Hello and down to business...

MrFSU · Post by **MrFSU** » Sat Feb 07, 2015 11:14 pm

Thanks for that Pengo! This will be my first time ever using Win 8. And really I got it to have a good non-Dell license so I can upgrade to 10 later with no headaches. The fact that the SSD's and other crap will work better is a bonus.

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Sat Feb 07, 2015 11:48 pm

Also, Win8/8.1 makes you log into Windows using a Microsoft account. You can opt out and use a classic Local user Account instead. When prompted to enter your Microsoft Account, select "Sign up for a Microsoft Account" and on that page you will have an option called something like "Use a Local Account".

Having a Microsoft account is no benefit unless you use Metro apps. It ties you to the Microsoft Store in the same way a Google account ties Android and Chrome to the Google Play Store.

If you create a Microsoft account login by accident, you can always switch to a Local User Account later:
http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-switc ... l-account/

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Mon Feb 16, 2015 5:06 pm

Been researching M.2 SSDs as an upgrade to my aging workstation that I have no desire to replace (it's high end Core i7 system). It unfortunately doesn't have true SATA 6 ports on it (they claim to be, but it was early tech and the throughput is in actuality not very good.

Looking at M.2 PCI-E cards like the Plextor M6e which can do 800MB/s.

MrFSU · Post by **MrFSU** » Sun Mar 01, 2015 10:17 am

Well everything finally arrived and I put it all together.

For the first time in the many many systems I've built, everything booted up and worked on the very first try. SHOCKING! LOL

After installing everything, I can report back that this is obviously several orders of magnitude faster than my previous system. The boot up drive (m.2 Samsung drive) tests at over 1000MB per sec transfer rate. The intel secondary SSD is at around 500.

The triple screen experience with Elite Dangerous is now 60fps and is ROCK SOLID at that rate. (Except inside the stations where everyone reports it drops to about 45-48. Same with me)

Can't say enough good things about the case. It was very easy to stow the cables and to work with in general. The power supply is modular so the cable clutter was kept to a minimum. I only had to use 1 cable to tie to keep things neat.

The motherboard was a pleasure to work with as well. Everything just worked. No drama. I'm a big fan of ASRock now.

Thanks to all who helped me plan it. If anyone can link to some benchmark programs, I'd be happy to run them and post the results. I took some pics, but I haven't posted anywhere but social media sites in so long, I will need to figure out how to post them here all over again. (tumblr and imgur I'm guessing. I don't have account on either. I post all the crap I want to share to facebook, like the rest of the sheep!)

Nuby1Canuby · Post by **Nuby1Canuby** » Sun Mar 01, 2015 12:13 pm

Nice rig.
Unigine Heaven benchmark is one of the most popular ones:
https://unigine.com/products/heaven/download/

wvjohn · Post by **wvjohn** » Sun Mar 01, 2015 1:03 pm

I use this for posting the odd pic - http://tinypic.com/?t=postupload

Firestrike is a good benchmark as well http://www.futuremark.com/benchmarks/3dmark

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Sun Mar 01, 2015 3:30 pm

Glad it worked out for you Alex. I really need to get back to Elite Dangerous.

wvjohn · Post by **wvjohn** » Sun Mar 01, 2015 7:26 pm

FP - wings feature which allows 4 man squads is coming this month - you can hyperjump in a group, give each other fuel and other stuff.

Alex - while screwing around with my new build I did pick up one nice tip - if you are not using the intel video, disable it and you get less heat.

MrFSU · Post by **MrFSU** » Tue Mar 03, 2015 12:33 am

Thanks guys... I will get on running those benchmarks this week and report back!

wvjohn · Post by **wvjohn** » Wed Mar 04, 2015 11:45 am

I was looking at some memory benches on that x99 chipset and they are huge. With that boot drive you're using you might wanna wear a seatbelt in ED

Post by **Genom** » Sat Mar 21, 2015 11:28 pm

Well, for all my ladeedah'ing about the Z800 I got for free, my now second PSU is starting to flake on it, and at 100+ a pop to replace them, it's not worth the aggravation. Just ordered a new ASRock X99 Mobo, I7 4790 and 16GB Crucial DDR4-2400 RAM. At least my GTX970 will finally be happy. May pop on a m.2 840 EVO SSD, although I already have a 256GB 2.5 840 pro.

Ah fun times of building sorta new machine. Recycling most everything else from my previous system (Case, PSU, SSD's, GFX card). Only thing I hope doesnt bitch is my Win 8.1 key.

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Sun Mar 22, 2015 9:14 am

You'll just have to do the automated phone activation. I do it all the time when I have to re-install a Win 7/8 license on a different mobo. It's never a problem, just put aside 10 minutes for the call as it takes a while to enter all the numbers and have the system recite the long activation code.

Be aware that if you have a Win8 license, you must install Win8 first, then upgrade to Win8.1 through the store.

Post by **Genom** » Sun Mar 22, 2015 10:51 am

Yeah, done it before. Actually, Win8 handles MoBo changes really well. I had this SSD setup in the old i5 machine with a I97 based chipset and just popped it into the Z800 and it installed the necesary basics and has been working perfectly stable for a few months. if it wasnt for these PSU's failing I'd be happy.

Gonna go pick up the goodies shortly and have some fun.

Post by **Genom** » Sun Mar 22, 2015 4:23 pm

Man I feel a burning shame right now.

I got the wrong socket CPU.

Damnit! And going out with the Fam for dinner now so gotta wait to tomorrow.

Mock me folks. What a noob.

wvjohn · Post by **wvjohn** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 8:17 am

I was wondering about that - figured it was a typo - we've all done it