new system build - Page 4

VSEKH · 02-22-2008, 03:48 PM

Great choices. Good luck with the building of your new PC.

*polonyc2* · 02-22-2008, 04:09 PM

the E8400 is becoming hard to find online and prices are going up by the minute...the price went up at ZipZoomFly by $10 just from yesterday alone and some retailers are really jacking up the price...this looks like the hot CPU for the moment so if anyone is planning on purchasing one act fast

fvbounty · 02-22-2008, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by polonyc2

ordered all the parts yesterday...got a lot of good price deals too...changed a few specs but mostly the same---decided to upgrade to the X38 board, got rid of Vista and decided to continue running my copy of XP Pro, no RAID and my new case is amazing, the Lian Li PC-A70:

Mobo: ASUS Maximus Formula (X38)

CPU: Intel E8400

CPU Cooler: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro

Video Card: EVGA GeForce 8800GT Superclocked (will Step Up to single GPU 9800GTX when it is released)

Memory: 4GB (2 x 2GB) G.Skill DDR2-800 (4-4-4-12) $99.00 from Newegg (price is now $94 on Newegg!!)

Hard Drive: Western Digital 500 GB SATA 3.0 7200 RPM drive

Power Supply: Corsair HX620 (1 single 12v rail + modular cabling) $118.90 from ZipZoomFly

Sound Card: Auzentech X-Fi Prelude 7.1

Case: Lian Li PC-A70 (6 120mm fans + 2 optional 120mm top blowhole fans)

OS: XP Pro 32 bit

Extra Case/CPU Fans: Scythe S-FLEX SFF21F and Noctua NF-S12-1200

Nice looking system, ENJOY!!!!!

Sir Skully · 02-22-2008, 04:27 PM

Congrats bud............

*polonyc2* · 02-22-2008, 05:37 PM

thanks!!

I just realized one problem...the Maximus Formula only supports the new 45nm chips with a BIOS upgrade...and I think the board ships with an older BIOS version...so I'm going to have to get my hands on another 775 chip to use to update the BIOS...never had to do this before so hopefully I can get my hands on one

*SRTDodge05* · 02-22-2008, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by polonyc2

thanks!!

I just realized one problem...the Maximus Formula only supports the new 45nm chips with a BIOS upgrade...and I think the board ships with an older BIOS version...so I'm going to have to get my hands on another 775 chip to use to update the BIOS...never had to do this before so hopefully I can get my hands on one

Quote from newegg review
'First of all, this board boots just fine on the E8400 without a BIOS flash. It will give you wrong temp readings until you flash it, but the stock BIOS works fine. If you want correct temps, use BIOS 903. I would know since this is the exact combo I'm running on this board. The other reviewer is just a moron. Second, I had the FSB at 445 (x9 multiplier, which is locked) and ZERO instability issues. In fact, I now have the E8400 clocked at 4.2Ghz @ 1.38 vCore, using DDR2 1066 Reaper (4x1GB). The board IS driverless RAID if you're using Vista. Making a RAID disk with this board for XP doesn't even require an OS to be installed or a second computer. You can make one off the CD using the BIOS. Otherwise use slipstream. NO ONE IS GOING TO MAKE DRIVERLESS RAID FOR AN OS (XP) ON THE WAY OUT. The heatpipes are excellent on this board. The hottest temps I've seen posted from the Northbridge were 50C, even when running at and above 4.4Ghz.'

*polonyc2* · 02-22-2008, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SRTDodge05

Quote from newegg review
'First of all, this board boots just fine on the E8400 without a BIOS flash. It will give you wrong temp readings until you flash it, but the stock BIOS works fine. If you want correct temps, use BIOS 903. I would know since this is the exact combo I'm running on this board. The other reviewer is just a moron. Second, I had the FSB at 445 (x9 multiplier, which is locked) and ZERO instability issues. In fact, I now have the E8400 clocked at 4.2Ghz @ 1.38 vCore, using DDR2 1066 Reaper (4x1GB). The board IS driverless RAID if you're using Vista. Making a RAID disk with this board for XP doesn't even require an OS to be installed or a second computer. You can make one off the CD using the BIOS. Otherwise use slipstream. NO ONE IS GOING TO MAKE DRIVERLESS RAID FOR AN OS (XP) ON THE WAY OUT. The heatpipes are excellent on this board. The hottest temps I've seen posted from the Northbridge were 50C, even when running at and above 4.4Ghz.'

I hope that guy is right...but I read other Newegg reviews which stated that you do need to update to at least BIOS 0803

*SRTDodge05* · 02-22-2008, 05:50 PM

Some reviews say it works right out of the box and some say it doesnt. But asus could of changed what bios ship with the board.

