• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

Value build suggestions?

Well, I have the items in my shopping cart... awaiting the push of a button to order $475 worth of gear as listed upthread.

I'm amazed at how well the old PC is running with the bad ram out and a mix of Corsair DDR2-800 and Kingston DDR2-667 1GB ram sticks in there, although I do see some slowdowns due to paging with only 4Gb ram available.

The $64,000 question: should I RMA the bad AData ram or spend the cash? What concerns me is that my old Corsair 2x1GB ram tested bad on this PC... but tested good on the standby PC. So that raises a question in my mind. OTOH, I've not had a bsod since I took out the AData ram and put the mongrel mix of ram in the PC.

My RMA costs would certainly be minimal... assuming Adata sends me compatible replacement ram for the P965 P5B-E mobo. Should that be a concern?
 
And E4g1e's post in my other thread leads me to think that resurrecting the P5BE could be problematic:
"...any newer sticks of DDR2 RAM will use completely different IC chips of completely different IC densities, which will cause severe reliability/stability issues with that P5B-E setup when the two are mixed. And even 1GB sticks these days are single-ranked (using 1 Gbit ICs) while all of your current 1GB sticks are double-ranked (using 512 Mbit ICs). This intermixture of completely different ICs and different IC densities will greatly increase the likelihood of BSODs, program errors and system lock-ups."

and:
"Even if AData replace the modules with compliant ones, you'd still run into compatibility issues with older RAM modules with different ICs and different IC densities. Some memory controllers require that every single module be completely identical before they'd even run reliably or at all. "

I RMA'd the AData ram today. But it may be a waste of time as I'll have to wait 2 or 3 weeks before I can get replacement ram from them... which may not even work reliably in my old P965 mobo.
 
Last edited:
Update: I received the RMA replacement ram today. Sadly, I cannot get it to post on the P5B-E when I have the original 2x1GB Corsair installed with it. So I yanked the Corsair to see if the new AData ram would run, and it posted... but said something about not being able to run with the OC. I don't have any OC, that I'm aware of... but I went into the BIOS and changed from manual to automatic AI... and now it won't even post at all.

So I yanked out the new ram and am back to my mongrel mix of ram and am operational again. Looks like I'm gonna have to fork over the dough for the new system after all.
 
Quick mobo question:

With the passing of a few weeks, I've lost some free shipping and other goodies... but. the ASUS P8Z68-V PRO is now only ~$8 more than the ASUS P8Z68-V. Seems to me the Pro board for $8 more is the way to go. Any drawbacks there I should know about?

Any other changes I should consider before placing the order?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231426
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

Total now: ~$493
 
Last edited:
Before I pull the trigger, other than $30 savings, what benefit would I realize with the i5-2400? I'm open, but don't wish to later find I wish I'd gone with the 3000 graphics. I simply have no way to evaluate the difference there. And as previously discussed, the i5-2400 has some features that, if I don't know what they mean, I don't need them... or so I've understood. So in my application, would I experience any operational difference with the i5-2400 vs the i5-2500k?
 
speedlever said:
Before I pull the trigger, other than $30 savings, what benefit would I realize with the i5-2400?
Click to expand...
TBH, that's pretty much it in terms of benefits once you rule out the other aforementioned features.
speedlever said:
So in my application, would I experience any operational difference with the i5-2400 vs the i5-2500k?
Click to expand...
Honestly probably not. I don't think the faster onboard video will make that much of a difference besides light gaming. With that said, if you're also planning on overclocking the 2500K past 3.6Ghz, then the 2500K is well worth the extra cash.
 
speedlever said:
Well, you've got me rethinking the processor. I'm reading some threads on it now...
Click to expand...
It's only a difference of $30 so up to you if faster onboard video and higher overclocking capability is worth it.
 
Ah heck with it. 2500k it is. Order placed.

Thanks much for the assistance.
 
Last edited:
Thought I'd update this thread with the latest news. I ordered the above mentioned components and have had them for nearly 2 weeks. Yesterday I finally got industrious and built it up (the old computer ran without issue once I removed the 2x2GB Adata ram so I wasn't really pressed to build the new one... except that I had to rob some ram from the kids computer to enable the old one to run well.) No real issues during the build.

