Recommended hardware
Here we will address the major components that go into your system. The NF7 series motherboards require top quality components to run at peak performance. Many times I will see people who have put together a great computer using wonderful components and then find out that one of the parts used was generic or sub standard. Almost always they will have some sort of stability issues along the way. The important thing to remember is that these boards are very demanding on the major components. Spending the extra money now will save you much time and heartache later, and allow you to enjoy your NF7 series board to its full potential. If you follow the recommended hardware below, you should have little problem getting your system running at peak performance levels. The suggestions below are by no means the ONLY components that will work correctly, but they have been used by many NF7 series owners with great success.
Power Supplies
I can not stress enough the importance of a quality power supply. For many years power supplies of any make and size were adequate to run most systems without any problems, this is no longer the case. The Power supply has become just as important as any other major component and perhaps even more so. A weak power supply can cause some very strange problems that you normally would not associate with a power supply issue. Your system stability is heavily dependent on a good supply of voltage to the various components that rely on it. I recommend at least a power supply with a 400 watt rating. Below is a list of my recommended Power Supply units. Each of these manufacturers make other power supplies in the 400 to 600 watt range that would probably work just fine as well. The ones I am listing are the most popular among the different manufactures.
Enermax EG465P-VE
(Product Link)
Enermax EG651P-VE
(Product Link)
PC Power & Cooling 425ATX Deluxe
(Product Link)
PC Power & Cooling 510ATX Deluxe
(Product Link)
Tagan TG480-U01
(Product Link)
Tagan TG420-U01
(Product Link)
Memory Modules
Weather you have a Version 2.0 or 1.XX series board, the memory you put in is a vital part of overall system performance and reliability. This is another area you should not skimp on. Quality memory is a must on these boards to head off potential problems. I recommend at least PC3200 speed memory, especially if you have a Version 2 board, as it supports 400mhz processors. Even if you do not have a 400mhz processor, there is nothing like having a little head room for overclocking! Try to stay away from value ram, budget ram, generic ram, and any other no name memory, they just don't cut the mustard on this board. Remember to get two sticks of identical memory modules so you can take advantage of the dual channel memory interface this board offers. Most of the memory below is available in kits that are optimized for dual channel operation, while not completely necessary, it is preferred for maximum performance. The list below shows brands that are known to work well, and will allow you to overclock your system if you decide to do so.
Corsair XMS Series Modules (Product Link)
OCZ Enhanced Latency - Enthusiast
Level
(Product Link)
OCZ Enhanced Latency - Extreme (Gold) Level
(Product Link)
Mushkin Level II Series (Product Link)
Geil Ultra Series (Product Link)
Kingston HyperX Series (Product Link)
CPU & Chipset Cooling
Even if you do not overclock it is important to keep that CPU as cool as possible in order to prolong the life and stability of your system. The CPU cooler you choose will have long lasting effects on your system and should not be taken lightly. In addition to keeping that CPU as cool as possible, we must not forget about the Northbridge chip and in some cases the Southbridge and Mosfet chips as well. There are literally hundreds of choices when it comes to cooling solutions. If your in to water cooling solutions, then there are many water cooling kits available as well. Again quality is the key here and I have a few suggestions for CPU & Chipset coolers that will do the job correctly and efficiently.
CPU Cooling
Thermalright SP97
(Product Link)
Thermalright Slk948U
(Product Link)
Thermalright Slk947U
(Product Link)
ALPHA PAL8045U (Product Link)
Vantec AeroFlow VA4-C7040
(Product Link)
Vantec AeroFlow VA4-C7245
(Product Link)
Thermaltake Extreme Volcano 12 (Product Link)
Danger Den Water Cooling (Product Link)
Chipset Cooling
Vantec IceBerg Copper Chipset Cooling Kit
CCB-A1C
(Product Link)
Zalman ZM-NB47J (Product Link)
Swiftech MCX159 (Product Link)
MicroCool North Pole (Product Link)
MicroCool Mosfet/PPL Heatsinks (Product Link)
TweakMonster Ram/Chip SInks (Product Link)
Other Hardware Tips
1. Cooling the southbridge can be done a couple different ways, and there is no reason to spend a lot of money doing it. Many people report great success by just cutting an old heatsink they have laying around to the proper size and applying it to the southbridge chip. Others such as myself prefer an active cooling solution, this can still be done by making your own heatsink/fan assembly. Look HERE for what I did to cool the southbridge. Its made from an old heatsink I had, cut to size, and a 40mm fan mounted on it. Be advised that using a permanent compound for applying the heatsink will void your warranty if your not able to remove it. I suggest using a 50/50 mixture of Arctic Silver5 and Arctic Silver thermal compound. This method will dry hard enough to keep the heatsink attached, but not so hard that you cant remove it later if necessary.
2. Getting the right Hard Drives for your system configuration the first time can save you some frustration later. If you plan on using the Raid/SATA function of this motherboard, it would be advisable to get SATA interface Hard Drives. There are key advantages to getting the SATA hard drives. First is the data transfer rate which is 150mps compared to 133mps at best for IDE interface hard drives. Second is the fact that it will free up IDE channels for other peripherals. You do not have to use the Raid function in order to use SATA hard drives, you can use just one SATA drive if you wish. If you decide at a later time to use the Raid function, you just need to get another identical drive and your good to go. If you use the SATA adapter that comes with the motherboard, you will not see any performance increase as the IDE drive will still only run at 133mps at best. Also the board only comes with one adapter, so if you decide to use Raid at a later time, you will need to purchase another adapter as well as another hardrive. Planning ahead for future needs will serve you well when it comes to deciding on what hard drives to get.
3. Keeping the inside of your case cool will help keep your system running stable for years to come. Select a case that has fans sucking air in from the lower front, and exhausting it from the mid to upper rear. This will allow good airflow through your system and help keep everything running cool. Once your system is built, arrange all of your power supply and IDE cables in such a way that promotes good airflow through the system. Try to keep cables and wires away from any fans as they might impede the flow of air the fans are trying to draw.