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chungsotheby
n00b
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2006
- Messages
- 4
For parts list as well as some other info on the system, go to this post
A couple observations from before I started working:
-The Lian Li v600 is a pretty sizeable case. I was thinking that it would be a good deal smaller, expecially in the depth department. However, it is well-built and pretty light.
-Mobo is really nice, but seems like they could have put a few "Hold Here" tabs instead of just making you guess.
-I decided to use an existing Quadro fx3400 instead of my softmodded 6800ultra to begin the build. Easier card to predict, and a real Quadro, so no need to start the system off with NVStrap, Rivatuner, etc.
Now, on to setting up and installing the components (Day 1)
-Installing the MoBo was easy enought, but for some reason, using the allocated holes and the mounting brack "nuts" supplied by Lian, the motherboard seems very flexible and not too well anchored. This was not evident at first, but became noticeable when installing components into the motherboard.
-The cpu power input is kind of in an awkward place, especially when using the 7700. Very tought to reach around the mounted Zalman and push in the power connector
-The Zalman only has a 3 pin power connector, while Asus has a 4 pin power output for the CPU fan. Installed it on the 4 pin and seems to work fine
-The inside of the case seems to have a decent amt of space as well as anchor points for any loose cabling
-The Asus has a confusing RAM labelling structure. They have two groups of two banks, however, the banks that are grouped with each other are different colors. In the manual, the banks that are paired are labelled as "A1(Yellow)-A2(black)" and "B1(Yellow)-B2(Black)." Why not just make the banks that need to be coupled for DDR Ram operation the next to each other AND the same color?
-The Antec is really nice. Great fit and finish, and not too heavy. The cabling isnt too stiff either, and the modular cables really help out a lot.
Starting up for the first time (Day 2)
-For some reason, my videocard is whirring at full speed, and it is really effing loud. I mean, it is by far the loudest thing in my system, including the 2 120mm fans, the PSU and the Zalman. Have no idea why that is. Never seemed to be this loud, or maybe I didn't notice it while it was in the sealed case.
-Asus really needs to coordinate their wording between their website and their manuals. To update the BIOS, there should be a couple of clear cut options. However, the names on the site don't really correspond to the ones in the manual, and vice-versa.
-When trying to update the BIOS using the USB option given to me by Asus, I wasn't able to get my thumbdrive recognized, even though in the BIOS it said that the USB devices were enabled. Gonna try to install XP without updating the BIOS, and update it at a later time, possibly when the USB inputs are working
-Going into System Information in the BIOS, I see that the motherboard temp is 37C and the CPU temp is around 50C. This seems really high, especially since it is not at load. Maybe the Arctic Silver hasn't quite bonded the 7700 to the CPU yet. However, this is still a note of concern.
-Jesus! Started XP install at 6:35, ended at 6:50. Now installing Nvidia drivers off of thumbdrive, so that issue is resolved.
-Restarted machine, took literally 10 seconds. My lord is this thing fast. Gonna see how it does later after installing all the needed programs.
-Installed Speedfan and CPU-Z. Speedfan says CPU is at 52C now, with AUX at 127C (hotter than boiling!) system at 42C and HD0 (the Raptor) at 32C. Way too high for the CPU. Gonna have to see what is wrong with the CPU, whether I need to RMA it or if I erred in the 7700 installation
-I am touching the Zalman's copper fins, and they are room temp. Highly doubt that the heatspreader is in good contact with the CPU.
-The Nvidia is still whirring pretty loud, but a little calmer than before. It is warm to the touch, but not too bad. Using Forceware, the temp is at 57C, which is pretty normal.
-Installing Nero right now, and the Lite-On DVD is somewhat noisy, but then again, the comp still doesnt have both lids on, so that could go down somewhat.
-For some reason, the Internet Explorer and My Network Places icons aren't showing up on the main desktop, but when I uses Windows Explorer and do an "up one level" from My Computer, they show up as being part of the desktop. Gonna have to figure that one out.
-PowerDVD install took 20 secs.
-Just figured out the non-showing desktop items problem. Everything, other than the CPU temp, starting to fall into place. Wonder if I should replace the zalman with the stock intel cooler to see if that does anything.
Gonna shut the system down now. I will post more as I begin to fine tune the system (ie finish installing everything, cable management, burn-in, etc). Please post any comments, suggestions, or opinions. Hope you all enjoyed this, and after I am satisfactory with the build, I will proceed to overclocking.
