Please help w/new graphics card & system build

(201) Re: Please help with new graphics card

@innerpeace it sure is compatible with quad its an P35 board it has the same layout as the MSI platinum board which is good.

i'm now going for this board. it about the best for quads right now and for anything else and cheaper than the Asus. fantastic board fantastic price.
http://www.motherboardpro.com/DFI-LanParty-Dark-P35-T2RS-Socket-775-Motherboard-p-428.html

@Hairy Coo
a quad maybe a better future proof, if there is such a thing as there be more software around. if you into mostly gaming i say go with the dual core otherwise get a quad. both cpus be fine for innerpeace's graphic card and the framerate will be more than the highest needed. the bottle neck will be the graphics. its only when you use another graphics card in the future and want to run the latest games then squeezing every last drop of performance can matter then the 8400 will be better for that, that's if they haven't developed games that utilize more cores by then.

Something else you can do to knock off upto 10C off your temps but invalidates your warranty. http://www.thetechrepository.com/showthread.php?t=71

Some watercooled Antec P182's
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=175842&highlight=p182
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=181643&highlight=p182
http://www.watercoolinguk.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1998&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
http://www.watercoolinguk.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2149&highlight=p182

 

(202) Re: Please help with new graphics card

markymoo,

That 182 looks sick inside-like colored intestines!

Sounds like an absolute MUST for innerpeace!

Havent tried lapping,there seem to be many different opinions,but you would think Arctic Silver would fill in any irregularities just as well.

The trouble with quads seems to be that the really fast ones are really expensive.

Think my next will still be a dual,possibly with watercooling (you just about talked me into it) then maybe a quad.

Have you read any reviews about the DF mobo?Couldnt find any.

 

(203) Re: Please help with new graphics card

Thanks Hairy Coo, that was a good read! I was confused for a little while trying to figure out what a Core 2 Duo Single Core was LOL. I guess they forced it to run on one core for the tests. A quad is tempting and I'm sure the tech will only get better once it is a true quad core. My older games won't benefit from the quad either, but it's future use might be beneficial. I think I'm going to try to get the best bang for the buck. I'm sure all of them would do more than I needed.

I also see that some new chips are trickling in at newegg like the Q9300 and Q9450 for $299 and $379. Too rich for my blood, but that should mean prices should start dropping a teeny bit.

Thanks That is very good news. Does that mean that if I don't have that version that I could flash the BIOS to make it compatible with the quads IF I get one? Ok, I just read that it may be tough to flash the BIOS because it can't be done from a HDD. I will have to investigate further.

My current MB is an MSI and it's worked fine. I just wish they would ditch the neon colors .

 

(204) Re: Please help with new graphics card

Innerpeace,

Yes the BIOS is just flashed as necessary,usually a very simple task these days.
Would be surprised if you have any problems-usually an updater is provided with the mobo software
MSI would be one of the top brands,seems to have slipped a bit in the last few years because of the duopoly of Asus and GigaByte,but that means nothing.
Just wear Polaroids!!

 

(205) Re: Please help with new graphics card

LOL, my case door is always shut anyways so I wouldn't have to look at the bright colors. I'm still a little disturbed anyways seeing all those pictures markymoo posted of people hacking up their P182's . Water cooling isn't for the timid . I do like all the funky 'intestine' looking hoses though. I wonder if I can use a heater radiator out of a car? .

As far as the BIOS flashing goes for the MSI, I read a couple of reviews about it and it seemed sorta tough. Maybe they weren't too bright either. If I have to do it from a USB flash drive or a floppy, I would be out of luck.

My cpu temps have creeped up a bit and I was surprised to see how much dust the filters have accumulated. That's the 2:1 negative air pressure at work . I will clean them tomorrow.

markymoo, Nice links with pics .

 

(206) Re: Please help with new graphics card

More things to think about...

