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

[rbk123]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
13 is a tad slower. Speed drop amounts to a loss of 100-150MHz core speed. No speed drop between 11 and 12.

That sucks. Looks like I'll continue with the double boot since I reboot very infrequently but when I'm on it, I use my cpu most of the time.


Also, doesn't the 21XX chip have some additional instructions turned off vs. the 4xxx chip? I believe it was video encoding related circuitry. This would impact performance for those apps above any cache impact.

 

[jonmcc33]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
My current advice is to stay away from ANTEC TRIO and CORSAIR 520/620 if you plan to use IP35-E/IP35/IP35 Pro. There is no need to play Russian Roulette when there are many quality PSUs out there for $50 or less. Antec Earthwatts 430 is currently $30 AR at NewEgg. Earthwatts 500 was $50 out-the-door at Frys' B&M.

http://forum.abit-usa.com/show...6ec8e25c30bda&t=129727

My Abit IP35-E works fine with my Corsair HX520. Overclocked Core 2 Duo E6400 to 3.2GHz @ 400FSB so far.

 

[rodrigu3]

yep no problems on my corsair hx620w

Also, looked at my temps on both coretemp and speedfan and I've got my cpu down to 28C at idle. Judging from others that looks pretty damn good. Looks like my lapping escapade worked.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: rbk123

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
13 is a tad slower. Speed drop amounts to a loss of 100-150MHz core speed. No speed drop between 11 and 12.

That sucks. Looks like I'll continue with the double boot since I reboot very infrequently but when I'm on it, I use my cpu most of the time.


Also, doesn't the 21XX chip have some additional instructions turned off vs. the 4xxx chip? I believe it was video encoding related circuitry. This would impact performance for those apps above any cache impact.

Only difference between E21x0 and E4xx0 is the cache size.

 

[daywiss]

"Note that only the CPU and SYSTEM fan headers have automatic fan control. The other two fan headers run at full speed (+12VDC) all the time. You can also wire two fans in parallel and connect them to a single CPU or SYSTEM fan header. IP35-E has a very robust output at the fan header. Therefore, the board can easily supply 1A of output current to drive two fans. "

i have a question about powering multilple fans from the system header... first of all how do u wire them in parallel, or is that as simple as daisy chaining them? second, how do u determine the limit/size of fans you can hook up to this? i have a ~200mm fan on my case as well as some other fans(antec 900 case) and would like to control at least the 200mm fan. thanks for the info!

 

[harbin]

Anybody know if HP D9HNL 667Mhz memory works on this board?

 

[Replay]

Originally posted by: harbin
Anybody know if HP D9HNL 667Mhz memory works on this board?

Best of 5 sticks can do 470 Mhz at bios default timings and vdimm. The worst stick does 430 MHz, memtest86 stable.

 

[Replay]

Originally posted by: daywiss
i have a question about powering multilple fans from the system header... first of all how do u wire them in parallel, or is that as simple as daisy chaining them? second, how do u determine the limit/size of fans you can hook up to this?...

I pull out the sockets from the fan plug, solder header pins to the red 12v and black ground leads, then put the sockets back into the plug. Then I can plug and unplug an extra fan on top of the lower fan plug. Just did over a couple of systems this way. Tape them up or heat shrink the plugs together for a mechanically secure connection if you like.

As for the limit on one header, I don't know how much current they can deliver, but if they are good for one amp then you can do several fans on a header, just add up the amperage that each fan uses (most are around 0.15, 0.25 amps apiece).

 

[Bonesdad]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal


UPDATE 10-25-07

I've seen quite a few confirmed reports about Antec Trio and Corsair 520/620 not playing nice with some Asus and Abit boards. Either no light/no fan, or light + fan but no POST. Some say that the problem can be fixed when you disconnect the floppy. There are people without floppy, and still no boot!

My current advice is to stay away from ANTEC TRIO and CORSAIR 520/620 if you plan to use IP35-E/IP35/IP35 Pro. There is no need to play Russian Roulette when there are many quality PSUs out there for $50 or less. Antec Earthwatts 380, 400, and 500 (80+ efficiency) are compatible with this board. You can find the 500 at Staples. All built by Seasonic with a single +12VDC rail (marketed as dual rail). My sample comes with one Nippon Chemi-con as the main filter cap. I've seen these priced between $20 and $50 after rebate. 380 should be sufficient for a basic rig without high-end GPU.

http://forum.abit-usa.com/show...6ec8e25c30bda&t=129727

Arghhhh!!! If only I had read this post before now...

