Abit IP35-E Review (500MHz FSB board)...$90 @ NewEgg + $6.61 ship

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: Blacklash
Just though I'd sound off on my recent experience. I can keep 3.8GHz stable without increasing the NB voltage however CPU VTT voltage is critical. I have to use the higher value with my Q6600 G-0 or I get odd crashes.

I need 1.6v to do 3.85GHz. I am not prepared to pump that kind of voltage into my CPU. I am sticking with 1.54v and a flat 3.8GHz. I might juice it up for occasional benches above 3.8 and won't be doing it regularly.

What about NB and SB voltages? Which CPU cooler are you using? What is your peak PWM and core temps under Orthos/Prime?

Another user has a GO 6600 but he claims that his PWM is 100C under load (68C CPU). Putting an 80mm fan directly above the PWM heat sink (outside the case) still result in 100C PWM. Very strange.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: Tangman85
Tiny bit off-topic about flashing.
Does the double-boot have a chance of harming hardware or is it a longer boot process and that's all there is to it?

Double post adds 13 seconds to total boot time. There's a small probability of reducing the life of your HDD. Shouldn't be a real concern if you only cold boot the PC 2x per day.

I probably subjected this old 4 yr WD HDD to +600 cold starts over the last three months. No problemo.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: ucaggie
Oh yea, with EIST and CE1 enabled and overclocked to 3.0 ghz, core temps are 35 36 33 36 running at 333 mhz x 6. I don't know why there is such a huge difference between idle and load temps. System temp (ambient) is 23C.

Idle looks fine. Load temp may be normal due to an older 6600. I didn't know they still sell those. Must be a store with very low sale volume. NewEgg sells only GO. Again, check the flatness of the heat spreader and BT's copper base.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: hokiealumnus
Man....you're even running in a very cool room. I don't have a lot of experience in this, but it sounds an awful lot like your IHS isn't making good contact with the processor. Anyone else share this thought or am I off base?

You could always try lapping your CPU & HSF if you didn't care about warranty. I like my warranty so I'm not doing that until it runs out, but lapping can drop your temps as much as 8-10c.

The CPU core should be soldered to the heat spreader. If the mating surfaces are flat, then the only way to lower load temp is to go with GO stepping. The original Q6600s run very hot and will generally top out at 3.4GHz (due to heat).

 

[Blacklash]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal

Originally posted by: Blacklash
Just though I'd sound off on my recent experience. I can keep 3.8GHz stable without increasing the NB voltage however CPU VTT voltage is critical. I have to use the higher value with my Q6600 G-0 or I get odd crashes.

I need 1.6v to do 3.85GHz. I am not prepared to pump that kind of voltage into my CPU. I am sticking with 1.54v and a flat 3.8GHz. I might juice it up for occasional benches above 3.8 and won't be doing it regularly.

What about NB and SB voltages? Which CPU cooler are you using? What is your peak PWM and core temps under Orthos/Prime?

Another user has a GO 6600 but he claims that his PWM is 100C under load (68C CPU). Putting an 80mm fan directly above the PWM heat sink (outside the case) still result in 100C PWM. Very strange.

NB and SB are flat stock. That's on a 9x multi. Ram is 2.20v and CPU 1.54v.

PWMS, again, are 62C using 4 instances of Prime95, ie all 4 cores loaded.

I have a Thermalright Ultra Extreme with two Sharkoon 'golfball' fans installed on it in push pull as the current cooling. I am moving to water cooling in about a week.

Whoever is getting 100c on PWMs is an exception not a rule. I've never broken that, not even on motherboards with digital PWMs.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Thanks for the confirmation. You have a well-tuned rig. No need to mess around with NB voltage unless you have OCZ RAMs. IP35-E shouldn't need any bump in NB/SB until 450MHz FSB. You may need to increase VTT and GTLREF by a notch or two to achieve stability north of 1.5Vcore.

 

[imported_jnk]

been having temp issues with this board and my e2160 ever since i purchased it. I recently bought a thermalright ultima-90. and the temps are still the same as a stock fan.

stock fan with thermalright chill factor paste:
idle - 49-51c
load - 60-64c

ultima 90 with AS5:
idle 48-50c
load - 55-60c

E2160 at stock speed 9x200. wth nothing disabled in the bios except the floppy disk controller. using stock bios dated 7/19/2007.


pic1 = removed HSF, and this is what it look liked, with thermalright chill factor paste:
how the cpu looks like after removing hsf

pic2 = how the base of HSF look liked after removing:
base of the ultima 90


pic3 = after cleaning with alcohol using cotton buds.
cleaned cpu with alcohol, 70%

pic4 = hsf after cleaning base
cleaned hsf base


after around 10-15mins of waiting, I then installed the hsf.
how it looks

temps after completing the reseating
temps after reseating, ultime90+as5

I recently read from another ip35-e user that he had high temps too, and when he switched the proc to another board (not sure if its anothr ip35-e) the cpu temp became 34c.

im thinking of using the bios posted here by serpent.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Bonus points for pics!

Reset CMOS and flash to 12 BIOS. Load Optimized Default in BIOS. What's your room temp? 48C idle with C1E and EIST enabled is 10C higher than the norm. System and PWM temps are good. Suspect sensors on MB are okay. I believe your CPU heat spreader and/or CPU cooler are not flat. Check with a straight edge. You should not be able to see any light when the straight edge is placed against the mating surfaces. Apply the paste per the AS5 instruction, then press down on the base of the CPU cooler to squeeze out the AS5 compound. Make sure the four push pins (if used) are fully seated into the holes. There's also a chance that the CPU core and heat spreader are not making good contact.

You should expect 50-55C under Orthos with stock voltage and 75F room.

IP35-E and 12 BIOS report core temperature, which is 15C hotter than the average die temperature reported by other boards.

 

[imported_jnk]

is this 12 bios?
http://forum.abit-usa.com/showthread.php?t=122393

room temp, not sure, but since im in south east asia, around 28-30c. whats the cpu heatspreader? is that the cover?

ill try that edge method.

the thermalright ultima-90 also uses a backplate, and the screws are tight that they dont turn no more.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

http://file.abit.com.tw/pub/download/bios/ip35/

heat spreader is the CPU top cover. Your CPU temp should go up by 5C with 30C ambient. Humidity can also affect cooling performance. You can cause the plate to warp if you over torque the four screws. A bowed/warped surface reduce cooling efficiency.

Sounds like you have several issues. Higher than average room temp, warped heat spreader, and/or poor contact between heat sink and CPU core. Can you try another CPU?


I'm running the same board with Big Typhoon and E4300 @ 3.49GHz (1.465Vcore). 26C room temp. C1E and EIST enabled.

IDLE TEMPS:
- SYSTEM...35C
- CPU...44C
- PWM...41C
- HDD...41C

 

[imported_jnk]

you mean the one with the name of the proc? or the one with the latch?

ill try another cpu. sigh

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Name of the pocessor. You put the paste on the heat spreader. Flash BIOS and check for flatness before you return the chip.

 

[imported_jnk]

will do that when i get home, thanks for the suggestions!

 

[imported_jnk]

im already on bios 12. hehe. just checked now.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Reflash and load Optimized Default.

 

[itakey]

I ordered this motherboard with the E2160 CPU.

So should I load up the latest bios immediately when I get it? What should I do to get this running good? I ordered 4-1GB HP special RAM chips too. Do I need to bump the voltage on them?

 

[imported_jnk]

unable to reflash using a usb, even after following the directions in the abit forums, sigh have to find my floppy drive.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Use the WB switch per my 1st post.

 

[UnIrit]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal

Originally posted by: hokiealumnus
Serpent: One last question about the BT; does it matter which way I mount it, i.e. heatpipes vertical or horizontal? I was thinking of putting the heatpipes vertically, which would put the fins parallel with the bottom of my case, which in turn would have my rear exhaust fans pulling air through them. That would also allow more air going through it to hit my RAM than the other direction. Is that OK or is the other orientation preferred?

You can only position the BT with the heat pipes pointing toward the back of the case. That's the best position to cool the NB and MOSFETs. The stock fan is good enough to cool the CPU, but not powerful enough to dramatically improve cooling at NB/MOSFET. You can switch to a medium speed 120 x 38 mm Panaflo, or bolt an 80 or 92 mm fan above the NB/RAMs region for additional cooling.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: itakey
I ordered this motherboard with the E2160 CPU.

