.) | My System Specs | | System Manufacturer/Model Number homegrown OS Windows 7 Pro X64 SP1 CPU Intel Core I7-3930k Motherboard Asus P9X79 Pro Memory 16 GB Gskill DDR3-2133 Graphics Card eVGA GTX680 Sound Card Creative X-Fi Titanium Monitor(s) Displays As PA246Q Screen Resolution 1920 X 1200 Keyboard cheap Logitech USB Mouse Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer (old optical) USB PSU PCP&C Silencer 750 Crossfire Case Silverstone FT02 Cooling Noctua NH-D14 Hard Drives Corsair Force GT, 120 GB
WDC 1.5TB Caviar Black Internet Speed 6Mb cable Other Info Pioneer BDR-205
Samsung SH-203B
Monsoon 5.1 speakers |
06 Aug 2011
|
#5 | | Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit |
Thanks for all your replies.
Ill edit my post to show updates from info provided. I was looking at a WD HD for data storage and will prob. go with the Black. I'm still on the fence on whether to go with a SSD and a spinner or just a spinner.
I read through the MB manual and it answered a lot of questions but created others. Have to read that again.
I found this vid from Newegg with an Asus rep about over clocking. ‪Newegg TV: Sandy Bridge Overclocking & UEFI Demo on ASUS P8P67 P67 1155‬‏ - YouTube
At 20.00 it explains how the bios will overclock for you with just a few clicks from the AI suite 2. (added cooler to op)
@BugMeister
About the set up disk. I was under the impression that it was best to download all drivers and software from Asus and forget about the disk. Whats the best way to go about it? Do I need some things from the disk and others from Asus? Does the download link you provided have all downloads needed?
Thanks | My System Specs | | System Manufacturer/Model Number Born on date-10-7-2011 OS Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit CPU Intel Core i5-2500 K Motherboard Asus P8Z68-V Bios 0902 Memory 8GB J Skill- F312800CLD-8GBXM Graphics Card Saphire 6870 & Intel HD 3000 Sound Card Realtek HD Audio Monitor(s) Displays Asus VE258Q Screen Resolution 1920 X 1080 Keyboard CM Storm Trigger Cherry Blues Mouse Logitech G500, Razer Tron PSU Corsair TX 650 V2 Case Corsair Carbide 400R Cooling Corsair H60 Hard Drives 64g Crucial M4 SSD, 750g WD Caviar Black |
06 Aug 2011
|
#6 | | Windows 7 Ultimate X64 SP1 Mt. Crumpit/Whoville |
I would agree on not going with a Liteon combo drive, I've had two quit working within two months. I would suggest going with a Bluray/DVD/CD combo burner. I have a LG and it works very well. Here's some to look at: Newegg.com - Blu-ray Burners, Blu-ray Writers The ASUS is a good choice too. | My System Specs | | Computer type PC/Desktop System Manufacturer/Model Number Home Built Desktop By DataTech OS Windows 7 Ultimate X64 SP1 CPU Intel i5-2550K, Differing ~4.4-4.8GHz No built in GPU Motherboard ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 Memory 16GB G.Skill Sniper 2133MHz 4x4GB Graphics Card ASUS ENGTX460 DirectCU/2DI/1GD5 GeForce GTX 460 Sound Card Onboard Realtek 5-1 Monitor(s) Displays Samsung P2570HD Screen Resolution 1920x1080 Keyboard Old, beat-up Dell USB From 10 yrs Ago Mouse Gigabyte m6900 wired PSU Corsair HX650W Case Inwin Dragon Rider Cooling Hyper 212 EVO w/two Noctua fans, push-pull, @1300 RPM Hard Drives Crucial M4 128GB for OS, 750GB Seagate MomentusXT for data, 500GB Seagate Constellation for storage Internet Speed 8-19 Mbs down, 3-4 Mbs up Comcast Cable Antivirus Norton Internet Security Browser IE 9, Opera when needed Other Info 4 case fans, LG BluRay-RE, ASUS DVD-RW, Mr. Fusion power generator with flux capacitor, 1.21 gigawatts. |
07 Aug 2011
|
#7 | | 64-Bit Windows7 Ult-SP1 UK |
the ASUS site has all the latest drivers
there's no harm in running the installation disk that they send with the motherboard
- you can always update a particular element of the BIOS at a later date,
- and you'd normally only do it if you absolutely needed to..
- the manual will explain how to install BIOS updates..
PS: BIOS updates don't happen that often, and they aren't issued automatically,
as they often only cure specific issues relating to hardward set-ups..
you would normally only consider updating the BIOS if the newer one solved a problem
particular to your set-up.. don't be tempted to experiment with BIOS settings you can wreck a computer, if you don't know exactly what you're doing..
the BIOS is not one of those things that absolutely requires updating at all times..
