Originally posted by: msmith7305
I will be getting a system with the P5W-DH mb and e6700 processor. System will have 2gb (Corsair CM2X1024-6400 DDR2-800) RAM, 320Gb SATA 3Gb/s HD, 2 optical drives, floppy drive, X-Fi gamer sound card, ATI X1950XTX video card.
I assume the best way to attach the drives is to put my HD on SATA1, and to daisy chain the 2 opticals to the primary IDE connection on the side of the board that is opposite the rear of the computer.
I will NOT be doing any overclocking. I do not plan on using the remote control features, but will try to use the built in wireless network feature.
My question has to do with BIOS setup. What, if anything, do I need or want to disable in the BIOS in order to have the functionality I need but also to have the shortest boot time. I know, for example, that I want to disable the onboard sound.
Any and all tips would be appreciated.
Since a system builder is assembling the system, what should I look at in the BIOS to be certain all is setup the best way? What, if any, of the included ASUS software should I install?
Also, what is best way to verify that all needed drivers have been installed and are of the best release version?
Thanks in advance for all help.
I'll improvise a quick guide for you.
Drive config:
- SATA boot on SATA1 (red port)
- Optical PATA drives in master/slave orientation on ICH7R (blue) IDE port
BIOS:
- flash to latest version (currently 1602) using AFUDOS or EzFlash method (see manual for explanation)
- disable onboard audio, secondary ethernet controller, JMicron controller and the serial port (assumiong you will not be using these items)
Drivers:
- download latest 975X chipset drivers from www.intel.com (this should be the first thing you install once in Windows)
- ethernet driver on the P5WDH CD is fine
- for video and audio, use the latest drivers from the respective manufacturers
Software:
- ASUS Probe 2 (found on the P5WDH CD) will solve the unknown PCI device issue in the device manager. Actually using ASUS Probe 2 another story. It's buggy. Better to use Everest Ultimate for all temp, voltage, and fan speed monitoring. Great app.
No need to install anything else found on the P5WDH CD.
Enjoy the new rig.
-phil