# [SOLVED] Please help me Decide



## rezaman

*Respected Techs,*

I am trying to build my first system for my own use can you guys please help me out deciding which hardware should i buy I have decided about few which is as follows

Motherboard :*Intel DP35DPM Intel Socket 775 ATX Motherboard *

Processor: *Intel Core2 Duo E4400 2.0GHz 2MB Cache 800MHz FSB Allendale Dual Core Socket 775 *

Memory: *2G*

Video Card: *EVGA GeForce 7600 GT KO 256MB GDDR3 SLI Ready PCI Express Dual DVI HDTV Video Card*

Hard Drive: *Western Digital Caviar SE 160GB 7200 8MB SATA-300 OEM Hard Drive*

I am too confused which *PSU* should i get i will be very appreciated if the geeks can help me deciding which PSU should i get and over all should i buy all these parts or you think i shouldnt continue with this configuration, I use Virtual PC and do practicals with Win 2003 Server and XP so i'll be trying to run 2 Servers and a Xp on the machine, PLEASE PLEASE HELP!:sigh:


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## Tumbleweed36

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Please take a few minutes to read the power supply information HERE before you decide on the power supply. This is the heart of your computer and very important for the components of any unit.


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Thank you very much for replying yes I am reading the link right now it is very very helpfull other then that what do you think about the hardware i am planning to buy?!? please advice and is there anything i should add or drop from this list? Please help, thanks again.


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Try to get a hard drive with 16mb of cache, and if your gaming you might want a better video card after that we can find you a psu.


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## Turnip14

*Re: Please help me Decide*

I bought the Thermaltake Toughpower 650watt as my PSU, just even judder in any of my games, and supplies more than enough power, i'd reccomend it


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Alright so i changed my hard drive i think i am gonna go with the one mentioned below and i dont play games i just wanna build a good pc so i can use vmware and microsoft virtual pc on it and run like 2 Servers and a client on a virtual pc at the same time so i can practice. Please advice some good PSU and one more question do i need to stick thermal between the heatsink and the cpu for the core 2 duo suggest any good heatsink too, really appreciated.
*Western Digital WD2500AAKS 
3.5" Internal Hard Drive 250 GB Capacity 7200 RPM Spindle Speed 16 MB Buffer 300 MB/s Max External Data Transfer Rate Serial ATA *


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Whats the price range on the psu?


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

I dont think i can go more then 100 with both PSU and casing.


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d

*Re: Please help me Decide*

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371002
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=186334&CatId=32

Its only $15 over that and skimping on the psu could be desaster.


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Alright, I'm really appreciated of you guys you've helped me alot just last question do i need to apply any thermal compound on my heatsink and cpu if yes which one i should buy can you help me in that is it available at staples or radioshack or online? how much should i apply on the cpu?


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d

*Re: Please help me Decide*

www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835100007

http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Alright thanks bro, but unfortunately the link for the thermal compound isn't working but the link for instruction is working.


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Neweggs being kind of tempermental right now =\ 
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3065297&CatId=503

Its alittle more here but it should work


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Hello tech,

Couldn't get hold of the motherboard i mentioned in my previous post I have bought this one now
*Intel BOXDG965WHMKR LGA 775 Intel G965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail *

Do you think i should still stay with the same PSU, casing and the thermal compund with this new MOBO, please help me.


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## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

here is a good way to save $$$$$$ a white box motherboard with 15 day warranty


here is a far better board then the one you posted

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewspec.hmx?scriteria=BA22907

*The gigabyte board is ready for 1333mhz FSB processors * This board is ready to use processors up to the new released cpu of July 22nd the E6850 :wink:


here is a better intel board the "P" is a better performance board than the "G" series board >>>>> the "G" chipset is only for 800mhz FSB 

The better intel board is the "P" sereis because it can handel the 1066 FSB processors if you want to upgrade in the future >>>> line the E6XXX up to E6600 processors

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewspec.hmx?scriteria=BA22912


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Sir, I'm really appreciated for giving me these options i was really confused choosing the MOBO but your post have really help me making a decision so which one out of these two you think would be the best intel or the gigabyte, with either one do you think i can stay with the same PSU and thermal compound arctic silver 5 and the casing for the computer?!? Thanks again sir.


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

btw, i think i am gonna go with the Intel board you suggeted me. Thanks again.


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## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 revision 3.3 board


I would get this PSU fast, before they end the deal >>>>> (thanks *mattlock* ray

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371001


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## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

if your budget chokes you, you could *get by *with this unit >>>>>>>>

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371002


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

so you think i should buy the Gigabyte board instead of the intel one.?


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

do you think i should stick with the heatsink cpu comes with or should i buy the zalman?