I installed my brand new HX520 this morning onto my IP35E...totally uneventful install, no problems at all...except when I turned it on. Not really eventful then either, actually. Everything starts running, does the double boot...then nothing. Never initializes, no video, no chance to get into bios...nothing. So I spend most of my day tinkering to no avail. Even put on the Seasonic SuperTornado that had been running the system for a week. But nothing works now. Then I find this post. Like I said...Arghhhh!!!!

Did this PSU fry my motherboard? I wouldn't have thought so, except now the old Seasonic single rail won't work anymore either!

Any workarounds for this? Or do I RMA PSU and Motherboard?

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Connect red wire from fan A to red wire from fan B to make a "node". Solder this "node", to the red wire going to the CPU or SYSTEM fan header. Repeat with the black wires.

Look at the amperage rating on each fan. Both should add-up to less than 1A.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: Replay

Originally posted by: harbin
Anybody know if HP D9HNL 667Mhz memory works on this board?

Best of 5 sticks can do 470 Mhz at bios default timings and vdimm. The worst stick does 430 MHz, memtest86 stable.

There ya go. At least 400MHz with 2.0Vdimm and 5-5-5-15-2T timing.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: Bonesdad

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal


UPDATE 10-25-07

I've seen quite a few confirmed reports about Antec Trio and Corsair 520/620 not playing nice with some Asus and Abit boards. Either no light/no fan, or light + fan but no POST. Some say that the problem can be fixed when you disconnect the floppy. There are people without floppy, and still no boot!

My current advice is to stay away from ANTEC TRIO and CORSAIR 520/620 if you plan to use IP35-E/IP35/IP35 Pro. There is no need to play Russian Roulette when there are many quality PSUs out there for $50 or less. Antec Earthwatts 380, 400, and 500 (80+ efficiency) are compatible with this board. You can find the 500 at Staples. All built by Seasonic with a single +12VDC rail (marketed as dual rail). My sample comes with one Nippon Chemi-con as the main filter cap. I've seen these priced between $20 and $50 after rebate. 380 should be sufficient for a basic rig without high-end GPU.

http://forum.abit-usa.com/show...6ec8e25c30bda&t=129727

Arghhhh!!! If only I had read this post before now...

I installed my brand new HX520 this morning onto my IP35E...totally uneventful install, no problems at all...except when I turned it on. Not really eventful then either, actually. Everything starts running, does the double boot...then nothing. Never initializes, no video, no chance to get into bios...nothing. So I spend most of my day tinkering to no avail. Even put on the Seasonic SuperTornado that had been running the system for a week. But nothing works now. Then I find this post. Like I said...Arghhhh!!!!

Did this PSU fry my motherboard? I wouldn't have thought so, except now the old Seasonic single rail won't work anymore either!

Any workarounds for this? Or do I RMA PSU and Motherboard?

Model number of your RAM?

Let's take the MB outside the case and put it on the shipping box. Strip it bare like you're going to RMA the board. Install CPU, CPU cooler, mouse, keyboard, GPU, and one stick of RAM (I'm hoping that you have 1.8V DDR2 667 or 800). DO NOT CONNECT any HDD or optical drive yet. Connect the 24-pin and 8-pin plugs from the PSU to the MB (do not attach power to PSU, yet). Remove the battery on the MB for about 1/2 hour. Put the CMOS jumper in the clear position. Put back battery and CMOS jumper. Now short the two power pins on the MB's header with a screw driver to start the board. Look for red and green LEDs. The fan should start, stop, then restart. You should see a display on the monitor. Hit DELETE to access BIOS. Once you're in BIOS, then you need to change RAM voltage and RAM timing if you have "overclocking" RAMs. Hit F10 to save BIOS.

If the PC will not POST (blank screen), then turn off the power at the PSU. Move the RAM to another slot and restart the PC. Also try the other stick of RAM.

Still no POST? I'd go to Staples and try the Antec Earthwatts 500. You can return the PSU if it doesn't work with your PC.

 

[ToLive]

I know it's a dumb question but I'm really concerning about the Abit board quality now:
My question is: will the IP35 / IP35-E or even IP35 Pro be as reliable as those top boards from other manufacturers like Asus and Gigabyte? I'm asking this question because I just got my IP35 last week planning to use it as a RAID 5, but last night when I was changing the SATA cables, one of the SATA socket was unplugged off from the motherboard together...Also, I had a Abit BH-7 motherboard several years ago, it died in less than 1 year, to be honest, before I pulled the trigger for the IP35, I was hesitating for several days on whether I should donate to Abit again because of so many nice reviews...

 

[SerpentRoyal]

There are confirmed reports about bad solder joints at the SATA plugs. I'm aware of five cases so we can probably expect 100-200 in the field. Could be a bad batch as company migrate from lead to no-lead. The core electronics are very similar between vendors. That leaves bells and whistles. If there are no hot spots on the MB (IP35 boards run cool), then durability should not be an issue. These boards come with 3 yr warranty.

