Hi! Drivers help please :)

[TammiHearts]

Heya! So Im building my first computer for myself (learned at college in my computer class) so Im both nervous and excited.

I have a few questions that Id really like some help with.

Okay so this is my motherboard

http://usa.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/MAXIMUS_V_FORMULA/#download

I want to get everything ready and downloaded/burned before putting the new one together. My question is do I download the drivers from the asus site or I guess from Intel. For the chipset and stuff. What confuses me is the Intel downloads are so small but these are so much bigger. Are they specific to this motherboard?

My second question would be each install has like 5 different .exes. You have Asussetup.exe then 3 different kinds in various folders. If Im gonna be downloading from the Asus site should I use the Asussetup.exe?

Thanks!!

 

[dawp]

just run the asussetup, it will install the appropriate drives for the OS you're using.

download the latest drivers that you need, either from asus or the chip maker such as intel and such. you will usually find the latest drivers at the chip vendor.

and disable any device in bios that you aren't going to use such as the serial port or the additional sata controller.

 

[tweakboy]

Took the words right out of my mouth, nice dawp.

 

[red454]

I got my Formula a few months ago. No problems on the setup. Ran the standard setup from the ASUS DVD and loaded all the drivers. Then went to the ASUS and Intel websites to see if I needed any further updates. Intel has a little routine that is run from the Intel website that will check your system and tell you if any of the Intel stuff needs updated.

A word of caution on the BIOS - you may not have the latest, and if your system runs fine with the BIOS version you have (from the factory) usually you are better off just leaving it alone. Avoid the temptation to upgrade. It is the old "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality.

Are you going to use a SSD? Are you familiar with Intel RST (Rapid Storage Technology)?

 

[TammiHearts]

Thank you for the answers!

Yes I have a HDD and two SSDs. I saw the Rapid Storage Technology on the Asus site but dont know what it really does. I googled it and apparently it makes SSDs work faster (is that right)?

Also, why is it that the updates on the Asus site are so much larger than the Intel?

I really appreciate the help you all are giving me. Im making sure to read up on everything and understand it all before I start. This is honestly more complicated than the computers we were supposed to build in my computer class. Or maybe Im just nervous because I dont want to mess up my new stuff. Im excited though right now I play games on a crappy HP computer that freezes on crysis 3 lol so super excited to finally have a nice computer.

 

[tcsenter]

Definitely obtain the drivers from the chip vendor/maker, where you can. The only thing you need to obtain from ASUS are things like firmware, utilities for things like fan control, hardware monitoring, overclocking applications specifically by ASUS. e.g. AI Suite and other ASUS utilities

 

[red454]

Intel SRT (smart response technology) and Intel RST (rapid storage technology) are both forms of using the SSD as a cache drive. These came about with the Z68 chipset. (The current Z77 supports them too)

History - A few years ago, when SSD's were rather expensive and small, SRT was a way to get some SSD speed while still using your HDD.

How it works:

You have a HDD with your OS and tons of programs / games. You set up your SSD as the cache drive. The Intel software monitors what programs you use the most and stores blocks of frequently used data (not actual files) for fast access. You can use up to 60 GB as the cache and any remaining space on the SSD can be formatted and used as normal storage. When the SSD is used as a cache drive, the part that is allocated as cache is not visible or accessible.

I have roughly 47GB of my 120GB SSD used for storage.

After a few days of use, you will notice your frequently used programs loading very quickly.

IMPORTANT: You must setup your BIOS in RAID mode BEFORE you install your operating system for SRT. If you don't want to use SRT and you are going to use your SSD as your OS drive, then set up your BIOS for AHCI mode before installing your OS.

Of course now that decent sized SSD's are available at a reasonable cost, SRT / RST are - well, I won't say pointless, but not as useful.

Using your SSD as your main OS drive will give you the fastest speed. You can still use your HDD for additional storage.SRT greatly improves your system performance (over just a HDD), but it will always be a little slower than just using the SSD for your entire system.

The only advantage I can think of for SRT is that you never really run out of cache. It just recycles / overwrites old data space. But again, as inexpensive as SSD's are now, if you fill one up, you just buy another and add it to your system.

Sidenote: regarding cache drives for the X79 chipset, I believe ASUS has developed something called "Smart Cache", which does not have a cache size limit. But this ONLY for the X79 chipset.

How about listing the other components you plan to use for your system...

 

[TammiHearts]

Thanks for responding so quickly and with so much information all.

