NF4 LanParty - initial build w/pictures

[Pah Jongg]

...seven leisurely hours from start to finish, including removing the old mobo and PSU > installing XP Pro and updating to SP2...

 

...the case is a windowed VoodooPC circa 2002...Lamborghini Yellow interior, beige exterior...

 

...no problems to speak of...a yellow question mark in Device Manager for an ethernet adapter...

 

...followed some tips I found in the forums...no nVidia IDE driver and opt out of the nVidia firewall...correct?.. :cat:

 

[Guest Simon]

 

Is it just me or is that a little to close to the carpet?

[ckaplan]

This seems like as good a place as any to thank everyone on this forum for the excellent guides, programs and troublshooting tips. I just finished assembling my new rig listed in my sig with no problems thanks to you guys (save a faulty DIMM the I need to RMA today).

 

Cords are a little messy right now.

Once I get a few days on the machine I will clean it up.

[XT2.5]

This is where DFI fixed one issue that really bothers me on other motherboards, they have the 24pin ATX connector and 4 pin 12V connector on the far right of the board and right next to each other. I could never understand why motherboard manufacturers insisted on putting the ATX on one side of the board and the 12V on another part of the board. There is also another pair of 5/12V connectors that gives you the option of using either a Molex or a FDD power connector to provide even more clean juice to the board. With the right power supply you won't have to worry about starving the LanParty. Speaking of power supplies, there is a sticker over the ATX connector giving what DFI considers the minimum power supply required for different configurations. The sticker states that for an Athlon 3400+ and a pair of 6600GT cards that you should have a 350W power supply, that seems a little low to me. The manual states that a minimum of a 400W is required to run the board properly but I would recommend that you don't take the leap to SLI unless you have a good 450W or better power supply. That will give you plenty of overhead and minimize the possibility that any problems you have are due to insufficient power. Even though the LanParty has a 24 pin ATX connector, you can use a standard (today's standard) 20 pin ATX connector. However, if you are serious about using the LanParty to reach new overclocking heights, get yourself a 24 pin power supply. The board sports some serious aluminum heatsinks on the MOSFET's so it's obvious that DFI is fully expecting you to pump a lot of juice through it.

 

This was taken from pimprig.com...why they say that either molex OR FDD connector??? Just curious!

[krs-2]

I followed this guide for my 1st DFI build tonight and everything worked perfectly. I didn't go any further since it's very late now, but I wanted to make sure I could make it into the BIOS

 

 

Me too!!! worked perfect and made it to bios just fine. nice guide!

 

now im a little confused as to where to go next. should i update my bios now before attempting to load windows? or go ahead and load xp and deal with that stuff later if problems occur.

 

anyway, will search but nice guide for sure.

[MikalCarbine257]

I thought the FDD connector was JUST for when you needed stability in SLI?

 

Which is true?

[Acarrera]

This is where DFI fixed one issue that really bothers me on other motherboards, they have the 24pin ATX connector and 4 pin 12V connector on the far right of the board and right next to each other. I could never understand why motherboard manufacturers insisted on putting the ATX on one side of the board and the 12V on another part of the board. There is also another pair of 5/12V connectors that gives you the option of using either a Molex or a FDD power connector to provide even more clean juice to the board. With the right power supply you won't have to worry about starving the LanParty. Speaking of power supplies, there is a sticker over the ATX connector giving what DFI considers the minimum power supply required for different configurations. The sticker states that for an Athlon 3400+ and a pair of 6600GT cards that you should have a 350W power supply, that seems a little low to me. The manual states that a minimum of a 400W is required to run the board properly but I would recommend that you don't take the leap to SLI unless you have a good 450W or better power supply. That will give you plenty of overhead and minimize the possibility that any problems you have are due to insufficient power. Even though the LanParty has a 24 pin ATX connector, you can use a standard (today's standard) 20 pin ATX connector. However, if you are serious about using the LanParty to reach new overclocking heights, get yourself a 24 pin power supply. The board sports some serious aluminum heatsinks on the MOSFET's so it's obvious that DFI is fully expecting you to pump a lot of juice through it.

 

This was taken from pimprig.com...why they say that either molex OR FDD connector??? Just curious!

I don't know unless they think either one is enough. DFI highly recommends connecting all 4 whether you are running SLI or not. There will not be much amperage through the FDD connector, but it helps provide "balance" and power consistency, which is very important in an OCing environment (according to the DFI engineers.)

[mrdp]

Read the tutorial, and went through the initial build up.

 

1 stick of ram, 1 gpu ,all powercables connected in their spots.

 

Now as I try to boot nothing happens, I also get no led light up(no leds are on).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/sca...mmachine006.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/sca...mmachine005.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/sca...mmachine004.jpg

[r3v3nant]

[Angry_Games]

if it was your first post, then you maybe should have taken some time to READ THE RULES OF THE FORUM FIRST

[r3v3nant]

ok - rules read... sorry about the image

[CosmicRain]

ok just a question i should remove the thermal pad on the stock hsf if im going to use it and AS5 correct? any suggestions on how?