Need Motherboard Rec - Intend SSD OCZ Vertex 3 System

[tryagainplease]

Hey Guys,

I would appreciate any feedback on compatibility and installation of an SSD for my system drive. It is a new build.

Speed is the main issue for me. Boot times and App launch times. I have ordered the OCZ Vertex 3 120gb drive. I should receive it March 8th.

I need to hurry up and decide on a motherboard. I have past experience with ASUS and Gigabyte.

I am leaning towards the Intel 2600K so the Mobo will require LGA 1155 spec.

Reviews on Newegg on both the ASUS ( P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 LGA 1155) and Gigabyte ( GA-Z68XP-UD4 LGA 1155) boards that others have had problems with SSDs on these boards. Therefore, I would not be averse to buying the i7 3820 CPU and a LGA 2011 mobo. Please let me hear your thoughts.

I really need to hear your recommendations. Thanks!

Gigabyte has produced a mobo with a 20gb ssd "built in", and uses the Intel controller. But I have read many ppl had big probs with the intel controller. The Marvell controller seems to have better results (from what I have read), love to hear thoughts from ppl who have actually had experiences with same. I am ruling out the Giga mobo that comes with 20gb ssd onboard.

Boards I am considering to buy so far:

ASUS P8Z68-VPRO/GEN3 LGA 1155

GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD4 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Model #:GA-Z68XP-UD4

The other components for this build are:

Corsair Vengeance 1600 RAM (32GB)
Corsair 1000HX PSU
Giga ATI Radeon 6770 1GB DDR5 GV-R677SL-1GD
Cooler Master Trooper case
JBODs - 3gb & 6gb - 2TBea storage drives
Windows 7 Ultimate

Afterthoughts: Will I have to load a driver during the Windows 7 installation for the OCZ SSD?

Filed under: ssd installation, vertex 3, ssd driver

 

[nikorr]

Geat ASUS P8Z68-VPRO/GEN3 LGA 1155 .

 

[nikorr]

Is there somewhere what CPU do u have?

 

[tryagainplease]

I intend to buy the 2600K but would consider the 2011 socket 3820 in case the mobo choices are better for the 2011 socket vs. the 1155 socket. In short I have already purchased the OCZ Vertex 3 and the PSU and the Giga Video card, but have not purchased the mobo or the CPU. My budget is flexible as long as the mobo and cpu combined are under $700.

 

[tryagainplease]

I can get $50 off the Mobo at Micro Center if I buy the CPU from them.

What do you guys think of this combination:

Intel socket 2011 3820 CPU
ASUS 9PX79 vs.
GIGA GA-X79 UD3

 

[nikorr]

I can get $50 off the Mobo at Micro Center if I buy the CPU from them.

What do you guys think of this combination:

Intel socket 2011 3820 CPU
ASUS 9PX79 vs.
GIGA GA-X79 UD3

I would go with the ASUS : ))
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_2011/P9X79/

 

[jaquith]

Hmm...That's a tough call, the i7-3820 is in leagues with the i7-2600K @ stock, but it's a piece of cake to OC the i7-2600K to >4.5GHz. The i7-3820 can be OC'ed to 4.75GHz using a 125MHz CPU Strap (125MHz * 38) with a ~1.45v vCore which is a pretty high vCore. Whereas the i7-2600K @ 1.40v vCore which is better.

Here's some data - http://www.overclock.net/t/1167939/sandy-bridge-e-overclock-leaderboard-owners-club

The ASUS P9X79 - http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_2011/P9X79/ is a decent MOBO, and I only recommend ASUS with the X79. Gigabyte and others have had considerably more problems.

 

[tryagainplease]

Hmm...That's a tough call, the i7-3820 is in leagues with the i7-2600K @ stock, but it's a piece of cake to OC the i7-2600K to >4.5GHz. The i7-3820 can be OC'ed to 4.75GHz using a 125MHz CPU Strap (125MHz * 38) with a ~1.45v vCore which is a pretty high vCore. Whereas the i7-2600K @ 1.40v vCore which is better.

Here's some data - http://www.overclock.net/t/1167939/sandy-bridge-e-overclock-leaderboard-owners-club

The ASUS P9X79 - http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_2011/P9X79/ is a decent MOBO, and I only recommend ASUS with the X79. Gigabyte and others have had considerably more problems.

