Win 7 32bit to 64bit (ram/CPU Help)

[Spriggan_one]

Hi, I have an older PC, built in 2005.

P5nd2-sli mobo (non-deluxe)
2gb ram (512mb generic sticks x4)
550w Antec Tri-Power Trio PSU
9800GTX Black Edition GPU
3.6ghz P4 Prescott 660 CPU w/ EM64T (64 bit support)
some kinda Creative Labs SB! 5.1 soundcard/speaker setup (Audigy/ Audigy SE? 2005)

I read that someone with my processor was indeed running 64 bit win7

I don't have money to upgrade or do a new system. Recently (last 5-6 months/130ish days) my PC was down because my CPU was overheating (fan/heatsink went bad??) I got it "running" by changing the thermal paste, but got it "Working normally" by changing to a Cooler Master Hyper 212+ fan/heatsink!

>>>> QUESTION: If I change to windows 7 Ultimate, how much RAM can I use?

The board supports: 8GB DDR2 667/533 non-ECC memory (32 bit OS does not use more than 3.5-4gb? =[ ) Using Win7 64bit can I use the full 8gb?

Can I buy ram of higher speeds? Mobo specs says this: Front Side Bus 1066 / 800 / 533MHz
Also, in my Bios I could change my FSB to 1600, and DDR to 1200 (allowable rates) What's that mean?

I don't know how to turn up voltage properly or any of that overclock stuff (but I have looked through it all in the bios)
>>>> Would using all that RAM do a nice difference? - I KNOW CPU will choke alot of stuff going on with the PC, but I can't afford a new one

Here's my mobo (The white square is replaced with a Black heatsink similar to the red one - on my board): ASUS - Motherboards- ASUS P5ND2-SLI

EDIT: I can also unlock my CPU multiplier (Not sure how to use this as doing so made my 3.6ghz run at 3.4ghz), change FSB, voltage etc. minimal knowledge (understanding of what this does, but I know not to turn up/FRY my components via voltage)

Average temps in my PC are no more than 54c on CPU and 50-67c GPU

[glc]

You don't need Ultimate. Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit supports up to 16gb ram.

You do not have a suitable processor for overclocking. DDR2-800 is going to be the most stable.

Newegg.com - CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model VS4GBKIT800D2 G

The Intel NForce chipset is unstable enough - just leave everything in the auto defaults.

[Spriggan_one]

Originally Posted by glc You don't need Ultimate. Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit supports up to 16gb ram. You do not have a suitable processor for overclocking. DDR2-800 is going to be the most stable. Newegg.com - CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model VS4GBKIT800D2 G The Intel NForce chipset is unstable enough - just leave everything in the auto defaults.

Thank you for replying glc

Would I have to change the FSB/DDR settings to run DDR2 800? since my mobo read 533/667 as basic settings, and higher through bios? Everything I try to read up on is from like 2005-2006 and most of it is people guessing or arguing (using google search)

I turned my vram voltage from auto (i'm guessing 1.8) to 1.850 (ran slightly quicker) and now to 1.9, running nicely (bout 20 second faster startup to do stuff once windows started- is that normal? I think my pc is much slower than it was a couple years ago =[ )

I only mentioned ultimate because I have the full slew of Windows 7 types available to me; and i'm already using 32bit ultimate. I already have winxp sp3 32bit (original os), win7 ultimate 32bit sp1, can I make a 3rd partition with win7 64bit?

I've read people have taken my CPU to 4.2ghz stable on this mobo, and 4.5 on other mobos, but the most I've had the mobo "auto" overclock it to was 3.78ghz

[jdeb]

That is not a good overclocking board. If you keep it up, you are gonna kill that thing. The best overclocking 775 board is the Gigabyte EP45-UD3 "L-R-P". Your hands are tied anyway with that CPU.

[glc]

The Prescott runs hot enough at stock speeds.

If you can't afford an upgrade, I'd put some more ram in, run everything STOCK, and call it a day. 2gb ram is not enough these days, especially for Win 7.

I also just found that the board doesn't support ram faster than 667. You can certainly put 800 in and it will work - at 667.

