BIOS settings on new build and other questions

[felix367]

Hi all,

I was hoping there were resources about bios setting tips available. I am in the process of building a new PC (last time I built one was in 1995, so I'm a bit out of date) and wanted to avoid some pitfalls when setting up the bios.

Anyway, here's the basic build:

AMD|ATHLON 64 X2 4400+ 939P
1Gx2|CORSAIR Twinx2048-3200c2pt
ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe NF4SLI 939
EVGA 7800GT CO 256-P2-N517-AX
WD 250 Gb SATAII
Antec Trupower TPII SLI 550W PS
CoolerMaster WaveMaster Case
ASUS E-IDE/ATAPI 16X DVD±R DVD Burner DRW1608P2SBLACK

Anyway, I'm not going to be doing any overclocking, and will be using stock cooling unless the temps start running high or if it's really noisy.

Are there any BIOS settings for this MB that I should disable or enable prior to installing XP that will make my life easier? Or will the default setting work well (I'm assuming I'll still need to set the latencies for the memory in BIOS).

Also, I have an older SoundBlaster Live! card (3-4 years old that's in my current comp.) and I was wondering if that would be better than the onboard audio for that MB. Any opinions?

Thanks!

[Alaron]

Since you aren't going to be doing any overclocking, the stock settings for everything should be fine. Just double check that the board recognizes everything at the correct speed, and you're good to go.

The one setting I would enter would be a CPU fan and temperature warning. I set mine to warn me if the CPU is over 60C and to shutdown at 70C.

As for the sound card, I would try the onboard sound. It gets better and better as time goes on and it is most likely just as good as a Live. But let your ears tell you if its worth it.

[felix367]

Thanks! I'll stick with the onboard audio.

I'm assuming that the default BIOS settings for that board have things like RAID turned off.

[glc]

You can't assume that RAID is turned off - that would be the one thing I'd check first.

[felix367]

Ok, thanks.

So far I have:

1. Set temp warnings (warn on 60C, shutdown on 70C).
2. Make sure RAID is disabled.

Any power management issues with this board (as in, don't enable the power saving features)? What about NCQ? Is that a BIOS setting and is it generally recommended that you disable it?

Thanks!

[glc]

You will need ACPI and APIC - and power management by APM - if those are settings. However, disable all power events and let Windows handle power management. If you have a NCQ setting, leave it enabled.

[Cricket]

The Definitive BIOS Optimization Guide

Cricket

[gary_hendricks]

Here's another two links:

http://www.techspot.com/tweaks/bios/index.shtml
http://www.build-your-own-computers....uter-bios.html

[felix367]

Wow, thanks! That's a lot of useful info.

Seems like everything is going to be relatively straightforward, providing I don't get a bad part. So far no one has mentioned anything to avoid setting for this particular MB, so I should be able to follow the guides out there.

Thanks all!