Yes you would really need a decent PSU, even if you overclock a dual also. 65W dual 105W Quad. A 3.0Ghz quad would consume around 150W. A user stated a overclocked Q6600 3.3Ghz 24/7 consumes $15/month. An overclocked 8400 3.6GHz at idle uses 100W and 150W at full load. Intel stated the newer quads use 25% less power but in reviews they stating only 5% saving.

Here is a benchmarks of power consumption and overclocked.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core2quad-q9300_13.html#sect0


If you going to keep your pc upgrade along time then i would get a quad as Intel and MS are investing in that as Nehalem will have it and any other multi core cpus will benefit. If you using pc for browsing general tasks and gaming get a dual. If you running heavy specific applications that take advantage of quad and/or running alot programs at once then get quad core. The argument is as i said before they will be better of everything in a years time but they sure more software for quad and they be better quads. If you going to upgrade shortly again then get a dual. Games now take advantage of quad although not many. If you want to have fun later on and break the 4Ghz barrier then get a dual. If you keep waiting for the next cpu or board you never upgrade lol , best to get what you need for your requirements in the moment but sensible to wait until at least April on this occasion.

Here is a good guide on alot of the settings in the bios. On newer boards one or two settings wont be there but for the majority it be there.

http://www.techarp.com/freebog.aspx

and another

http://www.lostcircuits.com/advice/bios2/1.shtml

 

(207) Re: Please help with new graphics card

yes i'm not into the red either. blue and greens would look alot better.

if you think thats sick pc take a look at this lol
http://www.watercoolinguk.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2288

i done that easy mod and i reduced it by 6C. it pretty safe to do aslong as you smooth it off flat. it worth doing if you run your pc on air or the edge.

yes but the 6700 will drop in price alot.The Xeon server 3210 is also another to consider. it really a higher quality Q6600 for the same price.

yes dual to put you on. once Nehalem come out it will all change again so if you plan to get that, it sensible not to spend alot money now.

The only reviews have been forum reviews. You get a better opinion from experienced users comments on xtremesystems and others. http://www.overclock.net/intel-motherboards/287202-dfi-lanparty-dk-p35-t2rs-high.html It will do well over 500FSB. Any board that can do that means one thing quality and stabilty. Oskar Wu invented the BIOS who is a renowned overclocking guru. Its not a board i recommend for starting out (the Gigabyte BIOS is alot friendlier) as it's a complicated BIOS and take time to master but if you want a board to have alot use out of and tinker with over time and get very high overclocks. If you look at these BIOS settings you see what i mean.
http://forums.tweaktown.com/showpost.php?p=243231&postcount=11 The layout of the board is very good compared to others. I seen quad 3.6 Ultra Extreme on air and 4Ghz water with it. It just an amazing board for overclocking and it is now only slightly higher priced than a midrange board. I would recommend it for dual too it that good. One notable thing is the BIOS chip can be removed and replaced so if you get a corrupt BIOS flash you haven't ruined the board. It has also got the very high quality Realtek ALC885HD 8ch audio which is rated 102db SNR (signal to noise ratio) anything over a 100 can be used for professional use.

Here is review on the better DFI UT P35-T2R. http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3129 This will give you idea how good these boards are. It even comes with a seperate NB cooler.

 

(20 Re: Please help with new graphics card

Thats why if you get a case big enough you dont have to break out the toolbox and start cutting. On my current case the radiator just dropped straight in and 4 screws secure it. I didn't do any cutting like all that. The pump just stands on the floor of the case on 4 pads to make it silent. Yes you can use out of a car, it called a heater core but the temps wont be as good. It best to go for the most efficient radiator if the case is small. One of those Antecs had 3 radiators in there that was quite extreme, one would be sufficient without cutting. Some of those projects had too many t-pieces, twists and bends in the loop, thats not efficient for the best temps. The simpliest loop wins. Did you notice coils around the tubes? Its so they can bend the tube more without it kinking but doesnt look nice. It means they using too many bends than they should be for effiecient wc. Tube without coils gives it alot cleaner look. I am interested in watercooling projects that fit a big radiator into a smaller case...

