Asrock 4CoreDual-SATA2 + ASRock 4CoreDual-VSTA + ASRock 775Dual-VSTA

[Hal1000]

First thanks to Hlafordlaes for the thanks earlier, second I went to the bios d/l on the last post about it - but all the bios link does at least for 2.39a, is link to another useless page. Just wondering if anyone has a working d/l link for this bios?

Next question, is it worth trying to overclock a system with my spec - (as described on the last page) ddr1 400mhz ram being an issue in my head.

P.s. Wife got in the way of an upgrade to core I5 this month or 3, so thought I would try a little overclocking. My current setup let's me go a few mhz, but then dies, but I know my chip will handle it no prop's.

Thanks in advance for any help and advice. Now I'm of to argue with the ruler of my wallet?

 

[PureHazard]

Just curious, what is the PCIe setting in the BIOS? I though I read somewhere that if you bump up the frequency a little bit, then it would run stable. The 4300 should have no problems running @ 2.6, stock volts. I had one running @ 2.85 for a couple of years.

No clue about the BIOS settings. After fighting with the computer for 2 days, I got everything on default except for the 2 PCI-Express options that needed to be disabled to work with the GTX 460.

Not all E4300 are created equal. This may be one that needed better cooling than stock and a little more juice. Who knows. He's content with the performance for now.

First thanks to Hlafordlaes for the thanks earlier, second I went to the bios d/l on the last post about it - but all the bios link does at least for 2.39a, is link to another useless page. Just wondering if anyone has a working d/l link for this bios?

Next question, is it worth trying to overclock a system with my spec - (as described on the last page) ddr1 400mhz ram being an issue in my head.

Not sure about the link so I uploaded it to Rapidshare. Only 10 downloads before it gets deleted.

http://rapidshare.com/files/409836973/4CoreDual-VSTA_2.39a_Boot_pctreiber.net.zip

It's an bootable ISO image. After booting, I was scratching my head wondering why I couldn't find the flash program/BIN file before I realized it was D drive.

Alternatively, you can always extract it and make your own bootable USB stick or floppy.

P.s. Wife got in the way of an upgrade to core I5 this month or 3, so thought I would try a little overclocking. My current setup let's me go a few mhz, but then dies, but I know my chip will handle it no prop's.

Thanks in advance for any help and advice. Now I'm of to argue with the ruler of my wallet?

I know what it's like except last Christmas, my wife had to get me to upgrade her system. Ended up with an i7 920/X58A-UD5/6GB/XFX 5850 Black Edition/Corsair TX750/Lian-Li PC-7FN/Logitech G9/Steelseries Merc Illuminating keyboard. Now she's waiting for me to grab another 5850 for Crossfire and another 6GB of RAM. Will be looking at something like a Crucial C300 when they make a 128GB one at a more reasonable price.

Now I live with the old systems we have. It's not so bad. Will try to upgrade the old M2N-E mobo with a AMD Phenom II x6. I know that the Phenom IIs will work on the board as long as it's 95W or less (125W doesn't work because of a hardware issue) so I'm guessing the new mysterious 5001 BIOS will add x6 95W support (1035T, new 1055T and future 1045T).

 

[Hal1000]

Thanks a lot PureHazard I d/l it, I am now telling the kids about just how good the games will look, with a new system, she listens to them, more than me.

 

[KimaX]

I'm having issues trying to get the 775dual-vsta (with bios 3.19a) working with a PNY 9800GT card and was hoping to get some guidance.

Here is the card:
http://www3.pny.com/9800-GT-512MB-PCIe-P2814C331.aspx

Everything works fine with a 6600 AGP card, but once I remove that card and install the 9800GT, the system won't POST....just a black screen on the monitor. At first I thought it was a PSU problem so I upgraded to an OCZ600MXSP. With the new PSU installed, I still can't get the system to POST.

I then tried changing bios settings such as disabling PCI-e options and SpeedStep, but that didn't seem to work.

I read some posts from others that the 9800GT worked with this board so I'm not sure why I'm having issues with the card.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[Sturmer]

Greetings,

I'm looking for bios 2.39a for the 4coredual-vsta and the flash utility to flash it. If someone can point me to a download link or email it, it would be much appreciated.

