Main Point:
New multi-core computing architectures are available in Extreme product selections like the Intel(R) DX58SO board with Core(TM) i7 processor. Integrated solutions using these new components have found a significant advantage in mainstream application responsiveness and new productivity value.
Introduction:
Building your own computing platform with off-the-shelf available parts is a difficult task for a novice, but with experience and care a computer integrator today has the options to build a very powerful and fast computing platform at a reasonable cost.
Solution Brief:
I purchased the Intel(R) DX58SO board to replace an older desktop PC. First I removed the old PC parts from the Antec SOHO chassis and replaced the power supply with a newer 600 watt supply ATX12 v2.2 or greater.
Then I carefully installed with an ESD protection strap the big ATX sized DX58SO into the chassis. I found it easier to work with it when the box and board are horizontal on a sturdy table. Careful attention to power supply cable connections and processor installation is a combination of following detailed paper and online instructions.
The Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-940 boxed processor came with a nice big fan with heatsink and since I planned to leave settings more or less stock I installed this fan.
For RAM memory I installed Corsair TR3X6G1600C9XMS3 6GB 3 X 2 because it was low cost and quality tested.
I used a XFX HD4850 + 1GB DDR3 RAM video card because it had lower power, low fan noise, low cost and respectable performance for most applications and games. (I really wanted the new HD5850, but thought it would push the power supply too far and require a higher cost.).
I used a low cost DVD-W SATA3 interface drive to boot and load software (Samsung SH-S223L and a SATA cable from spare parts).
Also used the Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB, 32MB cache, SATA3 drive for main system storage.
Everything else plugged in easily (LCD monitor into HD4850 port 0) and powered up well.
As a first power-up check I set the DX58SO jumper to boot to bios selection then went to the bios monitor and verified the chassis fans, CPU fan, supply voltages and temperatures were correct and everything is recognized and running stable.
I tried an older Microsoft(R) XP Pro 32 bit operating system install and found it hung up and realized the needed drivers (64 bit) were not supporting critical hardware.
After some thought and online review I decided it was much easier to just get an upgrade version of Microsoft Ultimate Vista SP1 since it has 32 and 64 bit operating system disks. I changed the boot jumper and booted the 64 bit Vista Ultimate. This worked great using the clean install, with no downloads or patches procedure.
After getting through the Vista install, I connected to the broadband network and used Microsoft update. After many Vista updates, I then installed the DX58SO disk to upgrade Intel drivers and bios, then Intel Desktop Control Center and applications that came with the DX58SO board, especially a virus scanner. I used Norton 360 because it has worked well in other systems.
I double checked using the Intel Desktop Control Center app all of the memory settings, power supply voltages, temperatures, CPU and memory performance. No settings were altered, since everything was running without any problem.
Conclusion:
After all the work to get this system running smoothly and optimizations I am very pleased with the results. Browsing to sites on the internet and most everything else is much faster (large sites just pop on the screen). The Microsoft ratings for system performance in all categories pegged at 5.9 after optimizations and updates.
For a reasonable cost, I found the performance boost will easily pay for itself with the time saved in getting more done. It’s nice to not be limited by the speed of your computer applications when you are trying to get some work done.
Thanks to all for producing components of this excellent computing platform.