It's been a log time - 6+ years! Old Rig Start Up, Need Counseling!

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DWD1961

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Nov 30, 2019
Messages
1,314
Specs.

MB: Gigabyte X58 UD5 rev2 (Bought 2010)
CPU: 2008 era Bloomfield Core i7-9xx 1366 2.66Ghz
Power Supply: Kingwin Stryker 500-Watt ATX 500 Fanless Power Supply STR-500
Video: PowerColor Radeon HD7950 880 MHz 3GB DDR5 PCI-Express 3.0 x16 Graphics Cards AX7950 3GBD5-2DHPP

HISTORY

Well, just to keep it short, I was a long term 10 year+ member back before I had a life changing event in 2013. Lost my account information, finances, etc., and now I am back and need some help. Good to be back!

I need to get my old rig running, which has been in a garage for the last 7 years. I'm taking care of my elderly, memory impaired mother, and that's a consideration, since I don't have a lot of time to really immerse myself like I did before. So I just want to get this thing posted to the BIOS as easy as possible. I want to make sure it's going to run before spending any time on it.

BACKGROUND

It was kept in a storage room, in the mountains, high humidity, and not climate controlled. I took the cover off of the case and looked for rat dropping and other signs of mice and rat damage, rust, etc. I didn't find any. It looks pretty clean. The cables, SATA, etc, have a sort of gummy, grimy feel to them, and I attribute that to perhaps dust and condensation over the last 6 years.

Since I got that MB in 2010, I'm pretty sure the CMOS battery is dead.

Any ideas or suggestion are appreciated. Such as, if the battery is dead in this MB, what can i expect? I want to spend as little time making sure this rig is going to actually run before spending any time on it, such as redoing the thermal paste for the CPU tower cooler. (It's an old Cogage tower cooler--lol).

--I don't have money to buy the Windows OS. I have a paid copy running on my laptop, but I need that on my laptop for financial and business stuff. I've read that I can download a copy of Win 10 from MS, and run it unregistered without any problems. Is that true?

--I'm going to reset the cards and RAM before powering on.

--Any other suggestions to get this up and running again would be much appreciated.

--Also, I found a user manual for the Rev 1 board online, but I can't find it for Rev 2. I went to the Gigabyte website,and all they had was the installation manual, not the user manual for either R 1 or 2.

--This was OCed I think to 3600 stable, but I'd like to just get back to the stock settings if the CMOS settings are gone because of a bad battery (Or was that nonvolatile in this board?--I seriously cannot remember). . If I remember correctly, can't I just tell the CMOS to use what it thinks is best, and that's it, reboot,and it posts?

Thanks to all who help. I feel like I have forgotten everything about building hardware. Opened the cover of my old case, and it looked like aliens left something behind. lol
 
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I would definitely suggest replacing the tim before yyou fire it up. It will dry up over time which can result in damage to your cpu. It would probably be a good idea to blow out your psu just to be certain there arent any dust bunnies floating around in there. I would replace the cables that have gummed up if you have spares.
GL and welcome back!
 
More than 8 years ago and a life changing experience you say?

p9418_v_v8_af.jpg

I wouldn't worry about replacing the Tim before doing a test boot. Its not going to catch fire in the few minutes it takes to see if the thing still works or not. If she posts then replace the tim.
 
HEy guys, thanks.

A life changing event like that? HAHAHAHAA

I wish. This was the worst or at least some of the worst 6 years you could imagine, including watching my loved mother decline into nonexistence with Alzheimer's disease.

This day is actually maybe the best in 6 years for me--I'm back talking to people on HARDOCP trying to get my old gaming rig running so I can have some much needed escape time. If I can get it up again, it will be the best time for me in the last 6 years.

Good idea on the PS. I'll get a can of air and blow it out.

What can I expect if the CMOS battery is dead?

Any preference for the tim?

Cables: I will pull out all of the cables I will not be using this time around. When I was using that rig,I had 4 mechanical drives and two SSDs, two DVDs, an external SATA hot swap dock, and a multi card reader. I will be using ONE SSD this time with no DVDs or readers at all. So, I'll get rid of most of the Drive cables. It's strange that only the plastic covered drive cables feel gummy to the touch. I'll get some cleaner and see if it's just surface grime.

Before I spend any time, though, I just want to see if it posts into the CMOS. After that,I'll get to work.
 
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If CMOS battery is dead then time clock will be off and bios won't save settings. shouldn't stop it from posting or anything but it won't remember your changes after restarting. Its easy to change and you can get them at pretty much any store that sells batteries. just power off pull it and take it with you so you get the right one. These batteries are used in alot more than just computers so they are pretty common. No need to get fancy on the tim for an older rig, just pick up whatever is reasonably priced. artic MX4 is usually cheap and good. Your cables are probably fine so don't replace them unless you have issues detecting the drives or they don't perform. As for windows , if you need to re-install, windows 10 can be run without a licence pretty much indefinitely and you don't really lose anything except a few minor cosmetic features. Simply say "i don't have a key" when you get to that part of the installer.
 