I don't see any bright colours on that MSI board except for the bright ram sockets that will be covered up with ram.

You be able to flash the BIOS from windows.

 

(209) Re: Please help with new graphics card

Yes, no complaints for the price.

a thread about it here
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=161618

and a user getting a 8400 to 4.3Gig with it.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=178944

Quad support has been supported on that board from BIOS version 1.4 from September 2007. If you buy one now it will work with a quad right out of the box no flashing necessary. The BIOS to support 8400 came out in Febuary.

 

(210) Re: Please help with new graphics card

markymoo,

Well, if you achieved 6c drop with lapping,thats proof enough for me.

Strangely my temps have dropped for no reason also by about 7c,ambient about the same-but still reporting about 10c higher than normal.

All the good reading provided by you is very interesting.

That coloured computer looks like a vision from Hell!!

 

(211) Re: Please help with new graphics card

markymoo, Thanks for the good info on the wattage. Will my current 380w PSU run a stock Q6600 and the graphics card I have? I used the PSU calculator and it came to 300 watts. I'm a little worried that my gfx card might use a little more wattage since it's OC'd.

I did have a look at the water cooled rigs and noticed the hoses with the coils. I didn't care for them either. I also like the blue green color combo . It seems to me that a lot of planning needs to take place with the parts on hand to make a nice looking and well functioning water cooled machine.

Newegg now has a plain (no heatsink) E8400 for $199. Prices are starting to fall . I'm still going to hold out because I know I would kick myself in the butt if I wasted money because I was impatient. April 20th is less than a month away when the prices are supposed to drop. DFI also has the BLOOD IRON P35-T2RL MB for $119 with the same audio chip. It has good ratings also but doesn't have eSATA. I will also have a look at the BIOS links you have posted.

Edit: I just noticed something on the MB's. What are the 8 pin cpu power connectors for on some of the boards? My PSU only has a 4-pin cpu power connector.

Also, I separated my 24 pin ATX connector to a 20 pin to match what was installed in my current MB. Will I still be able to plug in the 4 pin and everything work fine in my next build? My guess is yes.

 

(212) Re: Please help with new graphics card

it will give a noticeable result. worth doing in my book. do you run it 3.4 all time? if so and you had those random temp reports and it kept stable that says alot right there. That DS4 board, is yours revision 1 or 2?

Yes i will guarantee lol. The Nvidia 8500GT will use approx 50W at maximum load and doesn't use external power and the 6600 will use 105W.

It takes abit planning. It can be daunting at first. I had a friend who was into it alot and been watercooling for 2 years so that helped. I did alot reading also. He didn't like it when i started beating his overclock though. Once you find a place to fit the radiator and get it screwed the rest is somewhat easier.

That's the OEM version. If you going to use a different heatsink and fan to the Intel one then it makes sense to buy that. I don't recommend you buy that at this stage as you will have enough to do familarising yourself with Intel as you come from AMD. Fitting a third party heatsink fan cooler is a job in itself. It's upto you.

On some newer PSU's now they have a 8 pin connector instead of a 4. You have the option of fitting a 4 or an 8. If the motherboard needs more power that connector will provide it. Normally you fit a 4 pin into the 4 nearest the cpu, this is adequate. More info with pics to explain all and lots of other good stuff on PSU's http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/connectors.html#4into8

You only need 20 pin as its an older board on the new board you buy you use 24.

The Blood Iron is a superb board - great name too, its the little brother of the DFI Dark i be getting. Its $119 for the retail but $99 for just the board without extras. It the same as the Dark except for a few features less and not as powerful for overclocking. The Dark is only a few $ more. Not having the eSATA is not a problem, you can buy a eSATA backplate seperately and connect it to your internal SATA. You be ok with that board as long as you run it on the default BIOS and don't play with the ton of settings too much.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812200111&Tpk=e-sata+plate
http://www.usb-ware.com/sata-dual-internal-esata-adapter.htm

In a few countries there hasn't been a reliable supplier for DFI. It only recently DFI have signed a contract for the Uk last month with a big supplier. DFI are always the last to bring out a board for a chipset but it sure will be great when they do. They seem to put more effort into there boards. It been very hard to get a DFI before now.