FSB faster than 1066 and ram faster than 667 is overclocking the board.

[Spriggan_one]

Bad news? Last night my PC kept shutting off and I kept turning it back on-cause I was eating a bag of Doritos with my dinner and I thought they smelled funny - but it was something in my PC cooking. Either ram, northbridge or southbridge. The NB/sb heatsinks were too hot to touch for more than a sec. CPU temp was 45-54c gpu 51-61c.

I mighta put too much thermal paste on the NB/sb/cpu

Suggestions?

I found 16gb 1333 ddr3 ram/i7-2700k CPU/Asus h77 sabertooth mobo for under $600

But that's still alot. 16gb ddr3 goes for 81-104 while 8gb ddr2 800 goes for 110-150

[glc]

$428 shipped after rebate:

Newegg.com - ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9

If you want to overclock:

Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/AM3+

[Spriggan_one]

[IMG] http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/6...0523031310.jpg [/IMG]
Bad news. Found it. Little black cap came off when I redid my CPU, wasn't sure where from. Plugged power into wrong thing and it melted! Can I plug a different 4 pin into the correct socket?
EDIT: realized that the 4pin can't go in the other socket and I don't have another 4pin. So did my psu fry my mobo?!

Originally Posted by glc $428 shipped after rebate: Newegg.com - ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9 If you want to overclock: Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/AM3+

Wow that's cool how you did that: )

I just bought a hyper 212 plus for my current system what's the difference? Also what's the difference between that i5 and the i7 I listed?I put 2 quantity on that ram hehe. Can that mobo run win7 64bit from an ssd?

[glc]

You can reuse the 212 Plus.

The i5 I listed is the new Ivy Bridge. Why do you think you need an i7? Why do you think you need 16gb ram?

Motherboard is toast, and I don't know if I'd try to reuse the PSU.

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply

Sure, you can use either a dedicated SSD or you can cache a spin drive with a SSD and Intel SRT.

[jdeb]

I do not understand what power connector you hooked up wrong. Maybe you got the voltages too high when you were overclocking? I would not trust that PSU at this point. Your motherboard is done.

The i7 is more for video editing, rendering, and complex computing applications. No need for it on a gaming or general use PC, way overkill. Money would be better spent on a high quality Seasonic power supply or a Corsair TX650 which has a great price right now on Newegg.

You can re-use that Hyper 212 providing you saved all the adapters.

No problem on the 64bit W7 and an SSD, make sure you get an intel 520 with at least 120gb storage space.

[Spriggan_one]

I realized my 1 do-all optical drive is ide which I don't see a connector for on the new mobo. Is it better to run stuff from your ssd or to use it as a cache? My hd's are 7 years old

[glc]

20 bucks will get you a SATA DVD burner.

I'd probably get a 120gb SSD and use it dedicated. Your hard drives are going to be slow by today's standards. Intel 520 is the best SSD.

[Spriggan_one]

I really don't use too much space. Think I had 90gb on my c drive and 10-20 elsewhere

Games and blurays took up most space.

Yet I have 2x 160gb hd's and an external 600gb that's... well... empty.

Spring cleaning lol.

[birddog_61]

Its possible to get by with less than a 120 but I wouldn't do it again. I have a 40gb with windows on it and I am fighting for space all the time.

[Spriggan_one]

Originally Posted by birddog_61 Its possible to get by with less than a 120 but I wouldn't do it again. I have a 40gb with windows on it and I am fighting for space all the time.

I could store all my data on my 600gb external and then use a ssd for programs

how long do you think it would take to get all this gear for 350 dollars, and or would it be all outdated by then

[glc]

You won't ever be able to get all of it that cheap.

[Spriggan_one]

I use a 4 pin connector out of the 8 slots available. Am I using the atx or eatx and what's the difference?

Do the motherboard mounting screws act as grounding points? Because I didn't install the 9th screw as it fell into the case.

The burnout was next to where the screw wasn't installed.

I took out the mobo in search of that screw when I dropped it.

It went behind the metal that the mobo attaches to.. But it wouldn't shake out or anything at the time I lost it.

