• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

i5 2500k build - MOBO + RAM + CPU here & installed but PC DOES NOT TURN ON

FS

FS

Senior member
I have decided to upgrade to sandybridge i5-2500k. I just couldn't control it, so I want to keep the expenses as low as possible for now. Therefore, I'll be using everything from the old system except the CPU, RAM and MOBO. The system in not for gaming and I want something that runs cool and silent without sacrificing much on the performance side. 2500k has better graphics than 2500 and the chips below it so I have finalized on the CPU part. Yes, I know that I wouldn't be able to utilize the 'k' part of this particular cpu with H67 boards but it's not really an issue. I do not want a discrete card.

So, I would appreciate suggestions on the boards and ram. An esata port would be nice but it's not a biggie as long as it has a few USB 3.0 ports and the usual 4 sata2 and 2 sata3 ports. Since I also have an IDE HDD, being able to use it without spending extra money on a pci contoller would be awesome.

The budget is $350 (including shipping, taxes etc.) for cpu + mobo + minimum 4GB ram.

I can bump it up to $400 the most if that ends up including a decent heatsink + 8gb of ram(4x2gb).

I am trying to keep the cost as low as possible and at the moment Microcenter seems to be the best place to get the 2500k from($195.52 including NY taxes) other than that I am fine getting parts from Newegg as well(no taxes and usually fast shipping from NJ). I would appreciate if you could use both locations so I get the best bang for the buck when making suggestions. Willing to deal with the rebates as well 🙂

Case/PSU: Antec Sonata III w/ Earthwatts 500 it might matter when suggesting heatsinks.

Thanks in advance, hoping to order/get it tomorrow if not tonight so I have it up and running during the weekend.


EDITED: forgot to mention that the ever famous Corsair heatsink over here doesn't interest me for some reason and I kind of like the Xigmatec ones but don't know which one I should get. I am using Arctic freezing cooler and it's very quiet and does the job but I would like to try something different for a change
 
Last edited:
So, looks like I am all set to get the cpu and cooler(yea, I'll go with the one that's the most recommended here) from Microcenter today

CM Hyper 212 Plus ($28+tax) http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0315397

Intel i5-2500k ($195.52 including tax) http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0354589

So I am looking at ~$225 for CPU + HSF

Just got Newegg newsletter today and there are some awesome deals on memory. I am about to order 1 of the 2 mentioned below as soon as someone confirms it's good to go and have the mobo finalized.

Newegg

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2x4GB) SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory
for $74.99 when you enter code EMCKGGJ23
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231428

or ...

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2x4GB) SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory
for $69.99 with promo code EMCKGGJ26
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231311

I feel like I should go with the ^ one and save $5 but want to hear what others have to say.

Now that leaves the motherboard to be figured out. Initially, I was just looking at the H67 boards and completely ignored the H61 but now I am wondering what difference(if any) would it make if I go with H61 and save some money. Overclocking is a no-no, do you think H61 would be able to utilize the 3000 level graphics on 2500k as well as H67 boards.

I was leaning towards the Biostar mobo (linked abv) but now I see that H61 ASRock has almost the same features for $25 less which I can use to get IDE/esata controller later(would be needed for both boards as they don't have these ports)

ASRock mobo link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157236


I would really appreciate some feedback. I have to place the order for memory + mobo today. Also, would like to know whether everything I listed so far is compatible as well and also whether the cooler will fit well on this mobo + memory + Antec Sonata III.
 
There's really no reason for you to get an upgraded cooler if you don't plan on gaming and OCing it (which you can't do). Just use the one that comes w/ the CPU. It'll still run quite cool and might even be quieter than the 212. The fan on my 212 is the loudest part of my PC by far.

As for ram get whatevers cheaper. You'll never notice a difference between 1600 and 1333 even if you were gaming, and 1600 actually isn't even supported by your mobo. Speaking of the mobo, ASRock is a fine brand and H61 should be fine for your needs. It's a budget board which cuts things out like the higher memory speed support and such, but for your used it'll do fine.
 
