XFX nForce 680i LT SLI Socket 775 Barebones Kit
High-performance special! Here’s a barebones kit that’s exactly what you need if you’re a high-powered gamer ready to build a multimedia machine for the ages. This exclusive offer features an XFX nForce 680i LT SLI Socket 775 motherboard and an Intel Quad Core Q6600 (Kentsfield) 2.4GHz processor. Plus, we’ve included an XFX GeForce 9800 512MB GTX PCIe video card with dual link, 1GB of OCZ SLI PC6400 DDR2 800MHz memory (2 x 1024MB), a Maxtor 500GB 7200RPM SATA HDD with a 16MB buffer, and a BFG GS 650-watt power supply. And for a bold, commanding finishing touch – we’ve added our best-selling Ultra Xblaster clear sided mid-tower ATX case! Get ready to outperform your gaming foes. Order this affordable Socket 775 barebones kit and build a killer system that your friends and enemies will envy.
This Bundle Includes
Ultra
X-Blaster Black ATX Clear Side Mid-Tower Case When looking for subtle styling, durable quality and unparalleled
ease of use, look no further than the Ultra X-Blaster. The X-Blaster supports
AT, baby AT, ATX and micro ATX motherboards and features 1mm thick high
grade steel.
XFX
nForce 680i LT SLI Motherboard - OEM Are you ready for dual-GPU computing? Whether you're a gamer or just
a graphics buff, the XFX nForce 680I LT is an excellent chassis.
- Chipset: 680i LT SLI
- Front Side Bus: 1333MHz
- Processor Interface: Socket 775
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Processor With four execution cores, the Intel® Core™2 Quad processor
blows through processor-intensive tasks in demanding multitasking environments
and makes the most of highly threaded applications.
XFX GeForce 9800 GTX Video Card The 533 MHz PC-4200 DDR2 runs at 4-4-4 timings and is fully JEDEC
compliant. All OCZ Value series memory is 100% hand-tested and comes with
a lifetime warranty and toll-free technical support.
Maxtor DiamondMax 21 500GB Hard Drive Maxtor DiamondMax hard drives are ideal for entry and mainstream
home and office PC applications and an excellent solution for integrators
and system builders.
BFG GS 650-Watt ATX Power Supply No longer does upgrading a power supply mean having to break the bank,
nor does a limited budget require you to have to ‘settle’ for
a second rate unit. Upgrade to a whole new level with BFG’s GS Series
power supply. BFG’s GS Series features a typical efficiency of up
to 80% so more power is converted to DC than many other power supplies
on the market.
- Form Factor: ATX
- Wattage: 650-Watt
- Fan: 120 mm
Socket
This motherboard features a Socket 775 design.
Chipset
The nForce 680i LT SLI motherboard is based on the NVIDIA nForce 680i
LT SLI MCP Northbridge chipset. It supports INtel Core 2 Quad, Core 2
Extreme, Core 2 Duo, Pentium D, and Pentium 4 LGA775 Processors, with
Hyper-Threading Technology and 1333MHz Front Side Bus support.
Memory
Expansion
The nForce 680i LT SLI provides 4 DIMM sockets using Dual Channel 240-pin
DDR2 with a total capacity of up to 8GB-64bit (4GB-32bit). You can install
DDR2 800MHz Memory.
PCI
Express Support
The nForce 680i LT SLI fully supports PCI Express, the latest I/O interconnect
technology that speeds up the PCI bus. PCI Express features point-to-point
serial interconnections between devices and allows higher clockspeeds by
carrying data in packets. This high-speed interface is software compatible
with existing PCI specifications.
IDE
The nForce 680i LT SLI includes built in IDE facilities that support Ultra
ATA 100.
Audio
The nForce 680i LT SLI comes with a High Definition audio codec which supports
high quality 8-channel audio.
Serial
ATA RAID Support
The nForce 680i LT SLI supports the Serial ATA technology through the Serial
ATA interfaces. Doubles bus bandwidth which provides blazingly high disk
performance, up to 3.0Gb/s, with RAID 0, 1, 0+1, and 5 solutions.
Customer Reviews and Rating
Customer Rating:
3.1
Customer Reviews:
5
Have an opinion on this product that you would like to share? If so, please take a few moments to write your rating and review.
Value
3.4
Features
3.0
Quality
1.6
Performance
4.4
Sort By:
Reviewer:
Anonymous
on
Sep 07, 2008 Customer Rating:
2.8
Value
2.0
Features
2.0
Quality
2.0
Performance
5.0
I have to echo the complaints that this setup was not tested before it was offered.
There is a workaround- I put the hard drive in the 3.5 bay directly below the front ports. This requires some finesse with the wires, but it's not too bad.
Still, can't give a positive review when this shouldn't be an issue.
Reviewer:
Alternet on
Sep 01, 2008 Customer Rating:
4.0
Value
5.0
Features
4.0
Quality
2.0
Performance
5.0
It is true that you cannot fit the graphic card in this case unless you take out the HD bay, however i managed to get everything in and working... to me it all comes down to performance and it works flawlessly. I've been running windows xp 64 bit edition and it works very nicely. Everything worked out of the box for me. The real problem is the case in this situation.. otherwise, if you don't mind taking apart things in the case.. it's a good deal.
Reviewer:
bluesmax on
Aug 27, 2008 Customer Rating:
2.5
Value
3.0
Features
3.0
Quality
1.0
Performance
3.0
I was wondering if you folks ever put any of your kits together. I can't give you any realistic grade on performance till I get the kit together. You see, the case is too short on depth. As it is, the hard drive bay interferes with the installation of the 9800 GTX graphics card. Or the card is too long - whichever you prefer. I will drill new holes and offset the hard drive bay by about 1/4'' - 3/8'' and hopefully the problem will be solved.
You need to fix this problem, before you sell many more of these kits, although I think if I were in the market, I'd buy another one.
Reviewer:
jhagan on
Aug 25, 2008 Customer Rating:
3.0
Value
3.0
Features
2.0
Quality
2.0
Performance
5.0
Good performance, 5.5 rating according to Vista Ultimate. Included hard drive is a little noisy. Get ready to dismantle the internal hard drive holder as well as the quick snap IDE/PCI case clamps.. With the included video card, both of these components limit the space needed in oder to get the card in properly. You'll have to go old school to get them to seated and I'm not sure what you'd do if you have two hard drives. After the mods there is only space in the chassis for one 3.5 hard drive without futher modification. The mother board also forces you to use the first slot for the SLI card (if you only use 1 )so they both have to go becasue lack of case room. If you plan to load this thing up, multple SLI cards, hard drives, etc, this is not the combo for you.. the case if too crampped.
Reviewer:
Ed on
Aug 22, 2008 Customer Rating:
3.3
Value
4.0
Features
4.0
Quality
1.0
Performance
4.0
I give very poor score on quality. It is obvious they did not test build at least one of these barebone systems. The graphics card will NOT fit into this case unless you remove the screws anchoring the hd bay and let it remain loose inside the case. Pretty much the case ruins this deal.
XFX - Brothers
In Arms & Graphics!
Gamers worldwide choose XFX because we deliver the performance,
dependability and product quality that they demand. XFX’s commitment to the
gaming community can readily be seen in our continuous development of new
technologies, features, add-ons and card/game bundles.
There are three primary reasons why gamers
around the world make XFX their brand of choice. First, there is XFX’s
unmatched performance, utilizing NVIDIA and AMD's-based processing units,
which consistently outperforms the competition at every level. Second is
XFX’s impressive product quality, which includes XFX’s Double Lifetime
Protection, a warranty that is unmatched in the industry. And third is XFX’s
“For Gamers By Gamers” approach to its product research and development.
XFX dares to go where the competition would
like to, but can’t. That’s because, at XFX, we don’t just create great
digital video components—we build all-out, mind-blowing,
performance-crushing, competition-obliterating video cards and motherboards.
And, not only are they amazing, you don’t have to live on dry noodles and
peanut butter to afford them.
XFX is a division of PINE Technology Holdings Limited, a leading
manufacturer and marketer of innovative solutions for the worldwide gaming
technologies market. Founded in 1989, PINE designs, develops, manufactures
and distributes high-performance video graphics technology and computer
peripherals. The company’s dedicated research and development team are
continually pushing the limits to meet the demands of the ever-growing and
performance-driven community. Headquartered in the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region (Hong Kong SAR), PINE has more than 1,000 employees
worldwide with 16 offices around the globe. PINE also maintains four
state-of-the-art research and development facilities in the Asia Pacific
region and two factories in Mainland China.
Assembling Barebones Computer Kits & Computer Cases
Remember when assembling one of our money-saving Barebone Computer Kits, or
installing your existing computer components into a new computer case, you
may have to modify the case to fit your components - This Is Normal!
Cases are designed to hold and accommodate a wide variety of motherboards,
interface cards, connectors, and other components. Because of this,
the case manufacturer designs their cases with easily removable panels to
allow these components to properly fit in the case. All you need to do
is punch them out with a screw driver or fold them over with a pair of
pliers to snap out the metal piece for your exact components. In this
way, you save the cost of assembling your computer, and have the
satisfaction of building your own workstation.
PLEASE NOTE:
Carefully read all documentation BEFORE you start to assemble your Barebones
Kit or add components to a Computer Case. Some components need to be
assembled in a specific order. Also place the components in the case
temporarily to confirm any modifications (punch outs) that need to be made
to fit that component.
Important Info About Barebones
Computer Kits
Our money-saving Barebone Computer Kits gives you the opportunity to build
or upgrade your perfect computer at an affordable cost, by installing key
components yourself. Most components included in our Barebones Kits,
including power supplies, are not pre-assembled (mounted and connected in
the case). With Barebones Kits, where we include a case and a separate power
supply, the case specifications may not indicate the presence of an attached
power supply (simply because it is a separate component). This is also
because you must install the included power supply yourself.
Know Your BIOS! With today's rapid pace of
design advancement, new product updates come fast and furious. This is
especially true of board-level products, like Motherboards, Video Cards, GPU
Processor Cards, and other main edge connector products. The good news is
that manufacturers have designed in the ability to easily update your
product BIOS, which is sometimes important for full compatibility. So before
installing or combining components, it is always a good idea to check your
product's current BIOS revision against the manufacturer's website, to
determine if an update is needed, or advisable. The manufacturer's
documentation will guide you through this process if it is necessary.
However, remember that most products are designed to be plug-n-play out of
the box!
But
What Is BIOS?
Most electronic devices,
from computers to MP3 players have software embedded in their hardware.
These are programs that tell the device how it will function - from basic to
advanced functions - so that it knows how to start, and perform the most
simple and complex tasks it was designed for. We call this software the BIOS
(sometimes also called Firmware). In computer jargon, BIOS stands for "Basic
Input/Output System", but in reality, there is very little "basic" about it.
In your computer's motherboard for example, it tells your computer how to:
start up; communicate with hardware components, such as hard drives and
video; how to move data in and out of memory; and even talk to your USB
connected devices. Without your BIOS, your device is JOOL (just out of
luck!).
Keep in mind that changing a PC's BIOS
settings incorrectly can cause the PC to malfunction. If this happens, a
BIOS reset is usually available, and will need to be performed to return the
BIOS to the default "factory settings." This is usually activated by a
jumper on the motherboard. [Warning: always read
your motherboard or system manual thoroughly, before upgrading your BIOS, or
making BIOS setting changes!] Though normally, most incorrect
settings should have no negative affect on your PC, but please follow each
step explicitly since some can.
Remember: It is recommended that you reboot
after each individual BIOS setting change to ensure that your system
functions normally. If you make numerous changes before rebooting, and your
system will no longer boot, you won't know which change is responsible for
the failure.
Updating Your BIOS
Before you consider updating your BIOS, be sure you need to - not every
update will be needed or even benefit you. Also be sure you are up to
the technical challenges you will face. Changing the version of BIOS
stored in your computer or motherboard is not the kind of activity
recommended for novice users. To perform this successfully, you need
to be comfortable and familiar with your BIOS settings, and be able to
download and apply the BIOS Update without issue. For this reason, it
is best to let professional computer technicians do this work for you, if or
when it is needed. However, if you know what you are doing, it is a
fairly easy task.
Before Updating BIOS, consider the
following:
The reasons for updating your BIOS -
frequently, updating is unnecessary
Identifying your BIOS chip - if
replacing is the approach required
Replacing your BIOS chip - this requires
significant care, and can void your warranty
Locating your latest BIOS version -
required for any update
Flashing your BIOS - make sure you have
a UPS!
Live update - great for minor or quick
updates - again a UPS is vital - a partial update can make your system
inoperative
Configuring your new BIOS settings -
read the manual! twice for good measure!
Heat Sinks - Many Shapes & Sizes!
A heat sink (or heatsink) is an object that absorbs and dissipates heat from
another object using thermal contact (either direct or radiant). Heat sinks
are used in a wide range of applications wherever efficient heat dissipation
is required; including for CPUs, Memory, Video Cards, and more.
Heat Sink Shapes Change!
Many products come with a Heat Sink, and some with a combination Heat Sink
and Fan. Keep in mind though, that manufacturers are constantly
improving the design of their cooling components, thus the shape and design
of the heat sink or heat sink & fan can change on any product at any time.