I bought the CPU 3820 and the Giga GA-X79 UD3. I thought I had a Corsair HX1000w PSU in one of my other computers which I intended to use, but when I opened the case, not . I am waiting for delivery of PSU to proceed with build. Since have done some more research. It seems others have had problems with the Giga mobo, but may have resolved with new BIOS (F9 releases 2/22). I have already installed the CPU and heat sink on the mobo so I am reluctant to return it.

I did not buy the ASUS because the last one I bought (ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution LGA 1366 Intel X58), I bought because of the native SAS thinking a 15k rpm sys drive would give me more speed, but Win7 only has a 5.9 and Win7 points to the sys drive as the bottleneck. Also, I just did not like the flimsiness of the hardware. At the time they had just started mfg in China which I attrib the flimsy feel of the mobo. I swear it was so bendy when I installed the heatsink was scary. The 2011 GA X79 UD3 is made in Taiwan, and surprisingly lighter than my last Giga mobo - a disappointment, but it DOES have a better way of mounting the heat sink - screws directly into a threaded pre-mounted plate. The layout looks elegant and everything is nicely labeled.

Many thanks for your feedback. I was unaware of this site you pointed me to for overclocking. So far, overclocking of ANY kind has been too difficult for me. I think now with this one, I may have to get better at it in order to get the speed I crave. Thanks. Guys.

 

[jaquith]

I fail to see how you figure you need a 1000W PSU; take a few minutes an calculate -> http://www.thermaltake.outervision.com/Power As posted above a 650W is sufficient.

Q - What's the purpose of this build?

Installing Windows 7 on an X79 is completely different, and you need to install the Intel RST Enterprise drivers. It's best to set SATA->RAID so you don't inadvertently load the wrong/default AHCI drivers which will invariably corrupts your MBR. See -> http://www.thermaltake.outervision.com/Power

 

[tryagainplease]

I fail to see how you figure you need a 1000W PSU; take a few minutes an calculate -> http://www.thermaltake.outervision.com/Power As posted above a 650W is sufficient.

Q - What's the purpose of this build?

Installing Windows 7 on an X79 is completely different, and you need to install the Intel RST Enterprise drivers. It's best to set SATA->RAID so you don't inadvertently load the wrong/default AHCI drivers which will invariably corrupts your MBR. See -> http://www.thermaltake.outervision.com/Power

jaquith, yes you are right I don't "need" the 1000w psu, but I "like" the Corsiar HX 1000 and its modular design. I like the weight of it. And although it is overkill for now, who knows it allows me to change my mind up the road. Thanks for the link to PSU calculator. It seems with this rig so far I only need 587watts.

You said "Installing Windows 7 on an x79 is completely different....." Are you referring to my question about installing drivers for the SSD (OCZ Vertex3) during Win7 install? I called and spoke with an OCZ tech support guy. He says the SSD is recognized by Win7 and no driver install is necessary, but I don't really trust tech support for any of these mfr's. I would rather have the feedback of those who have suffered through the blows of doing it themselves and I think the community is a better resource. Still it has been several days now and finally yours is the only response to the question. What is one to do? I have all the parts layed out on the table but have not run through a pre-build test yet. You posted 2 links but they are the same? Did you mean to post a link for me on the Win7 SSD drivers issue? Much appreciated if you do. Thanks!

 

[jaquith]

The HX series is semi-modular the AX series is 100% modular. The HX has the: 24-pin, 8-pin, and 2x8(6+2) pin pre-connected.

The X79 use Intel RST Enterprise drivers which are not part of Windows 7. You can do it your way, and when you start getting BSOD's and Hybrid Sleep failures let me know how that works for you

Read the driver specs for Windows 7 - http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4050#dl (SATA):
Intel SATA Preinstall driver
(For AHCI / RAID Mode)
Note: Press F6 during Windows setup to read from floppy.

The last thing I care to do is school OCZ, but they clearly don't have a clue.