-Thanks

 

[PureHazard]

Greetings,

I'm looking for bios 2.39a for the 4coredual-vsta and the flash utility to flash it. If someone can point me to a download link or email it, it would be much appreciated.

-Thanks

Bootable CD Image
http://rapidshare.com/files/409836973/4CoreDual-VSTA_2.39a_Boot_pctreiber.net.zip

 

[Hlafordlaes]

Greetings,

I'm looking for bios 2.39a for the 4coredual-vsta and the flash utility to flash it. If someone can point me to a download link or email it, it would be much appreciated.

-Thanks

Here is a link to the latest BIOS, WinFlash, ASRFlash (DOS), and the MAC address recovery tool for when a BIOS flash messes up the network port address. Also available is a copy of Instant Boot (not latest) and an experimental video driver for AGP+PCIe SLI (superNOT tested and never used; on file for a braver moment).

Here is the original 4CoreDual-VSTA thread for those seeking BIOS settings (have to read thru quite a few posts to get the goodies), and a link to some in-depth arcane BIOS memory settings and explanations.

Hope this is helpful to you and a few other new posters just getting into this board.

 

[TaranScorp]

Which CPU that this board takes would be best for video encoding?
I'm using a Intel 7500 dual-core overclocked to 3.2 right now and was was wondering if there is faster CPU that I could use that would make a noticeable difference.
Any news on Quad 1333fsb CPU's working in this board?

 

[Sturmer]

Bios updated! Thanks.

Hopefully this bios allows me to install a Radeon HD 5770.

 

[Deanodarlo]

Have all the beta Bios files for the 4core been removed from pctreiber.net?

http://www.pctreiber.net/filebase.php?fileid=3260&lim=40

I tried to direct someone to their bios collection as they want to use an E7200, but the pages have been removed????

I wonder why? That was a key resource for 4core users. Or have they been moved somewhere?

Hmm, sorry that these links didn't work. Thanks for those who have uploaded elsewhere.

The question still remains however - why did pctreiber.net take these bios files down. The 4core series is such a great board on a budget and can still be found quite easily.

Oh by the way - I did a reinstall of XP and used all the latest drivers - Hibernation now works properly even with 2GB RAM.

I love this board - it's my general work, file storage and internet surfing machine - uses very little power with an E7200, X800 XT PE and SB Audigy 2 ZS.

Have a Q9650 for gaming, but that eats watts for general stuff.

 

[Hlafordlaes]

Hmm, sorry that these links didn't work. Thanks for those who have uploaded elsewhere.

The question still remains however - why did pctreiber.net take these bios files down. The 4core series is such a great board on a budget and can still be found quite easily.

Oh by the way - I did a reinstall of XP and used all the latest drivers - Hibernation now works properly even with 2GB RAM.

I love this board - it's my general work, file storage and internet surfing machine - uses very little power with an E7200, X800 XT PE and SB Audigy 2 ZS.

Have a Q9650 for gaming, but that eats watts for general stuff.

For all and sundry, I have a pretty complete collection of all official and pc-treiber BIOSes for the 4CoreDual-VSTA, which you can get by PM.

I, too, love my trusty 4Core.

 

[krezo]

I have been offered the saphire raedon hd 4870x2 PCi-E video card for a cheap price and was wondering if its compatible with the ASRock 4core-dual sata2 on the latest 2.20a bios? also would i get much of a performance boost to my current setup and being on a PCI-E 4x speed would i only lose about 5%-15% performance from a PCI-E 16x slot?

Setup:
MoBo: ASRock 4core-dual sata2 Bios 2.20a
CPU: e7500 @3.2ghz (Stable @290mhz FSB)
RAM: 2x 2gb Corsair6400C5 (1:1 @290mhz)
GPU: Sapphire RADEON HD 3850 AGP
PSU: 650w Corsair

3DMark06 score: 11059

Cheers

 

[Hlafordlaes]

@krezo,

In a rush, but the 2.20a sounds like the latest official bios for the -SATA2. If so, the ASRock site for your board would state if the 4870 is supported. But I recommend finding the latest pc-treiber bioses, which for several versions now have supported 48xx cards on the boards in this thread.

