My New Velocity Micro Campus Edition

[silenteye]

I'm eagerly anticipating my new VM Campus Edition computer coming this friday.
Specs are as follows:

500W VM power supply (apparently can go up to 550W)
E6400 Core 2 Duo 2.13ghz processor (im gonna overclock crap out of this :p)
2 gigs of Corsair Ram
Nvidia Geforce 7600GS 512mb
250GB Harddrive (Western Digital methinks)
Blue Lian Li VM GX Case
Conroe ready Intel motherboard (hope this is good)
Windows XP home (finally an upgrade from good ol ME)

that's all that i can think of right now
anyways it should come this friday, in which I will give my opinions on it

but for now i got a few questions:
1) Will this computer be able to upgrade to a G80 (when it comes out) fairly easily?
2) Is the 7600GS AGP or PCI-E?

That's all I can think of for now
BTW VM had great customer service and a very good staff

that's all for now!

[swatbat]

1. Don't see why not
2. PCI Express. They don't make a core duo board that is agp.

[silenteye]

Ok thanks alot I'm a huge noob at this stuff.
I'm gonna get hated once I get my computer and I move on to trying to OC it. So many questions :p.

[drewin]

If you really are interested in playing some online games you should do what I've done. I bought a Campus edition with the same upgrades you did but I also bought a 7900GTO video card from newegg.com. I noticed you can sell the stock 7600 GS on ebay for about $100, and then use this money towards to 7900GTO video card which should set you back about $250 shipped. This will give you a GREAT video card for only another ~$150.

[Velocity_Micro]

If you really are interested in playing some online games you should do what I've done. I bought a Campus edition with the same upgrades you did but I also bought a 7900GTO video card from newegg.com. I noticed you can sell the stock 7600 GS on ebay for about $100, and then use this money towards to 7900GTO video card which should set you back about $250 shipped. This will give you a GREAT video card for only another ~$150.

Good idea if you can find the GTO around for long. We can't get enough of them to even offer it for sale.

The "next gen" graphics card the OP mentions is a quantum leap in performance and will easily snap right in to your PCI-E slot. It will be a killer rig for a great price with either of these cards.

The Intel board we use with this system (remember this is not designed as a hardcore gaming rig, but you have found an easy way to make it so) is rock solid and somewhat tunable, but not insane. Be level headed about just OCing the FSB and you'll be fine. Remember, we don't warranty the motherboard or CPU if you burn them up overclocking, but it's a very comfortable range you will have to work in with very low risk of damage. Enjoy.

Randy

[swatbat]

Ok thanks alot I'm a huge noob at this stuff.
I'm gonna get hated once I get my computer and I move on to trying to OC it. So many questions :p.

No prob. Most of the people on these forums will answer questions for you without issue. You will see some asshats from time to time though. As you can see from above this post Randy from VM(the President) visits these forums from time to time and can answer some questions as well. It is just another level of support which is nice to find in a company. Few other OEMS have reps that hang around here too. Enjoy your new system man.

[lithium726]

finally an upgrade from good ol ME*shudder*

"good" and "ME" should never be used in the same sentence...

[silenteye]

i hate admitting it, but ME didn't give me too many problems for the 6 years i had it.

yeah i'm kinda new to OCing so i'll just touch the FSB and not do anything with the voltage.

As for videocards, i think i'll be happy enough with the 7600GS and just upgrade when the G80 comes out or whatever.

It should be good enough for now though :p

[ronbotex]

Good idea if you can find the GTO around for long. We can't get enough of them to even offer it for sale.

The "next gen" graphics card the OP mentions is a quantum leap in performance and will easily snap right in to your PCI-E slot. It will be a killer rig for a great price with either of these cards.

The Intel board we use with this system (remember this is not designed as a hardcore gaming rig, but you have found an easy way to make it so) is rock solid and somewhat tunable, but not insane. Be level headed about just OCing the FSB and you'll be fine. Remember, we don't warranty the motherboard or CPU if you burn them up overclocking, but it's a very comfortable range you will have to work in with very low risk of damage. Enjoy.

Randy

Hmm, I too am a happy owner of nice, new, blue Campus Edition. Very happy with it so far. I notice the Campus Edition is no longer offered on the Velocity Micro site.

I did not think the Intel DP965LT board was overclockable. I did not see a manual FSB adjustment for overclocking, but simply could have missed it. I have flashed to the most recent version of the bios(1250?). What am I missing here? :confused:

[drewin]

I'm eagerly anticipating my new VM Campus Edition computer coming this friday.
Specs are as follows:

500W VM power supply (apparently can go up to 550W)

Does anybody know if the 500W power supply on Velocity Campus Edition is powerful enough for a 7900GTO? The GTO specs only call for 450W of power but that only leaves 50W left. Should I try to upgrade my order to the 550W supply? Or does this even matter? Oh, by the way does anybody how much is this upgrade is, since it isn't on the VM website any longer?