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## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

yes the gigabyte board is a MUCH better board >>>> it holds more capabilities >>>> its 1333 mhz fsb vs the intel "P" which has limits of 1066 FSB and the gigabyte will overclock much better too, someday >>>>>>> you may want to get into that ? 


there is a stock cooler which comes with new retail boxed cpu's >>>> the stock cooler will be fine if you dont overclock >>>>>> otherwise if you do go for the zalman 9500


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Alright, I even dont know what overclocking is but reading from the posts at the forum I think it has something to do with cpu making and getting more speed from it, Ok i will buy this motherboard please suggent me memory(RAM) I am thinking to buy 2 sticks of 1G, i was reading the specs of this motherboard at newegg.com and it says that anyone buying this board should buy *Only DDR2-800 memory supporting JEDEC approved 1.8V operation with timings of 5-5-5 or 6-6-6 is supported on Intel Desktop Boards based on Intel 965 Express Chipsets.*

Now this confused me more since i dont know anything about *V* and *Timings* of the Ram

The other thing was i've decided to buy a video card too since this board has no built in video card the card i've decided is *EVGA 256-P2-N740-LR GeForce 8500GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail *

I was wondering that it will be fine with my antec 550w PSU and it will give me no problems on a *VISTA 64 *i dont usually play games but sometimes which is like once a month, please help sir.


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## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

which model antec 550 watt do you have ????


here is your ram


this have been* proven* to work for me multiple systems of the exact board I have suggested for you 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145034




cheaper: (I have faith these would work well also, and they are a rocking deal $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220144


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Here is the power supply *Antec True Power Trio TP3-550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply with Three 12V Rails 100 - 240 V UL, CUL, FCC, TÜV, CE, C-tick, CCC, CB - Retail *

what do you think about the Video card i asked you about in my last post do you think its a good card? you never told me anything about it?!? will that video card will work with this PSU.


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## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

your psu will have no problem handling your spec'd rig


your video card is fine >>>> there isnt really much to say for the budget of $60.00 you cant really expect too much hype

I understand you have a restricted budget to live with, it hard to get much better for the price ?


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## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

I would rather have this card if you can add to your GFX budget

price after $15.00 rebate = $75.00

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130062


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Alright cool, i'll go for this card and i'll come back to you if i need help you guys are really helpfull, god bless you.


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Hello sir, the power supply one of the tech here at the forum suggested me is no longer available at tigerdirect can you please suggest me any good power supply which will work good on my MOBO and my PSU, He suggest me *http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...86334&CatId=32*
it was good and it was also very good price and was in my range, can you please suggest me a power supply like that from newegg as i'm ordering my other hardware from newegg aswell, i'll be very appreciated thanks.


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## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Antec *Trio* 550 watt = Good


Antec Trio 650 Watt = Better


Corsair HX 620 = Best (look for this one at clubIT.com)



at tiger direct look for OCZ gamerxstream = 600 watt or 700 watt


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

alright sir can you please also suggest any good computer case, as you have suggested everything for my system i've bought everything only the computer case is left i was wondering if you can suggest some good one under my range one of your tech suggest me the power case which was good and is also no longer available at tigerdirect can you please suggest me any good computer casing from 'newegg.com' as i'm ordering all my stuff from there. thank you sir.


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## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

cases are really a personal preference thing



*I like:*>>>>> to fit my likes they really only need to have two 120 mm fan mounting locations = more is better all other considrations in my opinion are looks and bling -bling

antec 900

several of the coolermaster cases

thermaltake soprano >>>> I like several of the TT cases


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## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

this one is OK

it has 120mm intake and a real big air intake on the side 


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119109





personally I think if guys want to save money; the case is the best place to squeeze savings! even the Rosaewill cases are OK >>>>> just *throw away *any powers supplies that come with them!


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

hey linderman,

what do you think about this one, it has 2 fans and good vents too, will i able to use both the fans i mean are there enough power connectors on the motherboard to connect both of them? I have Gigabyte
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128012
This is the MOBO you suggested me.


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

I'm sorry i know i sound stupid.


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

I am so stupid i forgot to give you the link for the computer case,

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068
here it is.


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## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

you will have no troubles with that case; and a reasonable price too :wave:




BTW: the motherboard has connections for at least one CPU fan & at least one chasis fan >>>> any additional fans other than that will be connected directly to the power supply


dont hesitate to ask more questions, thats what we are here for


that and of course; big fat paychecks :laugh:


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## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

you might want to review this info: (this particular build was actually done with your motherboard model too >>>>>:wink


The purpose of this thread is to demonstrate an easy way to test your system prior to complete assembly. If you take the time to bench test your build prior to full assembly you will save yourself hordes of time in troubleshooting a faulty component. 

The most efficient way to minimize lost time is assemble each part one piece at a time until operational stability is proven. The bench build is especially useful when troubleshooting a previously assembled system that has begun to show quirky instability problems, possibly caused by a case short or other similar problem which is hard to detect in an occupied case assemby.