 

[Hlafordlaes]

@krezo,

In a rush, but the 2.20a sounds like the latest official bios for the -SATA2. If so, the ASRock site for your board would state if the 4870 is supported. But I recommend finding the latest pc-treiber bioses, which for several versions now have supported 48xx cards on the boards in this thread.

 

[BuuBox]

Anyone having troubles with the 775Dual-Vsta running 3.19a BIOS and the PCI-E card running at 1x on a cold boot?

The video card is a XFX Nvidia 7600GT. If I reboot it runs at 4x as expected. Tried changing some of the BIOS settings as with the suggestions on here to get newer cards running but unfortunately no change.

Edit: the following settings seem to have solved it:

1. PCIE Downstream Pipeline to DISABLE
2. PCIE VCI Request Queue to DISABLE

Old board is running well with the aforementioned 7600GT and a E6600.

 

[Lazlo Panaflex]

Hey guys, FYI & OT - if anyone's looking to unload their Dual-VSTA, 4Core, etc., please LMK. I need one.

Thanks

 

[i_am_jwk]

Hi all,

Seeing as this seems to be the most knowledgeable community I can find re: the 4core series of boards (possibly tied with PCTreiber, but being in English natively is a huge plus ) and that all of my searching hasn't been able to answer my main question with this board, I thought I would register here and see if anyone has any input on the matter.

I recently received a 4Coredual-SATA2 R2.0 and a C2Q Q9550 (E0). Per the CPU support list on ASRock's page (http://www.asrock.com/mb/cpu.asp?Model=4CoreDual-SATA2%20R2.0), the Core 2 Quad Q9550 is supported in all 3 revisions, with only the single caveat that the "FSB may be reduced 5%." My problem is that since installing the CPU, it will not run above a 266 MHz bus speed, with a capped 8.5 multiplier (it can be reduced in the BIOS, but not increased), resulting in a CPU speed of 2.26 GHz rather than its potential 2.83 GHz stock speed or the "advertised" 95% speed of 2.69GHz.

I have contacted ASRock about 4 days ago and have yet to receive a reply, and cannot find any posts dealing directly with this supposedly "supported" processor on any forums I have checked. The closest I have seen are discussions on 8400's that people have tried, that again ran into the same problem of the FSB not being capable of anything near the CPU's potential (though I thought that this problem might be somehow addressed in the BIOS or at the hardware level for the "supported" models).

Other info:
BIOS revision 2.20 (Official, pre-installed on the motherboard before purchase)
Corsair TWIN2x4096-6400C5C memory kit running at 667 MHz, CAS 5
Sapphire Radeon X1950 Pro 512 MB AGP
Enermax NoiseTaker II 485W PSU
Northbridge is reported as a PT880 Pro (rather than Ultra) by CPU-Z
I have no idea which Clock Generator I have (not reported by Sandra, and I am not in the mood to tear the computer apart again just yet to get at it after finally getting everything running - the RAM was finnicky. ) [*Edit* After a bit more searching and playing with SetFSB, it would appear I have an ICS953002DFLF, which according to threads such as http://www.pctreiber.net/forum/inte...dualvsta_overclockingtipps_tweaks_8602.0.html is apparently really, REALLY bad news, if I have to resort to oc'ing the fsb. Edit 2: SetFSB reads accurate information using that ICS code, but apparently does not write to it... So I suppose I actually may have yet another undiscovered part #... ARGH!]

Any help/insight would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. On a side note, Sandra also reports that my CPU is only rated up to 1.188 volts, and that it is being run over-volted at 1.28 volts. Should I be at all concerned?

 

[Hlafordlaes]

None of the VIA PT880 boards supports a 333MHz FSB. Since I have the -VSTA, I was surprised to even see the Q9550 listed as supported on the -SATA2 when I checked the ASRock site. At 266x8.5 you are getting what you should on this chipset. You may be able to overclock to say 280~290 FSB.

 

[i_am_jwk]

None of the VIA PT880 boards supports a 333MHz FSB. Since I have the -VSTA, I was surprised to even see the Q9550 listed as supported on the -SATA2 when I checked the ASRock site. At 266x8.5 you are getting what you should on this chipset. You may be able to overclock to say 280~290 FSB.