you normally only do it if you really have to, and there's no other option to solve a particular issue.. | My System Specs | | System Manufacturer/Model Number benchtec, built to personal specs OS 64-Bit Windows7 Ult-SP1 CPU i7-965 Extreme Edition (8 Cores) at 3.3GHz (no OC) Motherboard BloodRage QuantumForce X58 (Socket1366) Memory 6G Corsair Dominator DDR3 - tripled Graphics Card 2xMSI AMD6870's in crossfire Sound Card Sonar(SB)X-Fi onboard Monitor(s) Displays SyncMaster P2050 20" Screen Resolution 1600x900 (widescreen) Keyboard Logitech G19 (wired) Mouse Logitech G9 Laser (wired) PSU 1000w Corsair Case ANTEC 900/2 all blue lights, etc.. Cooling Noctua SE1366 NH-U12P - a tight fit, but a monster cooler!! Hard Drives 64G\OCZSeries2SSD, 60G\OCZVertex2SSD, 1TB\spinpointF1SATA Internet Speed 50mb |
07 Aug 2011
|
#8 | | Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 X64/ linux in VM NW Florida |
Bugmeister gave you good advice about updating bios and changing things you don't understand. When you first turn the computer on, push the key to enter bios, or usually the computer will give you a message to enter bios setup. The first thing I do is load optimized defaults. Next go to storage controller and set that as what you want. Options are usually IDE, AHCI or RAID. Most here recommend AHCI, next set the boot order (where you want the computer to boot from first, second etc. You will probably want to set the CD/DVD drive first so it will boot from the installation DVD and the hard drive second. I check the ram voltage (dram voltage on some computers) and make sure it is set to the voltage listed on the stick of ram you are using, it will usually set the timings for you. Set the USB controllers to enabled and if the option is listed, boot from legacy devices should be enabled (this allows you to boot from a USB stick and also allows you to use USB 2.0 in USB 3.0 ports), Save and exit. Then put the Installation dvd in and install windows. | My System Specs | | Computer type PC/Desktop System Manufacturer/Model Number Home Built- Always under construction OS Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 X64/ linux in VM CPU Intel i7-3770K Motherboard Asus Maximus V Extreme Z77 Memory 8GB G.Skill Ripjaws Z DDR3-2400 (2X4GB) Graphics Card EVGA GTX 670 SC 4GB Sound Card On Board Monitor(s) Displays Asus 24" LCD Screen Resolution 1920X1080 Keyboard Logitech G510 Mouse Logitech G500 PSU CORSAIR AX850 Case Cooler Master HAF X Cooling Custom Water Cooling Hard Drives Samsung 840 Pro 256 GB, Samsung 840 Pro 256 GB, Samsung 830 256GB, Samsung HD103SJ 1TB . External HD- Black X dock esata 1TB Samsung Spinpoint, Rosewill USB 3.0 dock 1TB Samsung Spinpoint Internet Speed carrier pigeon speed Antivirus MSE/MBAM Browser ie8 Other Info 2nd Rig,Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 X64, i7-2600K, Asrock P67 Extreme 4, 8GB DDR3-2133, HAF XM case, Noctua NH-D14, Gigabyte HD6950 OC 1GB, 2 X Crucial M4 128GB, Asus 24" LED.
Laptop- Samsung RF711-SO1 17" i5-2310M, 8GB DDR3-1333, Crucial M4 and OCZ vertex2, Nvidia GT540M.Win 7 HP X64 SP1. |
07 Aug 2011
|
#9 | | Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit SP1 St Thomas, Virgin Islands |
Looks like you will have a great build when all is finished!
Just one note - Wait until after you have installed the OS on your intended system drive before adding the data drive(s). This is not an absolute must, but will make the OS install simpler. | My System Specs | | System Manufacturer/Model Number Custom Build OS Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit SP1 CPU Intel QX9650 - Mild Overclock to 3.5Ghz Motherboard ASUS P5Q SE Plus Memory 16GB G.Skill F2-6400 at 840Mhz Graphics Card nVidia Ge Force GTX 550ti Sound Card On Board Monitor(s) Displays HP w2408h Screen Resolution 1920 x 1200 Keyboard Logitech Illuminated Mouse Logitech Wireless Trackball M570 PSU Antec Basiq BP500U Case CoolerMaster ATX ATC-210 Cooling Non-Stock Heatsink w/high speed CPU fan Hard Drives CRUCIAL M4 128Gb SSD, --
Two - WDC WD1001FALS-00J7B0 SATA's, -- One
WDC WD2001FASS-00U0B0 SATA |
08 Aug 2011
|
#10 | | Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit |
Good bios info!
Thats what I wanted to here. Don't touch it, it works just fine.
It was never my intent to change anything that wasn't necessary for this build. I was looking for things that had to be changed and general tips and info on how to get the system up and running and thats what i received.
If theres anything else I'm all ears.
Thanks again | My System Specs | | System Manufacturer/Model Number Born on date-10-7-2011 OS Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit CPU Intel Core i5-2500 K Motherboard Asus P8Z68-V Bios 0902 Memory 8GB J Skill- F312800CLD-8GBXM Graphics Card Saphire 6870 & Intel HD 3000 Sound Card Realtek HD Audio Monitor(s) Displays Asus VE258Q Screen Resolution 1920 X 1080 Keyboard CM Storm Trigger Cherry Blues Mouse Logitech G500, Razer Tron PSU Corsair TX 650 V2 Case Corsair Carbide 400R Cooling Corsair H60 Hard Drives 64g Crucial M4 SSD, 750g WD Caviar Black First computer build problems? All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:13 AM. | |