A couple observations from before I started working:
-The Lian Li v600 is a pretty sizeable case. I was thinking that it would be a good deal smaller, expecially in the depth department. However, it is well-built and pretty light.
-Mobo is really nice, but seems like they could have put a few "Hold Here" tabs instead of just making you guess.
-I decided to use an existing Quadro fx3400 instead of my softmodded 6800ultra to begin the build. Easier card to predict, and a real Quadro, so no need to start the system off with NVStrap, Rivatuner, etc.
Now, on to setting up and installing the components (Day 1)
-Installing the MoBo was easy enought, but for some reason, using the allocated holes and the mounting brack "nuts" supplied by Lian, the motherboard seems very flexible and not too well anchored. This was not evident at first, but became noticeable when installing components into the motherboard.
-The cpu power input is kind of in an awkward place, especially when using the 7700. Very tought to reach around the mounted Zalman and push in the power connector
-The Zalman only has a 3 pin power connector, while Asus has a 4 pin power output for the CPU fan. Installed it on the 4 pin and seems to work fine
-The inside of the case seems to have a decent amt of space as well as anchor points for any loose cabling
-The Asus has a confusing RAM labelling structure. They have two groups of two banks, however, the banks that are grouped with each other are different colors. In the manual, the banks that are paired are labelled as "A1(Yellow)-A2(black)" and "B1(Yellow)-B2(Black)." Why not just make the banks that need to be coupled for DDR Ram operation the next to each other AND the same color?
-The Antec is really nice. Great fit and finish, and not too heavy. The cabling isnt too stiff either, and the modular cables really help out a lot.
Starting up for the first time (Day 2)
-For some reason, my videocard is whirring at full speed, and it is really effing loud. I mean, it is by far the loudest thing in my system, including the 2 120mm fans, the PSU and the Zalman. Have no idea why that is. Never seemed to be this loud, or maybe I didn't notice it while it was in the sealed case.
-Asus really needs to coordinate their wording between their website and their manuals. To update the BIOS, there should be a couple of clear cut options. However, the names on the site don't really correspond to the ones in the manual, and vice-versa.
-When trying to update the BIOS using the USB option given to me by Asus, I wasn't able to get my thumbdrive recognized, even though in the BIOS it said that the USB devices were enabled. Gonna try to install XP without updating the BIOS, and update it at a later time, possibly when the USB inputs are working
-Going into System Information in the BIOS, I see that the motherboard temp is 37C and the CPU temp is around 50C. This seems really high, especially since it is not at load. Maybe the Arctic Silver hasn't quite bonded the 7700 to the CPU yet. However, this is still a note of concern.
-Jesus! Started XP install at 6:35, ended at 6:50. Now installing Nvidia drivers off of thumbdrive, so that issue is resolved.
-Restarted machine, took literally 10 seconds. My lord is this thing fast. Gonna see how it does later after installing all the needed programs.
-Installed Speedfan and CPU-Z. Speedfan says CPU is at 52C now, with AUX at 127C (hotter than boiling!) system at 42C and HD0 (the Raptor) at 32C. Way too high for the CPU. Gonna have to see what is wrong with the CPU, whether I need to RMA it or if I erred in the 7700 installation
-I am touching the Zalman's copper fins, and they are room temp. Highly doubt that the heatspreader is in good contact with the CPU.
-The Nvidia is still whirring pretty loud, but a little calmer than before. It is warm to the touch, but not too bad. Using Forceware, the temp is at 57C, which is pretty normal.
-Installing Nero right now, and the Lite-On DVD is somewhat noisy, but then again, the comp still doesnt have both lids on, so that could go down somewhat.
-For some reason, the Internet Explorer and My Network Places icons aren't showing up on the main desktop, but when I uses Windows Explorer and do an "up one level" from My Computer, they show up as being part of the desktop. Gonna have to figure that one out.
-PowerDVD install took 20 secs.
-Just figured out the non-showing desktop items problem. Everything, other than the CPU temp, starting to fall into place. Wonder if I should replace the zalman with the stock intel cooler to see if that does anything.
Gonna shut the system down now. I will post more as I begin to fine tune the system (ie finish installing everything, cable management, burn-in, etc). Please post any comments, suggestions, or opinions. Hope you all enjoyed this, and after I am satisfactory with the build, I will proceed to overclocking.