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

[AlucardX]

i'm a little confused about AHCI and using CD/DVD IDE's on the JMicron.

1. To get AHCI working, I have to enable it under the SATA section of the BIOS. From here, I then have to hit F6 while installing XP to load AHCI drivers? Where would these be at. I'm guessing this would be some sort of Intel driver since the SATA ports run off the Intel chipset.

2. I'm not use to running CD/DVD's off addon controller. Will the board support booting off CD if its attached to the JMicron controller and not a SATA CD drive? I'm used to controllers like this needed drivers before XP can do anything with it. I also have an old Promise Ultra66 PCI card I could use, but again I'm not sure if the system would support booting from CD as my primary drive would be on an addon controller. Also, I've read of issues using the JMicron and CD/DVD emulation software in windows because they both use SCSI emulation drivers to make them work. Does it make sense to use my Promise PCI card for my CD/DVD drives since this should have native support and I don't believe uses any SCSI emulation nonsense.

3. Is there any disadvantage to setting USB Keyboard/Mouse support to BIOS instead of the default of OS? Maybe responsiveness or speed? And if not.. why shouldnt' this always be set (and the default) for BIOS for maximum compatibility.

Thanks

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Avoid AHCI. Generally don't do squat for desktop PCs. Why would you want to hot plug your internal HDD? Get a 10K rpm drive or separate the OS and system files over two HDDs if you need more speed! KISS.

Connect optical drive to IDE port (master or slave). Go into BIOS and set the optical drive as the 1st boot. Save and exit. PC will boot from the optical drive. You can also get an adaptor which will permit direct connection from a CD/DVD drive to any SATA port on the MB. No need to load ANY driver. Again, this is a KISS board. No fancy F6 to load windows. Did you read my original post?

No bandwidth issue with mouse and keyboard in 'BIOS" mode. Some BIOses have this as the default setting. Most of the Abit boards use "OS" as default. That can cause problem for novice users with USB peripherals.

 

[AlucardX]

Thanks for the information. I guess having the IDE controller as an 'add-on' confused me.

Have you experienced any issues using Daemon Tools or Alcohol 120% with virtual drives, if you've used them?

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Don't know.

 

[Miramonti]

I wound up settling on the IP35-pro board after I ruined some socket pad pins on my IP35 board.

I bit the loss but am glad I went pro due to the couple extra bells and whistles, including the lcd status readout, in case I had problems.

I think going Abit p35 here has been the best motherboard decision I ever made [so far]. :thumbsup:

I had absolutely no configuration/compatability/installation issues, hardware, and wow, even a 100% seemless OS and software installation. :Q Can't say that has ever happened before... My e6850 was quickly overclocked to 3.8ghz, but I hope to do better soon with more time and patience, and knowledge.

I went abit because of the few user issues that people have discussed in the posts and reviews I read, even tho it was a hair slower on most benchmarks from Gigabyte and usually asus too, but I'm lovin' it.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

So you want to unload the defective IP35 for cheap?

 

[Miramonti]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
So you want to unload the defective IP35 for cheap?

I destroyed it.

I had to or else I'd be too tempted to try the cpu on it anyways, risking perhaps shorting the cpu... so I pummelled the rest of the socket pad with a screwdriver, ripped out the bios chip and threw the board away (and quickly ordered a PRO overnighted. )

/edit: removed from trash for pic.

Btw, are bent pins (or whatever they are, I couldn't figure them out) fixable?...

 

[SerpentRoyal]

From the pic, no. It's terminal. I was thinking about salvaging some parts.

 

[Miramonti]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
From the pic, no. It's terminal. I was thinking about salvaging some parts.

Yes, I know it's beyond repair at this point.

 

[kajko]

First, let me say that this thread has been the most useful review/discussion regarding the abit ip35 series boards I have seen after much searching, so thanks SerpentRoyal; this thread was the reason I joined Anandtech I have a noob question before I pull the trigger on this board-

SerpentRoyal said that "lack of 1T timing is no big loss with my ValueRam"...what is 1T timing referring to? I am planning on using the ip35-e with some performance ram (4GB of OCZ platinum rev.2 PC2-6400), which has 4-4-4-15 timings at 1.9V-2.1V So basically, will I be able to use this memory with this board or do I need to go with the abit ip35? (I'm guessing this is related to the 1T timing)

Thanks in advance.

