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

[SerpentRoyal]

Don't think so.

 

[slightlyhuman]

no idea why my rig died:

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2120650&enterthread=y

any help appreciated!

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Take the MB outside the case and put it on the shipping box. Strip it bare. Install only the CPU, GPU, mouse, keyboard, and one Kingston N5 RAM. Remove battery and place CMOS jumper in clear position. Wait 1/2 hour. Put back battery and CMOS jumper. Connect 24/20 and 8/4 pin power plugs. Connect extra power to GPU as needed. Connect PSU to the wall. Short the two power pins on the MB. If PC will not POST, then try the other Kingston RAM. Also try another GPU.

Still no go? Probably a bad PSU. You can try an Earthwatts 500 from Staples.

 

[fatalcure]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
No issue with Tuniq. IP35-E should be able to achieve the same level or better overclock. It's best to stick with default multi to take advantage of C1E and EIST. Maximum FSB will generally be higher, too. Core speed is KING! Use the memory divider to overclock RAMs if you want to extract a little more speed.

yes, core speed is king, but wouldn't 437fsb x 8x be faster than 389fsb x 9x multiplier? Same core speed, higher fsb...i don't think be able to push my e6600 at 437fsb x 9x multi...

w/ the e6550, unless i can get 500fsb, i'll stick w/ the e6600 on the ip35-e

also, i believe on my current rig h have c1e cist disabled anyway

 

[hokiealumnus]

Originally posted by: fatalcure

yes, core speed is king, but wouldn't 437fsb x 8x be faster than 389fsb x 9x multiplier? Same core speed, higher fsb...i don't think be able to push my e6600 at 437fsb x 9x multi...

w/ the e6550, unless i can get 500fsb, i'll stick w/ the e6600 on the ip35-e

also, i believe on my current rig h have c1e cist disabled anyway

In theory and with benchmarks, yes, the lowered multi & higher FSB will be faster. Real-world difference will be negligible. That said, since I'm Folding@Home 24/7, I have C1E & EIST disabled anyway, so why not run 334x9 instead of 300x10?

It ultimately depends on whether you want to take advantage of those CPU features or not.

 

[fatalcure]

Originally posted by: hokiealumnus
In theory and with benchmarks, yes, the lowered multi & higher FSB will be faster. Real-world difference will be negligible. That said, since I'm Folding@Home 24/7, I have C1E & EIST disabled anyway, so why not run 334x9 instead of 300x10?

It ultimately depends on whether you want to take advantage of those CPU features or not.

well, other than that right now i have my ram running at 1:1 also, so its only doing 778...with the higher fsb, i would get faster ram speed as well, still mainting the 1:1 ratio (prob loosen the timings), as the ram i have are d9s, so overall for the same core speed i currently have, it should be a zippier system...
of course this is assuming the board can hit 450+ fsb w/o a sweat

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Again, the CPU should run at a higher core speed with default multi. Use the memory divider if you want to overclock RAMs.

 

[bal3wolf]

But you usualy hit either a vcore wall or heat using the highest muti. I ran my e6600@3.6ghz 450x8 for months till i got 2 more gigs of ram cheaper ram they dont overclock to 900mhz like my gskill ram. I don't really see much impact of me running 400x9 compared to my 450x8 less memory bw is really all superpi and other times are same.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Huh? Higher FSB speed translates to more heat...need to add more NB, SB, VTT, and GTLREF. Again, most chips will achieve a higher core speed with default voltage.

Would you rather drive 60mph in 4th gear or 5th gear?

 

[fatalcure]

well, then i don't see much benefit in me switching out the mobo then for the e6600...i know you say core speed is king, but i prob wont be able to push my e6600 with a 9x multi much farther than 400fsb due to processor gettin to warm, thats not much of a diff than my current OC.

I thought a higher fsb with same core speed of 3.5/3.6 would yield better results and a zippier system due to the increase in fsb, but you're right about the increased head generated by that as well.

i guess i'll forget bout switchin out the mobo, save me a headache

 

[Denithor]

Take a look at the concluding statement from the AT review of FSB on UT3.