Another major benefit to the bench build is the up-close inspection this method offers you, many times I have torn down a flaky system, bench assemble the parts and notice a burn spot, or debris in the video card slot, small plastic chip type debris has been found in the main motherboard connector which prevents full contact of all the pins in the main connector, another common discovery upon up-close visual inspection is burnt pins in the main connector or cpu power connector on the motherboard.

*Here we will get started with the steps of bench building & testing.* only the bare essentials here, no cd-rom drives, hard drives, floppy drives etc



A) Place the motherboard on top of a non-conductive surface. I personally favor the motherboard box itself as it allows the video card riser to ride past the bottom surface of the motherboard, this is an important consideration (see black arrow)


B) Install the CPU into the motherboard, here is an often made mistake, many fellas want to assemble the cooler heat/sink mounting frame to the motherboard prior to inserting the CPU, however after market coolers such as the Zalman 9500 frame stop the cpu lever from swinging open enough to open the socket lever to insert the cpu. 
Therefore install the CPU into the motherboard cpu socket before mounting the heat sink frame. Make sure you align the *golden arrow* on the cpu die perimeter with the orientation mark on the motherboard socket (see manual)

C) Install the CPU heatsink / Fan combo and connect the fan wire to the CPU fan header on the motherboard, this is a very important step, many motherboards will not fire if the cpu fan is not activated, at the very least the cpu temps will rise immediatley and cause a thermal auto shutdown.

D) Insert one stick of memory; see motherboard manual for specific slot to be occupied for single stick operation, some motherboards will not fire up unless these rules are followed. Please adhere to the single stick memory install until we have achieved the "*first*" successful bios screen post.
Often times memory incompatibilites will cause a system not to post, these problems can be quickly identified if you install only one stick for our first post screen goal! (seldom does proven incompatible memory fail to start a system when single stick occupied)
Later in our bench testing we will go after the second post screen, then we can install the second stick, if you have a memory incompatability it will then show the dilemma withouth further loss of time!

E) Place the PSU on the bench and connect the motherboard *main *connector (20 pins or 24 pin) If your PSU uses a 20 + 4 connector (most units use this now) you will either leave the detachable four pin in place for a 24 pin main connector motherboard or you will detach the snap lock four pin from the 24pin connector to reduce the main connector to a 20 pin configuration.
Next step is attach the 4 pin square looking cpu power plug (some boards have an eight pin cpu power plug) make sure when inserting the four pin cpu power plug you "hear" the snap of the positive lock of the clip. 
Many fellas make the common error of trying to use the detachable four pin connector from the 20+4 motherboard connector to power the CPU this does NOT work you must use the *CPU power plug*

F) Install the video card and the video card dedicated power plug if the card needs such a power plug. Make sure the video card riser extends past the bottom of the motherboard surface (see pic w/black arrow above)

G) Connect a keyboard and mouse to the motherboard. Connect a monitor to the video card, verify the monitor has power active. Connect the PSU power plug into the wall socket.

H) You have two options to start the system, you can assemble the test platform next to the case and just simply bring the case switch wires over to the motherboard as I have done in the picture below and use the button on the case for system activation. (see blue arrow)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Or you can use a small flat bladed screwdriver to just touch the two pins on the motherboard header, these are the same two pins that normally get occupied by the *PWR Switch * on the motherboard connector header. Simply touch those two pins together for about two seconds and then pull the screw driver away, it should fire up. If not check the switch on the back of the PSU to make sure the PSU switch is on?

at this point in the test you should see the post screeen ????? ray: if not; power off the system, inspect everything step by step for accuracy and try again, if still no joy. :3-smash: 

Just kidding; swap memory sticks and try again ? 

Things to check when the power is activated:

1) Does the CPU fan spin at start-up ?

2) are there any LED lights that are lit on the motherboard when the PSU is connected with the power active in the PSU ?

3) does the video card fan spin ?

4) when the power is active to the system on the bench does the monitor show a yellow or green stand-by light (next to the monitor power button)

Once you get to a post screen I advise you hang there for about half an hour in the bios screen and monitor CPU temps and get your bios settings configured while you are waiting out your temperature monitoring. Set the data & time if this is a new build, boot priority, etc




Now that you have the core components of the Motherboard, CPU, Video Card, two sticks of memory, Power Supply, Keyboard, Mouse & Monitor working; next we proceed to adding Cd-rom drive, Hard Drives, Floppy Drives and the Operating System. All components are added one at a time and verified working. If you build three systems you will receive one new dead part, guaranteed! Thats why installing one variable at a time will save you alot of grief in identifying that culprit when the reaper comes knocking.



in photo above the hard drive is active, floppy drive & cd-rom drive (dont forget jumper pin settings on your drives) and if the bios doesnt detect your drives, then you cant go any further with this process, you must correct that immediately, the bios must recognise your devices before you can use them at all! *No drivers* whatsoever have to be dealt with at this stage!
If you look closely at the monitor the hard drive is being formatted during the OS install.


