New Computer Final Touches

[Darker]

I've been studying, researching, and pricing a new computer build for the past week; and have finally placed my order. Its replacing my 7 year old system, for gaming and home use. I'm just trying to make sure I've got the proper connectors, cooling, and support to get it all together once its delivered. The system being shipped is:

i7 Bare bones kit: EVGA X58 SLI LE Barebone Kit - Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz, 6GB DDR3-1333 Corsair, 1TB Hitachi HDD, ATX Case, 750 Watt PSU EVGA X58 SLI LE, Ci7 920, 6GB, 1TB, 750W at TigerDirect.com

EVGA GTX 280: Newegg.com - EVGA 01G-P3-1280-TR GeForce GTX 280 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

2x 120mm case fans: Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER R4-L2R-20CG-GP 120mm Green LED Case Fan - Case Fans

ASUS 23" GTG LCD: Newegg.com - ASUS VH236H Black 23" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 20000 :1 (ASCR) Built in Speakers - LCD Monitors


The bare bones kit wasn't my first choice of case and PSU, but with all the rebates and deals at the time it was just as much as buying all the pieces individually at their cheapest from several different sites AND had the hard drive as well. Planing on this new system lasting me a while, and anything is going to feel like a huge improvement over what I have now (been running games at low setting if at all)


My first concern is cooling. I don't typically overclock, though I may trying clocking the i7 to 3.0 if its not to much hassle. I bought the 2 case fans above since the case apparently doesn't come with any, and was originally going to stick with the stock CPU cooler. Would this be enough to keep the computer safe at stock speeds while gaming?

The other concern is the 750 Power supply. The GTX 280 came with 6 pin to 8 pin, and 4 pin to 6 pin converters though so I think it should be fine. but I've heard mixed things.

As far as OS: Plan A is to plug in my existing hard drive and hope that windows XP still runs. regardless if its 32 or 64 bit, it should last me till windows 7 comes out. Plan B is to run the RC Windows 7 on the new hard drive and plug in my current hard drive as a secondary. Until 7 is released that is.

Other then that, I plan on using the same DVD/CD drive, and if needed my current sound and network card. Is there anything else I need to worry about when building the new system once it's delivered?

[Atomic Rooster]

The OEM CPU cooler will be sufficient for normal use. When you decide to start overclocking, I would suggest getting a better cooler such as the XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V.


The PSU has two 6-pin PCIe connectors, so you will need to use the adapter for the video card's 8-pin connection.


You can use this method of transferring the drive with XP to a new system: Swapping your board without so much as a reinstall

Quote:

The first thing to do is ensure Windows is in a state where it can work on the new system. In the case of 2000 and XP, this just means that it has to be able to access the hard drives.

To do this, replace the Bus Master drivers with standard generic drivers, as seen below. The drivers you need to be working on are found in Device Manager under "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers". Ignore the Primary and Secondary, go for the other one. nForce users will only see one entry per controller.



If you're changing chipset (think in terms of drivers - Drivers for the VIA KT133 work fine with a KT400, but drivers for i815 won't work at all with an AMD760MPX), then you'll want to knock out the AGP drivers too to avoid video problems after the switch. Either uninstall them from the Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs or, in the case of VIA's 4in1, from the driver installation program. If you have neither (ie. SiS, ALi) or just can't be bothered, then observe the illustration below.



The standard PCI to PCI bridge disables everything AGP, but also makes sure that old AGP drivers aren't around to screw your system up.

You should be good to go now, but it's worth it to do some more cleaning up. Remove both USB controllers (don't do this if you have a USB keyboard/mouse, duh) and uninstall your display drivers. Also uninstall any other non-critical drivers from the Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel, or any other option your driver installer has. They'll need to be reinstalled anyway, since Windows has to reinstall devices if they change INT# lines and they will.

I've used this method a few times with great success.


You wont need your sound and LAN cards as the motherboard has both built in.

[Darker]

Thanks, that article was a good read.

[Darker]

So I ordered the Dark knight Heat sink. Problem is, the Computer case just arrived yesterday and I found out it has 7 inches worth of clearance in the case; where as the Heat sink stands 6.3 inches high. Depending on how it sits on the motherboard, I'm worried the case isn't going to have enough clearance. Also I'm not sure if that height measurements was to the top of the heat sink, or the top of those little metal nubs that stick out on top.

Anyone with this heat sink know how high it sits total after being installed on the mother board? Also if it does fit, whats the best way to position the fan on an intel motherboard?

Plan B is to use the stock heat sink for now and order a new case with the room later. The case I got was part of the Tiger i7 bundle anyway, so I wasn't that attached to it. Any recommendations for cases between 50-80$ after rebate?


Also looking for recommendations or deal watches on some other accessories...

Keyboard (less then 70$ after sales): Used for gaming though dosen't have to be a gaming keyboard. Replacing a standard keyboard that was pulled out of a box in a closet (though still works well). If it is at the higher end of the price range its features should justify the price; otherwise I'd just stick with my current working beatup keys.

5.1 Speakers (Under 100): Are there any other options besides the Logitech and creative? The Creative 5200 I have now are ok, except currently the sound fades in and out if its set anywhere under 5 (which i think is just a problem with the remote. Wish i could replace that part but the warranty is probably expired). Was hoping to wait for a sale that beast the 75$ for the x-540 on newegg

Headphones (Under 40$): I Like having a good pair of "earmuff" headphones for home use, but really don't like the idea of spending much more then 30$ for them.

Case (50-80$): Same thing I mentioned at the top of my post. Something that has enough clearance for the heat sink, so wider then 7 inches inside. Don't care if its mid or full barring price, though I am used to mid's. Already have two 120mm and an 80mm fan that I was expecting to use on the stock case I got.


Should be building it tonight if all goes well.

[Darker]

Its been said many times before, but the Dark Knight Heatsink just cleared the case. The case I had was advertised as having a width of 7.5", and the inside of the case form where the motherboard sits to where the cover slides was exactly 7 inches long. But the 6.3" inch Dark Knight mounted on the motherboard just makes clearance by about 1/8th of an inch. Yay!

So building almost went flawlessly... except the DVD drive I was planning on swapping from my old system to install windows RC was IDE only and the Motherboard only had SATA inputs. I just want it done so a quick trip to best buy tommorow looks to be in order (since theres no where better to buy dvd drives in store around here...)

I'll probably pick up either the G11 or the eclipse tommorow as well.