Another new NF7-S Owner with questions

I hope not to be too redundant with all these posts I am reading on several forums I am just wondering a few things.

I have v2.0 and will be flashing immediately to the latest BIOS. I will be using the SATA so I want to nip all this in the butt at once. I will be using a fresh install of Win 2K so should I be upgrading to SP3 b/f adding the Nvidia drivers?

I have got Crucial RAM 2700 RAM that I will be using and I haven't read any problems with that type of RAM so far but do you all know of anything? (and if so send me the link)

I have somewhat of a dilemma since I bought a 2600+ but I have several chips in the closet (XP 1800+, 1900+ and 1700+ that was in KR7-A that I was previously using) I have read of some problems with the Barton' chips though mine is not are there any known issues with this XP and the NF7-S?

Finally I have read so many threads it's making my head spin and I am trying to see what I need to do about the Siren issue if it comes up but I wanted also to ask about the sound as well. Should I wait until the end to install the sound drivers or just install normally?

Hate to be redundant but with this board don't know if it can be helped. If any redundancy occurs in this post PLEASE PLEASE add link from which an answer could be find and thanks as always in advance. . . . I'll post the results for any of those that it may help

personally i always install my video drivers first because i can't stand 640x480x16 (nasty looking ) but i think thats just personal preference. i haven't really heard anything about a service pack needing to be installed before a specific driver.

as far as memory goes, any ddr should be fine, but if you're doing dual channel i believe you need two sticks that are exactly the same in speed and size.

any problems with barton chips are hit and miss as near as i can tell. personally mine didn't give me any problems and has been running at 2.2ghz since the day i installed the board and chip. i definitely don't remember hearing any problems about palamino/thoroughbred compatibility but don't quote me on that because i could be wrong.

as far as the siren issue goes, since i didn't have the problem i can't help you out much on it..but i'm sure there are plenty of other able and willing people around here that can help you get it straightened out should the need arise.

i usually wait till last to install my sound drivers simply because they aren't needed till everything else is done. if you are using the soundstorm audio i'd leave it turned off in the bios till everything else is done (personally, it doesn't make a difference AFAIK) or if you are using another sound card such as an audigy or a turtle beach just install it whenever you feel the need. like i said i wait till last just because it isn't as necessary as chipset drivers and video drivers IMO.

enjoy this motherboard! its a great piece of work, IMO. one of the best motherboards i've worked with. i haven't upgraded to dual channel DDR yet but i plan to within the next couple of months. definitely an upgrade thats worth it as far as i can tell. also, if you have some extra cash it might be a good idea to get one of the cheap xp1700+'s that are overclocking to 3200+ speeds, or a barton 2500+. both are amazing cpus and will take you into the stratosphere as far as AMD goes and will probably blow the chips you have now out of the water.

hope this helps some..

jeff

So far so good (knocking on wood)

Well I have had the NF7-S in for a week and it boots and POSTs each time and have already flashed to the newest BIOS and used F10 to save. PHew!!!

Will install the OS and put the rest of the components in this week and make it an active comp again.

Forgive my ignorance but can the dual ddr be used with 3 sticks?
I already have the NF7-S FAQ page and it is a wealth of information but I notice that only 2 rows are labeled for the dual DDR channels. I have 3 sticks that I would like to use but just wanted to see if all 3 can be dual DDR. . .

Anyway I will probably have more questions as I begin to slowly install everything again but I am pleased. . . .so far. . . .

You can use three sticks of memory and still operate in dual channel mode. However, your third od-ball memory stick will operate slower than the others.