 

[SilentAssassin]

I just set up my new rig tonight and I must say this board is awesome. Got my E6420 running at 400x8(3200) and it's been orthos stable for 3 hours so far and I'm still running all default voltage settings. 49c load atm and should drop a few degrees after the paste sets. I have a question about the fan controls on this motherboard though and the EQ program it comes with to monitor temps, volts, ect. I can't seem to get the Fan EQ settings I select to save. I turned it all off cause I want the fans to just run at 100% while I'm testing overclocks but anytime I restart the pc the program comes up with Fan EQ back on. I even have it disabled in the bios but it still lowers fan speeds. Also are the temps it reports accurate? Other then that though, I'm very impressed with this board so far.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: kajko
First, let me say that this thread has been the most useful review/discussion regarding the abit ip35 series boards I have seen after much searching, so thanks SerpentRoyal; this thread was the reason I joined Anandtech I have a noob question before I pull the trigger on this board-

SerpentRoyal said that "lack of 1T timing is no big loss with my ValueRam"...what is 1T timing referring to? I am planning on using the ip35-e with some performance ram (4GB of OCZ platinum rev.2 PC2-6400), which has 4-4-4-15 timings at 1.9V-2.1V So basically, will I be able to use this memory with this board or do I need to go with the abit ip35? (I'm guessing this is related to the 1T timing)

Thanks in advance.

In layman's language, 1T/2T affects the speed of your RAM. With C2Ds, the use of 1T vs 2T is equivalent to adding about 20MHz to the CPU core speed. You'll never notice 1T vs 2T in real-world use. Furthermore, the system will probably default to 2T with four sticks of RAM due to the additional load on the memory controller.

Also note that RAM will overclock higher with 2T timing. A stick may top out at 450MHz with 1T, and 500MHz with 2T. In this case, 2T is preferred due to the higher RAM clock speed. 1T/2T can significantly affect AMD K8 chips, but not such much with C2Ds.

I'm not a fan of OCZ RAM (high price). A better choice would be KINGSTON DDR2 800 ValueRAM with "N5" code in the part number. I've owned four pairs and all were good up to a minimum of 580MHz @ 5-5-5-15-2T/2.1V, and 475MHz @ 4-4-4-12-2T/2.1V. Naturally, it's YMMV with any ValueRAM or overclocking RAM

These Kingston modules appear to be very high quality DDR2 800 chips, conservatively rated at 400MHz/1.8V with 5-5-5-18 timing. They will run at 4-4-4-12-2T with 1.8Vdimm.

You only need high-performance overclocking RAM if you purchase a 7x multi CPU. High-quality DDR2 800 RAMs rate at 1.8V will easily hit 440MHz speed with 2.0Vdimm. That's good enough to push an 8x multi CPU to 3.5GHz.

Finally, you need windows 64-bit to fully detect 4GB of RAM. 32-bit OS will detect up to 3GB. I use a pair of 2GB and 1GB.

The OCZ will work, but you may need to boot the PC with 1.8V RAM, change the voltage and timing to the OCZ's, save BIOS, then reboot with the OCZ RAMs.

Model #: KVR800D2N5K2/2G

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820134117

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: SilentAssassin
I just set up my new rig tonight and I must say this board is awesome. Got my E6420 running at 400x8(3200) and it's been orthos stable for 3 hours so far and I'm still running all default voltage settings. 49c load atm and should drop a few degrees after the paste sets. I have a question about the fan controls on this motherboard though and the EQ program it comes with to monitor temps, volts, ect. I can't seem to get the Fan EQ settings I select to save. I turned it all off cause I want the fans to just run at 100% while I'm testing overclocks but anytime I restart the pc the program comes up with Fan EQ back on. I even have it disabled in the bios but it still lowers fan speeds. Also are the temps it reports accurate? Other then that though, I'm very impressed with this board so far.

Are you using 2-pin, 3-pin, or 4-pin fan? Which version of IP35? IP35-E should accept changes in BIOS. Avoid the use of windows software to make changes to the BIOS. Remove the sofware and reboot PC. There's an option in BIOS to switch from 4-pin to 3-pin/2-pin support. On the same menu, you will see option to turn-OFF CPU fan control and turn-OFF SYSTEM fan control.