I was honestly equally surprised at the "one of these things is not like the others" nature of the Q9550 showing up in the supported CPU list, but thought that perhaps there was some inherent change to the functionality of the R2.0 model of the board (further isolating the CPU's external FSB from the real bus speeds for memory and the northbridge, perhaps, as is possible with all of the expansion slots) that would allow it to work with only the mild underclock stated on their site. Heck, they already support a 1066 MHz fsb and DDR2 667 RAM on boards that say they have a PT880 Pro chipset (which officially supports neither - though the Ultra does), so I thought maybe some similar trickery had been achieved with the Ultra.

I suppose it may essentially be a bit of a moot point for now, since the increased RAM and cpu power (even with the rediculous underclock, this processor still absolutely smokes a Pentium 4 3.2 HT) have finally gotten me to a point where my video card is once again the bottleneck, but unless things change dramatically from this point, I will almost certainly want/need a new motherboard to go along with any future pci-e graphics card upgrade to really help the rest of the system to reach its potential.

It's too bad, really... I'd read a lot of positive things of what people were able to accomplish with these boards (4 gig ram support, extra supported video card series, etc.), so I hardly expected to be let down so greatly in an area that was supposedly "within spec" on the ASRock website.

 

[Hlafordlaes]

Well, you could always go to VR-Zone and do the hardware mods to get up to 333MHz, but I think it's not worth the bother. These boards are quirky but fun; VIA's last hurrah in chipsets for Intel CPUs. I hope your -SATA2 grows on you.

 

[tripp7896]

I'm so thankful for these threads!

I have flashed my 775Dual-VSTA with 3.19a using WinFlasher 4.40 and installed 4gb of DDR2.

Everything is running well except that when booting, the BIOS shows only 3gb of RAM while Windows 7 64bit says 4gb (3gb usable).

Did I miss something?

 

[i_am_jwk]

I'm so thankful for these threads!

I have flashed my 775Dual-VSTA with 3.19a using WinFlasher 4.40 and installed 4gb of DDR2.

Everything is running well except that when booting, the BIOS shows only 3gb of RAM while Windows 7 64bit says 4gb (3gb usable).

Did I miss something?

From all of my research + my personal experience, one of the properties of this family of boards is that with 4 gigs of physical RAM installed, the "available"/usable amount of physical memory will be equal to about 3328 megs minus your current AGP aperture setting. If you're using an AGP card, setting it to around 64 megs typically will not cause any issues and will free up some additional memory for other uses. If you're using a PCI Express video card and no AGP card, you can theoretically set it even lower than that (though it's unlikely where you'll run into cases where 48 more megs of RAM will make or break system performance).

If you take the same 4 gigs of RAM and install it in another board that supports >4 gigs of RAM using that same 64-bit OS, the full amount should be used.

 

[tripp7896]

I'm only showing 3028mb in BIOS boot up, though. Inside the BIOS setup it shows the full 4gb. Windows says 3gb usable, not 3.3 or 3.5, and as far as I had read, with a 64bit OS the full 4 should work anyway.

I would also assume this RAM would work in some other motherboard that supports it, this is about getting a 775Dual-VSTA to use 4gb.

Maybe I should try an earlier version of the modified BIOS?

 

[Mr Vain]

I'm only showing 3028mb in BIOS boot up, though. Inside the BIOS setup it shows the full 4gb. Windows says 3gb usable, not 3.3 or 3.5, and as far as I had read, with a 64bit OS the full 4 should work anyway.

I would also assume this RAM would work in some other motherboard that supports it, this is about getting a 775Dual-VSTA to use 4gb.

Maybe I should try an earlier version of the modified BIOS?

Can you give us your system specs?

AGP or PCI-e RAM etc?

 

[tripp7896]

Sure.

775dual-VSTA w/ 3.19a (flashed with WinFlasher 4.40)
4gb OCZ DDR2-1066
PCIe nVidia 8600gt
Windows 7 Enterprise 64bit

Hope that's everything. Thanks for your help, Mr. Vain :awe:.