[Atilac]

Does anybody know if the 500W power supply on Velocity Campus Edition is powerful enough for a 7900GTO? The GTO specs only call for 450W of power but that only leaves 50W left. Should I try to upgrade my order to the 550W supply? Or does this even matter? Oh, by the way does anybody how much is this upgrade is, since it isn't on the VM website any longer?
You could probably call and adjust your order. For PSU's, the sky should be the limit.

[ChrisMorley]

Does anybody know if the 500W power supply on Velocity Campus Edition is powerful enough for a 7900GTO? The GTO specs only call for 450W of power but that only leaves 50W left. Should I try to upgrade my order to the 550W supply? Or does this even matter? Oh, by the way does anybody how much is this upgrade is, since it isn't on the VM website any longer?

You'll be just fine with our 500w PSU. Good luck finding any more GTOs, though - I'm pretty sure they're all out in the channel now and may have been bought up...we can't get any more.

[drewin]

You'll be just fine with our 500w PSU. Good luck finding any more GTOs, though - I'm pretty sure they're all out in the channel now and may have been bought up...we can't get any more.

I actually have 2X 7900GTOs sitting on my computer desk at home :) The only bad part is I have to wait 2-3 weeks longer for my 2 Campus Editions to be finished... Chris is the 550W power supply a possible upgrade for the Campus Edition? I thought is was but I can't remember. If so how much extra is it? I just was affraid I'd be pushing my PSU to the max with a 7900GTO in the system but if you think 500W will be fine maybe I won't both upgrading unless its a cheap upgrade...

[ChrisMorley]

I actually have 2X 7900GTOs sitting on my computer desk at home :) The only bad part is I have to wait 2-3 weeks longer for my 2 Campus Editions to be finished... Chris is the 550W power supply a possible upgrade for the Campus Edition? I thought is was but I can't remember. If so how much extra is it? I just was affraid I'd be pushing my PSU to the max with a 7900GTO in the system but if you think 500W will be fine maybe I won't both upgrading unless its a cheap upgrade...

It's not an upgrade option but you should be ok with those cards...

[jebo_4jc]

It's not an upgrade option but you should be ok with those cards...seconded

500w of a good PSU is plenty for the configurations being discussed


Chris, what OEM makes the PSUs?

[ChrisMorley]

seconded

500w of a good PSU is plenty for the configurations being discussed


Chris, what OEM makes the PSUs?

One of our trades secrets - but I can tell you that they're a helluva lot more reliable than much of the name brand stuff out there...

[jebo_4jc]

One of our trades secrets - but I can tell you that they're a helluva lot more reliable (#) than much of the name brand stuff out there...I'll take your word for it

[drewin]

Chris. can you tell us why VM took the Campus Edition out of your line up? Was it just intended as a back to school offer or was there another reason. If you can't tell us that's ok, but I figured I'd ask. I'm just glad I finally pulled the trigger and bough two of these the evening before they disappeared off of the VM website.

[traxless]

Same question. Last week I sent VM an email asking about this computer since sales had advised me I could order as late as the end of October. But I never got a reply to my email, which was as disappointing as missing out on the Campus edition. SOL ...

[Velocity_Micro]

The Campus Edition was intended as a back to school special. Incredible price for the performance. Expect a very similar Vector Holiday Edition in a week or so, but this is a secret so don't go posting it on the internet!

Randy

[silenteye]

Don't worry, you're secret's safe with us :D

It's funny because I had bookmarked the Campus Edition page, and now it goes to some office computer lol.

[Chernobyl1]

ummm LOL !

[ronbotex]

Good idea if you can find the GTO around for long. We can't get enough of them to even offer it for sale.

The "next gen" graphics card the OP mentions is a quantum leap in performance and will easily snap right in to your PCI-E slot. It will be a killer rig for a great price with either of these cards.

The Intel board we use with this system (remember this is not designed as a hardcore gaming rig, but you have found an easy way to make it so) is rock solid and somewhat tunable, but not insane. Be level headed about just OCing the FSB and you'll be fine. Remember, we don't warranty the motherboard or CPU if you burn them up overclocking, but it's a very comfortable range you will have to work in with very low risk of damage. Enjoy.

Randy

Ok. No response to my previous post about this comment.

I see NO overclocking options in the BIOS or jumper settings for the DP965LT board used in the Campus Edition. How is the FSB speed modified? :eek:

[silenteye]

crap man, i hope you just havn't found it yet

[ChrisMorley]

I know that in earlier BIOS revisions of some Intel Core 2 boards there were more options - this was the case with the 975X - I'm not sure of what exact options there are for performance tuning on the P965 - it's just not a board that we focus on for the enthusiast. The Campus Edition was supposed to be an extreme value when it came to Core 2 - the best bang for your buck.