I use a 2-pin fan. Therefore, I set the fan option to 3-pin support. Both CPU fan control and SYSTEM fan control headers are set to use the CPU temperature to control the speed of the fan. Hysteris at 3C. Low temperature limit of 40C. High temperature limit of 47C. Low speed at 70%. High speed at 100%. Save settings by hitting F10 and exit BIOS. The fan will run at 70% speed when the CPU temp is under 40C, and 100% speed when the CPU temp is over 47C. No reason to have the CPU fan running at 100% speed all the time, even when you test for maximum overclock speed.

If you want to run the fan at full speed all the time, then connect the fan to the other two "un-controlled" fan headers. The IP35-E has four fan headers.

 

[Kupe]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal

Originally posted by: Kupe

Originally posted by: Gloryfieldzi
i have an antec trio 650, would it be long enough? Oh well, I already ordered so if it doesnt work than I'm already screwed

I have this motherboard and just got an Antec p182B. With the NeoHE 500, the 8 pin connector reached the top port near the cpu just barely. I have it routed under the motherboard tray and coming out of the top port and it just barely reaches. You'll probably be fine, even if you have to go over the motherboard. I've personally never achieved cabling as clean as I have with this case and motherboard.

As for the motherboard itself, I'm very impressed with how it's performed over the last 2 weeks. I've not a veteran overclocker, but I was easily able to get 3.6 Ghz out of my 2.4 Ghz e6600 just by bumping the voltages a little. It really scared me to get that much so easily, so I lowered it to 3.0 Ghz with a 333 Mhz FSB until I get some time to properly test things. It's been running completely stable for the last week.

SerpentRoyal, thanks for your overview of this board. It was part of why I chose to buy it, and I'm definitely not regretting it so far. Hopefully I can offer something to this thread.

Thanks for your input. I don't post review unless I come across a board that offer exceptional value AND performance. The board must run cool and stable throughout testing. I like to KISS. No RAID or bells and whistles to inflate the price of the board. This board can also control a 2-pin fan. This would be my top choice for a high-quality HTPC.

I'd download S&M 1.90 and run the memory test section. If okay, then run Orthos for one hour.

I'm also a big fan of KISS. Elaborate schemes and tweaks for performance never seem to be worth it in real-world performance.

I had already tested overnight a few times with Prime95 and Orthos. I hadn't heard of S&M though, thanks. 3.0 Ghz with 1.37V and 333 Mhz FSB seems completely stable.

I decided to try testing 3.6 Ghz with a 400Mhz FSB and 1:1 again. I wasn't able to run S&M more than 5 minutes until I pushed the voltage up to 1.55. After seeing S&M run for 15 minutes, I turned my fans on high and went out for a while. When I came back, S&M had a message that the test was interrupted at 38 minutes because the temp had reached 85C. The processor was idling at 33C-what a crazy difference. Is 1.55v too high? And how hot can I comfortably allow the CPU to be?

I figure I'll just run at 3.0Ghz until I can get my hands on a good CPU cooler (I'm using the stock) and some intake fans for the p182. 3.0 Ghz is already insanely fast.

Any tips on a good, quiet cooler? I hear a lot about the Tuniq Tower, but I just don't want to have to pay $50. I'd rather put that money toward a new video card. Maybe this is off-topic though.

Edit:
The Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 looks like it fits the bill. I'll try to get one soon. Once I have it and my other case fans, I'll try again.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: Kupe

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal

Originally posted by: Kupe

Originally posted by: Gloryfieldzi
i have an antec trio 650, would it be long enough? Oh well, I already ordered so if it doesnt work than I'm already screwed

I have this motherboard and just got an Antec p182B. With the NeoHE 500, the 8 pin connector reached the top port near the cpu just barely. I have it routed under the motherboard tray and coming out of the top port and it just barely reaches. You'll probably be fine, even if you have to go over the motherboard. I've personally never achieved cabling as clean as I have with this case and motherboard.

As for the motherboard itself, I'm very impressed with how it's performed over the last 2 weeks. I've not a veteran overclocker, but I was easily able to get 3.6 Ghz out of my 2.4 Ghz e6600 just by bumping the voltages a little. It really scared me to get that much so easily, so I lowered it to 3.0 Ghz with a 333 Mhz FSB until I get some time to properly test things. It's been running completely stable for the last week.

SerpentRoyal, thanks for your overview of this board. It was part of why I chose to buy it, and I'm definitely not regretting it so far. Hopefully I can offer something to this thread.