May want to double check your cpu and board again. The i7 2600 wasnt compatible with X58 boards. Wish you the best of luck.
 
FlawleZ said:
May want to double check your cpu and board again. The i7 2600 wasnt compatible with X58 boards. Wish you the best of luck.
Click to expand...

I didn't mean 2600, but 2600 Mghz. Sorry about that. I should have said:

Year 2008: Bloomfield Core i7-9xx 1366 2.66Ghz

Changed in original post!
 
motqalden said:
Amazingly enough your rig specs should still do ok on modern games running 1080p on medium settings.
Click to expand...

Yeah it's pretty amazing. Before I bought that card, I was using the old 295 card, but none of the newer games in 2012 were programming for both GPUs, so I was only suing half the card. Otherwise,I would have kept it. The GTX 295 was a beast.

I also was playing Eve, Mortal Online, and Mech Warrior Online, and that was it.Once in a while I'd play something like Crysis to break things up, but it seemed to do ok with it also.

Medium is just fine for higher end games for now, and given it's a 10 year old CPU behind a 7 year old card.

Money didn't use to be a thing for me, but now it is. I've never wanted to just spend money for nothing, and that's why I bought the Bloomfield at 2.66Ghz and OCed it rather than buying the hugely more expensive option. I just want to necro this rig and see if it will do what I need, and that's good enough.
 
Also you should be able to drop in a Westmere chip like a Xeon X5675 for about $25 from ebay. It will give you a highly overclockable hexacore on the cheap that will still hang with many of the newer CPUs.
 
hititnquitit said:
Ah almost forgot to add that you can get win10 pro really cheap thru tech power up
https://www.techpowerup.com/261244/...y-sale-on-genuine-software-lowest-ever-prices

You just need to go get the windows 10 pro installer from microsoft and put it on a thumb drive.
Click to expand...

I was reading on the store about it and it says you need a key to USE the installer? Can I do it old school: download Windows 10 without a key, install the ISO to the thumb drive, install it, then use the key?
 
FlawleZ said:
Also you should be able to drop in a Westmere chip like a Xeon X5675 for about $25 from ebay. It will give you a highly overclockable hexacore on the cheap that will still hang with many of the newer CPUs.
Click to expand...

If I didn't plan on OCing it,would there be any benefit over my already OCed Bloomfield running at 3.4Ghz? (I don't posses the skills to OC anymore and do all the technical stuff like voltages and cooling checking and stuff like that. Too much time for me right now. I just want to get my old rig up so I can play games I already have accounts with (Hope I can still log into them!).
 
DWD1961 said:
If I didn't plan on OCing it,would there be any benefit over my already OCed Bloomfield running at 3.4Ghz? (I don't posses the skills to OC anymore and do all the technical stuff like voltages and cooling checking and stuff like that. Too much time for me right now. I just want to get my old rig up so I can play games I already have accounts with (Hope I can still log into them!).
Click to expand...

Well, yes it would provide you 6 cores over your 4 you currently have. Effectively giving you 12 threads instead of 8. With Windows 10 and recent games even 8 threads is borderline.
If you don't plan to overclock I definitely recommend grabbing the X5690 for about $60 as it's a the fastest clock hexacore CPU you can install with a base frequency of 3.46Ghz and a turbo of 3.7Ghz. These chips also do 4Ghz+ with literally 0 effort.
 
FlawleZ said:
Well, yes it would provide you 6 cores over your 4 you currently have. Effectively giving you 12 threads instead of 8. With Windows 10 and recent games even 8 threads is borderline.
If you don't plan to overclock I definitely recommend grabbing the X5690 for about $60 as it's a the fastest clock hexacore CPU you can install with a base frequency of 3.46Ghz and a turbo of 3.7Ghz. These chips also do 4Ghz+ with literally 0 effort.
Click to expand...

Yeah I can see it, for sure. Would the performance be better with a newer architectural i3 - 6 core? If not, I can really see the cost vs performance here. Thanks a lot. (And also it's the same socket as my MB , so I wouldn't have to buy another MB.
 
I just cleaned up my old monitor, a ASUS VW266H 25.5-Inch, has these black, mold looking spots under the LCD screen, not surface. It's not unusable, but I was wondering if it really is mold or inter-laminar dirt or something? Is there a way to clean it that doesn't require a Ph.D. in LCD disassembly? If it isn't cleanable, what are the minimum specs for decent gaming monitor these days?