 

[Falcon4AF]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal


UPDATE 10-25-07

I've seen quite a few confirmed reports about Antec Trio and Corsair 520/620 not playing nice with some Asus and Abit boards. Either no light/no fan, or light + fan but no POST. Some say that the problem can be fixed when you disconnect the floppy. There are people without floppy, and still no boot!

My current advice is to stay away from ANTEC TRIO and CORSAIR 520/620 if you plan to use IP35-E/IP35/IP35 Pro. There is no need to play Russian Roulette when there are many quality PSUs out there for $50 or less. Antec Earthwatts 380, 400, and 500 (80+ efficiency) are compatible with this board. You can find the 500 at Staples. All built by Seasonic with a single +12VDC rail (marketed as dual rail). My sample comes with one Nippon Chemi-con as the main filter cap. I've seen these priced between $20 and $50 after rebate. 380 should be sufficient for a basic rig without high-end GPU.


Great thread Serpent,I have a Corsair 620 with this board and have no problems,funny thing is it`s built by Seasonic.Go figure.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Yes...appears to be related to pricier Seasonic PSUs. The Antec Earthwatts is the Seasonic "value" PSU. No compatibility issue with Abit and Asus boards.

 

[HocusFocus]

I have the Antec True Power Trio 550 and this board with the HP cheapo rams and I've only gotten pleasure out of this board. I had a little trouble with a bad stick of ram but they replaced it really fast and paid return shipping. This experience has been really smooth and I owe most of it to SerpentRoyal. I didn't follow his recommendation for the cpu. I went and got the E6750. Whew boy! This thing is fast!!!!!
HF

 

[Bonesdad]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
[
Model number of your RAM?

Let's take the MB outside the case and put it on the shipping box. Strip it bare like you're going to RMA the board. Install CPU, CPU cooler, mouse, keyboard, GPU, and one stick of RAM (I'm hoping that you have 1.8V DDR2 667 or 800). DO NOT CONNECT any HDD or optical drive yet. Connect the 24-pin and 8-pin plugs from the PSU to the MB (do not attach power to PSU, yet). Remove the battery on the MB for about 1/2 hour. Put the CMOS jumper in the clear position. Put back battery and CMOS jumper. Now short the two power pins on the MB's header with a screw driver to start the board. Look for red and green LEDs. The fan should start, stop, then restart. You should see a display on the monitor. Hit DELETE to access BIOS. Once you're in BIOS, then you need to change RAM voltage and RAM timing if you have "overclocking" RAMs. Hit F10 to save BIOS.

If the PC will not POST (blank screen), then turn off the power at the PSU. Move the RAM to another slot and restart the PC. Also try the other stick of RAM.

Still no POST? I'd go to Staples and try the Antec Earthwatts 500. You can return the PSU if it doesn't work with your PC.

OK, spent the day, doing the above...no luck. My RAM is Crucial Ballistix...2.2V I believe. I have a couple of sticks of the 1.8v on order (for another system). Problem is, the Ballistix the same RAM I had in there before I swapped out the PSU for the Corsair and it worked fine. I put my old Seasonic 400W Supertornado PSU back in, a single 12V rail if I'm not mistaken; same result using it as I had with the Corsair. Starting to think the Corsair blasted my motherboard...but I'll wait until I get my hands on the new memory before an RMA. I've no way of testing the video cards or the CPU to see if they are still operational.

I can still try the Earthwatts, but if the Seasonic no longer works (as it did for about 2 weeks on the Abit) I think it's a waste of time.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

If the 1.8V RAM won't boot, then you should RMA the board. I also concur that something must have happened to the MB when you try to POST with the Corsair PSU. There was life, and then POOF.

You may want to pull the power from the old PSU. Remove battery and put CMOS in clear position. Wait 1/2 day. Put back battery and jumper. Connect power to the old PSU and attempt to POST.

It is very rare for a PSU to damage the CPU. If the GPU is bad, then you should still get life from the MB (fan, green and red LEDs).

Are you local to S Cal?

 

[mrgrey1970]

First, let me say this board is great. I currently have an e6550 running at 3.0 Ghz on stock cooling. Temps can run up to 56-57c under stess, but I think this is within safe limits. Idle it rests at 29-31c - certainly a lot cooler than my previous AMD64 3700+

I did wonder if it really was necessary to plug in the extra molex power supply (ATX4P1) as my gfx card (an ATI X1950XTX kindly donated to me) already had a 6 pin supply connected to it. I`ve read most of the posts on here and it was not certain if it was required or not. But I did notice my card started running very hot and there were noteable glitches in the graphics (especially the new Crysis demo). Another thing I noticed was the AUX/PWM temp reading in Speedfan used to rise drastically to the high 60s, low 70s under stress.