Thanks for your input. I don't post review unless I come across a board that offer exceptional value AND performance. The board must run cool and stable throughout testing. I like to KISS. No RAID or bells and whistles to inflate the price of the board. This board can also control a 2-pin fan. This would be my top choice for a high-quality HTPC.

I'd download S&M 1.90 and run the memory test section. If okay, then run Orthos for one hour.

I'm also a big fan of KISS. Elaborate schemes and tweaks for performance never seem to be worth it in real-world performance.

I had already tested overnight a few times with Prime95 and Orthos. I hadn't heard of S&M though, thanks. 3.0 Ghz with 1.37V and 333 Mhz FSB seems completely stable.

I decided to try testing 3.6 Ghz with a 400Mhz FSB and 1:1 again. I wasn't able to run S&M more than 5 minutes until I pushed the voltage up to 1.55. After seeing S&M run for 15 minutes, I turned my fans on high and went out for a while. When I came back, S&M had a message that the test was interrupted at 38 minutes because the temp had reached 85C. The processor was idling at 33C-what a crazy difference. Is 1.55v too high? And how hot can I comfortably allow the CPU to be?

I figure I'll just run at 3.0Ghz until I can get my hands on a good CPU cooler (I'm using the stock) and some intake fans for the p182. 3.0 Ghz is already insanely fast.

Any tips on a good, quiet cooler? I hear a lot about the Tuniq Tower, but I just don't want to have to pay $50. I'd rather put that money toward a new video card. Maybe this is off-topic though.

Edit:
The Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 looks like it fits the bill. I'll try to get one soon. Once I have it and my other case fans, I'll try again.

S&M is a nasty torture test...very high thermal load on the CPU, especially if you set it to 100% stress load. You normally don't want to run S&M with a stock cooler above 1.44V. No permanent harm to the CPU, though. For testing, you can run S&M up to 80-83C, but only for about 1/2 hour.

The comfort range for C2Ds is 3.2-3.4GHz with 1.44-1.46Vcore. I recommend the Big Typhoon because it's cheap ($25 open box at the Egg). Real world performance is about 4C shy of the best air cooler today. The downward-firing fan provides additional cooling to the MOSFETs and NB. I also strap a small 80 mm low speed Panaflo to the BT to cool the RAM.

Freezer Pro is noisy. Performance wise, it runs 6C hotter than the BT at full load.

 

[Kupe]

1.46 huh? I don't think I could hope for any sort of stability at that voltage, at least not if the Vcore was the only thing I changed.

So would you say this guide at corsair's website is wrong?

http://tools.corsairmemory.com...report_id=78237&sid=10

Here's the relevant part:

"VCore Voltage is our CPU voltage. Default is 1.325V, we're going to go to 1.55V, which is really about the highest you should go on aircooling. Memory is rated at 2.1V, and the closest this BIOS allows is 2.178V. Since we aren't going to overclock the memory yet, we'll just leave it there.

The NB Core is the northbridge, which houses the FSB connection to the CPU and the Memory Controller. Since we're going to be raising the FSB from it's standard 266 MHz (Intel "quad pumps" this up to 1066, but it's still 266 at board level) to some astronomically high number, we're going to want to increase that voltage. A safe number for the top end is around 1.5, any higher than that and you're going to want to put a fan on the northbridge to cool it."

And I'll check out that Big Typhoon, thanks.

 

[bryanW1995]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal

Originally posted by: SilentAssassin
I just set up my new rig tonight and I must say this board is awesome. Got my E6420 running at 400x8(3200) and it's been orthos stable for 3 hours so far and I'm still running all default voltage settings. 49c load atm and should drop a few degrees after the paste sets. I have a question about the fan controls on this motherboard though and the EQ program it comes with to monitor temps, volts, ect. I can't seem to get the Fan EQ settings I select to save. I turned it all off cause I want the fans to just run at 100% while I'm testing overclocks but anytime I restart the pc the program comes up with Fan EQ back on. I even have it disabled in the bios but it still lowers fan speeds. Also are the temps it reports accurate? Other then that though, I'm very impressed with this board so far.

Are you using 2-pin, 3-pin, or 4-pin fan? Which version of IP35? IP35-E should accept changes in BIOS. Avoid the use of windows software to make changes to the BIOS. Remove the sofware and reboot PC. There's an option in BIOS to switch from 4-pin to 3-pin/2-pin support. On the same menu, you will see option to turn-OFF CPU fan control and turn-OFF SYSTEM fan control.