That monitor had a G2G response time of 2ms and a refresh of only 60Hz. I never had a problem gaming with it using 1920x1200. 1080p is fine for me too. I always liked 1920x1200, but I could live with 1080 also. Just looking for the cheapest thing I can get if I can't use my old monitor.

If I understand resolution, a 27" screen would be better utilized with 1440p, and running 108- on a 27 is going to be pretty large pixels. I know the 25.5 Asus did look a little more grainy than my 23" when both were running running 1080.I see a lot of reviews now where people are saying 60Hz is too slow for gaming, but we never had problems playing 60Hz monitors at 1080. Has something changed in that respect?

Maybe something like this? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QPBXVBQ/ref=psdc_1292115011_t2_B0099XBO5E
 
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FlawleZ said:
Also you should be able to drop in a Westmere chip like a Xeon X5675 for about $25 from ebay. It will give you a highly overclockable hexacore on the cheap that will still hang with many of the newer CPUs.
Click to expand...

Started checking prices. At that price, I'm not seeing any new, in box CPUs, just used ones (ebay) or "renewed" on Amazon. I did find one on Amazon that does not say renewed, etc., and I have a pending question asking if it is boxed and new for 33.00. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004EET1J4/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza
 
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These CPUs are 10 years old. You're not gonna find one new in a box anymore.
 
Update: I actually got some time tonight and had to keep reminding myself that I needed to STOP doing any unnecessary work before she posts.

--Pulled the power supply access top off and it was perfectly clean. Hit it with some compressed air and not fleck of visible dust flew out.
--Took all of the ram out and CRCed the contacts and same for the seats in the MB.
--Same for the VC
--Douched the top of the MB off with CRC and then blew it dry.
--Found some small mice dropping. Little fuckers. They were inside of the case, but I found no visible damage.
--Undid some connector I'm not going to ever use again, like 6 mechanical HDs, 2 SSDs, and a multicard reader, SATA external combo reader, and a mechanical hard drive hot swap bay. lol
--Stopped to remind myself, "Uh Post, remember?"

I was already to DEL key into the CMOS and. . .then. . .NO WIRED KEYBOARD. I used to have dozens of those relics around. Well, looks like I'll be going to Fry's tomorrow.
 
Skillz said:
These CPUs are 10 years old. You're not gonna find one new in a box anymore.
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LOL, no shit, right? Kinda scared to use a used one. There are some that say "certified" refurbished that are for sale on Amazon. No idea what that means. There was one I think on either Amazon or ebay that said new but open box.

I think if I go with one, I'll pay 42 bucks and get it from Amazon renewed, since they have a 90 day Amazon warranty. What do you think?
https://www.amazon.com/Intel-6-Core...rds=X5675&qid=1575354617&s=electronics&sr=1-1
 
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eBay has a guarantee policy as well. if it doesn't work when you get it, then you'll know as soon as you get it.

CPUs are pretty reliable in that if they aren't DOA, then they're gonna work for a very, very long time. You'll lose the motherboard before the CPU unless you physically damage it or let it overheat by overclocking it too hard.

Go with the cheapest option.

Just make sure the system works before buying upgraded parts for it.
 
Skillz said:
eBay has a guarantee policy as well. if it doesn't work when you get it, then you'll know as soon as you get it.

CPUs are pretty reliable in that if they aren't DOA, then they're gonna work for a very, very long time. You'll lose the motherboard before the CPU unless you physically damage it or let it overheat by overclocking it too hard.

Go with the cheapest option.

Just make sure the system works before buying upgraded parts for it.
Click to expand...

Yeah definitely will do that. Thanks for the encouragement with the CPU. I actually had my first X58MB rev 1 ram stop reporting half of the RAM. I had my 920 OCed to 3600 and running cool, so no idea how that happened. They probably discovered it was OCed when they got the board back for warranty repairs. lol Anyway, I didn't want to wait 30 days,so I bought another X58 which was rev 2. Warranty doesn't mean much when it takes them 30 days and they send you back a board that had a ram problem, instead of sending a new one out. I have no idea if that board got repaired, since I never checked it. It was strange. Everything worked fine, except half the RAM wouldn't show.
 
UPDATE:

She posted tonight with no errors except the CMOS complaining it couldn't load setting due to some sort of OCing error. There were no error codes or beeps. I forgot to check the Fing date and time. I just told the CMOS to load optimal settings,and when I looked at the CPu speed, it said 2800.

CPU idle temp never got over 31C.

I picked up some thermal paste today along with a cheap USB keyboard (yeah, I know but I didn't even have one and I use to have dozens of them sitting around, along with PS2). I got some Zalman STC8. I have no idea if it is junk or not, but it was on sale at Frys for 2 bucks.

