If you have just purchased an x79 product, you may have bumped into a few things, unfamiliar BIOS, intermittent post problems and general unhappiness. Like any new platform the X79 is simply uncharted territory as of now but manufactures are constantly working on updates to fix original problems you may have run into, these can include (but aren't limited to) the following:

-Missing RAID BIOS on post
-CMOS failing to recognise RAID array as bootable device.
-Multi graphics configurations with no display out
-PCI and PCI-E devices not detecting

If you're experiencing difficulties be sure to drop by the manufacturers website (of the board you've purchased) and checkout the available BIOS and driver updates in their support section, usually BIOS updates only require a USB flash drive but check their update instructions to make sure the correct method is employed.

You may or may not remember the days where DVD's could not be played without a paid software, these were times when DVD drives had just come available on PCs and free software had not caught up and it seems that history is repeating itself with the introduction of Blu-ray.

Put it simply, it costs to play Blu-ray, no one has written any reliable open source software nor is there any companies confirmed to have good free options available ( there is DAPlayer available from http://digiarty.com/ but we cannot recommend this software just yet, try at your own risk.) You might have purchased or planned to purchase a Blu-ray Disc Drive that comes bundled with software, this software will play your Blu-rays up to a certain amount of time but may require upgrading as new Blu-ray standards come available (which need new software to play). This is much the same as your home theater Blu-ray player which time to time will require updates to play certain titles and unlock new features.

At this stage we have no definite solution for absolute Blu-ray zen, however the following list can help point you in the right direction for 'easier' playback and support:

Cyberlink PowerDVD 11 Ultra - Click Here

WinDVD Pro 11 - Click Here

ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre 5 - Click Here

Be sure to check out the trail software before purchasing, considering the price of the software I would recommend using the trial for as long as you can to make sure you're happy before forking out for your licenced copy. Also, checkout the information for updating or upgrading the software of your choice as there may be costs involved as new versions come available.

We will be sure to keep you all posted once a confirmed reliable freeware comes out.

The new OCZ Vertex 3 SSDs are stunningly fast, however here at Scorptec we have noticed a few issues with deteriorating performance and reliability of the drives, a simple remedy for this is to update your firmware. NOTE: Updating your firmware can cause loss of data on the SSD, backup backup backup!

To do this you will need the following:
-A windows installation on a seperate drive to the SSD you intend to update.
-OCZ Tools - http://www.ocztechnology.com/ssd_tools/ 
-An internet connection

Once you've downloaded OCZ tools set up your SSD as a secondary drive in your system running in "IDE" or "Legacy" mode (consult your motherboard or storage controller manual) and run OCZ Tools as an administrator (Right click and click "Run as administrator") 

OCZ Tools should be able to detect your SSD and offer options to update the drive, once this process is complete you can put your SSD back where it was and get back to experiencing high performance storage!

For more OCZ SSD informations, check out the SSD ABC guide http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/content.php?306-SSD-ABC-Guide

Faulty memory can be a real pain, it can cause system crashes, blue screens and even loss of valuable data. Being the most likely cause of these symptoms, the first thing you should do is test for faulty memory in the case where these problems occur.

There are few ways to test for memory, in this article I will explain two test procedures, one test requires your own set of test memory (the fastest and most accurate method) and the other method doesn't require extra memory (this takes a lot longer and isn't as accurate.)

Before testing we want to make sure the memory frequencies are set correctly in the motherboard BIOS, check your memory specifications provided with the memory (either on the warranty label, original packaging or manufactures website) and compare the specs to what your motherboard is reading. If you're running high performance memory, you may need to set these configurations manually or select the XMP option to load the memory configuration profile.

Test method - STEP 1: Download a copy of IntelBurnTest, this is a GUI that runs the Intel Linpak which is an advanced stress test focused on CPU algorithms and memory capabilities, by running this we can find whether there are any problems with your system. Simply run IntelBurnTest on the max amount of available memory, select the amount of threads to run (if you're having problems with this, it's fine to leave it on auto) and select the amount of passes you wish to run (10 passes at most is recommended). You will receive a prompt from the benchmark with the results of the test once complete, if found unstable move onto the next step, otherwise you system should be fine.

STEP 2: If your system was found to be unstable you can check the problem by running further memory diagnostics, for the most accurate results it's best to have your own test kit of memory, simply install your test kit with the correct settings and attempt to replicate the problem found in the IntelBurnTest, if your system is reported as stable chances are the original memory in your system is faulty.

If you don't have your own test memory there are a number of software tests you you can run to find errors. Memtest86+ to check for faults, this program essentially loads data onto the memory then reads it back to check that it's consistent, leave this running for a few hours. Passmark BurnInTest offers an extensive range of test including a great memory test which can be tweaked to target the faults your experiencing whether they're simple read write errors or caching and extraction errors.

For the best results, get a cheap spare set of memory for testing, not only can you test your own system, but you can also help friends out who are experiencing issues, a spare kit can also come in handy when waiting on replacement memory from your manufactures warranty otherwise you may be left without a working system for a while.

NOTE: Memory problems can be intermittent, if you have the hunch that your system has memory issues, keep testing until the problem can be replicated a couple of times. When returning your memory, having solid information can really help speed up the warranty process, by providing accurate information about the tests you have run, we can quickly replicate the fault and prove to the manufacturer that there is in fact a problem with the product.