new PSU opinions wanted

OK - trying a few work a rounds as I do not want to loose my skyrim mods, etc.
Can I do a fresh install on the other disc and then copy files from old Drive? or use the backup to load files back to the new drive?
If no work-arounds work I have to basically boot like it is a brand new PC with a new hard drive with boot order to load from Windows CD? What about the Disc that came with the mother board - should i load those drivers on the new hard drive. Jees, cant remember how to do a new PC now.

OK read online that sometimes if you set the HHD to IDE it will boot in this type of circumstance - and sure enough it did- then I loaded the mobo disc in the Optical drive and downloaded /updated/changed several drivers - specifically the chipset, Lan, realtek, etc. Have gone thru several boots and while it is a slow boot - all considered it works fine. So, can I go back into bios and switch the HHD drive back to SATA or should I leave well enough alone. Also - the 1333 RAM may not be correctable as the Corsair Vengence Ram is NOT officially on the list of "acceptable" Ram for this MOBO.
 
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ok was able to get bios to SET 1600 frequency for the RAM in the XPS area.

1) So, now - do I try to put the HHD back to AHCI or leave it at IDE?

2) Also my bios screen is super large ( low resolution so I only see about 1/2 of the top icons and 1/2 way down on any screen, so it is difficult to navigate. I have heard that pushing the reset Cmos button with fix this issue- I am worried that it will undo all the progress I have made so far. I have also read that within the bios there is a reset as well- also worried this will undo progress made- what do you guys think?

3) I am ready to reconnect SATA cable to the MOBO for the new HHD - should I put leave that in AHCI ( default) OR switch it to IDE like the other drive ?
 
If you're not using an SSD then IDE/AHCI doesn't really matter all that much. Use whatever works.

As for your Skyrim mods and saves all you need to do is transfer them to another drive before a format and put them back.

Resetting the bios does precisely what it says. Resets to default.
 
So - if I reset bios to default will that reset the bios to have proper size/resolution so navigation is easier in it? It is not that difficult - once I do my overclock to 4.2 on the CPU I hopefully will never have to go into BIOS again anyhow.

Will it reset the mobo to "see" harddrive back to AHCI? Hence possibly making me start over? OR by downloading the drivers, Chipset, etc. from Asrock website make the AHCI default setting work properly?

When connecting the second HHD - should I set the bios to see it in IDE or AHCI? - see question 3 above. I guess if I just plug in the sata cable and reboot- if the PC see's the drive properly I guess i know it is ok to put the other drive Bios settings to AHCi as well becasuse that is the default setting int he bios. .
 
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Well for starters I'm not even certain what exactly you're trying to do with the HDDs so I can't properly answer that besides saying if you reset your bios it puts ALL settings back to default. That should be IDE mode for best compatibility.

As to size and resolution, I really have no idea as I've never had that problem before. It could work. If you're using a VGA (d-sub) connection you can try the "auto" button on your LCD.

If you're using Windows 7 AHCI drivers are necessary for proper function after you're in Windows.
 
Will be using the new 1TB HHD as main drive after I transfer everything over. Then I will use the older 500GB as a backup.

Video out is thru the GPU 290 HDMI- do you think that is why the BIOS screen is messed up?

I have downloaded pretty much everything you can from ASrock website to ensure I have all drivers - I assume the AHCI win7 64 bit Drivers are in the ME or INF downloads -correct?
 
Ok got the second drive up and formatted. But, the bios screen are still huge and difficult to navigate. Have googled and no one else seems to have this issue. NOT a big deal as I can still get to where I want. I played a little BF4 and Skyrim and all looks really good. So I think I will leave the IDE vs AHCI stuff alone as it does not seem to make any difference - just like you said PP. So on to overclock the sandy bridge , and to transfer form the older 500 gb drive to the new 1 tb drive. Not going for any records so will go to 4.2- 4.5 area. Any recommendations on how to proceed to copy old drive to new drive?
 
Since you're not copying Windows over I presume then you can't really copy the programs over too. Just gotta reinstall your apps then move over things like Skyrim and your saves, ect.

Btw, that OC isn't necessary. 3.3 to 4.4 on my chip gives no difference in anything, not even BF4 or Watch Dogs. My chip is literally the same as yours with 2 extra cores.
 
hmmm ok - well then I wont overclock if there is no point. figured a 25% overclock would make some differences.

So you can just copy win7 over ? I guess not - so I would have to load win7 onto that drive first?
 
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