Computer help needed!

[Tamper 9]

*lmao* I just decided to go check the intel specs...I must not have at the time, but it looks like that pin (D57) isn't used. Wow...get a clue *lol* Anyway, it worked, mechnically and electrically - maybe I know why now. (Why I would ever bother for a pin that isn't used...well... )

[Von Paulus 8]

Actually, goldsmiths are able to solder back CPU pins... when they don't mind to do the job.

I remember that you could even replace the broken pin with gold wire... or was it copper?

[rjw 48]

I think my MB is dead, Wels. Although it powers up and all of the fans spin, I'm not getting any beeps anymore and no video.

 

 

I see that there have been a considerable number of helpful suggestions and offers by many of the members to help you get your system back up and that is great.

That being said, I haven't seen any suggestions on the following and I heartily recommend it if you haven't currently addressed them.

 

Get an external hard drive of the capacity required to allow you to backup your whole system (OS and personal files). You will never lose your data again and it will aid in recovery in the future.

Save your current hard drives and if you know of anyone with copy software such as "Ghost", you may be able to recover all your files for your new syste,.

 

Hope this helps some.

 

Best Regards;

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

Thanks again for everyone's help.

 

For a variety of reasons, including that P4 is coming out at some point, I have decided to bite the bullet (it may be the only thing I will be able to afford to eat for awhile) and purchase a new system. My old kaput system was getting long in the tooth anyway, and I was just putting off a replacement build anyway.

 

I think I have settled on the following:

 

ASRock P67 Fatal1ty Performance LGA 1155 board

Intel Core i5 2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3 GHz LGA 1155 95 W Quad core with Intel HD Graphics 2000

Corsair Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 PSU

GSkill Sniper Low Wattage Series 8GB (2X 4GB) 240-pin DDR3 1600 Ram

2X Corsair Force Series 3 CSSD F60GBA3-2.5 inch 60 GB SATA-III drive (may go with 45 GB drives instead)

CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 1200mm Sleeve CPU cooler

Lite-On 24X DVD Writer SATA drive

 

Any comments on this setup? I need to buy some of these components tonight before the sales expire, so any quick comments are appreciated, even though I realize it is Easter Sunday, and most of us actually have lives beyond computers and computer games.

[Von Paulus 8]

Go to 2500K CPU and not 2500. The 2500 has limited overclock ability. You might not want to overclock now, but tomorrow you might want.

And I haven't see which graphic card you chose. Are ypou planning going with the Intel HD graphics?

Don't do it. Scrap instead the SSD disks and buy a a graphic card with that value. Believe me that would be a serious mistake for gaming.

 

I wouldn't go either for Asrock, but for Asus or Gigabyte. Never compromise the motherboard quality.

When buying computer hardware, I always like to think a little ahead from the present day.

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

I was originally going to get a Gigabyte board, but I saw a lot of complaints for them recently from buyers at Newegg. Lots of DOA boards and various problems within a few months of purchase. OTOH, I saw a lot of positive reviews for the ASRock boards. This will be the first non-Asus board I have tried, but the Asus boards all now come at a price premium.

 

As for the video card, I have two older Nvidea cards that I can plug in on a temporary basis until my finances recover and I can get an up-to-date video card.

[Von Paulus 8]

It's your call about Asrock. People who usually target Asrock don't give a damn about quality.

I've a Gigabyte. No problem. Until a couple of years ago, it had less RMAs than Asus, according to my local dealers.

Maybe now things are different. But I would never go for Asrock. I'm sure you can find an affordable Asus.

 

And why SSD? With a couple of old Nvideas, it's almost you didn't exchange your system.

I would keep my old HDs instead my old graphic card. The SSDs won't make the same night and day difference as the graphic card.

And if you still don't want to buy a graphic card, than use the money for a better board.

 

When you recover, financially speaking, than go for SSD.

[Von Paulus 8]

HPW, it's hard sometimes to give suggestions, specially this way, through a virtual world, where people don't know each other psychically.

All my suggestions, are based on my personal experience. What's good for me, might not be for others.

Thus my suggestions are only what I would do if I was in your position. Like any other person, I too commit mistakes.

