ASUS P5N-E SLI 650i Thread

[marin8n]

Originally Posted by dpawl31

Woah, look at marin8n... Mista Vista!
I think I might suggest putting a fresh copy of XP on there first... I think it is going to take quite a few months before they work out all those Vista driver issues. Good thing you are getting the 2GB RAM, I heard Vista eats ram like tic tacs


Have you already bought all that stuff? Is some of it old?
I would recommend a better PSU, I have never heard of it and it seems like a no-name brand? Correct me if I am wrong, it could be a great PSU lol.

I noticed you have the freezer pro 7 cooler. I was looking at that as an option. How did it fit with the chipset heatsink being so close? Much modification necessary?

[dpawl31]

Great question! I did have to install it backwards till I thought of what to do. It only hits @ the base of the fan itself, no fin-to-fin contact. So, I just removed the ASUS logo off the top of the NBHS and bent the one fin giving me trouble down and under te Freezer. Worked like a charm. Not pretty, but worked. I plan on getting an active HS for the NB and passive for the SB soon anyway, but it works as is. Freezer is just too cool man. I need to get a new intake (only one intake right now, an 80mm) and I should really drop my temps. Right now idles @ 36C with 70F ambient temp in room.

[dpawl31]

Originally Posted by marin8n

Thanks for the welcome. Repped! Anyways, I thought I timed it well with the release of Vista. I just prefer to do a full install from the get-go rather than mess with XP with an upgrade on top of it. Plus, being a former HP guy, I don't have a copy of ANY operating system on disc (darn preloaded junk).

I am more of a dvdshrink, video editing, multi-media guy than a gamer, so I think the 2G of ram should handle vista ok. Wish I would have got in on a beta test so I could preview vista - but I guess most people will end up with it eventually - just like XP they all have their bugs from the beginning.

My PSU was bought mainly for the clear acrylic case to be honest with you. It got decent ratings and was reasonably priced, so I went with it. I did hear lots of horror stories from FAR power supplies so I at least tried to stay away from those.

I have been learning a LOT since I decided to build my own and began research in Nov 06. Hoping I can get some support and discuss my progress with some experienced guys on here. Especially on the board since I pulled the trigger on the 650i (after countless hours of debate and comparison). I liked the fact I have SLI as an option and the 4 IDE devices put me over the edge and could not justify $250 for an 680i with a $220 processor and $95 AR GPU!

Right on!
Did my initial listing help you with your decision on the 650?
Yeah all OS's have their issues, I am just going to wait a bit.
I do however think you may eventually upgrade to 4GB. Video editing is really harsh on the RAM, gaming not as bad.
Thanks for the REP!

I really think I have started something good here, there was NO talk about this board when I came on here in late DEC. and now we have quite a few who had the board, and a couple, like yourself, just getting it.

Oh also, BTW the new bios update adds a new item in the bios, it lists SLI Ready memory as not detected or detected.

[dpawl31]

I see you are logged in again, I have a picture of the HS, are you interested? Let me know dpawl31@comcast.net

[marin8n]

Originally Posted by dpawl31

Great question! I did have to install it backwards till I thought of what to do. It only hits @ the base of the fan itself, no fin-to-fin contact. So, I just removed the ASUS logo off the top of the NBHS and bent the one fin giving me trouble down and under te Freezer. Worked like a charm. Not pretty, but worked. I plan on getting an active HS for the NB and passive for the SB soon anyway, but it works as is. Freezer is just too cool man. I need to get a new intake (only one intake right now, an 80mm) and I should really drop my temps. Right now idles @ 36C with 70F ambient temp in room.

Sounds simple enough. I may have to give it a try. Those seem like really good temps. I have heard that the Pentium D chips run very hot! I like the idea of extra cooling on the NB/SB. I will be exploring that as well in the near future.

This thread just reaffirmed my leaning toward the 650i. I thought about waiting to see what other manufacturers were going to offer with this chipset, but from what I understand Asus has quite the reputation already. Plus, I'm ready to get building! Need a hobby now that football season is almost over!

[dpawl31]

Hope you aren't a Patriots fan...eh DAMN you Caldwell! lol.

[marin8n]

Originally Posted by dpawl31

Hope you aren't a Patriots fan...eh DAMN you Caldwell! lol.

Sorry... Cowboys fan.... Big Tuna is out! I hear Cowher is being looked at. I would be down with that!

[dpawl31]

Couldn't upload too big a picture.... 1600x1200 max these are 6megalpixel pics. I sent them to your email Hope to install my image software tomorrow and resize em to get them on here. Wish I had something better than the software that came with my printer lol.

[marin8n]

Originally Posted by dpawl31

Couldn't upload too big a picture.... 1600x1200 max these are 6megalpixel pics. I sent them to your email Hope to install my image software tomorrow and resize em to get them on here. Wish I had something better than the software that came with my printer lol.

Cool, thanks!

[dpawl31]

The stock HS has an ASUS logo on it, its a thin metal sticker basically. Peel that off, and then carefully, with the HS OFF the board, bend the middle row tab closest to the CPU cooler down and out of the way.

The Freezer directs the flow of air a little downward too, right @ the voltage coverters on the board.

I'd take a better pic but I can't with the PC in use. lol.

Keep that ASUS sticker from bending too much and you can save it to re-stick it to your case
Goes well with the ASUS inside and Pentium D inside stickers on my extra CD drive bay inserts.

Oh and while you have the HS off it's a good idea to scrap the junk thermal compound and slap on some AS5