MY NEW RIG WITH A : A7N8X DELUXE WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW

[chack]

I bought the ASUS: A7N8X DELUXE MB

The graphic card is: Sapphire ATI RADEON 9500 128MB DDR
Specifications:
Chipset: ATI RADEON 9500
Memory:128MB 128-bit DDR memory
Supports the new AGP 8X standard (2.0 GB/sec)
Unique VIDEOSHADER? engine uses programmable pixel shaders
ATI's latest FULLSTREAM? technology removes blocky artifacts from streaming Internet video and provides sharper image quality
SMARTSHADER? 2.0 technology allows users to experience complex, movie-quality effects in next-generation 3D games
Powered By ATI Manufactured By Saphire Technologies.

The PSU is: ThermalTake W0009R 420Watts Dual Fan Power Supply.

The CPU is: AMD ATHLON XP 2600 /333 FSB PROCESSOR CPU- Specifications: CPU: 2.08 GHz Type: XP 2600 Thoroughbred Cache: 256K BUS: 333MHz Socket A (Includes Heat Sink and Fan)

And the ram is Kingston 2 sticks of 256MB 333MHz DDR PC2700 DIMM CL2.5.

And a WD hdd, 40gb 7200, but with only 2mb cache, bought it on sale at fry's for $39.00 after rebate.

And all this stuff will go in a RaidMax ATX case,

I already have a 2 old MS keyboard and mouse.

And a almost new LG CD Rom 52x for now, ( I'll use it to install the OS and stuff)

but of course later on, when budget allows the SONY 500 DVD WRITER is in my list,

I'm posting this 'cause I'm not sure if the rams, are they the correct one for this board?

And especially the processor too, is it the right one, and\or will I have to do some BIOS tweaking?

And the question of the graphic card, will I have to do some bios tweaks too, to make it work properly?

I'll begin to assemble it in a couple of days.
But I'm working a bit in the dark here, and I'll need some serious Help! Thanks..

 

[AndyHui]

Everything is fine. You should be able to get the whole lot to work without any problems.

 

[chack]

Thank you Andy Hui . After I install the processor & heatsink and the ram on the board do I mount the board first, and then the UPS, or I do the UPS first and the board, the hdd, cd-rom etc.etc after,

what I'm asking here, is the proper sequence of installing the hardware in the case.

And if you will !
Your thoughts on this graphic card "important",

and about the updated asus board version #
since the board was produced some time ago,and it has been updated to version 2.0, "so I understand,"
but how do I know which version my board is,

my board manual, says is the revised edition v3 e1267 dated on March 2003,

and the asus bios updates is a bit confusing and one would have to know what's happening in order to download the correct version ( if one needs to) Thanks again

 

[HVAC]

Here is what I would do, assuming that you do not have specific installation order instructions included with
any of the devices you plan to put in the computer:

Slow but steady wins the race. Do not be in a rush. Use a sufficient but not excessive amount of thermal paste between the heatsink and the CPU or use the thermal pad that came with the heatsink.

1) Install PSU into the case.
2) Install CPU onto the motherboard.*
3) Install heatsink/fan onto CPU.* (follow the instructions. modern heatsink installations are a little frightening to the uninitiated due to the amount of tension one must place the interface under, but it can be done)
4) Install RAM onto the motherboard.*
5) Install motherboard into the case.
6) Install drives into the case.
7) Connect PSU to hard drives and motherboard.
8) Run cables from drives to motherboard.
9) Install video card and other cards into motherboard and case.*
10) Connect external cables and devices.
11) Power up system.

* It is a good thing to not expose your electronics to static electricity before installation. Towards that end, inexpensive equipment can be had to remove any static that your body may have (wrist strap). Keep your parts in their funny colored plastic bags as much as possible (until installation) and don't go rubbing your feet on shag carpets while hugging your bare motherboard next to clothes you just took out of the dryer after forgetting to use a dryer sheet from the box you have conveniently stashed just above your Van De Graaff (spelling?) generator.

Some static damage nukes electronics immediately and some will merely shorten the life of your parts by an unknown amount.