^ ordered the ddr3-1333 and ASRock mobo from newegg and 2500k + HSF from microcenter. I wish I could use my AC freezer pro 7 and not had to use the stock hsf but unfortunately it's not compatible with socket 1155. The stock ones are definitely quieter but the temps using them are quite scary(speed fan is mostly to blame for it though because of their use of fire/flame at 50c and above) and in the summer when the room temp is around 78-79F and the pc is running at 100% encoding videos, they'll be hitting 80C easily with the stock cooler and I would not feel comfortable. Thus I am going with the CM Hyper 212 at the moment. Thanks for your response though, if nothing else, other people's input definitely gives some peace of mind. 🙂
 
I think that you made a decent choice.

I should note that you should be able to use your Freezer 7 Pro if it's a Rev. 2. The 1156 and 1155 mounting holes are the same.
 
FS said:
^ ordered the ddr3-1333 and ASRock mobo from newegg and 2500k + HSF from microcenter. I wish I could use my AC freezer pro 7 and not had to use the stock hsf but unfortunately it's not compatible with socket 1155. The stock ones are definitely quieter but the temps using them are quite scary(speed fan is mostly to blame for it though because of their use of fire/flame at 50c and above) and in the summer when the room temp is around 78-79F and the pc is running at 100% encoding videos, they'll be hitting 80C easily with the stock cooler and I would not feel comfortable. Thus I am going with the CM Hyper 212 at the moment. Thanks for your response though, if nothing else, other people's input definitely gives some peace of mind. 🙂
Click to expand...

I guess it can't hurt. I think you'd be quite surprised at how efficient and relatively cool the new processors run.
 
^ I picked it up yesterday but haven't even opened the box yet. I guess I'll try the stock one first and see if I like it and return the CM Hyper Plus. That would probably make more sense as then I can fit in a 1TB HDD in my budget($30 from this and $20 from the $400 budget).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ImageG...20CPU%20Cooler

The Rev 2 pics at newegg look completely different than the freezer pro 7 that I have. I don't even see any pushpins in the pictures, so I think mine is not going to work with 1155.


NOW MORE QUESTIONS


According to newegg tracking I should be getting the mobo+ram today(freaking amazing how fast this REGULAR shipping is ... some sites make you pay $30+ to get 1 day shipping) and I since I have already picked up the cpu I should be able to have it up and running today.

Would it make sense for me to simply install the parts and then boot from the old installation of the win 7 x64 OS which itself was installed 4/5 days ago or go with a new fresh install. I do not want anymore compatibility issues arising.

btw, the OS hdd(WD 640GB ...) has tonnes of important stuff and cannot be completely formatted to do a new install atm. I have a 100GB partition for the OS on it, so even if I go with a fresh install this partition is the only thing that will be touched. Given these situations, what would be the best way to go upon receiving the parts.


PS: As I mentioned earlier, I have a PATA HDD that needs to be plugged in as well. What would be the best way to have it connected to the rest of the system ? I have ordered an IDE to SATA converter ( http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360355319978 ) because of its simplicity and being scared of a PCI card: thinking it might give driver issues etc. Do you think I should get a PCI controller card(IDE + ESATA + SATA + RAID will come in handy as my mobo is missing 3 of these things) ?
 
gorcorps said:
I guess it can't hurt. I think you'd be quite surprised at how efficient and relatively cool the new processors run.
Click to expand...

Yea, This^^
I just got up and running with my new 2500k--ordered 212--when I saw went OMG WTF BBQ !!!!!

So just installed Stock Heatsink/Fan--that's all I need.

Will use hyper 212 for "Coming Apocaclyptic Nightmares"...
 
hehe, nice e-expressions there. Anyway, would appreciate if you could expand a bit more on it. ie: what were the temps on hyper plus at idle and load(what kind of load ... lol, no pun intended), what was the room temp, a bit about the case/fans etc. How was it on the Intel stock cooler? I am pretty certain that it'll be quiet but temps also matter.

Seriously, AC freezer 7 pro was like the best middle ground as far as cooling as acoustics go.
 
FS said:
Since I also have an IDE HDD, being able to use it without spending extra money on a pci contoller would be awesome.
Click to expand...

I had good luck with these with my optical drives, before I upgraded --

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-5-3-5-Drive-S...679?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27b270393f

...though as cheap as HDs are now, getting something like 500Gb on sale somewhere would probably be better than throwing good money after bad.

I tried a PCI adapter first, but couldn't get the PC to boot from drives connected to it. Going to the IDE ports via these adapters did.