Now that all components have been verified and the OS is installed, we can stuff all the "guts" into the case knowing that everything is operational, so if there are any problems we know we made the problems while installing into the case. One word of advice, make sure when you install the motherboard stand offs in the case you only use the motherboard mounting holes which have a silver ring around the hole, you DONT use the holes in the motherboard which dont have the silver ring around the perimeter of the hole!
Its very important that none of the metal surfaces on the bottom of the motherboard touch the case surface or you will create a nasty motherboard short!



if you encounter any difficulties with this material or need additional help, please start your own thread in the "Motherboard" section of the Hardware Forum. Feel free to Private Message (PM) me if needed.

Enjoy and hope it goes smoothly for you :spinning:


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Hey Linderman,

Just got all the parts today for the PC, built the pc and tried to power it on to check it intially if it turning or no, and it didnt turn on i connected the power supply to the board (24) and the (4) pins connector connected the POWER SW from casing to the motherboard followed the manual and the images you posted before still no luck. what do you think could it be could be the power supply or the casing?


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

http://img58.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0462um8.jpg
Take a look at the image.


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## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

two things


#1 remove the board from the case and set it on top of the motherboard box and try again

#2 give us a pic up close of the pins that are connected to the case switch >>>> you may have the case switch wire wrong ????? the case switch pins on the motherboard are colored, make sure you have the two pin prong headed in the right direction >>>>>> it should be *[--] *be this way, traveling in the same direction as the pci slots 

does the cpu fan spin when you hit the start button ??

you have the cpu fan connected to the cpu fan header on the motherboard correct ??????

give us another shot of your same picture but use the 17 inch monitor sizing option in the resize options of image shack


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d

*Re: Please help me Decide*

I am thinking that you did not firmly seat the 4 and 24 pin connector, mine would come out sometimes until i press down on it hard (normally dont do that on anything but ram and the pds whorable cooler) and i heard a click and it started up fine also it looks like your 4 pin connector is sitting of on the side.


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

linderman : Yes i followed the motherboard manual to install the case wires (Power Sw, Hdd led, one (+)(-) and there was one for the speaker and one for Reset, I followed the book came with my motherboard and I also followed the images you posted on this thread which had same MOBO like as mine, Yes i connected the cpu fan cable on the MOBO i connected to it where it says 'CPU_FAN' on the motherboard no CPU fan doesnt spin i see no lights nothing is getting power when i try to turn it on, I will take a picture again and upload it here as i get home, but is it possible if i can get images of the case wires intalled properly i think its the casing or the power supply


1 g0t 0wn3d : Yes bro, I checked the 24pin and the 4 pin power supply connecters i took out and connected back again untill i heard the 'click' sound you can feel it when its fully connected but I am gonna make sure it again one more time just to make sure its seatead properly and i will upload an image for you guys, any thing else you guys think could be wrong? I can only think of PSU or the case wires are bad, btw what is NB_FAN, SYS_FAN and if you see the image closely there are three pins in the direction of the memory slots and its says PWR_LED, i wonder what is that for? please help me out guys.

appreciated.


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## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

get us some up-close pictures of your motherboard


*run it outside the case *


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Alright guys as you guys said I did the bench installation everything worked i installed the software (Windows Xp) everything looked cool checked my emails, and then decided to put it back in the case and install it so i can finish off i installed everything properly turn the power back on everything looked fine all fans were spinning except the cpu fan and in 1 one minute of starting the pc one of the 'IC' on the motherboard short its a small little IC near the CPU_FAN header and heard something a saw some smoke coming out of it, i reinstalled the heatsink turned it on again but the heatsink fan was not spinning i have put it on a side, do you think my mobo is bad now? or the processor? or the heatsink? too confused now.

Shot with Canon PowerShot A630 at 2007-08-01


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Another shot after that IC got short, is the mobo bad now?!?
I hope not

Shot with [URL=http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?


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## pharoah

*Re: Please help me Decide*

what exactly shorted it?it looks like you didnt have a standoff around that screw hole.if you had smoke that motherboard is probably cooked.


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

I dont understand when you say what exactly shorted it? I dont know that i just turned it on and i heard a sound you know when something get sort and then a little smoke from that ic not too much, you think the board is dead?


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## pharoah

*Re: Please help me Decide*

you did have the brass standoff's between the board,and case didnt you? yeah if smoke came out its most likely baked.


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

bro, i dont understand what is a standoff and if the board is dead you think i can send it back to Gigabyte and they'll repair it or send me a new one i got the board yesterday, but the thing i dont understand is that why the fan didnt spin, before it was working perfect i installed xp drivers everything but when i installed it on the case it didnt?!? and then i heard this IC short and some smoke from the IC.


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## pharoah

*Re: Please help me Decide*

this is a standoff that goes between the motherboard,and the motherboard tray area of the case.