[Spriggan_one]

Realized I had an 8pin connector on my PSU, dug out the burnt leftover of the 4pin and plugged in the 8pin - PC IS RUNNING!

Have been checking the 8pin for melting, or burning smell, 10 mins so far so good.... Maybe my gpu was overdrawing on the 4pin, or maybe not having a mobo screw in the standoff caused a short?

Found the screw, and using the 8pin, working alright. Also set bios "overclock" from "auto" to "safe mode"

What do you guys think caused my 4pin atx12v to melt? I think the 8pin is eatx12v (unless the 4pin was...)

I also learned I have an hdmi audio out connector on my GPU, but can't find spdif connection on my mobo to hook it to

Sorry for rambling, just learning and looking for advice.

[Spriggan_one]

Didn't see edit button; but for SSD's I was looking for the fastest/cheapest, and here's 4:

Intel 520/mushkin/corsair/kingston hyper-x - Mushkin looked the best overall to me, What do you think?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...^20-167-092-TS

Edit: upon reading about reliability, intel's drive seems like a winner, and mushkin seems like playing the old arcade game "paperboy"

[jdeb]

I only recommend the Intel 520 because of reliability as they have the most mature firmware and controller. There are a couple of users on this board that use the Kingston.

[Spriggan_one]

Originally Posted by jdeb I only recommend the Intel 520 because of reliability as they have the most mature firmware and controller. There are a couple of users on this board that use the Kingston.

thx man, i was just wondering about intel 520... well this:

Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more!

looks like i'll spend the extra 15 bucks. Think i'm gonna do the newegg 12 month deferrment plan, lookin at about 744.95$ w/o mail in rebates 714.95$ w/ mail in.

CPU/Mobo/Ram/PSU/ssd/ case fans/sata dvd burner - was hoping for all of this to be $500 w/o sacrificing performance (which is important, otherwise your pc's gonna be outdated quickly yet costing alot no matter what)

my pc was 2200$ in 2005, now its like, not. haha.

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by Spriggan_one thx man, i was just wondering about intel 520... well this: Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more! looks like i'll spend the extra 15 bucks. Think i'm gonna do the newegg 12 month deferrment plan, lookin at about 744.95$ w/o mail in rebates 714.95$ w/ mail in. CPU/Mobo/Ram/PSU/ssd/ case fans/sata dvd burner - was hoping for all of this to be $500 w/o sacrificing performance (which is important, otherwise your pc's gonna be outdated quickly yet costing alot no matter what) my pc was 2200$ in 2005, now its like, not. haha.

That is an OEM Intel so it will not come with the 3.5 to 2.5 bay adapter. Make sure you get one if you order that exact drive.

Newegg.com - Mushkin Enhanced MKNSSDBRKT2535 3.5" to 2.5" drive adapter bracket

[Spriggan_one]

Originally Posted by jdeb That is an OEM Intel so it will not come with the 3.5 to 2.5 bay adapter. Make sure you get one if you order that exact drive. Newegg.com - Mushkin Enhanced MKNSSDBRKT2535 3.5" to 2.5" drive adapter bracket

This may sound stupid, but I was gonna just let it sit in the PC somewhere; not like I move the case much.

[glc]

NOT a good idea.

[DOS_equis]

Originally Posted by birddog_61 Its possible to get by with less than a 120 but I wouldn't do it again. I have a 40gb with windows on it and I am fighting for space all the time.

If you have another internal drive you could use a junction link to forward your entire user folder to it and help manage your data that way. It would help keep your boot drive away from filling up all of the time. I did this on my old machine when I got a 60GB ssd a few years ago. It worked flawless. The only thing that fills the boot drive in that situation is the OS, the updates and some files for apps.

DOS_equis

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by Spriggan_one This may sound stupid, but I was gonna just let it sit in the PC somewhere; not like I move the case much.

I don't like the sound of that.