[Tamper 9]

Tons of good feedback here; VP always brings some experience and helpful advice to discussions...and like he says, we all commit mistakes I ran into 4-5 of the Gigabyte boards from the last two series (x58 and X68) and I was so suitably impressed that I bought one for my own. Of course, then I had to get smart (sarcasm completely intended) and build a Z68 rig (my current AsRock).

 

When I bought the AsRock, I was actually trying very hard to find a very unique set of features that, it turns out, no one can offer due to limitations in PC and chipset design. In reality it wound up that AsRock, while no better, was no worse with regard to the feature(s) I wanted than the others (I actually returned an Asus board to get this AsRock). But I should emphasize it was features, not quality, that drove my situation and decision.

Although I only have a few minor issues with the AsRock board, I would say z68 was somewhat dissappointing for me. So now, soon as I can, I'm planning an x79 build.

 

rjw does make a point about the backups (though no one ever does it like they should *lol*). Incidentally, there is some great *free* drive imaging software out there (like Ghost); one I'm fairly fond of ATM is called Macrium Reflect.

 

Cheers all :)

Edited April 8, 2012 by Tamper

[Von Paulus 8]

Tamper, I'm usually more concerned with quality than features. I still think that are worst brands than AsRock.

The motherboard that I've bought more times, and still do, it's an AsRock. Well, I don't have much choice, it's the only 478 board that it's still getting commercialized.

 

About helper advice, I try always to bring my personal experience. But OFF forum was always a good place for obtaining tech advice. Thanks to you, Parky, almjcor (I know I haven't write the name correctly ), etc.

It has been a privilege to be in company of such enlighten gentleman. I've learn a lot with all of you.

[Tamper 9]

Yes, normally I do pay much more attention to quality than features; I was hoping to convey above that I was fooling myself thinking anyone would make the feature(s) I wanted. Turns out, no one does, but it looks like socket 2011/x79 will.

 

(As an aside, the 'feature' I am mysteriously referring to - as well as the rather cryptic remark in my sig concerning part of a PC being confined to 128k - has to do with laying aside what is called "option rom" space. Many, many motherboards have/had issues with the OCZ RevoDrive card I use, simply due to not having room for the card's Option ROM to load in memory. The key is, if you want to use on-board Intel RAID [to get SSD drive caching, or any other functions of RAID], and *apparently* depending to some extent on your video cards(??) then your machine probably will not recognize the OCZ RevoDrive. And, Good Lord, what a finger-pointing contest of support it has turned into. Motherboard vendors, Intel themselves, OCZ...pretty much everyone blames everyone else. Support people who *clearly* don't even know how Option ROM space works...*uggh*)

 

Anyway, I mention all this because it's important to realize this has more to do with my bad experience than any one MB manufacturer.

 

And it's absolutely been great and very informative, being here with yourself, Parky, and Al, plus quite a few others who are always willing to offer help.

Edited April 8, 2012 by Tamper

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

Lots of good advice here. I certainly do appreciate it all.

 

I'm not sure what to do now regarding choice of MB. Originally, I also planned to steer clear of the Asrock, but it seems to get a lot of good reviews as far as the reliability goes. True, it is not an enthusiasts board, but my economic situation forces me to consider price along with other factors. At least at Newegg, the Asrock board I am looking at had only 2% "zero" eggs, in contrast to 18% for some Gigabyte MB's. I know that Gigabyte has a reputation for good products, but you are only so good as your last product, and it seems that Gigabyte is getting dinged a lot lately for letting its quality slip. Maybe it only applies to their lower-end boards?

 

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good Asus board for under $200? I'll be here for awhile, trying to sort out my decisions. Thanks again.

[Tamper 9]

Well, it will depend largely on the features you want - but I see (6) *new* Z68 chipset Asus boards for between $100-200 over on "The Egg" right now. I personally used that site to read up on what I'm considering, then balance that against what I can buy locally - luckily, there are both a MicroCenter and a Frys on my way to work :)

 

You're getting a socket 1155 CPU; so that narrows it down to H67/P67/Z68 chipset. If you intend on using SATA 6G/s drives (like those in your outline above) then H67 is out. The big difference in the remaining two is SSD drive caching (ONLY Z68) and integrated GPU (ONLY Z68) Obviously, using on-board graphics isn't really an option, and you may not care about SSD drive caching. Whether you do Z68 or P67 is your choice; the P67 options at least over on the Egg are limited ATM (I saw 2, not counting 'open box' or other non-new).