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

on i didnt use them, i just screwed in the normal screws i never used those golden standoffs, this is the reason it got short? is that so important, do you think they'll send me another one if i send them this motherboard saying it doesnt work?


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## pharoah

*Re: Please help me Decide*

yes you need one of those under every screw hole on the motherboard.thats why it shorted out it shorted out against the case.


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

that was the reason that the fan stopped working?! what do you suggest me to do now, but litsen if the motherboard is not good anymore howcome the fans of the casing are running? i connected them from the motherboard?


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## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Rez 


dont panic 



remove the motherboard from the case


put it on the cardboard box again, see if it will run

if not; yes the retailer will replace the board, I would not elaborate on the lack of stand-offs 

PLEASE read this *well*

http://www.techsupportforum.com/f255/how-to-bench-test-your-system-171424.html

*Now that all components have been verified and the OS is installed, we can stuff all the "guts" into the case knowing that everything is operational, so if there are any problems we know we made the problems while installing into the case. One word of advice, make sure when you install the motherboard stand offs in the case you only use the motherboard mounting holes which have a silver ring around the hole on the motherboard itself, you DONT use the holes in the motherboard which don’t have the silver ring around the perimeter of the hole!
Its very important that none of the metal surfaces on the bottom of the motherboard touch the case surface or you will create a nasty motherboard short!

If you do not pay heed to this warning, you will suffer the symptoms of a motherboard short, these can drive you insane!

If you are unsure how the motherboard is mounted or if you are unfamiliar with the stand-offs >>>>>> please review this link: http://biorobots.cwru.edu/server/how...omp/mountmobo/*


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Hey linderman,

I did the bench installtion again, and this time i'm getting same problem the cpu fan is not spinning, you think my processor or the heatsink is bad too? I think i should RMA the board to newegg, you think they'll replace it?


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Hey Linderman, 

Do you think my processor and cpu fan is bad too? and do you think that standoff's were the reason that cause my Heatsink not to spin? I am Confused confused.


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## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

yes; lack of motherboard stand-offs led to a motherboard short!

return the motherboard only back to the retailer for replacement


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Ok I'm confused now, what do you mean by send it back to the retailer i bought the motherboard from newegg, and i should send back to newegg right? or should i send it to Gigabyte?!?


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

one more think linderman, I took out the cpu and heatsink from the board as i'm sending back the mobo to RMA, my question is that when i took out the cpu/heatsink there was thermal compound on head of the cpu and at the bottom of the heatsink which i used before building i have cleaned that thermal compound with plain tissue paper? is that ok?!? I hope that wont effect the cpu and heatsink.


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d

*Re: Please help me Decide*

You will need high purity alchol to get in the crevices and use like a soft rag.


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Suggest me something bro, any link?


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## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

return the motherboard to newegg (call newegg or go online and get RMA number)



clean off all thermal grease with 99% alcohol / not the common stuff found in the drug isle of big stores. The 99% stuff doesnt have all the water in it that the cheaper crap does. The 99% stuff can be found at any drug store.

I personally like goof-off paint remover, found at any paint store or hardware store 

just apply some cleaner and use a q-tip or soft cotton cloth to clean, *dont **submerge* the cpu in any liquids or cleaners

I once had a customer who let a cpu soak in a cup full of 99% cleaner for 24 hours >>>>> that ruined his cpu!! :upset:

just remove the grease from all surfaces and wait for new motherboard

no harm on the cpu or heat sink

BTW: you have applied too much grease if it made that much mess!

you only need a dab the size of a grain of white rice

the thermal grease is used to fill in microscopic pits in the metal surfaces of the metal cpu "lid" and the heat sink metal surface >>>>> those pits dont need a wad of grease!


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Alright boss, so i sent back the motherboard today i took out the cpu yesterday and i cleaned it with the tissue, now later today ima buy goof off and clean the cpu and heatsink again with goof off and put it back in the box it came with and then i'll wait for the board, but hey litsen i just followed the instructions they have it on the arctic silver website they it says that we should paste the thermal compound in one line in the middle of the cpu and thats what i did, so you're saying i should only paste in the middle of the cpu like just a size of the grain?!? and one more quick question since i got a lesson and now i wanna be very carefull with those standoffs let me ask, do i have to screw those brass standoffs in the casing before i mount the motherboard?!? or should i mount the motherboard and then screw in those standoffs in the holes in the motherboard and line them up, help me with this please thank you boss


----------



## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

what I normally do is install the motherboard I/O shield into the case (thats the little silver shiny thin metal plate that surrounds the printer port holes and usb port holes etc at the back of the case & motherboard

then place the motherboard into the case and align it with the inpuit out put shield just like its was going to be screwed there!

now use a finger nail polish brush with a light amount of nail polish on the brush >>>> let the brush pass thru the motherboard mounting holes ( 9 of them) and place a light dab of paint on the threaded hole beneath the motherboard which is in fact the case holes

after you have "painted" all nine holes >>>> remove the motherboard

screw in 9 brass stand-offs into the threads which have nail polish around them; its that easy



*here is an I/O Sheild (input-output sheild)*


Shot at 2007-08-03

*
here is the brass standoffs being screwed into the case surface*


Shot at 2007-08-03

*the nine motherboard mounting holes look like this*


Shot at 2007-08-03


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Alright boss that was a cool reply regarding the standoff's, linderman when i did the bench installation of the machine it made the partition and the size was only 120GB or something and my hard drive is 320 GB WD SATA 3.0, any thoughts? maybe i should've fdisk?


