Tony Luu, a local CLUB SLI member, was generous enough to give us some of his time and illustrate how to build an SLI PC here at our headquarters in Santa Clara, CA. Tony has been a member of CLUB SLI for over a year and is currently running a pair of GeForce 7950 GX2 graphics cards in a Quad-SLI configuration.
1 - Preparing case & installing PSU
In this segment, Tony will show us the best way to prepare the case for our build, and will commence with the first order of business: installing the Antec NEO-HE 550 SLI-Ready power supply (PSU)
2- Installing hard drives
After the PSU has been installed, it's usually the best time to install your hard drive(s). Tony shows us how to go about this with our WD RaptorX drives, while exercising extreme patience.
3- Installing the CPU, cooling, motherboard
Once the heavy items are installed (PSU and hard drives), it's time to prepare and lay down the nForce 590 SLI motherboard. Tony first installs the Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, and then adds on the Zalman VF-9000 CPU cooler. Once the cooler and CPU are mounted to the motherboard, Tony gently installs the motherboard into the case, securing it with screws.
4- Installing Memory (RAM)
After the motherboard, CPU and cooler are securely installed, Tony shows us the proper way to install the Corsair SLI-Ready memory (RAM). Tony points out that RAM can only be installed ONE WAY on a motherboard, and tells us the importance of where the RAM modules staying together in pairs.
5- Installing GPUs and SLI bridge
It's now time to install the parts that take advantage of SLI technology: the SLI-Ready graphics cards from MSI. Tony illustrates in this segment the proper way to install SLI-Ready graphics cards, as well as the SLI bridge that connects them together. For a photographic guide to installing a second SLI-Ready graphics card, CLICK HERE.
6- Installing Optical Drive, IDE and SATA cables, power cables
It's now time to install the last piece of hardware, the optical drive (for DVDs and CDs). Once this is secure, Tony will show us how to connect all the cables inside the PC. Be sure to note what he says about the power cables for the SATA WD Raptor hard drives (if you don't, you'll be sorry!). Tony walks us through every cable, including the front panel connectors (which connect to the power switch and reset switch), USB, and firewire inputs.
7- Connecting external cables, PSU switch, and powering up!
Now that the case is all closed up and the proper cables connected inside, it's time to boot up the new PC. Make sure your power supply is switched to the "on" position before turning on your PC - otherwise you might be disappointed!
8- Driver installation and SLI activation
Your new PC is up and running…but it's choppy and slow. The final step is installing the software drivers - they work with the hardware to make it perform optimally (think of it as putting gasoline in the tank of a new car). Once the drivers are installed, we turn on NVIDIA SLI technology and are ready to game!
Tony Luu, a local CLUB SLI member, was generous enough to give us some of his time and illustrate how to build an SLI PC here at our headquarters in Santa Clara, CA. Tony has been a member of CLUB SLI for over a year and is currently running a pair of GeForce 7950 GX2 graphics cards in a Quad-SLI configuration. 