 

Another thing to note is PCIexpress "Gen3" is being added now to motherboards. You can read up about it, but if I were buying a board I expected to keep a few years *and* knowing I'd be buying a new graphics card in the not-too-distant future, I'd seriously consider something that offers PCIe G3 support. I think there were (3) NEW Asus boards at NewEgg with PCIeGen3 support, all between $100-200, Z68 chipset (good for the 1155 CPU's plus SSD chaching if you ever want to try it). One of these, the ASUS P8Z68-V/GEN3 - without digging up the receipt - is the one I had just before getting this AsRock board. It is $179. I saw no faults with it when I built it, usual Asus level of quality, etc. The **ONLY** reasonI returned it is due to the little story above about Option ROMs, something most sane people couldn't care less about

 

RIGHT NOW, Microcenter is offering $50 off on certain z68 boards - including the ASUS P8Z68-V/GEN3 - if you buy an i5 "k" processor....so you could get both the board and the CPU for $325. (Hint: maybe a Microcenter, or two, near you...)

 

Please note I DO NOT work for MicroCenter or any of the other companies I mentioned in this thread (I wish *lol*). I just try to keep an eye on PC deals

 

(EDIT: PS I just noticed today there's a chat room here...I'm going to hang out there a few, in case anyone cares)

Edited April 9, 2012 by Tamper

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

All right, I am committed to an 1155 Intel board now--I found an i5-2500K Sandy Bridge CPU at Newegg for $219.

Also got a Corsair TX650 V2 PSU and an EVGA 550 GTX Video card.

 

Narrowed down the MB selection to a

 

ASRock Fatal1ty P67 Performance LGA 1155 for $124.99 (Newegg) Click to view

Asus P8Z68-V LX LGA 1155 Z68 ATX for $144.59 (open box)

Asus P8Z68-V Pro/Gen3 LGA 1155 Z68 ATX for $159.96 (open box)

 

Although the two Asus boards are open box, they are at a MicroCenter computer store about 30 miles from home, so I can get a good look at them before buying. Comments welcome.

Edited April 9, 2012 by Herr Prop-Wasche

[Von Paulus 8]

As long the open box bring all the accessories, usually there's no problem.

 

You've the LX version (without being open box) in newegg at $125?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131781&Tpk=ASUS%20P8Z68-V%20LX%20LGA%201155

 

The differences between LX and Pro versions, is usually related with the later bring more type of Sata controllers, then possibility of being able of using Crossfire and SLI, more external ports and usually the board is better prepared for overclocking.

Saying that, if you can afford choose the pro, otherwise LX is Ok, and at least is Asus, which theoretically is more reliable than AsRock.

 

The AsRock that you've chose is a P67 chipset board. Which is a good chipset but older than Z68.

I'm not yet familiarized with Z68, but according to Tamper there are some advantages. Still I bought an Asus P8P67 Pro (Rev 3.1) board two weeeks ago for a client. It costed below $200

 

Bottom line:

That Pro open box you mentioned, Asus P8Z68-V Pro/Gen3, seems to be at good price. I would go for that one, if it's Ok and with all accessories and in case of failure I could return as a normal product.

Specially look for bent pins on the CPU slot. Take a magnifying glass with you.

That is a type of board that I could choose for myself.

 

Good decision about the graphic card. Although I would probably go again for ATI or for 560. I suspect that I've to exchange my ATI4890, in the end of the year, because of ArmA3.

But wih a 550GTX in your new system, you'll certainly will notice differences. And with one of the best processors for overclocking (in case you need), I think you're buying a nice system.

Of course we can't compare with Tamper's one. But that's a little more expansive.

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

I'm definitely leaning towards one of the Asus boards now, especially since I can take a Mike-1 eyeball look at it. Good advice about the magnifying glass--my eyes are becoming more middle-aged (ahem) every day. That's one of the reasons I haven't attempted to bend any of the pins back on my old AMD CPU.