----------



## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

nope FDISK *isnt* your answer BY A LONG SHOT :4-thatsba



does your windows XP disk have service pack 2 in it ????????????????


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Yes it has service pack two in it


----------



## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

did you format the drive with the NTFS file system or fat32 ????


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

With ntfs but i did quick format


----------



## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

always do full format


when new motherboard arrives and you get it running we can address this issue, worse case zero fill the hard drive and start fresh

although I would not want a 250 gig OS partition


I set up my OS partitions at 40-60 gig


the rest of the 250 gig drive can be set-up as a data partition, but lets get off the ground first before we worry about where to land !


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Hey Linderman,

I am expecting to Receive the mobo tomorrow so what do you say i should do the bench installation first? because i also have to check and make sure that my memory processor hard drive is working. Thanks.


----------



## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Hello Rez :wave:



until *all parts are proven*, always bench test first 

this gives you the best chance for up close inspection



keep us posted


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Hey linderman,

I got the board today, I'm doing the bench installation i put together everything turned on the power the cpu fan spins for half of the second and stops video card fan spins properly i turned off the system i dont wanna take any chances, what do you think is i am doing wrong now? please help


----------



## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

did you put your cpu heatsink/fan on the cpu using thermal grease ?????

is the heatsink tight to the cpu ?????


is the cpu fan plug connected to the cpu fan connector on the motherboard

does the cpu have the four pin power supply connector going to the cpu for power

clear the cmos and try again


post back results


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

I cleaned the cpu and the heatsink before installing it with goof off and q tip, i re applied the arctic silver, I installed everything properly the way i did my bench installation before, i connected the cpu fan cable to cpu connector on the mother board, should i take out the heaksink and re install it maybe i didnt install it properly, in that case would i have to put the grease again and when i take out the cmos battery there should be no power, right? and put the battery back again?


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

*does the cpu have the four pin power supply connector going to the cpu for power*

which cpu four pin power supply connector are you talkinga bout? are you talking about the cpu fan connector which connects to the motherboard?


----------



## HawMan

*Re: Please help me Decide*

No he means this one:











And also this pic, see the 4 pin CPU Power connector?


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

yes the cables are connected good, should i clear the grease and re apply it? i dont think i cant take off the battery, i think i am gonna give it a one more try and then take it to the computer shop before i mess my cpu or the board now, lol


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

is there anyone around? I installed my computer together i got the display i went to the windows now the problem i m having right now is that the cpu fan spins when i do something like when i was installing the drivers the cpu fan was spinning but i leave the system idle it doesnt spin, BUT when i connect the cpu connecter to 'SYS_FAN' instead of 'CPU_FAN' it spins all the time it never stops when it is connected to 'SYS_FAN' on the board, please help me out with this, is this normal and what should i do where should i connect the fan?


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## TheMatt

*Re: Please help me Decide*

The CPU fan should always be plugged into the CPU_Fan port. If it is a 4-pin fan connector, the CPU fan will spin only if the processor is hot enough that it needs it. 

This is normal, and in fact your CPU fan doesn't spin when the computer is idle, you must have either done a terrific job of installing the CPU heatsink or you have a very effective heatsink.

If you are concerned about the CPU temps, go into SpeedFan (Download it from my sig below) and check the temps. On my computer, Temp2 is the CPU, but it can vary. If you are unsure of what reading is the CPU temp, post back. Please post the temps you seee anyway.


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

thank you so much for replying man, i left a msg for linderman yesterday that the fan is not spinning and he said i should check the heatsink and take out the battery so i left a msg for him again, but after waiting 24 hrs for his reply i called gigabyte and then they said that its normal because the mobo has smart fan feature and it will only spin when the cpu gets hot, but after reading alot of posts on different forums today i saw someone saying that 
That i can make changes in the bios and options are as following, now sir do you think i should change the options or leave it the way fan is working right now?

*The options should be auto, Intel(R) QST, Legacy, and Disable.
Set it to disable to check if your fan is running good, and then set it to whichever you wish depending on what you feel is comfortable.
QST: Minimal noise, less speed, fan stays off a lot of the time
Legacy: The fan spins, but it depends on how the motherboard reads the temps
Disable: CPU fan runs at full speed*

please suggest, and i am really really thankful for your reply.