All that having been said..... My boss used to stick pc boards in the company dishwasher to remove encrustations of salt and other minerals that the equipment we built normally saw in service. Electronics are like humans: ridiculously robust in some areas and ridiculously fragile in others.

 

[janissary]

yeah i agree, just installed my cpu and heatsink 2 days, first time for me.... whew lots of tension.. but it worked on first try... follow those installation videos!!

 

[chack]

I've got it , thank you all!..:sun:

 

[chack]

In this issue I need to know this :
The MB came with a packet of screws intended for mounting the board,
the packet contain 3 individual items,
the brass fitting that screws into the case,
then the screws that screw the MB to the case, and into the brass fittings,
and plastic washers, the issue here is : THE PLASTIC WASHERS,
are they used for the screws to the board or are they used on the brass fittings to the case. I think this is somewhat important. Thanks

 

[squidman]

You put the brass thingie in the case. You put the mobo in the case, so that it would rest on brass holders (acroos the perimeter and inside the perimeter) You put a washer on the screw, then screw it in (So the screw doesnt scratch the board)
Cheers!

 

[squidman]

Congrats on the fine choice of the cpu. You currently posses the best price vs performance combo on the market!

 

[chack]

Beautiful, thanks squidman

 

[chack]

URGENT help needed, I've got everything mounted and connected, but I'm a bit confuse, by the power panel ( the bottom left of the MB,) as you know the power panel connect the case front panel on and off switches and status lights,
What I need to know, is the white or color\blue\orange\green (of the wires) the ground ,
you know the case plugs says\describe what the wires are for,
(it's written on top of the plug) and the manual shows where the wire go etc ,
but what I don't know is;
which is ground side of the plug, or to make things simple for myself, I just plug the wire with the description facing up (it seems logical), on both rows of pins,
the manual does not say, what color of the ground wire is.
The schematic show which is the ground by a + or - so,
if I just know what the WHITE wire stand for, I'll be fine!
'Cause I already know that in all cases the red is hot, and the black is the ground ,
but the case lights and power switches, are just initiation switches and the wiring color are different, and this is what stomps me ! I need positive help

 

[mdcrab]

On a lot of cases the "+" is the "color" wire and the "-" is the "white" wire. Also if you look at the plug one of the wires is usually marked in the black plastic with a very small triangle. This is usually the positive side. After all this is said, the switches don't matter as far as polarity, and the LED's usually just won't work if the polarity is wrong. Just switch plug if it does not light.

mdcrab

 

[chack]

The hdd activity light connection cable issue, is not resolved still, I've tried reversing and re- reversing the cable polarity, but still the light doesn't came on,

but beside this issue, there is the cd r-rw, and dvd rom, that started not reading my installations disks ,

(both were ok in the beginning) the writer does write and read it's own stuff with difficulty,

but it won't read stuff like a windows installation disk, or my ATI graphic card programs disk etc, etc,

the dvd rom play dvds just fine , but when it came to read disks it's the same as the cd writer , no read,
for instance I insert a disk and the auto run doesn't start I then click on the rom icon to start the process,

the rom light is blinking and windows is searching ,and the drive is spinning mad , but nothing happens,
and when I choose the right click\open option some times it will do so, when it does,

I will then choose setup to install something,but nothing happens , it won't open with a dialog , and the alt\control\del won't show what is running,
or that the program is not responding ,
the only way to stop the process, is to open the rom bay,

but at that point the desk top icons disappears, and a short time later the icons came back and the desktop is back to normal.

I check the drives functionality on my other rig ,

and they both work properly, and in device manager the drives are showing to be in working order,

but there is a problem with this: marked with the yellow exclamation,
Other Devices- yellow
Ethernet Controllers,-yellow
Raid controller,- SUB controller- ,yellow.

(I think that I might have installed something that I shouldn't, or have a need for,or should be connected )

But I won't dare do anything before the Rom drives issue is resolved.
Serious help is needed here. thanks! PS: next set of questions and issue will be on bios setting ,and CPU temperature control for the Asus A7N8X DELUXE board I can foresee that this is going to be a long tread, cause there is a lot's of work ahead of me\us here. Just as I'm writing this I checked the CPU temp and it's running at 107 F it seems a bit too high for this setup....no!! :

 

[chack]

Here are some BIOS issue that I'm not sure of what to do. I've "explored" the BIOS thoroughly and I've found this might need attention....