[drewin]

From what I have read about the DP965LT motherboard Chris is correct. This board wasn't orginionally intended for OCing, however over the last couple of month Intel has added serveral BIOS updates which now include utility prompts to allow OCing. If you flash your BIOS to the most recent release (BIOS #1458) you should be ok. I actually haven't done this myself since I don't have my machines, but it seems like it should work. If anybody has any more information please share :)

[traxless]

The Campus Edition was intended as a back to school special. Incredible price for the performance. Expect a very similar Vector Holiday Edition in a week or so, but this is a secret so don't go posting it on the internet!

Randy

Best news I've heard this week! And I was so close to buying by second choice. Timing is everything!

[drewin]

It will be interesting how much VM changes the Vector Campus Edition vs. the Vector Holiday Edition. With my luck it will have more upgrades at a better price than the Campus Edition I just purchased... Granted the Holiday Edition hasn't been released yet can you give us an idea of the key features / upgrades? If not I guess we can all wait a week.

[Konrad]

From what I have read about the DP965LT motherboard Chris is correct. This board wasn't orginionally intended for OCing, however over the last couple of month Intel has added serveral BIOS updates which now include utility prompts to allow OCing. If you flash your BIOS to the most recent release (BIOS #1458) you should be ok. I actually haven't done this myself since I don't have my machines, but it seems like it should work. If anybody has any more information please share :)

Updated and still don't see anything, any idea where or how to do so?

[drewin]

I'm sure this is frowned upon however this other forum talks in detail about this exact motherboard and OCing:

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=29&threadid=1908407&frmKeyword=&STARTPAGE=14&FTVAR_FORUMVIEWTMP=Linear

I gave it a quick read and it seems reasonable. Let m eknow if this helps you or not.

[silenteye]

I really don't understand that thread is trying to explain..


How exactly can I overclock this computer, and what does flashing the bios mean? I really hope I don't have to upgrade my mobo.

[drewin]

Basically, flashing your motherboard is what it's called to update your system with the lastest fireware from Intel. It basically going to give you some options which weren't in the origional setting for your motherboard (IE: OCing ability). That link above is a forum of people whom all have this motherboard and are trying to OC with it. Since this last update from Intel it seems like it's possible to OC.

Remember that OCing has been around for some time however the Core 2 Duo processors really make OCing easier since they don't overheat as easy. OCing can damage your hardware for this reason. Imagine for example taking a 120w light bulb and putting more voltage into it. The bulb will still work, brighter than ever however it will fail sooner because it wasn't designed to be used with more voltage. As OCing becomes more common it will get easier to do, but for right now it's kind of technical minus some software packages with make these setting easily accessible.

[Chernobyl1]

Good analogy.
To extend it a little further, there are liquid cooled, highly overdriven light bulbs which wouldnt last a moment without the extra cooling.
Improving your cooling will help you either get even higher clocks or extend the life of your CPU while still nicely clocked.

[silenteye]

Ok wonderful explanation guys

but do you guys know how to flash the bios with this mobo and overclock? (kinda list steps if you can)

[ronbotex]

Updated to 1458 version of BIOS and no OC options that I can see.

[silenteye]

man that sucks, looks like im gonna be stuck at 2.13 ghz for a while :(

[legendz411]

The Campus Edition was intended as a back to school special. Incredible price for the performance. Expect a very similar Vector Holiday Edition in a week or so, but this is a secret so don't go posting it on the internet!

Randy


The irony of that post slays me in humor!


I love this forum!

EDIT:
Plus the light bulb analogy. HA! Excellent explanation!

[JaYp146]

1. Don't see why not
2. PCI Express. They don't make a core duo board that is agp.


Thought I saw an ECS board as part of a Core 2 Duo combo that featured an AGP 8x port somewhere ... oh yeah, a Fry's ad. $170 for the combo, if memory serves (not bad).

Chances are, though, that the 7600GS is PCI express.

[silenteye]

One problem I've heard though is the that fact that the G80 won't be able to fit in mid-size atx cases....do you guys think this will be a problem?

and also, has anyone actually been able to overclock a campus edition processor yet?

[drewin]

I know that in earlier BIOS revisions of some Intel Core 2 boards there were more options - this was the case with the 975X - I'm not sure of what exact options there are for performance tuning on the P965 - it's just not a board that we focus on for the enthusiast. The Campus Edition was supposed to be an extreme value when it came to Core 2 - the best bang for your buck.:


Good idea if you can find the GTO around for long. We can't get enough of them to even offer it for sale.

The "next gen" graphics card the OP mentions is a quantum leap in performance and will easily snap right in to your PCI-E slot. It will be a killer rig for a great price with either of these cards.

