First build - noob questions

millsd44

millsd44

millsd44

Associate
Joined
16 Mar 2012
Posts
174
Hi

Over the next few weeks i'll be completing my ivybridge build and I've got a couple of questions. Seeing as it's my first build they may seem quite ridiculous! Sorry!

I'm confident about putting it all together however when it comes to that nerve-wracking moment of pressing the power switch.... what then?

Will the RAM and CPU just work out of the box straight to their default settings or will the motherboard automatically change it to suit? Will I need to monitor anything?

Should I plug the monitor into the motherboard throughout Windows installation and then download the latest drivers for my 7950 and install that way? Or can I plug it straight into the graphics card, would it work with no drivers, just on installation? Is there a bios setting I need to change for it to select PCIx instead of motherboard graphics?

Spec:

i5 3570k
As Rock extreme 4 Z77
8gb RAM (haven't quite decided yet - please advise, budget of around £50)
Radeon HD 7950
Corsair HX750w

All the extras - 1TB HDD, DVDRW etc

After reading the above, am I just being paranoid - are computers just clever enough to make themselves work?

I've been away from desktop computers since about 2004 using laptops since then but now I've got enough room for one - it feels like christmas when you're 8!

I'm not planning on doing any overclocking just yet but the option is definitely there in the future when I learn a bit more about it.

Thanks
 
Everything should run at their stated timings and speeds straight away. I would download cpu-z just to make sure everything's correct and change if needed.

You can plug the monitor straight into the graphics card, you dont need to change any of the bios settings. Just download the latest drivers when you're up and running.
Then you should be good to go!
 
Last edited:
Hi there,

I'll try and answer your questions in order as best as I can:

- Yes the CPU and RAM will work fine out of the box. Though you may need to go into the BIOS to set the RAM to it's rated settings.

- The graphics card will work OK on the windows 7 default drivers, so definitely use the graphics card when installing windows.

- The onboard graphics should be automatically disabled when you put a graphics card in the top-most full-size PCIE slot.

Looks like a nice spec - though I would strongly recommend you invest in an SSD to put the OS and your key applications on. Even a small 64GB SSD like this one would be a massive performance step up from a mechanical hard drive, though this 128GB SSD is much better value (on a deal for today).

As for a recommendation of RAM - I would go with this kit.
 
Thanks for the quick replies!

That's exactly the RAM I was looking at a minute ago - I've got a Corsair A50 cooler and it looks huge so was thinking some low profile ram just in case of obstruction? Haven't actually seen the motherboard in the flesh yet so I'm not sure whether that would be an issue.

If I do go for an SSD - would Windows automatically detect it in installation or would I need some third party drivers? I remember something like that kind of problem when trying to install a sata drive with windows xp all those years back? I guess it would all come with the drive anyway if it were needed?
That 128gb one does look very tempting at that price though..

I'll be playing BF3 and Diablo 3 so would I see great increases in framerate if I use an SSD?
 
Yes, with a large CPU cooler like teh A50 you will want to go for low profile RAM like that Corsair Vengeance LP kit - as RAM kits with large heatsinks will cause problems installing that CPU cooler.

As for installing the SSD - presumably you will be using windows 7 - if so then the SSD will be detected automatically (no adding drivers required). Though you should ensure that the SATA mode is set to "AHCI" in the BIOS before installing the OS (to get full performance out of the SSD).

For playing games you won't see a framerate increase due to an SSD - since the SSD only increases performance in storage-heavy tasks. However, you will find that loading times are significantly decreased (In BF3 the difference really is striking) and your general performance in windows is better and more responsive.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom