My first real system…please help me get it right

[New2Mod]

This is my first real system build; every other build I have done has been with used parts or with very cheap ones. Needless to say I am in need of some advice about configuring everything.

I have the MVE motherboard with the 3770k processor, dual GXT-670 4GB video cards and 16GB ram. Everything is working fine (I think) but I am not sure I have it set up right.

I cannot get the updated drivers for the video cards to install. Took me 3 tries to get SLI to stick and 3DMark advance is choppy when I believe it should be smooth, but it finally says SLI yes.

I installed the Hyper 212 EVO to insure I don’t hurt anything which just made things more confusing. I had to change settings in BOIS because the fan speed was so low on the cooler I kept getting a boot warning.

I have a 240GB sata SSD drive with my operating system and a 256GB msata SSD I split; half for storage and the other half for back-up. I haven’t created all the folders and moved the files yet, still reading about how that is done and what folders to move (suggestions?).

I don’t know what questions to ask because I think it is mostly personal preference, but I am sure you could offer suggestions as to configuring it for best results.

This site has been a great help to me and I could use some suggestions before I get too far and have to start over. I play a few games and dabble in DAZ 3D and Hexagon 2. I hope to get this right and tested before the case arrives so I am able to start installing water blocks and getting this puppy running at peak potential.

I just ran 3D mark strike force on extreme setting and the choppiness was intolerable. What am I doing wrong?

[New2Mod]

Checked gpu bios and not showing, after downloading I attempted to install the latest version and this is what I get.

[Krindor]

That's a VBIOS I spot there, did you run that first and then the trouble appeared? Also where are you downloading the drivers from? Nvidia or Asus, cause that driver is outdated. The latest can be found here: http://www.geforce.com/drivers

[Chino]

I haven't tried FireStrike yet. But if you want, download and run Unigine Heaven at the Xtreme Preset and I can take a look at your numbers to see if anything is wrong with your configuration.

[New2Mod]

Chino wrote:
I haven't tried FireStrike yet. But if you want, download and run Unigine Heaven at the Xtreme Preset and I can take a look at your numbers to see if anything is wrong with your configuration.

Downloaded and installed. Not sure how long it will run though. Also, I downloaded some beta application that updated the driver for me, will get the name when Unigine Heaven is finished. Or should I shut it down myself?

[Chino]

New2Mod wrote:
Downloaded and installed. Not sure how long it will run though. Also, I downloaded some beta application that updated the driver for me, will get the name when Unigine Heaven is finished. Or should I shut it down myself?

Sorry, mate. I forgot to link you the HWBot one. Here it is: http://91.121.148.119/downloads/hwbot_unigine_heaven_v103/HWBOT-Unigine-Heaven-Benchmark-Application...

Just click the Extreme Test. The whole test runs for like 6 minutes or so. Afterwards you'll see a score.

[xeromist]

Make sure you click the Benchmark link at the top to run an actual test. Otherwise it will just loop until you stop it but doesn't record any results.

[New2Mod]

The app I downloaded is GeForce Experience (http://www.geforce.com/drivers/geforce-experience), seems to have done the job, at least better than it was. Downloading the link you suggested (almost 2 hour DL WOW) but this is the result from the version I found.

[Chino]

Weird. It's only like 331MB. The one I provided is basically the same one you're using with the only difference that it comes with a third party addin that let's you run the test with one click and give you points for it. Figured it'd be easier for us to compare scores if you used the HWBot one. Don't forget to uninstall the one you installed before this.

Before you run the HWBot one, make sure you turn off Vsync from the NVIDIA Panel. 😉

[New2Mod]

Chino wrote:
Weird. It's only like 331MB.

I have seen some very long download times, maybe I need to update the mobo drivers.

Chino wrote:
make sure you turn off Vsync from the NVIDIA Panel. 😉

hmmm, give me a minute to google that.