In Advanced Chipset Feature
CPU external freq.(mhz) [100mhz]
FSB Spread Sprctrum [0.50%]
AGP. Spread spectrum [disabled]
CPU VCore Setting[auto]
Graphics Aperture Size [64mb]

in Integrated Peripherals
primary VGA Bios [PCI VGA Card]

in Hardware monitor
CPU temperature fluctuate between 89 f and 109f this temps are when the processor is hardly working.

 

[chack]

just to let you know more about this MB The board cpu pins are set to 1-2 default, the mb version is 2.0,
the bios is : revision 1003 dated 3\19\03
I have it reset the external frequency multiplier from (100mhz which was set to default) to 166mhz now,
and At boot is showing at 166mhz, instead of 100mhz, but it should be at 333mhz no! (The option for 333 mhz was not there)
and I have reset the card port to agp rather then cpi and the speed, which was set to 64 mhz to 128 mhz ,and that's all ( so far,)
but I couldn't\wouldn't do anything with the ram setting 'cause I don't know which option to choose, or how to sync the ram speed to the cpu,
or is it done automatically by the fsb , thanks guys! still a bit

 

[selfbuilt]

First off, don't worry - everything is actually going fine from the sounds of it.

CD/DVD drives: have you resolved this one yet? I would make sure that use DMA is ticked on both drives, to start.

Yellow exclamantion points: This is normal, since not everything gets install automatically in windows. The ethernet port error is probably because you haven't installed the second ethernet port (3Com). The drivers are on the Asus CD. The RAID controller is not a concern either, since you aren't using it.

CPU temp: The temperature is fine for regular usage. It should rise to that temp within minutes of first turning the computer on. A good HSF will keep it around there during the course of the day. You can monitor it in Windows with the Asus Probe utility included on the Asus CD.

BIOS settings: The FSB setting for you CPU is indeed 166 (half of 333). This will be sync with your memory if you set the FSB spectrum to 100% (PC2700 is DDR PC-333, which is double data rate of 166). If you want to play with the RAM, you can just set the settings to "aggressive" from "optimal", or user defined if you want to play more with the memory timings. However, I would recommend that you wait until you are sure if everything is running smoothly before cranking up the memory or any other performance BIOS settings. The rest of your BIOS settings are fine (and appropriate).

 

[ronss]

chack

since you have ver 3, a lot of the problems that were initially brought out into the open with version 1.4, like i have will have been solved

here are some of the problems i had , also set up using raid0 with galaxay serial ata kit-

1. kept loosing a drive in raid setup during post-
solution-bigger psu unit, went from enermax 350 to antec true power 430

2. sometimes had corruption of operating system file during post, would not boot into windows,had to re-install
solution-it was the silcon image drivers, had to get the 281 drivers and install them, problem solved

most of the help and drivers you need can be found here-

great board, asus has sold a ton of em-

nforcershq link

 

[chack]

Selfbuilt thanks for the info (your comments lowered my heart rate a bit),
and rest assured that I won't OC this board until I'm informed on how to do it correctly, (and if possible !)
this is a whole new field of knowing I've been surfing the web for hours on end , downloading\copying information on motherboards videocards and especially BIOS setting and flashing,
(well that's on my pdf manual for A7N8X DELUXE) a bit tricky that one so it will wait till I understand it thoroughly I definitely want to save the original BIOS to folder (just in case,)
and also copy the flash utility to floppy\bootable cd as well PS All the CD issue are resolved and and DMA is on, I'm thinking of upgrading my Sony CD r-rw 16-10-40 to a lite on CD burner they are quite inexpensive, I've seen one at newegg,
going for $45 with nero
I'll have to check the model # to see if it's compatible with roxio creator platinum I've tried them all, Nero, NTI etc, they suck, the very best is roxio ECD Creator platinum 5.0