 

[tryagainplease]

I would go with the ASUS : ))
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_2011/P9X79/

nikorr, I did not buy the ASUS because the last one I bought (ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution LGA 1366 Intel X58), I bought because of the native SAS thinking a 15k rpm sys drive would give me more speed, but Win7 only has a 5.9 and Win7 points to the sys drive as the bottleneck. Also, I just did not like the flimsiness of the hardware. At the time they had just started mfg in China which I attrib the flimsy feel of the mobo. I swear it was so bendy when I installed the heatsink was scary. The 2011 GA X79 UD3 is made in Taiwan, and surprisingly lighter than my last Giga mobo - a disappointment, but it DOES have a better way of mounting the heat sink - screws directly into a threaded pre-mounted plate. The layout looks elegant and everything is nicely labeled.

Many thanks for your feedback. (I should start a thread about the poor performance of the ASUS P6T6 WS and see if anybody has resolved the driver/performance issues yet. It has been 2+ years).

When I bought it, it was just released and there were very few who had tested it out yet. The only reason for buying that particular version (I think) was for those who were trying to get a boost in speed from the expected performance of the native SAS interface with an SAS 15k rpm system drive. Installing the SAS drivers was nothing but pain, and then to get such poor performance after all the money and pain. I just parked the box in front of my TV and used it as a HTPC.

 

[jaquith]

A lot of SATA or SAS issues are because, like above, folks improperly install either their OS, bad/poor habits of building, wrong drivers, wrong ports, wrong registry entries, wrong/old drivers, you name it.

Weight?! Are you kidding?! That irrelevant especially now that a lot of processes are moving towards on-die vs add-on chipsets. This is the trend towns a 'MOBO' on a chip production.

 

[tryagainplease]

The HX series is semi-modular the AX series is 100% modular. The HX has the: 24-pin, 8-pin, and 2x8(6+2) pin pre-connected.

The X79 use Intel RST Enterprise drivers which are not part of Windows 7. You can do it your way, and when you start getting BSOD's and Hybrid Sleep failures let me know how that works for you

Read the driver specs for Windows 7:
Intel SATA Preinstall driver
(For AHCI / RAID Mode)
Note: Press F6 during Windows setup to read from floppy.

The last thing I care to do is school OCZ, but they clearly don't have a clue.

jaquith, it is not that i want to do it my way. I am here because i recognize my lack of knowledge on this and i need help from others who know more. I truly want to take advice and avoid the sleep problems and BSOD's I have already read about. I truly appreciate your input. And I am grateful for the link and the info.

I went to the Gigabyte downloads for this motherboard (from your link, thanks!). Is this the driver you are referring to? (I input Win7/x64. A whole list of SATA drivers came up both Marvel and Intel.)

[From the Giga Dnl site]
Intel SATA Preinstall driver
(For AHCI / RAID Mode)
Note: Press F6 during Windows setup to read from floppy.

3.0.0.1112 - released 11/15/11

OR is it THIS one: OR is it BOTH?

Intel® Rapid Storage Technology

3.0.0.2003 - released 11/21/11

I guess my next question is Gigabyte puts (2) drivers for download 1) the RST driver, and 2) the SATA "Preinstall" AHCI/RAID mode with the F-6 admonition. If I am to use the above 3.0.0.112 driver on the F-6 install, what is the 3.0.0.2003 driver for and how/when is it to be installed?

Further, I take it that I am NOT to use the Marvel driver for the SSD.

Thanks very much for your patience in this matter.

 

[jaquith]

I noticed above, I assumed that I posted this How to Install Windows 7 on X79 -> http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/303873-30-wont-resume-sleep-booted-raid#t2068879

The above link is a step-by-step guide and in particular it's customized to undo a prior failed install attempt of Windows 7. In some instances, it best for a SSD to be 'Secure Erased' and start from scratch. Before installing make certain that you have the latest: BIOS (non-beta), SSD & HDD Firmware, and never have multiple non-boot (aka for you the JBOD) connected to any SATA ports during ANY OS install (the installer writes files to every driver otherwise).

Instead I posted the PSU Calculator twice by mistake. Follow my guide, the choices are whether to use the newest Intel RST Enterprise driver from Intel or the drivers listing on Gigabyte which are older. I do know the newer Intel RST Enterprise are indeed faster.

 

[tryagainplease]

I noticed above, I assumed that I posted this How to Install Windows 7 on X79 -> http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/303873-30-wont-resume-sleep-booted-raid#t2068879

The above link is a step-by-step guide and in particular it's customized to undo a prior failed install attempt of Windows 7. In some instances, it best for a SSD to be 'Secure Erased' and start from scratch. Before installing make certain that you have the latest: BIOS (non-beta), SSD & HDD Firmware, and never have multiple non-boot (aka for you the JBOD) connected to any SATA ports during ANY OS install (the installer writes files to every driver otherwise).