The 1333MHz FSB isn't really necessary, while it would make more of a difference at smaller cache sizes, Intel just doesn't offer CPUs with small caches and 1333MHz FSBs.

Large caches? Absolutely. Faster FSB? Not necessary.

The average improvement for 1333 versus 1066 was only 3% for quad core and 2.4% for dual core processors.

Add to that what Serpent pointed out, that pushing FSB up stresses everything else more and generates more heat (overall increases the odds of a failure). If you just want to push your memory to its max use a different divider, don't do it by pushing up the FSB.

 

[hrbngr]

hello,

im about ready to purchase the mobo and was wondering if anyone had particular recommendations for memory and CPU?

SR,
Is the E4300 still the current CPU u recommend? Also, is the Crucial or Kingston memory you have used still available?

Finally, besides Staples, is there anyone selling the earthwatts 500w PS for a pretty good price online?

I have checked Mwave, newegg and zipzoomfly, btw.

 

[Thund3rb1rd]

the egg has the best price on the earthwatts 500 as of today

 

[hrbngr]

yep,

I just checked it out, $79 at the moment, not too bad.

If you have any recommendations on CPUs --in terms of price and good multiplier for this board, please dont hesitate to reply.

they also have the "N5" Kingston memory at $42 after shipping--provided I am looking at the correct memory:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820134116

the Crucial 2x512mb kit looks like a little better value at $32 after shipping:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820146524

I cant seem to find any E4300 cpus for sale however, and the remaining selections are a bit confusing, so any advice here would be great!

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: fatalcure
well, then i don't see much benefit in me switching out the mobo then for the e6600...i know you say core speed is king, but i prob wont be able to push my e6600 with a 9x multi much farther than 400fsb due to processor gettin to warm, thats not much of a diff than my current OC.

I thought a higher fsb with same core speed of 3.5/3.6 would yield better results and a zippier system due to the increase in fsb, but you're right about the increased head generated by that as well.

i guess i'll forget bout switchin out the mobo, save me a headache

Correct...there no need to swap out the MB just for a higher FSB speed.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: hrbngr
hello,

im about ready to purchase the mobo and was wondering if anyone had particular recommendations for memory and CPU?

SR,
Is the E4300 still the current CPU u recommend? Also, is the Crucial or Kingston memory you have used still available?

Finally, besides Staples, is there anyone selling the earthwatts 500w PS for a pretty good price online?

I have checked Mwave, newegg and zipzoomfly, btw.

Wait for another Frys.com sale. Earthwatts 500 was $30 AR this month.

If you're going to use 9x or higher multi CPU, then go with the Kingston N5 DDR2 667 RAMs. Any E21x0 or E4xx0 north of 3.0GHz is blazing fast. If you can get E4xx0 for $70 to $80, then go for it. Otherwise $70 E21x0 will be fine.

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/vie....hmx?scriteria=BA23237

 

[SerpentRoyal]

delete

 

[littleOaf]

SerpentRoyal:[/i]
Are these fans connected to the MB's fan headers? Only the CPU and SYSTEM fan headers are speed-controlled. AUXFAN1 and AUXFAN2 run at full speed (+12VDC).

Go to page 1-8 of manual. Make sure that the red wire from the fan is connected to the +12V pin on the MB. Make sure that the black wire from the fan is connected to the Ground pin on the MB. There is no need to connect the rpm wire to the Control pin of the MB if you don't need to display the fan speed.

If your CPU fan has four wires, then you need to set the BIOS to 4-pin mode for speed control at the CPU fan header. Use CPU reference temperature for the SYSTEM fan header.

If your CPU fan has three wires, then set the BIOS to 3-pin mode for speed control at the CPU fan header. Use CPU reference temperature for the SYSTEM fan header.

Set the CPU target temperature to 50C (best for 12 or higher BIOS).

