[iJake]

Recently, my GA-8N-SLI Pro stopped working. When I started my PC, it just gave me a black screen. I replaced it with a ECS 649-M3, which was in my loft: and for a good reason - every hour, it gives me a BSOD and anything I download is corrupted. For this reason, I'm looking to buy a new motherboard.

I really liked my Gigabyte motherboard. It has been playing up, but none-the-less, it was superb. That's why I'm looking at another Gigabyte motherboard.

The one that caught my eye was a GA-G31M-ES2L. It's cheap and an energy saver. My current 'rig' is loud, but I think it's the 8800GTS I have.

I have a few questions: is the GA-G31M-ES2L any good? I can't seem to find any reviews about. It is cheap, but would it be good for a 'gaming rig'? Also, my 8800GTS Inno3D GFX card is really loud, is there any way to make it quieter? Would it be wise to buy some extra case fans? And what's the difference between a heatsink and a CPU cooler?

Thanks!
Jake

Edited by iJake, 22 August 2009 - 05:27 AM.

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Hey mate,

I've used a few of them in budget builds, they've all been great. Also for one particularly high-end build (quad-core, 4GB RAM) I had to use this board as it was my only option with an onboard serial port and it ran like a champ.

With your graphics card, is it a bit dusty? You could try cleaning it out, otherwise there are third-party programs you can use to adjust the fan speed.

Cheers

Troy

[Troy]

Hey mate,

I've used a few of them in budget builds, they've all been great. Also for one particularly high-end build (quad-core, 4GB RAM) I had to use this board as it was my only option with an onboard serial port and it ran like a champ.

With your graphics card, is it a bit dusty? You could try cleaning it out, otherwise there are third-party programs you can use to adjust the fan speed.

Cheers

Troy

[iJake]

Troy,

It's nice to hear that they've been great: are there any problems you've had at all? I bought a new processor a couple of months ago but it didn't work with my old Gigabyte, but hopefully it will work with this. I believe it's a quad-core and I'm buying 4GB of RAM too. What's an onboard serial port used for, I don't really use BIOS.

My GFX card isn't dusty at all. I tried cleaning it, and I tried Rivatuner, but none work. Should I buy some extra fans? And what is the difference between a CPU Cooler and a Heatsink?

Cheers
Jake

[Troy]

Find out the exact model number of the processor you have and we can find out if it will work or not. I haven't had any problems with the boards at all yet.

An onboard serial port is a serial port that is on the motherboard. It's only used for connecting really old peripherals - in this case I used it for a system that is going to drive a $20,000 industrial testing machine.

Possibly some extra fans - what case do you have? If Rivatuner didn't work, I'm wondering if the fan on the graphics card is faulty and spins out of whack.

A CPU Cooler is a setup intended to keep the CPU cool - most commonly including a heatsink and fan. A heatsink is designed to attach to something to help remove heat from it - could be lots of things, not just a CPU.

Cheers

[iJake]

I don't know what model case it is, but I got it from PC World about 4 years ago. Rivatuner probably worked, but I was too scared to change settings! I hope the fan isn't faulty, but is it costly to replace just the fan? I have heard that 8800GTS' are very loud.

Are the CPU coolers worth it then? Or should I just buy 2 extra fans?

I know the processor works with a 775 Socket, so it should be fine.

Edited by iJake, 22 August 2009 - 06:12 PM.

[Troy]

You would need a CPU cooler or the chip will fry itself. All retail CPU purchases come with a standard CPU cooler, this is what you must use as a minimum. Purchasing a different "third-party" CPU cooler is recommended if you are looking to overclock or live in a very hot area.

Installing RivaTuner by itself won't do anything, you're going to have to adjust the settings for it to work! You'll need to turn the fan speed down (which by the way will most likely increase the temperature of the card).

You can have a physical check of the fan itself and see if the fan spins smoothly. If it spins wonky and you can feel it is off-centre then this would likely be the problem.

If you don't know what model the case is, it likely is just a cheapie. Have a look on the inside - how many case fans can you count? Who installed them - or if you are able, tell me which way they spin? Ideally you'd want one fan at the fron as an intake fan, and one fan at the rear as an exhaust fan. This is the minimum every computer should have.

Cheers

[iJake]

Troy,

Should I buy a replacement CPU cooler & heatsink then?
I'm too scared to edit anything in Rivatuner, incase I fry my card.
I'll try looking at the fan.

I count no case fans. There's one for the PSU, one on the GFX card and one on the processor hub, but no others.

Jake

Edited by iJake, 23 August 2009 - 02:55 AM.

[Troy]

If there are any empty spaces for case fans (I hope there are, unless it's a badly-designed case), fill them with the right fans.

If you are looking to overclock or live in a hot area, yes an aftermarket CPU cooler is a good idea. Otherwise the standard one is fine.

[iJake]

I live in the UK, so it's hot and cold. But mainly cold.

I checked and saw one hole, but I didn't check properly, so there may be more. The hole is 80mm

I was thinking of a 80mm Blue LED Cooling Case Fan from Amazon, or a red one, do you know if they're any good? I probably won't overclock though. Do you have a case fan? If you do, is it any good? I'm looking to make my PC near enough silent.

The hole for the fan is at the back, underneath the power supply, so would the air be better sucked in or pushed out?

[Troy]

An 80mm case fan on the rear would be an exhaust (so pushing air out the back). They don't say the maker on it, but it's a case fan so it should get the job done.

I have two case fans, both are Thermaltake (same as my case). They're reasonably good and move a bit of air. If you want silent fans then you need to look around for some specialised case fans, Scythe come to mind, they have a good range of quiet, quality fans.

[Ferrari]

Just thought I would add, graphics card fans seem to always be loud. I hear that complaint all the time. I'm currently working with a 8600GT and it is by far the loudest fan in the system, and the other case fans I have are not of any special quality, just regular fans.

Also, here is a video that demonstrates some of the brand name fans on air flow and loudness. (CFM and DB) Click Here