 

(213) Re: Please help with new graphics card

markymoo,

Yes I'm running 3.4 continuously,so that probably proves the temps must be OK.

An adjustment made was I decreased the internal middle 12" fan speed,as it seemed to be creating positive pressure-sucking a vortex from the external fan mounted directly in front.

This seems to have lowered the internal temps!!

Did you use glass as a paper backing board to lap or isnt it that critical?

In Oz,the only DFI board available is the BloodIron at A$195-00-we wuz robbed as usual!!

 

(214) Re: Please help with new graphics card

Great, I'm good to go for now.

I was toying with the idea of getting an OEM chip and fitting a decent heatsink. Someone mentioned the warranties might differ between the OEM and retail so I would need to look into that. I do understand that if I overclock later that the warranty is void.

Nice link . I see that the DFI MB's take 8 pin cpu connectors. I also see that the MSI MB we were looking at takes the 8 pin, but in the pics, there is a plastic thing blocking 4 of them. Maybe it's a hybrid... The sites says it takes an 8 pin though. I'm afraid I may end up having to get another PSU. The Gigabytes look like they take 4 pins.

I have an eSATA backplate, it came with my ext. HDD enclosure. I think the MB has to support eSATA hot swapping for it to be true eSATA. That's not a big deal, but it would be nice. It will work regardless. The DFI boards are getting really good reviews right now. I'm considering one because of it's potential later on if and when I decide to overclock and it's ratings.

What are some good PSU manufacturers besides Antec so I can keep my options open? Not good as in popular, but good as in good for the longevity of my system.

 

(215) Re: Please help with new graphics card

Its not crucial. It ensures a good flat surface though, as long as you can find a flat surface.

I suspected it be like that, few could get hold of one. Getting one in Europe was rare until now. DFI can't make them fast enough.

The warranty on OEM is just 30 days. Changing it from the default voltage does void it even when manuafacturers and retailers now welcome overclocking!

it just a plastic cap that can be removed. most PSU's have 4 pin. they all 8 pin with 4 blocked off.

Good question. The concensus is plug the 4 pin into an 8pin and you be ok. it can only physically fit at one end. if the board requires more power it will use this. It be said 8 pin is for quad cores but that adapter was originally invented for servers. If the PSU is a good one and not into heavy overclocking using just 4 would be ok. If you going to be doing any heavy overclocking best to get a 8 pin otherwise a 4 pin will be enough. DFI exposed the 8 to encourage you to use 8 as it an enthusiast board that can overclock very high. Don't buy another PSU just use the 4. If you want to overclock later buy a PSU with a 8 pin connector and use it. I know alot just use 4pin and overclock very high but they will have a quality and ample watt PSU.

When you plug in the external drive does it come up as a removable device in your system tray? Apparently by using the new 15 pin SATA power connector instead of the molex connector it becomes hot swappable. They done away with the molex on new drives now. I think if it is enabled as AHCI in the BIOS then it works. You can turn any drive into a removable device. There is also this software Hotswap. http://mysite.verizon.net/kaakoon/hotswap/index_enu.htm So it not a problem if all else fails you plug the drive in and scan for new hardware

I dont know what you going to stick in your pc in future but I recommend and narrow it down to Corsair or Silverstone as the best decent PSU's to use. Cheaper PSUs that still good quality are Tagan, Hiper, Seasonic. I wouldn't consider anything else than that list. 600W is a good figure to go for unless massively overclocking a quadcore or using heavy SLI.