 

Thank you to Tamper for finding that MicroCenter computer store only 25 miles from my home. I feel much better about buying a MB I can get a real look at rather than one I have to buy sight unseen.

 

Other parts are on their way from Newegg. I hope to be up and running again by the end of the week.

[Tamper 9]

Yaaaay! You'll be very pleased, for sure. Hope to see you in the sky soon!

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

My (computer) parts are arriving later today and I already went to MicroCenter and bought my MB, an Asus P8Z68-V/Gen 3 (open box). Unfortunately, although I checked it at the store and saw that it had all of its cables and docs, I didn't notice that it was missing the DVD containing all of the MB drivers and utilities. Sigh.

 

I guess I can get most of these off the internet, but it will be a pain to D/L them and carry them all on my thumb drive until I can burn them onto a disc. Such is the price of inattentiveness--and being a cheap bastard.

[Tamper 9]

Good news - glad you were able to get a MB without any problems/damage. Sounds as if you're off to a great start! As for the drivers, there shouldn't be much needed to get it online, and then you can download directly to the machine itself. All it should take would be the MB's Ethernet driver, which is fairly small I would think. And the USB thumb drive itself will do just fine; no need for a disk

 

EDIT: I just checked and the Ethernet driver is about 105M. (Question: Why in the hell are drivers so big these days???) Did I tell you that's the exact same board I had before getting my current AsRock? I think you'll be delighted.

Edited April 12, 2012 by Tamper

[Von Paulus 8]

Good show, HPW.

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

Having a few problems getting my new MB to load Windows. I'm still on XP, and after post Windows begins to load, I see the Windows logo--and then the computer reboots--and continues to reboot until I shut it off. I unplugged my boot drive, put my OS installation disc in my DVD drive, and reset the BIOS to make the DVD drive the boot drive. I get the Windows set up screen and it loads some files--and then the dreaded BSOD, along with a stop code: 0x0000007B.

 

I found an article on the web that said to change my SATA setting from AHCI to ATA. I'm going to try that, but if that doesn't work, I will be up the proverbial creek. Wish me luck!

Edited April 13, 2012 by Herr Prop-Wasche

[DonL 0]

Good luck! I found this article on the web hope it helps.

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/findbyerrormessage/a/stop0x0000007b.htm

[Von Paulus 8]

This new hardware likes to run in more recent Windows versions than XP. However it should run with XP.

Sometimes, small things like installing XP from a SATA DVD drive would be a pain in the ass.

 

Did this begin only after you've installed Windows? Or after installing the Windows drivers?

[Tamper 9]

Just now catching up; I hope you got somewhere last night, HPW. To me, the AHCI point is worth looking into - there have been many issues with SATA AHCI support vs. ATA (or"IDE") mode. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, I want to say that XP, out-of-the-box, doesn't actually support AHCI without a "hardware-specific" driver. And it's hard as hell to install an OS onto a drive it doesn't even recognize *lol*. As VP indicates, this means XP doesn't get along well with MBs that have AHCI capable controllers, depending on the BIOS settings.

 

Win7 and Vista have support built in for AHCI, and therefore don't have the issue like XP does. But, as VP says, XP should work, with the right coercion

 

What this likely means is it would be necessary to use what's called an "F6 driver", the nickname coming from th e point during Windows install where it says [sic] "press F6 if you need to install customer drivers". This is very common if you're trying to install to a RAID array, because the OS doesn't natively come with drivers that recognize the controller for the hard disk(s) that you are trying to install Windows on.

 

You should be able to get this "F6 driver" from the Asus website, or it may already be on the driver disk that came with the MB.

 

HTH

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

I'm back up and running! Changing from ACHI to IDE mode did the trick and I can now boot to Windows.

 

Even better, all of my old files--including FM files--appear to be intact!

 

Thank you to everyone who helped me through my time of trial--especially Tamper, von Paulus, and DonL.

 

Although I have not done any significant testing with OFF, other than a brief "test" flight, the new computer does appear to be much faster--even without overclocking yet and without using my spiffy new SSD drive.

 

The only problem is that my enforced downtime has made me forget some of the FM changes I made, so my readme file for the FM mod will be a little less informative than I had hoped. Hopefully, it will all come back to me.