Seeking opinions on build config, driver issues, cool utilities

[forbidenmaster]

Hey TH forum,

So my Core i5 3570k finally arrived last night which was the last piece in my new PC build. I stuck it in, put on the HSF and booted her up. I must say that one short beep of a good first boot is a very nice sound to hear.

However my situation is a bit different than a normal new build. At this time I cannot afford to interrupt my computing time with a new Windows install, program install, re-config, etc. etc. so I did not do a fresh Windows install but instead just used the Boot SSD and HDDs that I had in my old (dying) system. Of course this means driver issues, software issues and config issues galore, but at this time its better than having to re-install windows.

I think I worked out all of the kinks, uninstalled drivers not used, uninstalled those damn HP programs I should have gotten rid of ages ago, and downloaded new drivers from Gigabytes website.

I only had time to get it stable, clear up the driver errors, and test a few programs to make sure everything was workable (oh and run Gigabyte EasyTune 6 for a nice quick OC), but I was hoping to get some opinions on what else I should do to make sure no issues arise, anything I should install, and maybe some cool programs to test out the new build.

And just to head off the obvious I will be re-installing Windows down the road, just not any time very soon.

For whatever it is worth here is a list of the components in my build:

Gigabyte Intel Z77 LGA 1155 AMD CrossFireX/NVIDIA SLI W/HDMI, DVI Dual UEFI BIOS ATX Motherboard GA-Z77X-D3H (NEW)

Intel Core i5 3570K Processor 3.4 4 BX80637I53570K (NEW)

Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 OC 2 GB DDR5 HDMI/DVI-I/Dual Mini DP PCI-Express Graphics Card 11200-01-20G (NEW)

CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model CMX8GX3M2A1333C9 (OLD) x2

Corsair Enthusiast Series 650-Watt 80 Plus Bronze Certified Power Supply Compatible with Intel Core i3, i5, i7 and AMD platforms - CMPSU-650TXV2 (NEW)

OCZ Vertex 2 120 GB SATA II 2.5" Solid State Drive (OCZSSD2-2VTXE120G) (OLD)

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS 1.5TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive (OLD)

SAMSUNG EcoGreen F4 HD204UI 2TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive (OLD)

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler, RR-B10-212P-G1 (NEW)

Cooler Master HAF 912 Mid Tower ATX Case (RC-912-KKN1) (NEW)

Lite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive IHAS424-98 - Retail (Black) (NEW)

CD/DVD drive from old PC (OLD)

Items marked with (NEW) I just purchased, items marked with (OLD) I already had from my old system.


Thanks all!

 

[forbidenmaster]

at this time I cannot afford to interrupt my computing time with a new Windows install, program install, re-config, etc. etc.

What do you mean you can not interrupt your computing time with a new install? It sounds like you are asking for trouble.
I would put the fresh install at the top of my list.

I guess I should say computing time is less of an issue than real life time. An hour or so last night to install the CPU (I had slowly but surely installed everything else over the past week or so as the parts came in and I had time) and fix drivers was fine before I had to go to bed and get up for work in the morning, but I need to use the computer tonight and wont have time to fiddle with it at all before I then have to go to bed again and start the day over. Additionally it is used by a non computer savvy person (ie someone I wouldnt trust to reinstall Windows and programs) during the day while I am here at work and they need access to the PC during the day so I cant just do a fresh install at night and leave them hanging until I can get around to slowly but surely setting everything back up. And dont even get me started on the weekends.

Its a quick and dirty solution but it (seems) to work for now and I will resolve it when I can. In the meantime, have any tips for a new build in general?

 

[foscooter]

So, what is your question?

You already found out about driver issues, and know that you reallt need to re-install the OS to totally clean out the old system settings.

Aw, you want advie on an already built and working system. FRESH INSTALL of OS.

I see you have a SSD, here are some tips & tricks I always recommend:

The SSD Review - SSD Optimization Guide

OCZ Blog - SSD Tips & Tweaks

You don't have to do all, or any, they are just tips.

Oh, and I see that the SSD is SATA II, I'd eventually (before the fresh OS install) look into a SATA III SSD, since your motherboard supports it. I suggest the Intel 520 Series, Samsung 830 Series, or an OCZ Vertex 3, at least a 120GB version. As much as the first SSD rocked, SATA III ones stomp them!

The only other thing I see is getting 4GB of DDR3-1600 RAM. Corasir Vengance DDR3-1600 8GB Kit (2x4GB sticks) are around $50.00 now. But don't mix and match your 1333 with the 1600. But what you got is ok, you'd probably not even notice any difference.

 

[forbidenmaster]

So, what is your question?

You already found out about driver issues, and know that you reallt need to re-install the OS to totally clean out the old system settings.

Aw, you want advie on an already built and working system. FRESH INSTALL of OS.

I see you have a SSD, here are some tips & tricks I always recommend:

The SSD Review - SSD Optimization Guide

OCZ Blog - SSD Tips & Tweaks

You don't have to do all, or any, they are just tips.

Oh, and I see that the SSD is SATA II, I'd eventually (before the fresh OS install) look into a SATA III SSD, since your motherboard supports it. I suggest the Intel 520 Series, Samsung 830 Series, or an OCZ Vertex 3, at least a 120GB version. As much as the first SSD rocked, SATA III ones stomp them!

The only other thing I see is getting 4GB of DDR3-1600 RAM. Corasir Vengance DDR3-1600 8GB Kit (2x4GB sticks) are around $50.00 now. But don't mix and match your 1333 with the 1600. But what you got is ok, you'd probably not even notice any difference.

Stuff like this lol yeah. Want to make sure I didnt have any major oversight, etc and just general opinions on the build. Im looking into upgrading my SSD though not sure what I will do with the old one. I havent payed attention to that in a while, is going to a SATA III drive that much better? Same question on the RAM. As you said RAM is cheap so I was thinking of upgrading, but didnt really know if there was that much of a difference.

And thanks for the SSD tips, will definitely check those out!

 

[foscooter]

YES, a SATA III SSD will be well worth it. Twice as fast a a SATA II drive.

And the OCZ Vertex 2 suffer from whats called "drive throlling" where the drive slows itself down when it encounters too many write cycles. However, the ones I suggested don't (only Sandforce 12xx drives do).

If/when you upgrade, you could use it, as I did, as a cache drive for one of your HDD. But this really is kind of a waste, depending on what is stored on the HDD. See my signature below.

Your RAM is okay. Just a suggestion.