----------



## TheMatt

*Re: Please help me Decide*

If it were my personal computer I would set it to legacy. This will make the fan run at more reasonable speeds. In fact thats what it is set to on my Gigabyte board (N650SLI-DS4).


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

so should i set it to legacy? or should i post you the temps before setting it on legacy btw i went in to bios just now and it says my cpu temperature is 32C and my system temperature is 39C what is system temperature?


----------



## TheMatt

*Re: Please help me Decide*

System temp is usually the northbridge temp. 32 degrees is really good, so I don't see issues with either setting. The reason I set it to that on my computer is that there is already so much fan noise that the extra heatsink noise is not even noticed. And extra CPU cooling is never a bad thing. :wink:


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Ok let me download the software you told me about and then i'll post you the temps?


----------



## TheMatt

*Re: Please help me Decide*

The BIOS will probably be more accurate but SpeedFan will allow you to monitor temps under load.


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

ok, one more thing i am only seeing 110 gb as my partition so i am re installing again but when i got to the screen where it tells you the full hard drive space its only showing me 110 gb unpartitioned hard disk, what should i do?


----------



## TheMatt

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Do you have Windows XP with at lease SP1? What size hard disk do you have?


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

I have windows xp professional service pack2 and i have 320 gb western digital sata drive, which i am loving it


----------



## TheMatt

*Re: Please help me Decide*

What are the entire system specs? Sorry, I just jumped into this thread.


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Here are my specs bro.

*GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel * 

*COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel, SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case -* 

*Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 Allendale 2.0GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E4400 - *

*EVGA 256-P2-N615-TX GeForce 7600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card -* 

*Antec True Power Trio TP3-550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply with Three 12V Rails* 

*CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) 
Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400 - *


----------



## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

sorry for the late response REZMAN 




dont know how I missed your thread activity


all you have to do is enter disk mangement and right click on the chunk that says "unallocated" then select format


thats providing of course, there is no data on that chunk you need to save


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

wohooooo, linderman is back!!!!!!! its alright linderman you've always helped me sir, 

so should i just format this hard drive right now? install the OS and then go to disk management and should see unallocated space there?


----------



## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

I hate that cool and quite crap >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the default bios for that should be "disabled" :4-dontkno


I personally like to set my "goal" temp lower than most people

I want my computer to be as cool as possible, I am not a big quiet system believer>>>> I have 6 case fans in my full tower :laugh:


----------



## TheMatt

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Same here, four case fans and two heatsink fans here. :smile:


----------



## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

thats correct what you have just posted


there is no advantage to having a C drive any larger than 110 gig


but there are plenty of downsides to having huge OS partitions


after the OS is installed , *format* the chunk of drive that you will see labeled as unallocated


enjoy


----------



## TheMatt

*Re: Please help me Decide*

I only have a 40 GB C: drive and a 40 GB D: drive. The rest is Linux.


----------



## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

You were in the *VERY* capable hands of THE MATT ray: REZMAN


in the future fire me a PM if I am late for the party :wave:


----------



## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

50 gig C drive here


the rest are all storage drives and clones ( 4 x 147 gig) :embarased




bed time for this old fart 



hopefully one of the fellas will keep an eye on yah if you have any more questions tonite


later fellas :wave:


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## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Alright, two things
1. where can i find the setting of Intel QST, Legacy and to disable it and is it in bios if yes then which tab should i hit? the power management of the pc health, the second thing is that my other fan in the casing is not running i just figured that out and now my cpu fan which is my heatsink is running continously and it doesnt stop i havnt touch the bios settings yet, the third thing is that my temperatures have changed my system temperature is now 44C and my cpu temp is 41 42 43C.


----------



## TheMatt

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Those are still good temps. Check your motherboard manual for the specific section on where to change the setting.


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Ok, whats the bad temps?


----------



## TheMatt

*Re: Please help me Decide*

For the Core 2 Duo, above 60 degrees. It shouldn't even go that high though.


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Ok, so i think i should start intalling the drivers for the board.


----------



## TheMatt

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Yep. Also, remember to do Windows updates.


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

so you're positive that my cpu temp wont increase and wont give me a thermal shut down, i am confused


----------



## TheMatt

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Download Prime95 from my sig and open it twice so there are two windows. Start a torture test in both windows to stress out both cores and see how high the temps go with SpeedFan.


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

how long does the test takes? one hour?


----------



## 1 g0t 0wn3d

*Re: Please help me Decide*

as long as you want


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

how can i stop that bro? i see soemthing saying test1 4000 lucas-lehmar and so on, where can i see the report and the temps.