So this morning I bit the bullet and unplugged the molex from the motherboard and rebooted fine. I first ran a 3dmark 03 benchmark the check the gfx card and all was fine. I ran the Crysis demo and the glitches are gone. The temps on my card have dropped significantly and the AUX/PWM reading in Speedfan touches 47-48c under stress.

So I think I can definately state that the extra power supplied by the ATX4P1 is NOT needed, on my system, at least.

A quick question though, if I may: I have 2x1Gb Geil DDR2-800 GX22GB6400UDC rated 4-4-4-12. If I leave it up the mobo it selects 5-5-5-18. I have manually changed it to it`s rated values, and pumped the recommended 2.1v into them. Is this correct or should I loosen the timings? I am all new to this oc lark and messing about with memory timings is something I`ve never done before, so just want to make sure I`m doing right.

Thanks

 

[SerpentRoyal]

I don't use the molex plug because I have a low-powered GPU. In your case, the extra power is already supplied via the 6-pin plug. You can run at 4-4-4-12-2T as long as the RAM can pass Memtest86, test #5 for 50 loops. Use the lowest Vdimm to achieve stability. You can also overclock the RAM by using 1:1.20 memory divider.

 

[mrgrey1970]

Thanks for that Serpentroyal. I can`t run Memtest as it has to go on a floppy (?) and my system does not have one. Is there another way to test the memory? The ram is currently running at 429Mhz. Geil recommend that I use 2.1v with this ram?

Are my core and PWM temps ok and what would you reckon they are safe up to as I`d like to see how far I can push my e6550? And what is the PWM?

Sorry for so many questions

 

[Casey712]

Nice review and in spite of the terrible tech support for an unsolved problem on my IP35-Pro, I like it. Its my first build and, as my instructor says, its been a "troubleshooting opportunity" for me. I've learned a lot.

My system seems to stutter and hesitate at times - I notice it when I'm moving the mouse across the desktop, and most frustratingly, when I'm trying to play music on my 5.1 Klipsch speakers. The audio freeze seems to be worse when I am doing something else, like starting another program.

My system:

IP35-Pro
2G DDR2 (1GBx2) Corsair PC-6400
(Had Crucial size config orginally, but tried Corsair - no difference)
Intel Core2 Duo E6600 2.4GHz
Sondigo Inferno Sound Card

I have checked for hardware conflicts, checked my case for errant hardware, tried another pci slot for my sound card, tried the onboard sound, updated all drivers, flashed the BIOS, tried two different makes of memory, tried my speaker system on another computer.

Nothing works. Could it be a bad PCI bus? Is there anything else I can try before I send my motherboard back? I'm really trying to avoid that as ABIT has abysmal (actually non-existent) tech support.

Thanks

 

[hokiealumnus]

Originally posted by: mrgrey1970
Thanks for that Serpentroyal. I can`t run Memtest as it has to go on a floppy (?) and my system does not have one. Is there another way to test the memory? The ram is currently running at 429Mhz. Geil recommend that I use 2.1v with this ram?

Are my core and PWM temps ok and what would you reckon they are safe up to as I`d like to see how far I can push my e6550? And what is the PWM?

Sorry for so many questions

You can actually burn Memtest to a CD and run it from there, just set your optical drive as the first boot device.

PWM temps look fine. For core temps, you can use Speedfan but make sure you're using the latest beta of version 4.34. If you're using 4.33, it will under-report your core temperatures by 15c. You can either offset them in 4.33 +15 or you can get the beta, which correctly identifies the stepping of your CPU.

You can also try CoreTemp to see your core temperatures but nothing else. I use Speedfan b/c it reads all the other ones plus controls my fans. When testing for stability at high overclocks, I have them both running because I'm paranoid like that.

 

[hokiealumnus]

Originally posted by: Casey712
I have checked for hardware conflicts, checked my case for errant hardware, tried another pci slot for my sound card, tried the onboard sound, updated all drivers, flashed the BIOS, tried two different makes of memory, tried my speaker system on another computer.

Nothing works. Could it be a bad PCI bus?

When you say you've tried the onboard sound, I'm assuming you meant you took your Sondigo out while doing so. If not, remove the Sondigo altogether and boot up.

If the problem persists, it will at least eliminate that as the issue. If it goes away, you could either have an IRQ conflict somewhere, something else taking all the PCI bandwidth up, or a bad card.

Have you tried posting over at the ABIT forums? They have great folks over there that help however they can.