The Intel board we use with this system (remember this is not designed as a hardcore gaming rig, but you have found an easy way to make it so) is rock solid and somewhat tunable, but not insane. Be level headed about just OCing the FSB and you'll be fine. Remember, we don't warranty the motherboard or CPU if you burn them up overclocking, but it's a very comfortable range you will have to work in with very low risk of damage. Enjoy.

Randy


Randy and Chris,
You both mentioned that the Campus Edition was sold and designed to be a good system for a great value. Nobody in this forum would argue with that statement :) Can one or both of you please tell us if the DP965LT mobo is OCable? Yes, we know that the Campus Edition wasn't build for enthusiast, but can this machine be OCed? If this machine can't be then maybe you need to make that a little more clear on your website / sales staff... This issue isn't going to change my order(s) (Order # 236131, still waiting to be "Staged for Assembly") but just thought I'd like to know ahead of time.

[ChrisMorley]

The truth is we just haven't looked at it from an overclocking standpoint. We validated the BIOS, drivers, and OS image from a stability and performance standpoint. If you aren't seeing any overclocking options in the BIOS or any new BIOS you have flashed it to, then I think that's your answer. I'm not trying to blow you off, I just have not tried any type of overclocking on the P965 board, and we don't advertise it as such...

[drewin]

The truth is we just haven't looked at it from an overclocking standpoint. We validated the BIOS, drivers, and OS image from a stability and performance standpoint. If you aren't seeing any overclocking options in the BIOS or any new BIOS you have flashed it to, then I think that's your answer. I'm not trying to blow you off, I just have not tried any type of overclocking on the P965 board, and we don't advertise it as such...

Unfortunately, that's what I was afraid of... I think that there is a difference between advertising as (filling the blank) and not advertising as (filling the blank). This isn't a deal breaker for me by any means but without reading in between the lines on this issue the consumers wouldn't know until they try. Maybe in the future a disclaimer on your website or verbal notification from your sales staff would solve this issue / question. Another possible solution would be to put this on the {?) information next to the mobo for all 965 mobos you offer. Since this post sound to negative I'll finish with a :D

Update: I just did some research and it turns out the DP965LT CAN'T OC. If you look at all of the posts on http://www.newegg.com/Product/CustratingReview.asp?item=N82E16813121035 you'll see that everybody states this isn't a OCable mobo. I guess case closed :cool:

[silenteye]

Maybe with time, intel will change something. If not, i may be upgradin my mobo faster than i thought :(

[silenteye]

OK gents well I got my computer in today yay!
Got lots of stuff set up and everything.

Took me bout half an hour to get windows ready because i mistaken one of my product key letter for a number (i had to call VM support to find this out lol)

anyways everythings good right now, will try gaming later

lovin the computer!!
very very quiet so far :P

will update later!

[silenteye]

Gaming progress, ran Half Life 2 flawlessly even while download a crapload of crap.

Only con so far:

the bay above my dvd writer likes to pop in halfway into the case itself, i can get it by nudging my finger to pull it back but just a shake or slight push will do it, but no biggie.


EDIT: one day later....


I'm all in all very happy with this computer. Its run wonderfully and everything.
I'll give it a 10/10 :D

Some weird things though: sometimes when I restart it its makes a big klunk inside (not huge but noticable), and thats pretty much it.

Question though: does anyone know how to make it so that my internet starts up when I turn on the computer (it got it started through the connection wizard and everything)

[ronbotex]

I am very happy with my Campus edition as well.

The only issue I had was with shipping, where I received the PC with the SIMM and Artic 7 cooling fan knocked loose.

Apparently the fan speed sensor may have been damaged, because my system is running a bit hot and fan was running at only 460 RPM. I talked to Ellen in tech support and a new Artic 7 Freezer is on the way. The temporary work around is to plug the fan into a 12V/3pin connector and run it full speed which cools the processor a lot better.

I'm not concerned that the board is not overclockable, because it is plenty fast as it is. What prompted my question was that someone from VM said it was in an earlier post.I did notice that the specific model number of the motherboard used in the Campus Edition was not identified, unlike many of the other systems. It just said an Genuine Intel MB with a 965X chipset. So it was impossible to determine precisely what board and specifications you were getting ahead of time.

My system shipped a week earlier than the estimated date, so overall I'm quite happy with my purchase from VM.

[silenteye]

Update: Cannot get mic to work in any way. It used to work fine Plug n play on my old Win ME hunk of junk, but not this.

It's a Plantronics mic.

It looks like my sound drivers are all Sigmatel or somethin

[OC 335i]

Did you check all your Sound settings to verify the volume is turned up and it is not muted?

[silenteye]

yea i did

when i get home im gonna check the plug in the front of the tower, and see if that one works or not