Maximum PC

I've created a new PC, and have all new PC problems. Here's what I've built:

MOBO: ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN 3
CPU: Intel Core i5 2500 Unlocked
RAM: Corsair DDR3 1333 – 16Gb (4 x 4Gb)
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti
OS: Windows 7 (64-bit) OEM Version
PSU: Antec EarthWatts EA 750
SSD: OCZ Vertex 3 – 120GB
SSD2: OCZ Agility 3 – 120GB
HD1: WD Caviar Green – 1TB
HD2: WD Caviar Green – 1 TB

Here's what's gone wrong (so far):

The ASUS mobo has 8 SATA ports. 4 are 6gb/s, 4 are 3gb/s. I want to run my OS from one of the SSD's, but whenever I hook up the SSD's to the 6gb/s SATA's, I get BSOD's from time to time. So, I have them running off one of the other SATA ports. This produces the most stable build, so far.

I've run CrystalDiskMark and get close to 6 Gb/s read speeds, and just past 3 Gb/s write speeds - which seems odd, because when I post, I get a message that shows the SSD running at 3Gb/s.

My first question is: what are the post speeds meant for, if they aren't reality?

My second question is: why would I get unstable builds from plugging into the 6Gb SATA?

My last question is: if all of this is just due to a fluke, since I've already got the build up and running off the existing connection, if I wanted to swap the SATA ports to get higher write speeds, by what process should I use to swap the drives? (I want to avoid corrupted OS'es, etc.)

Thanks!

I know that this doesn't answer any of the questions that you have posed in your post, but I am going to ask anyway: Is the firmware for each of your SSDs updated to the latest revision (2.22), and is your motherboard's BIOS updated to its latest revision (3402) as well?

1> Make sure your SSD's are connected to the two Intel SATA III ports (grey ports)
2> Make sure you have the latest firmware for your SSD's (version 2.22)
3> Make sure you have the most current BIOS for your motherboard (version 3402)

BSOD's are a known issue with SandForce controllers found in the Agility 3 & Vertex 3 drives but have for the most part been fixed through firmware updates.

I have an AMD system, but I had to go into BIOS in order to enable SATA 3.0 (6Gbps) support, it may be the same with your board.

If your BIOS & firmware are up to date & you are connecting to the Intel ports, then it may be time to contact ASUS tech support.

MOBO BIOS is up to date. SSD = not so much.

So I will get the 2.22 firmware update.

What sequence of operations should I perform? i.e. should I get the firmware update, install it, power down, swap them to the grey SATA III ports, power back up and hope for the best?

This might be useful: http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum ... -ABC-Guide

If the SSD's aren't up to date, then the firmware will probably wipe them, so backup any important data. Because you're having occasional problems on the SATA III ports, I would suggest installing the firmware from their current/stable ports, then swap ports & go from there.

This is just a follow up to the original post. I have gotten both SSD's updated to the latest firmware, and have them running where they should be.

I had to reinstall a bunch of the programs I was using, which was time consuming, but also helped streamline a lot of applications I use.

One thing that seems to be fallout from this, though - is that Google Chrome now seems to have issues loading some websites (ESPN.com, for one example) and seems overall to be a bit buggy. For example, whenever launching Chrome, it starts in full screen mode. Once I click GMail or type in a website and hit return, it minimizes the screen to a window. When I get to some web pages, my scroll buttons don't work.

I've downloaded and installed the latest Java plugins, I've updated my Logitech mouse drivers and whatnot - but Chrome is buggy. I get none of these issues in Explorer or Firefox.

I'm considering the original topic closed, and may post a new thread (after doing some research) but wanted to follow up, say thanks for all the help/input, and move on.

Thanks.