Still think using it as an opportunity to go to a SATA drive would be better -- you'll probably pick up some performance from it.
 
FS said:
Would it make sense for me to simply install the parts and then boot from the old installation of the win 7 x64 OS which itself was installed 4/5 days ago or go with a new fresh install. I do not want anymore compatibility issues arising.

btw, the OS hdd(WD 640GB ...) has tonnes of important stuff and cannot be completely formatted to do a new install atm. I have a 100GB partition for the OS on it, so even if I go with a fresh install this partition is the only thing that will be touched. Given these situations, what would be the best way to go upon receiving the parts.
Click to expand...

I'd probably first make a backup of your important stuff! If it's only on one HDD, it's good as gone. After that, I would recommend doing a clean Windows install to your OS partition.

FS said:
PS: As I mentioned earlier, I have a PATA HDD that needs to be plugged in as well. What would be the best way to have it connected to the rest of the system ? I have ordered an IDE to SATA converter ( http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360355319978 ) because of its simplicity and being scared of a PCI card: thinking it might give driver issues etc. Do you think I should get a PCI controller card(IDE + ESATA + SATA + RAID will come in handy as my mobo is missing 3 of these things) ?
Click to expand...

That adapter should work fine. I'd only use it if you need to hook things up temporarily to copy data, etc. If the drive is going to be used all the time, I agree with stahlhart that you might as well just get a $55 1TB SATA drive.
 
Alright, so I received the mobo+ram ~2 hours ago and to my surprise the mobo not only has wholes for 1155 but also has them for 775 heatsinks and both of them are labeled as that. So I ended up using my arctic cooler and the last 1 hour has been wasted on reading the whole manual (paper and online) to figure out how to connect the case headers so they work (power switch, reset, power led, hdd led ... speaker was pretty easy as it was located by itself on the side).

Upon connecting them I tried turning on the pc but the H&F fan moved a little and that's about it, no other fan and nothing else worked. Removed all the headers, there is no memory sticks in the slots, none of the HDDs are connected and tried turning it on to no avail. Then I went and removed the 8pin power connector from the mobo as I couldn't think of anything else other than the 24pin power connector and tried turning on the pc. This time, all of the fans turned on including the H&F one.

Now, I don't know what to do. Go ahead and plug everything back in and go without this 8pin power connector or is it a necessary part ? I know I used to have a 4 pin power connector always plugged in on the old mobo.

While I wait for the responses I guess I'll go ahead without this connector to see if other parts are working properly. I really appreciate all the help so far.


PS: I will go ahead with a fresh install once I have this thing working.


EDITED: If you have some time and would like to help with the case + mobo connectors(I think mobo does not have enough pins for Power LED - needs 3 but mobo has only 2). I have an Antec Sonata III case and this mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...a-_-na&AID=10440897&PID=3332167&SID=u00000687
 
Last edited:
I'm having trouble understanding what you've written here -- are you saying that you attempted to boot the computer with no memory or drives installed?

The header connectors for the case are for the most part a no-brainer. Power and reset are just switches -- two leads, doesn't really matter which way you connect them as it's just a normally-open pushbutton and there's no polarity. The LEDs for power and drive activity are two leads, and you do need to observe (+) and (-) polarity for them. If it doesn't work one way, reverse them... won't hurt anything.
 
Yea, it was without any HDDs or memory sticks.

Anyhow, everything is up and running now. I am going to stick with my old and reliable arctic cooler and return the hyper plus and get a 1TB HDD.

I really appreciate all the help I got here.

EDITED

Just wanted to say that one of the reasons I chose the ASRock mobo was because I had read a review on Anandtech about their XFastUSB application. I kept no expectations so if I were to not get any boost, it wouldn't disappoint me but if I did that would be great. Now let me tell you, this thing does work even on a cheapo board like this. It did not go below 40MB/sec on my WD640GB USB 2.0 HDD while transferring big files(1GB +) to my PC using Turbo. The same HDD had trouble keeping up at 30MB/sec and was usually around 28MB/sec using the same port in front of my Antec Sonata III case. So that makes it obvious that it is the board that has helped it.
 
Last edited:
Glad you got it working! For future reference, you do need at least one DIMM installed for the PC to even turn on.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top