Just built my new PC

[AK47]

You have to enable SLI in the display properties in windows. Make sure its enabled in the BIOS.

Also there is a plastic bridge that connects the two cards together physically I cant for the life of me remember the name but you have to connect that.

Make sure your power supply can handle SLI as well.

[Ben...]

You have to enable SLI in the display properties in windows. Make sure its enabled in the BIOS.

Also there is a plastic bridge that connects the two cards together physically I cant for the life of me remember the name but you have to connect that.

Make sure your power supply can handle SLI as well.

It sounds like he had his cards set in SLI in his old rig so I would assume he already knew that.

[LouSiffer]

Yeah guys.... I am pretty knowledgeable in the PC field. Not saying I know everything, I just have a pretty good grip on it. I was hoping someone had this board and had an answer I overlooked. I am thinking its just a bum board.

There are no SLI jumpers for this board, the bios automatically kicks the board to SLI and stops the onboard VGA once the card(s) are installed.

Its not so much an SLI issue as it is an issue that the primary video slot is not working properly. I get a bunch of green LED's that turn red as soon as I put the GPU in. I called MSI tech support and the guy couldn't tell me what that meant.

[LouSiffer]

Update!!

Got the Gigabyte MA790GP-UD4H board. Worked like a fucking dream right out of the box. I will never stray from Gigabyte again. Shame on me. Here is my rig as it sits:

Gigabyte MA790GP-UD4H board
2x Gigabyte HD 4850 1GB DDR3 256-bit Crossfire cards ( Overclock editions )
AMD 940 BE
8GB OCZ Reaper 1066
1000W Thermaltake Modular power supply ( aka: a welder )
3x WD Black 1 TB HDD's with 32MB Cache
Plextor Dual Layer DVD burner ( I think Plextor makes the best drives in my opinion. )


Vista Ultimate 64
XP Pro 64

Runs pretty slick. Still got some more tweaking to do here and there and some more software to install/update. -Lou

[Soap]

Good to hear.

Got some questions.
1. How hot does the 940 run AND what are you cooling it with?
2. Is the 940 a pretty good CPU? Fast and multitasks well?

Been thinking about upgrading to this platform.
I'm still running a 64 X2 @ 3.4. My speed is good but multitasking is awful.

[LouSiffer]

Soap,

The 940 BE's are nice. Lots of headroom for Overclocking if you are into that sort of thing.

Multitasking is not a problem so far. I had Cakewalk running while burning a DVD and web surfing with no noticeable loss of performance. I am sure "technically" there was, but, nothing that grabbed my attention.

This is the cooling fan that I use: http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0262890 Not expensive, but, with 2 fans on it, it keeps it nice and cool. I wouldn't recommend it just because the mounting base is not the greatest on it and you will have to carve out some of the backing plate that comes with it to make room for the capacitors on the back of the MoBo.

I run about 30-34C. Keep in mind that the fan that comes with them is pretty stout. I would try it before I went and dumped money on another one.

These processors require a 125w MoBo. If you have a 95W MoBo, check out the AMD 9650 quad core.

Its has a 6MB L3 Cache. The Intel i7's may be a little bit faster, but, not worth the price difference to me. -Lou

[Soap]

Thanks good to know.

[Spivonious]

Just curious why you went with an AMD proc? Intel has had the price/performance crown for a few years now. I mean, even the Core 2s beat the Phenom.



Also, 1MW power supply is total overkill for that setup. You'd need 500W-600W max.

[LouSiffer]

I love AMD. Nothing agaisnt the Intels at all..... just didn't want to have to spend the cost to go Intel.....of course a week after $ purchased this stuff..... the Intel prices went down some.

I had a 700w Thermaltake.....it ran hotter and the 1000 watt doesn't labor as hard. You also have to realize I have 4 big case fans and a neon light display As well as 2 video cards, 4 sticks of RAM, a dual fan CPU cooler, 3 big hard drives and other shit.- Lou

[Soap]

Yep, I've been with DFI since socket A days. Its a love hate relationship.
One, because of the tweakable BIOS that allows OCing capabilities AND two, their boards are UV. With about 3-4 UV 12 inch lights, it lights up the mobo and looks like Disneyland inside the case. All those UV slots look sweet. So when you start adding all that stuff into the equation it can suck up some juice.
I have a OCZ 800 watter and it handles all my stuff really well and has the needed room/power for future additional upgrades too. Its just one thing I don't have to buy later, basically.

I've got a black aluminum Lian Li mid tower with a full side window panel that allows me to see the Disneyland effect going on inside my case.
I'm getting ready to sink some cash with the whole upgrade scenario and acquire Coolermaster's HAF case. The air flow that thing provides is top notch.
I OC all my hardware, and can use all the air I can get and that case was designed with that in mind. And I like the way it looks too whereas some don't I do.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowIm...w%20-%20Retail

[LouSiffer]

That looks like a nice heat extracting case. I use low to mid end cases since I hack/mod them with case fans and insulation. However, there is the new Thermaltake with the water cooling I like, but, I never get into the danger heat range.....it is probably overkill.

A friend of mine has a near identical setup with liquid cooling we put together. He overclocks hard. I think he is in around the 3.8-4.0 range. -Lou

[Spivonious]

I used to overclock back in the Celeron 300MHz days, but I just don't see the point anymore. My E6600 is plenty fast enough for everything that I do with the computer. I'd rather have a quiet machine than a fast machine.

[LouSiffer]

Yeah, but, with the liquid cooling, there is almost no sound. You just hear the little pump quietly pushing coolant along. Its a nice setup, but, its just not worth it to me. Fan noise doesn't bother me too much....it helps flood out the constant ringing I have in my ears.-Lou

[Soap]

Fan noise doesn't bother me too much....it helps flood out the constant ringing I have in my ears.-Lou

Me too. I live with ringing in my ears daily.

I prefer "air" cooling, easier to maintain whereas water requires some regular attention.
Actually larger fan's (120m and bigger) move a lot more air with little noise compared to 80m fan/s.

[LouSiffer]

Yeah, the bigger fans push more volume with less RPM's.

The ringing sucks....makes it hard to sleep sometimes. Glad I don't live in the 1800's..... it was considered a sign of insanity back then.-Lou