Since the new mobo has no PS2 connections, I splurged on a new KB too.. MS Ergonomic 4000.. which I'm liking thus far.

Right out of the box with default BIOS settings (P8Z68-V Pro came with BIOS 0706), the computer is running great. I updated the Windows Experience Index and was pleased with all the scores except for the graphics. This is a worse score than I had on the old system using a 7600GT. But I have yet to stress the system and really check it out. I have yet to even consider an OC... but I will have to play there some once I check the system out and make sure the temps and all are within spec. Right now core temps are idling at 35*C.

T1Ym6.png

F4IL9.png


Update: after installing some more updated mobo files, I just happened to think to run the Experience Index again... much different this time:
v4lTH.png


Now my graphics may do just fine for my usage... yet to be seen. I suppose I could put the old 7600GT in the new mobo if I'm not happy with the Intel 3000 graphics. I also need to update my chipset drivers, etc. Wish I could tell what version came on the mobo. Anyway to know before I update?

Also, I can't get the Intel Update Utility to run. Just says loading when I try to run the auto update utility.
Edit: I was able to get it to run and picked up some updated files from Intel that weren't on the Asus mobo site.

But wow, this thing is really fast on default settings thus far.

I have a few issues to resolve... such as trying to figure out what the heck these components needing drivers are:
56K9F.png
 
Last edited:
Just download the latest drivers for your motherboard from your motherboard's website and those Yellow alerts should go away.
 
Also, just got a pop-up from Windows that a hardware change was detected and I had to re-register Win7. No biggee.

If I knew what was installed, I wouldn't have to install everything just to get the few that may not be updated.

Question: when I go to the Asus site and check for mobo updates, I get a long list of things. How do I determine which are applicable to me? Since my default BIOS date is 2011.09.22, can I assume that any drivers with an earlier date have already been installed? The chipset date is 2011.03.04.

I have BIOS 0706 but 0902 is available. I've updated BIOSes before, so am not afraid to do so. Am tempted to upgrade... just because it's there.

But more to the point, which LAN driver do I need? Out of the box, the mobo wouldn't connect so I d/l and installed the middle file (it is the same version number as the last file, but has a later release date.) Do I also need the Realtek driver?
YbalJ.png


Do I need the IRST driver if I'm not planning to use IRST (I use the 80 GB SSD for my OS.) But maybe it has other applications I'm not aware of?

And how about the JMicron controller drivers and Marvell AHCI drivers? I'm not using the 6Gb dark blue Marvell SATA ports.

I suppose I could just install everything from the ASUS site, but that would seem overkill for those that I'm not using or planning to use... unless they have implications beyond what I can discern.

I need to find a good P8Z68V Pro BIOS tweaking guide. ;)
 
Argh. I had a lengthy reply that just got trashed. FF hung for some reason. (edit.. and now I see it has appeared after all???)

I suppose I should go ahead and just install all the latest ASUS drivers for this mobo.

The latest drivers raise a few questions... such as... do I need both the Realtek and the Intel LAN drivers? Do I need the IRST drivers if I'm not going to use it (having an 80 GB SSD for my OS drive.)

A guide to tweaking the P8Z68 V Pro BIOS would be real handy right now. ;)
 
speedlever said:
Argh. I had a lengthy reply that just got trashed. FF hung for some reason. (edit.. and now I see it has appeared after all???)

I suppose I should go ahead and just install all the latest ASUS drivers for this mobo.

The latest drivers raise a few questions... such as... do I need both the Realtek and the Intel LAN drivers? Do I need the IRST drivers if I'm not going to use it (having an 80 GB SSD for my OS drive.)

A guide to tweaking the P8Z68 V Pro BIOS would be real handy right now. ;)
Click to expand...

Your P8Z68-V PRO does not have an onboard Realtek LAN. The Realtek LAN drivers should not have been posted for that board. Only the Intel LAN driver is needed for this board.
 
Thanks. I guessed right on that one. ;)

After installing the audio, video, chipset, bluetooth, and USB drivers, all conflicts in Device Manager have gone away.