PLEASE NOTE:
Cooling Components Can Change At Any Time, And Do Not
Affect The Performance Or Specifications Of The Product.
How Do Heat Sinks Work?
Heat sinks function by transferring high temperature thermal energy (heat)
from one object (such as a CPU chip) to a second object (such as the Heat
Sink), which has a lower temperature, with a much greater heat capacity.
This rapid transfer of heat quickly balances the temperature of both
devices, lowering the temperature of the first. This is what makes a
heat sink a cooling device. Since room temperature is usually cooler than
the hot device, the Heat Sink helps cool the device, lowering its temp to
closer to room temperature.
The most common design of a heat sink is a metal device with many fins or
vanes. The high thermal conductivity of the metal combined with the large
surface area of the fins does the work to rapidly transfer heat to the
surrounding, cooler, air. This cools the heat sink and whatever it is in
contact with. Some Heat Sinks use the metal alone for cooling, some
use fluids (just like you car radiator) and a thermal interface material
(such as thermal gel) to ensure maximum heat transfer to the heat sink.
Adding a fan dramatically improves air flow, and improves the heat transfer
even more.
Remember The
Thermal Paste!
Remember that when you are adding a Heat Sink, you MUST USE
thermally conductive Gel or Paste, to form a good thermal contact between
the Heat Sink and the Device. Failing to use this will result in
reduced cooling, and possible failure and damage to the device!
Stay Grounded
Static Electricity is generally harmless to humans, but a harmless static shock can harm your PC, or even kill components. Remember, to always ground yourself before touch the sensitive components of your PC. You can do this by touching a metal door frame, a bathroom faucet, or the screw to a ground light switch. But the best way is to use a proper ground strap when working on the inside of your computer. Here are some great tips to keep the electricity from shocking your system into submission.
. Click Here To Learn More
»
Even The Best Hard Drives Die.
Do You Back Up?
Businesses of all sizes
are witnessing an explosion in the volume of data they hold. Whether it is
the result of the Internet, email, or increasingly heavy and media-rich
application software, there is a massive growth in the volume of data all
around. Conservative estimates place data growth at approximately 80% per
year. Data is increasingly being recognized as one of the real assets of a
company, and losing this data would cause severe damage to any organization.
Data loss can be very costly, particularly for
organizations in the small and medium business (SMB) market where the
difference between survival and closure can rest on the ability to recover
from a disaster. At the very least, critical data loss will have a financial
impact on companies of all sizes:
Data type
Time to re-create 20 MB
Cost
Sales and marketing
19 days
$17,000
Accounting
21 days
$19,000
Engineering
42 days
$98,000
The financial impact on a company is a combination
of loss of business, low productivity, legal action, and the cost of
re-creating data. A study showed that the cost of re-creating just 20 MB of
data can be extensive!
Your best solution, is an external drive as a
backup. You can have multiple drives, and it is much easier restore
from a portable external drive, as opposed to CDs or DVDs.
Why Do I Have
Less Drive Space?
Your hard drive may show less space than the published specifications due to
a number of reasons.
The way size is calculated and
displayed.
Any "Partitions" on the disk will
change the total in a specific partition.
Hidden files and folders decrease
available space.
Compression increases the apparent
size, but not the physical size.
Drives larger than the OS or Drivers
natively supports.
First, the definition of a megabytes
(or gigabytes) is a unit of data storage capacity measured in 1,048,576
bytes (or 1024KB). The larger the numbers, the more apparent the size
difference will be when listing the size as megabytes (or gigabytes) versus
bytes. Actually, both numbers are correct. The noticeable difference is due
to the 1024KB definition of a megabyte. This is why a 95.3GB hard drive can
also be listed as having 102 billion bytes of total space. Just think
of it as "round off" In the screen shot at right: The first number is the total number of bytes,
the second number is based on the number of megabytes or gigabytes.
Second, some computers have a
non-DOS hard drive partition that is used for features such as Save to Disk,
Hibernation, or Recovery. This partition is not normally reported by the
operating system, although it can be viewed using a disk partition utility.
This is very common on desktops and laptops. NOTE: Partition information will be created or
formatted automatically during initial system setup and a system recovery.
Third, by default, all system files
are hidden and cannot be seen. This may adversely affect the reporting of
available hard drive space. You can set your Folder Options so you view
system and hidden files and folders, but do be careful as changes to system
files can adversely affect your system.
Fourth, if you turn on Compression
for a drive, it will increase reported free space and used space, but since
compression is based upon the actual contents, this number is not fixed, but
will change as files are added or changed.
