[Fabio Mereghetti]

Well, I got all the pieces on Xmas eve and I started building the new PC. Everything worked OK until I tried to install the new WD black HDD (3TB). When I go to disk management in W7-64SP1 and I try to initialize the drive I get a “Funzione non corretta” message both with GPT or MBR. If I click on “offline” I get a “Disco non pronto”.
I downloaded the tool Data safeguard from WD and the drive doesn’t pass any test. I tried to put it in my old PC (Asus A8V) but I’m even getting a “hardware failure” message during post and the PC won’t even see the boot drive (on the other sata port as the new one).

I’m afraid it has arrived already dead: do you know of any other thing I could try before asking the seller to send me another one?

Thanks.

[Fabio Mereghetti]

[John Rofrano] “I now have a 2TB version and they no longer even have a fan so they are dead quiet.”

Is your Linkstation the 210?
I asked Buffalo and they said to me that only the 210 is fanless while all the others have fan(s).
They also said that all their NASs have SATA II ports and not to expect speed over 100 GB/s (Bytes, non bits) in read and the half in write, even with a gigabit direct network connection: is that OK?

I see I can find the LS220DE-EU (2 bays) for 70€ and I’m thinking to buy that one. https://www.buffalotech.com/products/network-storage/home-and-small-office/linkstation-220

Thank you.

fabio

[Fabio Mereghetti]

[John Rofrano] “Wow, you sure are serious about selecting wines.”

We are not “connoisseurs”, we did it mostly for fun. We usually do that also with olive oil, cheese (we recently discovered a “gorgonzola” “da leccarsi i baffi!”) and so on. We know that you can’t buy wine, beer and food just by the name on the label of by some review.

[John Rofrano] ” It put a smile on my face.”

I’m glad that something I did had that effect on you and I thank you for sharing with me your feelings about it. Nice.

I lost my father in law on last march and his family put on his grave a picture I took some years ago and guess what he is doing in it?
He is holding his glass of wine towards the camera ready for a toast and he surely used those words.

Thank you again for your help.

[Fabio Mereghetti]

I’m thinking to put a NAS in my system but I would like to use it as the common data repository (data server) for all the PCs of my LAN (a single one for home and work) without having to keep one PC switched on all the time (like now).

Which device and configuration would you suggest?

Thanks.

[Fabio Mereghetti]

[John Rofrano] “Don’t forget to calibrate them with a hardware calibrator…”
Ages ago I bought an Eye one display. I know there are better devices but being just an amateur I think that’s just OK.

About the monitor, looking at the Asus site I saw the PB248Q. I can find it for 278€ and I think it would be enough for me.

[John Rofrano] “I drink a glass or red wine every day. Strictly to help my cholesterol you understand.(wink, wink)”

I do, I do…
A glass a day is what the doctor ordered…
In that family dinner I mentioned a few posts above, my wife and I, had the “duty” to taste – and test (pun intended) three different reds we bought in the morning in the city (village) of Gattinara in Piemonte as we are looking to find some red table wine for everyday use in the cold seasons. (We have already found a white one some years ago)
We usually do this kind of tests blindly (in italiano si chiama “doppio cieco”): at first I prepare three glasses, each one marked with a differently colored stripe around its stem and write down in secret the links between color and wine name. Then, after I’m gone out of view, the wife does her tasting and secretly writes down her judgement. Then she will change (or not) the colors at her will and I will re-enter the stage and do my tasting and write down my score. Then we check the two rankings one against the other. That night it came out that they matched perfectly!
Cin, cin, salute!

[Fabio Mereghetti]

[John Rofrano] “So I may let you know when I get to Milan! :-D”
I hope you will!
My wife’s family is from and still lives in Bellagio so, if you like, it would be my pleasure to take you and your family to there (not more than an hour driving from Malpensa) to see “la perla del lago di Como”. We usually do that trip every few weeks to pay visit to my mother in law and my wife’s sisters.

—

Back to the thread subject.
Which internal HDD configuration would you suggest, considering that at present I have a couple of 1TB (WDRE3 3Gb/s 7200) in a RAID 0 array used as media and rendering drives, and one 3TB (WD Caviar green 6Gb/s ) as backup drive? Do you think I will still need a RAID 0 array or it would be enough to use the 3Gb/s separately? (By now they are on an Asus A8V whose sata ports are capable of a transfer rate as high as… 150MB/s. That’s why I had to set the RAID 0 array up)

Today my main (only) display is a Formac Gallery 2010 20″ 1600×1200 (DVI D) that I’m thinking to keep on using as primary but I’m thinking also to add a “not too big” full HD display to use as secondary monitor for the preview: what do you think about this idea? If you think it is good, could you suggest any device for the preview?