The PSU fan is controlled by the electronic circuits inside the PSU. I suspect you may have a problem with the PSU. Wait for another Antec Earthwatts 500 sale. Was $30 AR earlier this month from Frys.com.

IP35-E's fan headers are mosfet-driven. Therefore, you should be able to connect two fans in parallel to each fan header.[/i]

I think my post was misleading, sorry. I meant to say that the case fans were switched from the "Fan only" 4-pin Molex connectors on the Antec power supply and switched to the 4-pin Molex connectors on the aforementioned power supply.

I am now pretty sure that the PSU has failing fan control. Whether the PSU dies in the near future or not, I think I will be eyeing the Earthwatts 500 (or higher Watts). My temperatures on CPU do not reach higher than 35C while under stress, I use both CoreTemp and SpeedFan which correlate within 1C, and my video card maxes out at ~64C (using RivaTuner's monitoring) under stress(Crysis SP Demo High settings). I don't know the temperatures or how much the electrical stress is on the PSU, is there a program out there to monitor voltages and temperatures for the PSU? Or is there a way to monitor this via BIOS? Thanks in advance!

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Do not set the BIOS to 4-pin mode if the fan connected to the CPU fan header does not come with a 4th PWM wire. Use 3-pin mode in BIOS if the fan has 3-wire or 2-wire.

Do not use any feedback signal from the MB to control the speed of the PSU. The PSU should come with the necessary electronics to auto adjust fan speed for low-noise operation. Your CPU cannot run at 35C under Orthos unless you're using 11 BIOS. 12 and later BIOS are consistent with Coretemp (+15C higher). I would use Coretemp 0.95.4 to obtain the true core temp of the CPU.

Need a multi-meter to check the voltage of a PSU. I'm not aware of any PSU that will output the internal working temp. If you suspect a defective unit, then send it in for repair.

 

[nyker96]

Quick question does a Tuniq 120 fit on the IP35-E, the NB heatsink seems quite high.

 

[hokiealumnus]

Not positive about the Tuniq, but the Big Typhoon fits like a glove. To wit: Overall system pic & up close showing clearance pic.

 

[hokiealumnus]

Re: High FSB causing high temperatures - Just a quick note regarding my previous posts. I mentioned raising my FSB & dropping the multi to 9x simply to gain the 1333 strap and because I have C1E & EIST disabled anyway. This was a very small increase for me from 300x10 to 333x9 and won't lead to much higher temps / stress on my MB.

In addition, it allows my RAM to run at its rated 400MHz. With 300fsb, I had to choose 375 or 450 with the ratios available (why is there no 1.33 ratio anyway?). I liked 450 but had to run increased voltage (2.05Vdimm actual). @ 400, it only needs 1.95Vdimm, leading to lower temperatures there as well.

However, these folks are correct when you're talking the numbers you're around. Raising from 389 to 450 is plenty fine on this board but will definitely cause temperature increases and most likely a bump in voltage, which will compound that problem. It's fine to do, but you should make sure you have adequate cooling to the NB. The heatsink works fine, but a fan blowing on it would be a good idea.

Anyway, just wanted to clarify. Didn't want anyone to get the impression I was pushing for that kind of jump and increased stress on the board with the small increase in performance it will afford.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: nyker96
Quick question does a Tuniq 120 fit on the IP35-E, the NB heatsink seems quite high.

Yes.

 

[Massium]

I'm going to flash to the v14 bios this weekend. Do I need to reset everything to default before doing this? All I have changed is RAM voltage/timing and some fan pin / fan speed settings.

I don't remember seeing this information anywhere in this thread... Thanks.

 

[DusterAZ]

Originally posted by: Massium
I'm going to flash to the v14 bios this weekend. Do I need to reset everything to default before doing this? All I have changed is RAM voltage/timing and some fan pin / fan speed settings.

I don't remember seeing this information anywhere in this thread... Thanks.

You want to clear the CMOS jumper and then go into the BIOS, load optimized defaults and save after loading the new BIOS. This worked fine for me going from 11 -> 14.