Instead I posted the PSU Calculator twice by mistake. Follow my guide, the choices are whether to use the newest Intel RST Enterprise driver from Intel or the drivers listing on Gigabyte which are older. I do know the newer Intel RST Enterprise are indeed faster.

jaquith, i will need time to read and absorb the step-by-step guide you provided. I am fortunate in that I have not already installed ANYTHING, yet. So no backtracking and fixing mistakes from before are needed. Just trying to pick and choose the best path before I begin. I will try and follow your guide. Again, I so appreciate your time and attention.

 

[tryagainplease]

Best answer selected by tryagainplease.

 

[jaquith]

That's the best and only method to install Windows 7 on the X79. Perhaps Windows 8 will address the missing drivers. This is no different than the early days of XP when SATA wasn't even supported until SP2. Maybe Windows 7 SP2 will have the required and correct drivers.

To be on the safe side, IMO it's best to set the Intel SATA -> RAID. This give Windows no other options but to use the 'Have Drivers' option and will prevent a mistake. You can leave the SATA -> RAID or later change it to AHCI; if you change it then verify the registry values (Start = 0) again and the drivers will install after the next boot and you must reboot without making any BIOS changes to avoid a corruption. i.e. NEVER change anything in the BIOS with a REQUIRED RESTART; you can risk corruption of the MBR.

 

[tryagainplease]

That's the best and only method to install Windows 7 on the X79. Perhaps Windows 8 will address the missing drivers. This is no different than the early days of XP when SATA wasn't even supported until SP2. Maybe Windows 7 SP2 will have the required and correct drivers.

To be on the safe side, IMO it's best to set the Intel SATA -> RAID. This give Windows no other options but to use the 'Have Drivers' option and will prevent a mistake. You can leave the SATA -> RAID or later change it to AHCI; if you change it then verify the registry values (Start = 0) again and the drivers will install after the next boot and you must reboot without making any BIOS changes to avoid a corruption. i.e. NEVER change anything in the BIOS with a REQUIRED RESTART; you can risk corruption of the MBR.

jaquith,

for me MORE info is always helpful. So thanks for the additional tips. I will do my best. Probably will install and test everything in next 3 days. I am slow and methodical, but even then.......

I already know the motherboard has a later BIOS (F-9) and the SSD has a newer BIOS. OCZ support suggested hooking it up to an existing computer and flashing it before using it as the system drive in the new build. So the first step is to update the SSD. After which I expect to do some in-depth study of your guide before I begin.

Fortunately I still have the USB floppy drive from the ASUS SAS / i7/920 build. I had hoped to get away from adding drivers through F-6, but now it looks like if I want the latest gear I will always have to be prepared to make the effort, and I have not even got into overclocking yet!

The ASUS SAS motherboard was particularly difficult because it required loading 1 set of drivers, then change the RAID/IDE/AHCI settings then install the other driver (and ASUS was no help at all - only found this on another forum as well).

It should be very interesting to read your guide especially the MBR data (I was not aware of the MBR when I did the ASUS SAS install), and apply that knowledge to the ASUS SAS build. Maybe erase everything and start over on that one.

 

[jaquith]

I always install with a Flash Drive, it's faster and more customizable. I preload the drivers on the Flash Drive along with those needed to complete the post Windows install. I haven't used a FDD in years, going back in the days of early XP.

Correct, it is much easier to flash the firmware from a 'donor PC' than to create yet another Linux boot Flash Drive to update a primary drive. In any case, it's generally better, in most instances, to use the latest firmware, and ditto with your other mechanical HDD.

 

[tryagainplease]

I always install with a Flash Drive, it's faster and more customizable. I preload the drivers on the Flash Drive along with those needed to complete the post Windows install. I haven't used a FDD in years, going back in the days of early XP.

Correct, it is much easier to flash the firmware from a 'donor PC' than to create yet another Linux boot Flash Drive to update a primary drive. In any case, it's generally better, in most instances, to use the latest firmware, and ditto with your other mechanical HDD.

Thanks for the additional thoughts.