I use a 2-pin fan. Therefore, I set the fan option to 3-pin support. Both CPU fan control and SYSTEM fan control headers are set to use the CPU temperature to control the speed of the fan. Hysteris at 3C. Low temperature limit of 40C. High temperature limit of 47C. Low speed at 70%. High speed at 100%. Save settings by hitting F10 and exit BIOS. The fan will run at 70% speed when the CPU temp is under 40C, and 100% speed when the CPU temp is over 47C. No reason to have the CPU fan running at 100% speed all the time, even when you test for maximum overclock speed.

If you want to run the fan at full speed all the time, then connect the fan to the other two "un-controlled" fan headers. The IP35-E has four fan headers.

where in the bios is the ability to switch from 4 pin to 3pin/2pin support? is that not available in the pro? I just went through every menu/submenu of bios and couldn't find it.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

In the Fan EQ control menu. You can select 4-pin or 3-pin. Instruction is also in the manual (BIOS section). This option is NOT available with the Pro board.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: Kupe
1.46 huh? I don't think I could hope for any sort of stability at that voltage, at least not if the Vcore was the only thing I changed.

So would you say this guide at corsair's website is wrong?

http://tools.corsairmemory.com...report_id=78237&sid=10

Here's the relevant part:

"VCore Voltage is our CPU voltage. Default is 1.325V, we're going to go to 1.55V, which is really about the highest you should go on aircooling. Memory is rated at 2.1V, and the closest this BIOS allows is 2.178V. Since we aren't going to overclock the memory yet, we'll just leave it there.

The NB Core is the northbridge, which houses the FSB connection to the CPU and the Memory Controller. Since we're going to be raising the FSB from it's standard 266 MHz (Intel "quad pumps" this up to 1066, but it's still 266 at board level) to some astronomically high number, we're going to want to increase that voltage. A safe number for the top end is around 1.5, any higher than that and you're going to want to put a fan on the northbridge to cool it."

And I'll check out that Big Typhoon, thanks.

High voltage and temperature can permanently toast your CPU. I would never instantly bump Vcore to 1.55 without prior testing. Almost all C2D chips will put out more heat @ 1.46Vcore than the stock CPU cooler could remove.

As an example, Coretemp shows 76C under S&M with 1.465Vcore and the Big Typhoon. This is with an E4300 @ 3.46GHz and 77F ambient. We're looking at a minimum of 85C under this same condition with the stock cooler...way too toasty because this CPU has 100C Tjunction. I would consider 80C short term as the maximum safe temperature.

 

[kajko]

Regarding the double boot issue during startup, is the -E the only one of these in the series that has this problem, or is the abit ip35 plagued with this issue as well? Also, is it realistic to expect a bios update that would take care of the issue? thanks

 

[bryanW1995]

I don't have a double post issue on my pro, but I would like to power up over 440 fsb... or even remain stable higher than 8x430...

 

[Kupe]

From what I hear, it's not a bug, it's a characteristic of the chipset. I don't really see it as a problem at all.

I think another person was concerned about IDE DVD burners. I'm using one, and I've had no
trouble burning anything so far. It behaves just like it did on my Nforce 4 system.

And thanks again, Serpent. I'll do some more testing and see what I come up with. I'll probably just stick at 3 Ghz for quite some time though.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Abit IP35 and IP35-E share the same BIOS...so both will double post. This is normal for P965 and P35 chipsets. Some BIOSes will alter the boot sequence to minimize or eliminate this delay, like the IP35 Pro.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: Kupe
From what I hear, it's not a bug, it's a characteristic of the chipset. I don't really see it as a problem at all.

I think another person was concerned about IDE DVD burners. I'm using one, and I've had no
trouble burning anything so far. It behaves just like it did on my Nforce 4 system.

And thanks again, Serpent. I'll do some more testing and see what I come up with. I'll probably just stick at 3 Ghz for quite some time though.

No problemo. Glad to help.

 

[Miramonti]

Having a couple days of fiddling, the only thing I'm disenchanted with is the IDE performance. I don't have comparison benchmarks from my previous nf4 system but some hdd intensive applications simply aren't running as efficiently or quickly, like doing imaging backups and restores using acronis true image.

Overall its encouraged me to finally try SATA hdd, but with the 500gb perpendicular drive specials going on, that's not necessarily a bad thing.