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

[coreyb]

delete this.

 

[coreyb]

Hi SerpentRoyal,

I mentioned earlier in the thread that I was having trouble getting a display on my monitor after my new build was complete. Then you went on to say that I should try a different stick of ram (Crucial 1.8v or Kingston Valueram "n5"). I was wondering if you could tell me if either of these two models would be ok.

Crucial Rendition 1GB DDR2 667/PC5300 240-pin

or

Kingston ValueRAM DDR2-667-MHz 512MB PC2-5300 (KVR667D2N5/512)

I would feel a lot more confident buying some ram to figure out my problem if I knew EXACTLY what kind would be good.

Thank you very much,

Corey.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Kingston ValueRAM DDR2-667-MHz 512MB PC2-5300 (KVR667D2N5/512)...good stuff. I think it was on sale at ClubIt this week for $17, shipped. Will run well with IP35-E. No video is usually caused by unbootable RAM or PSU. If you're confident that the PSU is good, then you may want to see if you can boot with one stick in any RAM slot. If you cannot POST with either stick, then you will need to reboot with working JEDEC DDR2 667 or 800 RAM. Once you're in the BIOS, you can manually set Vdimm and timing to match the other non-bootable modules. Save BIOS and exit.

 

[coreyb]

SerpentRoyal,

I'm pretty confident my PSU is good. It is a corsair 620 hx and my problem doesn't include my mobo booting up and powering down endlessly. It boots up twice, then stays on for good. I've already tried booting with my current Crucial Ballistix 6400 ram sticks, in every possible configuration. So now I'm going to pick up a stick of the Kingston and try that out. Wish me luck!

Thanks again SerpentRoyal.

 

[coreyb]

SerpentRoyal,

When you said "boot with working JEDEC DDR2 667 or 800 RAM", does that mean the Kingston RAM I am going to buy to get it to boot or something else...sorry for the confusion.

 

[bal3wolf]

Has any one managed to run 500fsb on this board i tried droping my muti to 6 and 7x but i cant post even when i run way under 500. Like for every day i run my cpu @ 3700 463x8 ram runs at 926 100% orthos stable. But 6,7x muti wont post at fsb x8 and x9 will.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: coreyb
SerpentRoyal,

I'm pretty confident my PSU is good. It is a corsair 620 hx and my problem doesn't include my mobo booting up and powering down endlessly. It boots up twice, then stays on for good. I've already tried booting with my current Crucial Ballistix 6400 ram sticks, in every possible configuration. So now I'm going to pick up a stick of the Kingston and try that out. Wish me luck!

Thanks again SerpentRoyal.

The Crucial B DDR2 800 should work. I think you may have a short on the board or a bad GPU. Strip the board bare and put it on a non conductive surface. Install only the CPU, one stick of RAM, mouse, keyboard, and GPU. Reset CMOS and boot. If no video, then try another PCI-E GPU.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: bal3wolf
Has any one managed to run 500fsb on this board i tried droping my muti to 6 and 7x but i cant post even when i run way under 500. Like for every day i run my cpu @ 3700 463x8 ram runs at 926 100% orthos stable. But 6,7x muti wont post at fsb x8 and x9 will.

Some CPUs will not work with low multi. The higher multi also places a lot of stress on RAM.

For example, my E4300 will not boot with 6x or 7x multi. I can push my 7x multi E6320 up to 488MHz stable. Intel chips/P35 combo work best up to about 490MHz FSB. Above that speed, you will need to increase RAM latency, which will slow down the PC.

Core speed is KING. Maximum core speed is attainable with 9x multi. Once you've isolated the maximum stable core speed, use the memory divider to overclock the RAMs.

You'll have to push 530MHz FSB with 7x multi to break 3.7GHz. That's probably beyond the capability of the RAM and MB.

 

[bal3wolf]

Ya seems like im running best i will get 3.6 or 3.7 ghz 450 or 463 x8 ram is running on 4 4 4 8 timings no problem i pull around 8300-8500 megs of memory bw. Running 3.6 till i upgrade the fan on the tuniq to a faster one so i can make sure my temps at 3.7 stay under 55c.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Q6600 is good up to 70-75C under Coretemp 0.95.4 with all four cores running Orthos Large mode. I'd up Vcore two notches and try 9x multi with 1:1 memory divider. I suspect you may be able to run at 3.75 or 3.8GHz. Peak CPU temp will probably be 75C, but you'll never see this temperature under normal use. Turn ON C1E and EIST to reduce Vcore and core speed when the CPU is not under load. Note that you must run at the default multiplier if you enabled C1E and EIST.

If the PC is stable at 3.8GHz, then use 1:1.20 or 1:1.25 memory divider to overclock your RAMs.

 

[SilentAssassin]

I'm trying to decide on what board to go with to run a Q6600 G0 @ 3.6ghz. I don't need all the features a lot of boards have and I'm trying to save money on the motherboard so I can put the money towards more ram ect. I already know the MOSFET area will need a fan with the quad but my concern is the vdroop. I've heard quads bring this board to as much as a .1 vdroop under load which would make running a quad at 3.6 hard. Anyone have experience with Quads @ 3.6ghz or around there and vdroop issues?

 

[bal3wolf]

its a e6600 not q6600 been told not to go above 60c on a e6600.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

All P35 boards will "droop" when you overclock a quad CPU. Expect to see a drop of 0.08 to 0.10V from the BIOS setting. To work around this problem, you must enable C1E and EIST in BIOS and run the CPU at default multiplier. Be sure power options in windows is set to minimal power mode. If you need 1.40V under full load to run @ 3.6GHz, then dial in 1.50V in BIOS. When idling or under medium load, the CPU will throttle to about 1.33V with 6x multiplier (same FSB speed). When priming, the CPU will see 1.40V with 9x multiplier. With this strategy, the CPU will run cool at low load, and be able to pass Orthos under full load.

The IP35-E's PWM temperature should remain below 65C, even with an oveclocked quad. Light air flow around the MOSFET region should keep peak temperature under 60C.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: bal3wolf
its a e6600 not q6600 been told not to go above 60c on a e6600.

You still have another 5C of working room. Remember that the CPU will never see this type of heat under normal use, even when CPU load is at 100%. Orthos, TAT, or S&M are designed to maximize thermal load on CPU.

 

[SilentAssassin]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
All P35 boards will "droop" when you overclock a quad CPU. Expect to see a drop of 0.08 to 0.10V from the BIOS setting. To work around this problem, you must enable C1E and EIST in BIOS and run the CPU at default multiplier. Be sure power options in windows is set to minimal power mode. If you need 1.40V under full load to run @ 3.6GHz, then dial in 1.50V in BIOS. When idling or under medium load, the CPU will throttle to about 1.33V with 6x multiplier (same FSB speed). When priming, the CPU will see 1.40V with 9x multiplier. With this strategy, the CPU will run cool at low load, and be able to pass Orthos under full load.

The IP35-E's PWM temperature should remain below 65C, even with an oveclocked quad. Light air flow around the MOSFET region should keep peak temperature under 60C.

If I understand what you said, that should make the vdroop from the board not be a problem at all then. Can't believe I forgot about C1E and EIST. So lets say I test it at 400x9 with a 1:1 ratio for the ram and C1E+EIST disabled. With the bios vcore set to 1.50v, lets say actual idle is 1.48v and then load is 1.40v. If that runs stable then I could enable C1E+EIST and at idle I would be 1.35v(just an example) and then my vcore would actually increase to 1.40v still at load? If I got that right then I'd have less heat and pressure on the cpu/pwm at idle and still the same setting I want when under load gaming ect? How exactly does C1E+EIST determine when to up the CPU back to 9x and 1.40 vcore? Is it when there's any activity on the CPU? Or like once the cpu gets over 30% usage or something?

 

[bal3wolf]

True unless your playing a muti threaded game i had them heat my cpu up to 60c befor i had my tuniq tower. i managed to get 7x to post 450 with same vcore with c1e and est off but soon as i upped the fsb it no longer would post. Ran boinc seti@home for 15mins never got over 51c so i guess im safe to run 3700mhz maybe even 3800 depending on vcore needed.

 

[coreyb]

The crucial should work even though its rated at 2.2v? Man, I was so sure it was my ram that's the problem...now you're telling me it could be the GPU ($600) ... or the mobo...that sucks.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: SilentAssassin

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
All P35 boards will "droop" when you overclock a quad CPU. Expect to see a drop of 0.08 to 0.10V from the BIOS setting. To work around this problem, you must enable C1E and EIST in BIOS and run the CPU at default multiplier. Be sure power options in windows is set to minimal power mode. If you need 1.40V under full load to run @ 3.6GHz, then dial in 1.50V in BIOS. When idling or under medium load, the CPU will throttle to about 1.33V with 6x multiplier (same FSB speed). When priming, the CPU will see 1.40V with 9x multiplier. With this strategy, the CPU will run cool at low load, and be able to pass Orthos under full load.

The IP35-E's PWM temperature should remain below 65C, even with an oveclocked quad. Light air flow around the MOSFET region should keep peak temperature under 60C.

If I understand what you said, that should make the vdroop from the board not be a problem at all then. Can't believe I forgot about C1E and EIST. So lets say I test it at 400x9 with a 1:1 ratio for the ram and C1E+EIST disabled. With the bios vcore set to 1.50v, lets say actual idle is 1.48v and then load is 1.40v. If that runs stable then I could enable C1E+EIST and at idle I would be 1.35v(just an example) and then my vcore would actually increase to 1.40v still at load? If I got that right then I'd have less heat and pressure on the cpu/pwm at idle and still the same setting I want when under load gaming ect? How exactly does C1E+EIST determine when to up the CPU back to 9x and 1.40 vcore? Is it when there's any activity on the CPU? Or like once the cpu gets over 30% usage or something?

Correct. With C1E and EIST enabled and the proper power setting in windows, the maximum Vcore your CPU will see will be the FULL LOAD voltage. The pre-programmed logic in the CPU will automatically ramp up Vcore and multiplier as needed (usually when CPU load approaches 100%). This happens in a few clock cycles (less than a millisecond).C1E is responsible for Vcore, EIST is responsible for 6x/9x multiplier.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: coreyb
The crucial should work even though its rated at 2.2v? Man, I was so sure it was my ram that's the problem...now you're telling me it could be the GPU ($600) ... or the mobo...that sucks.