Anyone know what type of errors that X58 UD5 motherboard will do if the battery is dead?
 
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If the battery is dead it should just go to bios every time you turn the power off and on. Basically it should have no effect unless it loses power and even then it will just ask for you to redo a few options (maybe boot drive order or time or other basic stuff).
 
Ran into a small problem.

I am using a Thermalright Coage 120mm Free Spirit CPU cooler.I remember way back in the day when the F-ing fan clip broke one day. I used a very thin copper wire and snaked in through all of the holed in the fin section of the cooler (they actually had the tiny holes that the clip fit into in every fin) and mounted the fan like that. Anyone have any novel ideas about how to remount the fan to the cooler other than that? Right now I'm sitting here with my car at the dealership and everything ready to go back in after cleaning the CPU and Cooler of old thermal paste.
 
I just found my old membership "DougWD."

I also found in that sig my necro rig's details:

CPU: Intel 920 C0 stepping OC: 3.8 181 x 21
vCore at load: 1.264
Ram v. 1.26
BIOS FA
MB: Gig X58 U5 v2
RAM: OCZ Performance Triple @ 12GB (x2 6GB matched pairs) 8 8 8 24 60 x12GBs at 1448Mhz
PSU: Kingwin 1000wt Mach 1 Modular
VIDEO: BFG 295<--NEver updated it with my current card, which is the PowerColor Radeon HD7950 880 MHz 3GB DDR5 PCI-Express 3.0 x16 Graphics Cards AX7950 3GBD5-2DHPP
CASE: Rosewill THOR V2

And. . . .I have no idea what al that shit means now---LOL!

UPDATE: Everything is cleaned out now, pulled zillions of SATA cablesout that I don;t need, pulled out two front case bays, one an old multi drive reader, and one a hot swap bay for a mechanical drive, both now residing in the trash can.

I just cleaned the cooler and CPU and used some 2 dollar Fry's special paste by Zalman STC8. No idea if it's really Crest toothpaste or really thermal paste.

I just thought about something. The thermal paste I cleaned off was still there, but was dry. I rubbed in on my fingers and it still had that greasy feel, but was dry at the same time. Anyway, what about my graphics card and it's cooler? Won't that be all dried up as well and overheat the card? It's the stock cooler that cameon it.
 
It likely has dried up as well so redoing it would be a good thing. It isnt going to kill your card if you are using it as is tho. You would have to allow it to run for quite awhile at max allowable temps to do any real damage.
 
Skillz said:
Just use zip ties to hold the fan to the tower.
Click to expand...
Tried that, as was my first idea too, but the ties are too stiff to be effective. I actually went to Home depot and they didn't have any thin wire, so the dude working their sold me 3 feet of thin single strand bulk wire and stripped it right there. Cost me 75 cents, and we talked about how there aren't any other places to go to get stuff like that since Radio Shack died. Anything like that is now the realm of mostly online purchases.
 
hititnquitit said:
It likely has dried up as well so redoing it would be a good thing. It isnt going to kill your card if you are using it as is tho. You would have to allow it to run for quite awhile at max allowable temps to do any real damage.
Click to expand...

Really? That's good to know. I've never removed a GPUs heat sink set up. After I get the OS installed I'll set up all of my software and test for heat. Thanks.
 
Don't need to bend the zip ties to attach a fan to a tower heatsink.

FF8FRTSIJOLTIDM.LARGE.jpg


As you can see. No need to bend the zip tie. You just need to cut the end off one to use as "nut" on the other end of the zip tie you slide through.

Works great.
 
Skillz said:
Don't need to bend the zip ties to attach a fan to a tower heatsink.

View attachment 204841

As you can see. No need to bend the zip tie. You just need to cut the end off one to use as "nut" on the other end of the zip tie you slide through.

Works great.
Click to expand...

As soon as I saw that picture, I was like, DUH! Brilliant!
 
Cmos battery should be your standard CR2032 nickel sized battery..at least most of them are. Dollar Tree's in my area started carrying these recently, which is great as alot of devices seem to use this exact battery type.
 
jlbenedict said:
Cmos battery should be your standard CR2032 nickel sized battery..at least most of them are. Dollar Tree's in my area started carrying these recently, which is great as alot of devices seem to use this exact battery type.
Click to expand...
I had a Rayovac I bought at Wallmart a bout a moth ago. I used that but I should have bought the Duracell. They are a lot cheaper than the Duracell, but probably don;t last as long. I wouldn't use those dollar tree batteries. I've tested those dollar tree AA batteries (sunbeam/Panasonic) against Duracell, etc., and they have like 50% of the power. lol
 
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