Thanks.

Do you like wine too?

[Fabio Mereghetti]

Mmmmm, you seem to know quite well Italian habits…

Anyway, here I am.
This is my final list (€):

Asus x99-A 90MB0K50-M0EAY0 223
Intel i7-5820k 3.3GHz BX80648I75820K 347
G.skill DDR4 4x4GB F4-2133C15Q-16GRB 220
Sapphire R9 290 triX 11227-03-40G 257
Antec Three hundred 2 0761345-15320-1 73
Corsair HX850i CP-9020073 159
Corsair H80 99
SSD Crucial M500 240GB CT240M500SSD1 91
Pioneer BDR 209 63

Total (VAT included) 1532

Tomorrow morning I will place my orders to three different online sellers based here in Italy. I hope to get everything before Xmas: even grown ups like some colored boxes at the foot of the Christmas tree…

Thanks again for your support, John.
Should you ever come over here and land on Malpensa let me know and I’ll be glad to shake hands and buy you a drink. It will be easy because I live fifteen mins away from the airport.

And now, as you said before: buonanotte!

[Fabio Mereghetti]

Yes, I tried that one but I can see nothing about the DIMMs modules.

I phoned the Italian Asus support and they said they will call me back.
I also sent them an e-mail asking them to send me directly by e-mail the pdf file.

Unfortunately this prevents me to complete my order and I’m wasting a couple of days. But I still remember (and understand) the stress you put on this point so better waiting some more time now than having to spend a lot of it later to try to make things to work.

I’m going to follow your advice also on the cooler: do you think it would be better to go with the H100 or even the h80 or less could be enough? (As I like to understand the things I’m dealing with, would I be able to check that by myself just with the data I would find in the specifications of the CPU and of the cooler? Maybe thermal watt per second)

I was going to buy an Antec 300 2 (DIY X) but now I’m not sure if this cooler will fit into it: any hint, please?

John, thank you again for you time and for sharing your knowledge.

Buona serata (Here it’s almost 7PM, getting ready for a family dinner).

fabio

[Fabio Mereghetti]

[John Rofrano] “You need to go to the Support page and select the Memory/Device Support and download the Memory Qualified Vendors List (QVL). <– or just click this last link ;-)”

Sorry, I went to the support page but I was misled by the fact that clicking on “memory/device support” I was taken to a page titled “Driver and tools”. As there is a button for a page named like that I thought of a mislinking.
I also didn’t know I had to look for something named “QVL” so I just went away.

But now, when I try to download the QVL list (pdf) I’m getting a “file not found” page. I tried with the right button and “Save …” but I’m still getting an error or a pdf file of just 1kB that gives an error when I try to open it.

I tried with Firefox and Chrome but it’s the same.
I went to the “contact us” page of Asus to ask them about all this but I was discouraged by all the info I should supply to be able to send a mail to them. I will try again in a few hours to see if they have fixed the problem.

Thanks.

fabio

[Fabio Mereghetti]

Thank you.

After your inputs I decided to go for an Asus X99-A because the Pro is the same, plus a wi-fi module and and M.2 capable slot. I don’t need the first one and, for what I read, I don’t need the second either so I’m going to the “A” saving about 50€.

For the memory I’m thinking to go with four 4GB modules to enable the quad channelling. For the brand and series of RAM modules I’m a bit lost becase searching the Asus site I couldn’t find a certified memory list and I can see how much you stressed the point…

For the cpu cooler I saw that at ibuypower they use the liquid ones while the videoguys use the direct air ones: I will search a bit more to try to understand which one would give the best cooling with the lowest noise outside the case.

For now I’m here (prices in €):

Asus x99-A 90MB0K50-M0EAY0 255
Intel i7-5820k 3.3GHz BX80648I75820K 347
RAM DDR4 2x8GB G.skill 220 (190€ if Crucial)
Sapphire R9 290 triX 11227-03-40G 257
Antec Three hundred 2 0761345-15320-1 73
Corsair HX850i CP-9020073 159
Zalman CNPS10X OPTIMA 120mm 34
SSD Crucial M500 240GB CT240M500SSD1 91
Pioneer BDR 209 63

Total (VAT included) 1499

Thank you.