*polonyc2* · 02-25-2008, 09:23 PM

received my case, mobo, sound card and CPU cooler today...the case looks amazing, the black brushed aluminum looks stunning...for a full tower, height wise the case is really not that much bigger then my current NZXT Lexa mid tower case but inside there is tons more room

I'll post some pics with my cell phone in a bit but I HIGHLY recommend this case to everyone...it's definitely worth the extra $$$ as it will last me for a loooong time...I probably never need to change my case again

here are some reviews with some nice pics...

techPowerUp! Review :: Lian Li PC-A70 :: Page 2 / 5

Virtual-Hideout | Lian-Li PC-A70 ATX Case Review

traveler · 02-25-2008, 10:49 PM

I'm pretty pleased with what I see from Lian Li. Sooner or later I am going to have to take my Lian Li case out of its box.

Are you going to keep using your LiteOn and Trinitron?

*polonyc2* · 02-27-2008, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by traveler

Are you going to keep using your LiteOn and Trinitron?

yes I'm going to use my current Lite-On DVD-RW plus I also purchased an additional Lite-On DVD-RW

Newegg.com - LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner with LightScribe - Retail

yes I'm also going to keep using my 21' Sony CRT monitor

guiness · 02-27-2008, 08:29 AM

Woa!! That case is the one I wanted!! spent the money on the CPU instead. That is one sweet case!

Enjoy!

*polonyc2* · 02-27-2008, 08:27 PM

tomorrow the final shipment arrives (video card and hard drive) and I can start the new build...hopefully everything will go smoothly

...the Maximus Formula board can be tricky

*polonyc2* · 02-27-2008, 08:34 PM

"the HD 3870 X2 will come along with a new PLX chip that supports PCI Express 2.0 somewhere in April"

VR-Zone : Technology Beats - AMD To Cut HD 3650 & 3850 Prices In Early March

traveler · 02-27-2008, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by polonyc2

"the HD 3870 X2 will come along with a new PLX chip that supports PCI Express 2.0 somewhere in April"

VR-Zone : Technology Beats - AMD To Cut HD 3650 & 3850 Prices In Early March

Thanks for the info.

02-22-2008, 03:48 PM	#46
VSEKH Fold for ABX Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Illinois Posts: 11,921	Re: new system build Great choices. Good luck with the building of your new PC. __________________ Folding Rig:Gigabyte GA-P35-DQ6, QX9650 cooled with a Zalman 9700NT, Powercolor X300SE, Audigy2zs, 4G DDR2-800 Mushkin memory, Plextor PX-760, Pair of 74GB WD Raptors in Raid0 & Seagate 750GB SATA drives, PC Power & Cooling 610 watt PSU, Coolermaster Cosmos case Gaming Rig: Asus Maximus Formula SE, Intel QX9650 cooled with a Zalman 9700NT, EVGA 8800GTX, 4GB of GSkill DDR2-1000, Audigy XFi fatality, Samsung 203B, Pair of 150GB WD Raptors in Raid0 & 1TB Hitachi Sata hard drives, PC Power & Cooling 750 watt PSU, Coolermaster Stacker STC-T01 case
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02-22-2008, 04:09 PM	#47
polonyc2 Helter Skelter Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New York City Posts: 7,264	the E8400 is becoming hard to find online and prices are going up by the minute...the price went up at ZipZoomFly by $10 just from yesterday alone and some retailers are really jacking up the price...this looks like the hot CPU for the moment so if anyone is planning on purchasing one act fast __________________ ASUS Maximus Formula (X38) *** EVGA 8800GT Superclocked 512MB Intel E8400 * Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro G.Skill 4 GB (2 X 2 GB) DDR2 800 4-4-4-12 * Western Digital RE2 500 GB WD5001ABYS Lian Li PC-A70B (black) * Corsair HX620 AuzenTech Auzen X-Fi Prelude 7.1 * Creative Inspire P5800 5.1 speakers Lite-On DVD-RW w/LightScribe LH-20A1L-06 * Sony GDM-F520 21' CRT monitor (19.8' viewable) Vista Business 64-bit w/SP1 * standard 3.5" floppy drive Microsoft Laser Mouse 6000 *** Microsoft Wired Keyboard 500 (Black)
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02-22-2008, 04:27 PM	#49
Sir Skully ABX KNIGHT EXEMPLAR Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: USA-GA Posts: 25,801	Re: new system build Congrats bud............
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02-22-2008, 05:37 PM	#50
polonyc2 Helter Skelter Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New York City Posts: 7,264	thanks!! I just realized one problem...the Maximus Formula only supports the new 45nm chips with a BIOS upgrade...and I think the board ships with an older BIOS version...so I'm going to have to get my hands on another 775 chip to use to update the BIOS...never had to do this before so hopefully I can get my hands on one __________________ ASUS Maximus Formula (X38) *** EVGA 8800GT Superclocked 512MB Intel E8400 * Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro G.Skill 4 GB (2 X 2 GB) DDR2 800 4-4-4-12 * Western Digital RE2 500 GB WD5001ABYS Lian Li PC-A70B (black) * Corsair HX620 AuzenTech Auzen X-Fi Prelude 7.1 * Creative Inspire P5800 5.1 speakers Lite-On DVD-RW w/LightScribe LH-20A1L-06 * Sony GDM-F520 21' CRT monitor (19.8' viewable) Vista Business 64-bit w/SP1 * standard 3.5" floppy drive Microsoft Laser Mouse 6000 *** Microsoft Wired Keyboard 500 (Black)
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02-22-2008, 05:50 PM	#53
SRTDodge05 Grab Life By The Balls Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Michigan Posts: 7,820	Re: new system build Some reviews say it works right out of the box and some say it doesnt. But asus could of changed what bios ship with the board.
(Online)