So its gonna be a

NZXT Phantom case
NZXT Hale90 850 watt powersupply
Intel i7 3770k cpu
16 gigs DDR3 Corsair memory
120GB Samsung SSD
90GB Corsair SSD (taking it out of my HP that I upgraded it with)
500GB HDD (taking it out of my HP as well)
GTX 680

Im coming from a HP that has like a AMD X2 something processor, 4 gigs of ram, and a AMD 6670 graphics card.

 

[red454]

Thanks for responding so quickly and with so much information all.

So its gonna be a

NZXT Phantom case
NZXT Hale90 850 watt powersupply
Intel i7 3770k cpu
16 gigs DDR3 Corsair memory
120GB Samsung SSD
90GB Corsair SSD (taking it out of my HP that I upgraded it with)
500GB HDD (taking it out of my HP as well)
GTX 680

Im coming from a HP that has like a AMD X2 something processor, 4 gigs of ram, and a AMD 6670 graphics card.

That will be a nice system. So, I assume you will load the OS on the 120GB SSD and use the other SSD and HDD for storage?

 

[TammiHearts]

That will be a nice system. So, I assume you will load the OS on the 120GB SSD and use the other SSD and HDD for storage?

Thank you very much =)

Yes thats what Im planning to do. Do you think thats best?

Oh and you know that mSATA card it comes with that has the wi-fi? Do I have to attach that to the motherboard or is it okay if I just leave the little slot you attach it to empty. Because Im not planning on using it.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Thank you very much =)

Yes thats what Im planning to do. Do you think thats best?

Oh and you know that mSATA card it comes with that has the wi-fi? Do I have to attach that to the motherboard or is it okay if I just leave the little slot you attach it to empty. Because Im not planning on using it.

Yes using the 120gb ssd over the 90 is a better option. In general, larger SSD's have better performance, of course those are in benchmarks.

 

[red454]

Thank you very much =)

Yes thats what Im planning to do. Do you think thats best?

Oh and you know that mSATA card it comes with that has the wi-fi? Do I have to attach that to the motherboard or is it okay if I just leave the little slot you attach it to empty. Because Im not planning on using it.

You can leave it off. But keep in mind that if you ever plan to use it, it will be a pain to install - you have to take the motherboard completely out. I am using mine. There is a little screw that secures it to the motherboard. Some people were having problems and the solution was to leave the screw out, which I did and I didn't have any problems. Just an FYI.

And don't forget to set the BIOS SATA mode to AHCI before you load your OS to the new SSD. I emphasize that because while you can change it after the fact - it can be a pain since you have to edit the registry, and if you are not experienced with that, well, you can really hose things up.

If you have any questions on the setup just ask - someone here will help.

 

[TammiHearts]

Okay thanks so much!

And do you mean the screw that goes under the motherboard? If that gives problems won't it be a little flimsy if you don't secure it like that? Or does the socket hold it in place well enough.

 

[bleucharm28]

I personally like to download latest drivers from manufactures websites. But what more import is you need internet connection in order to get the latest drivers. So...you probrably still need network drivers from the CD.

I personally like to update the latest BIOS. But do your research first, find out if is necessary. The Asus update software is really easy to use as long as you follow the instructions.

and... Damn nice mobo! I love Asus ROG mobos.

 

[red454]

Okay thanks so much!

And do you mean the screw that goes under the motherboard? If that gives problems won't it be a little flimsy if you don't secure it like that? Or does the socket hold it in place well enough.

Yes - that one. I don't recall the exact problem, but I remember on the ROG forum that some people were leaving it off and the problems went away. And that was around the time I got my board, so I left it off.

But I did drill a hole in the motherboard tray so that I could put the screw in if necessary. And I though it would compromise the rigidity as you mention, but it seems to be secure, particularly when the antenna leads are attached.

Good idea to check out the ROG forums if you haven't already. Lots of good info. And don't let the issues you see there scare you. No matter what brand of product, there will always be some problems, which is why the forums are so valuable.

 

[vailr]

I use and have recommended this "DriverMax" driver update software:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/DriverMax_d5260.html
Note: registration is "free" (for the basic program, by giving them an email address), but required.
Also: uncheck the add-on software that's offered during installation.

 

[TammiHearts]

Thanks so much everyone! Really appreciate all the help. Im going to take Friday off so I can spend all day with it and hopefully have saturday and sunday to enjoy it

 

[red454]

Thanks so much everyone! Really appreciate all the help. Im going to take Friday off so I can spend all day with it and hopefully have saturday and sunday to enjoy it

Post some pics of the build process!