----------



## 1 g0t 0wn3d

*Re: Please help me Decide*

http://www.playtool.com/pages/prime95/prime95.html here are the instructions if speedfan was running during you hold your curser over the cpu the (current) for min and max


----------



## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

how many case fans do you have in your rig


where are they located in the case'


which direction does each fan move air ????


what is the approximate air temp in your computer room / computer location

dont want to make that mistake again of trying to get real cool temps from a computer thats sitting in a 30-C room :laugh:


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

This is my casing I have two fans in my casing but i dont know why the front fan is not working i connected it first to the motherboard it didnt work then i connected it directly to the power supply it didnt worked again
I dont have an air conditioner in my room just a one fan and I live in new york so the weather over here is kinda hot and humid.
*http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811119068*


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Btw, i forgot to mention that my 80mm fan is the fan which is not working.


----------



## TheMatt

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Might be a dead fan. If you buy cheap sleeve bearing fans, don't expect them to last long.

I have one 90mm version and two 120mm versions of this fan in my case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835999111

It is a quality dual ball bearing fan and will serve you well.


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

the fan came with the casing


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

where can i see the results or the cpu temp readings in prime95


----------



## TheMatt

*Re: Please help me Decide*

You don't use Prime95 to monitor temps. Use SpeedFan like this:



Unfortunately Prime95 doesn't seem to let me open two instances of it at once. So what I would do is download SuperPi:
http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=36

Then open two instances of that. Have it calculate Pi to 1M digits and see how high your CPU temp goes. If it calculates Pi really fast, go to 8M or 16M digits. It should take a few minutes to do that. Watch how high the CPU temps go.


----------



## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

fellas dont overlook orthos >>>> its for dual core

http://www.overclock.net/downloads/138142-orthos-v20060420.html


and PC wizard will run temps as a *back lit feature *if you simply just minimize PC Wizard

http://www.cpuid.com/pcwizard.php


all this for FREE of course


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Ya hi linderman and everyone, i disabled the smart fan feature and i'm checking the temps since then everytime i restart the pc i go into bios the cpu temps are not going above 41 it normally is 36-40 and system temperature is 47C


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Hello guys i just finished the test, check out the readings


but after 4 mins i started hearing some weird sounds from the cpu so i turned off the software it was like long beeps as i turned off the software the beeps went off, what sound was that? I am scared to run the test again. The readings are taken from cpu wizard and i installed orthos to do the test.


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

[img=http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/4006/cputemp1xu4.th.jpg]

the image again.


----------



## 1 g0t 0wn3d

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Thats fine my cpu idles at that.....


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Ok, but what was those sounds man they scared me lol, as i turned off the software stopped the test the sounds went off, were they coming fromt he motherboard video card of the cpu bro. dayom!


----------



## 1 g0t 0wn3d

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Beeps? sounds like it maybe a temp warning are you sure the temps are correct do you have a turkey prod or something that easures temp you can put on the heat sink and see if it is around that temp the cpu should be a few c hotter then the heatsink


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

no i totally shut down that software which was stressing the cpu, as i shut that down the sound went of it was coming from my motherboard it was one of my hardware i am sure pc wizard is still running what was those sounds bro my system is idle right now Core # 1 34C Core # 2 31C
you think that must be coming out from the vga card? the sounds i mean.


----------



## 1 g0t 0wn3d

*Re: Please help me Decide*

no i think its coming from the motherboards speaker


----------



## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

hmmmmmm personally I would run orthos again and try to find "exactly" what is making that noise


use a long plastic rod if you have to to touch parts and listen for the noise better ?????


you system should be able to taking orthos >>>>> its the tool everybody uses for overclocking >>>>> a stable overclock can take orthos beating for 8 hours 

if a part craps out better to find out now and get it replaced


you built a race car, now lets get to smokin the tires!


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

linderman the sound just came when i was running the orthos software otherwise everything is running smooth, do you still think i should run orthos its been almost a month now that i'm trying to built this system, lol.


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

btw, i was also formatting my partitions in the disk management when i was running the test telling you this just to bring in to attention.


----------



## TheMatt

*Re: Please help me Decide*

The temps are fine so I doubt it was a temperature alarm. Reboot your computer and run the test again. See if it does it again.


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

my temperature alarm is set to 60C, maybe that was my alarm? I've enabled it in the bios.


----------



## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

ahahahahahahahhahahhahahahahahahahahahh I fell off the chair :laugh:





yeah its the temp alarm !


change the temp alarm to 65C its normal for orthos to push up the temp to 60C sometimes even 62C


while you are running orthos pull the side cover off the PC and blow a house fan into it!


when you are done playing with orthos set your temp alarm back to 60C


best regards

joe


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

**** man i am so embarass:upset:


----------



## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

then REZ ole boy >>>>> we make a *matched pair *:embarased


----------



## rezaman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Alright linderman, i think my temps are good then so everything is good, wow finally i have built my system i am so happy and it wouldn't have done if you guys werent there specially you, i'm really appreciated boss.


----------



## linderman

*Re: Please help me Decide*

Happy to hear you got your system tweaked ray:



that babY should really rock >>>>> now spin those tires and enjoy :wave:


----------