02-25-2008, 09:23 PM	#54
polonyc2 Helter Skelter Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New York City Posts: 7,264	received my case, mobo, sound card and CPU cooler today...the case looks amazing, the black brushed aluminum looks stunning...for a full tower, height wise the case is really not that much bigger then my current NZXT Lexa mid tower case but inside there is tons more room I'll post some pics with my cell phone in a bit but I HIGHLY recommend this case to everyone...it's definitely worth the extra $$$ as it will last me for a loooong time...I probably never need to change my case again here are some reviews with some nice pics... techPowerUp! Review :: Lian Li PC-A70 :: Page 2 / 5 Virtual-Hideout \| Lian-Li PC-A70 ATX Case Review __________________ ASUS Maximus Formula (X38) *** EVGA 8800GT Superclocked 512MB Intel E8400 * Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro G.Skill 4 GB (2 X 2 GB) DDR2 800 4-4-4-12 * Western Digital RE2 500 GB WD5001ABYS Lian Li PC-A70B (black) * Corsair HX620 AuzenTech Auzen X-Fi Prelude 7.1 * Creative Inspire P5800 5.1 speakers Lite-On DVD-RW w/LightScribe LH-20A1L-06 * Sony GDM-F520 21' CRT monitor (19.8' viewable) Vista Business 64-bit w/SP1 * standard 3.5" floppy drive Microsoft Laser Mouse 6000 *** Microsoft Wired Keyboard 500 (Black)
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02-25-2008, 10:49 PM	#55
traveler Where to next? Join Date: May 2001 Location: South Florida Posts: 18,035	I'm pretty pleased with what I see from Lian Li. Sooner or later I am going to have to take my Lian Li case out of its box. Are you going to keep using your LiteOn and Trinitron?
(Offline)

02-27-2008, 08:29 AM	#57
guiness Out Of The Wild Blue Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 4,270	Re: new system build Woa!! That case is the one I wanted!! spent the money on the CPU instead. That is one sweet case! Enjoy!
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02-27-2008, 08:27 PM	#58
polonyc2 Helter Skelter Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New York City Posts: 7,264	tomorrow the final shipment arrives (video card and hard drive) and I can start the new build...hopefully everything will go smoothly ...the Maximus Formula board can be tricky __________________ ASUS Maximus Formula (X38) *** EVGA 8800GT Superclocked 512MB Intel E8400 * Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro G.Skill 4 GB (2 X 2 GB) DDR2 800 4-4-4-12 * Western Digital RE2 500 GB WD5001ABYS Lian Li PC-A70B (black) * Corsair HX620 AuzenTech Auzen X-Fi Prelude 7.1 * Creative Inspire P5800 5.1 speakers Lite-On DVD-RW w/LightScribe LH-20A1L-06 * Sony GDM-F520 21' CRT monitor (19.8' viewable) Vista Business 64-bit w/SP1 * standard 3.5" floppy drive Microsoft Laser Mouse 6000 *** Microsoft Wired Keyboard 500 (Black)
(Offline)

02-27-2008, 08:34 PM	#59
polonyc2 Helter Skelter Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New York City Posts: 7,264	"the HD 3870 X2 will come along with a new PLX chip that supports PCI Express 2.0 somewhere in April" VR-Zone : Technology Beats - AMD To Cut HD 3650 & 3850 Prices In Early March __________________ ASUS Maximus Formula (X38) *** EVGA 8800GT Superclocked 512MB Intel E8400 * Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro G.Skill 4 GB (2 X 2 GB) DDR2 800 4-4-4-12 * Western Digital RE2 500 GB WD5001ABYS Lian Li PC-A70B (black) * Corsair HX620 AuzenTech Auzen X-Fi Prelude 7.1 * Creative Inspire P5800 5.1 speakers Lite-On DVD-RW w/LightScribe LH-20A1L-06 * Sony GDM-F520 21' CRT monitor (19.8' viewable) Vista Business 64-bit w/SP1 * standard 3.5" floppy drive Microsoft Laser Mouse 6000 *** Microsoft Wired Keyboard 500 (Black)
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