Is there any reason to install the IRST or Marvell SATA drivers? Also, there are a ton of drivers in the Utilities folder. I installed the AiSuite II software, and had an abnormal shutdown during restart, but all seems ok after forcing a reset.

I have no idea what, if any of these files are useful for me.
0coZf.png
 
speedlever said:
Thanks. I guessed right on that one. ;)

After installing the audio, video, chipset, bluetooth, and USB drivers, all conflicts in Device Manager have gone away.

Is there any reason to install the IRST or Marvell SATA drivers? Also, there are a ton of drivers in the Utilities folder. I installed the AiSuite II software, and had an abnormal shutdown during restart, but all seems ok after forcing a reset.

I have no idea what, if any of these files are useful for me.
0coZf.png
Click to expand...

In your case, IRST is recommended (and required if you're going to be running a RAID with the onboard Intel PCH SATA controller).
 
OK. I'll install IRST. Where can I find out what all those utility files do and if I should/need to install them?

A little performance info. I ran multiple temp programs (Coretemp, realtemp, HW monitor) and also ran 4 iterations of Intelburn at standard, high, very high, and maximum settings for 5 passes. Early on, in the 2nd test I believe, I got a pop-up alert that said something like +3.3v 4.08v.,, and then went away never to appear again.

Here are the temp test results with a non-OC setup. (I didn't see any difference in using Intelburn vs Prime95 - 64bit versions of each.) Looks like core 3 is the hottest one. I found it interesting to observe the temps go down so quickly after a test. Makes me doubt the readings that the cores could cool so quickly.

Standard:
XGcvA.png


High:
sVqeE.png


Very high:
lWYMG.png


Maximum:
Fz7YM.png
 
speedlever said:
Where can I find out what all those utility files do and if I should/need to install them? ...
Click to expand...
Asus should have them documented somewhere. At first glance, you shouldn't really need any of them, lol.

speedlever said:
... I found it interesting to observe the temps go down so quickly after a test. Makes me doubt the readings that the cores could cool so quickly. ...
Click to expand...
They can cool so quickly because speedstep kicks in and lowers the speed of the chip, therefore less power is being consumed.
 
I am seeing some system anomalies after the rebuild. I had hoped to be able to replace the mobo, cpu, and ram without having to reinstall the OS and programs. But I see occasional signs of instability, even running at stock settings on the mobo, such as:
1) occasional system hangs when switching user accounts
2) occasional program hangs
3) I just had to fix my wife's iTunes because she was unable to drag playlists to her iTouch. I deleted the iTunes music library xml file and the playlists itl file, then imported the playlists from the backup and all seemed fine.
4) general miscellaneous oddities like that.

I hate to do it... and will put it off as long as I can stand it, but it seems that I may have to reinstall everything to get it cleaned up.

And speaking of which, since I use an SSD for my OS and programs drive... do I reformat and re-install on it just like I would on a conventional HD? Or are there any special procedures needed to accomplish this on an SSD?
 
speedlever said:
And speaking of which, since I use an SSD for my OS and programs drive... do I reformat and re-install on it just like I would on a conventional HD? Or are there any special procedures needed to accomplish this on an SSD?
Click to expand...

Yes. Just keep like 20% space free and you'll be fine IIRC
 
Update: seems like the anomalies are ironing themselves out and the system is settling down. I may not have to reinstall everything after all. I've even played some with a 45x OC and it seems stable at 1.32v. I haven't tried reducing from that yet.

I do see an occasional mobo alert pop-up telling me that a voltage is out of spec... or a temp is wacky... like -60*C or +125*C. Hopefully those will go away over time too.
 
Thay doesn't mean under load they don't go low or flake out. Is there any software that will trend the mobo voltages? I know it's not accurate but if he runs men test and trends he can maybe see fluctuations in his voltages
 
Damn phone. I miss page 2 sometimes and suggest something that already is in the works or suggested and look retarded lol
 
I have to say that I almost find myself wishing I'd bought the cheaper i5-2400 rather than the i5-2500k. I'm spending WAY too much time playing with OCing the system rather than doing other stuff!

If I had the 2400, I wouldn't be tempted to play. ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top