If you going to do that then i wouldn't bother going with anything less than an Thermalright IFX-14 or Ultra 120 extreme and Harry Coo maybe can help you out fitting it. Those are extreme coolers but very effective. If that too extreme then a Zalman CNPS9700 is still good. I may not be the best person to ask as i will always say go for the best as i am into watercooling for the lowest temps and that maybe more than you need, but if you going to get into overclocking later anyway then buying a decent air cooler now maybe smart move as the money you save on the OEM you can put towards a better cooler. To complement it you would need a decent PSU, otherwise the Intel stock heatsink, fan will be adequate to run at default speeds.

 

(216) Re: Please help with new graphics card

Innerpeace,

yes,markymoo is right about the two Thermalright coolers.
I have the Ultra Extreme which cools the o/clocked e6600 to around 37c under normal load.
The new IFX-14 may be even better,but probably costs more-see review
here

Its not hard to fit as long as you are not squeamish about putting pressure on the clamping pins!

As regards an OEM chip,this wouldnt include the stock Intel cooler,which you wouldnt need in any case,if you bought a Thermalright.
The 30 day warranty hopefully would be sufficient,as computer hardware tends to break down quite soon if at all,in other words because of factory faults which should be quickly discovered.

Generally, regarding the pin connectors you may find all pins have to be used,otherwise the computer hardware such as fans will work,but the computer wont boot.

markymoo,

Using an eSATA bracket and the standard SATA plugs with a mobo not specified for eSATA,the drive isnt "hot swappable",in other words you have to start the external drive at boot time,for the drive to be recognised.
This doesnt worry me,but possibly if the drive was used a lot it would be a concern.

Regarding my cooling -the temps have gone down since I lowered the speed of the internal fan,which bears out the theory of negative pressure being optimal

Before lowering,I took off the case side and the temp went down-there was a build up of hot air which couldnt escape

 

(217) Re: Please help with new graphics card

If you have AHCI or RAID enabled in the BIOS (which all good Intel boards have now) and you plug in the 15 pin power connector and then any SATA lead thats plugged into any SATA connector on the m/b while in windows the drive(s) becomes immediately available in windows to use. It doesn't need to be scanned for new hardware to find it's instant. It doesn't need to plugged in from boot. I have one SATA connector at the back of the m/b for this exact thing. It uses JMicron controller aside from the main intel SATA's. I don't load these JMicron drivers as they cause problems so it disabled but that would work too. It states in the manual for external SATA but you can just as well use another SATA. It might not be some patented eSATA controller. It works because AHCI is the main host controller for SATA that supports hotswap

No it wouldn't work if AHCI is disabled and/or using IDE instead which older motherboards pre 1996 don't have.

The quote above is referring to if the drive was disconnected while in use. You can use the software Hotswap which safely removes devices. If write back cache was disabled on the external drive this would solve the cache problem.

Its not much trouble to install AHCI. You just enable AHCI in the BIOS and load the AHCI driver by pressing F6 on the XP setup.

and lets say that didn't work. I don't know if you aware but you can convert a fixed disk to a removable disk that is plug and play by changing the driver to a removal one. I used this method to convert a USB stick to a 'Fixed Disk' so i could format it as NTFS instead of FAT.

If you still not convinced go with the MSI board lol

Great. To enhance the negative static pressure you meant to ideally block, close up any air holes and crevices in the case. The only air holes being the fan holes. More fans can ruin the flow and make the hot air go round and round instead of escaping.

If you do the cpu lapping best you get you temperatures displaying correctly beforehand or you won't know the temps difference before and after .

Yes but you told Hairy Coo that you keep the backplate on your existing pc so you transfer the external drive between the pcs that's why i suggested another .

 

(21 Re: Please help with new graphics card

markymoo,

Thanks for your reply about eSATA-you were correct-even though I was convinced AHCI was enabled,this was not the case at all!!

I have just tried to enable it without luck,it tries to install,then a BSOD,then a restart loop.

Do you have any ideas what is causing this?