So should I load up the latest bios immediately when I get it? What should I do to get this running good? I ordered 4-1GB HP special RAM chips too. Do I need to bump the voltage on them?

Stock 11 BIOS should work okay as long as it is not corrupted. No need to mess around with RAM voltage. Install per the guide at the bottom of my 1st post.

 

[UnIrit]

Serpent: Another question re: BT mounting. I noticed in your first post: "I had to trim 1/4" from the Big Typhoon's top bracket to clear the northbridge heat sink".

I had no difficulty mounting mine without trimmng (using p35-E and BT), so is it oriented wrong? I don't understand "heat pipes toward the back" since each set of three points in opposite directions. Any pics or links? Thanks

 

[SerpentRoyal]

I have the older bracket. If you see the three copper heat pipes extending right above the blue MOSFET heat sink, then your installation is good.

Don't have a digital camera.

 

[hokiealumnus]

Originally posted by: UnIrit
Serpent: Another question re: BT mounting. I noticed in your first post: "I had to trim 1/4" from the Big Typhoon's top bracket to clear the northbridge heat sink".

I had no difficulty mounting mine without trimmng (using p35-E and BT), so is it oriented wrong? I don't understand "heat pipes toward the back" since each set of three points in opposite directions. Any pics or links? Thanks

Ask and ye shall receive.

Photo of build

Photo of the BT mounting & NB

The new mounting hardware actually comes with a bracket that you have to screw together to get it to clear the NB. He is correct that the older, much larger bracket, will not fit without trimming (I tried).

Note that I removed the grill and remounted it so that the Thermaltake logo was oriented the right way. Don't base your orientation off of that, base if off of the heat pipes.

Serpent: Tried re-applying my AS: Ceramique as suggested. Yet again, your advice pays off. 2c drop in idle and load temps. Rather than the suggested install from AS, I used the 'apply to one side & spread as thin as possible with a credit card' method on both the HS & CPU. Instant 2c. Thanks!

 

[SerpentRoyal]

No problemo. You can remove the fan's grille for better air flow.

 

[ucaggie]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal

Originally posted by: ucaggie
I have a Big Typhoon with a Q6600 B3 on this IP35-E motherboard. I've remounted the BT at least 3 times, applied AS5 per website's instructions - using very little - and here are my core temps with EIST and C1E off:

*at idle all 4 cores' temps. are within 3C, at load all within 2C; VID=1.30v

Stock speed with vcore 1.30v:
Idle - 40C, Prime 95 load - 69C

Overclocked to 3.0 ghz with vcore 1.30v:
Idle - 44C, Prime 95 load - 74C

I heard that the BT isn't too great for quad cores? Would replacing the BT included fan with something like a 86.5 CFM Panaflo help with the temps.?

The medium speed 120 x 38 mm will drop temp about 2C. The big advantage of the Panaflo is higher static pressure at full speed, which will allow sufficient air flow to cool NB and MOSFET heat sinks.

B3 runs hotter than GO by about 10C under full load. You may also want to check the flatness of the CPU heat spreader and BT's copper base. Put a straight edge against the surface. There should be no gap. Also put the MB on a firm surface and apply a downward force of 30 to 40 lbs to the base of the BT. This will squish the thick AS5 for better heat transfer. Note that you will need to use more paste if you don't have a flat surface to "bridge" the air gaps.

I tested the BT with med speed Panaflo vs the TR Ultra 120 Extreme. The Ultra is 3C cooler with my E4300 @ 3.47GHz.

Thanks Serpent. I used a credit card to spread the AS5 and yes, the BT wasn't making good contact with the heat spreader. With my Q6600 overclocked to 3.0 ghz, core temps are:

Before: 74 73 73 74
Now: 67 60 60 67

I'm trying to readjust my heatsink in order to get even pressure. Any tips? Also, I've spread the AS5 all around where the 4 cores are located on the heatspreader. Should I apply AS5 on the whole heatspreader or the majority of it?