Fifth, older operating systems did
not support some of today's larger drives, so the total space reported may
be much smaller than the drive specifications.
It is also worth noting that bad sectors
are corrected by your operating system and can change the total drive space,
free space, or used space as well.
So as long as a drive is reporting a value
approximately close to the specification value, you can be comfortable that
you received the right drive and that you are getting to correct data
storage. Of course, tuning of your drive's partitions and options can
yield optimal values, but this is not something for the average user to
explore.
Got Enough
Memory? Bet You'll Need More!
Windows Vista and today's software
applications make much greater demands on your system's memory. Adding
peripherals, like webcams, USB hard drives, and complex Internet pages, all
take memory. Watching DVD movies, or watching videos on the web, or
playing PC based games demand increased memory. So take full
advantage of your system's potential, your operating system's enhancement
and entertainment capabilities, and your software's productivity by expanding
your system memory!
The best time to
add more memory is when you buy your system! Get the memory that's
right for your computer, whether laptop, desktop, or All-In-One.
Click Here for our Memory Upgrade Options. »
Shared
Memory? Or Where Did My Memory Go?
Your computer uses memory to run your
Operating System, applications, peripherals, and to generate and display
graphics on your computer monitor. Video memory is a form of RAM, and is
either built into your motherboard; or on a graphics card (video card).
Depending on the motherboard's configuration, and that of the video card (if
separate or built-in to the motherboard), your computer may have to draw on
its own RAM memory to meet its video memory needs. This creates shared
memory, where your computer’s RAM will be shared between its own Processor
(CPU) and its graphics chip.
The result is that some systems will have
shared memory, some will not. If you have 2GB (for example) of system
memory installed, you may notice that your system reports significantly less
memory. This is because your system is using shared memory for your
video.
What can you do about this?
You can actually configure this shared memory through your computer’s BIOS
settings. However, this is a setting best left alone, since it is
typically optimized for display performance, and making changes may impact
display resolutions, and other video capabilities.
The simplest solution is usually to either:
increase your system memory; or to upgrade the video hardware. By
upgrading to a new video card with built-in video memory, then turning off
shared memory, you will free your system to use it's maximum potential
memory, and provide your system with much more robust video features.
How Much
Memory Do You Really Have?
When you look at the specifications for a computer, it will display the
installed memory, and typically the maximum memory that can be installed.
However, while these are real values, they represent a potential useable
memory depending upon the installed operating system, and other factors. The actual useable memory may be different
(lower) from these values.
The reason is simply that a computer may have a limitation in the operating
system (such as Windows 32 bit versions), or configured to use shared memory,
which reduces the amount of RAM that is available to the CPU by using
some of it for other purposes, such as for video memory. In some
cases, you can control the maximum useable memory through system settings,
by upgrading from a 32 bit to a 64 bit version of Windows XP or Vista, or by upgrading to a video card that has internal onboard video memory.
But always
remember, that the amount of memory that your system reports, is not always
the amount of actual installed memory. For example, if you have 4GB
installed, 32 bit versions of Windows will typically report 3.2GB due to a
limitation of Windows itself. Also note that different Windows
programs report available and maximum memory differently, which can be
confusing. If you find that you need more
memory, we suggest expanding your system memory, since this is the most
effective performance increase, and the one that is easiest to perform .
Advanced PC Build-It-Yourself Guide
Not too long ago one had to be eligible for the Genius IQ Club (Mensa)
in order to build a computer. That is no longer the case. Today’s computer
manufacturers have made it much easier for the enterprising do-it-yourselfer
to create a great system.
Click Here To Learn More »
PC Building Tools Checklist
You're eager to get started on your system building or maintenance project,
but before you do it's good to get your tools in order. Here's a handy
checklist of tools you should have before you get started.
Click Here To Learn More »
Got Tools?
Do you need the perfect tools to build and maintain your PC?
Take a look at our selection of PC building, maintenance, networking, and
other tools and complete toolkits!
Click Here For Tools »
Limited Warranty: A full text version of the limited warranty
may be obtained by mailing a self addressed, stamped envelope to the
address below and requesting the warranty for item number:
P450-9102 AA
TigerDirect.com
Warranty Information
7795 W. Flagler St. Suite 35
Miami, FL. 33144
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Item Total
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(
5 reviews)
Processor Socket:
2.8
4.0
2.5
XFX - Brothers
In Arms & Graphics!
Know Your BIOS!
Why Do I Have
Less Drive Space?