 

(219) Re: Please help with new graphics card

I hope your right LOL. I think in the link you posted said it depends on the MB's requirement whether or not it need more voltage. I'm not saying your wrong, I just want to be 100% sure.

I'll have a look at the software. I may even opt to install the drive onboard, but I like the idea of not having it connected to protect from possible infections.

Thanks. I was glancing over the 80 plus certified PSU's last night. I will keep Corsair and Silverstone in mind.

I've noticed that a lot of computer parts seem to involve putting pressure on them to install or uninstall. Also, what's up with right side installation panel on the P182's. Geez, it takes me 1/2 an hour to get the darn thing on all the way .

I do understand that an OEM chip is just the chip and nothing else. If it's like $40-50 cheaper, I might as well get it and a decent heatsink. I'm sure the one's you and markymoo are suggesting are top notch. Now, if I could just talk you into installing it for me . I would also use AS5.

That sounds like good news. Just as long as I don't fry any parts.

Antec shipped my fan on Monday and I received it Wednesday. I tried it out today before installing it and it didn't seem to vibrate like the other. I installed it on top and installed the old one up front for the time being. If the bearings are bad, it should hurt anything if falls apart. I also removed the upper hard drive cage so it wouldn't disturb the air. All 4 fan are on low and it's quiet. The humming noise from the old top fan is now gone (thank goodness). You were right Hairy Coo, Antec's customer service is great!

 

(220) Re: Please help with new graphics card

@Hairy Coo

Right, if you bought a hard drive that has NCQ feature then it won't be utilized until AHCI is enabled. This should give you a slight performance increase. It optimizes the received read and write commands which are sent.

The reason why it blue screens is because the XP AHCI driver is missing as you enabled it in the BIOS.

At least you find out now .

Now there is a way to enable AHCI without reinstalling XP but i forgotten lol but i will find out. In the meantime...

You have to load the AHCI driver during setup the same way as a RAID or SCSI driver during XP setup by pressing F6 from a floppy. Your board uses Intel Matrix Raid Storage Controller so you can get the driver from here.

http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/imsm/index.htm

If you ever want to intergrate the driver into the XP cd so you won't have to load the floppy again so it just run automatically from the cd with no prompt and load the AHCI then do this.

The guide alittle out of date it still work fine just highlight whatever AHCI and RAID chipset driver shows up at no.14.

 

(221) Re: Please help with new graphics card

markymoo,

Your very comprehensive answer is much appreciated

I'll go over it in detail and report back

 

(222) Re: Please help with new graphics card

@HairyCoo
I forgot to say AHCI is only a feature on ICH9R not ICH9 so have you got it?

Wow, It seems you can enable it for ICH9 as well as ICH9R

 

(223) Re: Please help with new graphics card

Innerpeace,

Good news about your fan!
The upper cage should be removed unless you are running the tandem fan setup.
Yes I was impressed by Antec service-no questions asked and efficient.
I also noticed the panels were occasionally difficult to fit,other times easy-seemed to depend on what mood I was in!
The back and front of course are different.
Be careful you dont knock the panel into place too violently while the computer is running-once destroyed a hard disk because of this.
Both side panels are interchangeable,at least on the 180.
Certainly will help fit the cooler -have the dog sled meet me at the airport,
I'll bring my american slingshot to drive away the polar bears and seals
Any pack ice up there?
Actually it would be worth while lapping the faces of the cpu and cooler as markymoo mentioned,before installing.

 

(224) Re: Please help with new graphics card

markymoo

have the 965 chipset!!

 

(225) Re: Please help with new graphics card

oh you have the 965 chipset i got it down you had the DS4 P35. it's talking about P35 all time...Fine ok. First have you got AHCI listed in your BIOS or not. If not then do not try this solution. Of course! Here is a solution to enable AHCI without reinstalling XP. I strongly suggest you take a backup image of your system drive before trying this.

AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface) is present on newer Intel chipsets such as 975X (ICH7), P965 ( ICH8 ), and P35 (ICH9). AHCI mode is enabled in the BIOS and 3 settings are commonly available: IDE, AHCI, and RAID. The last two (AHCI and RAID) require a driver floppy and the F6 method when installing Windows XP otherwise the hard disks won't be detected.

AHCI mode brings 3 main advantages:

1. Supports NCQ (Native Command Queuing) allowing SATA drives to accept more than one command at a time and dynamically reorder the commands for maximum efficiency.
2. Supports hot plugging of devices
3. Supports staggered spin ups of multiple hard drives at boot time

However, in the real world the performance difference isn't huge.

The problem is that if you installed Windows in IDE mode (ie you didn't use F6 and supply a driver disk), then simply changing the BIOS setting to AHCI mode and rebooting will cause Windows to fail and will require a repair install. Most people have been advising to reinstall Windows if you want AHCI enabled.

1. Go to Intel's download centre and download the latest version of the Intel Matrix Storage Manager.

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Prod...=2101&lang=eng

Keep this file as you'll need it again in step 4.

2. Run the installer with the -a switch to extract the files. This will NOT install the software, just extract the files. Follow the prompts as if you were installing the software:

Code:

iata76_enu.exe -a​

The above should extract the files to \Program Files\Intel\Intel Matrix Storage Manager. There are two folders, \Drivers and \Drivers64 for 32-bit and 64-bit OS's, respectively.

Copy the file IaStor.sys from the Drivers folder to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\

3. copy the one of the following relevent registry files to your desktop (copy and paste into notepad) and save as ahci.reg

965 and 975 chipset registry file

Code:

 	Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\CriticalDeviceDatabase\pci#ven_8086&dev_2821&cc_0106]
"Service"="iaStor"
"ClassGUID"="{4D36E96A-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor]
"Type"=dword:00000001
"Start"=dword:00000000
"Group"="SCSI miniport"
"ErrorControl"=dword:00000001
"ImagePath"="system32\\drivers\\iaStor.sys"
"tag"=dword:00000019
"DisplayName"="Intel AHCI Controller"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor\Parameters]
"queuePriorityEnable"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor\Enum]
"0"="PCI\\VEN_8086&DEV_2821&SUBSYS_B0051458&REV_02\\3&13c0b0c5&0&FA"
"Count"=dword:00000001
"NextInstance"=dword:00000001

P35 ICH9R and ICH9 chipset registry file

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\CriticalDeviceDatabase\pci#ven_8086&dev_2922&cc_0106]
"Service"="iaStor"
"ClassGUID"="{4D36E96A-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor]
"Type"=dword:00000001
"Start"=dword:00000000
"Group"="SCSI miniport"
"ErrorControl"=dword:00000001
"ImagePath"="system32\\drivers\\iaStor.sys"
"tag"=dword:00000019
"DisplayName"="Intel AHCI Controller"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor\Parameters]
"queuePriorityEnable"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor\Enum]
"0"="PCI\\VEN_8086&DEV_2922&SUBSYS_B0051458&REV_02\\3&13c0b0c5&0&FA"
"Count"=dword:00000001
"NextInstance"=dword:00000001

4. Double check you've copied the IaStor.sys file as part of step 2. Now do the following:

• Run the ahci.reg file to add the entries into the registry
• Reboot the computer and enter the BIOS - DO NOT allow it to start Windows yet.
• Change the setting for the on board Intel controller to AHCI, save and exit BIOS
• Boot into Windows

When Windows loads it will detect a new hard disk - cancel the wizard for installing the new hardware and run the Intel driver installer you downloaded in step 1.

Reboot the system

Now, under Device Manager > IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers you should see Intel(R) ICH8 or ICH9 SATA AHCI chipset Controller listed.

Go to Device Manager, Double Click your hard drive(s) under "Disk Drivers", go to "Policies" Tab and mark "Enable write caching for this disk"

Finished

Vista Solution
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922976