Core i7/Vista system running slow

[MyOwnSling]

I have put together a Core i7 based system running Vista SP1 (OEM). I got everything together without much issue, I installed Vista, and now nothing seems to run properly. Vista takes literally 10 minutes to boot and anytime I try to install software (i.e. a game) it gets stuck early on in the install. When it does this, it takes like 15 minutes for anything else to come up (I try to bring the task manager up during the install or something else).

Anyone have any ideas as to wht that may be? All the hardware is showing up correctly in Vista. I also found another topic elsewhere that has a guy with the same mobo, amount of ram and OS: thread

specs:
Core i7 920
6GB Corsair 1333 DDR3
1TB Samsung HDD
EVGA GTX 260
ECS X58B-A mobo

Update:
When I take out 2 of the 3 2GB sticks of RAM, the system runs blazingly fast. If I even try putting one more stick in, it slows back down. I checked all three sticks and they work fine individually.

 

[Guest]

Hey man, I saw you thread on eve while searching google the day you made it. I have the exact same problem. Also, I think I'm getting closer to solving it; it's getting frustrating though. Please, email me at 4rahnk@gmail.com

 

[Kaldor]

Sounds alot like a mobo setting not setup correctly. Take a long look at your manual and see if there are any settings somewhere that you missed.

 

[MyOwnSling]

Marc, will do when I get back from work.

Kaldor, I do believe it is the motherboard in some way, but I could not find anything in the manual about RAM settings beyond DIMM voltage and timing (both set to default). It is worth another look, though, and I am going to try restoring my bios to defaults.

 

[vgdarkstar]

I'm having slowness as described here too, I have 12GB, maybe the "auto" function for mem timings is not setting the RAM correctly with so many sticks. Or perhaps triple channel isn't working right.

 

[bigspin]

Try to reset your BIOS first.( Optimised Default )

 

[vgdarkstar]

I was thinking it was the hard drives at first, perhaps, perhaps not, I have a 1.5TB Barracuda that just screwed up on me, waiting for the newest firmware from seagate, that drive isn't in the system right now though, or at least not plugged in.

Once I get back from work I'll give it a try though. If that doesn't work I'm going to set the RAM settings myself.

Really made me mad though, haven't had much time to build/use my new system because I've been so busy at work, and when I do get the time, I have to deal with this problem. Specs:

Core i7 920
ASUS P6T6 Revolution
12GB G.Skill DDR3 1600
NV GTX295
NV 8800GT (for my 3rd monitor)
2.7TB with various HDDs
Silverstone 1000W PSU

 

[vgdarkstar]

I'd like to also note that I tried installing windows 7 at first, it must've taken 6 hours to install (I gave up trying to speed it up after alot of tries and just let it run overnight) when it booted into windows 7, I realized I accidentally installed the 32 bit version (the windows during install were taking forever to fully show up)

I'm thinking its gotta be something with the RAM/Mobo setup, Vista is installed on a Seagate Barracuda 7 I believe... an older drive, but proven reliable, currently it takes vista... a long time to load, 5-10 minutes perhaps. I'm pretty sure it's not the Hard drive, my old 120GB IDE maxtor was alot faster with OS loads than this.

 

[MyOwnSling]

Just an update. It turns out it's the ECS motheboard. After a bios update, OS reinstall, RAM testing, and consulting with others, I came to this conclusion. The mobo works perfectly well with one 2GB stick, but more than that completely trashes performance. I found two other people with the same issue and others have also now posted reviews of the motherboard on NewEgg stating the same issue.

In the end, I returned the mobo and have ordered a new one that has my RAM on it's QVL.

 

[vgdarkstar]

Update of my own:

Did a Bios update... everything is fixed, working fantastically.

 

[cpi]

I have exactly the same problem with the ECS X58B-A motherboard: when using Vista with 2GB RAM (1DIMM) everything works fine, when using it with my desired configuration 3x2GB RAM everything works extremely slow.

To give you a picture of the problem installing a new Vista from scratch takes 20min with 2GB and more than 1.5hs with 6GB !!! Booting takes 20secs with 2GB and more than 3min with 6GB.

- I have installed the memory in the 3 yellow slots as suggested by the owners manual.
- I am using the latest bios version available at ECS site http://www.ecsusa.com/ECSWebSite/Pr...tegoryID=1&DetailName=Bios&MenuID=139&LanID=0
- I have 3 brand new Kingston memory KVR1333D3N9/2G that have are certified in ECS owners manual .
- I have tried with default optimized bios settings, also tried tweaking memory timings manually in the bios, but nothing helps...

Besides removing the other 2 DIMMS (which in my case in not an option - I use several development tools that take up 2GB RAM immediately), anyone who have solved this problem maybe with a Beta Bios Update or turning something on / off ?

I posted this to ECS support yesterday, I'll wait until next week, but if I don’t get a solution I am going to return this motherboard in exchange for other brand.

Thanks,
Claudio.