I7 PC Built and running - now what?

[dolemite937]

Hello,

I have finally built my new i7 machine. Here are the specs:

CPU - Intel Core i7 920
Mobo - ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel
GPU - SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire
Mem - OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ3P1600LV6GK
PSU - COOLER MASTER RS-700-AMBA-D3 700W ATX12V V2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Power Supply
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
Case - COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
DVD Drive - LITE-ON 22X DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model iHAS222-06
OS - Microsoft Vista Home Premium 64 Bit
Thermal Compound - Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM46591231
CPU Cooler - Cooler Master V8

I basically put all the pieces together, fired it up and installed Windows Vista. My questions are:

1. Are there any settings in the Bios that I need to adjust for the memory that I am using?
2. Can anyone recommend a website that has more information than the ASUS manual for configuring the system?
3. Are there any recommendations on how to improve my PCs performance?

This is my first real PC build, so this is kind of new to me.

Thanks in advance for any help that you can provide.

mike

 

[geofelt]

1) If it is memtest86+ stable, without errors, then no memory spec adjustments are needed. The default is fine. The application performance benefits(FPS, etc) of faster ram are minimal, and nor worth the effort.

2) Go to the asus web site, and access their forums.

3) If you want to overclock, go to the bios and increase the bclk from 133 to 160. Leave everything else on auto. That will give you a clock rate of 3.3
Run prime95 with error checking long enough to prove that the overclock is stableas the cpu heats up.

In the vista control panel/power-options/edit plan settings/advanced power options/set the maximum processor state to 100% if it is not there already. Set the minimum to 50% or some such number to save power when not needed. Monitor your results with cpu-z.

 

[dolemite937]

Thanks for your reply and help.

1. I ran the memtest86+ and it ran with out any errors.

2. I will visit the ASUS forums. I should have check them to begin with.

3. prime95 runs great with bclk set to 133. CPU temps never go above 60 deg C. I did try to set the "bclk" from 133 to 160 and my PC will have an error with a blue screen of death when I try to boot into windows. I'm not sure what is going on there.

I checked the processor state under control panel/power-options/edit plan settings/advanced power options/and it was set to 100% all ready.

Thanks for your help and information!

 

[geofelt]

Does memtest86+ still run ok with bclk at 160?

Try bclk at 145 to give 3.0