[birddog_61]

Originally Posted by DOS_equis If you have another internal drive you could use a junction link to forward your entire user folder to it and help manage your data that way. It would help keep your boot drive away from filling up all of the time. I did this on my old machine when I got a 60GB ssd a few years ago. It worked flawless. The only thing that fills the boot drive in that situation is the OS, the updates and some files for apps. DOS_equis

I have windows set up so that anything I instal and all program cache are stored on my terabyte drive. I have even removed the unwanted stuff that comes pre installed on windows 7 like games and IE8, I have disabled the page file, disabled hibernate, and limited system restore. I still have about 6gb free, but when I build a new rig I will get a large SSD for c:// and use my 40gb to replace the old rotational in an old laptop that I have linux on.

[DOS_equis]

Originally Posted by birddog_61 I have windows set up so that anything I instal and all program cache are stored on my terabyte drive. I have even removed the unwanted stuff that comes pre installed on windows 7 like games and IE8, I have disabled the page file, disabled hibernate, and limited system restore. I still have about 6gb free, but when I build a new rig I will get a large SSD for c:// and use my 40gb to replace the old rotational in an old laptop that I have linux on.

Yeah, that method will work but involves some prep on your part each time you go to install something. The junction link acts and feels like a real folder to Windows but is really a shortcut to another directory (in this example your storage drive). Win7 already has some of those junction links baked in but MS blocks you from clicking through them (it will give you an "access denied" error message when you do). One of them is the "Documents and Settings" folder in the root of your boot drive. It is a throwback for XP apps and MS has it blocked from view unless you have the view settings under folder options set to see protected system folders and files. 40GB is cutting it a little close anyway, especially when MS releases another service pack. If Win7 didn't have all of the updates and patches you could get away with a 40GB. I recently did a fresh install of Win7 pro on a Thinkpad x60 for a family member. After it was all updated and had all of the special feature apps from Lenovo installed, the clean load was sitting at around 30GB.

DOS_equis

[birddog_61]

Originally Posted by DOS_equis Yeah, that method will work but involves some prep on your part each time you go to install something. The junction link acts and feels like a real folder to Windows but is really a shortcut to another directory (in this example your storage drive). Win7 already has some of those junction links baked in but MS blocks you from clicking through them (it will give you an "access denied" error message when you do). One of them is the "Documents and Settings" folder in the root of your boot drive. It is a throwback for XP apps and MS has it blocked from view unless you have the view settings under folder options set to see protected system folders and files. 40GB is cutting it a little close anyway, especially when MS releases another service pack. If Win7 didn't have all of the updates and patches you could get away with a 40GB. I recently did a fresh install of Win7 pro on a Thinkpad x60 for a family member. After it was all updated and had all of the special feature apps from Lenovo installed, the clean load was sitting at around 30GB. DOS_equis

I have it set to install everything on my second hdd automatically, it was a simple regedit. I followed the first two post in this thread.
How do you change the default Installation Directory in Windows 7 - Microsoft Answers

Ya it doesn't help that I am running ultimate, when I first installed windows I think I had about 18gb of free space. I then went through and cleaned all the crap out of windows that I didn't want and disabled hibernate and page file and freed up like 9gb more. That was many moons ago, now after all the updates and such I am getting dangerously close to filling the HDD. I am thinking about wiping and installing linux as my main os and just running windows with vmware.

[DOS_equis]

Originally Posted by birddog_61 I have it set to install everything on my second hdd automatically, it was a simple regedit. I followed the first two post in this thread. How do you change the default Installation Directory in Windows 7 - Microsoft Answers Ya it doesn't help that I am running ultimate, when I first installed windows I think I had about 18gb of free space. I then went through and cleaned all the crap out of windows that I didn't want and disabled hibernate and page file and freed up like 9gb more. That was many moons ago, now after all the updates and such I am getting dangerously close to filling the HDD. I am thinking about wiping and installing linux as my main os and just running windows with vmware.

Oh I see. The regedit trick is similar to what you had to do in WinXP when you ran system file checker and didn't want to be nagged about inserting the OS disc so it could read the i386 folder. The junction link method is a "one step" kind of way to do it since it will move anything in the user folder to the storage drive. Once it's set up you don't have to configure anything else. The user folder is where most of the owner's bloat is contained. Thanks for the link.

DOS_equis