There is a very high probability that the Crucial B DDR2 800 can boot with 1.8V. The only way to know for sure is to retest with JEDEC 1.8V DDR2 667 or 800 RAM. If you've stripped the board bare (outside the case) with only mouse, keyboard, one stick of RAM, and CPU, then I would suspect the GPU, MB, or PSU. Be sure you've connected the 24/20 pin, 8/4 pin, and the molex pin to the MB (just above PCI-E x 16 slot). Also plug in the supplemental power plug from the GPU if equipped.

Next step is to try to boot with a known good low-powered GPU. If still not video, then you may have an issue with the PSU or MB.

Always disconnect power from PSU, hit power button to discharge board, and reset CMOS before each test.

You could also try a PCI video card.

Again, you must strip the board and retest outside the case to eliminate grounding issue.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Note that many Asus and Gigabyte boards will disengage C1E with a small bump in Vcore. That's why folks are complaining about Vdroop. If you dial in enough juice to run at load, then you have too much juice when idling.

 

[kknd1967]

it is correct. Crucial Ballistix has DDR2-800 5-5-5-15 written in SPD, it works with 1.8v
4-4-4-12 works with 2.2v

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal

Originally posted by: coreyb
The crucial should work even though its rated at 2.2v? Man, I was so sure it was my ram that's the problem...now you're telling me it could be the GPU ($600) ... or the mobo...that sucks.

There is a very high probability that the Crucial B DDR2 800 can boot with 1.8V. The only way to know for sure is to retest with JEDEC 1.8V DDR2 667 or 800 RAM. If you've stripped the board bare (outside the case) with only mouse, keyboard, one stick of RAM, and CPU, then I would suspect the GPU, MB, or PSU. Be sure you've connected the 24/20 pin, 8/4 pin, and the molex pin to the MB (just above PCI-E x 16 slot). Also plug in the supplemental power plug from the GPU if equipped.

Next step is to try to boot with a known good low-powered GPU. If still not video, then you may have an issue with the PSU or MB.

Always disconnect power from PSU, hit power button to discharge board, and reset CMOS before each test.

You could also try a PCI video card.

Again, you must strip the board and retest outside the case to eliminate grounding issue.

 

[conlan]

So, from what i'm reading, it would probably be a good idea to buy a 512MB stick of Kingston N5 to boot from initially, and then just keep it around just in case you need to get back into BIOS due to some memory related failure. $17 shipped seems like cheap wise insurance IMHO.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

It's cheap insurance if you have OCZ stuffs. These modules should be able to hit 400MHz at 2.0V/4-4-4-12-2T timing.

 

[conlan]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
It's cheap insurance if you have OCZ stuffs. These modules should be able to hit 400MHz at 2.0V/4-4-4-12-2T timing.

I was going to order the Crucial Ballistix and the above to CYA.

 

[hokiealumnus]

Serpent, I may be lucky or something, but I've never had trouble booting into bios @ 1.8 to change the Vdimm. Once I had to take one of the sticks out.

Since that once, which was one of the first boots after building it, despite numerous O/C settings attempts (with resulting CMOS clearings ) and four total BIOS flashes (11 to beta 13 to 12 to beta 13 back to 12 (don't ask)), I've always gotten into the BIOS.

And now it's running at 450MHz @ 2.0v (granted @ 5-5-5-15-2T timing).

You know your stuff, don't get me wrong and think I'm trying to 'correct' ANYTHING you say, just putting out there that the two sticks of 1G OCZ Platinum Rev.2 PC-6400 that I have are doing quite well for themselves.

-----

In case anyone's interested, I've gotten great results with my setup. It looks similar to the last one I posted but I made a total novice mistake. I put the multi at 9x WITHOUT turning off C1E & EIST! Oops...reflashed BIOS (at the suggestion of Master of None on the abit boards) to make sure that problem was definitely taken care of. FOLLOW SERPENT'S ADVICE...C1E and EIST should ONLY be enabled if you use the default multi! Learned the hard way.

NOW, I've got THIS system (see sig below) running at THIS speed...and it's rock solid after hours of gaming, Orthos testing, Sandra benchmarking and two runs of PCMark05.

If anyone wants to try it with a similar system, BIOS settings are:

300Mhz FSB
10x CPU Multi
1:1.5 CPU : DRAM ratio
1.345Vcore
2.05Vdimm (actual running voltage = 2.0)
5-5-5-15-2T timings
(Everything else is default...except turning off the flash screen and putting HDD as the first boot device)

Woot! This is as far as I'm willing to take the temps (JUST under 70C) on stock CPU cooling, a two-fan PSU and four case fans. Couldn't be happier though, 50% CPU & FSB O/C and 900Mhz DDR2!

Thank you Serpent for all your work on this thread. Definitely could not have obtained this without your helpful and accurate advice & guidance.

THIS BOARD IS AWESOME!